“The Mosquito” by B. A. Paris is a shorty in Audible’s Obsession Collection, which is “a collection of compulsively readable short stories about peopl“The Mosquito” by B. A. Paris is a shorty in Audible’s Obsession Collection, which is “a collection of compulsively readable short stories about people pushed to their extremes. So addictive you won’t be able to put them down—read or listen to each story in a single sitting.” Well, this little gem is only 48 minutes, and it’s a beauty. Who hasn’t been annoyed by a mosquito, especially at night…when you are sleeping? Anyone who has camped in a tent is well aware of those pesky pests. Author B. A. Paris shows that those pests aren’t always mosquitos…..
Will Watt perfectly narrates this thriller with a delightful ending. Highly recommend! ...more
3.5 stars: It’s summer and it’s time for an Abby Jimenez summer romcom! I love her novels on audio, so I listened to narrators Christine Lakin and Matt3.5 stars: It’s summer and it’s time for an Abby Jimenez summer romcom! I love her novels on audio, so I listened to narrators Christine Lakin and Matt Lanter tell her story to me. I appreciate the upgrades that Publisher Forever has done with its audios. The chapters are character driven, yet the narrators always voice their character’s voice, even in the other character’s chapters. Thusly, Mr. Lanter, the voice of character Xavier, speaks in Samantha’s chapters and vise versa. I appreciate that detail.
This is a “meet-cute” romance of a curmudgeon Veterinarian, Xavier Rush, meeting forever optimistic Samantha when she brings in her rescue kitty to his clinic. Unfortunately, the kitty has a congenital deformity (no anus). He suggests that she put the kitty down because the repair would cost her around $10K. Eternally optimistic Samantha decides to go through the crowd funding platform “GoFundMe” to get the money. Xavier has no such faith in humanity.
In Jimenez style, both Samantha and Xavier were instantly attracted to each other. They have a first date that goes on forever, mostly because they get “stuck” in an Escape Room. They even solved the puzzles to get out! They fall head over heels in love(infatuation?). And then Samantha is called home to LA to help care for her mother who is suffering from dementia. Xavier has just begun his Vet practice, and he is the sole doctor in his practice. He’s got loans and bills. Samantha works for a company that pushes mustard. Jimenez had great fun with Samantha and her online posts regarding mustard. Need a special gift for a loved one? Give them a Mustard Basket! She supplies the snarky brother, Tristan, to balance the scales of justice in Xavier’s life in the most beautiful ways. Jimenez knows how to keep her readers happy.
Jimenez does a brilliant job showing the emotional exhaustion of caring for a parent with dementia. She shows the family dynamics involved in keeping a beloved family member out of a facility.
How can Samantha and Xavier, whose relationship the reader is rooting for, get together? Financial hardships grow which makes the situation worse. Jimenez uses themes of love, family, resilience, and friendships in her tale. Yes, everything ends in an unrealistically happy way, as all her novels do. But isn’t that why we read her?
I wasn’t sure how she was going to end this story, as she kept adding hardships and problems. In her magical (fiction) way, she wrapped the story up in a nice feel-good summer way, beach-read way. ...more
Thank you, GR friend Theresa, for steering to “Exception to the Rule”, from audible’s “The Improbable Meet-Cute” series which are “irresistibly romantThank you, GR friend Theresa, for steering to “Exception to the Rule”, from audible’s “The Improbable Meet-Cute” series which are “irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it.” Marli Watson and Andrew Gibson narrate this will they/won’t they ever meet? It’s a 2 hour listen with just enough suspense to wonder if they will ever meet.
Christina Lauren knows how to do romance in a charming way. The format is mostly in email form, started at a Valentine’s Day when the protagonists were in high school. A wrong email address resulted in an unexpected friendship that lasted years, although they do not know each other’s names, just their email addresses. Every Valentine’s Day, it becomes a tradition to send a quick email to each other.
It was a great February read, perfect for the Valentine’s season! ...more
**spoiler alert** 3.5 stars: “Twist” is a cleverly embedded story within a story… well, sort of. Only Colum McCann can get away with messing with a rea**spoiler alert** 3.5 stars: “Twist” is a cleverly embedded story within a story… well, sort of. Only Colum McCann can get away with messing with a reader’s head like this. In classic McCann fashion, he explores broken relationships—whether human or digital—with a quiet intensity.
We live in an age governed by “the cloud,” where nearly every detail of our lives is digitally stored. Our phones have replaced our brains for remembering things like phone numbers, and digital memory has largely replaced paper. But what happens when digital access breaks down? In “Twist”, McCann's protagonist, Anthony Fennell—an alcoholic journalist—is assigned to write a piece for an online journal about the repair of undersea cables, the very cables that carry data in tiny fiber-optic wires buried deep in the ocean. Fennell notes that most people imagine data traveling via satellites, but in truth, over 6,200 kilometers of fiber-optic cables wrap around the continents (all but Antarctica), some no thicker than an eyelash.
McCann vividly illustrates how those fragile lines of connection are repaired. The process involves free diving, locating the fault, bringing the cable to the surface, making the repair, and then delicately reconnecting the fibers. The teams who perform these high-stakes underwater surgeries are well-compensated for good reason—the job is dangerous. McCann doesn’t shy away from describing what happens to the human body while free diving (spoiler: it’s terrifying). The ship’s crew of technicians is a rough, wild bunch, adding suspense and grit to the story.
