I Am in Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak But Finds Her Voice

I Am in Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak But Finds Her Voice

by: Elizabeth M. Bonker, Virginia G. Breen

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Release date: November 10, 2011

Listening length: 5 hours, 12 minutes 

Read date: April 28, 2023

My review: 3 out of 5 stars

"She looked into my eyes and blinked hers slowly and deliberately, like a stroke victim, to show me that, although she couldn't speak, she understood what I was saying to her. I stroked her hair softly. 'I know you're in there, honey,' I told her. 'We'll get you out".

Despite the horror of seeing 15-month-old Elizabeth slip away into autism, her mother knew that her bright little girl was still in there. When Elizabeth eventually learned to communicate, first by using a letterboard and later by typing, the poetry she wrote became proof of a glorious, life-affirming victory for this young girl and her family.

I Am in Here is the spiritual journey of a mother and daughter who refuse to give up hope, who celebrate their victories, and who keep trying to move forward despite the obstacles. Although she cannot speak, Elizabeth writes poetry that shines a light on the inner world of autism and the world around us. That poetry and her mother's stirring storytelling combine in this inspirational book to proclaim that there is always a reason to take the next step forward - with hope.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. What I didn't love was the author implying that vaccines caused her children's autism. It is something I almost put the book down over. If she had gone much deeper into her belief of that, I might have put the book down, but the mentions were brief and thankfully she focused this book on her non-verbal daughter and not how she thinks she "contracted" autism. It was interesting to read about the different treatments they were trying with both Elizabeth and her son, also autistic. I also really enjoyed seeing the world through Elizabeth's poetry. Though non-verbal, she uses a word board to communicate. Being able to "see" how she thinks of things, makes you change your perspective a little bit.

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything In Between)

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything In Between)

by: Lauren Graham

Read by the author 

Listening length: 4 hours, 35 minutes 

Release date: November 29, 2016

Read date: April 27, 2023

My review: four out of five stars 

New York Times best seller

In this collection of personal essays, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood reveals stories about life, love, and working as a woman in Hollywood - along with behind-the-scenes dispatches from the set of the new Gilmore Girls, where she plays the fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore once again. In Talking as Fast as I Can, Lauren Graham hits pause for a moment and looks back on her life, sharing laugh-out-loud stories about growing up, starting out as an actress, and, years later, sitting in her trailer on the Parenthood set and asking herself, “Did you, um, make it?” She opens up about the challenges of being single in Hollywood (“Strangers were worried about me; that’s how long I was single!”), the time she was asked to audition her butt for a role, and her experience being a judge on Project Runway (“It’s like I had a fashion-induced blackout”).

In “What It Was Like, Part One”, Graham sits down for an epic Gilmore Girls marathon and reflects on being cast as the fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore. The essay “What It Was Like, Part Two” reveals how it felt to pick up the role again nine years later and what doing so has meant to her. Some more things you will learn about Lauren: She once tried to go vegan just to bond with Ellen DeGeneres, she’s aware that meeting guys at awards shows has its pitfalls (“If you’re meeting someone for the first time after three hours of hair, makeup, and styling, you’ve already set the bar too high”), and she’s a card-carrying REI shopper (“My bungee cords now earn points!”). Including photos and excerpts from the diary Graham kept during the filming of the recent Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, this audiobook is like a cozy night in, catching up with your best friend, laughing and swapping stories, and - of course - talking as fast as you can.

If you love Gilmore girls, you will want to listen to Lauren's stories of how she remembers both the original and the follow up show. I loved hearing her inside stories and just about her life in general. Love that she was open and vulnerable about some of the choices she made as a young actress. It felt like a friend chatting with you about what's new in their life. I wonder if Alexis Bledel has a memoir...

If We're Being Honest

If We're Being Honest

By Cat Shook
Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney
Listening length: 11 hours, 8 minutes
Release date: April 18, 2023
My review: 3.5 out of 5 stars

For fans of We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange and All Adults Here by Emma Straub, Cat Shook’s debut novel If We’re Being Honest is the snappy, smart, heartwarming story of the Williams family, and the sweltering summer that rewrote their history.

When Gerry, the beloved Williams patriarch, dies suddenly, his grandchildren flock from across the country to the family home in Eulalia, Georgia. But when Gerry’s best friend steps up to the microphone to deliver his eulogy, the funeral turns out unlike anyone expected. The cousins, left reeling and confused, cope with their fresh grief and various private dramas. Delia, recently heartbroken, refuses to shut up about her ex. Her sister Alice, usually confident, flusters when she spots her high school sweetheart, hiding a secret that will change both of their lives. Outspoken, affable Grant is preening in the afterglow of his recent appearance on The Bachelorette and looking to reignite an old flame with the least available person in town. Meanwhile, his younger brother Red, unsure of himself and easily embarrassed, desperately searches for a place in the boisterous family.

The cousins’ eccentric parents are in tow, too, and equally lost—in love and in life. Watching over them all is Ellen, Gerry’s sweet and proper widow, who does her best to keep her composure in front of the leering small town.

Clever and completely original, If We’re Being Honest reminds you that while no one can break your heart like your family can, there’s really no one better to put you back together.

Although I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.

I really enjoyed this story of love and loss. It is about a family that comes together after the sudden loss of their patriarch. When a secret comes out about his life (during his funeral no less) it rocks everyone in the family. Told from almost every viewpoint in the family, this book gives a broad sense of how everyone handles grief and secrets differently. I love how real this felt. There were a few parts that felt a little too "happily ever after" but I guess that does sometimes happen. It was a fun listen and i would probably pick up another of Shook's books to listen to.

