The Audiobook Shelf

Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies
Blake Snyder, author
George Newbern, narrator
Dreamscape Media
https://dreamscapepublishing.com
9781974970612, $29.99, CD (8 Hours 48 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Save-Cat-Goes-Movies-Screenwriters/dp/1974970612

Synopsis: In the perfect companion piece to his first book (Save the Cat!: = The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need), with the posthumous publi= cation of "Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Ev= ery Story Ever Told", the late Blake Snyder delivers even more insider info= rmation gleaned from a twenty-year track record as one of Hollywood's most = successful spec screenwriters.

Specifically designed for screenwriters, novelists, and movie fans, "Save t=
he Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever To= ld" gives listeners key breakdowns of the fifty most instructional movies f= rom the past thirty years. From M*A*S*H to Crash, Alien to Saw, and 10 to E= ternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Of special note is that Snyder reveal=
s how screenwriters in the past tackled the same challenges faced by screen= writers today.

Critique: Of very special appeal to anyone with an interest in screenwritin=
g professionally, as well as film critics and movie buffs, this complete an=
d unabridged edition of "Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter=
's Guide to Every Story Ever Told" from Dreamscape Media is deftly narrated=
by George Newbern and an essential, welcome addition to personal, professi= onal, community, and academic library Theatre/Cinema/TV collections in gene= ral, and Screenwriting supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular.

Editorial Note #1: The late Blake Snyder (1957-2009) worked as a screenwrit=
er and producer for twenty years. His book "Save the Cat!: The Last Book on=
Screenwriting You'll Ever Need" and its sequels have guided screenwriters,=
novelists, and other creative thinkers for years and continue to be bestse= llers. His methodology is also used by many development executives, manager=
s, and producers due to its precise, easy, and honest appraisal of what it = takes to write and develop stories in any medium.

Editorial Note #2: George Newbern (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0627624/bio)=
has appeared in Father of the Bride, Father of the Bride II, Evening Star,=
Adventures in Babysitting, and many other films. On television, he has had=
roles on Scandal, Friends, Nip/Tuck, Hot in Cleveland, CSI, and more. He i=
s also known for providing the voice of Superman in Justice League and for = narrating audiobooks.

Directing Great Television
Dan Attias, author/narrator
Dreamscape Media
https://dreamscapepublishing.com
9781666549522, $22.99, CD, (6 Hours 29 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Directing-Great-Television-Inside-Golden/dp/16665495=
25

Synopsis: Whether it's the high-stakes pressure of solving a last-minute pr= oblem on set, or the joy of pulling off a perfect shot by the skin of your = teeth, Attias brings you right into the director's chair, sharing his knowl= edge and taking you through the process one challenging episode at a time.

Offering a fundamental focus on story, and eschewing industry language for = plain talk, Attias offers in-depth guidance how best to work with actors, h=
ow to "speak" through the camera, how to work with a showrunner, and how to=
be ready for the many ways a director will be challenged, large and small.

"Directing Great Television" offers a fascinating window into television's = best shows, compelling to directors and non-directors alike. Attias's book = transcends other filmmaking guides by detailing his journey to a surprising=
place of self-discovery, one with applications beyond entertainment.

Critique: An Emmy nominated director, "Directing Great Television: Inside T= V's Golden Age" by Dan Attias must be considered an essential and invaluabl=
e informative resource for anyone aspiring to a television career as a prog= ram or series director. Offering a wealth of informative insights and examp= les from his own illustrious career, this complete and unabridged audio boo=
k edition of "Directing Great Television" from Dreamscape Media is highly r= ecommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Thea= tre/Cinema/Television audio collections.

Editorial Note: Dan Attias (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Attias) has w= orked as a director in the film and television industry since 1984. As a di= rector of series television, he has received the Directors Guild of America=
Award for outstanding direction of dramatic television for The Wire and ha=
s been nominated for multiple Emmy awards for his comedy directing. He cont= inues to work on some of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed Ameri= can television shows, including Homeland, The Americans, and The Marvelous = Mrs. Maisel.

