Review: Rooms, by Lauren Oliver

Rooms, by Lauren Oliver

Harper Audio - 2014
General Fiction / Horror
Audiobook

Narrated by Orlagh Cassidy, Barbara   Caruso, Elizabeth Evans, Noah Galvin, Cynthia Darlow,   and      Courtney Shaw

9 Hours, 20 Minutes

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rooms by Lauren Oliver is a beautifully haunting ghost story. 

Richard Walker has breathed his last breath. Estranged from his family, he was all but alone when he died...or was he really?

Now his family is coming to settle his estate and collect their inheritance. It is going to take more than the reading of the will to settle the affairs of this house though. His scorned ex-wife Caroline drinks too much, his daughter Minna enjoys the company of men too much, and his son Trenton is depressed and on the verge of suicide. There are other inhabitants in the house. Ghosts. The spirits of people who lived there before, that are bound to to the house itself, wearing it like a shared body.

All of the inhabitants of the house - living and dead, are dealing with painful memories, secrets, and traumatic histories, and they take turns in telling their stories, little by little. When Trenton begins to communicate with a new ghost, the lives of the living and the dead meet. The results are powerful and dramatic.

What bothers me about this book is that it is - in my humble opinion, often misclassified on two fronts. Because Lauren Oliver previously wrote YA books (I LOVED Liesl and Po!), many have mistakenly assumed that this book too is a YA. More importantly, I feel that it is classified as "Horror" just because of the presence of ghosts in the story, but the depth and beauty of the story would suggest something else. Literary fiction or Paranormal Fiction perhaps would seem more accurate to me. It was deeply moving, one of the most touching ghost stories I have ever read. 

One of my favorite passages from this book:

The audiobook was narrated by Orlagh Cassidy, Barbara Caruso, Elizabeth Evans, Noah Galvin, Cynthia Darlow, and Courtney Shaw. The narrators all had clear, pleasant voices and they were all well suited to their characters.  It is always a treat to listen to an audiobook with a cast of performers.

Rooms easily drew me in to its haunting tale and moved me the way few ghost stories do.

Happy Reading,

Christine

On This Day: July 30, 1935. First Penguin Paperbacks

On This Day, July 30th 1935 Penguin's first Parperback books

On July 30th, 1935, Penguin Books Published the first (as we know them) Paperbacks!

Ahhh paperbacks.  The preferred format for many a reader.  Hardcover books are large and heavy, but a paperback slides easily into a purse, tote, or pocket. Lighter and more affordable than its hardcover brethren, it is the also the affordable option for many. 

There was a time that good literature was not easily obtained by the average person.  Books were large, intricately bound, expensive, and sold mostly in upscale bookstores. Affordable options were poor quality in both writing and physical composition.

Ironically, we have a publishing executive's inability to find a good book in  a train station bookstall to thank for the quality, ease and affordability we enjoy today. 

Sir Allen Lane, the chairman of the British publishing house Bodley Head, was returning from a weekend visiting Agatha Christie's country estate, when he searched the bookstall in the train station for something to read on the long trip ahead.  Frustrated by the lack of quality options, he spent his time considering a way to make good literature affordable and more widely available.  

When Bodley Head allowed him to proceed but declined to finance the project, Allen Lane financed the project himself, and called the new line Penguin. He acquired the rights to reprint ten literary titles (You can view the complete list Here).  His plan was to sell the much cheaper format, at low margin, but high volume. To break even, 17, 000 copies of each book needed to be sold.  He set off in search of retail buyers. Woolworth's ordered 63, 500 copes, telling Lane his business plan was solid.  Penguin books was born. 3 million copies were sold the first year. Penguin separated from Bodley Head, becoming its own entity in 1936.

The color coded block design and familiar, friendly looking penguin are still instantly recognizable today.   

On July 1, 2013 Penguin and Random House merged to become the global publishing powerhouse Penguin Random House.  

