Robin’s Library Reads for January – March 2020 #LibraryLoveChallenge @angels_gp @BooksofMyHeart #LoveAudiobooks

Posted May 3, 2020 by Robin in Book Review / 8 Comments

Robin's Library Reads for January - March 2020

Robin’s Library Reads for January – March 2020 #LibraryLoveChallenge @angels_gp @BooksofMyHeart #LoveAudiobooksThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Narrator: Rachel Dulude
Series: Wayfarers #1
Published by Tantor Audio on March 21, 2019
Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera
Length: 14 hours, 23 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
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one-flame
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.

In this mash up, somewhat a mash up of Firefly and Ice Truckers, we get to hang out with the crew of a ship as they make their way through space to a planet not everyone thinks should become part of the Galactic Union. Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is like a documentary and some ways as we learn all about a few of the various cultures out there in space and how strange and different from humans they really are. This was a great book if you are more interested in people, alien races and cultures than plot happenings.

The crew of the Wayfarer travels to a new planet that will be introduced into the Galactic Union.  Their job is to get there and then punch back through space-time to create a tunnel for other ships to use for commerce.  On their journey they will have some interesting issues, meet up with strange friends and have a few glitches not to mention what happens at said Angry Planet.

Fun tale of space woes.

Narration:

Rachel Dulude was a strong narrator choice for this series.  I liked her interpretation of the characters and their voices.  I listened to this at my normal 1.5x speed.

Listen to the clip:

 

Robin’s Library Reads for January – March 2020 #LibraryLoveChallenge @angels_gp @BooksofMyHeart #LoveAudiobooksA Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
Narrator: Rachel Dulude
Series: Wayfarers #2
Published by HarperAudio on May 21, 2019
Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera
Length: 11 hours, 29 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Goodreads
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one-flame
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Embark on an exciting, adventurous, and dangerous journey through the galaxy with the motley crew of the spaceship Wayfarer in this fun and heart-warming space opera--the sequel to the acclaimed The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

Lovelace was once merely a ship's artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who's determined to help her learn and grow.

Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet introduced listeners to the incredible world of Rosemary Harper, a young woman with a restless soul and secrets to keep. When she joined the crew of the Wayfarer, an intergalactic ship, she got more than she bargained for--and learned to live with, and love, her rag-tag collection of crewmates.

After learning about Space travel in the first book of this series, Becky Chambers shows us what it was like for one of the heavily genetically modified human races as they grew up on a planet raised by and AI. Through the eyes of Pepper, we see what her life became later and what it was like on the planet she was made to serve.

A Closed and Common Orbit focuses on one of the other races and the cultural quirks of it, along with how an AI living in a body is adjusting to life not being the ship’s computer anymore. Again, done more in a discovery channel way; I was drawn into the cultures and people which is the heart of the story.

Narration:

Rachel Dulude again did a great job and was a strong narrator choice for this series.  I liked her interpretation of the characters and their voices.  I listened to this at my normal 1.5x speed.

Listen to the clip:

 

Robin’s Library Reads for January – March 2020 #LibraryLoveChallenge @angels_gp @BooksofMyHeart #LoveAudiobooksRecord of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
Narrator: Rachel Dulude
Series: Wayfarers #3
Published by HarperAudio on October 18, 2019
Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera
Length: 11 hours, 36 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Goodreads
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one-flame
One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

Return to the sprawling universe of the Galactic Commons, as humans, artificial intelligence, aliens, and some beings yet undiscovered explore what it means to be a community in this exciting third adventure in the acclaimed and multi-award-nominated science fiction Wayfarers series, brimming with heartwarming characters and dazzling space adventure.

Hundreds of years ago, the last humans on Earth boarded the Exodus Fleet in search of a new home among the stars. After centuries spent wandering empty space, their descendants were eventually accepted by the well-established species that govern the Milky Way.

But that was long ago. Today, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, the birthplace of many, yet a place few outsiders have ever visited. While the Exodans take great pride in their original community and traditions, their culture has been influenced by others beyond their bulkheads. As many Exodans leave for alien cities or terrestrial colonies, those who remain are left to ponder their own lives and futures: What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? Why remain in space when there are habitable worlds available to live? What is the price of sustaining their carefully balanced way of life—and is it worth saving at all?