Writing The TV Drama Series
Pamela Douglas, author
Charon Normand-Widmer, narrator
Dreamscape Media
https://dreamscapepublishing.com
9781666508611, $TBA, CD (13 Hours 17 Minutes)

https://dreamscapepublishing.com/catalog/audiobooks/detail/?writing-the-tv-= drama-series/pamela-douglas+/&id=3D0001191 1

Synopsis: Expertly narrated by Charon Normand-Widmer, this complete and una= bridged audio book edition of Pamela Douglas' "Writing The TV Drama Series:=
How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV" is an invaluable informatio= nal resource for anyone who wants to write and produce a television drama s= eries or create an original series, as well as for teachers in screenwritin=
g classes and workshops.

"Writing The TV Drama Series" leads listeners step-by-step through each sta=
ge of the development and writing process, offering practical industry info= rmation and artistic inspiration. This edition also takes listeners into th=
e future, engaging provocative issues about the interface between tradition=
al TV and emerging technologies. And it's the single most comprehensive sou= rce on what is happening in original television drama around the world, wit=
h surveys of fifteen countries.

Critique: A complete course of instruction, the "Writing The TV Drama Serie=
s: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV" audio book is available f= rom Dreamscape Media in both a tradition CD edition and in an MP3-CD format=
-- making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, p= rofessional, and community library Writing/Publishing audio book collection=
s. It should be noted that "Writing The TV Drama Series" is also available =
in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.47), as well as a Library Binding edi= tion (9781615932078, $45.00) from Michael Wiese Productions).

Editorial Note: Pamela Douglas is an award-winning writer with numerous cre= dits in television drama. She is also the author of The Future of Televisio=
n: Your Guide to Creating TV in the New World (MWP 2015). She consults inte= rnationally to professional TV writers and producers, and has lectured in A= frica, Europe and throughout the United States. Douglas was awarded the Hum= anitas Prize for Between Mother and Daughter (CBS), an original drama that = also won nomination for a Writers Guild Award. Multiple Emmy nominations an=
d awards, and awards from American Women in Radio and Television went to he=
r other dramas. She was a creator of the series Ghostwriter, and wrote for = many shows including Star Trek: The Next Generation, named one of the top 1=
00 shows by the Writers Guild of America She has also been a member of the = Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America, West.

Deep Sleep
Steven Konkoly, author
Seth Podowitz, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713623847, $14.99, MP3-CD (10 Hours 18 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Sleep-Steven-Konkoly/dp/1713623846

Synopsis: Countersurveillance expert Devin Gray is unwittingly thrown headf= irst into dangerous new territory after the death of his mother. Helen Gray=
, a paranoid and disgraced former CIA officer, believed she was on the verg=
e of preventing a national catastrophe -- a mission worth dying for. Others=
, including Devin, believe she was chasing delusions. Until he finds what s=
he left behind.

With the help of longtime friend and former Marine helicopter pilot Marnie = Young and a loyal team of covert operatives Helen summoned just before her = death, Devin is propelled into a high-stakes chase across the country. What=
he uncovers, clue by clue, is a conspiracy more widespread and insidious t= han anyone could have imagined.

Now it's Devin's mission to destroy a covert network poised to deliver a fa= tal blow to the future of the United States. And also to vindicate his moth= er, by seeing the mission through to its treacherous end.

Critique: Doing full justice to novelist Steven Konkoly's political thrille=
r "Deep Sleep", this complete and unabridged Brilliance audio book producti=
on deftly narrated by Seth Podowitz is a compelling 'theatre of the mind' e= xperience and will prove a welcome addition to personal and community libra=
ry Action/Adventure Mystery audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Steven Konkoly (www.stevenkonkoly.com) is a graduate of = the US Naval Academy, and a veteran of several regular and elite US Navy an=
d Marine Corps units. He has brought his in-depth military experience to be=
ar in his fiction, which includes The Rescue, The Raid, The Mountain, and S= kystorm in the Ryan Decker series; the speculative postapocalyptic thriller=
s The Jakarta Pandemic and The Perseid Collapse; the Fractured State series=
; the Black Flagged series; and the Zulu Virus Chronicles.

