#sweetwater #carareinard #amyrubinate #nevergoback #leechild #dickhill #thevenicesketchbook #rhysbowen #barriekreinik #thebecoming #noraroberts #barriekreinik
Happy 2022 Dear Listeners and Readers. May this new year bring peace, joy, and hope for an end to the virus my autocorrect finally stopped calling “Vivid”. May it also bring us new books in favorite series, happy endings to trilogies, and promising authors and narrators yet to be discovered. January’s selections include Part #2 of a trilogy, Book #18 of a popular series, a mystery without a psycho, and murder most foul with — you guessed it — a cover-up. It was a good way to start the year . . . a rest from the holidays and not too much drama!
By Cara Reinard
Narrated by Amy Rubinate
Most of the time when I venture outside authors and narrators who are familiar to me, it’s because a book description enticed me. Many times those descriptions have led me to good books and new authors and narrators to love. Sweet Water is one of those books that should have been really good based on the description, but it struggled to get past mediocre. Whether it was the shallowness of the characters or the excessive amount of detail (yes, you read that correctly), I found my mind wandering way too much which rarely happens with an audiobook. Narrator Amy Rubinate did put some life into the story which is actually good, so if you are a lover of hearing “all the gory details”, this one is for you. It made my “Best of” for January selections because there is a certain appeal and author Cara Reinard gives an in depth account of “oh what a tangled web we weave” with all the specifics.
By Lee Child
Narrated by Dick Hill
Our man Jack Reacher can really get himself into some messes. He doesn’t even have to try. Just the mere fact that he exists attracts people who don’t have any better sense than to try to use him for their own purposes which all of us die-hard Reacher fans know just isn’t going to happen. How could something as innocent as trying to connect with a woman whose voice Reacher likes on the phone end up with both of them being in jail and for two unrelated offenses . . . or so it seems. How is it that the forces of evil have targeted these two and seem to know every move they make before they even make it? Never Go Back is vintage Reacher, and Dick Hill, who is the voice of Reacher, delivers an excellent performance of Book #18 in Lee Child‘s addictive saga.
By Rhys Bowen
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik
Recently, I seem to be on a roll of choosing books that have happy endings . . . sort of. In case you’re not clear on the meaning of that statement, let me just say there is happiness, there is sadness, and in the end you will be satisfied with it all. I do enjoy books with historical backgrounds, and I also enjoy love stories that don’t necessarily end well because isn’t that more believable? The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen fits both of those categories. Juliette is a woman of mystery despite a seemingly ordinary life. There is no mystery about Caroline. She is out to find all the information she can about her great-aunt Juliette who wasn’t the woman everyone thought she was. The storyline follows Caroline as a box containing three keys left to her by Juliette will lead her on an adventure that will hold your attention until the very last words are spoken by gifted narrator Barrie Kreinik.
By Nora Roberts
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik
And for the pièce de résistance for the month of January, I give you The Becoming, a perfect middle book for a trilogy. The storyline builds, the characters are developed, and readers and listeners are left anticipating the conclusion. We hope that Breen will save the people of Talamh, and we hope that she and Keegan will have a HEA. We hope that Marco has found the love of his life, and we hope that the forces of evil will be defeated. There is plenty of action and pure escapism and, even though we know all will become clear in the final book, we are still left wondering exactly how the author and her narrator will bring us the ending we hope for. This series is exactly what is needed during a time when so much seems grim and hopeless. Somewhere out there is world where there are dragons and faeries, heroes and heroines, love and loyalty and hope, and I thank Nora Roberts for taking us there.
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