Audiobook review: "Etiquette & Espionage" by Gail Carriger

Title: Etiquette & Espionage
Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher:   Hachette Audio, 2013 (print available from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Narrator: Moira Quirk

When Sophronia is told she will be sent off to finishing school, she is not pleased. Not at all. However, after a decidedly odd interview with "Mlle Geraldine," it quickly becomes clear that Madame Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality is not exactly what it appears to be on the surface. As it turns out, the school is not only a place young girls are trained to become ladies, they are also trained to become intelligencers. Classes include etiquette and how to execute a proper curtsy, as well as the use of seduction, stealth, and proper fighting techniques. In addition to all this knew knowledge, Sophronia and her friends do some intelligencing of their own regarding a missing prototype, an older schoolmate who failed to Finish and has been sent to study with the debuts, and other mysterious activity.

This first book in Gail Carriger's new series for teens is just delightful. Fans of her adult series, Soulless, would be well advised to pick this one up as well. Who can resist a fine comedy of manners mixed together with steam technology, the art of espionage, how to manipulate and obtain information, all while still being presentable for afternoon tea or ready to dance a quadrille at a ball? Oh yes, mustn't forget the werewolves and vampires. This book has action and humor in spades.

Sophronia herself is an excellent heroine, and a character I look forward to watching develop over the course of the next books in the series. She's resourceful, intelligent, has a good heart, and does not shy away from getting her hands dirty if necessary. I loved a lot of the secondary characters too, namely the sootie Soap, the young French engineer Vieve (age 9), and the loyal and easily scandalized Dimity (who also, I might add, is the daughter of evil geniuses and describes herself as "a good girl," to their chagrin).

Honestly, I think I like this one more than Soulless, though that might be because I listened to the excellent narration by Moira Quirk. Her accents and inflections completely made this for me, and I would highly recommend that anyone who had trouble getting into this series try the audio. This is one of the 2014 Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults for a reason.

Disclosure: I downloaded this audiobook through my local library and OverDrive.

I finally try out Audible.com

Recently, there has been a huge surge in audiobook use. This is largely because of the easy access to the medium via smartphones and MP3 players and other devices (hooray technology!), and as a result, productions are getting better and better. For me, this is excellent news; I have been a long-time lover of audiobooks, ever since I would make the 6-hour drive to and from Ithaca during my college years. Back then my best (and really one of my only) audiobook friends was Bill Bryson, who is a wonderful narrator of his own works, but now I've expanded my use even more.

With a 40-minute commute to and from work, I don't know what I would do without my stories, and on my long training runs for my first half marathon (coming up in October), books help the time and the miles pass quickly. This is why I was excited to have the opportunity to try Audible.com for free, after someone from their team reached out to me.

Audible is a subscription service available through Amazon.com that is expressly for audiobooks. You sign up for one of their plans, the most basic of which starts at $14.95/month, and in return you get one credit per month to spend on any audiobook available. One credit is usually equal to one audiobook, so basically you are paying the member fee for one book per month, plus you get member discounts on every other book. You can purchase however many books per month you want this way. I know that sometimes they have member sales and free titles for members, but as I only used the service for the free trial period, I haven't seen what those sales look like myself.

Audible has some other great perks that come with your membership. You can exchange any audiobook you buy, whether you pay for it in credits or with your credit card, for any other book if you don't like it, no questions asked (as a side note, this service disappears if you cancel your membership). There is also this mystical thing called Whispersync, which is super cool if you have a Kindle. Basically, if you are reading a Kindle book and are listening to the same audiobook, you can sync the two up so that if you put one version down, the other device will bring you right where you left off. Crazy new technology, I tell ya.

Once I bought my books using the credits I was given during my free trial, I just had to click "Download" to put them on my Mac and they automatically went to iTunes. I did have some trouble figuring out how to get them onto my iPod, since they didn't automatically sync with it, but after asking Twitter I figured it out (thanks Kimberly!). Turns out all I had to do was click and drag the files from iTunes to my iPod while the latter was connected to my computer. My first choice was Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan, which was very funny and worth listening to on audio.

I loved my experience with Audible, and their selection is huge. If I wasn't a librarian and didn't get all my audiobooks for free through my library and Overdrive, I would definitely consider becoming a member. As it stands, though, I am able to get most of the books I want without having to pay for them, and my budget doesn't have enough wiggle room right now to pay for a service like this. Maybe one day!

I would like to say, though, that canceling was extremely easy and no-hassle. The best part is, I get to keep the audiobooks I bought with my credit even after cancellation—they are still available on my account when I sign in. And if I decide one day to rejoin, I can use that same account. It's all attached to your Amazon account, so if you already have one of those, you don't even need to give a separate credit card.

Interested? You can try it out for free for one month! Just click here. You'll get one credit to use, no obligations. If you decide to keep it, it will charge your credit card after one month and give you another credit. If not, it's easy to cancel.

I know I sound like a long commercial, but I really did like the service, and I love audiobooks. I think it's wonderful that this medium has gained so much popularity, and as a result, more people are reading.

Disclaimer: Audible.com sponsored this post by providing me with credits to try their service. This in no way affected my review, and any opinions expressed here are my own.

Audiobook review: "See You At Harry's" by Jo Knowles

Title: See You At Harry's
Author: Jo Knowles
Publisher: Candlewick on Brilliance Audio, 2012 (print available from Candlewick)
Narrator: Kate Rudd

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible most of the time. Her parents run a restaurant, her older sister Sarah is taking a gap year before going to college, and her older brother Holden is absorbed in his own problems as a freshman who is figuring out his own life. Three-year-old Charlie, the baby of the family, is the only one who seems to notice Fern, though it's not always a welcome attention. In fact, Fern is usually the one who ends up watching Charlie when her parents and siblings are too busy to take notice, to her great annoyance.

