Illuminae #AtoZChallenge

One of the best audio books I have listened to is Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Normally I wouldn't expect to like a book that features sound effects, but wow did it enhance this space odyssey!

Strong characters, space (the final frontier), an AI that would give Hal a run for his money, a sprinkling of zombies and a surprising ending left me hoping for a sequel (which I just found out is coming out in October!!). If you're not an audiobook listener, check out the physical book which is filled with maps, diagrams, briefings and more. One of the few books I want to own in multiple formats.

Here's the official summary:

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

      The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.

     But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

      Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Speaking of Audio books... even if you don't have a long drive, you can still enjoy audio books. I sometimes listen to them when I clean the house and wow does the time fly by. I also sometimes listen to them while putting together a puzzle or coloring; toss in a glass of wine and you're in for one of the most relaxing evenings ever.

Favorite Things #AtoZChallenge

These are a few of my favorite things...

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - a genre-defying novel that has been one of my favorite books for over 20 years now.

The Starz Outlander series. You can now subscribe to Starz via Amazon Prime, or on its own. MUCH cheaper than cable. They have done an amazing job with the Outlander series so far. I am so glad that no one tried to cram this amazing novel into a 2 hour movie; 15 hours is barely enough time.

Audible.com - I drive 2+ hours a day and audio books have changed my life. Where I used to suffer from road rage, I now enjoy my drive because it's entertaining. If I'm in the middle of a particularly good book, which is the norm, I'm almost glad when it lasts a little longer. If you travel at all, I cannot recommend audio books enough. Plus, Audible has amazing sales - Two for One, Daily Deals less than $5, somehow they're always sucking me into another, amazing series. Great service.

These two... they complete me :)

Books to Time Travel With #AtoZChallenge

I recently started reading/listening to the Chronicles of St. Mary's by Jodi Taylor and haven't been able to stop bingeing on them since. I'm now on book six of the series and am already looking forward to the seventh, which comes out next month.

I stumbled upon the series a few years ago actually, bought the first book (very likely on sale) and never got around to listening to it. Although I listen to audiobooks for two plus hours a day, I never get caught up because Audible has so many good sales.

The Chronicles of St. Mary's is centered around a group of eccentric, accident prone historians who travel back in time to witness historical events. They never intend to get involved, but often find themselves in some sort of trouble, right in the thick of things. The main character, Max, is hilarious; she's got amazing wit, is very smart and has me laughing and slapping my steering wheel every day. I like her so much, I want to be more like her.

I also recently read Jodi Taylor's The Nothing Girl, which was also fabulous. Jenny has a stutter and very low self-confidence and at the lowest point of her life finds a friend in a golden horse only she can see... ok, I admit that's a bit odd, but somehow Ms. Taylor makes it work perfectly. Jenny's family is overprotective and intent on keeping her sheltered, but a chance meeting has her breaking away from her solitary existence and taking a chance on actually living her life. I highly recommend it.

I admit, I've been a sucker for time travel books since I was a teenager. Do you like the genre? Which one is your favorite? Mine is Outlander, but I could rattle off dozens of others too :)

I just wanted a little more Joe Ledger...

I've mentioned Jonathan Maberry's Joe Ledger series before - Joe is a former cop and Army Ranger who now works for a the mysterious Mr. Church in an elite, secret government agency. These books are gripping, the action is non-stop, the characters are well written and you won't come up for air until you've made it through all of them. The good news, the series isn't over yet. The bad news, there are only seven books in the series so far, plus several handfuls of short stories.

Does that sound like a lot? It's not... I wanted more.

So I started reading the Rot & Ruin series because I'd read that Joe was in them... even if he didn't appear until the third of the four book series. I figured he'd just have a cameo, but frankly that would still have made me happy.

It sort of makes me sad too... Joe saved the world several times from doomsday plots, but apparently at some point he failed. A little more than thirteen years later we meet Benny Imura, a fifteen year old living in the zombie-infested Rot & Ruin. Benny was 18-months old the world as we know it ended forever and the zombie apocalypse began.