The American Wife

The American Wife 

by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger

Narrated by Madeline Pell 
Listening length: 10 hours, 3 minutes 

Release date April 14, 2023 

My review: 4 out of 5 stars

With her heart in her mouth, Kitty let herself into her husband’s private study. She knew where he kept the papers that might save her dearest friend from the Nazis. She just had to steal them....

Vienna, 1937. When beautiful American Kitty becomes engaged to Austrian diplomat Edgar, she finds herself thrown into a very different world in Europe, and soon longs for home. But when the woman designing her wedding dress, Judith, takes Kitty under her wing, she sees the city of Vienna in a new light–a city of culture and music that she can explore with her new friend.

But when the Nazis come, the fact that Judith is Jewish means she is no longer safe. Kitty knows that as a diplomat’s wife she can steal the papers that will allow her closest friend to escape to safety, but will it mean betraying the love of her life?

Except that Edgar has grown distant and secretive since she joined him in Europe and, when war breaks out, Kitty wonders which side her husband is really on. And, as she prepares to betray him, Kitty begins to fear that she doesn’t really know the man she married at all.

Facing an impossible choice between her dearest friend and the man she loves, Kitty knows she must be brave, and do the right thing, no matter the personal cost....

An absolutely heartbreaking, powerful, and gripping story about finding love, resilience, and friendship in the midst of the darkness of World War 2. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, My Name Is Eva, and All the Light We Cannot See.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.

I've been quite into historical fiction lately so this seemed right up my alley. I love the idea of an American on foreign soil during the war. In this case, Kitty is in Vienna during World War 2. She meets, falls in love with and marries Edgar. After the wedding, things in the country start heating up politically and Edgar isn't the man that she thought she married, or is he? I really loved seeing how Kitty worked with the American embassy and seeing how they might have tried to help people at the time. I can't even imagine the helplessness they felt at being unable to get people out of the country. :( I will be keeping an eye out to see if Lucyk-Berger writes more stories about Kitty and her ongoing journey in Vienna. The war isn't over at the end of this book so I imagine Kitty and Edgar aren't either...

The Tea Dragon Tapestry

The Tea Dragon Tapestry (the Tea Dragon Series book 3) 
Written and illustrated by: K. O'Neill

137 pages

Release date: June 2, 2021

My review: 4 out of 5 stars 

Join Greta and Minette once more for the heartwarming conclusion of the award-winning Tea Dragon series!

Over a year since being entrusted with Ginseng's care, Greta still can't chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. As she struggles to create something spectacular enough to impress a master blacksmith in search of an apprentice, she questions the true meaning of crafting, and the true meaning of caring for someone in grief. Meanwhile, Minette receives a surprise package from the monastery where she was once training to be a prophetess. Thrown into confusion about her path in life, the shy and reserved Minette finds that the more she opens her heart to others, the more clearly she can see what was always inside.

Told with the same care and charm as the previous installments of the Tea Dragon series, The Tea Dragon Tapestry welcomes old friends and new into a heartfelt story of purpose, love, and growth.

In this continuation of the Tea Dragon graphic novel series, Greta is still trying to coax Ginseng out of her grief. At the same time, she is working on a blacksmithing project worthy of being asked to be an apprentice blacksmith. This really did hit me in the feels and the beautiful artwork just brings the story to life. I love this quote by Greta's mom "When someone is grieving, the best thing you can do is let them heal on their own and show them that you'll be there for them." It is just such a true sentiment. <3

Where Are The Children Now

Where Are The Children Now

By Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke

284 pages 

Release date: April 18, 2023 

My review: five out of five stars

The legacy of the “Queen of Suspense” continues with the highly anticipated follow-up to Mary Higgins Clark’s iconic novel Where Are The Children?, featuring the children of Nancy Harmon, facing peril once again as adults.

Of the fifty-six bestsellers the “Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark published in her lifetime, Where Are the Children? was her biggest, selling millions of copies and forever transforming the genre of suspense fiction. In that story, a young California mother named Nancy Harmon was convicted of murdering her two children. Though released on a technicality, she was abandoned by her husband and became such a pariah in the media that she was forced to move across the country to Cape Cod, change her identity and appearance, and start a new life. Years later her two children from a second marriage, Mike and Melissa, would go missing, and Nancy yet again became the prime suspect—but this time, Nancy was able to confront the secrets buried in her past and rescue her kids from a dangerous predator.

Now, more than four decades since readers first met Nancy and her children, comes the thrilling sequel to the groundbreaking book that set the stage for future generations of psychological suspense novels. A lawyer turned successful podcaster, Melissa has recently married a man whose first wife died tragically, leaving him and their young daughter, Riley, behind. While Melissa and her brother, Mike, help their mom, Nancy, relocate from Cape Cod to the equally idyllic Hamptons, Melissa’s new stepdaughter goes missing. Drawing on the experience of their own abduction, Melissa and Mike race to find Riley to save her from the trauma they still struggle with—or worse.

Just like the original, Where Are the Children Now? keeps readers guessing and holding their breath until the very last page.


While I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book.

I have loved Mary Higgins-Clark for as long as I can remember. Her mysteries were some of the first "grown up" books that I started reading. When I saw this one available as an ARC, I put my name on the list and kept my fingers crossed. When I noticed that she had help writing this book, my hopes were a little lowered. I've been burned by "ghost writers" filling in for amazing writers before (VC Andrews anyone??) But this book stayed so true to the MHC style of writing, I would have never known that she didn't write the whole thing herself. It was a beautiful follow-up to one of her best selling books. Usually I don't love the "continuation" stories like these, but this one was so well done. The coincidences were written into the story and made it part of the mystery. I simply loved it.

