AZ
- 32
- reviews
- 30
- helpful votes
- 139
- ratings
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The Keeper of Lost Things
- By: Ruth Hogan
- Narrated by: Jane Collingwood, Sandra Duncan
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Once a celebrated author of short stories now in his twilight years, Anthony Peardew has spent half his life collecting lost objects, trying to atone for a promise broken many years before. Realising he is running out of time, he leaves his house and all its lost treasures to his assistant Laura, the one person he can trust to fulfil his legacy and reunite the thousands of objects with their rightful owners. But the final wishes of the Keeper of Lost Things have unforeseen repercussions which trigger a most serendipitous series of encounters....
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A story to become lost in...
- By Mrs JEL on 02-04-17
- The Keeper of Lost Things
- By: Ruth Hogan
- Narrated by: Jane Collingwood, Sandra Duncan
Lost and Found
Reviewed: 03-10-18
A heartwarming story about loss and finding your way. At the heart of this tale are two unconventional families and a host of interconnected lives. It took me a little while to get into the parallel and interwoven story-lines but I am so glad I kept going. Having two good narrators helped me to keep up with who was who. Some characters take a little longer to get to know and love while others touched my heart immediately and will stay there for a while. I was left feeling both moved and uplifted.
I'd recommend this book to people who like imagining the lives of others, anyone recovering from not too recent grief or loss, people who believe in new beginnings and second chances and anyone who likes dogs. I would add, the interwoven stories do require concentration and you will need a little patience and a belief that there is often more to life than meets the eye.
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Lethal White
- Cormoran Strike, Book 4
- By: Robert Galbraith
- Narrated by: Robert Glenister
- Length: 22 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
When Billy, a troubled young man, comes to private eye Cormoran Strike's office to ask for his help investigating a crime he thinks he witnessed as a child, Strike is left deeply unsettled. While Billy is obviously mentally distressed and cannot remember many concrete details, there is something sincere about him and his story. But before Strike can question him further, Billy bolts from his office in a panic.
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The most epic Galbraith/Rowling novel yet
- By Mikey on 19-09-18
- Lethal White
- Cormoran Strike, Book 4
- By: Robert Galbraith
- Narrated by: Robert Glenister
Lethal Talent
Reviewed: 30-09-18
Loved:
- The main characters, including their flaws
- The sense of place and time; recent nostalgia London pre-Olympics
- The Parliamentary scenes
- The often scathing look at both political extremes
- Time spent exploring motivations and background suspects
- The exploration of how people with mental health problems are treated
- The complex and often frustrating relationship between Strike and Robin
- The brilliant narration by Robert Glenister who helps bring people and place to life
Loved a Little Less:
- Robin needing to be rescued by Strike, again
- The story took a little while to kick into full gear (but was worth every minute)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Time's Convert
- By: Deborah Harkness
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Marcus Whitmore was made a vampire in the 18th century. Over 200 years later, he finds himself in love with Phoebe Taylor, a human who decides to become a vampire herself. But her transformation will prove as challenging now as it was for Marcus when he first encountered Matthew de Clermont, his sire. While Phoebe is secreted away, Marcus relives his own journey from the battlefields of the American Revolutionary War, through the treachery of the French Revolution, to a bloody finale in New Orleans.
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Inferior narration, good story.
- By Em on 05-10-18
- Time's Convert
- By: Deborah Harkness
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Not Quite Converted This Time
Reviewed: 26-09-18
I am a big fan of Deborah Harkness and the All Souls Trilogy so I was really looking forward to this latest installment. Whilst it was nice to catch up with familiar and much-loved characters, I really didn't get much of a sense of plot structure, suspense or mystery. The original trilogy had the mystery of Ashmole 782, adventures time-walking through history and a forbidden and potentially dangerous love story at its core. (One that broke down centuries of prejudice.) Time's Convert had a long, emotive engagement and short-lived family feuds over bringing up magical children. The history of The American Revolution was beautifully told through Marcus' broken memories. I get the feeling that exploring that time in history and what it means today was probably one of the main reasons this book was written.
Overall, it was a pleasant listen and a catch up with characters from past books, but there were missing ingredients so it did not bewitch me. It felt like a long introduction. I'd still read more if I knew it was going somewhere.
Like other reviewers, I prefer the previous narrator who I thought captured the different voices and accents better.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
- By: Natasha Pulley
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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It's 1883. Thaniel Steepleton returns home to his tiny London apartment to find a gold pocket watch on his pillow. Six months later the mysterious timepiece saves his life, drawing him away from a blast that destroys Scotland Yard. At last he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori, a kind, lonely immigrant from Japan. Although Mori seems harmless, a chain of unexplainable events soon suggests he must be hiding something.
