#daisyjonesandthesix #taylorjenkinsreid #jenniferbeals #benjaminbratt #judygreer #pabloschreiber #happyplace #emilyhenry #juliawhelan #foryouandonlyyou #carolinekepnes #santinofontana #sleepnomore #janeannkrentz #evakaminsky
I was at a bit of a loss as to what to say about May’s selections. My four listens for the month have absolutely nothing in common. I also opted not to use a patriotic theme even though this is the month when we, as a country, remember our honored dead. What I do have is one book that is part of a series, sort of, and includes my requisite psycho although he is a lovable one; one book that is meant to be the first installment of a trilogy; and two books by authors whose work I enjoy for the purely selfish pleasure of reading or listening to their words, so please forgive the indulgence.
Narrated by Jennifer Beals, Benjamin Bratt, Judy Greer, and Pablo Schreiber
Does the mantra “Sex, drugs, and Rock ‘n’ Roll” resonate with you? If so, you’re going to love the storyline Taylor Jenkins Reid has written for Daisy Jones and The Six. We follow a band through the ‘70s as they pursue their desire to make their mark by writing their songs and playing their music. Daisy Jones loves her drugs and she loves her songs and she loves Billy Dunne. Billy Dunne loves his sobriety and he loves his family and he loves Daisy Jones. The author has taken on that most difficult of tasks: to make you not want the HEA that cries out to you. There is a full cast of performers meaning each character has his or her own narrator so it is like listening to a play. It’s a feature that won’t be for everyone, but it works for this story. Slight spoiler alert – don’t give up on the HEA … if you’re a true romantic, you’ll like the ending.
By Emily Henry
Narrated by Julia Whelan
It’s likely that I’ve either read or listened to all of Ms. Henry’s books, so I feel comfortable in saying Happy Place is her best work yet. It truly embodies all the characteristics that I consider to be hallmarks of her style: the snarky banter (I LOL at least twice in the first hour of listening), the characters you really want to be friends with, and the storyline that holds you by the heart until the very last words. Harriett Kilpatrick is blessed with the best of friends, a job that she has worked most of her life for, and, until recently, a fiancé that is her soulmate. Now she must spend a week staying with her best friends in the house that she has always considered her Happy Place while pretending she loves her job and that she is still engaged to the man of her dreams because she doesn’t want to steal her friends’ joy. I’m sure each one of you can think of dozens of ways this plan could go awry and none that end well. Julia Whelan meets the challenge of performing the author’s best work. Her voices for the characters are perfect. Emily Henry, you are my Happy Place!
Narrated by Santino Fontana
Caroline Kepnes, it must be fascinating to live inside your head … especially with a character like Joe Goldberg to keep you company. Poor Joe – just lookin’ for love, and I’m always hoping each new obsession will be “The One” and not just another RIP. So, For You and Only You starts out with such promise for our man Joe. He’s writing, and he’s been accepted into a prestigious fellowship at Harvard with a teacher who is a writer and other writers who’ve actually been published. Sure enough, he finds “The Wun” as in Wunder Parish, the only other unpublished author in the group, and they form a bond over their simple unpublished lives. As always, Joe must consider eliminating some of his thorns-in-the-flesh the old-fashioned way … by killing them while keeping readers laughing all the way. Santino Fontano is the only voice for Joe and I’m going to wish upon a star that he never decides to stop narrating this series. If there is a bit of darkness in you, treat yourself to the Joe Goldberg books starting with the first one, You.
Narrated by Eva Kaminsky
I’m going to be painfully honest about this book. I consider myself a fairly savvy reader, and I definitely had trouble following the storyline of Jayne Ann Krentz’s Sleep No More. I’m not sure if it was just me, but I think the fact that the author adds in most of the backstory as the plot progresses just doesn’t work for this book and is confusing for the reader or listener. At one point, I actually double-checked to make sure I really was reading book one in what is meant to be a trilogy because there were times when it seemed we were supposed to know more about the characters’ pasts than we did. The common factor that connects the lead characters is a single night that none of them can remember, but what little information is revealed about that night is doled out to the reader in tidbits that don’t do a lot to explain or support what’s going on in the present. The sketchy details may be intended as a teaser for the second book, but I think the hint at supernatural powers at work is much more enticing. The author is a very good writer whose work I’ve read before, but this one was hard to follow. Even Eva Kaminsky’s excellent narration doesn’t save a disappointing book.
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