🎧Have You Heard?🎧Audiobooks For Your Listening Pleasure🎧The Best of May🎧

#funnystory #emilyhenry #juliawhelan #thesoutherntrial #peteromahoney #bradfordhastings #hemlock #kierstenmodglin #brittanypressley #endofstory #ajfinn #helenlaser

My selections for May were inspired by a conversation with some other book loving friends. The subject was what quality or qualities enticed them to select a certain book. Was it the author, the genre, the reviews? Or was it the book blurb, the continuation of a series, or, as in audiobooks, the narrator? Some of the comments were surprising. One in particular made me smile when my friend said she never read book blurbs because she didn’t want to know what was going to happen. So, May’s books have been selected for a variety of reasons. There’s one by an author whose new releases I can’t wait to get my ears on.  Number two is one I actually chose because of the location – I love reading or listening to books whose streets and landmarks are familiar to me. The third book is one I couldn’t decide on, so a favorite narrator was the deciding factor. The last book I selected is because of the title which pulled me into a book so well-written, just listening to the author’s words eclipsed the storyline.

Funny Story (Author)

By Emily Henry

Narrated by Julia Whelan

The Queen of Banter is back and she has another Funny Story. This funny story is about Daphne and Miles … how they met because Daphne’s fiancé Peter dumped her for his best friend Petra who just happened to be Miles’ fiancé and how Daphne, who’s “not from around here”,  has no where to go except to move in with Miles. The storyline revolves around Daphne’s mission to get out of the town of Waning Bay after the breakup. Because she loves her job as a children’s librarian, she is committed to stay until she completes a project that is dear to her heart; then the countdown will begin. Daphne is hoping to make a move that will put her closer to her mom who has been her North Star in a nomadic life she expected to end with her marriage to Peter and her assimilation into the stable world of his family and friends. Somehow we know that Daphne and Miles are going to wind up together and, even though we know with Emily Henry telling the story and Julia Whelan narrating, there will be sweetness and humor, we also know the road is not going to be straight or smooth. This is not my favorite of Ms Henry’s books, but that’s like trying to pick a favorite chocolate candy when you really love them all!

The Southern Trial (City)

By Peter O’Mahoney

Narrated by Bradford Hastings

The Southern Trial by Peter O’Mahoney falls into that category of books I chose for a reason that had nothing to do with the author, the genre, or the reviews: I chose this book because the setting is Charleston, SC where I was born and bred. I do have a weakness for books whose settings are familiar to me because I love being able to envision the locations from the author’s descriptions as the storyline develops. This is a book that will have strong appeal to those who loved Perry Mason, or Matlock, or L. A. Law or any of the various drama series’ that have detailed portrayals of court proceedings. Joe Hennessy is a lawyer who tragically lost his son at the hands of a man who seems untouchable because he is a powerful public figure. Despite giving the appearance of having moved on with his life, Joe has never lost the determination to avenge his son’s death. When the opportunity arises to bring down Senator Richard Longhouse, Joe must risk his career, his remaining family members, and the home he loves in order to find justice. The court scenes are riveting and Bradford Hastings’ performance is excellent. This story stands alone even though it’s book 4 in series, so if you like Joe, you can read more about him.

Hemlock (Narrator)

By Kiersten Modglin

Narrated by Brittany Pressley

There are times, I must confess, when I’m uncertain about a book choice and the deciding factor is the narrator. Brittany Pressley is well-known to me for her excellent performances and her accurate portrayal of the characters’ voices. Hemlock by Kiersten Modglin is a combination second chance romance and psychological thriller that starts off a bit lazily before accelerating to a full-throttle psycho fest. You will definitely need to carve out a couple of hours toward the end so you can listen nonstop and with wide eyes to the “did that really just happen?” ending. Maggie Ellis and Clayton Becket have been besties since they were children. Just when Maggie is ready to declare that she has deeper feelings than friendship, Clayton shows up with a fiancée (and a pregnant one at that!) sending all Maggie’s romantic plans crashing to earth. Maggie moves away after a rebound romance with bartender Tucker Ford. It starts out fake but then grows on her until it hits a snag when Maggie discovers Tucker has not only cheated on her, but has come under suspicion of killing the woman. Fast forward 13 years after the drama has died down a bit. Maggie moves back to town and, oh-by-the-way, buys a house next door to the always innocent Tucker. At this point, the house becomes the star of the storyline, and it begins to weave the proverbial tangled web with inexplicable happenings and sounds and things that go bump in the night. I’ll just leave you with that and let you listen for yourself to an ending that won’t necessarily be shocking, but will definitely be entertaining as you and Maggie and Tucker untangle the web!

End of Story (Title)

By A. J. Finn

Narrated by Helen Laser

If your sole purpose in reading or listening to a book is to get to the end, then you are going to miss the best thing about A. J. Finn’s brilliantly written End of Story. I can’t say I’ve ever enjoyed a book more just for the writing itself. The icing on this prose cake is Helen Laser’s narration which is a superb interpretation of the author’s words. The characters are complex and well-developed, and the author’s creative end of story is perfect.  Mystery writer Sebastian Trap is dying, and he has requested that his pen pal Nicky Hunter come to his home in San Francisco and write his story. Nicky, along with his family, is intrigued that he has chosen her when so many professional ghost writers are available. As his story unfolds, we meet wives, living and dead,  children, living and missing, meddling family, and all the mysterious hangers-on that only wealth, fame, and notoriety attract. We form snap opinions about who did what to whom and why … then we un-form them and continue to guess at solutions. If people are dead, where are the bodies? If they are merely missing, where are they or, better still, who are they? I don’t think I could have selected the correct conclusion even on a multiple choice test! I loved End of Story – both literally and as a title; I hope you will too.

Thank You For Following Us at Literati Literature Lovers and Happy Listening in June!