The Ruby Ring by, Diane Haeger narrated by, Elizabeth Wiley

*The above picture isn't the same as the audio cover but the only cover was on audible and didn't think I could use that one.*

The Ruby Ring by, Diane Haeger narrated by, Elizabeth Wiley

I did like this book overall; it was an interesting depiction of the time period and the perks and hazards of being a great painter with commissions that need to be done especially when these commissions are from the Pope himself. As with other artists I’ve read about, Raphael became a bit obsessed with Margherita at the detriment to his work. I did feel bad for them in the end because of all the interference in their lives also the way Margherita was treated by these men in Raphael’s life especially while Raphael was on his death bed, they all knew how much Raphael loved this woman but they were so evil to her. The more I read on this time period the less respect I have for these supposed clerics, they were the biggest schemers and frauds of them all and were able to get away with it because they were clerics.

I wish there had been more of the rivalry between Raphael, da Vinci & Michelangelo, I found this an interesting side story and wish there had been more of it. I am not a big fan of romance novels and there were times when the romance of these two had me rolling my eyes and hoping to get on with more plot and less romance. Again, as I read about this time period the church sure had their hand in everything from who Raphael could marry and who he couldn’t. But when you are betrothed to a Cardinal’s niece who has the ear of the De Medici Pope I guess they have a bit of a vested interest in your life, especially when you are spending more time with your model/mistress than you are on finishing the project for the Pope.

This did make me do some research and with the portrayal of Cardinal Bibbiena I was very surprised to see he was a comedy writer? What? He sure didn’t seem to have a sense of humor in this book he was pretty despicable. I also found the painting The Betrothal of Raphael and the Niece of Cardinal Bibbiena by, painter Jacques-Louis David which showed that some of the facts were there but when reading the description it said that the likeness of Maria the cardinal's niece was inspired by an image of a woman once identified as Raphael's mistress, called "La Fornarina"., so it made me wonder if that was really Margherita. As I have said in other reviews of historical fiction if a book makes me want to do research about the people or places than it did a good job of engaging me.

Elizabeth Wiley’s narration was good if a bit over the top at times, some characters had a more pronounced accent than others but I believe she was trying to convey the characters personality. One voice that just rubbed me the wrong way because of the accent and key was the nuns voice it was too high and shrill, Maria’s voice was annoying too. But either I got used to the narration or Elizabeth got into a rhythm and became more comfortable with the accents as I felt they got better the longer I listened. By the end of the book I was enjoying her narration and thought she did well at transitioning between the Italian accents and the narrative with her regular voice. I would seek out other books narrated by Elizabeth Wiley.

3 ½ Stars

***Full disclosure I received this audiobook from The Solid Gold Reviewers Program at Audiobookjukebox.com***

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky narrated by, Johnny Heller

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky narrated by, Johnny Heller

Published by, Recorded Books

Ok, we need to address this right away, Yes there is sex, drug use and drinking, Yes they are teens , But I thought it was written so realistically that none of these things mattered to me. Now on with my review.

I really liked this book, more than I expected to! I thought this was a very true to life story although I will admit I could have gone without the ending but I was waiting for the shoe to drop all the way through but I thought someone (probably Sam) was going to die that isn’t a spoiler because that never happens. I liked how loving and supportive Charlie’s family was. Also the friendship between Charlie, Sam & Patrick was just so well, for lack of a better word good, I liked how they all accepted each other for who they were.

I “got” Charlie’s love of reading some of my favorite quotes about reading were:

“I have finished To Kill a Mockingbird. It is now my favorite book of all time, but then again, I always think that until I read another book.”

                        “What's your favorite book?  "The last one I read.”

                  “It's strange to describe reading a book as a really great experience, but that's kind of how it felt.”

I also liked some of Charlie’s observations on life and the people around him, there were times he seemed so wise beyond his years and other times when he was so naïve you just felt like doing a face palm. I also had a little trouble with the timeline I guess to me it didn’t feel like the 90’s more late 70’s early 80’s,  that could be because that’s when I was this age and I was really “feeling” this book.

I listened to this on audio narrated by Johnny Heller who I thought was well suited for this one, he had this innocent quality in voice that worked so perfectly for Charlie. It was so different from other books I’ve listened to by this narrator and to me that is what makes a great narrator, not when they sound exactly the same in every book but play the part for each individual book. ****IF you can find this version I highly recommend it!

If you can’t tell I really enjoyed this book, and had a hard time not listening and got a little testy when people would try to talk to me. This is one that I think will stay with me awhile!

