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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Do Not Disturb” by Freida McFadden
Kate’s 2¢: “Do Not Disturb” by Freida McFadden
“Do Not Disturb” by Freida McFadden
NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…
Well done. I’ve read several of McFadden’s books and enjoyed everyone of them. This story has the inevitable plot pivot times two.
Holly Adams and Daniel Thomas May did a great job of narrating this story for NLS.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Freida McFadden (born May 1) is an American author and practicing physician specializing in brain injury from New York City.
Biography[edit]
McFadden self-published her first book through Amazon KDP in 2013. Her 2022 book The Housemaid was an international bestseller. A movie adaptation of the book is set to be adapted for Lionsgate with Rebecca Sonnenshine to pen the screenplay, and Hidden Pictures’ Todd Lieberman and Alex Young to produce.[1]
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Do not disturb DB122010
McFadden, Freida. Reading time: 7 hours, 55 minutes.
Read by Holly Adams; Daniel Thomas May.
Suspense Fiction
Mystery and Detective Stories
“Quinn Alexander has committed an unthinkable crime. To avoid spending her life in prison, Quinn makes a run for it. She leaves behind her home, her job, and her family. She grabs her passport and heads for the northern border before the police can discover what she’s done. But when an unexpected snowstorm forces her off the road, Quinn must take refuge at the broken-down, isolated Baxter Motel. The handsome and kindly owner, Nick Baxter, is only too happy to offer her a cheap room for the night. Unfortunately, the Baxter Motel isn’t the quiet, safe haven it seemed to be. The motel has a dark and disturbing past. And in the dilapidated house across the way, the silhouette of Nick’s ailing wife is always at the window. Always watching. In the morning, Quinn must leave the motel. She’ll pack up her belongings and get back on the road to freedom. But first, she must survive the night.”– Goodreads. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
Downloaded: November 4, 2024
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Green frog: stories: by Gina Chung
Kate’s 2¢: “Green frog: stories: by Gina Chung
“Green frog: stories: by Gina Chung
It was nice to hear a variety of readers read the numerous stories in this book sent to me by NLS on a cartridge of seven books.
I certainly hope that before someone starts to mutilate herself reading the “How To Eat Your Heart”, the reader will read the whole story first.
“Green Frog” examines the dilemma of the Korean daughter who stays home to care for her parents. Her mother told of a green frog who always did the opposite…
This collection of stories high-lights various facets of the Korean culture and folk lore, which I found fascinating.
From the WEB:
Gina Chung is a Korean American writer from New Jersey currently living in New York City. She is the author of the novel Sea Change, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a 2023 B&N Discover Pick, an APALA Adult Fiction Honor Book, and a New York Times Most Anticipated Book, and the short story collection Green Frog which was a Good Morning America Book Buzz Pick. A recipient of the Pushcart Prize, she is a 2021-2022 Center for Fiction/Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellow and holds an MFA in fiction from The New School. Her work appears or is forthcoming in One Story, BOMB, The Kenyon Review, Literary Hub, Catapult, Electric Literature, and Gulf Coast, among others. She is a faculty member of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program at Lasell University.
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Green frog: stories DB120490
Chung, Gina Reading time: 7 hours, 9 minutes.
Jeena Yi; Hannah Choi; Sue Jean Kim
Short Stories
Family
“Equal parts fantastical — a pair of talking dolls help twins escape a stifling home, a heart boils on the stove as part of an elaborate cure for melancholy — and true to life — a mother and daughter try to heal their rift when the daughter falls unexpectedly pregnant, a woman reexamines her father’s legacy after his death — the stories in this collection are hopeful and heartbreaking, full of danger and full of joy. Chung is a master at capturing emotion, and her characters — human and otherwise – will claw their way into your heart and make themselves at home”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Light bringer: a Red Rising novel”
Kate’s 2¢: “Light bringer: a Red Rising novel”
“Light bringer: a Red Rising novel”
by Pierce Brown
This was one of seven stories on a cartridge the NLS sent, so, I read it.
It took a while of listening to get into who was where and doing what in the universe.
I enjoyed listening to Tim Gerard Reynolds Read this lengthy story.
Pierce Brown – Wikipedia
Pierce Brown (born January 28, 1988) is an American science fiction author who writes the Red Rising series, consisting of Red Rising (2014), Golden Son (2015), Morning Star (2016), Iron Gold (2018), Dark Age (2019), and Light Bringer (2023).
