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Thursday, May 31, 2018

#Audiobook #Review: 5 out of 5 stars for A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena @sharilapena @taviagilbert @PRHAudio

AUTHOR: Shari Lapena
NARRATOR: Tavia Gilbert
PUBLISHER: Penguin Random House Audio
PUBLICATION DATE: August 15, 2017
FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook
LENGTH: 8 hrs and 52 mins
GENRE: Mystery
ISBN: 9780525498544
In this neighborhood, danger lies close to home. A domestic thriller packed full of secrets, and a twisty story that never stops--from the bestselling author of The Couple Next Door.

He looks at her, concerned. "How do you feel?" She wants to say, Terrified. Instead, she says, with a faint smile, "Glad to be home."

Karen and Tom Krupp are happy--they've got a lovely home in upstate New York, they're practically newlyweds, and they have no kids to interrupt their comfortable life together. But one day, Tom returns home to find Karen has vanished--her car's gone and it seems she left in a rush. She even left her purse--complete with phone and ID--behind.

There's a knock on the door--the police are there to take Tom to the hospital where his wife has been admitted. She had a car accident, and lost control as she sped through the worst part of town.

The accident has left Karen with a concussion and a few scrapes. Still, she's mostly okay--except that she can't remember what she was doing or where she was when she crashed. The cops think her memory loss is highly convenient, and they suspect she was up to no good.

Karen returns home with Tom, determined to heal and move on with her life. Then she realizes something's been moved. Something's not quite right. Someone's been in her house. And the police won't stop asking questions.

Because in this house, everyone's a stranger. Everyone has something they'd rather keep hidden. Something they might even kill to keep quiet.
MY REVIEW:

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook for voluntary review consideration.

I love a good psychological thriller that keeps me guessing, and this one absolutely fit the bill for me!

The prologue features a frightened woman who runs out of an abandoned restaurant. In her haste to get away, she loses control of her car and runs into a pole.

As the story begins, Tom Krupp is returning home from work and finds that his wife's car is not there. The door is unlocked, and her purse and cell phone are there. It appears that she had been in the middle of making supper when she had to dash out. Tom is befuddled because this is so unlike his wife. 

An officer comes to the Krupp home to tell Tom that his wife was in an accident and that she is in the hospital. She is a bit banged up, but she will recover. The worst of it is that she has amnesia and cannot remember the events surrounding the incident.

A murder in the area where Karen had the accident causes the police to look further into her past to see if there's a connection. Karen starts to become unglued, and she is certain that someone has been in the house and has moved stuff around. 

Wow, I just loved this book! It was a real page turner, and I loved how Lapena developed the story where everyone looked like a suspect. There are secrets, secrets, and more secrets! Everyone is hiding something, and the story is told from multiple points of view.

Lapena is a new-to-me author, and I am always thrilled to find a new Canadian author to love! Now I have to go back and read her debut, The Couple Next Door.

Tavia Gilbert is a favourite narrator of mine. She's always a pure delight to listen to, and she will make it difficult for you to stop listening! Here is a sample of the narration:



MY RATING:

5 stars!! I loved it, and you should definitely put it on your TBR if you enjoy mysteries. Thanks again to Penguin Random House Audio for the opportunity to review this audiobook!

This book qualifies as:

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

#Book #Review: 4 out of 5 stars for The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey @michaelcarey191 @orbitbooks

SERIES: The Girl with All the Gifts, Book #1
AUTHOR: M.R. Carey
PUBLISHER: Orbit
PUBLICATION DATE: June 10, 2014
FORMAT: Kindle Edition
LENGTH: 421 pages
GENRE: Horror, Science Fiction/Post-Apocalyptic
ISBN: B00CO7FLFG
Melanie is a very special girl. Dr. Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children's cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she'll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn't know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.

The Girl with All the Gifts is a sensational thriller, perfect for fans of Stephen King, Justin Cronin, and Neil Gaiman.
MY REVIEW:

I absolutely love post-apocalyptic books, especially ones with zombies. This one stands out as being different from the usual zombie fare, because of the way that Carey portrays them.

