#theflowersisters #michellecollinsanderson #jimfrangione #andreagallo #ljganser #lauraknightkeating #christinamoore #grahamwinton #thenursessecret #amandaskenandore #vanessajohansson #thelostvangogh #jonathansantlofer #edoardoballerini #thenightingale #kristinhannah #pollystone
November is the month we traditionally celebrate Thankfulness. It is my hope that each of you has a life for which you are thankful. I am thankful for my family, my friends, and the ability to enjoy both. I am also thankful for each of you and your love of reading and listening to books. You will never be bored! I am officially declaring an end to hurricane season and I am definitely thankful for that! For those of you ruminating over Christmas gifts for family and friends who already have too much “stuff”, how about considering a donation to one of the many organizations helping the hurricane victims in Florida and North Carolina? For any of my followers who have time to listen during the busy holiday season, I have a motley assortment of recommendations. Ironically, all the titles begin with the word “The” which is about all they have in common. Two of the storylines are based on people pretending to be someone they aren’t, and one is about a painting pretending to be the work of someone other than the real artist. The last title is an older book by one of the authors from last month because I loved the October selection so much.
By Michelle Collins Anderson
Narrated by Jim Frangione, Andrea Gallo, L.J. Ganser, Laura Knight Keating, Christina Moore, & Graham Winton
The Flower Sisters is an innocuous title for a book filled with so much drama: a catastrophic fire that claims 39 lives in a small town in the Ozarks, twin sisters who are identical in every way except one, and secrets that have been kept for 50 years. When 15-year-old Daisy Flowers is unceremoniously left off to spend time with a grandmother she barely knows, she decides to spend her time uncovering the secrets of that deadly night as part of her job as a newspaper intern. What she learns is going create havoc for the town and for her family. Readers and listeners will slowly learn the truth about the fateful night as Daisy’s series on the fire unfolds. Can those who are left survive the truth? More importantly, can the town survive the truth? I’m going to confess, I chose this book because Jim Frangione is one of my favorite narrators and even though I kept waiting for a member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood to show up, both he and the other narrators proved to be excellent voices for the citizens of Possum Flats. Hearing Mr. Frangione’s performance of the last chapter was so touching, it almost brought me to tears. Michelle Collins Anderson was kind enough to leave readers and listeners an author’s note at the end of the book which is helpful in providing the historical background of this fictional story based on a factual event.
By Amanda Skenandore
Narrated by Vanessa Johansson
Due to the fact that I spent my career as a nurse, I occasionally choose a book because it has a nursing or healthcare theme. I was intrigued by the book description of The Nurse’s Secret by Amanda Skenandore since the era of nursing and healthcare described in the storyline is one that is far removed from our modern day professions with their licenses and extensive training and education. Our heroine is far from the type of young lady Florence Nightingale had in mind when she began to pursue her goal of training nurses. Una Kelly is a refugee from New York’s street life, and she is hiding out at the newly formed Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing because she is suspected of a murder she didn’t commit. Like the con artist that she is, Una has gotten herself admitted to the program with a little help from friends in low places, and she’s determined to remain there until things cool down in the search for her. Being a graduate of the streets, the sights Una sees during her training are not as shocking to her as they are to some of her classmates and, in fact, she does very well. When she begins to suspect that there is a killer loose in the hospital, she turns into an amateur sleuth. I was fascinated by the historical details about the way things used to be. We tend to forget how far we’ve come in the medical field until we’re reminded that it really hasn’t been that long since leeches were used regularly and sterile techniques were not the norm. Vanessa Johansson expertly narrates this book that should appeal to many of my fellow nursing professionals.
By Jonathan Santlofer
Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini
The real star of The Lost Van Gogh is narrator Edoardo Ballerini. I actually took a chance on a book by an author who is unknown to me because Mr. Ballerini’s performances are the kind that can elevate even the dullest storyline. Fortunately, there was nothing dull about The Lost Van Gogh. Most of my followers will be familiar with the work of artist Vincent Van Gogh. The plot develops around a theme we frequently see concerning the work of great artists. Are there missing works by these geniuses? Are they hiding in attics somewhere, or are they being hidden by ruthless collectors who don’t want to share their beauty with the rest of the world? In Jonathan Santlofer’s story, our sleuths are trying to recover a painting which has long been disguised as another painting … just think about that for a moment. Ruthlessly stolen during the Nazi plunder of the art world, a missing self-portrait of the artist has been painted over as a clever way to hide the subject matter as well as the provenance of the painting. It is being hunted by the good guys and the bad guys and the mystery and suspense lie in which faction will recover it. Mr. Ballerini is brilliant, as usual, and the storyline is engrossing even though it’s fictional.
By Kristin Hannah
Narrated by Polly Stone
I can’t say for sure what motivated me to read The Nightingale at this particular time. Possibly it’s because I had just finished Kristin Hannah‘s latest, The Women. It’s certainly not because it was a celebrity book club pick or an award winner, and it’s not one of the author’s newer novels since it’s celebrating its tenth year of publication. Like all timeless works of fiction, the subject matter has meaning for this present day. Without lapsing into any kind of politically inclined commentary, I’ll just ask that readers or listeners consider the historical significance of the book’s events with an eye to the world we are presently living in. The story features two sisters and the impact of WW2 on their family and friends. There are parts of the narrative that will be difficult to read or hear, but the author has found a way to focus your attention more on the strength and courage of the characters than the horror of war. At over 17 hours of listening time, The Nightingale is quite a commitment, but narrator Polly Stone brilliantly portrays each character from the youngest to the oldest, so I highly recommend the audio version as being well worth the time investment.
Thank You For Following Us at Literati Literature Lovers and Happy Listening in December!
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