That’s the framework. Beyond the protagonist, we meet John Conway, who leads the crew of engineers and divers. His partner, Zanele, is a South African actress whose fame is sparked by a shocking onstage incident in England. As her life takes off, Conway—stuck at sea, unable to help or reach her—becomes distant. During a particularly perilous repair mission, Conway vanishes mid-dive. What happened? We never truly know. Instead, we get Fennell’s imagined version—a fictionalized account that blurs the line between narrative and reality.
The ending is strange, even unsettling, but true to McCann’s style. Loneliness lingers. The story pulses with themes of connection and disconnection, both in the digital and emotional sense. “Twis”t ultimately reminds us that while fiber-optic cables can be repaired with precision, human relationships aren’t so easily restored.
Because McCann narrates the audio, I chose the audio format. I enjoyed his narration of “Apeirogon” and wanted to hear his dramatization of this story. Perhaps it was the strange ending that left me wanting more and somewhat dissatisfied. This is good, but not “Apeirogon” or “Let the Great World Spin” fabulous....more
“What Kind of Mother” by Anna-Lou Weatherley is a great twisty thriller. This is the first novel I’ve read by her. Although this is in a series, it re“What Kind of Mother” by Anna-Lou Weatherley is a great twisty thriller. This is the first novel I’ve read by her. Although this is in a series, it reads as a standalone.
This is the 8th installment of the Detective Dan Riley series. The story begins shockingly, with two dating teens returning home after a night out. They are covered in blood. The mother, Christine, of the boy, Conor, immediately goes into protection mode.
Of course, Detective Riley gets involved. The story shifts POV between Riley and Christine. Conor’s girlfriend, Paris, is a complicated character adding depth to the story, especially when her parents, specifically her mother, gets involved. Riley has two mothers to deal with, and each provides him reason to feel they are hiding something.
Weatherley leads the reader one way, and then BAM, a twist. Riley is tenacious in finding the truth of what happened that night, and why the parents are not being forthcoming. Weatherley keeps the reader in suspense, with red herrings
This thriller showcases moral dilemmas. It questions what makes a good parent: one who conceals the truth to cover for their child, or one that forces them to face their transgressions.
Because it’s so fast paced and easy to follow, it makes a perfect audio. James Lailey is good. He has the same voice for women as men, so if that is a quibble, you may not enjoy his narration. It’s an 11 hour and 23-minute listen. I recommend this for a road trip listen!
“Red Dog Farm” by Nathaniel Ian Miller is a March 2025 BookPage starred review. It’s about rural life in Iceland, something I know nothing about.
Orri“Red Dog Farm” by Nathaniel Ian Miller is a March 2025 BookPage starred review. It’s about rural life in Iceland, something I know nothing about.
Orri, our protagonist and narrator is at that “awkward crossroads where deciding about higher education, finding your way around relationships and becoming an independent adult all collide”, as stated in BookPage. This is a “coming-of-age” story of a young adult. What I found most interesting, is his musings on rural life in Iceland. This is more of a story about cattle farming in Iceland.
Orri’s father has a cattle farm, and I learned there are few cows in Iceland (for good reason explained in the story). I had never given thought about what all those volcano eruptions mean to farm life; all those animals must be protected.
Miller muses on generational trauma. Orri’s grandmother is a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania. I never considered antisemitism in Iceland. Miller muses on her generational trauma (she doesn’t like Polish folk), and Orri’s mother who also suffered from antisemitism. Orri feels that his father’s generational trauma is from Volcanos. That was a scene I cannot forget.
This is a quiet novel, one of meditation on the difficulties of farm life in Iceland. Miller adds cultural complexities which added depth. I listened to the audio, performed by Olafur Darri Olafsson. I’m glad I did because of all the Icelandic words, names, places. For me, the story flowed very well, listening to this story, rather than trying to read it.
I highly recommend this for anyone who is like me, with no prior knowledge of rural life in Iceland. It can be bleak, so be prepared!
3.5 Stars: Since hearing about the insurgence of polyamory in the Millennials and the Gen Z generation, I’ve been curious as to how this can possibly w3.5 Stars: Since hearing about the insurgence of polyamory in the Millennials and the Gen Z generation, I’ve been curious as to how this can possibly work. I’m of the Boomer generation, and the idea makes me uncomfortable. I read to learn, so, when the highly anticipated “Crush” by Ada Calhoun came out, I jumped on it.
The premise is that the husband of our unnamed narrator (a woman who has been married for 18 years) suggests that the narrator (his wife), take on a “crush”. He recognizes that she loves kissing, and it’s not his thing. He always enjoyed watching men desire his wife. Now, he thinks this would be an excellent way to add spice to their marriage. Our narrator isn’t immediately on board, but she enjoys flirting. It’s fun. Having a crush on a man who is not her husband, in the past, has added some zest to her marriage. She has only flirted in the past, she’s never pursued a relationship. To her, their marriage is fine the way it is. Yet, her husband is persuasive. Hence, she reconnects with a university crush.
The story becomes the narrator’s reflections on love, marriage, commitment, passion, and purpose. Calhoun’s writing style is conversational in tone, which adds to her introspection. She reflects on themes from the works of Jules Renard, Marilynne Robinson, Hildegard of Bingen, W.H. Auden, Walt Whitman, Stendhal, and Michel de Montaigne, among others. The narrator takes the reader on her journey, which is NOT graphic, thankfully.
Many other reviewers have referred to this as a “well-sourced personal essay on love and relationships brilliantly disguised as a novel.” (AP News). I appreciated her musings on love and how to make commitment work, along with the history of how relationships worked.