Don't let the age of the main character, nor the series' young adult "status" scare you off, these books are fantastic. Once I started listening to the audiobooks I couldn't stop; not only did I listen to and from work, but in the evenings as well.

By the way, listening to an audiobook, drinking a glass of wine and putting together a puzzle may be one of the most enjoyable and relaxing things you'll ever do.

But I digress... If there's one thing Maberry is a master at, it's writing characters. Within just a few sentences he can create characters that are unique, interesting and that you want to know more about. The action, emotions and realism in his novels is also top notch; and that's saying a lot considering that he sprinkles in a good dose of the supernatural in his stories.

Oh, and as for Joe... well his appearance was very much not a cameo. He's back with his wonderful wry sense of humor, non-stop-action and stories about "First Night" that will have me reading future Joe Ledger novels holding my breath because now I know how things ultimately turn out for him.

I'd suggest you read Joe's novels first, then follow with the Rot & Ruin series. However the two series, although connected, can be read independently of each other - but really,you won't want to.

Ledger, Joe Ledger - Amazing Series by Johnathan Maberry #AtoZChallenge

Joe Ledger is a character in a series of novels by Johnathan Maberry. Currently there are seven books in the series and several novellas as well.

Joe works for a covert government agency that tackles global threats like madmen looking to unleash a zombie-virus epidemic using super high-tech gadgets, ingenuity and a very healthy dose of dry wit and sarcasm. I have listened to all of these novels on audiobook and frankly I think that makes them even better. Ray Porter does the narration and trust me when I say that he could read the phone book and make it compelling. Fantastic voice actor.

If you like action, adventure, sci-fi, strong characters, interesting story lines and a whole lot of fun you should definitely check out these books.

V is for Veronica Roth #AtoZChallenge

Have you read the Divergent series by Veronica Roth? If you haven't, you need to stop what you're doing and go read it - seriously. Better yet, listen to Emma Galvin read it to you on Audiobook. 

They recently released the first movie of the series and it was really good, but as you know the book is (almost) always better than the movie.

Tris, the main character, has just turned 16. She lives in a dystopian world in Chicago's future and must choose which of the five factions she wants to belong to. The tagline for the book is "One choice can transform you" and so it does... Tris begins a journey of self-discovery that leads her to "ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another".

Tris, Four, Christina, Will and the others are the types of characters that stay with you.

Excellent. I wish the series had never ended. However, if you haven't read them, you're in luck - you won't have to wait forever for the sequels to come out. :)

S is for Maria V. Snyder #AtoZChallenge

Yet another great author that Audible is responsible for me finding - you see, sometimes when you use your credits they give you the opportunity to purchase a book for $4.95. Some of those books - usually the ones that sound really interesting - are a part of a series and zoop! I get sucked in.

So anyway, the first book by Snyder that I read was Poison Study. A young lady, about to be executed for murder, is offered a job as the food tester for Commander of Ixia. Why does he need a food tester? Because people routinely try to poison him. Bonus, the chief of security feeds her a poison that will kill her if she doesn't take the antidote daily - thus keeping her from running away.

These books are set in a world filled with Magic, intrigue and mystery. Poison Study is the first of three books - and I highly recommend the series.

Next I read Touch of Power, another books set in a Magical land. Avry is a Healer - in addition to herbal medicine, she can assume the wounds or diseases of her patients into herself, thereby healing them. The bad news, there was a huge plague that killed off a huge portion of the population and the Healers were blamed for it. So, all of the Healers have been hunted down and killed.

Avry becomes deeply entrenched in the various plots to rule what's left of the world. Luckily all three books of this series are out, so you can tear through them one after the other with no waiting!

You can read more about these, and Snyder's other books, on her website here: http://www.mariavsnyder.com/books.php

I should note that I listened to these on audiobook. They were narrated by Garbra Zackman and very well done.

