Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

Lynnie

fiction, historical fiction, audiobook

Mary Jane is 14, loves to cook, sing in the church choir, spend time with her family, and by all accounts is what anyone would call a "good girl." Her family is strict, judgmental and has high standards about what is and is not acceptable in this world (in: church, the country club, stay-at-home mothers, family dinners, white people; out: everyone else).

When Mary Jane gets a summer job as a nanny for a local doctor's family, little do her parents know that she is about to enter the lion's den of everything they object to in this world. A doctor? Yes, but a psychiatrist. A stay-at-home mother? Yes, but one who does not cook and thinks having a social life is as important as parenting. Cleaning house and cooking is not at the top of anyone's list- except perhaps Mary Jane's. Adding to the mayhem, Dr. Cone is spending the summer helping a famous rock star and his movie star wife overcome some of their own issues so they move into the home as well.

Jessica Anya Blau has written a fun, character-driven story about a young woman whose world expands exponentially as Mary Jane is exposed to new ideas and new lifestyles over the course of a summer. It was a joy to watch Mary Jane blossom and change, and to watch the effect that she had on the members of the Cone house as well. To see her confidence grow with each day and each new accomplishment often left me smiling from ear to ear. As I would listen or read, I was reminded regularly that there is always something we can learn from those around us and their experiences and lessons if we will just pay attention.

I listened to most of this book on a road trip and enjoyed the audiobook immensely. It was narrated by Caitlin Kinnunen and she had a wonderful repertoire of voices. I give her a solid A. 

On a personal note, I recognize that things that are 40 years old are generally considered "vintage" & things that are 50 years old "historical" (thanks to antique hunters and the National Register of Historic Places for the information) but I must say I resent calling a story, set in the 1970s "historical fiction." Sigh...

 

The Good House by Ann Leary

Amy  

fiction

The Good House by Ann Leary is about Hildy Good who lives in a wealthy and historic area on the coast of Massachusetts. She’s a realtor and knows everyone in town. But Hildy is dealing with alcoholism, middle age, and loneliness.

This novel often felt like a book of short stories about the townspeople. Hildy was the narrator and her own story was the central story and the most interesting. The secondary story involved Rebecca, a new resident of the town. The others stories were much less developed and were told as flashbacks or current occurrences in Hildy’s life. Hildy is sometimes unreliable as a narrator. But her truths are uncovered as the novel progresses. In fact, the surprises along the way were the best part of the novel. The witchy "coincidences" were also great fun.

The audiobook narrator, Mary Beth Hurt, was a terrific voice actor. She had some good variety to her vocal repertoire and I think she was perfectly cast for this novel.  She even sang almost an entire song in the voice of a timid girl! BRAVO!!!!  I would give her a "+" if her vocal repertoire had been a bit wider but I do give her a very solid A!

  

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

Lynnie

fantasy, young adult

 

According to the book's description, The Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a story "in which a young woman's quest to free her mother pit's her against the most powerful immortal in the realm." Sounds fantastic, right?

 

I really wanted to love Sue Lynn Tan’s novel, but honestly I was sort of disappointed. 

Inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e, the truth is that Chang’e is the most minor of minor characters in this novel. Chang’e’s daughter, Xingyin takes the lead and while Xingyin is a badass warrior, she’s also a wishywashy, lovelorn teen willing to give up everything anytime a good-looking guy gives her a compliment which is just so.. boring.

First there’s the Crown Prince Liwei, who clearly has feelings for Xingyin even though their romance can never be. Then there is fellow warrior Wenzhi who is strong, handsome, and encourages Xingyin to be her true self. But then there’s Liwei… and back and forth and back and forth and oh my gosh why are we supposed to care?

Oh right, the moon goddess. It’s a shame really because the world that Tan has created is really quite beautiful and I found myself fascinated by the magic and the different kingdoms and the battles… and then we’d go back to the weird forced romance. Sigh…

When the story focused on the action it was great. When Xingyin was dwelling on romantic intrigue and betrayal I was bored to tears. Ultimately, it comes down to what you’re looking for in a book I guess. I may read the sequel, but I don’t think I’ll be in a rush for it.

 

 

 

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Amy  

women's fiction, romance

Hannah is an Executive Protection Agent, The Bodyguard.  She’s 5’ 5” and, despite her size, is the best agent at her company. However, just when she’s got the perfect overseas assignment in her sights, her mother dies, her boyfriend (a co-worker) breaks up with her, and she gets assigned to protect a superstar, the man who has won the Sexiest Man Alive twice, Jack Stapleton.  This assignment doesn’t interest Hannah at all but she has to accept the lead position on this job or her perfect overseas assignment will go to the ex-boyfriend.

Hannah is a bit socially awkward with some hidden issues. She doesn’t seem to experience deep feelings. She doesn’t even seem offended when people say offensive things about her. She’s managed to get through life just dealing with whatever it throws her and trying to stay busy so she doesn’t have to think about all the tough stuff.  Therefore, it took me a while to warm up to her. I also could not believe that she put up with so many personal and professional insults. However, I admired her bad-ass protection skills and her work ethic so I persevered.

Things progressed pretty much as I thought they would but it was a cute tale illustrating the importance of believing in yourself and caring enough about yourself to seek support when needed. Situations presented themselves that warmed Hannah’s cold heart and resulted in my own heart warming to the story too. Katherine Center wrote a fun romance (with minimal sex scenes, by the way).

