March 2018 - AudiobooksNow Blog

Why is Roxy on the Run…”Look for Me”, by Lisa Gardner

In #9 of her series of D. D. Warren detective novels, author Lisa Gardner presents, Look for Me, another in the established series. Gardner also brings back a survivor character from previous novels. Flora Dane is a true survivor from having been abducted at one time for over 400 days. We are never quite sure how a person comes away from such horrific circumstances with all faculties intact. Flora possesses knowledge that only someone who has lived through abduction and captivity can know. She also runs a group for survivors. And, so their investigation begins.

Once D. D. and Flora get rolling, they play off of each other throughout the novel. The storyline is very heart wrenching, but there is still some levity as the two provide humor, snarky comebacks, and their dynamics as they work together. A family of five is brutally gunned down, but one person is missing from the group. Roxy, a 16 year old girl was not found with the rest of the family. That begs the question……is she a victim or a perpetrator? D. D. and Flora find a lot of clues to the personality of Roxy through different essays she has written on her ideas of the perfect family……and what the reality is of the family she was currently with. Why is Roxy on the run? The answer may not be what is expected.

Look for Me is a story of brutality, but also has much to say about the foster care system. According to readers who are Lisa Gardner fans, the book is a well-written, well-paced and cleverly plotted storyline that is told in the voices of the three main characters. Roxy’s thoughts are most thought provoking, as she told many secrets that came from her life as a foster child. Readers were sad, shocked, and angered by the foster home in this story…… a clue in itself.

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Anything, But a Fairlytale…”Wallis In Love”, by Andrew Morton

I remember hearing about a king abdicating his throne for the love of his life…….but I did not know the real story. Apparently, according to biographer, Andrew Morton, Wallis Simpson was not the person who was really worthy of such sacrificial love as exhibited by Edward VIII. I had imagined a graceful, beautiful lady whose charms just could not be resisted by Edward, Prince of Wales. Not a picture of the actual Wallis Simpson at all.

Bessie Wallis Warfield was always only out for herself. Even as a little girl, she was known to say, “me, me” instead of “ma, ma”. Through diary entries, letters, and other records, Morton takes the reader through Wallis’s romantic adventures in China, Washington, and her entrance into London society. Instead of the one supposed romantic story, she had one husband who was a Navy pilot……through him, she met a richer crowd. After that marriage, she met husband #2, a shipping broker who gave her the life she wanted, but also led her to meet Edward, the Prince of Wales. He immediately became infatuated with her and showered her with gifts and attention, as her husband watched from the background. She actually thought she might realize her dream of becoming a queen. But, she did not realize that twice divorced women would never become queen. She thought sure she could trick her way into receiving the title. When Edward’s father died, Edward was in line to become king, but he decided to abdicate the throne to be with Wallis Simpson. She was not happy about his decision, so she made his life miserable after that and treated him very badly.

Wallis was a taker all her life, never giving back to anything or anyone. She was a hollow person, famous for being famous. She was not a temptress or vixen, but an ordinary gold digger, who found out that in the end, what she thought would make her happy did not turn out anything as she had thought. What I always imagined to be a fairytale romance ended up being anything but………

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A Fantastic Voyage in Believing That There is GOOD in the World…”A Wrinkle In Time”, by Madeleine L’Engle

What would you do if your scientist father was experimenting with a fifth dimension, then suddenly disappeared? You would, of course, try to find your father by whatever means possible. For Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin, the time had come to rescue Mr. Murry from whatever dimension had grabbed him. Author L’Engle is well into her 80’s, but those who have met her say she is spirited, engaging, challenging and very sharp for any age. She autographed one reader’s copy of A Wrinkle in Time by inscribing…….with love and a flourish, “ananda”! The ending word loosely means bliss or joy. What an amazing comment by such a spirited author.

Creativity is the central word to describe this book. From its wonderful names, such as Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, Mrs. Witch who were lively supernatural neighbors. Then, there is the lovely Aunt Beast. The three ladies, whose names begin with W, are escorts for the Murry children and their friend from Meg’s school into the universe and into the fifth dimension to try to rescue their father.

The story ramps up in excitement……so much so that most children might become a little frightened and anxious. This commonly happens when a story deals with the forces of good and evil. Fortunately, for the reader, the story does have a happy ending. One reviewer said what we can all wish……I love believing there is GOOD in the world…….but sometimes we still feel sad.

Major motion picture, starring Oprah Winfrey, Reece Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Storm Reid and Chris Pine was released to theaters on March 89, 2018.

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The Populace has Become Jaded…”Iron Gold”, by Pierce Brown

From New York Times bestselling author, Pierce Brown, comes another in his series of stories from the dark side of war among the planets. In his complicated story lines, with complicated characters, it is common to see references to world’s (plural), not just one world as in reality. Imagine taking the many problems we have among all different factions in our one world, and spreading them among several worlds. Worlds that you can traverse to and from at will. Think of how gigantic those one world problems would become.

Iron Gold is the beginning of a whole new universe. Along with that universe comes a whole new saga of tragedy, triumph, and transformation. The reader will find Iron Gold to be dark, filled with betrayal, war, violence, lost hopes and dreams…….just about everything at one time that can destroy the spirit of any being. Author Brown definitely pushes his characters to their limits by exploring their power and inner strength. One reviewer felt that all Pierce Brown books are dark, but that Iron Gold is especially grim. This new book is placed in time ten years after book 3. Those years brought more disillusionment and more broken promises. The populace has become jaded.

Pierce Brown is known for creating stories within one book that have several different point of views. It follows several different characters to describe the events of the past decade. Nobody is completely good or completely bad. One returning character, Darrow, is the ultimate tortured hero, and author Brown spares nothing in giving him great struggles. Darrow has sacrificed so much in the series of books, and Iron Gold is no exception. Some readers were saddened by the way Darrow puts so much blame for the ills of the world upon himself.

A general consensus of some reviews is that Iron Gold is a “setup” for bigger things to come in following books.

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Walk Like a Queen…”Gold Dust Women, The Biography of Stevie Nicks”, by Stephen Davis

When we think of who is an awesome iconic woman in serious rock’n roll……one of the first names that comes to mind has to be Stevie Nicks. Her place in music history was secured by her years of performing with Fleetwood Mac. To this day, she performs to sold out venues at the age of 69. Her fans are die-hard and have gobbled up the information in author, Stephen Davis’ unauthorized biography entitled Gold Dust Woman. Even self-proclaimed Stevie Nicks-aholics admit that the prospect of another biography about the rocker icon left them less than interested, but they were pleasantly surprised at how much more they learned about Stevie and her illustrious career and colorful personal life.

Stevie became interested in music through her grandfather, when she was a child. Eventually, she met Lindsey Buckingham and her years as a rock goddess began. Her career with Fleetwood Mac has been described by the author in various stages of the good, the bad, and the ugly. It follows her journey through battling drug addiction and various exes, and on to a very successful solo career in present day.

Gold Dust Woman portrays the life of Stevie Nicks taking the reader through her relationship with controlling Lindsey Buckingham, her rally to assert her strength to stand up to him and the man’s music world of Fleetwood Mac, and her fight to the top as she proved her worth as an outstanding talent who deserves her celebrity status. She aspired to and gained the right to “walk like a queen”.

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