M is for Jonathan Maberry #AtoZChallenge

Here we are, half way through the AtoZChallenge! Pretty proud of myself :)

 I saw this on Corinne O'Flynn's blog and had to share it

I mentioned Jonathan Maberry in my D is for Dystopian post the other day and now that I am on book three of his Joe Ledger series I have determined that he deserves his own post. 

Apparently my taste is books is morphing, because I find myself leaning more towards these types of books lately. There's very little romance, a lot of crazy and powerful bad guys, quite a lot of fighting and gore, zombies (although only in the first book, so far) and a secret government agency. 

The characters Maberry writes are excellent. Joe has a wry sense of humor, even at the worst of times. Church, the leader of the agency, is as bad-ass and mysterious as they come, but is rarely without vanilla wafers to nibble on. Then there are Grace, Rudy, Bunny, Topp and Dr. Hu - each with their own quirks and rich personalities. All in all, great books. 

So far there are six books in the Joe Ledger series and Maberry has another series I plan to check out when I'm done with the one called Rot & Ruin, a four book series set in a "zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America". 

If you like action/adventure stories, this series is for you. Also, the narrator of the audio books, Ray Porter is excellent. I would listen to just about any book this guy has read.

In fact, before I started on the Joe Ledger series, I had listened to 14 by Peter Clines. 14 was a really good, and very unusual book; along the lines of John Dies at the End.

J is for Jumping Around (through Time) #AtoZChallenge

I have read/listened to several time travel novels over the past few years. This is a genre that I have long enjoyed. As much as I love my technology, there's something compelling about going back (or perhaps forward) in time. And further how little actions can cause huge ripples through time.

Years and years ago, one of my favorite authors was Constance O'Day Flannery who writes time travel romance. I still own all of her books from the 80s and 90s, and have read them all several times. It looks like many of her books have been re-released. If you're a time travel romance lover, you'll enjoy these. Timeless Passion was my favorite.

Side note... most of the books I "read" these days are audiobooks and let me tell you... listening to romance novels is not for the weak of heart. In fact, I generally avoid them now, because it's just... uncomfortable to listen to sex scenes while driving in my car. But hey, if you like that stuff, you go for it! :)

Time and Again by Jack Finney was an interesting and quirky novel all around. There was time travel (of course), a mystery, a murder, how the past links to the future and a little romance to keep things interesting. Great book.

No grouping of time travel books would be complete without Stephen King's 11-22-63. I've been interested in the JFK Assassination story since high school. My all-time favorite teacher, Mr. Also, spent a whole week on the topic my Sophomore year and I was hooked.

This book wasn't just about the assassination though, it was so much more. And no, there are no freaky clowns in sewers in this book, it's virtually monster free... but as you may know, no King book is ever 100% monster free. It's just that most of his monsters dwell in the minds of mankind.

Replay by Ken Grimwood is a completely different kind of time travel. Our main character, Jeff, dies at age 43 and wakes up in his 18-year old body. His memory is intact, but he is again living his life from age 18. He has the opportunity to change his life completely, because he knows how his choices turned out the first time around. Interesting concept, no? It's a book that will make you think about your own life and the choices that brought you to where you are today.

To Say Nothing of the Dog: or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis is "a comedic romp through an unpredictable world of mystery, love and time travel". I really enjoyed this book, it was so sweet and quirky and funny. The characters were well done and hilarious. The story was interesting from beginning to end. Loved it!

And finally... Outlander by Diana Gabladon. Have you read this series? There are only two books that I have read through, then immediately started over again and this is the first of them. Wow... you can smell the dirt and hear the horses in these books. Be sure to clear some time for these books, they're long and will suck you in so deeply that you'll lost sight of just about everything else. Superb! I've read and reread these books, and then I bought the audio versions and listened to them too!

Exciting news! Starz is making these books into a series that starts this summer. I am hoping to figure out some way to watch - since we don't have cable.

Have you read any time travel books? Have any recommendations? Let's hear them! :)

D is for Dystopian #AtoZChallenge

Dystopian novels are sometimes referred to as apocalyptic novels - in other words, the world as we know it has ended. These novels are very popular right now, although this really isn't something new.

