The Island of Dr. Moreau

The Island of Dr. Moreau

by H.G. Wells

audiobook: 5.25 hours

narrated by Simon Prebble

About the Book

Edward Prendick is rescued from a life raft at sea by a ship ship carrying an odd cargo that includes myriad wild animals and two unusual men named Montgomery and M'ling. After a series of confrontations between the crew and the two odd men, the captain arrives at their destination, a solitary island in the middle of the sea. The captain is only too glad to rid himself of the animals and the men, and forces Edward to leave the ship at well. Once on the island Montgomery introduces him to Dr. Moreau, a scientist who uses the island as the base for his experimentation. Over time Edward learns the details of Moreau's experiments on the other inhabitants of the island and he must decide for himself whether Moreau is brilliant or insane.

Why I Read It

I chose this book as my side of this year's Dueling Monsters challenge because H.G. Wells fascinates me. I don't always love his writing but I am constantly amazed by the ideas in his stories.

My Thoughts

This is one CREEPY story. From the very first time Edward steps on board the rescue ship I had the feeling that things were Not Right even though I couldn't put my finger on what exactly was wrong. Once on the island things got even weirder for Edward, and for me as the reader. I had an idea of what Moreau was up to before I started this book but I didn't have the details right.

*** SPOILER ALERT #1 ***

I didn't realize that Moreau was experimenting on animals and turning them into people. I had thought he was grafting animals parts onto human bodies. Although both are horrible, Moreau's actual experiments were worse than what I thought ahead of time. The idea that he could CREATE humanity - and that he does so with some success - is so beyond what I can accept that I had a hard time with this part of the book. Still, the issues it raised are valid ones: At what point is someone considered human? Can one loose one's humanity? If animals could communicate in our language, would we grant them humanity? 

*** END SPOILER #1 ***

As Edward learned the details of Moreau's experiments I became more and more horrified. For me it wasn't the actual experiments that got to me - it was the abject cruelty involved.

*** SPOILER ALERT #2 ***

Moreau performed vivisection on his subjects with no anesthesia, and continued his experimentation for weeks on end, sometimes until the subject died. His justification was that the more evolved one is, the less pain matters. 

*** END SPOILER #2 ***

And that, for me, is the scariest part of this book. It isn't the creatures that Moreau creates that scare me. Rather it is the fact that Moreau can literally torture other living things without a single care. He has no greater purpose - not that it would justify his actions - and he doesn't see anything at all wrong in what he is doing. The cruelty of humanity scares me more than just about anything else in this world.

I can't say that I'm a huge fan of Wells' writing style and my experience with this book didn't change that. However I am fascinated by the issues he raises and will continue to read his books as they always give me a great deal to think about.

Your Thoughts

If you read this book for the Dueling Monsters Challenge this year be sure to link up to your review here. I'm posting a list of all the reviews on Halloween so don't miss out!

Love Times Three

Love Times Three:

Our True Story of a Polygamous Marriage

by Joe, Alina, Vicki, and Valerie Darger with Brooke Adams

audiobook: 9.25 hours

narrated by Jamie Lurie, Eliza Foss, Kathleen McInerney, and Karla Kendrick

About the Book

Joe is Independent Fundamentalist Mormon and he has three wives. Together they wrote this book to help counteract the often incorrect assumptions about their culture and way of life.  Told through four perspectives, the book gives a look at the reasons behind their decision to live a polygamous marriage and the challenges and blessings that are part of their everyday lives.

Why I Read It

I was a huge fan of the HBO series Big Love and am fascinated by people who can make polygamous marriage work. This book sounds like a realistic look at a successful family; I wanted to see how they do it.

My Thoughts

One of the first things that caught my attention was the fact that this family was part of the basis for the HBO series Big Love; series creators pulled lots of details from a magazine article that profiled the Darger family anonymously. Apparently the show included quite a few situations that were taken directly from the Darger's life. Of course there were lots of other situations that were purely created for the show (and Joe was quick to point those out).

