Marisa de los Santos

Currently listening to:

What if saying hello to an old friend meant saying good-bye to life as you know it?

It’s been six years since Pen Calloway watched her best friends walk out of her life. And through the birth of her daughter, the death of her father, and the vicissitudes of single motherhood, she has never stopped missing them.

Pen, Cat, and Will met on their first day of college and formed what seemed like a magical and lifelong bond, only to see their friendship break apart amid the realities of adulthood. When, after years of silence, Cat - the bewitching, charismatic center of their group - e-mails Pen and Will with an urgent request to meet at their college reunion, they can’t refuse. But instead of a happy reconciliation, what awaits is a collision of past and present that sends Pen and Will, with Pen’s five-year-old daughter and Cat’s hostile husband in tow, on a journey across the world.

With her trademark wit, vivid prose, and gift for creating authentic, captivating characters, Marisa de los Santos returns with an emotionally resonant novel about our deepest human connections. As Pen and Will struggle to uncover the truth about Cat, they find more than they bargained for: startling truths about who they were before and who they are now. They must confront the reasons their friendship fell apart and discover how - and if - it can ever fall back together. (from audible.com)

-----------------

I discovered this book the other day at my local indie awesome bookstore. I had no idea that de los Santos--whose first two books, Love Walked In and Belong to Me, were ones I adored--had a new one out. Fortunately, I had a credit on audible.com and came right home and downloaded this new one. I'm less than halfway through it at the moment, but it has the qualities I loved from her previous two works: The writing is gorgeous, and the characters are flawed and incredibly, undeniably human. If you want to check out her work and start with the first two, you'll need to read Love Walked In first, as Belong to Me is a continuation of its story. This new one is unrelated and can be read without those two, if you like to start with the most recent of a writer's repertoire. 

Libba Bray

I'm re-listening to the last book in one of my favorite trilogies: the A Great and Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray. Once again, it's a YA story with a supernatural story line; clearly, I have my preferred themes. But I think there is a HUGE amount of marvelous young adult literature out there, and I don't believe you have to qualify as "young" to enjoy it. Nor do you have to be fond of the supernatural, as there are scores of novels which don't feature that element. I happen to love it, but that doesn't mean that every book which has it is necessarily good. Bray's series, however, is superb, and I would recommend it to anyone, of any age. The books themselves are beautiful, but the narrator of the audiobooks, Josephine Bailey, is exceptional.

It's 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma's reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she's been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence's most powerful girls, and their foray into the spiritual world, lead to? (from audible.com)

The Rose Garden

As much as I enjoyed The Winter Sea, I found this book to be much better, both in terms of writing and story content. I absolutely loved this one. I enthusiastically endorse it.

And just in case you think that all I listen to are time-travel love stories, next in my lineup is some nonfiction about which I have heard nothing but rave reviews: The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks.

My small thank you to Steve Jobs and Apple

I admit to being stunned when I heard the news about Steve Jobs's death yesterday. I knew he was not well, but considering it had only been six weeks since he'd retired, well...I was simply taken aback. I've read abundant tributes, many of which simply quoted Jobs's own eloquent sentiments. I never followed him that closely, nor do I know a great deal about him, but I can grasp, at least a little, what a visionary the world has lost.

I'm not an Apple person, per se. I don't run out and buy every single product they put out. I'm typing this on a PC, which in and of itself is proof that I've never been an Apple purist. Actually, Apple desktops and laptops have always been tempting, but I've never quite had the money for them. This is more about the one Apple product I've owned and loved.

Every audiobook I mention on this blog, I've listened to on an iPod. I've owned four of them in the last decade. My first one was a turquoise iPod Mini. Remember the mini? It's funny now to think that's what it was called, because subsequent generations of the ipod were so much slimmer and compact. Even so, I still think it's pretty cute. My next one was the 4th generation Nano, in red. Both of these, I ordered directly from Apple, and they had (and still do, I believe) that great feature where you could get the back of the iPod engraved. My mini bears a quote from T.S. Eliot: "You are the music while the music lasts." The red nano has one from John Milton: "Such sweet compulsion doth in music lie." They are lovely words and I wish I'd known them by heart, but in truth, I simply googled "quotes about music" and found them that way.

Since the nano, I've owned two generations of the iPod Touch. This is probably my favorite, simply because I love the ease of it, and all the apps, and the display, and...everything about it. It's comical, really, to look at the ipod touch and remember how the first iPods had no color or pictures, and had a tiny display screen. I admit, though, that while I love the Touch, I do kind of miss that quiet noise the click wheel made.