Here are some of my Dystopian novel recommendations. Note, I listened to all of these on audio book from Audible.com, and all were very well produced, which only added to the story. I drive two hours a day and audio books are my saving grace - I HIGHLY recommend them if you have a long commute.

The Divergent series by Veronica Roth - wow are these books good!! The first book, Divergent, was recently made into a movie, and I assume the others will follow. The movie was great too, by the way, but the books are almost always better.

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins - you've probably heard of these ones, but if you've only watched the movie, you missed out on half of the story. The books are fantastic.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - this book was published in the 1950s, but its message as still as relevant today. I have read that this book is one of the top 10 most influential books ever written. If you're going to listen to the audio book, get the one by Scott Brick - he's a phenomenal narrator. I was so moved by this book that once I finished it (all sixty hours of it), I immediately listened to it a second time.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon - this twist to this one is that it's set in 2059 and features people with psychic abilities and aliens. Sounds pretty crazy, but trust me, this book was action packed and compelling. The second book in this series is due out in October 2014.

Daemon and Freedom by Daniel Suarez - these books feature high tech toys that actually exist today, but are not yet on the market. Really interesting stuff, the first book is pretty terrifying (not in a horror way, but more in the dismantling of society way) and the second book is inspiring - a vision of what society could become. Amazing books that I have listened to more than once.

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry - this is more of an honorable mention, because in the end the heroes were able to stave off the end of the world by zombie infestation. I am currently listening to this series, and I'm really enjoying it. The main character, Joe Ledger, has a great sense of humor which makes the books that much more enjoyable.

The Passage Trilogy by Justin Cronin - wow... these books... just wow. They start off in present day and before you know it the world just spins out of control, then BAM it's 100 years later. There are some interesting twists and turns, and a lot of things I never saw coming. The final book in the trilogy isn't out yet, but I'm waiting for it with baited breath!

The Stand by Stephen King - I read IT when I was in high school, and pretty much avoided King's books for about the next 20 years, but somehow I ended up reading The Stand and I loved it! I have read several of his non-mad clown books now and have really enjoyed them.

All of these books have been out for awhile, so you can get them in softcover for a steal. If you're interested in audio books, I highly recommend Audible.com, but I have also heard that some local libraries have audio books too. Happy reading, or listening!

Note: Sorry... I had links in here for each book, but something got goofed up with them :(

First Grave on the Right - #AtoZChallenge #PhotoadayApril

I recently purchased all three of Darynda Jones' "Grave" novels from Audible.com. I have to tell you, they were each fantastic! Charlie Davidson, the main character, reminded me a lot of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum (whom I also love), but Charlie is not a knock-off of Stephanie by any means. She's spunky and funny and, quite frankly, thinks a lot like I do... which is to say that her mind is constantly going a mile a minute and she has no clue why others can't keep up. Some people might call it ADD, but I like to think of it as brilliance. :)

One of the things that makes Charlie different is that she's actually the Grim Reaper... she doesn't just see dead people, she's their door to Heaven. No pressure, right? Some of my favorite moments in the books are with Charlie talking to, or arguing with, the deceased who are almost constantly around her.

The characters are all well written. The stories are funny, interesting, unpredictable and believable (yes, even with the dead people and Grim Reaper angle).

As I mentioned, I listened to the audiobooks, read by Lorelei King - who did a phenomenal job. Ms. King also read the Stephanie Plum books, so she's got spunky, witty and unconsciously funny women down pat.

I highly recommend all three books, and hope that Ms. Jones keeps them coming!

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Sorry, I just couldn't come up with a good way to go from a book review to today's picture challenge... lunch... 

NomNom nomnom-ing

My Thoughts on Atlas Shrugged

In January I discovered Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand on Audible.com. Wow... incredible book.

In fact, it was so incredible that I immediately listed to it again. All sixty hours of it. That translates to over 1,000 pages if you read the book.

I have heard it said that Atlas Shrugged is the second most influential book next to the Bible. I can believe it. I wish I had read it 20 years ago. It helped me to define various concepts that I have struggled with in building my own philosophy. I highly recommend it!