Five stars for this amazing book for sure. If you loved "Where are the Children" you will love "where are the children now" =)

Daughter of the Pirate King

Daughter of the Pirate King 

By Tricia Levenseller 

Narrated by Marisa Calin 

Published July 18, 2017

My review: 4 out of 5 stars 

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I've gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map - the key to a legendary treasure trove - 17-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

In Daughter of the Pirate King, debut author Tricia Levenseller blends action, adventure, romance, and a little bit of magic into a thrilling YA pirate tale.

Loved this story of a lady pirate. She happens to be the daughter of the pirate king, I guess a pirate princess. She goes on a mission for her dad. Knowing that she can't come back to the Pirate king empty handed, she is desperately searching the ship while trying to avoid the clever and attractive first mate, Riden. I am so very glad this is book one in this series because it was so very fun to follow Alosa on her journey. The further you got in the book, the more you wonder what that "extra" thing is about her. I wish we could have seen her more with her own crew, but maybe in the next book. I can't wait. Loved how this one ended! Also, can we just admire this cover art? Simply beautiful!

Heart of the Nile

Heart of the Nile
By Will Thomas
Narrated by Antony Ferguson
Listening length: 9 hours, 59 minutes
Release date: April 11, 2023
My review: 4 out of 5 stars

London, 1893: deadly doings are afoot in the British Museum and private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn must unravel a mystery involving a mummy, a giant ruby and a murder, in Will Thomas's Heart of the Nile.

Cyrus Barker, along with his former assistant and now partner Thomas Llewelyn, is the premier enquiry agent in all of 19th-century London, and beyond. They've thwarted the designs of villains and crooks off all sorts, helped Scotland Yard crack their most challenging cases, and worked for the Her Majesty's Government at the very highest levels. But nothing has been quite as challenging and dangerous as the latest case that comes to find them.

In 1893, a volunteer at the British Museum makes a startling discovery. When examining a mummy in the museum's collection, he discovers there is a giant ruby in the shape of a heart buried in the chest of the mummy. Even more startling, the mummy might well be Cleopatra. The following morning, the volunteer is found floating in the Thames and the ruby has gone missing. Hired by the victim’s wife to learn the truth behind his death, Barker and Llewelyn find themselves in the crosshairs—now they must avoid a violent street gang, a ruthless collector, and the British Museum itself in order to find the killer and safeguard the gem.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian audio for the opportunity to listen to this novel.

Even though this is part of a quite long series, it was a complete story. You know how much I love that. This book was a perfect who dunnit. There was lots of mystery, lots of colorful characters and lots of questions. I loved the setting of past-time London. It allows you to go way back to a "simpler" time which was also a much more complex time. I also really loved Cyrus and Thomas, the "detectives" called enquiry agents in this series. They are such fun characters. So very different from each other but they work so very well together. I would totally pick up another of these novels to listen to. Narrator was awesome and easy to listen to.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

Narrated by Allan Corduner 

Published September 14, 2006

Listening length: 13 hours, 56 minutes 

My review: 5 out of 5 stars 

Don’t miss Bridge of Clay, Markus Zusak’s first novel since The Book Thief.

The extraordinary number-one New York Times best seller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul. Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

When Death has a story to tell, you listen. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist - books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

“The kind of book that can be life-changing.” (The New York Times)

“Deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.” (USA Today)




I don't know why it took me so long to read this book. It is a historical fiction book about a German girl during World War 2. She is in Nazi Germany living with her foster parents. Told in alternating perspectives of her and death, it is simply beautiful. Stories of this time period are always intriguing to me, and this one especially got to me because it is told from the "other side" and shows just how much grey there was. Even in Germany, people didn't know what was going on. Or they feared not going along with it. They saw what was happening and were scared. I wonder what would happen if we were put in the same situation...

The Family Secret

The Family Secret

By Kiersten Modglin

Narrated by Jennifer Sun Bell

Listening length: 6 hours, 44 minutes 

Release date: April 4, 2023 

My review: 4 out of 5 stars

When freshly engaged Austyn Murphy and Lowell Bass receive the news that Lowell's parents have died unexpectedly, they set out for the historic Bass estate to handle their affairs and lay the former heads of the family to rest.

Enshrouded in layers of secrecy and tradition, the Bass estate, and the family residing within its walls, give anything but a warm welcome. When the idea of staying in the home permanently is brought up, Austyn witnesses a side of her future husband she's never seen before.

Late one night, Austyn overhears a whispered conversation, revealing she hasn't been given the full truth about the world she's marrying into. And when Emily, an old friend, calls with devastating news of her own, Lowell and Austyn invite her to join them for a visit at the estate.

Upon Emily's arrival, a confession is made, causing a rift in the seemingly impenetrable bond the girls once had. As Emily settles into their home, becoming closer to Lowell than ever before, Austyn fears she's made a grave mistake.

Trapped inside the Bass estate under the ever-watchful eye of the staff and her soon-to-be family, Austyn makes another chilling discovery—something so terrible it changes everything.

With distressing revelations hidden around every corner and time running out before final decisions are made about her future, Austyn must uncover the truth about the opulent and powerful Bass family...at the risk of becoming another one of their dark secrets.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to listen to this novel.

This book was a wild ride. While I have read a few of the "family secret" type books, this one is by far one of my favorites. Until the very end, I had no idea what the secret was or how things were going to play out. It did have some of the troupes that many of these books have like the rich man sweeping the not so wealthy woman off her feet, taking her into a world that is so unlike her own. The girl being so overwhelmed by the opulence of the wealth. The fact that this book starts with the death of his parents made this start out a little differently then I was used to, and I kind of appreciated that. It made for a relationship that felt more real (at least in my opinion). This one kept me guessing what was going to happen until the last pages. The epilogue made the ending for me. Loved that wrap up like a bow on a fancy present.