But soon a terrible tragedy turns everything upside down, and Fern has no idea what to do or how to deal with it all. Guilt, mixed in with denial and intense grief, invade her life and her family's. Together, they must find a way to heal in a world that will never be the same for them.

This is an excellent audiobook, and an excellent story. Jo Knowles based a lot of it on her personal experience of growing up in a family-run restaurant, and also having an older brother who is gay. It all feels very genuine, especially when tragedy strikes and the family is thrown into the depths of grief and sorrow. It feels very personal and intimate, and tells the heart-wrenching and ultimately hopeful journey through all that, plus all the other crap that can happen in middle and high school. Fern and Holden have to deal with some incredibly nasty bullies, both peers and adults.

I listened to the audio, and Kate Rudd does an excellent job in her narration. She IS Fern. Her acting skills are never too much, yet we hear all of the emotions, the tiny catches of breath and yells, everything. I didn't want to shut my car off after reaching each destination because I wanted to hear what happened next. Another cool thing the producers did was layer Rudd's voice on words and phrases that people speak together, which is something I've never heard before.

There are so many pieces to this story, and I'm amazed at how well Knowles is able to give us all the information we need, show the subtleties in each character, craft the developing relationships, show us how Fern is growing up, illustrate how not one of these people is anywhere near perfect yet leading us to care for them, and to do it all with such beauty. I'm hoping this will win at least a Newbury honor. This is my first book I've read by Knowles, but it won't be my last.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher. This in no way influenced my reaction to the book or my review.

Audiobook review: "Safekeeping" by Karen Hesse

Title: Safekeeping
Author: Karen Hesse
Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners, 2012 (print available from Feiwel and Friends)
Narrator: Jenna Lamia

It's an unspecified year sometime in the near future, and the American People's Party has taken over the US government. When the new president is assassinated, the government starts to take control of everyone, arresting any person who expresses some form of rebellion or disagreement with the government. When all this transpires, Radley is volunteering in an orphanage in Haiti, but despite everyone else's warnings she desperately wants to get home to her parents to make sure they're all right. And so begins her journey.

After no one arrives to pick her up at the airport, Radley must think of a plan b, and soon. She decides to walk home, and what would normally be a 2-hour journey becomes one that lasts for days. She arrives home, only to discover a house that look abandoned. Her only option seems to be what she promised she'd do if she came to trouble: head north to Canada.

Radley begins as a naive, spoiled girl, only because everything she's ever needed or wanted has been provided to her by her parents. I have to be honest, at first I was irritated by her constant refrain of how her parents usually took care of everything, but it quickly becomes clear that she is willing to do whatever it takes to survive.

Eventually Celia comes into the picture. She is a loner too, though she has a dog named Jerry Lee, and the two form a tenuous and wary bond when Radley nurses Celia back to health from a fever. The two begin traveling together, slowly becoming friends. I honestly wasn't a big fan of Celia, but I appreciated the extra character and how their friendship leads to both of their growth and sense of family.

This is a very quiet book, despite the occasional tense scene. It's not the page-turner dystopian novel we've all come to expect, but for a patient teen, or perhaps one who isn't ready for the more violent novels in the genre, it may be worth it. I will say that since I listened to this on audio, I was deprived of the photography in the print version. They come in a pdf on the last disc, but clearly it's not the same as seeing it as you read it.

Speaking of audio, I'm sorry to say I am not a fan of Jenna Lamia. Period. I'd previously listened to her narrate Linger by Maggie Stiefvater and didn't like her then either. That's not to say she doesn't do a good job narrrating; I just really don't like her voice. It's too high-pitched for my taste, making her sound much younger than she or her characters actually are. I found her voice for Celia especially grating, which may be part of the reason why I never really connected with her as a character. That said, it wasn't awful, and I listened to the whole thing without many problems.

I am glad I listened to this, as it's a quietly powerful story of survival and hope, but I have heard better productions.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook Review: "Sapphire Blue" by Kerstin Gier

Title: Sapphire Blue
Author: Kerstin Gier
Translator: Anthea Bell
Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners, 2012 (print available from Henry Holt & Co.)
Narrator: Melisa Calin

After finding out she and not her cousin Charlotte is the carrier of her family's time travel gene, and the fallout of this discovery in Ruby Red, Gwyneth Shepherd is back in this second volume of the trilogy, which takes place immediately after the first in the series. Gwyneth continues her quick training, basically dance and history lessons so she'll fit in when she goes back in time with Gideon, the other carrier in her generation, and continues to try to understand what the heck is going on and why no one will answer any of her questions. Everyone seems to know something she doesn't, and everyone seems to be distrustful of her—not because of anything she's done, but because of what they think she will do in the future. Plus she's got this prophecy about being the raven and the ruby that she has no idea what to do with. So she begins to do some of her own detective work with her friend Leslie, and a wisecracking ghost of a gargoyle named Xemerius who does some spying for her, seeing as how no one can see him and he can walk through walls and all. (If you'll remember from Ruby Red, Gwyneth can see and talk to ghosts.) But will she be able to figure out the secrets that everyone is determined to keep from her, and other deeper, darker secrets, before she loses her own life?

Word to the wise, don't read this book unless you've read Ruby Red, because you will have absolutely no idea what's going on. I had a bit of trouble considering I hadn't read the first book for at least a year when I began listening to this one, although Gier did do a good job of inserting reminders and quick explanations without it being like the first chapter of the Babysitters' Club books and completely rehashing the story in a few pages.