Editorial Note #2: Seth Podowitz (https://www.sethpodowitz.com) is passiona=
te about storytelling in audio, particularly in audiobooks. In 2017, Seth b= egan working in audiobooks as a director, engineer, and editor for Mosaic A= udio in Los Angeles, and he began narrating the following year. Since then =
he has narrated over 50 books for independent authors and publishers such a=
s Harper Audio, Blackstone Audio, and Dreamscape Media.

The Fashion Orphans
Randy Susan Meyers & M. J. Rose, authors
Mia Barron & Callie Beaulieu, narrators
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713645641, $14.99, MP3-CD (10 Hours 7 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Orphans-Randy-Susan-Meyers/dp/1713645645

Synopsis: Estranged half-sisters Gabrielle Winslow and Lulu Quattro have on=
ly two things in common: mounds of debt and coils of unresolved enmity towa=
rd Bette Bradford, their controlling and imperious recently deceased mother=
..

Gabrielle, the firstborn, was raised in relative luxury on Manhattan's rare= fied Upper East Side. Now, at fifty-five, her life as a Broadway costume de= signer married to a heralded Broadway producer has exploded in divorce.

Lulu, who spent half her childhood under the tutelage of her working-class = Brooklyn grandparents, is a grieving widow at forty-eight. With her two son=
s grown, her life feels reduced to her work at the Ditmas Park bakery owned=
by her late husband's family.

The two sisters arrive for the reading of their mother's will, expecting to=
divide a sizable inheritance, pay off their debts, and then again turn the=
ir backs on each other. But to their shock, what they have been left is the=
ir mother's secret walk-in closet jammed with high-end current and vintage = designer clothes and accessories -- most from Chanel.

Contemplating the scale of their mother's self-indulgence, the sisters can'=
t help but wonder if Lauren Weisberger had it wrong: because it seems, in f= act, that the devil wore Chanel. But as they being to explore their mother'=
s collection, meet and fall in love with her group of warm, wonderful frien= ds, and magically find inspiring messages tucked away in her treasures - it=
seems as though their mother is advising Lulu and Gabrielle from the beyon=
d -- helping them rediscover themselves and restore their relationship with=
each other.

Critique: Of special appeal to anyone with an interest in women's literatur=
e and family drama, "The Fashion Orphans by co-authors Randy Susan Meyers a=
nd M. J. Rose is impressively performed by the vocal tales of co-narrators = Mia Barron and Callie Beaulieu in this complete and unabridged Brilliance A= udio production. Original, compelling, and flawlessly produced, "The Fashio=
n Orphans" is unreservedly recommended for both personal and community libr= ary Contemporary General Fiction audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Randy Susan Meyers (https://randysusanmeyers.com) is the=
author of the critically acclaimed The Murderer's Daughters, which was cho= sen as a Massachusetts Center for the Book "Must-Read Book" and a finalist = for the Massachusetts Book Award.

Editorial Note #2: M.J. Rose (https://www.mjrose.com/content) has appeared =
in many magazines including Oprah Magazine and The Adventurine and she has = been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, Time, U=
SA Today and on The Today Show, and NPR radio. Rose is also the co-founder =
of 1001DarkNights.com and TheBlueBoxPress.com

Editorial Note #3: Mia Barron (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mia_Barron) is=
an American actor known for her extensive New York City theater credits, a= longside her television and independent film work. She is also known as the=
voice of Molotov Cocktease and Sally Impossible on the Cartoon Network's l= ong-running comic science-fiction series,

Editorial Note #4: Callie Beaulieu (https://www.calliebeaulieu.com/audioboo= ks) is a NY/CT based audiobook narrator and self-professed vintage gal with=
a love for narrating fiction and non-fiction titles alike. A mature voice = that draws on a life marinated in travel, adventure and experience, Callie = delivers performances infused with gravitas, humor and over 30 years of exp= erience as an actor and storyteller.