If you haven't read the book, but think you hate it, Ayn Rand and everything they have to say - go read it before you make up your mind based on what others have said.

If you watched the movie, let me tell you they cut out so much of the book I have no clue what conclusions you may have drawn. Don't let the movie, which I assume left you very confused, dissuade you from reading the book.

If fact, if you have a commute at all I highly recommend you get the audio book read by Scott Brick. His rendition of the book is phenomenal. He's a great voice actor.

Of note, some of the concepts I enjoyed exploring the most were:

• the sanction of the victim - we allow people to make us feel guilty
• what money really represents - it is a symbol of the value we offer to others
• going on a mental strike - I think this may link to the modern day "disengaged employee" 
• rational selfishness - by being selfish you put yourself in a position where you can help others

I cannot recommend this book enough. It has changed my outlook on life. I have read a lot of great books, but this one really spoke to me.

After listening to it twice, I then followed up with Diana Hsieh's podcasts about the book - there are 20 of them. Also highly recommended!

More books that make me look forward to driving

So very sorry to have taken SUCH a long hiatus from my blog. There really is no excuse...

As I mentioned in my earlier Books that make me look forward to driving post, I drive two hours a day. I have all but stopped reading actual books, because I have discovered something wonderful... listening to audio books allows you to multitask - something you can't really do while holding a book. For example, my newest favorite thing to do is to put together a puzzle while listening to a book and enjoying a glass of wine.

Really, it doesn't get much better than that... relaxing, yet mentally stimulating.

So grab a puzzle - my most recent one was this... Early to Rise by Darrell Bush... I love this picture

And grab one of these books. The books themselves are fantastic, whether you listen to them on audio or not... 


 The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins - This is the first book of a trilogy, all of the books are out though, so you can go ripping through them - and you will. I am looking forward to seeing Katniss on the big screen as well. If you didn't know, these books are being made into movies. The books are always better though (with few exceptions) so read the books now, before you see the film.

 Divergent by Veronica Roth - This book is technically a young adult book, but don't let that dissuade you from listening to/reading it. Wow... fantastic novel, and the first of a trilogy. They're not all out yet, so if you don't want to be like me and chomping at the bit for the next installment (coming in May!!) you can put this on your "to read" list. This book is very similar in tone to the Hunger Games series - post-apocalyptic world with a young, female lead.

 A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - This is the first book of The All Souls Trilogy (are you seeing a pattern here??). The second books is due out in July. Ms. Harkness is a history scholar, and it shows in her writing. In the world she creates witches, vampires and daemons are real, among us and take great pains not to call attention to themselves. She'll have you believing it before you are a quarter of the way into the book. This book has it all - history, mystery, suspense and romance. I can't wait to read the others!

 The Parasol Protectorate Series by Gail Carriger - Soulless is the first of this series; which is currently up to four published books - the next one is due out March 1st(!!). These books are laugh out loud funny! I love, love, LOVE Alexia! This series is populated with dramatic vampires and sexy werewolves and a writing style that will delight you from beginning to end. This is my first foray into "Steam Punk" books - but I loved every moment of it! Also, you should check out her webpage (http://gailcarriger.com/) - also fantastic!

 Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder - Another trilogy... ok, I admit it, I love series books. I think I mentioned this before, I have a passion for series books. Once I find characters I liked, I hate to let go of them. Some of my best friends have been characters in novels. One of those friends would be Yelena, who is offered the position of food taster rather than be executed. Over the three books you'll explore Yelena's past, present and future in a world filled with magic, intrigue and mystery.

That's all for now. I have other books to recommend, but they just don't fit well with these. These ladies, both the characters and the authors, made me laugh, they drew me into their worlds and they left me wanting more. What more could you ask for?

I is for iPod

The best purchase I have ever made was my iPod Touch. I LOVE it.

Finally my extensive music collection is in one place and completely portable. No longer am I limited to a handful of CDs in my car.