Because her writing style is conversational, I chose the audio, narrated by Robyne Maryke. This was a far more philosophical read than I expected, and although the audio is short of 6 hours, I took far longer, rewinding and relistening to many passages. I enjoyed it immensely. Calhoun stirred the philosophical thinker inside me, although I remain feeling that there is potential emotional danger in this lifestyle. I enjoyed learning the thought and intent behind the idea.
As a woman of the second wave of feminism (1960’s-1980’s), I’m behind a few waves. Embracing sexuality is a trait that I wish for all women. I appreciate the ideals Calhoun shared in her novel. ...more
“Stone Yard Devotional” was Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. This is one of those beautifully written, contemplative novels that packs4.5 Stars:
“Stone Yard Devotional” was Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. This is one of those beautifully written, contemplative novels that packs a punch.
Author Charlotte Wood opens her story with an unnamed narrator visiting her parents’ graves before entering an abbey outside her hometown on the Monaro Plains of Australia. The reader has the feeling that she’s either punishing herself, or she’s taking a time-out from her life. Eventually we learn that she’s has some marriage problems. She thinks often of her mother and has unresolved issues with her childhood.
She works for the Threatened Species Rescue Centre, which causes her to contemplate whether this work will redeem her of the environmental harm she’s already done.
Part II opens, and she’s been there for four years, puzzling her friends and husband, especially since she’s an atheist. To add a bit of levity to the narrative, Wood adds a mouse plague. The narrator is in charge of the gardening and tending the chickens. She thinks often of her mother who loved to garden, helped people in need, and was an early environmentalist (composting a big thing which was odd at the time).
The mice plague becomes funny and horrifying in equal measure. There’s a scene involving her car that could cause nightmares for some. The mice playing the piano is a fun touch. Finding mouse carcasses…not so much. The nuns do not want to poison the mice, and when they do, there is distressing collateral damage.
The narrator is forced to visit her childhood, and not a proud part of her childhood. A girl that she bullied, Helen Parry, is now a nun and comes to the abbey. Helen is a famous nun and an activist. The protagonist has asked for forgiveness, and Helen withholds. The reader and the narrator learn more of Helen’s childhood, and the narrator is ashamed that her mother, the town, everyone let Helen down when she was a child.
This is a story of a personal journey confronting one’s past, asking for forgiveness. The narrator has so many regrets that she lives in the past. She struggles to acknowledge that those whom she has wronged will not always forgive her. The presence of Helen in her live allows the narrator to accept and forgive her past.
I highly recommend this for those who love literary writing and values introspective storytelling.
I listened to the audio, narrated by Alisa Piper. It’s 6 ½ hours in length.
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE Named a Best Book of 2024 by The New York Times Book Review, NPR, LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE Named a Best Book of 2024 by The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Time, Elle, Vulture, Lit Hub, and The Guardian
"Headshot" is a debut novel by Rita Bullwinkel that delves into the lives of eight teenage girl boxers competing in the Daughters of America Cup, a two-day championship tournament held in Reno, Nevada at Bob’s Boxing Palace. The story is structured as a series of face-offs, each fight a chapter. The novel explores the personal motivations, backgrounds, and inner thoughts of each girl competitor as they navigate the physical and emotional challenges of the sport.
Bullwinkel utilizes an omniscient narrator who provides the background of each contender. One girl is from a boxing dynasty of female winners. One girl’s mother told her “only vulgar girls become the best in the world at boxing.” One girl is haunted by a death she feels responsible for while she was a lifeguard. One calms herself by reciting the digits of pi. These young women have driven a long way, some solo, some with their family, to Reno for the national 18-and-under championship.
Bullwinkel uses their full names throughout the book, and the names take on a lyrical form in the story: Artemis Victor; Ani Taylor; Kate Heffer; Rachel Doricko; Iggy Lang; Izzy Lang; Rose Mueller; Tanya Maw. There is no dialogue, this is a quiet, contemplative novel. The reader receives insights of their future aspirations, their struggles, desires, and personal lives. Because the narration is almost dream-like in its omnipresent narration format, the reader gets a glimpse at some of their futures.
The book’s structure and style create an immersive, almost hypnotic reading experience. It’s fragmented in its storytelling, yet somewhat fluid, akin to boxing: the chaos and precision hits/moves.
Although there is not one single line of dialogue, this is a character-driven story. As the competition proceeds, it becomes less about who wins, and more about the characters.
I chose the audio, narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Cassandra Campbell. Campbell is the perfect voice as an omniscient narrator. It’s a very interesting 5 ½ hour audio. ...more
3.5 Stars “Count My Lies” – A Twisty, Unputdownable Debut Sophie Stava delivers an impressive debut with Count My Lies, a character-driven thriller that3.5 Stars “Count My Lies” – A Twisty, Unputdownable Debut Sophie Stava delivers an impressive debut with Count My Lies, a character-driven thriller that keeps readers on edge, constantly questioning what is true and what is fabricated.