Another interesting part of the book for me was the actual relationship between Joe's wives. Alina and Vicki were cousins who both became interested in the same man. Knowing that they wanted to be part of a plural marriage they decided to pursue Joe as a pair. About ten years later, after the collapse of her own plural marriage, Vicki's twin sister Valerie became Joe's third wife. An usual situation in so many ways.

The "everyday" part of the book was the most fascinating to me, dealing with sister wives and loads of children and sharing a husband. And of course there were the logistical challenges of a family with 24 children (5 in diapers!). Since I have just one child this was the craziest part of the book for me - I can't imagine dealing with a family that large, let alone sharing my husband with other wives.

This book was a quick and easy listen. It gave me a lot of insight into a culture, religion, and lifestyle that I am not all that familiar with.  I found it well written and well narrated, and definitely worth listening to.

Faith

Faith

by Jennifer Haigh

audiobook: 10.6 hours

narrated by Therese Plummer

Why I Read It

I don't generally read books like this but after seeing all the fantastic reviews for it during the TLC Book Tour (and hearing that it was not a Catholic-bashing book*) I knew I had to give it a try.

About the Book

A Boston priest is accused of molesting a young boy and the fall-out in the community is huge. The priest's mother and sister family stand by him but his brother (father of two boys himself) wants nothing to do with him anymore.  Parishioners struggle to match this horrible accusation with the priest they've trusted for years while the media crucifies him in light of all the other scandals in the Catholic Church in recent years.

The story is told by the priest's sister as she tries to put together the chain of events that led to the accusation.

My Thoughts 

This is a fantastic book! I feel like these characters are people I know in real life. They are each unique and real enough to walk off the page. The story kept my attention from the start and I held my breath in anticipation as secrets were revealed in the latter half of the book.

Some of you know this already but my husband was molested by a teacher at a Christian school. It took years for him to tell anyone about it. When he finally did, the teacher was brought to trial and eventually convicted and sent to jail. School staff and students' families were split over the issue; some believed the kids (there ended up being more than just my husband) while others accused them of lying and stood by the teacher. It was a painful time for everyone involved. That anger and pain and confusion were all captured by Haigh in this book, and she did it in a very convincing way.

In retrospect I should have seen how the book would turn out but I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't think ahead and the ending took me by surprise.

As I said at the beginning of my review, it was a great, great book. I am very glad I broke out of my normal reading range and gave this one a chance.

* I was raised Catholic and although I now attend a non-denominational church I still have a great love for the Catholic Church.

American Gods

American Gods

by Neil Gaiman

audiobook: 19.65 hours

narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris, Daniel Oreskes,

Ron McLarty, Sarah Jones (a full cast production)

Why I Read It


Back when I reviewed Stardust I said that even though I enjoyed the book I wasn't really a Gaiman fan. I also said that I still wanted to give American Gods a shot because the idea of the book intrigued me. So when the 10th anniversary edition of AG was offered to me on audio for review I was quite pleased to give it a listen.

About the Book

Shadow is serving his last few days in jail when he gets the news that his wife was killed in a car accident. He is released a few days early and has to decide what to do with his life from here on out.  Having few other options, Shadow takes a job as a body guard/chauffeur by a mysterious man named Mr. Wednesday. During his travels with his new employer he meets an odd assortment of characters and comes to realize that these "people" are actually old world gods who are down on their luck because they don't have enough worshippers anymore. He is drawn into Mr. Wednesday's plot to gather the old world gods to fight for turf against the new gods of America - Media, Computers, etc. But things may not be exactly as they seem ...

Note on the 10th Anniversary Edition

This edition of the book includes all the sections that were originally edited. The book is now the way that Gaiman originally intended it to be.