The audiobook narrator, Patti Murin, did a nice job with the voice acting, had a decent vocal repertoire, and she actually sang when the character sang.  I LOVE WHEN THAT HAPPENS and it doesn’t happen enough. Bravo to Ms. Murin. I give her an A.

   

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

 

Lynnie

contemporary fiction, audiobook

 

Oh my word, this book!

I listened to the audiobook of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot on a recent road trip and even though I knew that there would be moments that would make me cry, I absolutely adored this journey.

Lenni is 17 and Margot is 83. They meet as patients in the hospital and realize that together they have lived 100 years. To celebrate their century, they decide to make 100 paintings about their lives. As these fierce women shared their stories, I celebrated with them, laughed with them, cried with them, and was amazed at their resilience. Marianne Cronin created beautiful characters in Lenni and Margot, and surrounded them with a wonderful supporting cast in Father Arthur, New Nurse, Paul the Porter, Pippa, and others. You don't normally think of the terminal ward of the hospital as a place of joy, but Cronin has created a space for love, and friendship, and found family, and, yes, even joy among the grief. I don't know if this is technically a young adult book but it is absolutely a book that can been enjoyed by all ages from middle school to elderly- a story to span generations for sure.

This was a beautiful book, and the narrators were wonderful to listen to. The glorious Sheila Reid brings Margot to life and Rebecca Benson infuses Lenni with personality. Both get A+ from me. I could listen to their lilting accents all day long quite frankly; they really brought the mischief and character of Lenni and Margot to life.

The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Amy  

fiction

The Oppenheimer family has triplets who don’t like each other, a wealthy father who is present minimally, and a mother who is trying to hold everything together. Then, when everyone’s lives are on the brink of significant change, their family structure is upended.

The Latecomer is a story about a wealthy New York family.  While not individually hateful, neither are the family members particularly lovable. They are just sort of present and living their lives unremarkably for much of the novel. Yet, they do have unusual characteristics/experiences which kept me interested in finding out more. Mr. Oppenheimer has a couple defining moments which he carries through his life. The family is magnificently wealthy yet they don’t feel the need to flaunt it while living comfortably. The triplets don’t like each other at all. (I’ve never heard of multiple birth siblings not getting along, especially when Jean Hanff Korelitz never provided a reason for their mutual disregard. This aspect of the family dynamics felt a bit unbelievable to me and is the only real reason for docking this novel a star.)

It’s really hard to say why I enjoyed it so much. It’s a little of a soap opera, but not much. It’s a little of a train wreck, but not much. I suppose it’s just well written and the scenarios pulled me in. And I like a story whose pieces fit together well. I thought the Passover seder chapter was so funny! This is also one of those rare instances where the book cover is perfect.  I loved that too. And the ending was gratifying. At its heart, it’s about acceptance and personal growth.

Julia Whelan is always a terrific voice actor but I’ve often described her “narrator voice” as being too bratty or snarky for the story. I have to say that, for this novel, her snark was perfect! When voicing specific characters she has an amazing vocal repertoire, even men’s voices, and is a fantastic actor. But due to her narrator voice I usually can’t give her an A+.  For The Latecomer, an A+ is well-deserved! 

   

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

Lynnie

Amy   

 

nonfiction

This nonfiction book by Amanda Montell analyzes the language of cults—English, Spanish, Cultish--get it? It also analyzes the language of cult-ish organizations. It’s a deep dive into the need for humans to feel like they belong and how some people, groups, companies, and genuinely dangerous cults use language to attract people to their cause and press their advantage.

Lynnie's Review

 

I listened to the audiobook of Amanda Montell's Cultish on a road trip and it was very engaging. I'm not sure I learned anything new, but it absolutely held my attention for most of the drive and gave us plenty to talk about afterward. I don't know that it convinced me that Peleton or SoulCycle are cults, but it's an interesting thought exercise to understand how the language people and organizations use can draw us in and cement our commitment to an organization or idea. I was particularly struck by the idea of the "exit cost" of belonging to a group and how that effects our unwillingness to step away.

No, Cultish isn't filled with groundbreaking research, but it's a very accessible way to think about the topic and, let's be honest, for some reason we ALL like to think about cults. Why is that? Maybe because we all realize that the line between belief and slavish devotion is thinner than we would like it to be.

The narrator, Ann Marie Gideon, was wonderful- I give her an A, even though she did not have to invent any character voices. I think it's actually more challenging to read a nonfiction book and keep the listener interested and she did a wonderful job.

Amy's Review

Montell’s father lived with an actual cult as a child. Therefore, she was raised to be cognizant and wary of cultish language and behavior. Her background and education make her uniquely qualified to observe and describe cultish language.

I found it extremely interesting and learned that people are always being manipulated. Some people are easier targets than others but everyone, to some degree, is pulled into some larger ideas due to language and their desired feeling of belonging. Montell highlighted the dangers of thought-terminating cliches and shined light on some of the more cultish examples of multi-level marketing companies and fitness businesses in addition to real cults. Even though it was nonfiction, not normally my favorite genre to read, this book held my attention. I liked it!

The audiobook was narrated by Ann Marie Gideon and she was fantastic! Even though nonfiction books don’t typically allow narrators to show off their repertoire of voices, Gideon definitely gave the different people who were quoted their own voices, including the men! Her tone was not boring at any point and I’m quite sure I enjoyed this nonfiction book as much as I did due to her capable-sounding narration with just the right amount of energy and curiosity behind it. I bet she does a great job with fiction too. I give her an A.