Audio: Keystone - Dannika Dark

Audio CD, 9 h

Narrator: Nicole Poole

Published January 31st 2017 by Tantor Audio (first published January 17th 2017)

Series: Crossbreed #1

UF

Own

My Thoughts:

I had issues, and the nail in the coffin was when I fell asleep and did not care to go back and listen to 15 min or so. Oh and when I sped it up even more cos I just wanted it to end.

I did not care for Raven. She had killed a lot of people, but then we learn that she does not know to fight and her magic is not as good as the real breeds...right, and she took down dangerous baddies how? Supposedly by luring them in..right.

Oh and she is an idiot. Think woman! There was this situation and she effed up, and then she got applauds and I was all ...riiight.

I do not need someone kickass but at least I want smart.

She was too much, too honorable, and then not. Too smart mouthed, always. Too much.

Christian who I guess is the love interest was too much. Not even the accent saved him. Always with the smart mouth. He came of sleazy in the end. Ugh, no thanks.

The gang was, sigh, why did those people get picked?

Why do breed despise humans when some of them were humans like a year ago.

And I wish the story had been more, well plausible. Things happened way too easily.

By a saving grace it will get an ok rating

Narrator.

She made it better, but not even she could save this train wreck. Would have been a dnf without the narration

Blurb:

When the road forks, how do you know which path is the right one? Raven Black hunts evildoers for fun, but her vigilante justice isn't the only reason she's hiding from the law. Half Vampire, half Mage, she's spent years living as a rogue to stay alive. When a Russian Shifter offers her a job in his covert organization hunting outlaws, dignity and a respectable career are finally within her grasp. The catch? Her new partner is Christian Poe-a smug, handsome Vampire whom she'd rather stake than go on a stakeout with. They're hot on the trail of a human killer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. One misstep during her probationary period could jeopardize Raven's chance at redemption, and her partner would love nothing more than to see her fail. Dark secrets, unexpected twists, and a blurred line between good and evil will keep you on the edge of your seat. Will Raven find the courage to succeed, or will she give in to her dark nature?

Audio: Marilla of Green Gables - Sarah McCoy

Audio CD, 9 h

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Published October 23rd 2018 by HarperAudio

Historical fiction

For review

My Thoughts:

In a way this one was kind of sad. There is a budding romance, but you know it will not have a happy ending and that she will have regrets.

It starts with Marilla at 13. She is mostly at home, she has no friends, but she is content. Life is busy on a farm. I liked young Marilla. She was kind and sweet. She does make a friend later on, a friend who will be her best friend for life.

I do get that her mother's death had a huge impact on her. She felt that she had to care for her father and brother. She had no time for herself, and that is so sad. I also felt sorry for Matthew, poor man, he wanted love too. See, this is a sad book, think how long they had to wait to find that sunshine in their lives!

There is a beau too, John Blythe, and how I wanted to smack her over the head! Yes yes, there can not be  happy ending, but but! There could have been. That is the sad part.

It is a book that deals with farmlife and the slow country life. How things shape us.

And then it jumps ahead and she is suddenly 36 or something. Life has gone on without her.

Ok since the blurb tells it all. There is also talk about what is happening in the world. And she feels she wants to help protect slaves that escape. She does not do much,, but even the small things can be a different if everyone made an effort.

This is not the Marilla that I remember from the movies, tv series (oh I have to watch that new one!!).  I also realised that Marilla is actually not that old, ok 50, but still. And she does say the windy island age you. It makes me understand her more, because the books do not give us a lot about her. The author of this book imagines that for us.

Conclusion:
And interesting what if. Still poor Matthew! You will see.

Narrator

She did well with the feel of the book. It is not a book that hurries toward something. It is life, the small things, the big questions. A slow sort of reflection that she handled well.

Blurb

Plucky and ambitious, Marilla Cuthbert is thirteen years old when her world is turned upside down. Her beloved mother dies in childbirth, and Marilla suddenly must bear the responsibilities of a farm wife: cooking, sewing, keeping house, and overseeing the day-to-day life of Green Gables with her brother, Matthew and father, Hugh.

In Avonlea-a small, tight-knit farming town on a remote island-life holds few options for farm girls. Her one connection to the wider world is Aunt Elizabeth Izzy Johnson, her mother's sister, who managed to escape from Avonlea to the bustling city of St. Catharines. An opinionated spinster, Aunt Izzy's talent as a seamstress has allowed her to build a thriving business and make her own way in the world.

Emboldened by her aunt, Marilla dares to venture beyond the safety of Green Gables and discovers new friends and new opportunities. Joining the Ladies Aid Society, she raises funds for an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity in nearby Nova Scotia that secretly serves as a way station for runaway slaves from America. Her budding romance with John Blythe, the charming son of a neighbor, offers her a possibility of future happiness-Marilla is in no rush to trade one farm life for another. She soon finds herself caught up in the dangerous work of politics, and abolition-jeopardizing all she cherishes, including her bond with her dearest John Blythe. Now Marilla must face a reckoning between her dreams of making a difference in the wider world and the small-town reality of life at Green Gables.

Audio: Extraordinary Means - Robyn Schneider

Audiobook, 8h

Published May 26th 2015 by Katherine Tegen Books

YA Fiction

Own

My Thoughts

I wish books weren't compared to other books. Because when they did compare this one to a book it became obvious how it would end.

Short, must make it short!

Lane has drug resistent TB and is sent to a sanitarium. He was the kid on the honor roll and who did nothing else but study. And he has a hard time shaking it.

He meets real friends for once.

1 out of 5 sent there do not make it home

Spoiler where I talk about how idiotic they are

Wtf. Sneaking into town! They might infect someone!

Taking of their sensors! Those will help if you die! Stupid effing idiots.

Conclusion:

I liked it. Lane learned that there is more to life. He falls in love and he hopes.

PS

No it was never sad cos well look what I said at the top

Narrators:
Khristine Hvam , James Fouhey

They were both good but I had this problem. Khristine talked too fast and James too slow. It was hard to find a speed that worked for both. And then I still felt he was too slow.

Blurb:
Up until his diagnosis, Lane lived a fairly predictable life. But when he finds himself at a tuberculosis sanatorium called Latham House, he discovers an insular world with paradoxical rules, med sensors, and an eccentric yet utterly compelling confidante named Sadie—and life as Lane knows it will never be the same.

TMST. Scary books

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

October 23rd: What are some of the scariest books you have ever read?
To be honest...check last week's post. I have read like 2 that was a bit scary that I remember. At least Goodreads tells me so.

But then again, this Katie Ruggle book I read a few weeks ago was scary. It was a romance, but there was someone looking into a window at a time and well it gave me chills. It does not have to be a scary book to be scary. It can be a romantic suspense and it can still be creepy. Yes creepy is scarier than scary at times.

October is so not my month. I need more scary! ...nah, I do not need more scary. I will stick to romance.