My Thoughts 

Gaiman fans will probably want to throw tomatoes at me but I have to admit that I was more impressed with the IDEA of the book than with the book itself. I loved the way that Gaiman took America's obsessions with the latest and greatest thing and turned those obsessions into actual gods. I also loved how the old world gods (and their current jobs) were described. But that was about all that I really did like. I couldn't really get into the story and I often felt like I was missing something important. Maybe I just didn't get it?

On the other hand the actual audio production was great. I'm not generally a fan of full cast productions because I often can't recall which character belongs with which voice, but I didn't have that problem here. With only four narrators - and each of those having a unique voice - it was easy to follow the narration.

Your Thoughts 

Did you love this book? If so, what am I missing?! Are you a Gaiman fan? What makes you love him? Honestly most of his books sort of give me the creeps, and that's just from reading the summaries!

Three Mini Reviews - vacation books

August has been a travel month in my house.  We drove 7 hours to North Carolina to take Kiddo to camp then 7 hours back home the next day.  At the end of camp we flew to North Carolina, drove an hour to pick up Kiddo, drove an hour back to the airport, then flew to Disney World in Florida. After a week we flew home again.  Needless to say, all that travel time gave me lots of opportunities to listen to audio books and to read.  Here are some quick thoughts on a few of those books.

Forever, by Maggie Stiefvater (400 pages) - This is the final book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I mentioned in my reviews of book one and book two that although I really like the author's twist on werewolf mythology I'm not really in love with the story itself; that continued for me in book three. The relationship between Grace and Sam just doesn't move me. Isabel is still my favorite character (she's nothing like me but I feel like I really understand her) and Cole yet again adds some excitement and intensity to the story. And even though I didn't love it I still felt like it was a good end to the series, so I'm not disappointed in it either.

Drums of Autumn, by Diana Gabaldon (44.75 hours, narrated by Davina Porter) - This is book four in the Outlander series and continues the story of Jamie and Claire, but with a twist. I'm looking forward to continuing the series soon. *** MINOR SPOILER ALERT FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES *** I didn't think I'd like the story as much once it moved to pre-revolution America but I actually really enjoyed the setting and the new characters. I also liked the way Briana's and Roger's relationship developed - I figured they'd end up in the past somehow but I wasn't sure how or why. I'm definitely excited to see what happens next for all of them! (And as a side note, much of the story takes place in the Cape Fear River area so imagine my delight as we drove through North Carolina and saw signs for the Cape Fear River!)

Other Kingdoms, by Richard Matheson (8.5 hours, narrated by Bronson Pinchot)- Hubby and I needed a book to listen to on one of our drives without Kiddo and this was available for download from our library. It is the story of a young American man named Alex who survives WWI and goes to live in a small village in England. While there he discovers that the forest in inhabited by The Little People, and that they may not be as friendly as he has always heard. We wanted to listen to the book because it is by the same guy who wrote I AM LEGEND, and we figured that was a good enough recommendation. Sadly it was not. The first half of the book was great! The story is told by Alex at age 82. He's spent his life writing cheesy horror stories and now he wants to share the truth about what happened to him at age 18 in England. The writing is fun to read - Alex continually comments on his sentence structure or word choice, critiquing himself as if he were editing one of his horror tales. This made the storytelling aspect of the book very entertaining.  Unfortunately the plot became rather predictable and boring and really didn't keep our attention once we hit the midway point. I finished it on my own once we got back home and told Hubby he didn't miss much. (Oh, one quick note about the narrator. He did a very convincing New York accent - appropriate for Alex - but I wasn't a huge fan; that accent drove me a bit batty! I don't know why, since my mother and lots of relatives talk that way, but for some reason it really got to me.)

I've read a few more books but they were sent to me for review and I always give review books their own posts. They should be coming up in a few days, if I can make time to write them!

