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Kate’s 2¢: “The Cradle of Ice” by James Rollins
“The Cradle of Ice” by James Rollins
saying…
I don’t usually down-load fantasy fiction, but this story came on an NLS cartridge that contained seven books. Early into the story I got the feeling that this must be Book 2 in a series. Then, at the end of the story, I thought there might be a Book3.
When you start to read, you agree to suspend your preconceived ideas and let the author take you on a trip. What a trip this was! I actually enjoyed this story.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Paul Czajkowski (born August 20, 1961), better known by his pen name of James Rollins,[1] is an American veterinarian and writer of action-adventure/thriller, mystery, and techno-thriller novels who gave up his veterinary practice in Sacramento, California to be a full-time author. Rollins’ experiences and expertise as an amateur spelunker and a certified scuba diver have provided content for some of his novels, which are often set in underground or underwater locations. Under the pen name James Clemens, he has also published fantasy novels, such as Wit’ch Fire, Wit’ch Storm, Wit’ch War, Wit’ch Gate, Wit’ch Star, Shadowfall (2005), and Hinterland (2006).
Biographical sketch[edit]
Rollins was born in Chicago.[1] His father worked for Libby’s canning plant, his mother was a housewife and mother of seven, and he lived what he likened to a Brady Bunch lifestyle.[2]
He attended Parkway South Junior High School[2] and then graduated from Parkway West High School in Ballwin, Missouri, in 1979. His undergraduate work focused on evolutionary biology. He graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1985 with a doctorate in veterinary medicine (D. V. M). Soon afterward, he moved to Sacramento, California, where he established his veterinary practice, licensed July 24, 1985.[1]
In an August 16, 2012 interview, he told SLM’s Jeannette Cooperman:
For 20 years my paycheck was coming from my veterinary degree and my writing was my hobby, and I thought it would be really cool to flip that around. Veterinary medicine is much harder. It’s a 14-, 16-, 18-hour-a-day job. I owned my own practice, had 24 employees. I couldn’t get away, that was the biggest thing. In the 10 years I ran my own practice, I had three weeks of vacation total. I started writing during my lunch hour at the clinic—dogs barking, cats meowing—so now I can write anywhere.
Now, he’s flipped that equation: “Once a week I spend about eight hours spaying and neutering trapped feral cats for the Sacramento Council of Cats. All I do with my veterinary degree now is remove genitalia.”[2]
Influences[edit]
Rollins found the authors of the Doc Savage series inspirational as a youth and acquired an extensive collection of the popular 1930s and 1940s pulp magazine stories.[3] Rollins was fascinated by stories of the exploits of Howard Carter and his discovery of the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh, King Tutankhamun (King Tut); this true-life tale later inspired Rollins’ novel Excavation, in which the main character, archaeologist Henry Conklin, and his nephew Sam discover a lost Inca city in the mountains of the Andean jungle that contains a treasure—and a curse. He also enjoyed L. Frank Baum’s Oz series, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan novels, and C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. Additionally, he was inspired by Jules Verne and H. G. Wells,[4] whose works he used as a springboard for creating similar contemporary novels filled with what he refers to as “the three M’s of fiction: magic, mayhem, and monsters”.[citation
On February 10, 2015, Rollins wrote in an AMA (“Ask Me Anything”[22]) on Reddit.com: “Third book is done; fourth is midway. Once the fifth is done, the entire series is slated for publication, each book coming out 6 months apart, starting with a re-release of the first two.”[23]
MoonFall Saga[edit]
The Starless Crown (2022)[edit]
The Cradle of Ice (2023)[edit]
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
The cradle of ice DB114604
Rollins, James Reading time: 26 hours, 27 minutes.