The Lobotomist's Wife
Samantha Greene Woodruff, author
Cassandra Campbell, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713638155, $14.99, MP3-CD (9 Hours 3 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Lobotomists-Wife-Samantha-Greene-Woodruff/dp/1713638= 150

Synopsis: Since her brother took his life after WWI, Ruth Emeraldine has ha=
d one goal: to help those suffering from mental illness. Then she falls in = love with charismatic Robert Apter -- who is a brilliant doctor championing=
a radical new treatment, the lobotomy. Ruth believes in it as a miracle tr= eatment and in Robert as its genius pioneer. But as her husband spirals int=
o deluded megalomania, Ruth can't ignore her growing suspicions. Robert is = operating on patients recklessly, often with horrific results. And a vulner= able young mother, Margaret Baxter, is poised to be his next victim.

Margaret can barely get out of bed, let alone care for her infant. When Dr.=
Apter diagnoses her with the baby blues and proposes a lobotomy, she belie= ves the procedure is her only hope. Only Ruth can save her (and scores of o= thers) from the harrowing consequences of Robert's ambitions.

Critique: Inspired by a genuinely shocking and quite real chapter in Americ=
an medical history, "The Lobotomist's Wife" is author Samantha Greene Woodr= uff debut as a published author. It is a compelling and deftly written nove=
l of a woman fighting against the most grievous odds, of ego, and of the be=
st medical intentions gone horribly awry. This complete and unabridged audi=
o book edition of "The Lobotomist's Wife" from Brilliance Audio is vividly = and effectively narrated by Cassandra Campbell and a highly recommended add= ition to personal and community library General Fiction audio book collecti= ons.

Editorial Note #1: Samantha Greene Woodruff (https://www.samanthawoodruff.c= om) has a BA in history from Wesleyan University and an MBA from the NYU St= ern School of Business. She spent most of her career telling stories to exe= cutives at MTV Networks as the senior vice president of strategy and busine=
ss development and, subsequently, audience research for the Nickelodeon Kid=
s & Family Group. After leaving corporate life, she pursued her varied pass= ions, teaching yoga, cooking, and taking classes at the Writing Institute a=
t Sarah Lawrence College. It was here that she combined her multifaceted ba= ckground with her wild imagination and passion for history, reading, and wr= iting.

Editorial Note #2: Cassandra Campbell has recorded nearly two hundred audio= books and directed many more. She has been nominated for and won multiple A= udie Awards, as well as the prestigious Odyssey Award. She has received num= erous starred audio reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal a=
nd more than twenty AudioFile Earphones Awards. Cassandra was also named a = Best Voice by AudioFile for 2009 and 2010.

The Night Burns Bright
Rose Barkan, author
Kirby Heyborne, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713649892, $24.99, MP3-CD (13 Hours 17 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Night-Burns-Bright-Novel/dp/1713649896

Synopsis: Lucien has everything he needs: a loving mama, a library full of = books, and House of Earth, a private school nestled safely in the woods of = upstate New York. It's where Lucien is taught the importance of living in h= armony with nature and building a peaceful and sustainable future. But when=
his youthful curiosity draws him into town and to Gabrielle, a public-scho=
ol student living a life wholly different from his own, Lucien's inquisitiv= eness about life beyond the commune and questions regarding the events of 9= /11 threaten to unbalance everything he thought he knew.

Slowly, things begin to change at House of Earth. The outside world is off = limits. Security measures tighten. New rules are put in place, and anyone w=
ho violates them is asked to leave and never spoken of again.

As forbidden questions pile up, Lucien's willingness to obey weakens. Conti= nuing to meet Gabrielle in secret only reinforces his gnawing fear that som= ething about his world is terribly wrong. Unable to remain silent any longe=
r, Lucien will soon discover that looking for answers at House of Earth may=
be the most dangerous rule he can break.

Critique: Of particular interest to readers with its deft blending of a com= ing of age story and cult oriented suspense, "The Night Burns Bright" by no= velist Ross Barkan is brought vividly to life in a true 'theatre of the min=
d' experience by narrator Kirby Heyborne in this complete and unabridged au= dio book from Brilliance Audio. Simply stated, "The Night Burns Bright" wil=
l prove to be an outstanding and enduringly valued addition to both persona=
l and community library Literary Fiction audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Ross Barkan (https://rossbarkan.com) is a novelist and j= ournalist from New York City. He has published two previous books, Demoliti=
on Night and The Prince, and his journalism and essays have appeared in a w= ide variety of outlets, including the New York Times, the Nation, the Guard= ian, and the New Yorker.