One Second After

One Second After

by William R. Forstchen

audiobook: 13.3 hours

narrated by Joe Barrett

About the Book

In a small mountain town in North Carolina, the electricity suddenly goes out.  Soon enough the town realizes that America has been attacked by EMP weapons - the kind that permanently knock out all electrical equipment.  Over the first few days the people come together to support each other and share their food and supplies.  But as time goes by and things become more scarce, will kindness prevail in this small town or will harsh reality force people to make unpleasant decisions?  What happens when strangers come to town?  And will the power ever come back on?


My Thoughts

When I read the description of this book it immediately reminded me of the short-lived-but-well-loved TV series, Jericho.  That was enough to convince me to pick it up. And ok, the premise is basically the same - people coming together to survive and defend themselves.

Although I did like most of the characters in this book, I didn't feel all that connected to them.  One character did strike a chord though: a little girl who relied on insulin to survive reminded me of Kiddo and his reliance on his medications and feeding tube.  That one definitely kept me thinking about what I'd do in a similar situation!

My biggest problem with this book is that so much of it was exposition.  There needed to be much more "show" and a lot less "tell."  Also, so many times the exciting parts of the story were told in retrospect rather than as they happened. This slowed the pace of the story and, combined with the extensive info dumps, made the book drag.

Another thing to note is that the book is told from a conservative standpoint.  Not to the extreme, but it is clear that the author is solidly in the politically conservative camp.

I'm not sorry that I listened to this one; it made me think about the "what if" scenarios and how I'd handle them, and that is definitely a plus. But at the same time it could have been SO MUCH better.

When The Killings Done

When the Killing's Done

by T.C. Boyle

audiobook: 11.2 hours

narrated by Anthony Heald

About the Book (from my library's description)

"From the bestselling author of The Women comes an action-packed adventure about endangered animals and those who would protect them.

Principally set on the wild and sparsely inhabited Channel Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara, T. C. Boyle's powerful new novel combines pulse-pounding adventure with a socially conscious, richly humane tale regarding the dominion we attempt to exert, for better or worse, over the natural world. Alma Boyd Takesue is a National Park Service biologist who is spearheading the efforts to save the islands' endangered native creatures from invasive species like rats and feral pigs, which, in her view, must be eliminated. Her antagonist, Dave LaJoy, is a dreadlocked local businessman who, along with his lover, the folksinger Anise Reed, is fiercely opposed to the killing of any species whatsoever and will go to any lengths to subvert the plans of Alma and her colleagues.

[...]. In dramatizing this collision between protectors of the environment and animal rights activists, Boyle is, in his characteristic fashion, examining one of the essential questions of our time: Who has the right of possession of the land, the waters, the very lives of all the creatures who share this planet with us?

When the Killing's Done will offer no transparent answers, but like The Tortilla Curtain, Boyle's classic take on illegal immigration, it will touch you deeply and put you in a position to decide."


My Thoughts

I really loved THE TORTILLA CURTAIN because Boyle made me think about the illegal immigration of Mexicans into California in new ways. He presented people on both sides of the issue and made me feel for them all.  I was hoping for the same thing from this book, but it isn't exactly what I got.

In this book the controversial issue tackled by Boyle is invasive species versus naturally occurring species.  If a non-native species is endangering the survival of a native species, what is the right course of action to take?

As in TORTILLA, Boyle presents both sides by introducing characters on either side of the issue.  Alma, the scientist, is working to eradicate the non-native species on the islands.  I understood her and her beliefs and I felt that she was a realistic character.  Dave is with an organization similar to PETA and he is working to save the lives of all animals on the island regardless of how they got there.  Dave's characters was more volatile and unpredictable, and I didn't always understand his motives.

The book and the issues it tackles are fascinating and I enjoyed it.  However I felt that Dave's character represented all the negative stereotypes of an animal rights activist, and this led me to have very little sympathy for his cause.  Had Boyle chosen to portray the animal rights side of the issue in a less extreme way I think I would have gotten more from the book, that I'd have been more challenged by both sides of the issue.  By focusing on the extreme, Boyle enabled me to distance myself from that side of the issue; that is not what I was hoping to do.

