Tag: audiobooks

Books: a two-fer

Vaclav and Lena: A Novel

Vaclav and Lena: A Novel

I listened to this story on audio and I really think that it added to the experience. There were two narrators (although mostly one) and there were accents (done well) and there was a lot of emotions put into the reading.

Two children, best friends at 9 years old, living in Brooklyn with Russian parents, and then the separation. And the mystery. Years and years. And then they meet again.

Good story. 🙂

The Wisdom of My Grandmothers by Adriana Trigiani
The Wisdom of My Grandmothers
by Adriana Trigiani

4 of 5 stars
Read from October 29 to November 01, 2011
I’ve loved Adriana’s books for years. I won a copy of this book and then listened to Book Club Girl’s blog radio interview with Adriana tonight.

Adriana was blessed with strong grandmothers who lived into her 30s. They were born in 1895 and 1907 and both were hard-working career women who found the love of their lives. It is easy to see the influence these women had on the fictional characters you find in Trigiani’s novels.

I especially loved the passage where she says, “Looking back, now, I realize that you only ever need one person who lights up that way when you enter a room. One person is all it takes to give a kid confidence.” Yes.

Good stuff.

Tra La!

Ah, one more May blog. 🙂 

It was a good holiday weekend full of hard work!  Not a lot more reading done, unfortunately, but I did finish “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” and it was enjoyable.  As I said on Goodreads, I was hesitant to read it, thinking it would be sad and heavy, but it really wasn’t!  It was sweet and told mostly from the perspective of a 12 year old boy and the 50 year old man he becomes.  It was nice.

I started listening to “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” today, and it starts out hard to listen to!  It starts out with the Prime Minister being visited by the Ministry of Magic and then Snape meeting with Bellatrix and then a lot of newspaper headlines.  I don’t think we see Harry until chapter four (maybe three), so it just feels different than the other books.  Thankfully it’s shorter than the last few, so I should be able to rip through it!

I also downloaded my second library e-book!  A Diane Mott Davidson book, just for fun.  I’ll have to see if I can get the last few books on my Spring Reading Thing list from the library.  Not many left!  Yay!

Well, not many days of work left, that’s for sure.  It’s amazing how much better I feel after time away.  I am dreading the next three days – well, maybe dreading is too strong, but I’m really hoping for strength to get through them.  I have a LOT to do!

But now, I’m off to read!  Blogs before bed!

TBR Pile Minus One

Reading in bed
Reading in Bed Image via Wikipedia

Well, I didn’t exactly have a marathon of reading over the weekend, because I think that means that you spend more time reading than doing anything else.  I did have some marathon mornings – staying in bed on Saturday and Sunday and reading – but that was about it.  I finished the book I started – ‘The Summer We Read Gatsby” – and I really enjoyed it.  It was a nice summery read for a cold February weekend.

It seems I have a hard time making a dent in my TBR pile – or more accurately,  my TBR shelf!  That durn library always impels me to pick up new books every time I’m there!  So yesterday I picked up a quick paperback, then I’ll read “Plain Truth.”  If “One Day” comes up in my reserve list at the library, I’ll mosey on to that one.

So many books.

I have been enjoying the audiobooks in the car, since my iPod died.  I’m listening to a Super Sad one right now, and it kind of leaves a pall over me when I get out of the car.  Very sad.  I don’t like to recommend very sad books, because I don’t think it’s fun to feel this way, but it is called “Every Last One” by Anna Quindlan (sp).  I like that Hope Davis is the narrator, because that is fun, but that’s the only fun thing about the book.  I can only hope for a happy ending.  I’m about 2/3 through and then I’m going to listen to “Brava, Valentine!” by Adriana Trigiani, a favorite of mine.  Yeah!

Well, off to read!  What are you reading?