I'm still struck with how brilliantly Anthea Bell did her translation. The humor is in full force, just like in the first volume, and there were very few if any phrases that didn't work. It makes me wonder what Gier's original German was like! I guess unless I learn German I'll never know, but Bell's translation is pretty fantastic anyway.

The action is back too, with plenty of still-unsolved mysteries and yet-to-be-revealed secrets. A few things come out here, but the tension has increased by the end of the book and the stakes have been raised. (Who is the nefarious Count St. Germain, and what does he want?) We know things could go really wrong for Gwyneth. Really, that's all you can ask for a second book in a trilogy, so I'm not disappointed. Certainly I'm looking forward to book three, Emerald Green, for the big reveals and finales. I have my own theory about a few things going on.

The one thing that really wasn't my favorite thing was the romance. I don't really get the whole Gideon/Gwyneth relationship, but to be fair, Gwyneth doesn't really know either. It's explained sort of by the end, but I wish he weren't so rotten to her when he decides he doesn't want to be her friend. I felt really bad for her and understood her confusion about him.

Melisa Calin was a decent choice for narrator. There were times when her English accent sounded strange to me, like she was actually putting on an accent, but I got used to it as the recording progressed. She did a good job of giving different voices to different people and I didn't really have a problem figuring out who was talking. I did, however, have trouble figuring out if Gwyneth was saying something out loud or thinking it, and I often had to relisten to portions because I wasn't sure if everyone else had heard what she said or if it was in her head. But that's more the issue of not having a clue within the text, and isn't really anyone's fault.

All in all, the audiobook of Sapphire Blue was a fun experience, and the book itself is a great continuation of the story. I am really eager to find out what happens in the final volume! (Hint hint: Anyone with a galley, I'd love to borrow it.)

Disclosure: I received this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook Review: "Because It Is My Blood" by Gabrielle Zevin

Title: Because It Is My Blood

Author: Gabrielle Zevin

Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners, 2012 (print available from Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Narrator: Ilyana Kadushin

In book two of Gabrielle Zevin's Birthright series, we pick up Anya Balanchine's story after she is released from her summer incarceration at Liberty prison. This second installment had all the excitement and action of the first, as well as some great twists, but toward the end it fell victim to second-book syndrome.

Because of her prison time, Anya finds that not many schools will allow her to enroll with her checkered past. Eventually she finds herself in a situation she never envisioned herself in—she is sent to a different country, one where cacao is legal, to learn about how it is grown. But the longer she stays abroad, the more heated things get at home, until she must return to the life she has been condemned to live.

We come back into Zevin's futuristic America where chocolate and coffee are illegal and organized crime revolves around these two substances. I was struck by how much cacao's existence in this world mirrors marijuana's existence in ours, and I think that was what Zevin was aiming for, especially with some of the questions on the ballot in this upcoming election. It's an interesting parallel and does indeed make you think about illegal substances in our society, regardless of whether you believe they should be illegal or not.

The change of setting was welcome for me, as I'm not a huge fan of NYC anyway. Plus the new cast of characters that comes with the change of place is wonderful. Theo is my favorite character in the entire series so far now—love him. I'm interested to see where the next book will take us as far as the relationships between characters. Who will become allies, who will become enemies? It's pretty clear that Zevin has set up for something big in the next book.

That said, because of all the setup, the action tapered by the last pages of the book. We know something series shiz is about to go down, as Anya pretty much tells us so, but we are left with a short argument between Anya and another family member and then that's pretty much the end. Luckily the beginning and middle were gripping and full of action.

Ilyana Kadushin, as always, does an excellent job narrating Anya's story. Though her voices for other character's aren't always the most distinct, it doesn't really matter because Anya is the one telling it. Her narration is measured and calm, just what is needed for Anya.

I'm mostly looking forward to the next book in the Bloodright series, though I am also pretty apprehensive. I'm not a huge fan of violence, and I have the feeling there is going to be a lot in the next book.

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Audiobook Review: "Chomp" by Carl Hiaasen

Title: Chomp
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Publisher: Listening Library, 2012 (print available from Knopf Books for Young Readers
Narrator: James Van Der Beek

Wahoo Cray lives in the Everglades on what most people would call a zoo. His dad, Mickey Cray, is an animal wrangler, and takes care of animals like raccoons, snakes, and gators, including the enormous Alice. It is Alice that gets the attention of the survival reality TV show, Expedition Survival! They want to do an Everglades episode, and Wahoo takes the job on behalf of his dad. They need the money since Mickey got knocked in the head by a frozen iguana and started getting debilitating migraines and double vision as a result. And so they put up with Derek Badger, the show's idiotic, spoiled, and phony host. But things start to get out of hand when Derek insists on doing the show in the actual wild. Wahoo and Mickey meet and bring along Tuna, a girl with an abusive father who really wants to find her, and Derek ends up bitten by a bat and runs off into the Everglades on his own. It will be a miracle if they all get out of this alive.

I haven't read much of Hiaasen's work, just Hoot, but I already have an idea of the flavor of his writing. I'm guessing his adult novels are similar, with more mature subject matter and probably less animals. What I love about Hiaasen's writing is the fullness and roundness of all of his characters. He gives almost every character who enters into the story a background and a reason why they are the way they appear in the novel. Mickey is probably my favorite character out of them all—sure, he's Wahoo's dad, but he is such a part of the novel in a way that you don't necessarily expect adults to be in literature for children. Wahoo often has to watch after his father because he tends to let his mouth run when he sees something he doesn't like, but Mickey is also a very smart man with a strong desire to protect those who need it.

The story itself is something of a survival story, though not in the way the characters expected. With his signature humor, Hiaasen takes Wahoo, Tuna, and Mickey, as well as all of the other characters they meet along the way, on a thrilling and dangerous adventure full of tension and suspense.