All that said, the very very end of the book made me reevaluate some of my opinions and it turned part of the story on it's head.  Well done!

So I didn't love this one but I didn't dislike it either. It's definitely worth reading, and I'm certainly going to look for more by this author.

Outlander: The First Three Books

Outlander and Dragonfly In Amber and Voyager

by Diana Gabaldon

audiobooks: Outlander = 32.75 hours, Dragonfly in Amber = 39 hours, Voyager = 43.33 hours

narrated by Davina Porter

After years of hearing about these books I finally decided to give them a try and I am HOOKED.  

About the Books

Book 1: For those unfamiliar with the story, the first book begins just after World War II.  Claire has just reunited with her husband after spending the war years working as a nurse in a field hospital.  The two plan to spend some time in Scotland where Claire will relax while her husband does geneological research.  However, while walking through an ancient stone circle Claire is suddenly pulled back in time to approximately 200 years in the past.  She finds herself in danger at every turn and - through a series of events - is forced to marry a young man named Jamie in order to gain his protection.  Although she is still in love with her (future) husband, Claire finds herself drawn to Jamie as well. The central question of book one is this: given the chance to go 'back to the future' will Claire choose her old life and her first husband or will she remain in the past with Jamie?

Book 2: SPOILER ALERT: don't read this summary if you haven't read book 1 - Ok, so, this book starts in the "modern" day with Claire and her daughter Brianna.  They are hoping to find out what happened to Jamie's men after the battle which led to Claire's departure.  The story then flashes back to the 1700s and we find out what happened to Jamie & Claire that led to their separation.

Book 3: SPOILER ALERT: don't read this summary if you haven't read book 2 - Claire found out at the end of book 2 that Jamie didn't die in the battle as she'd always thought,.  Now she must dig through the historical record to find out what happened to Jamie and where he went next.  Once she finds out all she can she must decide whether to risk yet another trip through the stones to find him.

My Thoughts 

I knew I would love these books but I put off reading them because I feared getting sucked into a long series.   Now that I've started I really DO love them but I've been able to pace myself, listening to a book a month.  

The books are sprawling and epic in scope. They contain a large number of characters and deal with quite a few historical events.  At times the author tends to ramble (the books could have been quite a bit shorter) but I really like that - I love all the extra details and side-stories that are included.  There are some graphic sex scenes - both consensual and forced - that may turn off some readers but I found the consensual ones quite good and the forced ones fitting to the story.  

I think the thing that makes me really love these books is that I identify with the characters. Claire and Jamie act in ways that I recognize as real, even if it isn't the way I would act in a given situation.  I love them together and I cannot wait to start the next book.

Your Thoughts

Are you a fan of this series?  If so, which is your favorite book?  Is there another book/series that you think I'd enjoy since I love this one so much?

Mini Reviews: 6 Books

I hope that you all are enjoying your summer (or, for those in the other hemisphere, your winter) as much as I am.  Things have been super busy here BUT I am reading some and definitely listening to lots of audio books.  Below are some quick thoughts on some of my latest finished books.  I didn't provide summaries because 1) most of these are books you've probably heard of, 2) I'm trying to keep this short so I actually get a post written, and 3) you can click on the titles to read the summaries at GoodReads.com.

Stardust, by Neil Gaiman - audio, 6.5 hours, narrated by the author - I'm not a huge Gaiman fan so this was actually the first book by him that I've read/listened to.  I had seen the movie and loved it so I figured I'd give it a shot.  All in all I enjoyed it.  It wasn't anything that blew me out of the water but it was entertaining and original and I'm glad I listened to it.






Crossed, by Ally Condie - ARC from BEA (no idea of the page count as I don't have the book anymore) - I enjoyed Matched (liked but not loved) and I wanted to see what happened to the characters next. I picked up this book to send to Amanda but of course I had to read it first. :) Although I did like it I also felt that not a whole lot happened; it definitely had the feel of a "second in a trilogy" book.  I'm not particularly invested in the series but I will read the final book when it comes out.