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An enchanting read
- By anne on 15-08-15
- The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
- By: Natasha Pulley
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
Steampunk Mystery
Reviewed: 08-12-17
This intriguing, generally well-crafted book would have gained a higher rating from me if the main female character had been less detestable. She seemed to take manipulation and scorn to new, selfish and potentially lethal heights in order to show someone else's ability to be dangerous and devious should they wish to be. (No, this doesn't mean she blows up Whitehall). The main male characters were generally far better drawn, as was the enchanting, sock stealing mechanical octopus, who I fell for immediately.
There is less surprise in some of the whodunnit aspects of the novel but plenty of plot twists as characters work it out and discover themselves and each other on route. The main mystery explored by the narrative is not finding out who made and planted the bombs and timepieces. Instead, the story is driven by the mysterious nature of time itself and how the characters plot their own and one another's journeys through a maze of possible futures.
I loved the detail and atmosphere created but found the story at times a little long-winded and lacking variations in pace and tone. I am not sure how much this had to do with the writing or the reading of the book.
Though it could have done with more changes in tempo, the narration was clear, with different accents and voices depicted well.
Well worth a listen if you like steampunk, mysteries, philosophical or historical novels.
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The Fixer Upper
- By: Mary Kay Andrews
- Narrated by: Isabel Keating
- Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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After a political scandal, fledgling lobbyist Dempsey Jo Killebrew is left almost broke, unemployed, and homeless. She reluctantly accepts to refurbish Birdsong, the old family place in Guthrie, Georgia. But, oh, is Dempsey in for a surprise. "Bird Droppings" would more aptly describe the moldering Pepto Bismol - pink dump. There's also a murderously grumpy old lady who has claimed squatter's rights and isn't moving out. Ever.
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Southern Style Romance
- By AZ on 21-05-17
- The Fixer Upper
- By: Mary Kay Andrews
- Narrated by: Isabel Keating
Southern Style Romance
Reviewed: 21-05-17
If you could sum up The Fixer Upper in three words, what would they be?
Feelgood Southern Romance
Would you recommend The Fixer Upper to your friends? Why or why not?
I'd recommend this to those who want a traditional romance with a touch of Southern comfort (not the drink) and hospitality. There is a satisfying story-line of corrupt politicians and lobbyists being chased by the FBI as well as predictable but sweet themes of a woman finding courage, romance and a sense of self and belonging. I guess this is a 'New Southern' book, a little nostalgic but also gently aware of prejudices it would like to leave behind. The story is like comfort food, full of the manners, houses, friendships and eccentricities of a small Georgia community with one foot in the past and one pointing towards the future.
What does Isabel Keating bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Isabel Keating paces the narration well & creates good voices and accents for the characters.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Sometimes our future is where we least expect.
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Gods in Alabama
- By: Joshilyn Jackson
- Narrated by: Catherine Taber
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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When Arlene Fleet heads up north for college, she makes three promises to God: She will stop fornicating with every boy who crosses her path; never tell another lie; and never, ever go back to the "fourth rack of hell", her hometown of Possett, Alabama. All she wants from Him is one little miracle: make sure the body is never found.
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Secrets in Alabama
- By AZ on 19-05-17
- Gods in Alabama
- By: Joshilyn Jackson
- Narrated by: Catherine Taber
Secrets in Alabama
Reviewed: 19-05-17
What did you like best about this story?
To my mind this has the makings of a modern classic. Both human nature and southern culture are looked at deeply critically and with love. It's well narrated with an unforced southern accent that helped me get caught up in the plot. This is a story of surprises, secrets wrapped in secrets, deep prejudices, complex characters and steel magnolias. I found it in turns funny and moving, haunting, romantic and wise. It will stay with me.
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Whiskey Beach
- By: Nora Roberts
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
For more than 300 years, Bluff House has sat above Whiskey Beach, guarding its shore - and its secrets. But to Eli Landon, it’s home.… A Boston lawyer, Eli has weathered an intense year of public scrutiny and police investigations after being accused of - but never arrested for - the murder of his soon-to-be-ex wife. He finds sanctuary at Bluff House, even though his beloved grandmother is in Boston recuperating from a nasty fall. Abra Walsh is always there, though.
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Unsuitable narrator unfortunately
- By FrancescaD on 10-06-14
- Whiskey Beach
- By: Nora Roberts
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
unromantic horror
Reviewed: 16-05-17
If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?
I don't know who might enjoy this book. I have enjoyed other Nora Robert's novels & like a good romantic suspense but here the woman spends every waking hour bending over backwards in every kind of way, cooking, baking, cleaning, laundry, running errands, waiting tables, and giving the odd massage in between exercising... so I guess anyone who finds hearing all about that might enjoy this.
This felt like a book Nora Robert's wrote when she needed a break from writing.
What was most disappointing about Nora Roberts’s story?
