Format: Digital Audiobook

Timeless Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter

Timeless Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter

So nobody really talks about it anymore, and I don’t know any friends who have read these tales to their children, but Beatrix Potter is such a classic.  These short tidbits, written over a hundred years ago, are so familiar today.  It was such strange nostalgia going back not just to childhood favorites, but to stories I remember having read to me, and the memory of illustrated collections we used to have. I’m going to try something a bit different here, because this is a collection of very short children’s stories.  So, rather than try to summarize the collection as […]

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Posted September 28, 2019 in Reviews // 2 Comments //
The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

I don’t know a single person who doesn’t love Magnus Chase, and usually more than they love Percy Jackson.  All of Rick Riordan’s series are greatly acclaimed, but Magnus, in particular, gets a lot of love in my circles.  Having loved Percy Jackson and known how much my friends enjoyed The Sword of Summer, I was ready to love it too. And you know, it was fine?  Entertaining enough, and the story moved along okay, but I really don’t think it is Riordan’s best work?  I know a fair amount of Norse mythology and as usual, Rick Riordan has done his […]

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Posted September 23, 2019 in Reviews // 2 Comments //
The Late Middle Ages by Philip Daileader (The Great Courses)

The Late Middle Ages by Philip Daileader (The Great Courses)

I’m a sucker for The Great Courses because when they’re good, they’re really good.  I absolutely loved the courses on Ancient Egypt and Myths in Human History, and I felt like I learned so much from those professors.  On the other hand, I found the course on The Vikings disappointingly dull.  This… sort of reflects my experience as a history major – some things are fascinating, others are a bit tedious, and it all depends on the professor.  Therefore, my experience with The Great Courses has been hit-or-miss. Unfortunately, I find that The Late Middle Ages was closer to a “miss” for […]

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Posted September 22, 2019 in Reviews // 4 Comments //
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is such a happy re-read for me. I mean, come on.  This book has everything.  A realistically devised dystopian future.  Interesting characters with hidden depths!  There’s so much at stake and the balance of action and romance is just A++ good.  I love this trilogy.  The Hunger Games was the dystopia that pushed YA dystopia into the spotlight, and there’s a prequel coming!  What’s not to love? This marks my fifth time reading this book.  I am the type of reader who may remember the format, but will often forget details as I read.  I feel like every time […]

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Posted September 14, 2019 in Reviews // 4 Comments //
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

At first, I was hesitant going into Illuminae for two reasons: it is a very hyped book, and it was mixed media, which may/may not work in audiobook format.  I kept my expectations pretty low, because a lot of the super hyped books don’t really work for me. Going into the early chapters of Illuminae, I was glad I protected myself with low expectations.  The world was interesting, and the action started right away, but the characters?  Meh.  Especially in the early chapters, they’re all quite vague and flirtatious.  There are moments that are good mixed in, like the initial battle between the […]

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Posted September 9, 2019 in Reviews // 2 Comments //
The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

The story being told in The Librarian of Auschwitz is fascinating, but the way it is being told doesn’t do it justice.  I found myself zoning out a lot during this book because of the lack of rising action.  I’ve thought long and hard about this, because the partially-fictionalized stories of the real people in this novel have a lot of potential, and I think these stories should be told, but the experience was challenging for me as a reader.  To put it frankly, I was bored. Although I enjoy history, my main interest leans toward stories older than WWII.  That […]

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Posted September 7, 2019 in Reviews // 2 Comments //