One of the best audiobooks that I listened to last year!! I am not usually a fan of multicast recordings but this one was perfect.

A twisty thriller about a lawyer, who was the lone holdout on a jury for murder trial and convinced the rest of the of the jurors to acquit, is accused of murder 10 yrs later of another juror. The book was full of unexpected twists. While I am not sure I loved the ending, it was still a really great book.

Book 49/100

#booksandanimalcrossing #acnh #yesiamridiculous

Another fun set of essays, read by the author (love author read books). Evident by the title, Samantha Irby is a down to earth, no nonesense kinda woman. I found myself nodding along with her more than once. However, there‘s one chapter, “Sure, sex is fun”, that did not translate well to audio although I am easily annoyed by highly repetitive things so it might just be me. The others were just fine.

Book 48/100
#creepybunnyiscreepy

This was a rather short book (~4hrs of audio) but very potent. It‘s clear that each word was chosen with care. The story glimpses into Lizzie‘s life, as she cares for those around her; her intelligent husband and son, her addicted brother, her reclusion mentor, her ailing mother and her illness to name a few.

A reread will likely provide even more nuance. I‘ll likely choose the printed version due to its unique layout.

Book 47/100
#booksandacnh

Such a charming story about an “orphanage” for a bunch of magical kids who do not fit in with the norm, including a blob whose only wish is to be a bellhop, a bearded female gnome who loves gardening and 6 yr old Lucy, the Antichrist. It is sassy and full of humor with a lot of heart.

Book 46/100

#stillnotcraftingmuch #butatleastthegamematches #booksandvideogames

Lot and lots (and lots) of short stories. Some were great (No Goes to Heaven to See Dan Fogelberg), some were really good (The Something by John Grisham) and some were not my cup of tea (The Comedy Central Roast of Nelson Mandela). But they were short so it wasn‘t long until another good one came along.

Book 45/100

#stillnitcraftingmuch #gamingandbooks

Imagine living your life one year at a time but with all the years in random order! 19->51->35-> etc knowing a little of the future and a little of the past but not knowing everything in between.

Book 44/100

#stillplayingdistractinggames

Just what I needed this week. A fun light hearted romance that doesn‘t need 100% concentration and a distraction that keeps me from scrolling the news and all those other social media sites.

Book 43/100

Although I was sad to hear that the narrator of the previous 18 books in the series, Rene Auberjonois, passed away last year, I am very happy with the replacement, Jefferson Mays, who also read the Expanse series.

This was a typical Pendergast novel, with more Pendergast and his no-f***s given attitude than in #18 and not too heavy on the disbelieable events.

Book 42/100

#notimeforcrafts #acnhandbooks

Memoirs are hit and miss for me, as fiction is my main love. While I see the importance of this book, I am likely not in the target audience, with the disconnect being more due to the age gap than the gender gap. With that being said, I can say that I came away knowledgeable about gender fluidity and the challenges they face in a predominantly binary world.

Book 41/100

#yarnandbooks

I don‘t know if it was the book or everything that‘s going on out there, but this Pendergast book seemed to be lacking something. Almost like Pendergast was only half there. Or maybe my lack of focus only saw half of him. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Book 40/100

#yarnandbooks #hueshiftreturns

This is what your would get if “The Hate U Give” and “Ready Player One” had a baby and it grew into a young adult. While not all of the aspects of the game were realistic, it is easily forgiven for the strong young female lead. A definite recommend for those that like contemporary YA with an ever so slight fantasy twist.

Book 39/100

#clayandbooks

If you like a good old fashioned mystery, like Agatha Christie, you will love this. Horowitz has ingeniously intertwines two mysteries into one solid story.

Book 38/100

#twoforthepriceofone
#stickerdraft
#craftingandbooks
#ewemygnomie

I hardly ever watch tv regularly with the exception of Ru Paul‘s Drag Race (and the Great British Bake-Off). Ross Mathews has always been one of my favorite judges. This was like meeting up with him for coffee and gossip! The story about Elizabeth Taylor (and probably Joan Collins) was probably my favorite.

Book 37/100

#finishabook #startanewcraft

I have to say that this might be one of my favorite books I have listened to so far this year. It‘s quirky, sarcastic and full of feeling. Not only will I need to reread this one some time, I may need to check out some of Kevin Wilson‘s other books.