The story unfolds through the eyes of Sloane Caraway, who makes it clear from the start: the truth is dull, so she embellishes it. Lying isn’t just a habit—it’s her way of making life more interesting. Living on the outskirts of wealth and privilege, Sloane longs for a lifestyle she can’t quite reach, and her boundary issues become apparent early on. Her compulsive lying, layered with hints of a troubled past, immediately places her in the realm of the “unreliable narrator,” adding to the novel’s intrigue. At the start of the novel, Sloane is working at a nail salon while supporting her mother in Brooklyn. During a lunch break in the park, she notices a handsome man, Jay, with his young daughter. When the girl is stung by a bee and starts screaming, Sloane swoops in, claiming to be a nurse. From that moment on, her lies snowball. She simply cannot help herself. Some of her deceptions are unsettling; others are outright alarming. Stava forces the reader to consider the morality of lying—when is it harmless, and when does it become dangerous?
Determined to become part of the Lockhart family’s world, Sloane orchestrates a meeting with the girl’s mother, Violet, and soon worms her way into a nannying job. Stava crafts Sloane’s character with precision, making her both fascinating and deeply flawed. The tension builds as the reader wonders: is she a harmless fabulist or a calculated manipulator? And then the twists begin. Deception is at the heart of this novel, making it an addictive page-turner where every character’s motives are suspect. Stava masterfully explores the gap between public personas and hidden realities. What we show the world isn’t always the truth—so what is?
Just as the reader starts to understand Sloane, the perspective shifts. Violet takes over as narrator, revealing her own reasons for crafting a carefully curated life. On the surface, she has everything Sloane wants—wealth, status, a seemingly perfect marriage. But as her story unfolds, it becomes clear that her privilege allows her to manipulate reality just as much as Sloane does, albeit in a more socially acceptable way.
At its core, Count My Lies is an exploration of trust—who can you believe when everyone is lying? As Sloane receives conflicting information from Jay and Violet, the reader is forced to re-evaluate everything previously assumed to be true. The cracks in the Lockharts’ picture-perfect marriage widen, exposing a tangled web of deceit.
Jay eventually gets his turn as narrator, adding even more complexity to the story. But in the end, it is Sloane who closes the book, cementing her place as one of the most compelling unreliable narrators in recent thrillers.
This debut is filled with so many twists that it becomes a compulsive read. Is it entirely believable? Probably not. Did I care? Not one bit—I was completely entertained.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Emily Tremaine, Devon Sorvari, and Andrew Eiden. Their performances added depth to the characters, making the nearly 11-hour experience even more immersive.
Count My Lies is an electrifying debut that will leave readers questioning the nature of truth itself.
The Strange Case of Jane O by Karen Thompson Walker is a mesmerizing exploration of mental illness, memory, and the shifting nature of reality. ThrougThe Strange Case of Jane O by Karen Thompson Walker is a mesmerizing exploration of mental illness, memory, and the shifting nature of reality. Through themes of motherhood, trauma, and the slippery line between perception and truth, Thompson Walker crafts a novel that is both unsettling and thought-provoking.
Structured as a case study, the novel is narrated by Dr. Henry Byrd, who introduces us to his most intriguing patient—Jane. A single mother (having used a sperm donor), Jane insists she chose Byrd as her psychiatrist because they met years ago when she was in university. Yet Byrd has no memory of her. Jane, however, possesses hyperthymesia—an extraordinary ability to recall dates, places, and events with uncanny precision. She reaches out to Byrd after a chilling encounter: a conversation with a man she knows to be dead. Not just a hallucination, she insists—this man, who died when they were teenagers, has aged naturally since his time of death and is now a doctor.
Byrd initially dismisses Jane’s claims, chalking up his own lapse in memory as forgetfulness. But when Jane is admitted to the ER after a sudden episode of temporary amnesia—and lists Byrd as her physician—he begins to reconsider. A second, more severe episode follows, resembling dissociative fugue, a rare psychiatric condition. This time, Jane has her baby with her. Now, she is seen as a danger to her child.
As the novel unfolds, the reader learns more about Jane, Byrd, and the deeper reasons behind their strange connection. The story takes a turn into mind-bending theoretical physics, exploring the relationship between past and present in ways that will fascinate those intrigued by string theory and the mysteries of time.
Having read Thompson Walker’s, The Dreamers (2019), a novel about an airborne viral epidemic, I was struck by how eerily her depiction of human behavior mirrored the real-world response to COVID. Her ability to anticipate and articulate human nature is remarkable, making her an author I will continue to follow. ...more
“Close Your Eyes and Count to 10” delves into themes of survival, deception, and the dark side of social media. Lisa Unger sets her gripping thriller “Close Your Eyes and Count to 10” delves into themes of survival, deception, and the dark side of social media. Lisa Unger sets her gripping thriller on a remote island, where a crumbling hotel and a cryptic old woman named Petra serve as ominous backdrops. Petra warns the contestants to leave—or face dire consequences. But with a paramilitary backup team enforcing the rules, escape isn’t an option. The island hosts an “Extreme Hide and Seek” contest, attracting desperate players and social media influencers eager for fame and fortune. The goal? Evade the relentless Extreme Team. The last contestant found wins $1 million. But as the game unfolds, an unsettling question looms: is it rigged? At the heart of the story is Adele Crane, a mother of two teens, who joins the competition out of sheer necessity. Her husband, Miller, vanished after embezzling millions from a tech company, leaving her family broke and disgraced. To cope with the trauma, Adele reinvented herself as a health influencer, using marathon training as an escape. Her son urges her to compete—they need the money. Meanwhile, Miller’s mysterious disappearance casts a shadow over the game, adding another layer of suspense. The contest’s mastermind, Maverick Dillan, is a man with a dubious past. One of his previous contestants, Chloe Miranda, vanished under suspicious circumstances, and her fate remains a chilling mystery. As the competition intensifies, doubts arise about whether Maverick even has the funds to pay the winner. And with a storm brewing, the stakes shift from winning to sheer survival. Told through multiple POVs, the novel’s character-driven chapters keep the tension high. Adele’s children reveal crucial details that the players remain unaware of, adding depth to the mystery. The fast pacing and shifting perspectives make this a true page-turner. I experienced the story through the audiobook, narrated by Vivienne Leheny, which runs for 11.5 hours. Her delivery adds another layer of intensity to this gripping thriller.