A young apprentice, a lifelong spacer with young children, a planet-raised traveler, an alien academic, a caretaker for the dead, and an Archivist whose mission is to ensure no one’s story is forgotten, wrestle with these profound universal questions. The answers may seem small on the galactic scale, but to these individuals, it could mean everything.

What is life like for the Humans that escaped Earth’s collapse and ended up living on really large space ships orbiting a distant moon? In Record of a Spaceborn few we get to go on that journey and find out how living on a spaceship and in a trade culture really works. It was interesting to see how society both stayed the same and evolved since leaving the home world and why some people stay, others leave and some return.

Again this was very much like a day in the life of documentary than something with a huge plot happening. Still I remained pretty interested the entire time but the first book in the series remains my favorite.

Narration:

Rachel Dulude again did a great job and was a strong narrator choice for this series.  I liked her interpretation of the characters and their voices.  I listened to this at my normal 1.5x speed.

Listen to the clip:

 

Robin’s Library Reads for January – March 2020 #LibraryLoveChallenge @angels_gp @BooksofMyHeart #LoveAudiobooksThe Lucky Ones by Tiffany Reisz
Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller
Published by Harlequin Audio on February 13, 2018
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Length: 10 hours, 28 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
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three-flames
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

They were seven children either orphaned or abandoned by their parents and chosen by legendary philanthropist and brain surgeon Dr. Vincent Capello to live in The Dragon, his almost magical beach house on the Oregon Coast. Allison was the youngest of the lucky ones living an idyllic life with her newfound family...until the night she almost died and was then whisked away from the house and her adopted family forever.

Now, 13 years later, Allison receives a letter from Roland, Dr. Capello's eldest son, warning her that their father is ill and in his final days. Allison knows she must go home again and confront the ghosts of her past. She's determined to find out what really happened that fateful night - was it an accident, or, as she's always suspected, did one of her beloved family members try to kill her?

But digging into the past can reveal horrific truths, and when Allison pieces together the story of her life, she learns the terrible secret at the heart of the family she once loved but never really knew.

I read the Original Sinners the Red Years some time ago and fell in love with the way Reisz can weave a tale. While this was way tamer on the sex front (the Original Sinners is very naughty), there was still the interesting story and a woman as a main character that wasn’t afraid of sex and played “companion” to a very rich man for years. With the end of their arrangement, Allison has decided to go back to the home of her childhood, the place she loved until she almost died.

Memories of the past resurface and a mystery from a long time ago starts to come to light. Allison will learn why the other kids she grew up with were the Lucky Ones and what her true role was. Plus there is a nice little romance happening between Alison and her once adopted brother just to add a little forbidden into the tale.

Roland had hallway eyes—labyrinthine hallways made of marble and lit by torches resting in iron sconces. She could wander those shadowy hallways forever and never once feel lost.

Narration:

Emily Woo Zeller was a really good choice for this narration.  Her presentation of the story was spot on I thought.  I got very lost in the story which is a good sign the story and the narration were captivating.

Listen to the clip:

 

Robin’s Library Reads for January – March 2020 #LibraryLoveChallenge @angels_gp @BooksofMyHeart #LoveAudiobooksAll the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
Narrator: Thom Rivera
Published by Scholastic Audio on October 10, 2017
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Length: 9 hours, 9 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Goodreads
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one-flame
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars.

At the heart of this place you will find the Soria family, who all have the ability to perform unusual miracles. And at the heart of this family are three cousins longing to change its future: Beatriz, the girl without feelings, who wants only to be free to examine her thoughts; Daniel, the Saint of Bicho Raro, who performs miracles for everyone but himself; and Joaquin, who spends his nights running a renegade radio station under the name Diablo Diablo.

They are all looking for a miracle. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect.

Man, I love Maggie Stiefvater and she is her own kind of writer. No one is like her. I love her prose it is always wonderful and every story I’ve read from her is unique and imaginative.