Book 36/100
#craftingandbooks

I went into this one not sure if I was going to like it. It is told through conversations between women through 20 years of the main character‘s rather dysfunctional life. Although there were times I felt that I was missing a highly intellectual point she was trying to make, I really enjoyed Popkey‘s writing and Rebecca Lowman‘s narration was on point.

Book 35
#yarnandbooks

Another great light read with lots of fun banter however I am not sure I would recommend the audiobook mainly because the narrator‘s attempt at a Scottish accent was more Nigerian than Scottish.

Book 34/100
#booksandcrafting

The banter is so fun in this one! I am definitely looking forward to the second in the series.

Book 33/100
#booksandcrafting

Irby adds a little less cussing, about the same amount of sex talk and candor and a lot of growing up since her first book which makes me really interested in her third book which comes out at the end of this month.

Book 32/100
#booksandcrafting
#theultimatemultitask

It might be time to adjust my goal. On February 1st, I was 7 books ahead and today I am 15 books ahead. At this rate, I am on track to finish 186 books this year (although I am doubtful I can maintain this pace.)

#queensassasinyousay
#morelikereadingchallengeassasin

To sum this up, when the narrator said “We hope you have enjoyed this unabridged production of The Queen‘s Assasin” I loudly yelled NO!

-Bad narration (see previous post)
-The romance between Cal&Shadow didn‘t build but rather went from slight interest to “you are my everything” unconvincingly overnight with no romantic tension
-The “twists” were clear from day 1 and plot anchors were vague, coming out of nowhere

Book 31/100
#finisheoutofspite

Ugh! I can‘t tell if it‘s the narrators or the story that annoys me. I am leaning towards narration for 2 reasons.

First, I hate whispery narrators. It‘s like fingernails on a chalkboard. And the female narrator uses a whispery drama laden tone.

Second, the story is told in 1st person from two points of view. Both narrate without an accent but read the spoken parts in a Russianesque accent. It‘s so weird!

I will soldier on though...

While some things validate what I already do, there were a few that I needed to be reminded of such as the importance of a schedule. Even if you only write one page a day, at the end of a year you could have a finished book. Or in my case, if I knit a row a day....

Book 30/100

I agree with so many things she says! Which is probably not surprising when you take into account Irby‘s assertion that her friends‘ moms all love her and that she has far more in common with moms than people her own age.

Note: if you are sensitive to cursing, this might not be your jam. Book 29/100

#booksandcrafting #theknittingdidntmatch

So many layers within this beautiful yet sad story of a Dominican science fiction writer, her family and a lost manuscript. I likely missed a few layers as this is probabaly not the best book for multitasking. Book 27/100.

(Knitting while listening was fine but not so much working around the house over the weekend. Hopefully I will be done with the orange by the time I finish the next book).

A light romantic read that was a perfect background listen during weekend activities. Book 27/100

(Somehow my current book cover always matches the section I am knitting, on this never ending blanket).

#yarnandbooks

While I did enjoy this, I did find it a bit too long and the banter a little forced (well written banter should not require being told that characters giggled, laughed or chuckled). I have heard that the movie was actually better than the book. Book 26/100. #yarnandbooks

The final book in the Truly Devious trilogy. I loved the banter between the characters while they worked to solve two mysteries. Hopefully this isn‘t the last we hear from Stevie Bell and her friends. Book 25/100 #yarnandbooks

A fun Rom-com told from the viewpoint of a major league shortstop who is introduced to a romance book club consisting of other professional athletes when it looks like his marriage might be over. Romance books are written by women for women. Where better to learn what women really want... Book 24/100.

Told from the viewpoint of Zelda, a high functioning 21 yr old who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome. She lives with her older brother Gert, who tries to provide Zelda with a good home but doesn‘t always make the best decisions. While it isn‘t always an easy listen/read, I walked away very satisfied with the outcome. Book 23/100

Now onto a lighter book and another square. #booksandyarn

A fun break from all the doom and gloom of the last two apocalypses. Book 22/100.

And picked up an old knit since I needed something rather mindless. #lightreadneededalightknit #anditmatches #hueshiftafghan

Mean Girls + Lord of the Flies + Handmaids Tale with a good bit of defiance and hope sums up this enjoyable dystopian YA novel. Book 21/100. #booksandyarn

Such a beautifully written book, which tends to be a bit of a surprise for a book about a apocalyptic, civilization ending flu. Definitely a different tone than Severance which I finished last week. Definite will read this one again. Book 20/100

Another light read and another knitting project. Book 19/100. Next up Station Eleven.