Melanie is a 10 year old a girl, who is not unlike most girls her age...for the most part. She has a thirst for knowledge and is very intelligent. She goes to school with other kids her age, but -- she's strapped down in a wheelchair so that she can't move. You see, the kids in this class are all zombies (or "hungries" as Carey refers to them) and the only thing that keeps them from turning into salivating creatures is a chemical spray that the humans put on their skin to mask their scent. The kids love Miss Justineau, who is one of their teachers. She treats the kids like they were any other kids, reading them stories and playing music for them. Sergeant Parks chastises her, telling her not to get attached to them because she knows the reason why the kids are there. She even goes so far as to stroke Melanie's head and is caught red-handed by Sergeant Parks. 

Melanie's school is on a military base, and Dr. Caldwell is the one in charge of this research project. What sets these kids apart from the other hungries is that their brains have not deteriorated. They can actually acquire new knowledge, even though they technically are dead. If Dr. Caldwell can understand why the virus has not affected their brains, that might hold the key to making an antidote to reverse the process and creating a vaccine to prevent new outbreaks. No longer content to just read the reports from Miss Justineau and the other scientists who are working with and observing the kids, Dr. Caldwell takes matters into her own hands and starts conducting her own experiments on the kids. In order to understand why their brains are different, she must study them...as in under a microscope. When Miss Justineau gets wind of what is going on, her mother bear instinct kicks in and she tries to sabotage her superior and protect the children.

I really, really enjoyed this fresh new take (for me) on zombies! I never thought I'd ever feel empathy for one of these flesh eaters, but Carey pulls it off. Melanie is thoughtful and caring, and she understands what a danger she is and is more than happy to comply with safety protocols. Later in the book, we can see how much restraint she really has when that chemical blocker is all gone! Carey makes me question who are the monsters and who are the humans! Memorable quote:

Sergeant Parks: "Not everyone who looks human is human," he says.

"No," Miss Justineau agrees. "I'm with you on that one."

I also loved Miss Justineau, and it's easy to see why the kids love her so much. One of the characters I hated at the start was Sergeant Parks, but the growth in his character from beginning to end changed my opinion of him! 

I loved this post-apocalyptic world that Carey created, and I can't wait to read the second book in the series, The Boy on the Bridge.

MY RATING:

4 stars!! I really enjoyed it, and you should put it on your TBR if you enjoy horror or science fiction/post-apocalyptic books.

This book qualifies as:

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Like Never and Always by Ann Aguirre @MsAnnAguirre @torteen

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tessa @ Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.


Here is this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection:

AUTHOR: Ann Aguirre
PUBLISHER: Tor Teen
EXPECTED PUBLICATION DATE: July 17 , 2018
FORMAT: Hardcover
LENGTH: 336 pages
GENRE: Young Adult
ISBN: 9780765397584
On a hot summer night, a screech of brakes and shattering glass changes two lives forever.

Liv wakes in the hospital, confused when they call her Morgan. She assumes it’s a case of mistaken identity, yet when the bandages come off, it’s not her face in the mirror anymore. It’s her best friend Morgan’s.

Morgan always seemed to have the perfect life, yet Liv must navigate endlessly disturbing secrets of the criminal and murderous variety—and a romance that feels like a betrayal. Torn between the boy she loved as Liv and the boy she’s grown to love as Morgan, Liv still has to survive Morgan’s last request.

This one sounds intriguing!


What are you waiting on? Please leave a comment in the section below. If you participate in this meme, please leave a link so I can visit your blog!

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Bookish Worlds I’d Want to/Never Want to Live In #TopTenTuesday


This is a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week, they post a new Top Ten list that one of their bloggers will answer. Everyone is welcome to join!

Today's topic is:

Bookish Worlds I'd Want To/Never Want To Live In

This is interesting! I'll pick a few from each. First up are the bookish worlds I'd want to live in:


1. Hogwarts: All the cool magic and moving staircases and secret passageways? Oh, yeah!


2. Black Dagger Brotherhood: All those hot Alpha males? Yes, please! I know, there is a lot of danger with the Lessers but I'd just be happy holing up in the mansion and having Fritz fuss all over me, LOL!

