#GoodreadsChoiceAwards – Rosepoint Publishing

Three Audiobooks Mini-Reviews – #IndigenousFictionforTeens, #MysteryThrillerandSuspense, #RichandFamousBiographies – #TBT

It’s just too easy to listen to audiobooks! They’ve gotten ahead of me again, so I’m posting shortened versions here. (Title links are to Amazon.)

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Isabella Star LaBlanc
Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Debut Novel (2021) Winner for Readers’ Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2021)

The main character, Daunis is a bi-racial daughter of a French mother and a native Ojibwe father. The Ojibwe is a tribal community located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Because her father was not listed on her birth certificate, she is not allowed to be listed as a full tribe member. She has a strong attachment to the tribe but never felt she was fully accepted in either society.

The novel favors a strong theme of family, responsibility, and loss. It’s a beautiful peek into the beliefs, traditions, and customs of the tribe and follows Daunis on her quest to discover and bring to justice the person responsible for the murder she witnessed. She must weigh the odds that the perp may very well be someone she knows and loves and whether or not that will seal a yay or nay in her Ojibwe community.

An emotional writing style with heart, layers of plot, and well-developed characters. As a YA narrative, it includes the inevitable romance and abundance of hormones, but the overall storyline will be of interest to adults as well.

The Wife and the Widow by Christian White
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Caz Prescott
Amazon Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Hate to admit that it wasn’t that long ago I finished this book but now only have a vague memory of it and didn’t take notes. Well, then again, either inconvenient or just lacking stellar quotes(?). I must have missed some serious stuff as it got an accolade, but (scratching my head), what was it?

It did start out a bit slow for me. I wondered for a while why we were getting these two very divergent stories of Abby and Kate. I do enjoy stories that have a monster twist, an AH HA moment that leaves you shaking your head and this one does. Just for me—it took too long, a bit laborious, and sometimes I get tired of the sloppy police work trope that forces mere mortals to take over.

Belport could be atmospheric, the community inhabitants cliquish and gossipy, but, really, a main character whose hobby is taxidermy? Ugh!

If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t) by Betty White
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Narrator: Betty White

Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Humor (2011)

Good grief! Could the woman have written eighty-two books? When did she have the time for that? Okay, well, given this audiobook was only 2 hrs 16 mins, I guess it might be possible if the others were also short.

One of our National Treasures, Betty White was an actress for a very long time, achieving six Emmys and eighteen Emmy nominations. She won comedy awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. Of course, she also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

One of my favorites, who doesn’t love Betty White? For one thing, she brought a whole new concept of sexuality to older women.

I was disappointed this audiobook was so short, although she talked about her TV shows, the people she loved to work with, and shared little snippets of stories from her experiences “getting there.” She also shared her observations about the animals in her life, how she created shelters.

The narrative ended all too soon but I’ve no doubt it’s one you’d enjoy as much as I, and as short as it is, why not?

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to these audiobooks. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Rosepoint Reviews – November Recap – Look Out, Here Comes the Snow and Ice

Rosepoint Reviews - November Recap

UGH! Not a fan of this time of year, the temps already plunging to the low teens with a “feels like” of 3 degrees. (Yeah, the Chicago wind.)

As I mentioned last month, in quick succession, we celebrated our daughter’s birthday, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, and if you celebrate Thanksgiving hope it was a good one and everyone is back home safe. All the cooking is getting to me and I’m beginning to check out the TV dinners in the grocery store. Problem with so many of those, of course, is all the stuff they put in the food, including Carrageenan (especially in pumpkin pie) and it really messes up my system. Of course, the CE loves his pumpkin pie and even homemade with evaporated milk contains the miserable stuff.

So, for me, Thanksgiving also kicks off the beginning of the Christmas holiday decorations. Usually have much of it done within a few days of Thanksgiving, but as our son is still here, I’m waiting a bit. It appears he’s got a house and will be moving out next week (it’s been a real struggle in a seller’s market). Of course, it’s also so cold I have no incentive to get the lights up outside either.