Happy Reading, 

Christine

Review: Magic For Liars, by Sarah Gailey

Magic For Liars, by Sarah Gailey

MacMillan Audio - 2019
Fantasy
Audiobook
Xe Sands

9 Hours, 07 Minutes

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sarah Gailey's book Magic For Liars is a wonderful, magical, mystery. 

Private investigator Ivy Gamble was not born with any magical abilities, but her twin sister Tabitha was. Ivy would tell you that she never wanted to be magic, but she would be lying. 

Ivy used to lie...a lot, but when she is hired to investigate a gruesome murder at the Osthorne Acadamy for Mages, where her now estranged sister teaches, she is pulled into the powerful world of magic and mages, and forced to face some truths about herself and her relationship with her sister.  

I enjoyed this book. Gailey puts her own spin on the "school for mages" concept, and there is a mystery to be solved, but what i really enjoyed was the way the complicated relationship between Ivy and Tabitha was portrayed.  For me it added a depth to the story that made the characters more relatable and the story more likable for it. 

The book was narrated by Xe Sands, which should pretty much say it all for those who are audiobook addicts, but for those not in the know, Xe Sands is one of the best in the business. A beautiful voice with an incredible range of emotion and able to give each character in the story a voice of their own. 

Magic For Liars is a fun, light read, but not without depth. 

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review: The Favorite Daughter, by Kaira Rouda

The Favorite Daughter, by Kaira Rouda

Harlequin Audio - 2019

Thriller
Audiobook
Kathleen McInerney

9 Hours, 31 Minutes

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Favorite Daughter, by Kaira Rouda is a thriller filled with characters you will love to hate. 

After spending a year grieving the death of her daughter Mary, Jane is planning to reclaim her life. But her family has changed in that year, and Jane has not been keeping up with the changes, and as the date for Mary's memorial approaches, it seems that someone knows more about Mary's death than they previously revealed. 

Told in the style of the unreliable narrator (and often breaking the fourth wall) Jane isn't exactly a character you can sympathize with. She is narcissistic, manipulative, and controlling. In fact, none of the main characters are likable or easy to sympathize with. In most books, that would be a reason to dislike the book, but that is not the case with this book. Really, these are characters you love to hate! 

While there were no earth-shattering plot twists, the story was not without spins and misdirection. Most importantly, despicable characters and all, it was engaging.

Narration was provided by Kathleen McInerney and was performed well. Clear with a pleasant tone and cadence, and just a hint of deviousness that suited the character of Jane so  well. 

Loving to hate Jane and the other characters in this book was a bit of a guilty pleasure! I look forward to reading more of Kaira Rouda's work in the future. 

Happy Reading,

Christine

Sunday Summary: July 14 - 20, 2019

Welcome to my Sunday Summary.  A look back on my bookish adventures for the past week.

Well, Mother Nature has been making up for the cool June weather with some serious heat now. On the prairies, heat means THUNDERSTORMS!  I love a good thunderstorm. Unfortunately (for me), all the ones that have come lately have been while I was at work. I really feel the need to sit on the couch staring out of the window while the house rattles and shakes and the sky lights up.  Prairie thunderstorms can be epic!  Of course the drawback to all this is the humidity. Several of my son's daycare outdoor field-trips have been cancelled due to high humidex levels. Only a few more weeks before vacation and a few weeks outside the city at my husband's family cottage.  I am ready now 😊☀🏖🍹

Books Reviewed:

All Is Not Forgotten, by Wendy Walker. This thriller explores the dynamics of memory and trauma. You can read my review HERE.

The Toll, by Cherie Priest. My review of this creepy jaunt through the swamplands of the south is in THIS POST. 

Ramblings and Miscellany:

My ramblings on unfinished book series was posted this week. You can read the post HERE.

Advance Reading Copy (ARC) Books Previously Reviewed and Released this Week:

None this week. 

Currently Reading and Notable Titles on Deck:

I am currently reading Chances Are, by Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Russo. I am currently listening to Rooms, by Lauren Oliver. 

I still have several reviews pending, including a review of Magic For Liars, by Sarah Gailey.