Nicola Barber
Suspense Fiction
Fantasy Fiction
“To stop the coming apocalypse, a fellowship was formed. A soldier, a thief, a lost prince, and a young girl bonded by fate and looming disaster. Each step along this path has changed the party, forging deep alliances and greater enmities. All the while, hostile forces have hunted them, fearing what they might unleash. Armies wage war around them. For each step has come with a cost—in blood, in loss, in heartbreak. Now, they must split, traveling into a vast region of ice and to a sprawling capital of the world they’ve only known in stories. Time is running out and only the truth will save us all.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
Download The cradle of ice DB114604
Kate’s 2¢: “The Blind” by A. F. Brady
“The Blind” by A. F. Brady
saying…
The phrase that came to my mind was: physician, heal thy self. Jon Huffman did a great job of reading this story. I enjoyed listening to it.
A few take-aways:
–Desperation makes you hold on to funny things.
–We need to have a forum to discuss issues.
–We are the only resource for many of our patients here.
–In front of others, we put on the show that we need to pretend to our selves that each of us is fine.
–A trauma released is better than a trauma retained.
–I see the lines between my patients and myself mixing.
–We need to keep up a professional appearance both on and off the unit.
–I could wallow as the victim, removing any responsibility from my shoulders.
–Self forgiveness is freedom
–You tell us what to do, but you never tell us how.
–I killed a person, so I’m atoning by saving a person.
From the WEB:
A.F. BRADY
“With the intensity and rawness of Girl, Interrupted and Luckiest Girl Alive comes this razor-sharp debut, which reveals how one woman can go so far off the deep end, she might never make it back up.
Sam James has spent years carefully crafting her reputation as the best psychologist at Typhlos, Manhattan’s most challenging psychiatric institution. She boasts the highest success rates with the most disturbed patients, believing if she can’t save herself, she’ll save someone else. It’s this savior complex that serves her well in helping patients battle their inner demons, though it leads Sam down some dark paths and opens her eyes to her own mental turmoil.
When Richard, a mysterious patient no other therapist wants to treat, is admitted to Typhlos, Sam is determined to unlock his secrets and his psyche. What she can’t figure out is why does Richard appear to be so completely normal in a hospital filled with madness? And what, really, is he doing at the institution? As Sam gets pulled into Richard’s twisted past, she can’t help but analyze her own life, and what she discovers terrifies her. And so the mind games begin. But who is the savior and who is the saved?”
“An intriguing debut from a New York-based psychotherapist writing about a world she knows extremely well.”
-The Daily Mail
“Beyond brilliant.” – Free-Lance Star
135-7598124-6206765 _encoding=…
Published by Park Row Books,
an imprint of HarperCollins/Harlequin.
“Brady’s fast-paced, riveting psychological chiller will wow suspense and thriller lovers alike. Brilliant character study and superior writing make this an outstanding debut.”
– Library Journal (Starred review)
“A woman in pieces must put herself back together before she loses everything she’s worked for and everyone she cares about.
Brady’s entertaining debut is told in the wry voice of Sam, who uses black humor to hide an undercurrent of pain. Sam is an irresistible diversion even if she can’t seem to get out of her own way and be herself. A satisfying, darkly funny tale of redemption.” – Kirkus Reviews
“A suspenseful look at our weaknesses and ability to forgive” -Booklist
“This psychological thriller grabs the reader and doesn’t let go until the truth about Richard’s past is finally revealed.”
– Publishers Weekly
from NLS/BARD/LOC:
The blind DB89547
Brady, A. F. Reading time: 12 hours, 53 minutes.
Read by Jon Huffman.
Suspense Fiction
Psychological Fiction
Sam James, who works as a much-admired psychologist at a Manhattan psychiatric institution, hides the fact that she drinks heavily and is in an abusive relationship. But now a work-required psychiatric evaluation and a mysterious patient threaten her work identity. Strong language, some violence, and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2017.