All the Crooked Saints was a strange tale of a family of miracle workers set in the 60s. The miracles never work like you think they are going to and lately most of the pilgrims that have made their way to the Soria family are having some trouble finishing out the miracles so they can go back to their lives. Like the priest who has a wolf head now since he has an eye for the ladies or the twins that are conjoined by a snake so they can never be apart.

Beatriz is a girl without feelings, or so she thinks anyway. When her cousin, the official Miracle worker, breaks the rules and tries to help one of the pilgrims the miracle backlashes on him and now he is lost in the desert. Beatriz, one of her other cousins, will try to save Daniel and possibly figure out a way to save the rest of their family and some of the other pilgrims too in the meantime.

Completely strange, original and worth reading. Although I’m glad I waited awhile after finishing the Raven Cycle or I would have been sad it wasn’t the Raven Cycle.

Narration:

This was my first experience with Thom Rivera as a narrator.  He did a really good job with the accents and some of the Mexican culture and intonations throughout the story.  I listened to this at my usual 1.5x speed.

Listen to the clip:

 

Robin’s Library Reads for January – March 2020 #LibraryLoveChallenge @angels_gp @BooksofMyHeart #LoveAudiobooksBeard Science by Penny Reid
Narrator: Joy Nash, Chris Brinkley
Series: Winston Brothers #6
on January 22, 2020
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Length: 11 hours, 35 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Goodreads
AmazonAudibleLibro.fm
one-half-flames
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

Nobody speaks to Scarlet St. Claire.

Scarlet smells. Scarlet is dirty.

The kids at school are also pretty sure she’s been wearing those same jeans for the last two weeks. Though kids at school are pretty sure Scarlet has been tent sleeping in the Great Smoky Mountains behind the old Oliver place, no one will say a word to her about it. . . except maybe Cletus.

But Cletus doesn’t give two woodpecker poos what people think. He's just as weird as Scarlet St. Claire. Cletus is nothing like his older brother Billy Winston. Star quarterback, straight-A student, hard-worker, Billy has saved the Winston family from disgrace time and time again.

Billy makes no mistakes. Billy is perfect.

Everybody speaks to Billy Winston.

*****

Everybody speaks to Billy Winston.

Billy makes no mistakes. Billy is perfect.

Star quarterback, straight-A student, hard-worker, Billy has saved the Winston family from disgrace time and time again. Cletus is nothing like his older brother Billy Winston. He's just as weird as Scarlet St. Claire. But Cletus doesn’t give two woodpecker poos what people think.

Though kids at school are pretty sure Scarlet has been tent sleeping in the Great Smoky Mountains behind the old Oliver place, no one will say a word to her about it. . . except maybe Cletus. The kids at school are also pretty sure she’s been wearing those same jeans for the last two weeks.

Scarlet smells. Scarlet is dirty.

Nobody speaks to Scarlet St. Claire.

Not your usual romance, Beard with Me is a set up book, five other books in the making. It shows how Scarlet and Billy ended up thrown together and falling in love without anyone else knowing, well except Cletus and possibly Jed. It is such a sad tale since you know going in that whatever happened to separate them had kept them apart for so many years.

I really loved getting to see what Billy and Scarlet were like when they are 17 and 15, just toying with the idea of being in love. It was so sweet and just devastating because you knew the tragic event that tears them apart is coming but it was so much fun to be in the moment with them when they were just discovering their feeling for one another.

The end was heartbreaking and I felt so bad for Billy and Scarlet. I hated the Winston brother’s father even more than I thought I could have and Scarlet’s dad…well I hope he dies in a fiery inferno while stepping on legos.

Not a book you want to end on, so be ready to jump into the final book of the Winston Brothers series right after.

Narration:

Chris Brinkley is the voice of the Winston family for me and that continued very well through Beard with Me.  Joy Nash did a spot on job for the narration of Scarlet.  I listened to this at my usual 1.5x speed.

Listen to the clip:

 

Robin
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted May 3, 2020 by Robin in Book Review / 8 Comments


8 responses to “Robin’s Library Reads for January – March 2020

  1. What a great list you have there….and I definitely want to try out Tiffany Reisz ….I know many love her work. Hope you enjoy that one.