We celebrated Punkin’s first year with us. She’s beginning to blossom into a real dog, showing some personality. She’s doing better with potty time, adores her walks now with the CE and he is gradually allowing her more latitude, allowing her off-leash when they return to our yard. She takes in all the “messages” and then winds up to whiz into the house through the open door coming to a screeching stop and sliding on the laminate floor into her portable kennel.

Love those audiobooks at my local library, so many opportunities to listen to the books, otherwise, I’m busy morning to evening and don’t get that much reading time on my cell phone. Must admit they appear to be overtaking reading. Still, sources include NetGalley, as well as author and publisher requests and I’ve been mining Goodreads recommendations and blog reviews to find interesting books.

November reflected the blow to either reading or listening with only eleven titles. As always, links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase or source information.

Rosepoint Publishing - November Recap

Summit’s Edge by Sara Driscoll
Waking Up in Vegas by J E Rowney
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (audiobook)
A Slay Ride Together With You by Vicki Delany (audiobook)
Yesterday’s Paper: The Knocknashee Story by Jean Grainger
Ruthless Tide by Al Roker (audiobook)
Dead Men Wag No Tails by Sarah Fox (CE review)
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (audiobook)
Omens by Kelley Armstrong (audiobook)
Sea of Death by Mark Nolan (buddy review with the CE)
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (audiobook)

Did you vote in the Goodreads Choice Awards for 2024? I wrote regarding the Choice Awards back in November. December 1 (that’s today!) is the last day to vote for your choice of the final round nominees. I see several of my reviewed novels made the final cut: Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty for Readers’ Favorite Fiction, The Women by Kristin Hannah for Favorite Historical Fiction and Favorite Audiobook, First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston for Favorite Mystery and Thriller, and Murder Road by Simone St James for Favorite Horror. Let me know if you found one of your favorites among the finalists.

Favorite Book of the Month

We posted three five-star reviews in November: Summit’s Edge, Yesterday’s Paper, and Sea of Death. Of course, each of these novels has radically different genres and Mark Nolan’s books are always a favorite. But then so are Jean Grainger’s and Sara Driscoll’s. The CE loves that Nolan’s books are fast-paced and action packed. I love that Grainger is pushing her boundaries with her historical novels and Driscoll’s books have my favorite dogs. Yeah, you’re right…it has to be:

Favorite for November – Summit’s Edge by Sara Driscoll

My Reading Challenges page…Reading Challenges page—always something that keeps me from catching up that page. My Goodreads Challenge is at 122 towards a goal of 130 for 94%. If we can manage our usual monthly number, should just make it.

Welcome to my new subscribers! And I always appreciate those of you who continue to monitor, read, and comment on my posts. Hope this recap finds you well and looking forward to the holidays!

Happy Autumn Sunday!

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah – #AudiobookReview – #FamilyLifeFiction

Winner for Best Historical Fiction (2018)

Book Blurb:

The number one New York Times best seller

The newest audiobook sensation from Kristin Hannah, best-selling author of The Nightingale.

This program is read by acclaimed narrator Julia Whelan, whose enchanting voice brought Gone Girl and Fates and Furies to life. Kristin Hannah reads the acknowledgements.

Alaska, 1974. Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.

For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: He will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier. Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown.

At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources. But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in 18 hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: They are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.

In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska – a place of incomparable beauty and danger.

The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night audiobook about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.

My Review:

Leni Allbright is only 13 when her parents, Ernt and Cora, decide they should move to Alaska to claim a piece of land and cabin left to him by one of his former Viet Nam buddies. Ernt and Cora have been part of the landscape group of tune in, turn on, and drop out fringe of the seventies protest scene.

Lovers as teenagers, Cora defied her parents to marry and disappear with Ernt. They lived fairly free until Ernt was sent to ‘Nam. He wasn’t the same when he returned, and their marriage born of passion is still one that Cora defends when Ernt becomes abusive. Now, after years of lost jobs, opportunities, erratic moods and alcohol, they’ve come to the end of the road. Surely, in Alaska, living off the grid, off the land, and free, everything will be better.

