Three Dutch teenagers use the invisibility of their age and gender to join and successfully support the resistance in German occupied Netherlands during WWII. SYNOPSIS Told for the very first time, the astonishing true story of three fearless female resisters during WWII whose youth and innocence belied their extraordinary daring in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. It... Continue Reading →
2021 Reading Challenge Wrap Up: Audiobook Challenge
Ten whole audiobooks! Is this as many as in years past? No. Am I embarrassed or shy about these results? Also no. This puts me in the Weekend Warrior Category which feels accurate for this year. 2021 had black-to-back reading slumps that had me questioning where reading and books belonged in my life. In August... Continue Reading →
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
An entertaining audiobook about how we seek to understand other people and the myriad of ways we misunderstand each other. This book did not convince me of anything but it was thought-provoking. SYNOPSIS Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of the number-one New York Times best seller Outliers, reinvents the audiobook in this immersive production of Talking... Continue Reading →
2020 Audiobook Challenge Update
I love Hot Listens and Caffeinated Reviewer's audiobook challenge. For my audiobook challenge I wanted to listen to 20+ books this year and I did it! This is a challenge I have participated in for a few years and each year I find more ways to integrate audiobooks into my reading life. This year that... Continue Reading →
Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi
Quite simply the most gorgeously written middle grade book I have enjoyed in....forever. I felt drenched in description and fell deeply in love with Alice and Oliver. SYNOPSIS Inspired by her childhood love of books like A Secret Garden and The Chronicles of Narnia, bestselling author Tahereh Mafi crafts a spellbinding new world where color is currency, adventure... Continue Reading →
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
As the last words of this story wrapped up I sat outside looking at the sky and felt pure joy. This story consumed me and I could not stop listening! SYNOPSIS Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six: The band's album Aurora came to define the rock 'n' roll era of the late seventies, and an entire... Continue Reading →
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Layer by layer we learn more and more about the families that inhabit and are drawn back to the Dutch House. This gorgeous story was one I could not stop listening to until the bitter sweet conclusion. SYNOPSIS At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment... Continue Reading →
Nonfiction Friday: Cary Grant, A Class Apart by Graham McCann
Graham McCann's autobiography of Cary Grant carries the reader through his life from birth to death with intimate looks at every stage. I have loved Cary Grant since the first time I laid eyes on him and this book did nothing to shake that love. SYNOPSIS A biography narrating how the English working-class boy Archie... Continue Reading →
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told: An Oral History by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally
This audiobook version of Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally’s book was like listening to the two of them over a long dinner. Listening to them flirt, chat, compliment, and reminisce will show even the hardest heart what a beautiful marriage can look like. SYNOPSIS At last, the full story behind Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman's... Continue Reading →
NonFiction Friday: Me by Elton John
Elton John has been a major star my entire life. I remember him singing at Princess Diana's funeral and I have always been impressed by the work his AIDS foundation does for the world. I love all of his popular songs and I was aware of his struggle with addiction. But I wouldn't have considered... Continue Reading →