4 stars

****Audible has replaced this version with a version with a supposedly younger sounding narrator but I thought Johnny’s narration was spot on and don’t understand the need to re-do this one!

Crocodile on the Sandbank by, Elizabeth Peters narrated by, Barbara Rosenblat

Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody #1) by, Elizabeth Peters narrated by, Barbara Rosenblat

Oh we've come a long way baby!

Some of the sexist things that came out of Emerson’s mouth:

A woman with an inquiring mind is there such a thing!

Think, Peabody; if you have ever used your brain now is the time.”

“Speak, then. That is the trouble with women, even the best of them.” Emerson added. “They will indulge in vain cries of ‘if only’ and ‘had I known.’

Even though Emerson is at times an arrogant prig I couldn’t help giggling at some of the things he said and Amelia’s reaction to them. Also some of the times she really got him good like when his pocket was smoking too funny. I enjoyed this cute cozy, Amelia Peabody is so much fun and the ending cracked me up!

I read this for bookclub because we wanted something a little lighter this month and this one fit the bill perfectly, I think the discussion will come from the first line of this review, just how far women have come, and that showed in the mystery too I don’t think that exact same story could have been set in current times. Plus you get archeology and Egyptology; mummy’s and murders, this along with Amelia wit, Emerson’s gruffness makes the perfect combination for this fun cozy. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series!

Barbara Rosenblat narrates this so perfectly, I have listened to her narrate all the Diana Mott Davidson books so who knew she could slip into this somewhat haughty English accent with such ease. What makes it even better is now I have no idea which accent is her “real” accent is she a Brit that can do a great American accent or is she an American who can superbly do a British accent? This just cements her spot on my favorite narrators list.

4 stars

Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth, narrated by,Nicola Barber

Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth, narrated by,Nicola Barber

I was a little thrown at first with this book as I was expecting a straight forward story but what I got was short stories/anecdotes, once I realized that it was easier to enjoy. Some stories are much longer than others like the story of young Mary who is 14 and a prostitute which is one of the best stories, really gives you a feel of the tough times. Or the one of the woman giving birth to her 24^th child yes even Jenny asked if it was a typo!

I must say though if you get queasy from talk of bodily functions and very graphic details of childbirth and infections you may want to read this one in print so you can skip over these passages. Especially when she talks about the woman’s body odors and I’m not talking just sweat. She also talks a lot about some of the things she hates about her job in a very matter of fact way , she pulls no punches, she also describes the advances being made in midwifery and anti-(pre-for Americans) natal care.

Some of the women you will feel very sorry for, their lives are tough but some of these women will amaze you like the woman I mentioned above Conchita(*sp audio*) with the 24+ kids but she has the best attitude the first time we meet her she is giving birth to her 24^th child the second time she is having her 25^th and it doesn’t go as planned but she is still an amazing woman. The stories of the mixed race children especially the story of Ted I thought it was great that he accepted this child as his own and loved him anyway. Some of the Nuns were pretty funny too.

Nicola Barber narration is very well done, going from British to Irish to Cockney accents all seamlessly. CD #6 felt like it ended in the middle of a sentence, but the way some of these stories just trail off I could be wrong about that.

I wanted to read this because it is going to be on PBS Masterpiece as I am a Masterpiece geek .It was a good book but not quite the story/plot I expected, will be curious how they make it into more of a storyline than a bunch of shorter stories.  I will order the paper book for our local library also. I also see this is the first in a trilogy and hope the rest will soon be available on audio! Especially since this one kind of just trailed off like the rest of the short stories.

4 Stars

I received this audiobook from the Audiobookjukebox Solid Gold Reviewer Program & Highbridge Audio for a fair and unbiased review.

Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall narrated by, Kate Forbes

Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall narrated by, Kate Forbes

I want to put the synopsis here today because as you can see it sounds like a great book , then see my Review:

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Amid the mayhem of the Civil War, Virginia plantation wife Iris Dunleavy is put on trial and convicted of madness. It is the only reasonable explanation the court can see for her willful behavior, so she is sent away to Sanibel Asylum to be restored to a good, compliant woman. Iris knows, though, that her husband is the true criminal; she is no lunatic, only guilty of disagreeing with him on notions of justice, cruelty, and property.

On this remote Florida island, cut off by swamps and seas and military blockades, Iris meets a wonderful collection of residents--- some seemingly sane, some wrongly convinced they are crazy, some charmingly odd, some dangerously unstable. Which of these is Ambrose Weller, the war-haunted Confederate soldier whose memories terrorize him into wild fits that can only be calmed by the color blue, but whose gentleness and dark eyes beckon to Iris?