James Van Der Beek does the narration, and he does a great job. It wasn't the very best narration I've ever heard, but it is certainly a job well done and very enjoyable. I appreciated how he didn't really give Tuna a high voice that sounded fake, and he did the accents pretty well. He really did a great job giving the different characters different sounding voices, especially one character named Link. There were just a few spots where I wish there were more pauses, but I think that had more to do with production and editing than with Van Der Beek's performance. Also, Dawson read me a story.

All in all, a very enjoyable audiobook experience with great characters and action. I'll be picking up another of Hiaasen's audiobooks for younger readers soon.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my local library.

Review: "Chime" by Franny Billingsley

Title: Chime
Author: Franny Billingsley
Publisher: Listening Library, 2011 (print available from Dial Press)
Narrator: Susan Duerden

Briony Larkin is a witch. She has abilities that no one else does, abilities that she must keep secret or risk death by hanging in her small English village, circa 1900. Her stepmother was the one who figured it out, and ever since her death Briony has lived with this knowledge, and the knowledge that she is responsible for her twin sister's mental deficiencies, alone. She must always hate herself or risk the lives of those she cares about the most. This is until Eldric comes, opening her eyes to new adventures and bringing her back to the swamp she loves but must avoid—a swamp filled with Old Ones, elemental beings filled with magic and power. Can Briony learn to control her powers, or will she bring about her doom and the doom of her family and community?

This is not a book for the faint of heart. No light read, this novel is extremely complex, coupled with an unreliable narrator and steeped in folklore. It's beautifully written, and the atmosphere and world Billingsley creates is mysterious and gothic, darkly romantic and dangerous. It's a novel to digest slowly, one you need to take the time to make sure you understand where you and the characters stand.

I loved this novel, one that I would categorize as slipstream. It is historical fiction, yet is infused with elements of the fantastic. Old Ones abound, bringing their ancient magic and enchantment into Briony's community. It's folklore come true.

I loved waiting to see what happened between Eldric and Briony. The book starts with a prologue that makes you think one thing will happen, yet as the story develops I couldn't help wondering if it would end the way I was led to think it would. Throughout the novel we get hints that everything is not as it seems, and Billingsley does a masterful job at slowly revealing the truth.

Susan Duerden was the perfect casting choice as the narrator. She has distinct voices for every character, and those of you who regularly read my reviews might know that that is very important to me. Her accents, the refined British and the cockney, are spot on. I highly recommend the audio version of this book; it's exceptionally well done.

This is a great choice for strong readers, or older readers. The complexity of the narrative might not make it a good choice for someone who struggles with reading or who can't quite follow plot as easily as others. It's a challenge, but one that I believe is well worth it if you are willing to spend the time and effort.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from the library.

Audiobook Review: "Behemoth" by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Behemoth
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2010 (print version available from Simon Pulse)
Narrator: Alam Cumming

Starting off where Leviathan ended, we're thrown back into the world of Darwinists and Clankers, this time with the added bonus of Ottomans who have sort of combined the aesthetic of the Darwinists with the mechanics of the Clankers. For those of you new to this world, this trilogy takes place in an alternate steampunk past during the Great War, or World War I as we call it today. Darwinists are people from the United Kingdom who use genetic engineering to create animals that work as tools, including entire ships and weapons of war. Clankers are Germans and Austrians, among other peoples, who use advanced mechanics and machines as those tools.

In Behemoth, Deryn (disguised as a boy named Dillon in order to be in an airman in the army) is dealing with her growing feelings for Alec, the prince and heir to the Austria-Hungary throne (she is one of only a handful who knows his true identity). Alec, on the other hand, is treated as a prisoner of war aboard the Leviathan, and he must find a way off the ship if he is to keep his secret and fulfill his destiny. Things get complicated when a new friend joins Alec along the way, and as he and two of his men explore the city of Istanbul and join a band of resistors, Deryn muddles through the city on her own after a successfully completed yet badly ended mission. As they find their way to each other, they soon realize the fate of the Leviathan and the English army's fate lies with them.

There was a lot I loved about this volume in the Leviathan trilogy. The number one thing is probably not going to be as loved by most anyone else, but I'm going to say it anyway. There was a character with my brother's name. You might not think that's totally crazy, but here's the thing: My brother's name is Zaven. You don't see many characters with Armenian names like that unless it's a book about Armenian history. And Zaven in the book is Armenian! I loved that bit.

Anyway, Westerfeld does a fantastic job of continuing his story. There's plenty of action, a little romance, the most confused love triangle I've seen since Twelfth Night, and a new alternate culture to explore. I kept hoping that more secrets would be revealed, just because there are so many that either we as readers are privy to that the rest of the characters are not, and those that are mysteries to us as well as the characters.

Quick note on the audio: I love Alan Cumming. I love him in pretty much everything he does, and I love how he can get accents pretty much spot on. He does a fantastic job with the narration. The only thing he did wrong was mispronounce the Armenian word "Nene," a form of the word grandmother. But other than that, he is everything I love in a narrator. Or maybe that's my bias talking.

I'm looking forward to the final book in the trilogy, Goliath, especially on audio since it is once again narrated by Alan Cumming. I'm interested particularly to see if Westerfeld writes anything about the Armenian genocide, which happened in 1915; Behemoth ends in the year 1914. I'm not sure if the next book will go that far into the future, but I'm eager to see.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from the library.