Rufi Thorpe’s "Margo’s Got Money Troubles" is slated for adaptation into an Apple TV+ series, and the star-studded cast—Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, MRufi Thorpe’s "Margo’s Got Money Troubles" is slated for adaptation into an Apple TV+ series, and the star-studded cast—Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, Thaddea Graham, and Marsha Gay Harden—promises an unmissable event. It’s no surprise Elle Fanning will reprise her role on screen, given her brilliant narration of the audiobook.
I chose the audio format specifically because of Fanning, and she delivers a pitch-perfect performance as Margo. Despite Margo’s many defeats, Thorpe gives her a lively, determined voice—one that Fanning captures with nuance and warmth. In fact, I often pictured Fanning as Margo while listening.
The Plot and Margo’s Predicament Margo, a college student working as a waitress, finds herself unexpectedly pregnant by her 37-year-old, married professor. Set during the #MeToo movement, the book avoids overt politics and focuses instead on Margo’s personal struggles. When her boyfriend/professor dumps her to hide the affair from his wife, Margo makes the risky choice to keep the baby. However, she quickly runs into financial trouble and loses what little support she had—her college roommates bail, her parents have their own issues, and her mother’s new partner refuses to help.
After giving birth, Margo accepts a paltry settlement from her ex’s wealthy family: a $30K fund for her child, accessible at age 18. Although it’s an obvious short sell, Margo is 22, desperate, and clinging to her integrity—qualities that make her both sympathetic and painfully naive.
A Struggling Heroine and Her Unlikely Allies Margo’s resolve to be a good person despite daunting circumstances drives the story. She doesn’t do drugs or party; she just needs to make ends meet and be a decent mother. Enter her father, Jinx, a down-on-his-luck former pro wrestler who moves in to help with childcare, and Suzy, a friend who provides some much-needed comic relief. Their presence offers Margo emotional grounding, even if their finances are as shaky as hers.
The OnlyFans Hustle By chance, Margo stumbles upon OnlyFans—something I've never heard of—and decides to post risqué photos and videos. Initially, it’s just a way to keep the lights on and buy diapers, but Thorpe delves into the moral and emotional complexities of sex work. Margo grapples with ingrained shame, yet her main priority remains her child’s well-being. She questions herself, second-guesses her choices, and wrestles with her conscience, but her hustle is fueled by fierce maternal love. It’s this combination of desperation and devotion that makes her such a compelling protagonist.
Vulnerability, Power, and the Antagonists The antagonists—her former professor and his family—wield their privilege subtly but effectively. Offering Margo a mere $30K hush fund highlights the stark power imbalance and underscores her vulnerability. Yet, the novel avoids painting them as cartoonish villains; rather, they serve as a reminder of how easily someone’s life can be derailed by those with money and influence.
Elle Fanning’s Spot-On Narration In the audiobook, Fanning embodies Margo’s anxiety, optimism, and grit. Her youthful tone fits Margo’s age, but there’s also a steely edge that hints at deeper strength. This duality makes the listening experience captivating—and it explains why Apple TV+ cast Fanning to reprise the role on screen.
Final Thoughts If you’re looking for a story about a young woman navigating impossible choices, Margo’s Got Money Troubles delivers. It’s a raw examination of modern motherhood, the fallout of an unethical relationship, and the precarious power dynamics that can upend a woman’s life. Yet, there’s undeniable warmth in Margo’s friendships and the glimmers of hope she clings to. Thorpe’s sharp writing, combined with Fanning’s superb narration, makes this an audiobook worth savoring—and soon, a must-watch series. It’s by turns heartbreaking and uplifting, reminding us that integrity can persist even in dire circumstances and that sometimes, creativity is the only way to stay afloat. I, for one, will be tuning in the moment it hits Apple TV+.
Author Nickolas Butler got his inspiration for “A Forty-Year Kiss” at a bar in Wisconsin. He was eavesdropping while bellied up to the bar. An old manAuthor Nickolas Butler got his inspiration for “A Forty-Year Kiss” at a bar in Wisconsin. He was eavesdropping while bellied up to the bar. An old man (his father’s age) who sat next to him told a woman that he still dreams of her and loves her and asks to kiss her. When they kissed, it was one of those Hollywood dramatic kisses, so passionate that he was embarrassed witnessing it. This event stuck with him enough that he was motivated to write a story. Plus, few authors write about “old love”. Our culture is obsessed with young, attractive people in love.
In Butler’s story, Charlie, now in his sixties, never got over his first wife, Vivian. Charlie states, “You live long enough, you understand the value of a second chance. A new beginning”. What Butler does well, is having his character, Charlie, recognize his past mistakes. What did he do to lose Vivian? Well, this is no plot spoiler, Charlie was an alcoholic.
Butler brilliantly writes about the ramifications of being an alcoholic. He shows the pain it causes, the collateral damages. This is one of the best books I’ve read about an alcoholic admitting his issues and working on them. Charlie struggles, and we feel his struggles. We feel Vivian’s frustrations, her fear of giving Charlie a second chance.