3. Any Macomber Holiday Novel: Put me in one, please! I could use a sweet romance :)


And here are some bookish worlds I'd NEVER want to live in:


1. Battle Royale: Stuck on an island with a bunch of kids who have to fight to the death? Um, no way. I don't think that I could be that ruthless.


2. Across the Universe: I think I'd go stir crazy living on Godspeed. Trapped in a spaceship and not knowing if that will be my tomb? I'd probably lose my marbles.


3. A spider apocalypse? I already have a fear of spiders. I'm not sure my heart could take this one.


4. Zombies: The zombies in Frater's world were thinkers and fast-moving. They'd be tough to get away from.


5. Dreamfall: Being stuck in your worst nightmare? I don't know how you could handle reliving that over and over. 


6. The Light: In this world, being a woman means being brainwashed and beaten into submission and total obedience and subservience to your husband. Not this girl!



So, what bookish worlds would you want to or never want to live in? Please let me know in the comments, or leave me a link to your blog post if you are also participating in the meme!

Monday, May 28, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


This weekly meme is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.


I'm reading: 

Something from my dusty bookshelf. I've forgotten how much I enjoy this series!

TITLE: Run From Fear
SERIES: Dead Wrong, Book #3
AUTHOR: Jami Alden
PUBLISHER: Forever
PUBLICATION DATE: February 28, 2012
FORMAT: Mass Market Paperback
LENGTH: 423 pages
GENRE: Romance/Romantic Suspense
ISBN: 9780446572811
With each step she takes, he tracks her every move, waiting for the perfect time. The perfect revenge. Until then, he'll watch her . . .

Run From Fear

More than anything, Talia Vega wanted to leave behind her harrowing past. Moving eight hundred miles away, she succeeded . . . until the one man who knows her darkest secrets wanders into the restaurant where she works. Now the agonizing memories come crashing back-along with an undeniable desire for Jack Brooks, the ex-Green Beret who rescued her from a sadistic monster two years ago.

Jack Brooks knows that showing up unannounced is a purelfy selfish move. Talia doesn't need his protection anymore, but he can't get the raven-haired beauty out of his mind. And when a twisted madman is hell-bent on resurrecting her torturous past, Jack vows to do anything to keep her safe-even risk his own life to save the only woman he's ever loved.

Not only am I a first generation Canadian, but immigration is my profession. 

PUBLISHER: Caitlin Press
PUBLICATION DATE: February 7, 2017
FORMAT: Paperback
LENGTH: 216 pages
GENRE: Nonfiction
ISBN: 9781987915341
Edited by Miriam Matejova, Wherever I Find Myself is a diverse collection of stories about the joys and struggles of immigrant women living in Canada. Often bringing with them the shadow of war and the guilt of leaving, the women in this new anthology expose their emotional pain but also their gratitude for being able to call Canada home. Their stories paint touching and charming portraits of cultural and linguistic misunderstandings, bureaucratic hurdles, attempts to navigate unfamiliar landscapes, and a desire to be accepted despite differences in accent, skin colour, or taste in food. Together they form a mosaic of emotions and world-views that underline the immigrant condition for women.

A yellow dress with ruffles, a kind Grade 1 teacher with a surname that’s difficult to spell, cockroaches in the bathroom, the contempt of strangers, and Whitney Houston on the radio–a Filipino woman recalls her experience as a six-year-old immigrant in a ghetto in Mississauga in the 80s. Browsing through a Polish fashion magazine at a European deli, a woman sees herself in an alternative universe of what her life might have been had she never immigrated to Canada. A same-sex couple moves from Minnesota to Ontario to find refuge for their love, but first they must drive a seventeen-foot truck through a blizzard and make it through the frustrating net of Canadian bureaucracy. In search of her origins, a Jewish woman travels to her birthplace in Passau, Germany. There, among rows of European picturesque houses and foreign tombstones of a Jewish cemetery, she finds no memories, only the shadow of Hitler and the ghosts of her parents.