Audiobook Review: "Unfamiliar Fishes" by Sarah Vowell

Title: Unfamiliar Fishes
Author: Sarah Vowell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2011 (print available from Riverhead Trade)
Narrator: Sarah Vowell

Have you ever wondered how the United States came to acquire Hawaii? Do you know anything about the history of the last state to join the country? Sarah Vowell, in her typical sarcastically funny and intelligent fashion, takes us through the history of this chain of islands that have been through so much. From the ancient Hawaiians, to the missionaries that first stepped on the shores, to President McKinley making Hawaii officially part of the United States, Vowell tells us all about the dynamic history of Hawaii.

How have I made it this far in my life without reading one of Sarah Vowell's books? This book is fantastic. I loved Vowell's voice; she puts herself into the story as much as all of the historical figures and events, and the story is richer for it. We start with her contemplating her plate lunch, and how all these different cultures are together on one plate in Hawaii. She launches into the history and culture, both past and present. Her biting comments, quirky choice of words, and funny asides kept me listening and eager to hear more.

I picked up this audiobook because my fiance and I are going to Hawaii for our honeymoon, and I wanted to know more about it. Plus, I've heard great things about Vowell. I wasn't disappointed. Not only did I learn a great deal about the history and culture, but I was entertained throughout it with Vowell's unique style of writing. I was kind of surprised at how much I didn't know about the islands, though I suppose I shouldn't have been. We don't learn this stuff in school, and I had no reason to learn about it before this. Not that that's an excuse, but my interest was piqued when I learned I'd actually be going there.

A note on the audio edition: At first I was completely turned off by Vowell's voice. It was whinier than I was expecting. But I got used to it, and eventually started to really like how she narrated her writing in deadpan and in a conversational way. I would definitely listen to another one of her audiobooks, and most likely will. I can't wait to get my hands on Vowell's other work.

Disclosure: I got this from the library.

Audiobook Review: "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

Title: Out of My Mind
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Publisher: Recorded Books, 2010 (print available from Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010)
Narrator: Sisi Aisha Johnson

Melody knows thousands of words. She is pretty sure she has a photographic memory, and she has synthesthesia—to her, music has color and taste. But even though she's 10 years old, no one in her life knows any of this. She has never spoken a single word in her life and has no way of communicating to her teachers, parents or anyone else. Melody has cerebral palsy, making it impossible for her to move or speak.

Sharon Draper brings us inside Melody's mind in this novel, told from Melody's own perspective. Her struggles, frustrations, and pain grabbed hold of my heart while I listened to Sisi Aisha Johnson's lovely narration. I became really invested in Melody and her family. I got angry when people treated her poorly, I got frustrated when people couldn't figure out what she wanted, I got sad when she knew she'd never be able to tell her parents with her own voice that she loves them. When bad things happen to anyone she loves, I got sad and sick with her. Often after I shut off the car to go to work, Melody's story stayed with me and I wondered what would happen to her when I finally returned to the story.

But ultimately, this is a story of survival and of hope. There is help for Melody, and she and her family do their best to get it. Melody begins to integrate into the regular schoolrooms, not just in the special education classroom, and begins to be challenged in her schoolwork for the first time. And finally, she finds a way to communicate better than she ever has in her life, leading to a whole new set of challenges for her.

Johnson does a wonderful job narrating. She sounded like a young girl, giving distinct voices to the different characters in Melody's life. She gives Melody a voice full of yearning and anger and sorrow and hope.

Out of My Mind not only is a great book to read if you're looking for the perspective of someone physically disabled, whether you use it in a classroom or suggest it to a library patron, it also is just a great book to read, period.

Disclosure: I checked this audiobook out from the library.

Top Ten Books I've Read in 2011

I had to take part in this week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted as always by The Broke and the Bookish. This week we're taking a look at the top ten books we've read in the past year. Here are mine:

1. Diamond Willow by Helen Frost. This is probably one of the best books I've read in the past few years. You can read my review here, but all I'll say is that this book was just so good on so many levels. It's a verse novel, but the formatting is incredible. And I had the good fortune to meet Helen Frost this summer, which was amazing.

2. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine. Another one that really was incredible. It's a children's book, probably around middle-school level, but it goes so far beyond most children's books I've read. My review is here.

3. Dairy Queen, The Off-Season and Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. I'm putting this trilogy down as one, despite the very different natures of all three books. I loved D.J. Schwenk and her family, and I loved the way she told her story. Plus I listened to this on audio, and Natalie Moore was perfect to narrate.

4. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. I loved this book. I loved that it focused on the Black Panthers, and that the narrator was this no-nonsense girl who had to deal with a reluctant mother. I loved the summer setting. Pretty much everything. My review is here.


5. Paper Towns by John Green. Okay, so this might be cheating since this was a reread. But really, this book. Is. Just. Awesome. My review can be found here.


6. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. This one won the Newbery Award a couple of years ago, and it was very deserving of the honor. I love Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, and this book references it a lot. This is another children's book that transcends age. Again, here's my review.


7. The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. A hilarious and incredibly rich story of the alien invasion of Earth. I listened to the Odyssey Award–winning audiobook, and I'm about to do so again for a middle school book club I'm helping to run at the library. Seriously, this book is fantastic. My review is here.

8. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol. This graphic novel is just fantastic. The art coupled with the creepy story make this a quick but absorbing read. I started this one again immediately after finishing it. Here's my review.

9. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This was one of the few nonfiction books for adults I read this year, but it was definitely a good one. I listened to the audio (it's easier for me to finish nonfiction that way). This is such an incredible story, and I recommend it to anyone interested in science, race relations, or the history of medicine. Or people who like good stories.


10. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. This is one of the few books I actually raced through, and the only one I stayed up all night to finish. Johnson is a master at blending suspense and humor. Plus, it's a ghost story. So, that's awesome. My review, ladies and gentlemen. 


That's it for me! Lots of great audiobooks this year. Let's hope 2012 will be just as great!