PIERCE BROWN
From #1 New York Times bestelling author Pierce Brown, the Red Rising Saga is the story of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom. LEARN MORE “Brown writes layered, flawed characters… but plot is his most breathtaking strength.
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Light bringer: a Red Rising novel DB116610
Brown, Pierce Reading time: 30 hours, 12 minutes.
Tim Gerard Reynolds
Science Fiction
Bestsellers
War Stories
“Darrow returns as Pierce Brown’s New York Times bestselling Red Rising series continues in the thrilling sequel to Dark Age. “Brown’s plots are like a depth charge of nitromethane dropped in a bucket of gasoline. His pacing is 100% him standing over it all with a lit match and a smile, waiting for us to dare him to drop it.” NPR, on Dark Age. “The measure of a man is not the fear he sows in his enemies. It is the hope he gives his friends.” Virginia au Augustus. The Reaper is a legend, more myth than man: the savior of worlds, the leader of the Rising, the breaker of chains. But the Reaper is also Darrow, born of the red soil of Mars: a husband, a father, a friend. The worlds once needed the Reaper. But now they need Darrow. Because after the dark age will come a new age: of light, of victory, of hope.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Eat the document: a novel” by Dana Spiotta
Kate’s 2¢: “Eat the document: a novel” by Dana Spiotta
“Eat the document: a novel” by Dana Spiotta
It is risky business to try to live a lie when you’re livingwith a computer savvy teen.
I found it interesting that the woman on the lam had such a hard time, but the gellow on the lam seemed to be rather casual about it all.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
danaspiotta.com
Dana Spiotta (born 1966) is an American author. She was a recipient of the Rome Prize in Literature,[1] a Guggenheim Fellowship, the John Updike Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship.
She is the author of five novels. Innocents and Others (2016) won the St. Francis College Literary Prize. Stone Arabia (2011) was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist.[2] Eat the Document (2006) was a National Book Award finalist[3] and won the Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.[4] Lightning Field (2001) was a New York Times Notable Book of the year.[5]
In 2021, Spiotta published Wayward, which concerns four women: Sam Raymond, a perimenopausal woman; Ally Raymond, Sam’s daughter; Lily, Sam’s mother; and Clara Loomis, a fictitious 19th Century suffragette who ran away to the Oneida Community as a young woman. Wayward was a New York Times Critics’ Top Pick of 2021
Spiotta was born in 1966 in New Jersey. Her father, son of Italian immigrants, worked for Mobil Oil, and his constant moving made Spiotta a perennial “new-kid”. Her parents met at Hofstra University while acting in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire directed by fellow student Francis Ford Coppola.[8] In 1979, her father began running Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios.[9] She attended Crossroads School and went on to Columbia University, but dropped out at the end of her sophomore year. She moved to Seattle and eventually enrolled at Evergreen State College and studied labor history and creative writing.[9]
She teaches in the Syracuse University MFA creative writing program along with George Saunders, Mary Karr.[10] Spiotta lives in Syracuse, New York with her daughter and her husband, writer Jonathan Dee.[11]
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Eat the document: a novel DB64681
Spiotta, Dana. Reading time: 8 hours, 18 minutes.
Read by Martha Harmon Pardee. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.
Psychological Fiction
In 1972, radical war protestor Mary Whittaker and her lover Bobby Desoto become fugitives and separate after a bombing turns deadly. In Seattle in 2000, widow Mary’s teenage son Jason, an anticorporate activist, uncovers his mother’s deadly secret and finds Bobby for her. Strong language. National Book Award finalist. 2006.
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nt: a novel
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Light bringer: a Red Rising novel” by Pierce Brown
Kate’s 2¢: “Light bringer: a Red Rising novel” by Pierce Brown
“Light bringer: a Red Rising novel”
by Pierce Brown
This was one of seven stories on a cartridge the NLS sent, so, I read it.
It took a while of listening to get into who was where and doing what in the universe.
I enjoyed listening to Tim Gerard Reynolds Read this lengthy story.
Pierce Brown – Wikipedia
Pierce Brown (born January 28, 1988) is an American science fiction author who writes the Red Rising series, consisting of Red Rising (2014), Golden Son (2015), Morning Star (2016), Iron Gold (2018), Dark Age (2019), and Light Bringer (2023).