The fact that I've owned four of these may make it sound like they don't have any longevity. There may be mp3 players which last longer, but when I say I use the iPod, I don't mean casually. I use the hell out of it. I listen to music, podcasts, and audiobooks for nearly 40 hours a week. This only varies when it's KU basketball season and I have my little radio on for two hours during game nights. The iPod has been a faithful and true companion for me at work for nearly a decade, keeping me conscious (always a plus) and well-entertained on days when the hours seem to drag by. So while I may not be an Apple girl on all fronts, I'm an iPod girl through and through. Thank you, Steve Jobs, for making a product so fine.

The Dresden Files

I recently started listening to Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files series. My friend at work suggested the first one, and once I started into it, I realized I'd heard of them before. I had a friend several years ago who was a big fan of the books. I very much enjoyed the first one, and the fact that it was narrated by James Marsters. Incidentally, I was a few seasons into Buffy The Vampire Slayer before I discovered that James Marsters was not, in fact, British. So I was excited at the prospect of hearing his real voice narrating these books.

As I said, I liked the first one. The second one, too. The stories are fun, there's some decent humor, and plenty of tension--even though you know that everything should turn out fine in the end. The series consists of 13 books so far, and it's not finished yet.

Now, however, I'm listening to the third book. I like the story arc of this one as well. Unfortunately, I've discovered something that has begun to really get on my nerves, and that is: The character of Harry Dresden exlaims "Hell's bells!" ALL. THE. DAMN. TIME. Once I noticed it, it got under my skin, and now it's almost to the point where it's making me cringe every time I hear it. I don't know if it's a writing crutch of Butcher's, or what the reason for it could be, but it's overused to the point of absurdity. Stephenie Meyer had a similar problem in the Twilight books: "His eyes tightened." Edward's eyes were tightening so often it's a wonder they didn't get stuck that way. And once the overuse of a phrase registers, it's impossible to overlook it. Sort of like when a friend pointed out how hyperactive Emma Watson's eyebrows were in the first few Harry Potter movies. Completely impossible to not see it every time after that.

I do wonder whether it makes a difference that I'm listening to these books and not reading them; that hearing the phrase over and over makes more of an impact than just reading it would. I suspect it might. Also, while I do enjoy Marsters's narration overall, he's one of the more mistake-prone readers I've come across. Twice during my listening at work tonight, he said the phrase, "wrecking havoc." You don't wreck havoc. You  WREAK havoc. I presume that unless Butcher had a shitty editor, "wreak" is what is actually on the page. I know this makes me sound anal, but it's just a small irritant. It takes me out of the story a tiny bit each time.

So do I recommend these books? Sure. They're fun, if you like wizardy, supernatural stories. Are they formulaic? Yep. As good as Harry Potter? Not even close. In fact, I'd recommend Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant series over these--it's funnier and it's got STELLAR narration. But The Dresden Files are thoroughly entertaining, and enjoyable enough that I'm anxious to see how book 3 ends. Not a full-throated endorsement, maybe, but hey...I can't absolutely love everything!

Tana French

I finished The Winter Sea the other night, and quite liked it. But for a little bit of variation, how about a trilogy of mysteries I recently listened to and absolutely adored? After all, not everything good is a Scottish love story.

You are not necessarily required to listen to/read these in order. They have entirely unconnected mystery storylines, but a character you meet in the first book has a larger role in the second, and one you meet in the second has a prominent role in the third, so, I'd go with In the Woods first, and if you like it, continue on in order. Also, the narration is stellar.

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children. He is gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox (his partner and closest friend) find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past. (from audible.com)

Picking up six months later, this riveting sequel finds Detective Cassie Maddox still scarred by her last case. When her boyfriend calls her to a chilling murder scene, Cassie is forced to face her inner demons. A young woman has been found stabbed to death outside Dublin, and the victim looks just like Cassie. (audible.com)

As her third novel featuring the Dublin Murder Squad opens, 19-year-old Frank Mackey is waiting in vain for Rosie, who he’s supposed to run away to London with. But when she doesn’t show, Frank leaves Dublin without her—thinking never to return. Years later, though, Rosie’s suitcase is found in an abandoned house, and Frank, now a detective, returns to his old neighborhood to learn the truth of that long-ago night. (audible.com)

The Winter Sea, part II

Still progressing through The Winter Sea, which I am enjoying a great deal. It's not a literary masterpiece or anything, but the story is compelling. It also has to do with Jacobites in early 18th century Scotland, and after making my way through Diana Gabaldon's mammoth (and as yet unfinished!) Outlander series, I have a great affinity for a good Jacobite story. Unfortunately, they all tend to make me want to go back to Edinburgh, and that's not exactly in the budget right now.

So today's recommendation, for anyone who might be searching for a good time travel/Jacobite/historical romance:

The narrator of this seven book (thus far) series, Davina Porter, is beyond terrific.

an old favorite

Perhaps my oldest favorite. The book that never lets me down; one of many which I've both read and listened to multiple times. Because sometimes, a girl just needs Austen...especially when she's given voice by Lindsay Duncan.

What i'm listening to now

In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.

But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...

(Description taken from audible.com)