Audiobook Review: "Glow" by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Title: Glow
Author: Amy Kathleen Ryan
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrators: Matthew Brown and Ilyana Kadushin

On the Empyrean, life is routine in deep space. Grow the crops, raise the livestock, and prep yourself for the life you are supposed to lead—repopulating the human race on a new planet, which you'll reach in about 40 years. Waverly and Kieran have known this their whole lives, as they were the first two successful births in deep space. When Kieran proposes, Waverly knows she should be happy to accept, but a part of her is hesitant.

But all this changes in an instant.

The New Horizon, the Empyrean's sister ship, has somehow managed to rendez-vous with them, something that should never have happened. A vicious attack and a traumatic separation force the children, especially Waverly and Kieran, to grow up a lot faster than they have had to thus far. Now, their main concern is survival.

This book was really intense. I listened to the audio version, and I found that I got too stressed out listening to it at night, so I would turn it off and put on Bedtime Magic instead. The situations in Glow were truly awful to think about. True manipulation, sabotage, violence, sinister motives, all of them were in here. And yet, ethics are always at the root of each issue. At what point does a person become an accomplice if they do nothing while watching atrocities? To what extent should someone go to do what they think is right? I was always eager yet afraid to find out where the action was going, and how one character would triumph over another. And that's what it came down to at the end. There was no compromise, only a winner and a loser.

The book is split between Waverly's and Kieran's perspectives, in the third person. Kieran, still on the Empyrean, is caught in a really bad situation. As the captain's protege, he tries to assume control, but finds that not all the boys are willing to let him. What ends up happening is a Lord-of-the-Flies-like breakdown, which was really terrifying to hear about for me.

Waverly, on the other hand, is stuck on the New Horizon, where there are no children. Fertility disappeared among the women on this ship, and that is the reason the girls from the Empyrean are brought aboard. For a woman, listening to how the pastor Anne Mather manipulates her congregation/ship and the girls is downright despicable. That said, she has this humanness that is startling at points—you're not sure when to trust her, if you can at all. She was very complex, and I really liked that.

One problem was with Kieran and Waverly, though more so with the former. I never really connected with Kieran, only because he is pretty dull. Waverly seemed a bit distant to me as well, though I could understand her better since she's a girl. It was really nice to see her stick to her guns, too.

What I didn't like much was the how anti-Christian a lot of the book seemed. I understand what Ryan was trying to do, but I think she missed the mark. She made it seem like all Christians are manipulative and controlling. Some are, sure, but not all, and I personally would have liked to see a positive instance in there.

As for the narrators, Ilyana Kadushin again did a great job. She is just a delight to listen to. Matthew Brown was all right. I wasn't crazy about his voice, but it did the job, and I got to listen to Kadushin for half of the book anyway.

I'm interested to see where this series goes. It wasn't my very favorite, but it certainly got my attention and I enjoyed listening to it.

Disclosure: The publisher sent me a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Review: "All These Things I've Done" by Gabrielle Zevin

Title: All These Things I've Done
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners, 2011
Narrator: Ilyana Kadushin

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal substances. Manhattan is rife with crime, and speakeasies and black market trade are rampant. Sixteen-year-old Anya Balanchine is caught up right in the middle of everything, not because she happens to be alive in this time, but because her family owns the famous Balanchine Chocolate company, and because her father, now dead, was one of the most notorious crime bosses in the city.

Still, Anya tries her best to keep a low profile, since she doesn't want to bring attention to the fact that her bedridden elderly grandmother is their sole guardian, and her brother Leo is a bit mentally handicapped due to an accident when he was a boy. Unfortunately, when her ex-boyfriend is poisoned by chocolate that she gave him, she's all over the news and in a lot of trouble. It doesn't help that she starts a relationship with the district attorney's son. And all the while, she needs to maintain some sort of control of her brother and younger sister, Nattie, and keep them away from the influence of her mafia family.

The feel of this book is a mixture of dystopia and old-school gangster, what with the prohibition on chocolate and coffee. I never really read anything about organized crime, but I found the way Anya handles things and the way her family operates fascinating. She is incredibly cool-headed, and mostly seems completely in control, even when she's going crazy inside. I truly admired her character, and I loved how she took all of her father's words to heart. She was always recounting some piece of wisdom her father imparted when he was alive, and I actually found them to be truthful and/or valuable.

All of the characters are well-written, and I found myself caring for even the most dangerous characters. Except Gable; he's a jerkface.

The dystopian society itself is not too far off from where we could be headed. There is a water problem, but one not large enough to have water rationed—yet. It's just very expensive, sort of like gasoline today. And the illegal substances of our time parallel very well with the illegal substances of this world. Organized crime developed around the chocolate and coffee industries because of their illegality, and people get a "high" off both of them, much like drugs and alcohol today. Interestingly, alcohol is widely available for all ages here.

Zevin's language is, for lack of a better word, delicious. Something I want to sip slowly. I loved the atmosphere of her world.

As far as the audio version goes, Ilyana Kadushin does an excellent job. She sounds spot-on for Anya, not too old or young. Her voice is soothing with no annoying quirks that I find happens often in audiobooks. And, she does a great Russian accent for Anya's older family members. It's very easy to tell the difference between each character's dialogue.

I highly recommend the audio version of All These Things I've Done, and certainly recommend the book itself. I fully plan on reading the rest of the Birthright series when they are released.