Vivian has a family. She’s the main caretaker of her grandchildren. She has the normal struggles of a woman of her age, who lives paycheck to paycheck. In her heart, she is a kind, compassionate woman. Butler wanted to write a story about redemption, second chances, a hope. Both Vivian and Charlie are good people, trying to get by and be upstanding citizens.
In an interview, Butler did admit that writing about happiness is extremely difficult to do because of the risk of stepping into the melodramatic. I listened to this one, narrated by Richard Poe. I felt there were too many melodramatic parts in the story, but I attributed that to Poe’s performance choices. I’m not a fan of the melodramatic. I wonder if I read it, my own interpretation would have been different. In that interview, Butler questioned, “why, as writers, we only deem the sort of darker stories as being critically or culturally valuable?” That caused me pause, wondering about my own beliefs. It caused me to re-evaluate the book. He had dark themes, alcoholism just one. But the main energy of the story is redemption and forgiveness.
My biggest criticism is that Charlie was just “too” happy and excepting of Vivian and her choices. Vivian seemed to forgive too easily. But I think that’s my jaded thoughts. Butler also gave Charlie some, to me, unreasonable lucky breaks with regard to finances, especially given he has a drinking problem.
After reading a couple of author interviews that he gave, I found a better appreciation of what Butler was trying to accomplish in this book. Plus, he provided me fodder to contemplate my jaded mind….
It’s a great story, although flawed. But this is fiction. It’s not real. We all need a little Disney in our lives! ...more
I count on Anne Tyler to write about the mundane, with clever observations about the fragile nature of relationships. The reason to read Tyler is her I count on Anne Tyler to write about the mundane, with clever observations about the fragile nature of relationships. The reason to read Tyler is her witty observations that are unremarkable yet at the same time poignant. I swear, Ann is in my head!
Narrator Gail Baines is 61 years-old and finding herself out of her job at the private school where she works. It’s because her boss, the headmistress, is retiring, and the new hire is bringing in her own assistant. Gail feels abandoned and rudderless. What a way to open a story! Not only is she passed up for the promotion, but she is also dismissed as unworthy, even with her total dedication to her job. So what if she’s a bit cranky and has minimal people skills? She showed up, didn’t she?
Gail’s only daughter is getting married. This is the “The Day of Beauty” day, the day before the wedding. Gail’s husband shows up at her home (with a cat) for the wedding. He was supposed to stay at their daughter’s place, but her groom-to-be is allegedly allergic to cat dander, so Max assumed that Gail would welcome him and the cat with open arms. What’s funny is that Gail isn’t the warm and fuzzy type. The reader gets to hear what’s on her mind, which is at times hysterical. “Someday I’d like to get credit for not saying all the things I could have said”. Or she contemplates why she has so many irritating people in her life. I chuckled because I have those feelings, not necessarily expressed in that way, but still..so relatable.
The wedding day, or “D-Day” is chapter two, or the second day in June. What fun to be inside Gail’s snarky head. The groom’s family paid for much of the wedding, which leaves Gail feeling a bit unmoored. Also, Gail isn’t too sure about Debbie’s beloved’s integrity. Her inner musing are snarky and amusing.
Chapter three, “The Day After” is one in which the reader wonders about Max and Gail’s relationship. Max is good for Gail, even if she doesn’t see it. The cat that Max brought is not his, he works with a rescue group in Delaware, where he lives. He wants Gail to adopt the cat, as he thinks it will be a great presence for Gail. Of course, Gail thinks of Debbie and her marriage and hopes that it will work. She fears that Debbie will like her in-laws more than her. It's all the insecure things that momentarily pass our minds, especially if we are worriers.
I chose to listen to the audio, narrated magnificently by J. Smith-Cameron. In this case, I felt that the narrator did justice to Anne’s prose. It’s 4 ½ hours of relatable listening. Highly recommend to Tyler fans and fans of domestic literary fiction.
This was a crazy, twisty thriller. I chose the audio format, which has eight narrators! Each narrator elevated the story for me. I loved their dramatiThis was a crazy, twisty thriller. I chose the audio format, which has eight narrators! Each narrator elevated the story for me. I loved their dramatization of their characters which added to my delight.
The premise is interesting. Six thriller authors are invited to a secluded Maine island for a week of “thriller” games and fun. The book reminds us of the thriller tropes and how they are used. In fact, the tropes are used in the story. The intent of the “party” is to scare these “know-it-all” authors. The owner of the estate is the reclusive and anonymous author, J. R. Alastor. Excerpts from Alastor’s novel, “The Ink in Your Veins: on writing Fear” pepper the story, which is read in a sinister voice. The chapters are short, and character driven. It’s through each thriller writer’s character chapters, that we learn of why they were invited.
Immediately, Mila lets the reader know that she has plans to poison/kill someone. Alastor is not on the island. This party is to be run by Mila. When one of the guests is killed, and it isn’t the one that Mila planned, she starts to wonder if something is awry. It’s a grisly death, yet a couple authors think that it was staged, after all, they are masters of deceit.
So, what is going on? Slowly, author Andre Pliego reveals his plot. There are so many twists that I got dizzy. While listening to the audio, I went through the stages of: What the heck? What is going on? Oh, I bet it’s ….who is doing this. Wait, no it’s not, it’s someone else! But why? Oh, I get it, I think. No, no I don’t get it. Of course, that is who is behind it all! Wait..what???