The Girl Who Fell From The Sky, by Heidi W. Durrow - 264 pages - This book was not what I expected AT ALL but it was strangely fascinating.  I didn't necessarily love it but I was totally intrigued by it.  What I did love was the examination of race and class that the author showed through the main character and her interactions with those around her.  I need to look up some info about the author and see if her writing was influenced by her own experiences with race in any way ...



Master and Commander, by Patrick O'Brian - audio - DNF - This is a book that I SHOULD love. It has everything that I enjoy - historical detail, epic adventure, good narration - but I just couldn't get into it.  I listened for about 5 hours before finally calling it quits.  Of course, the fact that I fell asleep in the movie version might have given me a clue ...



A Woman of Independent Means, Elizabeth Forysthe Hailey - audio, 1.9 hours, narrated by Barbara Rush -  I really wanted to love this story of a real woman in the early 1900s making her way through marriage and family while retaining her independence.  Unfortunately I found that I really didn't like this woman. This became very clear to me via her dealings with her adult daughter late in the book; I couldn't imagine having to deal with this woman as my own mother!

Don't Breathe A Word, by Jennifer McMahon - 464 pages - I saw a ton of reviews for this book over the past few months so when I got a copy in a BEA swag bag I decided to give it a try. I don't usually read "missing children" books but I was intrigued by the fantasy element in this one. It kept my attention and parts of it slightly gave me the creeps but overall it was just okay.  The problem for me what that I wanted more of the fantasy than I got.




Have you read any of these?  What did you think of them?

Hopefully I'll have more short reviews soon ...

Hobbit to Hobbit

The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien

audiobook: 11.1 hours

narrated by Robert Inglis

A few weeks ago Sheila @ Book  Journey mentioned that she was starting the audio of JRR Tolkien's classic, The Hobbit.  As luck would have it I had just checked out that same audiobook from my library so I suggested that we review it together.  And thanks to Sheila we even have a cool header with our pictures in it for this review!

About The Book

I assume that just about everyone has at least HEARD of this book before but here's a quick description anyway:  Bilbo Baggins is a slightly adventurous hobbit living a quiet life when Gandalf the wizard arrives on his doorstep and convinces him to help a group of dwarfs steal their treasure back from a dragon.

My History With This Book

When I was in the first grade I saw my dad with this book and asked him to read a little of it to me.  He didn't think I'd like it but he agreed to read aloud for a while.  When he finished I asked him if I could borrow the book and read it myself, and he said yes (I'm pretty sure he didn't think I'd actually read it).  I sped through it in a very short time, and then moved on to the rest of the Lord of the Rings books.  From there I picked up books by David Eddings, and my addiction to reading and fantasy was born.

My Quick Thoughts 

I absolutely loved listening to this book.  I remembered a lot more of it than I expected to but there were also things I did not remember at all.  One thing I found interesting was the way the author spoke directly to the reader throughout the book. I'd forgotten that, but it definitely made the book seem more like the children's story it was written to be. In fact, it reminded me of being told stories as a child.

One thing that was odd to me was the way the elves were portrayed.  They came across as extremely light-hearted and almost silly at times.  My vision of the elves has, of course, been influenced by the movie productions of the Lord of the Rings books; in the movies the elves are very serious, but I honestly cannot remember how they were portrayed in the actual books.  Does their description in The Hobbit match their description in the rest of the series or is it different?  It's got me in the mood to listen to the Fellowship of the Ring next just to figure it out!

Sheila's Questions For Me

1. What did you think of the narration? (Can you think of another narrator who would have done a good job with this read?)  I'm picky about my narrators but I can say that Robert Inglis did a very good job.  He was able to convey a lot of different characters but he didn't do all sorts of vocal tricks to do it, and that's a good thing.  The only other narrator I can think of off the top of my head who would do a good job with this is George Guidall - he's got an excellent voice and is very talented. If you haven't listened to any books he's narrated, definitely look for one!