The Soulmate

The Soulmate
By Sally Hepworth
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik and Jessica Douglas-Henry
Listening length: 7 hours, 44 minutes
Release date: April 4, 2023
My review: 3.5 out of 5 stars

"Listeners will be captivated as the narrators create tension and drop hints about the real problem in this “ideal” family."—Booklist on The Younger Wife

Get ready for a thrilling, addictive novel about marriage, betrayal, and the secrets that push us to the edge in Sally Hepworth's The Soulmate.

There’s a cottage on a cliff. Gabe and Pippa’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Until he doesn’t.

When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral...Did the victim jump? Was she pushed?

And would Gabe, the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate...lie? As the perfect facade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian audio for the opportunity to listen to this novel.

This was a wild ride of a book. I never saw the ending coming and while I did enjoy the story overall, it felt a bit over the top. As someone who is in a relationship with someone with bipolar, the disease was painted a little bit inaccurately. I guess that could be the case for some people, but not for my husband. It made me uncomfortable. That's why the deduction in stars for me. I also hated that Pippa lied to her husband about such a big thing in their marriage. The whole thing could have been avoided if she were just honest. I guess that is part of the story, but it is still so frustrating to read that. It was a good book and I enjoyed it, but won't be reading it again.

I did enjoy this passage from chapter 79, it is from the viewpoint of the woman lost on the cliff that is under investigation: "While I've been in this liminal space, I've discovered things that most people never get to see. Things which have altered my perspective on the messiness of humanity.
It's as if, while living your life, you view the world through a straw. You see only the tiniest sliver, all of it from your own perspective. Other people have their motives, their backstories, their feelings, but you don't know that unless they share them with you. And even then, there is every chance they are lying or prevaricating."

A Cruel Light

A Cruel Light

By Cyndi Macmillian
Narrated by: Nan McNamara
Listening length: 7 hours, 53 minutes
Release date: April 4, 2023
My review: 4 out of 5 stars

It was a blood-curdling crime that rocked the town to its core, leaving some with permanent scars and others with deep regrets. A young girl had been brutally slain. Memories were beginning to fade, but during the renovation of the old parsonage, the murder rears its ugly head again when workers discover a time-ravaged portrait of the young victim. Conservator Annora Garde is hired by the local police to clean the painting and expose what lies buried within it.

Inspector Scott Mac MacGowan is convinced the mural is a cryptic confession that will solve the cold case—but it’s looking more and more like someone will do whatever it takes to keep the past in the past. Together, Mac and Annora struggle to put the pieces of the puzzle together, in order to provide closure to surviving family members.

Toxic mold obscures blood-chilling clues, and the painting has an eerie life of its own. Annora is haunted by what she reveals, by the dirt she digs up, by her own tragic losses, and perhaps even by the young victim herself. As she closes in on the killer, the killer inches ever closer to her, and she will come face to face with a brutal truth: some murderers never come clean.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to listen to this story.

The description of this mystery pulled me in, and once I started listening, I couldn't stop. This story didn't feel like one that you have heard over and over. In this novel, Annora is tasked with restoring an old mural, but not for the "usual" reasons that one restores art. She is tasked with restoring the mural to help solve a cold case. As she and Mac get closer to figuring out the painting, the murderer is getting more and more violent to try and keep them from the truth. I loved how this book weaves in parts of Annora's past, helps you understand why she sees things the way she does. Another thing I really loved was the relationship between characters. You see the realness of the people shine through in the way they handle the things that keep getting thrown at them.

Overall, this was a great mystery and I hope to be able to read more stories that feature Mac and Annora.

The Stable Boy of Auschwitz

The Stable Boy of Auschwitz 

By Henry Oster, Dexter Ford 

Narrated by: William Hope, Susan Oster, Dexter Ford and Henry Oster

Listening length: 6 hours, 59 minutes 

Release date: April 4, 2023 

My review: 4.5 out of 5 stars

"Hunger gnawed at my insides. I couldn’t last much longer. But just as I was beginning to give up, I found myself in the Auschwitz stables, with rows of stalls filled with horses. Barbarossa was a towering, beautiful stallion. He only responded to commands in German, and as the only German-speaking boy, I was chosen as his caretaker. I felt an ember of hope. If I could make myself useful, helping these horses, maybe I could stay alive.”

Henry Oster was just five years old when Adolf Hitler took power in 1933. One of the 2,011 Jews who were rounded up by the Gestapo and deported from Cologne, he was one of only 23 to emerge alive from the concentration camps after the war.

A heart-wrenching and inspirational true account of a courageous little boy who, against all odds, after losing almost everything a human being can lose, survived to tell his story.

Torn from their home, Henry and his parents were deported to the Łódź Ghetto in Poland, a concentration camp within a city. Then, one terrifying day, after losing his father to starvation, Henry found himself and his mom herded onto a stifling, filth-ridden cattle car, on a ride to a place whose name has come to symbolize the worst of humanity: Auschwitz.

Nazis ripped Henry apart from his mother in the shuffling river of children, women, and men stepping off the train. For the first time in his life, Henry was completely alone.

Assigned to work in the Auschwitz stables, breeding horses, Henry had to tend his mares, Mutti, Olga, and the stallion Barbarossa from dawn into the night. It was back-breaking labor, but Henry clung to the belief that if he made himself hard to replace, he might just stay alive. With crippling hunger pains, Henry fed the horses each day, knowing that if he were caught pocketing a carrot or cramming some grain into his mouth, he would face the hangman.

Through it all—from finding ways to escape being selected for death in the Auschwitz/Birkenau gas chambers, to surviving a machine-gun firing squad, to enduring a brutal death march through the bleak Polish winter—Henry somehow found the strength and the will to keep on going.