Through these stories of courage, aloneness, and hope, new and established writers reach out to both immigrants and those whose families long ago ceased to identify with the immigrant label. Through their struggles and, at times, endearingly critical looks at Canada, they remind us that many of our perceived divisions are nothing but artificial creations of mind and that all of us are past, current, or potential immigrants.

I completed a nine-week course with a group of people, which featured DVD Study sessions and a Participant Guide with study questions (homework!) for discussion each week. The book is a lot to digest, and I'm still reading it in chunks.

TITLE: Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life
PUBLISHER: Zondervan
PUBLICATION DATE: November 2, 1992
FORMAT: Hardcover
LENGTH: 314 pages
GENRE: Nonfiction, Psychology, Self-Help
ISBN: 9780310585909
Having clear boundaries is essential to a healthy, balanced lifestyle. A boundary is a personal property line that marks those things for which we are responsible. In other words, boundaries define who we are and who we are not. Boundaries impact all areas of our lives: Physical boundaries help us determine who may touch us and under what circumstances -- Mental boundaries give us the freedom to have our own thoughts and opinions -- Emotional boundaries help us to deal with our own emotions and disengage from the harmful, manipulative emotions of others -- Spiritual boundaries help us to distinguish God's will from our own and give us renewed awe for our Creator -- Often, Christians focus so much on being loving and unselfish that they forget their own limits and limitations. When confronted with their lack of boundaries, they ask: - Can I set limits and still be a loving person? - What are legitimate boundaries? - What if someone is upset or hurt by my boundaries? - How do I answer someone who wants my time, love, energy, or money? - Aren't boundaries selfish? - Why do I feel guilty or afraid when I consider setting boundaries? Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend offer biblically-based answers to these and other tough questions, showing us how to set healthy boundaries with our parents, spouses, children, friends, co-workers, and even ourselves.

Something from the library. I really enjoy this author, and I find him to be very inspirational!

AUTHOR: Joel Osteen
PUBLISHER: FaithWords
PUBLICATION DATE: October 24, 2017
FORMAT: Hardcover
LENGTH: 304 pages
GENRE: Nonfiction
ISBN: 9781455534326
The same God that leads you through green pastures guides you through the valleys. #1 New York Times bestselling author Joel Osteen shares how God uses the darkness in life for good.

All of us at some time encounter dark places that we don't understand: a loss, a sickness, a divorce, a child who breaks our heart. It's easy to get discouraged, give up on our dreams, and just settle there. We may not realize it, but when we feel buried in dark places, we are being blessed. God is using those experiences to help us grow, because we cannot reach our highest potential if we're standing in the light all the time. With Blessed in the Darkness, you will learn how to draw closer to God and trust Him when life doesn't make sense.

If we will go through the valley trusting, believing, and knowing that God is still in control, then we will come to the table that is already prepared for us, where our cup runs over.

Another one from my dusty bookshelf, which I am reading aloud to my younger daughter. We are loving this series! It just gets better and better!

TITLE: A Dangerous Path
SERIES: Warriors, Book #5
AUTHOR: Erin Hunter
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
PUBLICATION DATE: March 17, 2015 (first published 2004)
FORMAT: Paperback
LENGTH: 368 pages
GENRE: Young Adult, Fantasy
ISBN: 9780062367006
Join the legion of fans who have made Erin Hunter's Warriors series a #1 national bestseller--with new editions featuring a striking new look! More thrilling fantasy, fierce warrior cats, and epic adventures await in Warriors #5: A Dangerous Path.

ShadowClan has chosen Tigerclaw as their new leader, and Fireheart fears that this old enemy still harbors dark plans for vengeance on his former Clan. A mysterious threat has invaded the forest, placing every cat's life in peril. And Fireheart's beloved leader has turned her back on their warrior ancestors. Fireheart can't help but wonder if she's right--has StarClan abandoned them forever?

Another one from my dusty bookshelf, which I am reading aloud to my younger daughter.