Disclosure: Macmillan sent me a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook Review: "Linger" by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Audio, 2010 (print from Scholastic, 2010)
Narrators: Dan Bittner (Cole), Pierce Cravens (Sam), Emma Galvin (Isabelle), Jenna Lamia (Grace)

**Spoilers for Shiver follow. You've been warned.**


In this second installment of The Wolves of Mercy Falls series, Grace and Sam are getting used to the fact that Sam is a human for good now. Things seem wonderful on the surface, but something is happening inside Grace, something resulting from the original wolf bite she got as a child. Meanwhile, new wolf Cole can't stay wolf, as he so desperately wants to do, and Isabelle is still wracked with guilt over the death of her brother. They find they are drawn to each other despite their frosty exteriors and complicated interiors.

Though this isn't my favorite series, I did enjoy Linger, more so than I liked Shiver. Stiefvater goes much more into depth with the science behind the werewolf shifting, the characters were more interesting, and it ends on a nice little cliffhanger.

Grace and Sam are very eyeroll-inducing; they're so damn sweet it made me sick. But the book was saved by Grace's mysterious illness, throwing a wrench into their paradise, and by Cole and Isabelle's narrations. I really loved Cole and being inside his head, and his fame added a delightful problem into the plot. This book needed drama and problems, and luckily we got them.

The narrators did a nice job reading the different voices. Again, my favorite was Cole's narrator, Dan Bittner. Everyone else seemed to put a little bit too much inflection into their performances, which annoyed me at first but I got over it pretty quickly.

What I can't understand is why EVERY. SINGLE. ADULT. was so incredibly awful. I hated all of them, except the bookstore owner who was only in one scene. Grace's parents are absolutely detestable and, p.s., are horrible parents. Isabelle's father is a disgusting man and truly a villain. I can't understand why adults are painted in such a horrible light as a general rule here. I know it's supposed to be the teens against the world, but really.

Overall though, despite my misgivings, I am curious to see where the story will go. I love the werewolf mythology Stiefvater created and will certainly pick up Forever at some point.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my library.

Review: "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Title: Elijah of Buxton
Author: Christopher Paul Curtis
Publisher: Listening Library, 2008 (print from Scholastic, 2007)
Narrator: Mirron Willis

Elijah was born free in Canada, in a settlement called Buxton. His parents escaped slavery in America, making it to the security and relatively happy life—and Elijah was the first baby to be born in this new country, away from the shackles America would have placed on him and his family. But life isn't perfect for the people of this community. Many still have family members who didn't make it to Canada, others have lost family to death, and most still bear the scars, both physical and psychological, of slavery.

Elijah lives in relative peace and security because of his ignorance of the way it is in America, but when one of his neighbors is robbed of the money he was going to use to free his family, Elijah makes a dangerous journey down south, past the Canadian border. He sees horrors he hopes to never see again, if only he can make it back home.

I first read Christopher Paul Curtis last summer for my children's literature class, and I've been meaning to read more of his work ever since. His books, though they have roots in racism and slavery in America, also tell incredibly engaging stories full of humor. In this Newbery Honor–winning book, also the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Book Award, Curtis does an incredible balancing act, pacing the drama and danger with the more lighthearted parts of the story, and does not shy away from the horror to which slaves were subjected. Elijah of Buxton is a funny and alternately searing account of life during the mid-1800s for black people in both America and Canada. Vile characters interact with good-hearted ones, and men with good intentions make bad decisions. I couldn't often couldn't stop listening, even after I had reached my destination in my car.

Curtis also includes an excellent author's note at the end, giving a brief history of Buxton and what in his novel was real and what he fictionalized (which should always be included in a work of historical fiction). As a bonus, Curtis reads this himself in the audio.

Mirron Willis's narration was perfect. He read the dialect with authenticity and just the right amount of emotion, portraying Elijah's confusion, naivete and conviction with all the charm Curtis gives Elijah. I fell in love with Elijah through Willis's voice and excellent portrayal.

If you're looking for a way to while away the hours of your morning and/or evening commute or on a long road trip (especially with kids who have the patience to listen to audiobooks), I highly recommend this one to keep you company.

Disclosure: I got this from my local library.

Audiobook Review: "The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex

Title: The True Meaning of Smekday
Author: Adam Rex
Publisher: Listening Library, 2011 (print available from Hyperion, 2007)
Narrator: Bahni Turpin

Starting off with a short essay on what she thinks is the "true meaning of Smekday," 12-year-old Gratuity Tucci tells a short story of how she knows the reasoning behind the new holiday—only to be told by her teacher that she needs to elaborate. So she tells a more full version of her story, basically how her mother starts talking about aliens who talk to her through a mole on her neck, how she ends up with a Boov (the aliens previously mentioned) named J. Lo, and their trip in a floating car named Slushious to Florida, the land allotted to humans by the Boov. After that abridged essay is written, she continues a secret, full-length version of how she and J. Lo cross the country to Arizona in Slushious, meet a number of colorful (and often eccentric, to put it mildly) characters, learn about a bigger threat to Earth than the Boov, and attempt to save the world.

This book is so incredibly rich in symbolism it's fantastic. I could not listen to Rex's words without thinking of Native Americans and relocation; it's pretty much impossible to not think of it if you know the history. It's an incredibly smart and often hilarious post-colonial piece of literature, disguised as a science-fiction story about alien invaders. Oh, did I mention all the satire Rex slips in about American culture? It's great.

Don't be scared away by that description though. This is also a fast-paced road trip story, complete with alien weaponry and battles, and lots of humor. Rex is truly a genius when it comes to poking fun at fantasy cliches, my favorite involving a blob of taco sauce. He also incorporates themes of family and friendship incredibly well, without making it hokey or sappy.

As for the audio version, Bahni Turpin is a master. She gives the Boov great voices, to the point where I believed it was J. Lo talking each time she read his dialogue. Everyone had a distinct voice, and her sound effects added so much to it all. This was one of the best performances I've listened to in a while, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good way to pass the time on their commute.