Arriving almost literally at land’s end, they realize they are woefully unprepared and still don’t know the half of it. No electricity, no running water, and an outhouse. This is spring but winter is coming and that’s a whole nother kind of hell. Spring and summer must be an intensive prep for winter.

Thank heaven for the kind neighbors, the inhabitants who must support each other to survive. I love these characters, though there are always those not so lovely, the drinkers and the anti-government and these feed into Ernt heavily. Ernt believes he must teach his daughter survival skills.

So many great characters, one of my favorite being Large Marge, the backbone of the area, extremely knowledgeable, strong, and independent—fully capable of taking on Ernt. Leni longing to become a part of the community finally meets a boy and over the ensuing years falls in love.

The descriptions of the area, the state, the sweeping, majestic wilderness provides a visual strong enough to smell the pine, the wind-swept sea, and hear the snarl of the beasts. The pace is constant, painting a picture of the lives of the struggle of the inhabitants and their determination to conquer the conditions and enjoy the benefits. You might have to look hard, but there are benefits.

Leni matures into a strong, capable young woman, but fiercely loyal to her mother, and as much as she’d previously loved her father, came to view him as destructive and violent. As many scenarios as I devised, pushing the storyline in the direction I thought would go, found the author had her own ideas. Never a dull moment.

The narrative takes on epic proportions, possibly stretching some plot points a bit longer than was necessary.

Hannah explores the relationship between Cora and Ernt, Leni and her mother, Leni and Michael, Ernt with toxic buddies. A harsh return to the times and the dysfunction of the individuals. I was disappointed with the direction that Michael’s story went, amazed at Leni’s return to the area and of the legal repercussions—the only way it should have gone—the easy acceptance of the Walker family. Then came the longish wrapping up.

Still, you can’t deny Hannah’s books are immensely entertaining; plot heavy and diverse characters looking at the full spectrum of abuse, PTSD, poverty, murder, loss, love, and survival.

I’ve read a number of books by this author, the last of which was The Four Winds (which I loved) and found each riveting, page-turning, and usually earning a robust 4.5 or 5 stars from me. If you’ve read her books you no doubt have your favorites as well. How did this one work for you?

I downloaded a copy of this beautifully narrated audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Family Life Fiction
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B07225XB9D
Listening Length: 15 hrs 3 mins
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Publication Date: February 6, 2018
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Great Alone [Amazon]

The Author: Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels. Her newest novel, The Women, about the nurses who served in the Vietnam war, will be released on February 6, 2024.

The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore’s bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021.

In 2018, The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.

In 2015, The Nightingale became an international blockbuster and was Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week.

The Nightingale is currently in pre-production at Tri Star. Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke.

A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.

http://www.kristinhannah.com

Have a Great Sunday

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers – #Audiobook Review – #FlashbackFriday

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Goodreads Choice Awards

Book Blurb:

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January—and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers—genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January’s. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January’s murder once and for all.

But the police, Natalie’s family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could January’s killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago?

Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?

My Review:

So few books actually take place in Indiana that when I saw this did, I bit. Also, because it is mystery, thriller. And, the premise sounded good. Liked the cover. Did the book deliver?

Gees, it’s a debut novel by a true crime podcaster. Gotta be good, right? Some people thought so—many others did not.

Not to beat a dead horse, but it does sound strikingly familiar with another (real life) story that refuses to leave the hearts and minds of the people of another beautiful little girl. In this case, the stories of two little girls, twenty years apart and Margot Davies, the former little girl’s neighbor.

Margot returns to help take care of her uncle in Wakarusa. She is now a journalist and soon after her return another little girl goes missing—found days later under similar circumstances to January Jacobs, twenty years before. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

Naturally, Margot feels compelled to solve the mystery, find the perp, possibly put an end to it happening again. And, of course, it would appear her career could very well depend on the story she would reap from the reveal.

It’s amazing the doors and info Margot can glean from those who would not normally speak with a journalist. She goes about it step by step, after all, she’s done this before, crime beat reporting. Only this time it’s much more personal.

There are twists, a build-up of suspense with the story of the girls and their family circumstances as well as her own struggle with her uncle, diagnosed with dementia. I enjoyed the deep dive into the people and the rural countryside creating a depth to the bucolic nature of the area.