On deck is Canadian Author Robyn Harding's latest offering - The Arrangement.

Happy Reading, 

Christine

Review: The Toll, by Cherie Priest

The Toll, by Cherie Priest

MacMillan-Tor/Forge
Horror
E-book

336 Pages

* I received this digital ARC courtesy of MacMillan-Tor/Forge, via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐1/2

The Toll is a creepy jaunt into the swamplands of the deep south. 

Titus and his new wife Melanie are heading into Okefenokee swamp for a canoe trip while on their honeymoon. Just before they enter, they come across an ancient, narrow, single lane bridge. The next thing Titus knows, he is waking up outside the car, in the middle of nowhere, and Melanie is missing.  He can't even see the bridge which was his last memory before waking up. When he calls the police to help find her, they tell him there is no such bridge on that route. 

The locals have grown used to people disappearing into the swamp - especially Clair and Daisy - it seems to happen regularly...almost like clockwork They do what they can to protect their godson Cameron, but when he goes into the swamp, they have to pull out all the stops to try and get him back out. 

Priest does an excellent job of creating the right mood for this book.  Dark, oppressive, and creepy, you can almost feel the mood the way a person will feel the atmosphere before a thunderstorm. 

One thing that didn't really work for me, was the concept of anybody choosing to honeymoon in a swamp - for any reason. This sort of got the story started on the wrong foot for me, and it took me a while to get past it. Once I was able to get over that initial hiccup,  and immerse myself in the tale, the rest of the story was really quite good. If Titus and Melanie had entered the swamplands for any other reason than a honeymoon this story would have easily been at least a 4-star read for me.

Overall, a good, solid horror story with an almost tangible mood to it.

Happy Reading,

Christine

Review: All Is Not Forgotten, by Wendy walker

All Is Not Forgotten, by Wendy Walker

MacMillan Audio - 2016
Thriller
Audiobook
Narrated by Dylan Baker

11 Hourrs, 30 Minutes

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

While primarily a thriller, All Is Not Forgotten is written with strong emotional components woven through it. 

Trigger warning: Rape, sexual assault. 

Jenny Kramer lives in one of those affluent little town where the residents feel that their economic and social status will insulate them from the bad things that happen in other places. One night all that changes.

The book starts with the brutal rape of Jenny. It is the rape that results in her meeting the narrator of this  story - her psychiatrist. 

After surgery to repair the physical damage to Jenny's body a decision has to be made - to administer a developmental/experimental drug protocol that will remove Jenny's memory of that horrible night, basically sparing her the PTSD that she would have likely suffered from if she did remember the rape. Mental recall is just one part of memory though, and in some ways her body remembers what her mind forgets. In the end it is the conflict of knowing she was raped but not having any actual recall of it that proves to be too difficult for her. 

During all if this Jenny's parents struggle too. Both Jenny's mother and father have her best interests at heart, but that doesn't mean they agree with each other on how to protect those interests.  Jenny's father Tom has an unquenchable desire for justice, while Jenny's mother Charlotte has an equally strong need to pretend that the rape never happened and move on.  This difference of opinion opens a rift in the marriage as both feel strongly about what they think Jenny needs in order to heal. Their difference in approach strains their marriage.

While all this is going on, a rapist is still at large in community, and he might be closer than Jenny and her parents think. 

This psychological thriller treads some dangerous emotional waters. Though the subject matter is dark and uncomfortable,  Walker spins her tale with wisdom and compassion. Other than the story's narrator Dr. Forrester - who is a bit of an arrogant prick, the characters are mostly likable, if imperfect. While the rape of Jenny is brutal, I don't think it is gratuitous in nature. The only way for this story to work, is for the protagonist to experience to experience something truly horrible. I think Walker does a good job in trying to balance the need in the story for this event to be devastatingly horrific to the character, with trying not to be any more graphic than the story requires to make that point. 

This audiobook was narrated by Dylan Baker. His voice was clear and pleasant, sufficiently varied by character, and portrayed with appropriate range of emotion.

Happy Reading,

Christine