The Husband by Dean Koontz August 31, 2006

This is the first Dean Koontz book that I have read/listened to. He’s not an author that I think I would ordinarily read, but I liked this book. It was very gripping, and had quite a few surprises in it. If I had any major complaint, it would be that the detail seemed to be excessive at times. I listened to this book in my car, and I swear I’d been driving for days listening to an account of action that probably took minutes.

The book did make me gasp in surprise a few times, which is always a great reaction to have. I did think that the ending was a little unrealistic. Even if you’ve killed or hurt people and stolen cars in the name of a greater cause, can you really escape doing any kind of jail time? I don’t need to know for personal reference, but the question did occur to me from time to time as I was reading.

Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger August 20, 2006

This book had an interesting premise—children who were in dangerous living situations were kidnapped and sold to new parents, without ever knowing where they came from. One of these children is forced into this knowledge when, as an adult, she saves a child from being hit by a bus and is suddenly on the front page of the paper, causing her to be recognized by people who knew her as a different person. As she and a mysterious man try to find out what really happened, they find themselves on the run from unknown enemies.

This book was interesting, though I felt that the author spent a little too much time in making the main character’s voice sound like she was telling her story to an audience. There were a lot of “What would you do?” moments that I just didn’t think added to the story. I also thought the ending was a little too convenient. Can cops just grab the police helicopter and take off whenever they feel that someone is in danger? Because they did in this novel.

The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard July 31, 2006

A woman is abandoned by her husband just as she learns she has multiple sclerosis. The story is told from the points of view of both the woman who is left and her son.

I listened to this book over several weeks. I usually listen to books while I drive, and this one kept my interest, though I wouldn’t say it captivated me. The story wasn’t at all original, but the characters were interesting, and the author was careful to show how flawed they were. I felt that I was drawn in despite myself, starting to care about characters who I didn’t really like in the beginning.

The book did have a really strange ending, though. Why pretend at the end that the book is not a novel, when it clearly is a novel? I would think about this more, but it makes my brain hurt.

One thing I am starting to realize as I listen to audiobooks is that I have a hard time with readers who do voices. The reader for this book is very talented, and can do a number of accents and voices, but I don’t think it added anything to the story. In fact, there were times when I felt disappointed that certain characters returned to the story because it meant listening to a certain voice or accent again.

Ireland by Frank Delaney July 10, 2006

This is a wonderful novel. It begins with a boy who becomes fascinated by the traveling storyteller who comes to his home one night. It continues with the boy’s search for the storyteller, a search that takes him across the country.

The stories that are told throughout the novel are stories of the history of Ireland. Some are true, some are imagined. But all are wonderful. I really felt like I had learned a great deal about the country of Ireland when I was finished listening.

The audiobook was read by the author, and he did an amazing job.

The September Girls by Maureen Lee May 30, 2006

This book reminded me of those family sagas I loved when I was a teenager, which began with a young girl and continued on (and on and on) to tell not only her story, but the stories of her daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters. The September Girls begins with the story of two women in England not long after World War I. One is wealthy and unhappily married, the other is poor and almost destitute (though happily married). They both give birth on the same night, and their families remain connected throughout the years. As the women get older, the focus of the book turns to their daughters, whom they call the September Girls.

So much happens in this novel. So much that it doesn’t even fit into the novel–some things take place “offstage.” Marriages are only mentioned later, children suddenly appear, and flirting couples are making wedding plans in the next sentence. But the characters are interesting and the writing is good.

The novel is especially good when focusing on World War II (which I just cannot seem to stop unintentionally reading/hearing about). The viewpoints of so many different people—soldiers, mothers, children, officers—it was all captivating.

All in all, a good novel and one whose characters I would like to meet again.

Truth and Consequences by Alison Lurie April 24, 2006

I listened to this one as I commuted to work last week, and it really held my interest. It was a story without very likable characters, but well written (and read) enough to be compelling. The depiction of marriage in it is hard to take—it seems so soul-crushing that it’s amazing anyone stays together in Alison Lurie’s universe. Even marrying for love turns sour eventually.

Alison Lurie is certainly a talented writer. The descriptions of one of the main character’s back pain were so detailed that it became hard to listen to without feeling some sympathetic pains.

I really wanted one of the characters to get more of a comeuppance in the end, which kind of surprised me, because of how strongly I wanted it to happen. I just found her hard to like and really wanted more consequences to come her way. Everyone was just so civilized that it was starting to bug me.

The reader of this audiobook had such a great voice that I kept listening to the book even though I felt it had a slow start. But once I got interested I stayed interested, making sure I had to run an errand on Saturday so that I could have some quality listening-time in the car.

The Lost Mother by Mary McGarry Morris April 12, 2006

This story completely captivated me. Two children, Thomas and Margaret, grow up during the Depression–their mother has left them and their proud father is doing the best he can, yet they have to live in a tent in the woods. The hardships these children go through are just awful, and things just get worse and worse. Their father goes to jail, then they escape yet another bad situation and find their mother, who actually sends them to an orphanage. But just when it seems like things can’t get any worse, something wonderful happens.

Can I just add that I’m glad I didn’t live during the Depression?

I listened to this audiobook in my car, and on several occasions sat in the garage just to hear a little more. I thought the reader did an excellent job of with different voices and accents, all except for one character, the little girl named Margaret. I just really started disliking the voice the reader did for her, and I wondered if that’s what was causing me to dislike the character so much. I mean, she was an eight-year-old girl–how could I feel such animosity towards her? When the children were in the orphanage and Margaret wouldn’t even talk to poor, lonely Thomas, I wanted to smack her. Hard to do through your car stereo.

All in all I really enjoyed listening to this story. It was well written and always interesting, and I’m so glad it had a happy ending.