How did one starving little boy, alone and forgotten, survive this ultimate hell on earth? The Kindness of the Hangman is the heart-breaking, mesmerizing, and unforgettable true story that will destroy your faith in humanity. And then build it back up again.

This book was originally published as The Kindness of the Hangman.




While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this story.

I love reading stories of the holocaust. Well, love is the wrong word, but I think it is important for people to keep reading these stories because I do believe "Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it." This book is the true story of a holocaust survivor. This book is named for one of the "jobs" he held while in Auschwitz, helping to care for the horses of the Nazi's. This story of survival and also of his ability to come to America after and go on to live a long life, it did soothe my heart a little. Henry went on in his life to speak out regularly about his time during the holocaust, his story. It really is an amazing tale of survival.

Lost in Paris

Lost in Paris

By: Betty Webb
Narrated by: Hope Newhouse
Listening length: 9 hours, 37 minutes
Release date: April 4, 2023
My review: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Paris, 1922: Zoe Barlow knows the pain of loss. By the age of eighteen, she'd already lost her father to suicide and her reputation to an ill-fated love affair—not to mention other losses, too devastating for words. Exiled from her home and her beloved younger sister by their stepmother, she was unceremoniously dumped in Paris without a friend to help her find her way.

Four years later, Zoe has forged a new life as a painter amidst fellow artists, expats, and revolutionary thinkers struggling to make sense of the world in the aftermath of war. She's adopted this Lost Generation as her new family, so when her dear friend Hadley Hemingway loses a valise containing all of her husband Ernest's writings, Zoe happily volunteers to track it down. But her search for the bag keeps leading to murder victims, and Zoe must again face hard losses—this time among her adopted tribe. If she persists in her reckless quest to find the killer, the next life lost may be her own.

Pulsing with the glamour and excitement of the Jazz Age, Lost in Paris explores a young woman's journey to redeem herself from the heartaches of her past while finding her way forward in tumultuous, unprecedented times.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the chance to listen to this story.

I love books that take me to a time period before my own. This one took me back to the 1920s in Paris. Zoe is living on her own as an artist. I love this character. She is so independent and resourceful. The way that you learn of her past as she is reliving things happening in her current life, made me feel terrible for her. In a search for a lost manuscript, she comes across a murder scene and from there things just wind up getting more and more complex for Zoe. I loved this story and the way that the mystery played out. Seeing Zoe use her art as a way to work through the things she's going through and eventually even the things that went on back in the US for her. It is beautiful to see different ways that people cope and learn to deal with grief. I enjoyed this book but probably wouldn't re-read it.

You Know Her

You Know Her

By Meagan Jennett

Narrated by: Sophie Amoss and Xe Sands

Listening length: 11 hours, 1 minute 

Release date: April 4, 2023 

My review: 3.5 out of 5 stars 

"This book will be the talk of the genre. If you read one thriller this year, read this one." —Chelsea Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Heartsick

Killing Eve meets Sharp Objects in this lush, savage Southern Gothic about two women: a fledgling murderer and the cop hell-bent on catching her.

Two hours before he vanished, Mark Dixon stole a glass of wine. That's what bartender Sophie Braam told the cops when they questioned her about the customer whose mutilated body was just found. What she didn’t tell them is that she’s the one who killed him.

Officer Nora Martin is new to the Bellair Police Department and trying very hard to learn the ropes from Detective Murphy while ignoring all the men in the department snapping about a diversity hire. When she meets Sophie, they build an uneasy camaraderie over shared frustrations.

As winter slides into spring and bodies start piling up, Nora begins to suspect that something’s not quite right with the unnerving, enigmatic bartender. But will she be able to convince Murph, or will he keep laughing off the idea that the serial killer haunting their little town is a woman?

A crackling cat-and-mouse thriller set against the verdant backdrop of small-town Virginia, Meagan Jennett’s You Know Her probes the boundaries of female friendship and the deadly consequences when frustration ferments into rage.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian audio for the opportunity to listen to this story.

Talk about creepy! You go between two views; one is the cop looking for a possible serial killer. But no one else in her department seems to be convinced that 1) their murders are that of a serial killer or that 2) it is a woman. But Nora is convinced and is just working her way through clues and learning the ropes of her, soon to be position, in her new dept. The other viewpoint is that of the killer, Sophie. You don't really see at first how deeply disturbed Sophie is. The deeper into the book you get, the crazier you see she is. I just kept wondering when the crazy was going to spill out of the normal facade that she kept so well in place for everyone else. It was a page turner for sure and had me wondering, when (or if) Nora or anyone in her department was ever going to put all the pieces together and be able to stop Sophie. Not sure I really got my answer...

Divine Rivals

Divine Rivals 

By: Rebecca Ross

Narrated by Alex Wingfield and Rebecca Norfolk

Listening length: 10 hours, 50 minutes 

Release date: April 4, 2023

My review: 3.5 out of 5 stars

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian audio for the opportunity to listen to this story.

First of all, if it weren't for the non-ending, this book would have gotten 4.5 or even 5 stars but because this book HAS NO ENDING I had to lower my rating. I hate it when I have to wait for another book to find out what happens. Even in a series, each book should have a full story on its own. This one left me completely questioning the fate of every single character, save one. I did love the story, loved the characters. The idea is something new to me and with the hint of magic in it, it really is a beautiful start. I just wish that it had an ending. I feel like I only read half a book. Beyond frustrating as a reader, especially when this is so newly out, I have to wait who knows how long until the next book. Hopefully that one will have the end of the story.