My two hours of driving every day are filled now with audio books I purchase from Audible.com.

In a pinch, the iPod will entertain Angie if we're waiting for a table in a restaurant or at the doctor's office.

I can watch movies on it or play Words with Friends. Thanks to Book Crawler and DVD Profiler I now have an inventory of my personal book and DVD libraries (no more buying multiple copies of books because the publisher changed the cover or movies in the bargain bin I already own!). Bonus, both of these programs utilize a bar code scanner (it uses the iPod's camera (note: older generations don't have a camera)) to speed up entry!

Lose it helps me track what I eat and what exercise I don't do to help me lose or maintain weight.

The list goes on and on. It really is the best thing I have ever purchased. So if you don't have one, I highly recommend you get one! :)

Books that Make me Look Forward to Driving

I drive approximately two hours a day - one to work, one back. Two years ago I took Amazon up on their offer of $100 off an iPod if I subscribed to Audible for a year... and I have haven't look back.

I used to spend those two hours listening to the news - and often getting angry - - or worse dissecting my day and agonizing over conversations and other things that I couldn't change anyways. Now, I allow myself to be enveloped into books.

This was especially wonderful while I was finishing college, because there was no time for pleasure reading. Instead of two wasted hours a day, I could "read" books - something I LOVE to do anyways.

So as I was reaching the end of my latest novel, I got to thinking about how several of the books I've "read" over the past two years actually had me looking forward to my commute and I thought I'd share them with you.

First, since it's freshest in my mind, is The Passage by Justin Cronin. Wow, this was an incredible book. It's the first of a trilogy, and I can't wait for the others. This novel had me dying to know what was going to happen next, while simultaneously dreading it ending. His characters are interesting and very memorable. The story is believable - frighteningly so, since it's about the end of the world as we know it. You could call it a vampire novel, but that hardly does it justice.

Along the same lines - end of the world as we know it, not vampires - are Daemon and Freedom by Daniel Suarez. A computer genius unleashes a computer virus upon his death that dismantles the world as we know it. Daemon will horrify you, but Freedom, the sequel, will leave you inspired. These books left me begging my friends to read them so I'd have someone to talk to them about. Amazing books. They're pretty high-tech, but every technology Suarez put in the book exists today.

Innocent Traitor is the story of Lady Jane Grey. Even if you don't recall her history (she was briefly the Queen of England) the book begins with her final hours. This is a poignant and mostly historically accurate book. Alison Weir has a reputation for bringing her historical heroines to life and she certainly does with Jane. By the end you're hoping it will end differently, but you know it won't - yet you'll listen to every last word.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger was very well written, and read. The audiobook is read by both a man and a woman, back and forth. I'd have to say that all of these books were even better because they were read aloud to me, but this one was one of the best. Again, I was dying to know what was going to happen next, while dreading the end. I watched the movie and it did very little justice to the book.

Dan Brown's Angels & Demons, The DaVinci Code and The Lost Symbol. All were really good books, I'd already read the first two in print. They were all mesmerizing. But heck, hasn't everyone read these by now? Hardly worth mentioning. :)

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris was hilariously funny, if somewhat short. Read by the author. Very enjoyable.

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I've read them all, some several times, but listening to Claire (Davina Porter) was incredible. It's a crying shame that two of the books are only available abridged and are read by a different person - and thus I refused to buy them. I recommend Gabaldon's books to just about anyone. She writes so vividly that you can hear the horses and smell the dust.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Again with the end of the world, but this book is hilarious! I'd read it years ago and highly recommend it. An Angel and Demon bungle the Apocolypse, everyone has lost track of the Anti-Christ (he's 11) and Agnes predicted it all ages ago, if people would just listen.

And last, but certainly not least, The Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay is well written and well narrated. If you've watched the Showtime series, you really should read the books that inspired it. The two deviate early on, but the books give you a much better understanding of our Dear Dexter.

So if you see me dashing to my car at the end of the day or sitting with the engine idling when I pull in, ask me what book I'm "reading", chances are it's a good one.