The excerpts include but not limited to topics such as: why authors write; struggle and character; drawing first blood; every death you fake; the monster within; the merit of pen names; fear as an art and weapon; characters coming to life; and raising the stakes. Each author has a past and secrets, and when these secrets are revealed, tension is elevated because no one should have known about that secret.
It becomes a game in outwitting the killer, as slowly, each author is eliminated (in grisly ways). As the body count rises, the authors start accusing each other.
I found this to be a fresh take on the thriller genre. Again, the multiple narrators added to my enjoyment. Kudos to narrators: Alejandro Ruiz, Dawn Harvey, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, John Lee, Will Damron, Victoria Villarreal, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, and Feodor Chin. This was one crazy story!
I highly recommend the audio. It was an entertaining 11 hours!
3.5 stars: “A Killing Cold” is a brilliantly crafted thriller by author Kate Alice Marshall. Her protagonist, Theodora Scott, aka Teddy, was adopted at3.5 stars: “A Killing Cold” is a brilliantly crafted thriller by author Kate Alice Marshall. Her protagonist, Theodora Scott, aka Teddy, was adopted at age 4 and she has sketchy memory of her life prior to adoption. What she does remember is that her adopted family, a fundamentalist religious family, used religion as a weapon. A protagonist with a faulty memory, and an abusive family always makes for great tension.
Teddy was immediately smitten with Conner Dalton when she met him after her best friend set her up on a date. As the book opens, she is meeting his family at Idlewood, the family’s winter vacation compound. The Dalton’s are a richy-rich wealthy. The Idlewood area inspires random memories for Teddy, which she questions (along with the reader). And then she receives bizarre messages telling her to leave Conner alone and to leave the compound. She thinks it is because she’s poor with no pedigree, yet those questionable memories...
Marshall uses family drama to build tension. Conner and Theo are recently engaged, so she understands how a wealthy family would be hesitant to welcome her, an adopted girl with no family history. This is a family who wants to know who her people are. She has no people, and she doesn’t remember her birth family. Yet while the reader, along with Teddy, learn more about the Dalton’s, it is evident that the Dalton’s are not the squeaky-clean clan that they try to portray. The reader figures things out before Teddy, who is a young 24-year-old and who wants to give the Dalton’s the benefit of the doubt, but the reader knows better.
As time goes by, Teddy finds more secrets, and she finds odd information that motivates her to secretly investigate oddities. As the vacation continues, strange events continue which causes Teddy to question everything.
I loved the wintery setting. I am a sucker for the innocent bride coming into a rich (and sinister) family troupe. Add to that the protagonist with a faulty memory and a major memory loss component brings the thriller aspect to an amped stage.
I listened to the audio, narrated by Karissa Vacker. I enjoyed her performance in this twisty thriller.
I am an outlier in my feelings about “This is a Love Story” by Jessica Soffer. I chose to use the audio format, and that could be a factor, although tI am an outlier in my feelings about “This is a Love Story” by Jessica Soffer. I chose to use the audio format, and that could be a factor, although the amazing Marin Ireland was the narrator. I adore her dramatic performances in every audio to which I have had the pleasure of listening. Because of the story’s structure, this is probably a book that should be read.
Soffer tells her story in a disjointed, fragmented way. The love story is Jane and Abe’s, but others have their chapters. My favorite chapters were the ones from Central Park, told in third person. Central Park provides the reader with the New York “feeling”. In fact, the Central Park chapters are almost a love letter to NYC. It’s the Greek chorus of the city. Central Park provides a diversion from the intensities of the story.
Abe begins the story, telling the reader that his wife, Jane, is dying of cancer. He is working diligently to try and make her last days comfortable. Abe is a poet. He tells of their early life when he was beginning his writing career, and Jane was embarking on her painting. Both were trying to find their way in their creative endeavors.
Soffer has beautiful prose, very poetic. She presents this marriage in a way, that the reader is asked to get to the truth by learning everyone’s perspectives. It’s a slow reveal, with many layers. Memories are shed by Abe, as he tells his story to the reader and also to Jane. I found it jarring when Soffer adds a character, Alice. Alice is minor, yet she provides perspective and complexity. Their son Max get’s his view as well, although minor as well.
Perhaps this wasn’t a high rating read for me because I found it a mostly dark story. Other readers saw the beauty of their marriage, their commitment. I saw the frail parts, the ugly parts without the endearing parts. In every marriage a partner hurts the other, it is the human condition. The structure, the quiet narrative, the disjointed presentation, didn’t work for me. I think this is a me problem.
Perhaps it’s because I just finished Jonathan Evison’s “The Heart of Winter” which is a love story as well, showing the ups and downs of marriage. For me, Evison’s work was more satisfying because Evison allowed more of the loveable characteristics to show through. Both works showed the commitment to the marriage, even when it was frail.
If you enjoy beautiful prose, lyrical in nature, this is one for you. My mistake was reading/listening to it right after reading “The Heart of Winter”. This is one that I wished I had read.
4.5 stars: “The Heart of Winter” will warm your heart. It’s a story of a long-term marriage of two opposites, Abe and Ruth, who have made it work for 74.5 stars: “The Heart of Winter” will warm your heart. It’s a story of a long-term marriage of two opposites, Abe and Ruth, who have made it work for 70 years, and it wasn’t always sunshine and lollypops! What author Jonathan Evison does well, is create characters that incite empathy, whether you are like that character, or their opposite. That is to say that their marriage was built on a solid foundation, even with their opposite viewpoints. Mutual respect and building a solid family are what got them through the most difficult times of their marriage.