Stars & Smoke

Stars and Smoke 

By Marie Lu 

Narrated by Becca Q. Co

Listening length: 11 hours, 57 minutes 

Release date March 28, 2023 

My review: five stars out of five stars

The Hating Game meets Mission: Impossible in this smoldering new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu about a superstar tapped to become a secret agent and the reluctant young spy assigned to be his partner.

Meet Winter Young–rookie backup dancer turned global pop phenomenon. His star power has smashed records, selling out stadiums from LA to London. Now he’s bringing his swoonworthy assets to a whole new arena...

Infamous criminal tycoon Eli Morrison has just one weakness–his daughter, Penelope. And Penelope has just one wish for her nineteenth birthday–a private concert with Winter Young. When covert ops organization The Panacea Group approaches Winter with this once-in-a-lifetime chance to infiltrate Morrison’s inner circle, Winter must use his fame, cunning, and charisma to pull it off–only he won’t be on his own.

Posing as Winter’s bodyguard is the fiery Sydney Cossette, Panacea’s youngest spy. Sydney may be the only person alive impervious to Winter's charms, but as the mission brings them closer, she's forced to admit there's more to this A-lister than slick dance moves and a handsome face. Panacea's unlikeliest partners just might become its biggest heroes–and maybe even more–if they can survive each other first.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to listen to this novel! 

When a young spy is forced to team up with a global pop superstar to take down an infamous criminal, all bets are off on if this duo can pull it off. Both of them have a vial of "death" in their pockets, "just in case" it goes wrong, they can't be caught alive after all. Will they be able to pull it off against the odds and keep a new biological weapon off the market? 

This book was so fun! Interesting characters, the story just kept you going, left me wondering what the heck was going to happen. I also LOVE that there is the opportunity for a sequel, but it wasn't left with a totally open ending. I'm ready to re-listen to this book all over again, just to see what details I might have missed. Seriously a great read!

Tummy Troubles

Tummy Troubles: Gretchen Gets a GRIP on Her Fear of Throwing Up

by Jaime Roche
Illustrated by Doruntina Beqiraj
Reading age: 4-8
Print length: 32 pages
Release date: June 6, 2023

Tummy Troubles is the story of Gretchen, who loves pizza day at school until a stomach bug causes an embarrassing scene for her in the cafeteria.

The story follows Gretchen as she navigates her way through her newly developed fear of vomiting. With the help of her school counselor and the acronym GRIP, Gretchen learns an extremely effective diaphragmatic breathing method that helps reduce the physiological symptoms associated with the fight or flight response, such as digestive distress. 

Although I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Magination Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this story. 

I've got to be honest here: I have suffered with stomach pains associated with anxiety since I was in 6th grade. Not only that, I have  passed that lovely condition on to all three of my children. Needless to say, this book was basically screaming at me to read. 

Although Gretchen's anxiety is about throwing up again, the strategies that she is taught by the school counselor are ones that myself and my children can use. This is a book that I will for sure keep in mind for other kiddos that I hear about with the same problems. It would be an awesome addition to any school or public library. I know when I was in school and dealing with medical problems, my library was the first place I would look things up (you know, before there was google!) I love books like this that give kids tips and ways to handle things. 

Pride and Joy

Pride and Joy: A Story About Becoming an LGBTQIA+ Ally

By Frank Sileo, Kate Lum-Potvin
Illustrated by: Emmi Smid
Foreword by: Vanessa Williams
Reading age: 3 and up

Reading length: 48 pages 
Release date: May 18, 2023

Joy loves her big brother, Noah. He's the best brother, skateboarder and cookie baker there is! So, when Noah is teased for being gay, Joy wants to help. But how?

Joy decides to become an ally - someone who supports others through their words and actions. With her best friend, Elliott, Joy takes action, baking 'Pride and Joy' cookies to raise money for the local LGBTQIA+ center. But when the bully tries to put an end to the bake sale, Joy learns that being an ally means using your words, too.

Written by an award-winning author team, and with charming illustrations throughout, Pride and Joy introduces children to LGBTQIA+ allyship and teaches them the value of inclusion and courage. Featuring a reading guide for adults and questions for discussion, this beautiful, uplifting picture book is a must-have for every young ally.

When Joy sees her brother become victim to a bully, she decides to take action and raise money for the local LGBTQIA+ center. When that same bully tries to end the bake sale, Joy learns that being an ally doesn't mean just raising money for the cause, it means standing up for what's right, even when its scary. 

This book puts being an ally into simple terms for children to understand. It made it easier for me to understand. Plus, in the back of the book, there are several notes to grown up allies. That's not the only bonus in this book there are also discussion questions and a few more books to put on your "to read" list. 

I love this book not only for the message but for the bright illustrations. Wish I could have had one of Joy's beautiful cookies. Guess my girls and I will just have to make some of our own! 

Dad and Daddy's Big, Big Family

Dad and Daddy's Big Big Family

By Seamus Kirst
Illustrated by Karen Bunting
Release date: May 9, 2023
Length: 32 pages
Reading age: 4-8 years

Follow along as Harper learns how all these families are unique...and still part of Harper's big big family!

Harper is going to her first family reunion! She meets so many people. There's her second cousin Noah. And her cousin Lisa, who lives with her husband and step-kids. The there's Great Aunt Trudy who is raising her grandkids. And so many more! Dad and Daddy tell her they're all part of the same family, but they're all so different! And do families need to live together? Will she and Noah have to share a room?

Although I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and American Psychological Association, Magination Press for the opportunity to read this story. 

I love stories for children that involve other kinds of families. It is important for them to know that not all families have mom, dad and 2.5 children. In this family, there are Dad, Daddy and Harper. In this book they are going to Harper's first family reunion where she is going to meet all kinds of her extended family. I love the assumption that Harper makes that the family will all be coming to live with her. The only family she's known is her and her daddies, so it is reasonable for her to assume that the rest of the family will come to live with them too. Her daddy explains that families are like spider's webs that branch out and just keep growing. I love that picture! He also explained that what connects all families together is the love that binds us all. It is just a beautiful story about family. Perfect to share with your child and teach them about other kinds of families. 

