Tag Archive: contemporary


Review: By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

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March 25, 2026

By Any Other NameBy Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Billie Fulford-Brown (Narrator), Laura Benanti (Narrator), Jodi Picoult (Narrator, Author), Jayne Entwistle (Narrator), Andrew Fallaize (Narrator), Joe Jameson (Narrator), John Lee (Narrator), Nicholas Guy Smith (Narrator), Simon Vance (Narrator), Steve West (Narrator),

With this cast of narrators and the beautiful writing and research of Jodi Picoult, I found this book so fascinating that I just bought the Audible version so I can read it again soon.

If you think you know Shakespeare, this gives a possible theory, with convincing evidence of what might have happened.

This is a historic work and a modern work featuring the female condition of the ages.

I highly recommend this book. This audiobook was borrowed from Libby.

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Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman My rating: 5 of 5 stars Cathleen McCarron narrated this very different kind of book. She was able to act each character with ease. I had no problem knowing who was who. Revelation of Eleanor’s past seeps through the story gradually. I like the way the reader learns of her past as she sees memories clearly. Though some parts feel a little unbelievable, the plot keeps the reader from dwelling on them. Meanwhile, the characters who populate this book keep one invested in their futures.Maybe later I will give this another read, as I miss the characters and I am many books beyond this one.This was Libby’s suggestion when I ran out of things to read at 3 AM. Libby is such a blessing! View all my reviews

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March 23, 2026

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Review: Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen

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October 27, 2025

Bad MonkeyBad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’m at 77% into this book. I have sped up the audio because I am bored with this book. I have read other Carl Hiaasen books, and I always feel like I want to quit. I wonder why I tried. This isn’t up my alley. The humor is not funny. Maybe my gender? My age? I just find it a bit vulgar and misogynistic. And I am sad to hear bad things about the Johnny Depp monkey from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. All of it may be true, but still… it is a monkey, ya know?

I’ll finish the book before I sleep tonight. If the last bit changes my opinion, I’ll come back and change the review. Obviously, others love this book —try it and see what you think. A plus was that Arte Johnson was the narrator.

Thankfully, I picked this up on Libby.

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Review: Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

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August 4, 2025

CatalinaCatalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another book I only sort of liked. Maybe I’m not the target audience? I’m not a young person pursuing college or flirting or in need of convincing against the deportation of dreamers or anyone working hard and trying to earn their right to be citizens and paying taxes as they go.

Still, the author managed to get inside the head of this young woman and provided the reader with valuable insights into another life. I admired that Karla Corneho Villavicencio narrated her book.

It was worth the read. I was happy it was available on Libby.

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Review: Conclave by Robert Harris

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July 10, 2025

ConclaveConclave by Robert Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Pope died. It’s time for a new one. We’ve lived through a few of these. It is an interesting concept.

I’m not Catholic, but I have friends and family who are or have been. So I’ve always been curious. How does this work? How do they choose, especially since the church has a range of awesome and sinful? So when I saw the author on a talk show, I put the book on hold with Libby.

It was okay. For me, it was falling into a past of reading about men by men. Quite boring. But I’m glad I read it. Tiny bits of progress of thought seem to thread through this story. But I wonder if women are anything less than barefoot, pregnant witches to these self-important men. Sorry. Not sorry.

Still, these are my opinions that are changeable like the wind. Read it yourself and enjoy.

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Review: My Grape Escape by Laura Bradbury

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June 8, 2025

My Grape Escape (The Grape Series, #6)My Grape Escape by Laura Bradbury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love this series so much! It is the only series I am reading without text-to-speech or narration. On my old phone, on the Kindle app. Each book is just the right size for me, and by being Kindle, I can adjust the font and background. And when French words appear that I don’t know, I can highlight them, and the app will translate them for me.

This book was enjoyable to read as Laura and her husband, Franck, fix up an old home in hopes of making it a profitable vacation getaway. Somehow, my review is falling short. But this book is anything but. I always feel that I am not only traveling to France, but also learning a bit of history and enjoying French vocabulary.

Each of these books is enjoyable and personable. I’ve already moved on to the next book. I think I’ll try to read these again, but I’ll also look for the audiobooks. I want the sound of the French to help my education.

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Review: Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

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April 10, 2025

Apples Never FallApples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very serendipitous read. I ran out of story before sleep took over. I looked up ready to borrow books from Libby and this one was ready.

At first, I thought it was too meandering. It seemed all over the place. There were a lot of characters and points of view. But soon, curiosity took hold of me, and I found I just wanted to know what was happening and why.

Caroline Lee (Narrator) gave the story depth and the Australian accents needed to bring authenticity to the tale. There were times when the accents or t

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Review: Clarity 2: Clarity, Book 2 by Loretta Lost

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April 6, 2025

Clarity 2: Clarity, Book 2Clarity 2: Clarity, Book 2 by Loretta Lost
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Don’t get me wrong. This book was good. But I HATE cliffhangers. I forgave book one. But this one was way worse. The world is a mess right now. I don’t need the angst. I am quitting on this series. If you are rich enough to get all the series, enjoy. Luckily, enough of the answers are given in the blurbs, so you don’t have to continue buying to find out if it works out. But NO book is worth this nervous energy,

Still, I raised the star rating to two stars because the writing was well done. And the narrator, Elise Arsenault,  did a marvelous job of acting out the characters.

Trigger warnings are all over, from rape and abuse at the top of the list. But I don’t feel the character who is supposed to help is helpful in the long run. So, read at your own risk.

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Review: Clarity by Loretta Lost

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April 1, 2025

Clarity (Clarity, #1)Clarity by Loretta Lost
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reaching to the bottom of my currently-reading shelf I found this at 79.

Look straight up, I will warn you. The main character is blind and experiences a rape. So you will have to decide for yourself if this is something you can handle. The author covers the situation with all her senses, as she does with the rest of the book. Though I didn’t like the rape, the next bits of the story are quite interesting.

Elise Arsenault narrated the Audible version I listened to. Her voice is a great addition to the story.

Now I have to say what I didn’t like. Say it with me? Cliffhanger! The worst! Good thing it happened at night with me awake enough to want to read more. I often don’t buy the next if that’s how the authors do it. Somehow, I moved on and am reading book two. But I feel violated when an author does that!

Still, I do like the main character and how she chooses to live her life. And I do want to read more.

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Review: All for a Good Cause by Barbara Phinney

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February 16, 2025

All for a Good CauseAll for a Good Cause by Barbara Phinney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a quick read. If I hadn’t been sleepy, I might have read it in one go.

I’m not a fan of romance books. They get a little silly and are unrealistic from the very beginning. But this was on my ‘currently reading’ list forever, well, since 2012, so I thought I ought to finally read it.

Fun. Yes. It was fun. And at times, I chuckled at the puns that occurred. I try not to laugh out loud as it could wake my husband. But it was a cute book. You might like it. It is free on Kindle Unlimited.

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