Say what?!? If I keep this pace up, I will be on track to finish 180 books this year!

I needed something light this weekend and this hit the spot. It is (not so) loosely based on Kate Middleton and Prince William with a heavy dose of snark which is not surprising since the authors also created the Go Fug Yourself blog. I am greatly looking forward the sequel which will be out this June.

Not quite as good as the first book in the series but full of a lot of backstory for Jack and Jill. It was also narrated by the author which was a much more pleasant experience than my last author read book.

And now I am back on track to meet my Goodreads Reading Challenge!! Just six weeks ago I was 16 books behind!

Perfect little story to help me get closer to my Goodreads goal (only 2 books behind schedule now which is a feat since I was 16 books behind a month ago).

It was quirky, a little dark and slightly creepy. I have already downloaded the second (audio)book and have it ready to go.

I can‘t say that I really disliked the book although I didn‘t like it either, especially Lucy. The whole experience was like watching a train wreck albeit a really odd train wreck.

I also wasn‘t a fan of the narration, which was done by the author. Her inflections kept reminding me of how the characters in the Peanut cartoons talk (excluding the adults).

However, I am pretty sure this story will stick with me (not sure if that is good or bad).

It‘s been a long time since I started and finished a book within the same day. I couldn‘t put this one down and even snuck in a few pages while waiting in a drive-thru line tonight. I can‘t remember who recommended it here but I would like to say thank you!

I just finished Neverworld Wake (audiobook) today. Toward the end I was trying to decide if I was becoming disappointed with the way the book was ending (with the possibility of heading towards We Were Liars levels of disappointment**). And then came the last couple of chapters and everything changed. I ended up being very satisfied with the ending to the point that I would consider listening to it again.

**I hated We Were Liars with a passion

This was how I spent my entire weekend.

I devoured The Outsider in 2 days. I really loved the continuation of the Mr. Mercedes style of writing along with the crossover from the trilogy. And Will Patton‘s narration kicked it up yet another notch. This definitely one I will listen to again!

I finished Bloodfever just as I finished this Hue Shift afghan for my son. It‘s taken me three years to get it done and I was likely working on it during the last time I listened to this book. I have already started on my next Hue Shift. Hopefully I can finish it before I start the Fever series from the beginning again, but I am not holding my breath.

This series is of my true guilty pleasures. Book 10 came out last Tuesday but instead of picking up there I decided to start back at the beginning, which I tend to do every couple of years.

What is one of your guilty pleasures book/series that you love to revisit?

There were so many good things and so many bad things. And the bad things were so good that they kept me on the edge of my seat absolutely afraid to see what was going to happen next.

How long before book 2 is released?!?

Dare I say this might be the next Hunger Games?

You know a narrator is making a book drag when you kick the listening speed up to 1.25 and the majority of the narration still sounds like it is normal speed!

It kept me just interested enough to keep listening however I kept feeling the story build to what I expected to be a climax only to find nothing revealed with another build immediately starting again.

I think it comes down to just way too much Bobby Ewing in the shower!

#datingmyself

1. I am glad I waited until after Christmas to start listening to NOS4A2. #donotwantogotoChristmasland

2. I started listening just a couple days ago and it is encouraging me to get the tree out of the house asap! Decorations came off today. Lights are slated for tomorrow. #mightgiveupcoveredbridgesthough

3. This reminds me so much of classic Stephen King. #appledidnotfallfar

Decisions, decisions...

What to listen to next. These are my three latest Audible purchases. Any suggestions?

First book of 2018 finished and last border on this never ending knit started. Not a bad way to start off the first Saturday of the year.

I believe the AirPods my husband gave me for Christmas just might be a game changer to my rate of audiobook consumption (and knitting)!

#nomorecordandyarntangles
#nomorecattangleseither

Before you text your bff to comment on the fact that she is talking REALLY fast (like she just drank too many shots of espresso) on her latest podcast, you might want to make sure you didn‘t accidentally kick the playback speed up to 1.5x.

#ihavenocluehowididthat #yesitextedherbeforefiguringitout #maybeiamtheonewhoneedstheespresso #threebookspodcast