I’ve been on an Audible.com rampage; I’ve already spent well over $325.00. The following are some of the audio books I’ve listened to in just the last few weeks; there are more waiting and the rest are made up of all things Gervais. I’m not at all good at book reviews, so I’ve included the link for you to go read the synopsis for each book yourself. My thoughts are in italics. I might not be good at book reviews, but I’m pretty good at telling you what I think.
Water For Elephants
I did not like this book at all. TOO much circus detail. TOO much weirdness. TOO much jumping around. TOO much about the animals. Too much sex that didn’t make sense and sexual content that seemed out of place. And I’m no prude. I didn’t find it to be an interesting storyline at all. I might consider seeing the movie, but would not recommend the book to anyone.
The English American
The author actually read this book herself. I loved her British accent, her attempt at a Southern accent and the other voices she did for characters. It was funny, or as the English might say, cheeky. It was just okay. Funny in many places, good characters, but I just didn’t like the way it ended. I might recommend it, if the person were to find it on a sale rack.
A Rule Against Murder
I loved the way this was written. The detail. The description of the characters. Investigator Gamache – apparently, he’s a character in several of her books. I would definitely read something else written by Louise Penny. And I love that that story was set in Canada, as I love love love my neighbor to the north.
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Interesting. Well written. But not my favorite. I liked the Kite Runner story better – even though I only saw the movie. I do love the Afghan setting and the story about the people of that region.
Inside The Kingdom: My Life In Saudi Arabia
I bought this before Bin Laden was killed, and it was interesting to read/listen to after the fact. It seems they were not very close to him at all, but her husband (bin Laden’s brother) seemed to be a very difficult man to live with. And the Saudi Arabian lifestyle is a bit oppressive for the women. No big surprise to anyone there. I probably wouldn’t recommend it, but I would say it had some interesting tidbits.
The Blood of Flowers
I loved this book. LOVED. I loved the author and I loved the woman who read the book – Iranian-American actress Shohreh Aghdashloo. As I said in a prior post, her voice is hypnotically gorgeous. I loved the subject matter. I loved the vivid descriptions. I felt as if I were there. And I’m very intrigued by the culture in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries. There were many Arabic words and phrases I learned from this book, my favorite being In ša? Allah- pronounced Insha’ Allah – in my head, I keep trying to figure out ways to work it into conversation. I find much of the language to be beautiful. It’s definitely a book I would recommend and I’d read anything else written by her.
I have many other books to write about, ones I’ve already listened to and others that are in the wings. I just finished Loving Frank, the story about the affair between Mamah Borthwick Cheney (a former client) and Frank Lloyd Wright (they were both married at the time – the story is scandalous and ends tragically); two books by Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw), Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (an absolutely FASCINATING account about what it means to be an average Korean citizen, living under the most repressive totalitarian regime today) – my absolute favorite book to date.
Next on my list are Patton (about General George S. Patton’s fascinating life and legacy), The Worst Hard Time (which I’m listening to now – about the dust storms that terrorized America’s High Plains in the darkest years of the Depression – the untold story of those who survived), and Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Inslavement of Black Americans From the Civil War to World War II (the lost stories of slaves and their descendants who journeyed into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation and then back into the shadow of involuntary servitude shortly thereafter). Those are just a few of the interesting titles I have waiting for me; there are many, many more! Stay tuned!
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