Evison begins the novel in the current time, when Ruth finds that she has oral cancer after complaining of a loose tooth. How they handle that news between themselves and with their children is common of their generation. And the children’s response is common of their generation. Evison’s own mother is battling oral cancer, so he’s got some personal history with the disease. This is his love letter to his momma, as she survived the cancer. Evison’s mother didn’t have a life partner at that point. Evison provided her support from helping her through radiation, surgery, and aftercare. In Evison’s mind, he wished she had a partner to hold her hand and provide solace. Thus, he wrote this dandy of a story, where Abe and Ruth survived every imaginable hardship, misunderstanding, along with the highlights of family life.
He structures his story with Abe and Ruth’s present struggle with her health challenge, and with the past: the highlights and lowlights of their marriage. We learn of their courtship. Abe is a Republican (gasp), while Ruth is a liberal Democrat. Ruth feels that Abe was born middle aged, he wore bowties in college for heaven’s sake! Abe’s flaws are that he’s a fuddy-duddy. He voted for Nixon and is business school. Ruth went to college to become an independent woman who works, supports herself and does what she wants. She is a progressive who enjoys poetry and literature. She has little interest in Abe, who intends to vote for Eisenhower! Abe saw the jewel that Ruth was and pursued her with dogged determination. The past is told from alternating points-of-view, which highlights the give and take of marriage.
They marry and enjoy the typical 1950’s family lifestyle. Abe sells insurance (of course) and Ruth tends him and their four children. This is a story of a marriage, the ups, the downs. It’s a story of how two opposites make it work. It’s a story of two people who, when things get ugly, still find their way back to each other.
In the current part of the story, the children do not think Abe has the bandwidth to care for Ruth, because he has no experience with caretaking. They doubt every move he makes. As a reader, I enjoyed “seeing” Abe and Ruth’s point of view, and the adult children’s point of view. In the current timeframe of the story, I am around the same age as the adult children. Evison is the same age as the adult children. I appreciated his nuanced POV’s of the octogenarian and nonagenarian feelings. When our parents become ill, we treat them like they are incapable of figuring out what to do. We want to take away their agency. Evison brilliantly shows how frustrating it is to them. Abe and Ruth value their independence and self-sufficiency, while the adult children want what’s more practical. Additionally, Evison shines when he shows Abe’s frustration with anything “newfangled” like a cell phone. Phones are meant to be plugged in the wall. He is NOT about to walk around with a computer!
Evison wrote a love letter to his mother, and to marriage. I listened to the audio narrated by Kimberly Farr. I was not a fan of her voice for Abe, but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment. I highly recommend it for those who enjoy domestic literature....more
Author Kristin Hannah tackles an unexplored piece of the Viet Nam war: the women who were there. They were mostly nurses or doctors. None wer3.5 stars
Author Kristin Hannah tackles an unexplored piece of the Viet Nam war: the women who were there. They were mostly nurses or doctors. None were in combat per se. However, they were combat adjacent. They weren’t in hand-to-hand combat, but they saw and felt the horror and devastation of war. They too had to “hit the deck” with incoming missiles. They too feared for their lives.
Hannah’s protagonist is a sheltered wealthy young woman, Frankie McGrath. Her father has a hero’s wall that has all the family’s war heroes. The story opens with her family throwing her beloved brother Fin a party to become a hero himself. He’s off to Viet Nam. When Fin’s friend suggests that women can be heroes as well, Frankie wants in. She can become a nurse and be a hero as well!
From author interviews, I learned that Hannah decided to write about the Vietnam war now because: 1, She had just handed in her last manuscript as Covid hit and wanted a meaty project to work on. 2, She had wanted to write about Vietnam earlier, but her publisher and she felt it had been too ambitious at that stage in her career. Now she felt ready. And 3, the polarization of the country during Covid was very reminiscent of the Vietnam era. This triggered her feelings as a teen, including her close friend’s fathers who had been killed in the war. The story was ready to be told and finally she felt ready to tell it.
I believe Hannah’s goal in writing the novel is that she wanted to call attention to the unfair treatment of the women who did serve in Vietnam. However, her message was buried under unnecessary and extraneous fluff. I felt the novel had a strong start. It was a page turner. And then it unraveled with the fluff.
Frankie was expected to be a debutant, get married, be a dutiful housewife. Her father told the country club crowd that Frankie was studying abroad; he was ashamed that she went to Viet Nam as a nurse. Hannah was showing how our society did not want women, even as nurses, in war.
One of the positive points Hannah was trying to make was how the war/military helped with integration in the USA. By making her friend, Barb (she was black and came from Compton, CA) a strong presence in the story, and in Frankie’s mental stability, Hannah showed how people from the wealthy bubble of Coronado, CA (where Frankie came from) relaxed their racist feelings. The bond that Frankie, Barbara, and Ethel, three nurses, had would have never happened for not the war. Friendships forged because of the war would never have happened. This includes the male soldiers.
Hannah also touched upon Agent Orange and its impact. Hannah did a tremendous job portraying PTSD. PTSD wasn’t recognized in the medical community until the 1980’s. She also showed how the government did little to recognize trauma and offer few services to those who served. The government flat out refused to recognize women as “serving” their country, when in fact they were in combat areas, ministering to the ill.
All in all, a good read. The great points she was making were buried in drama and distractions. I prefer my historical fiction to be less messy I guess. It’s an easy read, with major impact.
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