The Waking Forest

The Waking Forest

By Alyssa Wees
Narrated by Katelyn Levering
Listening length 8 hours 22 minutes
Release date: March 29, 2023
My review 4 out of 5 stars

The waking forest has secrets. To Rhea, it appears like a mirage, dark and dense, at the very edge of her backyard. But when she reaches out to touch it, the forest vanishes. She's desperate to know more—until she finds a peculiar boy who offers to reveal its secrets...if she plays a game.

To the Witch, the forest is her home, where she sits on her throne of carved bone, waiting for dreaming children to beg her to grant their wishes. One night, a mysterious visitor arrives and asks her what she wishes for, but the Witch sends him away. And then the uninvited guest returns.

The strangers are just the beginning. Something is stirring in the forest, and when Rhea's and the Witch's paths collide, a truth more treacherous and deadly than either could ever imagine surfaces. But how much are they willing to risk to survive?

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to read this story.

The way this book started out, I never expected it to twist the way that it did but boy am I glad. It ended up being adventurous and magical and beautiful. I love how the author weaved in the element of anxiety, that even magical creatures can have it, that it affects them and they have to learn to live with it and manage it. Might have just been a small part, but as someone who deals with it on the daily, it was big for me. I loved the characters, the family. It all felt so very real to me. Even the magical part that is so very not real, felt as if it could have been, just lurking beyond our world. I love books like this, where we can set aside our perception of reality and pretend, even for just a little while, that magic might just really exist and how would that happen. This is just one of those possibilities.

Books Aren't For Bears

Books Aren't for Bears
By: Mark Barry
Illustrated by Katy Halford
Release date: August 1, 2023

When Bear finds a book in the woods, his world is changed. His friend Owl teaches him to read, and Bear wants more! Bear decides the city will offer him what he's looking for, but when he reaches the busy streets, he's sad to discover that some people think that "Books aren't for bears!" Can Bear find a place where books are for everybody?

Although I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read this story. 

In this story, bear finds a book in the woods. He gets some help from his friends and falls in love with reading. But, since he lives in the woods, there aren't many books around... so, he goes in search of them. The beautiful illustrations capture Bear's journey to and through the city to find books. In each of the places he stops, he is told that "books aren't for bears!" I won't spoil the ending, but it is quite the adorable story. I love the bright colorful illustrations and the simple reading. It would be perfect for an early reader or for a young one with a not so long attention span. 

The Sound of Kindness

The Sound of Kindness
By: Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
Illustrated by: Teresa Martinez
Release date: June 13, 2023

This heartwarming book touches on the themes of kindness and socio-emotional resonance, and the idea that our words matter.Follow an adult and child as they explore their neighborhood, listening for the sounds of kindness. Words of friendship, gratitude, support, generosity, and love...we can see and hear them if we try. What will you hear if you take a kindness walk?

Kindness is all around us everyday, if we know where to look--and listen!--for it. This book is a gentle and encouraging acknowledgment of how much it matters to be kind...in our families, friendships, and communities.

I loved the illustrations in this beautiful story, they kept the eyes busy even as the short story kept you pushing along. It was short but held lots of meaning. The last page of the story held this quote: we hear the sound of kindness when we listen to the day. We fill our world with kindness with the words we choose to say." I think it is something that both parents and little kiddos will like. One thing I especially loved about this book is the reader's note at the end, it gives several suggestions on walks you could take with your own children and ways you could take the book into your own life.

In my opinion, this book would be perfect for younger children and those who need a reminder to look for the kind in the world.

Hotel of Secrets

Hotel of Secrets

By Diana Biller
Narrated by Carlotta Brentan
Listening length: 13 hours, 31 minutes
Release date: March 28, 2023

My review: 4 out of 5 stars

It’s ball season in Vienna, and Maria Wallner only wants one thing: to restore her family’s hotel, the Hotel Wallner, to its former glory. She’s not going to let anything get in her way—not her parents’ three-decade-long affair, not seemingly random attacks by masked assassins, and especially not the broad-shouldered American foreign agent who’s saved her life two times already...no matter how luscious his mouth is.

Eli Whittaker also only wants one thing: to find out who is selling American secret codes across Europe, arrest them, and go home to his sensible life in Washington, DC. He has one lead—a letter the culprit sent from a Viennese hotel. But when he arrives in Vienna, he is immediately swept up into a chaotic whirlwind of balls, spies, waltzes, and beautiful hotelkeepers who seem to constantly find themselves in danger. He disapproves of all of it! But his disapproval is tested as he slowly falls deeper into the chaos—and as his attraction to said hotelkeeper grows.

Diana Biller's Hotel of Secrets is chock full of banter-filled shenanigans, must-have-you kisses, and romance certain to light a fire in the hearts of listeners everywhere.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to listen to this story!

This was a mystery wrapped in a love story wrapped in some family drama. It is set back in the days of balls and the big fancy hotels that hosted them. The main character, Maria, is the newest family member to be running Hotel Wallner, trying to get it back to its former glory. I love the way that Biller brought the two main characters together. They don't seem to have a real connection, but boy does that change quickly! This definitely has the romance bit down. There are several romantic encounters that are described in detail. Definitely puts this book more into the adult audience. I enjoyed it overall and would love to read more stories about Maria and Eli.

A House with Good Bones

A House with Good Bones

By: T Kingfisher

Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal

Listening length: 6 hours, 53 minutes 

Release date: March 28, 2023

My review: 4.5 out of 5 stars 

A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.
"Mom seems off."

Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian audio for the opportunity to listen to this story.

When Sam is forced to take some time off from a dig, she goes home to see what is so "off" about her mom. What she finds surprises her. The longer she stays with her mom, the more she realizes something is most definitely wrong. This story definitely didn't go in the direction I was expecting. Until the last 25 percent or so, I thought I knew what was going on, but boy was I wrong (and kind of glad I was). The ending to this book was so good. Different than anything else I've read. Kingfisher did an amazing job with a different concept for this book and pulled it off beautifully. I would love to read another of her books if they are all this fun! I loved that Sam (the main character) was a "bug lady" and you would get details about insects that a "normal" person wouldn't really know. I also really loved that even as a scientist, she still has the girly "bug freak out" moments that I do. Made her feel very relatable and had me laughing out loud. Love love loved these characters and this fun book!

Gender Queer: A Memoir

Gender Queer: A Memoir

Written and illustrated by: Maia Kobabe

Print length: 240 pages

Publication date: May 28, 2019

My review: not rated 

In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia’s intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears.
Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.

"It’s also a great resource for those who identify as nonbinary or asexual as well as for those who know someone who identifies that way and wish to better understand." — SLJ (starred review)


I don't feel comfortable giving someone's memoir about their journey a star rating, so I will just leave it at my personal review. Content warnings taken from common sense media: "Explicit but not erotic illustrations of sexual activity include masturbation, oral sex, sex toys, kissing in an implied sex position, erections, and a fantasy image of a man holding another's penis. There are no violent acts, but there are a few bloody, nightmarish pictures showing fear and trauma surrounding menstruation and getting a Pap smear. Strong language includes "d—k," "c—k," "f—k," and "s—t."

I found this to be a very informative book about one person's journey to find themselves. Kobabe was candid about both eir gender and sexuality. I can see why some parents would want this book banned in schools, but that is the exact reason this book should be available to anyone. 

Can you imagine if this book had been available when Kobabe was young, how it could have helped them to understand a little bit more about their gender and sexual identity. 

The drawings and way that Kobabe illustrated eir thought process in this book was just perfect. I wish there was a way to capture and share them with my family. It would be an easier way to share about gender identity that I wouldn't have thought of before. 

Parents need to be aware of what is in the book and know what is appropriate for their child to read. My 13-year-old has read this book and we were able to have candid discussions about sex and gender as well as sexual identity after reading. I feel more educated after reading this book and feel it is something that should never be removed from a school library.

A Midsummer Night's Scheme

A Midsummer Night's Scheme

By: Harper Kincaid

Narrated by: Renee Dorian

Release date: March 21, 2023

Listening length: 7 hours, 5 minutes 

Just when everything is returning to the calm that Quinn Caine and her sidekicks Ruff Barker Ginsburg and Sister Daria are used to in their beloved town of Vienna, a Broadway star crash-lands into their peace and quiet. Chad Frivole is Vienna’s prodigal son, and the once notorious lothario has returned a Broadway star, ready to make a different kind of mark on his hometown.

But not everyone is celebrating the Tony-award-winner’s return. Chad’s a triple threat—with a cast of characters lining up to seek their revenge on him. So when he turns up dead in his car, trapped with a sack full of snakes, Quinn can’t say she’s surprised—but she promises handsome detective Aiden Harrington that she’s staying out of this local mystery.

But then someone starts threatening her brother’s life. And while it’s true Sebastian used to be a womanizer just like Chad, the killer doesn’t seem to care that he’s not that man anymore. So now Sebastian's in the killer’s sights, and unless Quinn and her crew can find the killer in time, whoever it is will drag her brother into his final act on this mortal coil.

While I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me the opportunity to listen to this novel. 

This story was what I call a "cozy mystery." It is set in a small town, with a fun cast of characters. This is book two in the series, but you don't have to have read book one to know what's going on. When a book includes the pets and they have names like Cindy Clawford and RGB, how can it pawsibly be bad (get it!?)? I loved the relationships between the characters, both familial and not. It brings out the small-town values but also the hard parts of being in that same small town. This was a quick read but didn't make it any less enjoyable. I would be more than happy to pick up another of Kincaid's books to listen to.

Infamous

Infamous: A Novel

By: Lex Croucher

Narrated by: Ellie Kendrick

Listening length: 10 hours, 55 minutes

Release date: March 21, 2023

My review: 3.5 out of 5 stars

22-year-old aspiring writer Edith 'Eddie' Miller and her best friend Rose have always done everything together-climbing trees, throwing grapes at boys, sneaking bottles of wine, practicing kissing . . . Now that they're out in society, Rose is suddenly talking about marriage, and Eddie is horrified. When Eddie meets charming, renowned poet - and rival to Lord Byron - Nash Nicholson, he invites her to his crumbling Gothic estate in the countryside. The entourage of eccentric artists indulging in pure hedonism is exactly what Eddie needs in order to finish her novel and make a name for herself. But Eddie might discover that trying to keep up with the literati isn't all poems and pleasure...

Although I was given a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian audio for the opportunity to listen to this novel.
This book isn't exactly what I thought it was at the beginning. It wasn't even what I thought it was at the middle, but by the end, it didn't matter what it was, I loved it. The only reason this book didn't get more stars from me is that it seemed a bit longer then necessary. I felt like there was quite a lot of "fluff" in the story that didn't add much to the actual plot. The characters were funny and relatable (as much as they could be for the time-period related to ours). By far my favorite part was the ending. I felt it wrapped all things up quite nicely.

The narrator was nice to listen to and didn't try to give too many "voices" to the different characters. I would definitely listen to another book with her narrating again.