Downloaded: January 8, 2024
Download The blind
Kate’s 2¢: “Blame” by Jeff Abbott
saying…
Greg Tremblay, Lauren Fortgang, Vanessa Johannson, and Bailey Carr did a good job of reading this story. How terrifying it must be to not know what everyone else seems to know about you and what happen, but they won’t give you the straight story.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jeff Abbott (born 1963) is a U.S. suspense novelist. He has degrees in History and English from Rice University. He lives in Austin, Texas. Before writing full-time, he was a creative director at an advertising agency. His early novels were traditional detective fiction, but in recent years he has turned to writing thriller fiction. A theme of his work is the idea of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary danger and fighting to return to their normal lives. His novels are published in several countries and have also been bestsellers in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, Germany, France and Portugal.[1] He is also Creative Director at Springbox, a Prophet company.
from NLS/BARD/LOC:
Blame DB88326
Abbott, Jeff. Reading time: 12 hours, 33 minutes.
Read by Greg Tremblay; Lauren Fortgang; Vanessa Johannson; Bailey Carr.
Suspense Fiction
Mystery and Detective Stories
Psychological Fiction
Jane Norton crashed her car two years ago, leaving her with amnesia and killing her friend David. When they found a note purportedly by Jane that wished for death for both of them, the town blamed her. Now an anonymous note writer claims to know what actually happened. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2017.
Downloaded: January 8, 2024
Download Blame
Kate’s 2¢: “Stay Awake” by Megan Goldin
saying…
This is a good one! It must be terrifying to not know what everyone else seems to know, and if you fall asleep, your won’t remember what you knew before you fell asleep.
Imogen Church; January LaVoy read in such a way as to keep your attention, however, the narrative arc does that very well. I really enjoyed this story.
The perp is introduced in the beginning, but, as with good mysteries, you won’t know who it is until the end.
from the web:
Megan Goldin is an Australian author who is best known for her dynamite novel, The Escape Room. Prior to releasing her first novel, Megan Goldin worked for ABC and Reuters in Asia and the Middle East as a foreign correspondent. She covered war zones and covered topics like terrorism, war, and the quest for peace.
She is now based in Melbourne, Australia where she raises three sons and is a foster mum to Labrador puppies learning to be guide dogs.
From: Imogen Church – Biography – IMDb
She is best known for her voice work, for which she has multiple awards, and has narrated roughly 300 audio-books as well as starring in audio drama like Dr Who and Blake’s 7, plus she is the voice of The Harry Potter Quiz on Alexa UK and The Wizarding World Quiz in.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
January LaVoy (born in Trumbull, Connecticut) is an American actress and audiobook narrator. As an actress, she is most recognized as Noelle Ortiz on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. LaVoy made her Broadway debut in the Broadway premiere of the play Enron at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 27, 2010.[1]
As an audiobook narrator, she received five Audie Awards and been a finalist for nineteen. In 2013, she won Publishers Weekly’s Listen Up Award for Audiobook Narrator of the Year.[2] In 2019, AudioFile named her a Golden Voice narrator.[3]
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Stay awake: a novel DB109491
Goldin, Megan Reading time: 11 hours, 2 minutes.
Imogen Church; January LaVoy
Suspense Fiction
Psychological Fiction
“Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no idea where she is or how she got there. When she’s dropped off at the door of her brownstone, a stranger answers—a stranger who claims to live in her apartment. She reaches for her phone to call for help, only to discover it’s missing. In its place is a bloodstained knife. Her hands are covered in scribbled messages, like graffiti on her skin: STAY AWAKE. Two years ago, Liv was thriving as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now, she’s lost and disoriented in a New York City that looks nothing like what she remembers. Catching a glimpse of the local news, she’s horrified to see reports of a crime scene where the victim’s blood has been used to scrawl a message across a window, similar to the message that’s inked on her hands. What did she do last night? And why does she remember nothing from the past two years? Liv finds herself on the run for a crime she doesn’t remember committing. But there’s someone who does know exactly what she did, and they’ll do anything to make her forget—permanently. A complex thriller that unfolds at a breakneck speed, Stay Awake will keep you up all night.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.