The institution calls itself modern, but Iris is skeptical of its methods, particularly the dreaded "water treatment." She must escape, but she has found new hope and love with Ambrose. Can she take him with her? If they make it out, will the war have left anything for them to make a life from, back home?

Blue Asylum is a vibrant, beautifully-imagined, absorbing story of the lines we all cross between sanity and madness. It is also the tale of a spirited woman, a wounded soldier, their impossible love, and the undeniable call of freedom.

My Review:

I ended up not liking this book as much as I was hoping to; it was good but not great. I wanted to care more for the characters but they were a little one dimensional. The realization of what it was that sent Ambrose over the edge was the best twist in the book, and made me understand him so much better. But we really never got the entire story on Iris I always felt there was something missing, we get hints and events are alluded to but we never really get her entire story and I think had iris been more fleshed out it would have been a much better book.

I liked the premise of this book as it is post Civil War and how just because you stand up to your husband you can be sent away to an asylum, the cast of characters in the asylum were interesting but we never got to know any of them really well. The author showed how the Civil war divided people’s beliefs and how even if you were on the other side you could still understand some things about the other.

However there is something missing in this story I’m not sure if it is the one-dimensional characters, the unsatisfying ending or that she didn’t give us enough information about the asylum and Iris’ husband and the consequences of what happened at the end of the book. There is one part near the end I rewound twice thinking I’d missed something there is a jump in time here that confused me. The ending was very anti-climatic and felt rushed.

Kate Forbes narrated this book or should I say read this book because that’s kind of how it felt to me it was just a straight reading, every once in a while there was an accent but it wasn’t every time that person spoke so there were inconsistencies in the narration.

This is a quick ok read, but really nothing that is going to stick with me for very long.

2 ½ to 3 Stars

Gone Girl by, Gillian Flynn narrated by, Kirby Heyborne & Julie Whelan

Gone Girl by, Gillian Flynn narrated by, Kirby Heyborne  &  Julie Whelan

Warning this book may cause whiplash from the crazy twists and turns.

This is a very hard book to review without spoilers because you must experience it for yourself. So I am going to try to give you some thoughts without any spoilers…

It took me a little while to get into this book because the two characters are not very likable, it is told in very well done alternating narratives giving you a background on both of them. Another warning these characters don’t get any more likeable, but once this book grabs you, hang on for dear life because you are in for a heck of a ride!

I was very impressed with Gillian Flynn’s writing and have since gone out and bought her other two books however I will warn you there is A LOT of swearing I don’t mind some but there were times this seemed a bit much . This is NOT a happy book and the conclusion may perplex some but I guess I was satisfied with the ending (No Spoilers).

I listened to this on audio narrated by the wonderful Kirby Heyborne & Julia Whelan who both did a great job embodying these characters.

This isn’t an in depth review because I don’t want to spoil your enjoyment of this story as it unfolds. Would highly recommend this book for bookclubs because you will want to discuss this one when you are done!

4 Stars

January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her by, Michael Schofield

January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her by, Michael Schofield

I received this book from Netgalley; I requested it because I had seen the documentary about Jani “Born Schizophrenic”. So I was able to really see the behavior while reading this book, the story of Jani is so sad and her parents are handling it the best they can. Yes, there were times when this is a tough read but Michael Schofield is brutally honest in how he deals with Jani, other people, his wife and his son; he is also very honest about the toll it’s taken on his own psyche.

Mental illness is tough in any family or situation but to have a child this young with schizophrenia is beyond words, I honestly don’t know how I would handle it. The fact that Jani is incredibly intelligent gives me hope as it does her parents that one day Jani can have a stable as close to normal life as is possible, not an over medicated zombie.

This is a tough look at a very tough subject but I want to know how it turns out I want to follow Jani’s life and see if what her parents have done for her helps her in the long run. I hope that one day Jani can become a productive member of society and that she is able to have a wonderful life.

See, this book made me care so much about Jani because her father wrote with such raw emotion I was enthralled with this heart-wrenching story. I would highly recommend watching the documentary Born Schizophrenic: January’s Story and following Michael Schofield’s blog http://janisjourney.org/  .

I think watching the documentary first was helpful to understanding how Michael and Susan deal with Jani’s behaviors, because it helped me better understand  why they make the choices they do. I also think this book is great because of all the parents out there are dealing with a mental illness in a child they know now they are not alone. When you think about how many other children and families out there are dealing with the same sort of situation, who we don’t know about or where would Jani be if it was 20+ years ago.

I wish Michael & Susan and their family luck in life and the strength to make it through.

4 ½ Stars