If you're looking for a smart and incredibly entertaining sci-fi novel, look no further. I've become a huge fan of Rex after this beauty of a book.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my local library.

Audiobook Review: "I, Emma Freke" by Elizabeth Atkinson

Title: I, Emma Freke
Author: Elizabeth Atkinson
Publisher: Recorded Books, 2011 (print version available from Carolrhoda Books, 2010)
Narrator: Ali Ahn

Emma Freke considers herself to be, well, a freak. She is almost 6 feet tall, has bright red hair and has a name she can't believe her mother gave her. "Am A Freak"? What could be worse? She doesn't know who her father is and never gets a straight answer out of her mother or grandfather. Plus, her mother Donatella won't win any prizes for mother of the year. After a huge misunderstanding about Emma starting to homeschool, she feels worse than ever. At least she has her friend, 10-year-old Penelope, to cheer her up; she also is able to finish up the school year with a hip librarian tutor at the library.

When she gets an unexpected invitation to the annual Freke Family Reunion, however, things really start to look up for Emma. Will she finally feel like she's found where she belongs?

The audio version was good. Though I thought Ahn sounded a bit too mature to narrate for 12-year-old Emma at first, she grew on me. She did a great job at giving each character distinct voices, though at times I thought I would probably have read dialogue in a different way than she intoned it on the recording.

This was a short, sweet book about a girl who can't seem to find her place in the world. Very big in size and trying to be very small in all other ways, Emma feels like an outsider in her own family. She looks nothing like her 5-foot-tall mother, an aging yet lively and eccentric (albeit flakey) Italian with lots of boyfriends. Though she's very intelligent and kindhearted, Emma can only see her flaws and what makes her different. Though this sounds like a sad story, it's got a lot of heart and happiness with the message to be happy with who you are, minus the cheese.

The characters are certainly not stock. Differences abound, from a tattooed lost cousin to a spunky adopted girl from Liberia with lesbian parents (PS this is not made into a big deal, it just is, and I love that), to the loud-mouthed and irresponsible Donatella to the joke-cracking black sheep of the Freke family. It's a varied and entertaining cast that I enjoyed reading about.

And through it all, Emma finds her voice and, as the "gray moms" said, her "joyla."

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from the library.

Audiobook Review: "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" by Ann Brashares

Title: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Author: Ann Brashares
Publisher: Listening Library, 2007 (print available from Delacourte Books for Young Readers, 2001)
Narrator: Angela Goethals

The summer they all turn 16 will be their first summer apart. Lena, Carmen, Tibby and Bridget have been best friends since before they were born, when their mothers met in a pregnant ladies' aerobics class. While they're usually joined at the hip during the summer vacation, it's not possible this year. Lena will be going to Greece to visit her grandparents, Bridget is off to Baja California (in Mexico) for soccer camp, Carmen will be spending the summer with her dad in South Carolina, and Tibby is stuck at home in D.C., alone.

Basically, they find this incredible pair of pants that manages to fit all of their very different bodies perfectly. So they make a pact to send the jeans to each other throughout the summer (and exchange letters, of course). But things don't go exactly according to plan for them all, and they will need the pants and each other to get through it.

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. I can't see what so many others love about it, but I appreciate that it is loved. I just couldn't bring myself to really connect with any of the characters, and in fact didn't really like any of them. They were all pretty bratty, even though they did grow up a little over the summer. Mostly, I was just bored with it all. That said, there were a few good points, and I even teared up once.

Goethals was a good narrator for this story. She managed to make each girls' voice slightly different, and was calm and smooth throughout the narration. She put emotion into the reading when it called for it and did an overall great job.

I don't think I will be picking up the sequels, though I am glad I finally can say I've "read" this. It's sort of a modern classic YA book. Anyway, if you have read it and liked it, please comment below. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from the library.

Audiobook Review: "Front and Center" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Title: Front and Center
Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Publisher: Listening Library, 2010 (print version available from Graphia, 2009)
Narrator: Natalie Moore

**Possible spoilers follow in summary**

D.J. Schwenk is back again, this time looking forward to her basketball season in her junior year of high school. Things are getting sort of back to normal, at least, as back to normal as they can after her brother Win ended up in a wheelchair and with her mom with him in a rehab facility. But things quickly get hectic again, as D.J. not only has to deal with navigating high school, but also with worrying about college scouts, getting a basketball scholarship, and having a new boyfriend. Plus there's Brian Nelson, who keeps showing up out of nowhere, even though she is darn sure she's through with him. Right?

**Spoilers done**


Again, Natalie Moore does a superb job narrating as D.J. in this final installment of the Dairy Queen trilogy. D.J. has more dealt to her in this novel, but instead of it focusing on how she deals with everyone else's problems, this plot focuses strictly on D.J. and how everyone is expecting so much of her when it comes to her basketball playing. She's an excellent player but is incredibly intimidated by Top Ten college ball, mostly of screwing it up and letting everyone down.

I was never sure what D.J. would decide when faced with complicated and difficult situations. She is so unused to be in the spotlight that she isn't sure how to react or what to choose, and I really felt for her. I wanted her to be happy but I also wanted her to make the right decision for her, and it was hard to tell what that was. Either way, I was rooting for her.

It's rare that I grow so attached to a group of characters. I felt like I wanted to be a part of the Schwenk family, even though it's made VERY clear that they have a lot of faults. I'm very sad that I won't be able to follow D.J. through her senior year and on to college. (Fingers crossed for another book!)

If you haven't read/listened to this trilogy, please do yourself a favor and do. There is humor, wonderful three-dimensional characters, great relationships and realistic everyday issues. Love love love it.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from the library.