2. Favorite part to listen to? I always enjoy the parts with Gollum, but to be honest I enjoyed most of the book. I'd be listening and suddenly remember parts from the cartoon movie or from when I read the book as a child, so that made the entire thinng a lot of fun for me. (If you want to listen to Tolkien himself reading the Gollum section you can do that here: http://youtu.be/7VOdv2RE4jg.)

3. I know you listened to this with your son, did he have a favorite part?  I originally got this book so that Kiddo could listen to it but then he found the beginning boring so I continued without him.  As the story progressed he got into it more.  He really liked the parts with Gollum (he remembers Gollum from the movies) and was very excited to get to the parts with Smaug the dragon.

4. Having read the book, what are the benefits to finding a book you once read and enjoyed and listening to it on audio? What different perspectives does this bring to the surface?  For me, listening to this book was a trip down memory lane.  I LOVED the cartoon as a child (I've included an excerpt below) and as I listened I realized that much of the narration of the cartoon was taken directly from the book. That made me very happy!  But more than that, I love to revisit my favorite books on audio. Having read them once, I'm familiar with the story and the characters, so listening to the audio is like visiting an old friend.  Many of us enjoyed being read to as children - for me audiobooks give me the chance to experience that joy again.  And just like when I was a child and wanted to hear the same stories again and again, I love to listen to my favorite books again and again.

You can check out Sheila's answers to my questions at her blog - hop over there and check it out!

The Cartoon

This movie came out in 1977 and I watched it again and again as a child. I still have a copy of it on VHS ... unfortunately I no longer have a VHS player. *sniff* Here's a clip from the beginning of the movie in case you haven't seen it before.  The description of Bilbo's house is a direct quote from the beginning of the book. And the song that I always remember starts at the 8:10 mark.

Thank you so much to Sheila for reviewing with me! Please hop on over to her blog to see what she thought of this book.

Something Missing

Something Missing

by Matthew Dicks

audiobook: 9 hours
narrated by Jefferson Mays

About the Book

Martin has made quite an interesting career for himself, stealing from the same "clients" for over ten years.  Through meticulous research he has learned about these couples in detail - their likes and dislike, their routines, their schedules - and he feels like he knows them even though he's never seen them face to face.  He usually steals small things (half-empty bottles of salad dressing, vegetables on the verge of going bad, drain cleaner from the back of the closet, etc.), but occasionally he'll take something bigger if he knows it won't be missed.  Through the years he's come to care about his clients, so when he suspects that one of them is in grave danger he knows he has to do something to protect her.


Why I Read It

This is not the kind of book I'd have picked up on my own, but I heard the author speak on a podcast and was totally captivated by him.  He's hilarious!  He talked about how he feels that more people should be writing because so many people have stories to tell.  At one event an 80-something year old woman came up to him and told him that one day she was going to write a book because she had a story inside of her.  His response? That she'd better hurry up and get started! LOL  You can listen to Matthew Dicks on the Books On The Nightstand podcast at this link: http://booksonthenightstand.com/2011/04/botns-podcast-125-because-you-asked-for-it.html You won't regret it!


My Thoughts 

This book is quirky and unique and oddly fascinating.  It doesn't move quickly and not a great deal happens, but it is strangely enjoyable all the same.  I couldn't help but like Martin in spite of the fact that he is a criminal (and an OCD criminal at that!) and I was always hoping that things would turn out well for him.

One side effect of listening to this book? Whenever I can't find something in my house I immediately think that it could have been stolen by someone like Martin. Odd, right?!

If you want a book that is a bit out of the ordinary but still a great read (or listen), give this one a try.