TITLE: The Journey
SERIES: Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Book #2
AUTHOR: Kathryn Lasky
PUBLISHER: Scholastic, Inc.
PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2003 
FORMAT: Paperback
LENGTH: 242 pages
GENRE: Young Adult
ISBN: 9780439405584
It began as a dream. A quest for the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, a mythical place where each night an order of owls rises to perform noble deeds. There Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger hope to find inspiration to fight the evil that dwells in the owl kingdom.

The journey is long and harrowing. When Soren and his friends finally arrive at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, they will be tested in ways they never dreamed and face challenges they never imagined. If they can learn from their leaders and from one another, they will soon become true Ga'hoolian owls-honest and brave, wise and true.

I'm listening to:

Something from my Audible library. I was in the mood for a cozy mystery!

SERIES: Booktown Mystery, Book #1
AUTHOR: Lorna Barrett
NARRATOR: Cassandra Campbell
PUBLISHER: Penguin Audio
PUBLICATION DATE: August 3, 2010 (first published 2008)
FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook
LENGTH: 8 hrs and 33 mins
GENRE: Mystery/Cozy
ISBN: 9781101195932
The streets of Stoneham, New Hampshire, are lined with bookstores...and paved with murder.

When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries-and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book.

I just finished:


TITLE: The Deep
AUTHOR: Nick Cutter
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Canada
PUBLICATION DATE: January 13, 2015
FORMAT: Paperback
LENGTH: 400 pages
GENRE: Horror, Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781501101519
From the acclaimed author of The Troop—which Stephen King raved “scared the hell out of me and I couldn’t put it down.…old-school horror at its best”—comes this utterly terrifying novel where The Abyss meets The Shining.

A strange plague called the ’Gets is decimating humanity on a global scale. It causes people to forget—small things at first, like where they left their keys…then the not-so-small things like how to drive, or the letters of the alphabet. Then their bodies forget how to function involuntarily…and there is no cure. But now, far below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, deep in the Marianas Trench, an heretofore unknown substance hailed as “ambrosia” has been discovered—a universal healer, from initial reports. It may just be the key to a universal cure. In order to study this phenomenon, a special research lab, the Trieste, has been built eight miles under the sea’s surface. But now the station is incommunicado, and it’s up to a brave few to descend through the lightless fathoms in hopes of unraveling the mysteries lurking at those crushing depths…and perhaps to encounter an evil blacker than anything one could possibly imagine.

Part horror, part psychological nightmare, The Deep is a novel that fans of Stephen King and Clive Barker won’t want to miss—especially if you’re afraid of the dark.

AUTHOR: Chevy Stevens
NARRATORS: Rachel Fulginiti and Caitlin Davies
PUBLISHER: Blackstone Audio
PUBLICATION DATE: March 14, 2017
FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook
LENGTH: 11 hrs and 56 mins
GENRE: Mystery
ISBN: 9781504720120
A stunning and thrilling novel from New York Times bestselling author Chevy Stevens. The author of Still Missing targets her readers with a novel that hits all the notes they have come to expect from her--and ratchets up the stakes even more. Lindsey Nash is starting over with her new life after leaving her abusive ex-husband who was sent to jail. She has her own business and is raising her teenage daughter who needs her now more than ever.When her husband is finally released, Lindsey believes she has cut all ties. There is no way he can ever find her and her daughter again. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her, tracking her every move. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded. Even her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it's her ex-husband, even though he claims he is a different person and doesn't want to do her any harm. But can he really change? Is the one who wants her dead even closer to home than she thought?


AUTHOR: Anna Willett
NARRATOR: Cat Gould
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
PUBLICATION DATE: May 29, 2018
FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook
LENGTH: 6 hrs and 33 mins
GENRE: Horror
ISBN: 9781977383501
“If you like Stephen King’s Misery, you’ll love this book.”

A country drive quickly turns into a nightmare for newly-weds Paige and Hal Loche.

When you are in the bush, pregnant, and your husband is hurt what do you do? Will you trust just about anyone?

When their car gets a flat tire in the Australian outback, it should be a simple job for capable Hal to fix. His wife pregnant, he sets to it. But an accident befalls him, leaving him immobilized. Paige is now their only hope of getting out of the bush.