The macho meatloaf loving man who can’t cook. The housekeeping woman who upon first meeting insists on cooking a man’s every meal, giving him massages, folding his underwear and cleaning his home while being super yoga flexible and putting up with his sulking. To me that’s romantic horror not romantic suspense. Every major female character seems to fit rusty typecasts. This is not so much sexy or suspenseful, it’s more stereotypes. I deal with the author’s unrealistic idea of how people talk because normally Nora Robert’s female leads have a more sass and a bit more going on in their present lives than getting the guy and making him happy. Nora Roberts also normally writes a good plot. This female lead, despite her back story, seemed pretty weakly drawn though half the book was focused around her, and the narrative seems slow without strong characters to carry it.
You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?
I enjoyed the setting of Whisky Beach and Bluff House. The book was also fairly well narrated, (though the female characters could get a little bit squeaky occasionally.)
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Girl on the Run
- By: Jane Costello
- Narrated by: Emma Gregory
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Abby Rogers has been on health kicks before - they involve eating one blueberry muffin for breakfast instead of two. When Abby is encouraged to join her sporty best friend's running club - by none other than its gorgeous new captain - she finds a mysterious compulsion to exercise. Then her colleague, Heidi, turns up at work and makes a devastating announcement, one that will change her life - and Abby's - forever.
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So funny with true to life experiences
- By MRS JANE CRUMPTON on 18-11-16
- Girl on the Run
- By: Jane Costello
- Narrated by: Emma Gregory
Easy Listening On The Run
Reviewed: 15-05-17
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
This was a fairly easy and enjoyable listen though not nearly as funny or well written as other books I've read by Jane Costello. I found the main character slightly annoying at first and unaware of what was obviously happening in the lives of those closest to her. However, it is a heart-warming story with not only romance but friendships at it's core.
What did you like best about this story?
I thought Heidi's story was moving and well portrayed. (I can say this because I have been diagnosed with a related condition.) Heidi is a talented and lovely young 20 something newly diagnosed with one of the worst conditions imaginable and working out how to fight back as best she can. The main character, Abby, makes huge changes in her own life and work to support her friend and employee. Through this many lives shift focus and new relationships are formed, including for Heidi.
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
The narration was clear and matched the pace of the story but I have to agree with another reviewer that all the men's voices sounded the same.
Did Girl on the Run inspire you to do anything?
It reminded me of things I've done in the past.
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The Back Road
- By: Rachel Abbott
- Narrated by: Penny McDonald
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
A girl lies close to death in a deserted lane. A driver drags her body to the side of the road. A shadowy figure hides in the trees, watching. For Ellie Saunders last night’s hit and run on the back road could destroy everything she has ... Ellie’s new neighbour, former Detective Chief Inspector Tom Douglas has moved to the village for some peace and quiet, but as he is drawn into the web of deceit his every instinct tells him that what happened that night was more than a tragic accident.
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The biggest disappointment on Audible
- By Ryan Clontz on 23-09-14
- The Back Road
- By: Rachel Abbott
- Narrated by: Penny McDonald
The Twisting Road
Reviewed: 12-05-17
Any additional comments?
I've not read the first book in this series and was impressed that this story works as a stand alone plot. It was well-narrated and did not shy away from looking at various kinds of lies, complicity, narcissism, neurosis from abuse to mess-ups uncovered in a small community following one horrible event. It was cleverly constructed so that the truth unfolds by following various different characters perspectives. The difficulty for me is that I became increasingly annoyed at several of the characters' actions and motivations until my caring about what happened to them faded, but maybe that's just me. It also felt overly long if also skillfully written in many ways. If you enjoy a twisting road of a mystery full of studies on human frailty with a sad but hopeful ending, I'd still recommend giving this a try.
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Out Of Bounds
- By: Val McDermid
- Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
When a teenage joyrider crashes a stolen car and ends up in a coma, a routine DNA test reveals a connection to a twisted unsolved murder from 22 years before. Meanwhile, Karen Pirie finds herself irresistibly drawn into another mystery that she has no business investigating; a mystery that has its roots in a terrorist bombing two decades ago. And again, she finds that nothing is as it seems....
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Great book - brought to life by the narrator
- By Sam Jones on 31-08-16
- Out Of Bounds
- By: Val McDermid
- Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
Scottish Crime Fiction (with political nous)
Reviewed: 11-05-17
Would you listen to Out Of Bounds again? Why?
I had a couple of false starts with this book but once I got past the first couple of chapters I was hooked. McDermid has complete control of her story and weaves different lives and themes together. There are a lot of twists, turns and connections which mean listening a second time would be worth it. The characters and dialogue are well written and performed and there's a pride and love of Scotland that's infectious. It manages to be both personal and political, and while it's fiction, it touches on some very real issues in the world today. I love the digs at Trump.