What I didn’t enjoy, as so many others noted, was that abrupt ending and multi-tasking as I generally do with an audiobook, thought I’d missed something. Apparently not. So yes, strongly suspected the who—but then what went down? I guess it’s up to you.

Did you read this one? I thought the audiobook was well done, kept my interest, with the author herself participating in narration. Still…

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Murder Thrillers, Women Sleuth Mysteries
Publisher: Random House Audio
ASIN: B09QQVLPJC
Listening Length: 10 hrs 35 mins
Narrators: Ashley Flowers, Brittany Pressley, Karissa Vacker
Publication Date: August 16, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: All Good People Here [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

The Author: Ashley Flowers is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of audiochuck, the award-winning, independent media and podcast production company known for its standout content and storytelling across different genres, including true crime, documentary, fiction, comedy, and more. Ashley is the author of New York Times Bestseller, All Good People Here, a fiction crime thriller released in August, 2022.

As CCO, Flowers works with her team to create an overarching content strategy and vision for the network of shows and company growth. She also hosts several audiochuck podcasts, including Apple Podcast’s #1 show of 2022, Crime Junkie, The Deck, and The Deck Investigates. At the core of the company and all its podcasts, Ashley and her team are committed to developing responsible true crime content.

Through her work at audiochuck, Ashley is passionate about advocacy work and established the nonprofit Season of Justice to provide financial resources to both law enforcement agencies and families in order to help solve cold cases.

Ashley Flowers was born and raised in Indiana, where she lives with her husband, her daughter, and their beloved dog, Chuck. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Services from Arizona State University.

Have a good Weekend!

Goodreads Choice Awards–The Best of the Winners and Losers

Goodreads Choice Awards--The Best of the Winners and Losers

Most of my readers know I love keeping up with Goodreads stats. I’ve been known to join the Spring and Summer Challenges, set a new bar every year for the yearly Goodreads Challenge, keeping a tally in the widgets. Also, I like to check what I read against nominees and winners, as I did in 2020. (While we can vote our choice of the nominees, the nominees are all theirs.)

Okay—later this year. (Much later—I’ve been busy.) But the good news is that I was pleasantly surprised at the number of, if not winners in the category, at least nominees. Have you taken a look back?

I read from a sample of categories, including humor, memoir, and biography but of these had only one nominated in both 2019 and 2020 in Memoir (Maid ) and Greenlights). My favorites, of course, are Mystery & Thriller, Historical Fiction, Fiction, and Debut novels.

There are a number of Hot Debuts you may be interested in—I already checked out Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (audiobook). My review on Thursday, July 14.

Among The Most Read Books of the 2022 Reading Challenge (So Far) are a number of books that I read years ago, some of which are included below in my listing of 2020 and 2021 (nine in my categories). I am not surprised, however, to see the number three spot: Where the Crawdads Sing. The movie is premiering this July 15 and I’ve been waiting for it since the announcement. Directed by Olivia Newman, the lead, Daisy Jessica-Jones (24), is an English actress playing Kya Clark.

The links below are to the Goodreads listings. Those with a thumbnail of the cover also have a link to my review.

2021 Goodreads Choice Awards

Nominees on my shelves:

Best Historical Fiction and Best Debut Novel

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Also read:

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Best Historical Fiction

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (Also Amazon editors’ #1 book of 2021) Totally recommended!

Goodreads winner: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Best Mystery & Thriller

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

Goodreads winner: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

2020 Goodreads Choice Awards

Nominees on my shelves:

Best Mystery & Thriller

The Searcher

Best Fiction

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

Goodreads winner: The Guest List by Lucy Foley (read but didn’t vote it)

Best Historical Fiction

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

Goodreads winner: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

While I failed to choose any that were ultimately chosen #1, I did have my fair share of winners listed in the top twenty. Six in 2020 in three categories; six in 2021 in three categories.

How many of the above did you read? Do you look for ideas from the Goodreads winners? Will you be choosing one of the 2022 trending books? And, lastly—will you be going to the movie? You know I’ll be comparing it to the book.