“How the cruelty of a stranger changes a couple’s life for ever.”

When Paige chances upon a stranger, it seems her prayers are answered. But the stranger doesn’t want to help. She wants something else, and it’s not Paige’s husband. Hal is expendable, piece by piece it seems, but her baby isn’t.

What will Paige do to protect her unborn child, and at what price?

If you enjoy gripping suspenseful thriller fiction, Backwoods Ripper is for you.

What are you reading? Have you read any of these books and, if so, what did you think? Please let me know in the comments and, if you are also participating in this meme, leave me a link to your blog post so that I can stop by!

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Stacking The Shelves and Sunday Post


This meme is hosted by Tynga over at Team Tynga's Reviews, which she describes as follows:

"Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process!"



Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme


It's over :(

The Winnipeg Jets lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 last Sunday, which knocked them out of the series.


It was a good run, and we are so proud of our Winnipeg Jets for making history. They have never made it this far in the play-offs before, and they made it further than any other Canadian team. They gained valuable experience and are going to come back better, which will make the next season even more exciting!


Best of all, Laine finally shaved! 😄





I bought this at Audible's 2-for-1 sale this week:

Nocturnal
by Scott Sigler

The First Taste
by Jessica Hawkins


I bought this Daily Steal at Downpour this week:

Authority
by Jeff VanderMeer
(Southern Reach, Book #2)
I still need to read the first one!


I received these audiobooks for review - creepy ones that I can't wait to get into!

Backwoods Ripper
by Anna Willett

The Nightmare Room
by Chris Sorensen
(The Messy Man, Book #1)

Thanks again, Tantor Audio!



Yay!! SYNC is back!! If you are not familiar with this program, you can download two audiobooks FOR FREE every week for the next 9 weeks. The only catch is that you have to download them before they are replaced with a new pair every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. EST. Once you download them, you can listen at your leisure and they are yours to keep forever!

Here is some info on this week's offerings:

Here we are at Week 5 of SYNC’s ninth season! How’s all the listening going where you are? We’d love to see you share your responses and pictures, too, on any of the social channels we follow (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr, too).

This week our audiobook pair features two novels, one realistic and the other touched by magic and fantasy. From Dreamscape Media, Sandhya Menon’s WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI, performed in two voices by Sneha Mathan and Vikas Adam, offers a story for both romantics and more practically-minded listeners. High school grads Dimple and Rishi wind up in the same summer web development program, at first unaware that their traditionalist parents have picked out prospective spouses for each of them. That’s certainly not a topic Dimple is interested in pursuing….until…well, sometimes the heart takes us to unexpected conclusions. This title was NPR’s Book of the Year (2017) and is noted on the 2018 Amelia Bloomer List of feminist books for youth.

Paired with this realistic romance is the BAKER’S MAGIC of Diane Zahler’s fantasy, performed for Live Oak Media by a full cast that includes Tavia Gilbert, Michael Crouch, Stephen DeRosa, Kenneth Cavett, L.J. Ganser, Robin Miles, Stina Nielsen, and Elisabeth Rodgers. A baker’s apprentice whose craft seems to reflect her moods, an evil magician, pirates, and a princess all have roles in this lighthearted tale. There’s plenty of music, too, for listeners who need to catch their breath between chapters. You might want to bake before sitting down to listen so you have plenty of pastries on hand when your stomach adds its chords.

Our selections for SYNC reflect the range of interests and ages teen listeners include. This week’s pair offers something for younger teens, in BAKER’S MAGIC, and, in WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI, teens getting ready to break away from childhood after high school. Of course, many listeners will be interested in both ends of the spectrum; that’s the beauty of audiobooks, which give every listener the opportunity to explore a wide range of writing and performance styles.


Happy SYNC season to all! Now download this fifth pair and start listening! Go HERE.

by Sandhya Menon

by Diane Zahler


Recap: Last Week On The Blog



Tell Me Something Tuesday: Comparisons - Yeah or Nay?




What books have you added to your shelves this week? If you are also participating in either of these memes, please leave me the link to your blog post in the comments so that I can come and drool over all your goodies!
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