PIERCE BROWN
From #1 New York Times bestelling author Pierce Brown, the Red Rising Saga is the story of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom. LEARN MORE “Brown writes layered, flawed characters… but plot is his most breathtaking strength.
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Light bringer: a Red Rising novel DB116610
Brown, Pierce Reading time: 30 hours, 12 minutes.
Tim Gerard Reynolds
Science Fiction
Bestsellers
War Stories
“Darrow returns as Pierce Brown’s New York Times bestselling Red Rising series continues in the thrilling sequel to Dark Age. “Brown’s plots are like a depth charge of nitromethane dropped in a bucket of gasoline. His pacing is 100% him standing over it all with a lit match and a smile, waiting for us to dare him to drop it.” NPR, on Dark Age. “The measure of a man is not the fear he sows in his enemies. It is the hope he gives his friends.” Virginia au Augustus. The Reaper is a legend, more myth than man: the savior of worlds, the leader of the Rising, the breaker of chains. But the Reaper is also Darrow, born of the red soil of Mars: a husband, a father, a friend. The worlds once needed the Reaper. But now they need Darrow. Because after the dark age will come a new age: of light, of victory, of hope.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.
Download Light bringer: a Red Rising novel DB116610
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Best Friends Forever: A Novel” by Margot Hunt
Kate’s 2¢: “Best Friends Forever: A Novel” by Margot Hunt
“Best Friends Forever: A Novel” by Margot Hunt
NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…
Oh Dear Gussie! You’ll have to read this novel to believe the awesome story with a pivotal plot twist ending. Well done Margot Hunt.
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Best friends forever: a novel DB88983
Hunt, Margot. Reading time: 10 hours, 39 minutes.
Read by MacKenzie Beyer.
Suspense Fiction
Psychological Fiction
Florida suburban mom Alice Campbell is surprised when detectives want to talk to her about the death of her wealthy friend Kat Grant’s husband, Howard, who fell off their balcony while drunk. And why isn’t Kat taking Alice’s calls? Strong language, some violence, and some descriptions of sex. 2018.
Downloaded: October 6, 2024
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Kate’s 2¢: “Breaking Lorca” by Giles Blunt
“Breaking Lorca” by Giles Blunt
Bruce Roney did a good job of reading this difficult narrative. It was hard enough to listen to it; it must have been hard to professionally read it without breaking down.
I thought the ending was dramatic and fitting.
From Wikipedia:
Giles Blunt (born 1952 in Windsor, Ontario ) is a Canadian poet, novelist and screenwriter. His first novel, Cold Eye, was a psychological thriller set in the New York art world, which was made into the French movie Les Couleurs du diable (Allain Jessua, 1997).
He grew up in North Bay, Ontario, a small city similar to the Algonquin Bay of his John Cardinal novels. He describes his parents as being “so English that the space on their passports for citizenship could only be filled in ‘British Beyond Belief.'”.
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Breaking Lorca DBG06871
Blunt, Giles. Reading time: 6 hours, 29 minutes.
Read by Bruce Roney..
Historical Fiction
Human Relations
Psychological Fiction
War Stories
In 1980s El Salvador, a young woman is detained in a government torture squad’s head-quarters, suspected of supporting guerrilla forces. A new recruit, Victor Peña, is assigned to assist in her interrogation, but before they learn so much as her name–Lorca—the squad relentlessly break her, body and soul. Years later, this terrifying journey into human cruelty and courage still haunts the tormentor as dramatically as it does his victim. Explicit descriptions of violence, strong language and some descriptions of sex. 2009. Marrakesh title.
Downloaded: July 22, 2024
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Kate’s 2¢: “Breaking news: a novel” by Robert MacNeil“Breaking news: a novel” by Robert MacNeil
I enjoyed listening to Gregory Gorton read this story.Reading about times I’ve lived through was entertaining and thought provoking in hind-sight.
We used to listen to the MacNeil news reports, so although fictionalized, it makes one wonder how close to the truth this narrative is.
Wikipedia
Robert Breckenridge Ware MacNeil OC (January 19, 1931 – April 12, 2024, at the age of 93), often known as Robin MacNeil, was a Canadian-American journalist, writer and television news anchor. He partnered with Jim Lehrer to create the landmark public television news program The Robert MacNeil Report in 1975. [ 1 ] MacNeil co-anchored the program until 1995.
