Tag Archive: Fiction



Messenger of Truth (Maisie Dobbs, #4)Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one was particularly bittersweet. The art world of the day was brought to light. But also, there was a deep sadness for our main characters.

These story bits were mixed into the murder mystery. Was it a murder? Another part of the mystery.

I highly recommend these books. Jacqueline Winspear’s research and writing abilities keep the story engaging. So far, I have been able to read/listen to the audio version of the books on Libby. Orlagh Cassidy (Narrator) brought it all to life.

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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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Into the Uncut GrassInto the Uncut Grass by Trevor Noah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was not expecting a picture book on audio. I was expecting an autobiography or memoir. But honestly, this was a cute story. Now I wish I had seen the picture book.

Libby had it ready for me in a few weeks. It might be a fun one to read with your children. Trevor Noah did the narration, so it is worth it in every way. Take the adventure.

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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,ย  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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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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Parable of the Talents (Earthseed, #2)Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love both Earthseed #1 and #2. Octavia E. Butler gives us all something to think about. It doesn’t matter if you believe the Earthseed theories. The story holds its own as people try to survive in a world unlike ours, enough to make it nearly unbelievable. And yet. Take a moment to think, what if? What would you do living from the survivor’s point of view?

I miss the narrators Patricia R. Floyd, Peter Jay Fernandez, and Sisi Aisha Johnson of both this book and the previous one. I highly recommend this Audiobook if you can find it.

What I like about this book and such stories as The Walking Dead (which this is NOTHING like) is the human factor and how people choose their leaders and beliefs and judge others from their own standards.

I may read these books again soon. I miss the story already. Don’t you hate it when a story affects you so deeply that you can’t breathe without it happening in your head?

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Pardonable Lies (Maisie Dobbs, #3)Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my favorite Maisie Dobbs mystery yet. The addition of Orlaugh Cassidy as narrator brought this story to life. Also, the author brought more depth to Maisie Dobbs. Her past resurfaces, and her life is in constant danger.

Ms. Dobbs travels in this book. That’s where a narrator who can speak dialects and other languages comes in. I can’t imagine reading this with Kindle Text-to-Speech. Or even visually, as Orlaugh Cassidy helps you feel like you are watching the movie. The France trips were a great experience.

All the Maisie Dobbs are fun so far. Jacqueline Winspear puts a lot of research into her books to help readers feel they have fallen into that era and place.

Libby had this audiobook to loan. I am so happy to be able to read these books.

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Cold Comfort FarmCold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Need a laugh? Here’s a fun book. I didn’t get it at first. When I realized it was supposed to be funny, I grinned for most of the book. It is British humor, my favorite.

I had been reading the Maisie Dobbs series, so I expected a serious mystery or something.

This review isn’t working. Here’s the blurb from GoodReads:
When sensible, sophisticated Flora Poste is orphaned at nineteen, she decides her only choice is to descend upon relatives in deepest Sussex.

At the aptly named Cold Comfort Farm, she meets the doomed Starkadders: cousin Judith, heaving with remorse for unspoken wickedness; Amos, preaching fire and damnation; their sons, lustful Seth and despairing Reuben; child of nature Elfine; and crazed old Aunt Ada Doom, who has kept to her bedroom for the last twenty years.

But Flora loves nothing better than to organize other people. Armed with common sense and a strong will, she resolves to take each of the family in hand. A hilarious and merciless parody of rural melodramas, Cold Comfort Farm (1932) is one of the best-loved comic novels of all time.

I hear there’s a movie. I’ll have to look that up. I picked this edition up from Libby. I think it might have been even better as an audiobook.

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Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs, #1)Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My friend Kay recommended this series. She’s right. These are fun and engaging.

This first installment came from Libby and was in Kindle form. That meant that I could listen to it with text-to-speech. Since I have my Fire set to a British female voice (think Mary Poppins), it fits quite nicely with this story.

War is a horrid thing. This particular war in England and Europe was one of the worst. Yet, for women, it became a way to escape the housewife, childbearer, whore classification most women were forced into. With the men fighting, the jobs were open for women to learn and show their abilities. Sadly, when the men came home, most of the women lost that step up to being wholly human.

Some women did find careers to move on. Maisie Dobbs is one of the ones it worked for.

This first book lays the groundwork for Maisie’s history and sets up the world she’s in. She’s a woman of spirit that can solve mysteries and make friends with all classes of people.

I have already started book two. I am in for the ride!

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Scourge and Seed (Thalassic, #0-0.5)Scourge and Seed by Liz Shipton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Don’t you just love a back story about how the bad guy started out as a human? That’s what you get hereโ€”the back story to a few of the main characters of the Thalassic series. As book zero, this prequel shows you everyone’s start.

I found this one quite interesting. And now I feel I hold the whole story. So, it all started with a pandemic. And it all leads to the apocalypse and post-apocalypse. And as with all sci-fi disasters, you hope, like heck, the stories are not prophetic.

As far as I can tell, this is the last book of the series, though it could be read as book one, I suppose. I’ve already put Liz Shipton’s next book on pre-order. I think it comes in April.

I think most of these are on Kindle Unlimited. I loved all of them. I miss the world and the characters who became as close as friends in my mind. Try them out.

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