The "Bloody Jack" Series - 7 books (so far)

The "Bloody Jack" Series

by L.A. Meyer

I can't remember where or when I first heard of the book BLOODY JACK but I do know that I didn't think it would be my kind of read.  It was supposed to be a young adult story of an orphaned girl on the streets of old London who dressed as a boy and went to work on a ship where she had all sorts of adventures.  Now why I wouldn't like that I'm not certain, except maybe because it was YA?  Anyway, when I got laid off back in November I simply couldn't stand to read or listen to audiobooks for quite a while. My life was crazy and everything was turned on it's head.  One day I decided that I needed a light, fun audiobook to entertain me as I cleaned the house.  I saw that BLOODY JACK was available for download from my library so I decided to give it a shot. HALLELUJAH! I found a jem of a book! This series is exactly what I was looking for at the time and I'm thrilled that I found it.

This series is laugh-out-loud funny yet filled with enough historical detail to seem (at least somewhat) realistic. Jacky is tough and wiley and downright lucky, plus she's got attitude and to spare. You can't help but love her and hope for the best for her.

Rather than review each book individually I'm going to give you a few sentences on each one all in this post. I'll do my best to be spoiler-free but there might be a few minor things in the later books that might be considered spoilers for the first few books (nothing that would ruin the story though!).




Bloody Jack - This is the book that made me fall in love with the series.  It is fun and funny, yet historically detailed and interesting.  It follows Jacky from the streets of London on to the HMS Dolphin where she disguises herself as a ship's boy.  She forms a brotherhood with her fellow ship's boys and does her best to keep anyone from figuring out that she's a girl (which becomes more difficult as she hits puberty).  (7.36 hours)





Curse of the Blue Tattoo - Jacky navigates new waters when she finds herself enrolled at the Lawson Peabody School For Young Girls in Boston.  Can a wild and willful orphan/ship's boy learn to be a lady?  Maybe, but it will be VERY difficult ...  (14.15 hours)





Under The Jolly Roger - Jacky's back at sea in this book, and she's in a bit of trouble (no big surprise by this point!). Can she keep herself clear of a creepy captain who wants her as his prize? And will she make it back to London to be reunited with her true love?  And how does Lord Nelson and the Royal Navy play into the story?  (14.73 hours)




In The Belly Of The Bloodhound - The girls from the Lawson Peabody are ALL in trouble this time around.  The focus of this story is slavery in its many forms, and there were parts of this book that actually brought me to tears (chills first, then tears).  Although this wasn't one of my favorites in the series I have to admit that it packed more of an emotional punch than the others. (15.35 hours)



Mississippi Jack - Jacky finds herself on a journey down the Mississippi River in what may be my least favorite book in the series.  There was one particular character who drove me crazy in this book, and I also felt like coincidences were stretched to their breaking point quite often.  It wasn't nearly enough to put me off the series but I was glad to move on to the next book.  (17.4 hours)



My Bonny Light Horseman - Several characters from previous books make appearances in this adventure which finds Jacky as a spy in Napoleon Bonaparte's army. Again, chance and circumstance are stretched beyond belief in this book but I still quite enjoyed it.  Jacky seems to be turning into a deeper character as she grows up a bit and I really enjoyed that aspect of the story.  (12.01 hours)



Rapture of the Deep - I couldn't believe how this story started out (one of those crazy coincidences again) but once I got past that I really loved this book.  It incorporated both treasure hunting and scientific discovery and the story was downright entertaining.  (12.33 hours)






I really do love this series in spite of the flaws.  It is fun and entertaining, it makes me laugh and cry, and it is simply a good series of books.  If you can take it just as seriously as it takes itself (which is not very) then you will probably enjoy it as much as I did.

The next book, The Wake of the Lorelei Lee, is out in hardcover but not in audio yet. I'm still deciding whether I want to read it now or wait for the audio ...

A quick note on the narrator: Katherine Kellgren narrates all the Bloody Jack book and she is AMAZING.  She has a great ability with accents and voices and also with songs (there are lots of songs in these books). I will definitely be on the lookout for other books she's narrated; she is incredibly talented and versatile and she's a joy to listen to.