MacNeil became a naturalized American citizen in 1997, and became an Order of Canada officer that same year. [ 4 ][ 24 ] He was married to Rosemarie Coopland, Jane Doherty, and Donna Nappi Richards MacNeil. [ 25 ] With Coopland, he was the father of award-winning theatre scenic designer Ian MacNeil.
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Breaking news: a novel DB48391
MacNeil, Robert. Reading time: 11 hours, 44 minutes.
Read by Gregory Gorton.
Psychological Fiction
Veteran news anchor Grant Munro is appalled that the “bottom line” is causing tabloid journalism to take over the serious business of reporting. Munro is also threatened by his stalled contract negotiations and by competition from two younger colleagues, celebrity interviewer Ann Murrow and ambitious and ethically questionable Bill Donovan.
Downloaded: July 22, 2024
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Kate’s 2¢: “Breaking Her Fall”
by Stephen Goodwin
by Stephen Goodwin
Oh, what a parent’s nightmare! Most of us do the best we can to teach our children right from wrong and pray they internalize the difference.
Good win’s description of the burial ceremony of the Admiral in Arlington Cemetery was very moving, awe inspiring and viscerally resonating.
The description of Lilie playing tennis after her father’s memorial was priceless.
Gregory Gorton did a good job of narrating this story.
From the web:
Stephen Goodwin is the author of several novels, including Breaking Her Fall (Harcourt, 2003), and two nonfiction books. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
Goodwin, Stephen 1943-PERSONAL: Born October 20, 1943, in PA; son of Claudius Lee and Jeannette Goodwin; married Lucia Stanton, June 16, 1964 (divorced, 1977); children: Eliza. Education: Harvard University, A.B., 1965; University of Virginia, M.A., 1969. ADDRESSES: Home—Washington, DC.
Stephen Goodwin’s Official Website
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Faculty and Staff: Stephen Goodwin – English
Stephen Goodwin Emeritus Faculty. Creative Writing: fiction; non-fiction; online writing and publishing. Stephen Goodwin (M.A., University of Virginia, 1969) is the author of three novels, Breaking Her Fall, The Blood of Paradise, and Kin.
Steve Goodman – Wikipedia
On September 20, 1984, Goodman died of leukemia at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. [9] He had anointed himself with the tongue-in-cheek nickname “Cool Hand Leuk” (other nicknames included “Chicago Shorty” and “The Little Prince”) during his illness. He was 36 years old.
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Breaking her fall DB59087
Goodwin, Stephen. Reading time: 17 hours, 48 minutes.
Read by Gregory Gorton.
Psychological Fiction
Tucker Jones has survived a divorce, started a new business, bought a house, and relocated his children. Then a late-night telephone call about his fourteen-year-old daughter, Kat, changes the lives of his family and all who touch them. Strong language, some descriptions of sex, and some violence. 2003.
Downloaded: July 22, 2024
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Hillbilly elegy: a memoir of a family and culture in crisis” by J. D. Vance
Kate’s 2¢: “Hillbilly elegy: a memoir of a family and culture in crisis” by J. D. Vance
“Hillbilly elegy: a memoir of a family and culture in crisis” by J. D. Vance
Clay Teunis did an admirable job of reading “Hillbilly elegy: a memoir of a family and culture in crisis” by James David Vance. I found this engaging and entertaining, yet poignant story of the man running for Vice-President of our United States of America on the Republican ticket with Donald J. Trump.
How fortunate to have had a staunch grandmother to pick up the pieces when his mother fell apart, leaving him stranded.
Most of what I found on the web dealt with the campaign for election. The book is his auto-biography.
From NLS/BARD/LOC”
Hillbilly elegy: a memoir of a family and culture in crisis DB85796
Vance, J. D. Reading time: 8 hours, 38 minutes.
Read by Clay Teunis.
Biography
Social Sciences
Bestsellers
Memoir of growing up in the Ohio Rust Belt in a family culture rooted in Scots-Irish Appalachia. Explores political themes affecting these community cultures through the lens of personal and familial experiences. Discusses what it took to go from nearly failing high school to graduating from Yale Law School. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2016.
Downloaded: July 26, 2024
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