Editorial Note #2: Kirby Heyhorne (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_Heyb= orne) is an American actor, musician, singer, songwriter, narrator and come= dian. He is known for his work in films centered around the culture of the = Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Heyborne has also worked exten= sively as an audiobook narrator, narrating more than 300 books. He has won = two Odyssey Awards and an Audie Award for Middle Grade Title. In 2015, Book= list named him a Voice of Choice narrator.

The Raven Spell
Luanne G. Smith, author
Susannah Jones, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713626206, $14.99, MP3-CD (8 Hours 54 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Raven-Spell-Luanne-G-Smith/dp/1713626209

Synopsis: After a nearly fatal blow to the skull, traumatized private detec= tive Ian Cameron is found dazed and confused on a muddy riverbank in Victor= ian London. Among his effects: a bloodstained business card bearing the nam=
e of a master wizard and a curious pocket watch that doesn't seem to tell t= ime. To retrieve his lost memories, Ian demands answers from Edwina and Mar=
y Blackwood, sister witches with a murky past. But as their secret is slowl=
y unveiled, a dangerous mystery emerges on the darkened streets of London.

To help piece together Ian's lost time, he and Edwina embark on a journey t= hat will take them from the river foreshore to an East End music hall, and =
on to a safe house for witches in need of sanctuary from angry mortals. The=
clues they find suggest a link between a series of gruesome murders, a mis= sing person's case, and a dreadful suspicion that threatens to tear apart t=
he bonds of sisterhood. As the investigation deepens, could Ian and Edwina =
be the next to die?

Critique: Magnificently performed by the impressive vocal storytelling tale= nts of Susannah Jones, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of "= The Raven Spell" by Luanne G. Smith will have immense appeal to historical = fantasy fans and gothic fiction enthusiasts -- making it an immediately and=
enduringly welcome addition to personal and community library Victorian er=
a fantasy fiction audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Luanne G. Smith (www.luannegsmith.com) is the Amazon Cha= rts and Washington Post bestselling author of The Vine Witch, The Glamouris=
t, and The Conjurer.

Editorial Note #2: Susannah Jones is an audiobook narrator, writer and actr= ess with over 150 books under her own name and her pseudonym. Her work on "= Rock Chick" by Kristen Ashley was one of the top five Audible romance liste=
ns in 2014 and she and her alter ego have two AudioFile Earphones awards. h= ttps://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=3DSusannah+Jones

A Hard Day for a Hangover
Darynda Jones, author
Lorelei King, narrator
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250851987, $39.99, CD (10.5 Hours)

https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Day-Hangover-Sunshine-Vicram/dp/125085198X

Synopsis: Some people greet the day with open arms. Sheriff Sunshine Vicram=
would rather give it a hearty shove and get back into bed, because there's=
just too much going on right now. There's a series of women going missing,=
and Sunny feels powerless to stop it.

Then there is also her persistent and awesomely-rebellious daughter Auri, w= ho's out to singlehandedly become Del Sol's youngest and fiercest investiga= tor.

And then there's drama with Levi Ravinder -- the guy she's loved and lusted=
after for years. The guy who might just be her one and only. The guy who c= omes from a family of disingenuous vipers looking to oust him (and Sunshine=
) for good. -- The new day can take a hike.

Critique: Darynda Jones fans are invited to spend a fun time listening to g= ifted narrator Lorelei King's complete and unabridged audio book production=
of "A Hard Day for a Hangover" (the finale of the three-arc trilogy compri= sing the Sunshine Victam series. Especially of interest to fans of cozy mys= teries and police procedurals, "A Hard Day for a Hangover" is strongly reco= mmended as an enduringly appreciated addition to community library Mystery/= Suspense audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Darynda Jones (https://darynda.com) has won numerous awa= rds for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphn=
e du Maurier, and her books have been translated into 17 languages. She als=
o penned the Charley Davidson series.

Editorial Note #2: Lorelei King (https://www.loreleiking.com/audiobooks.htm=
l) has recorded over 200 audiobooks, including several titles from Janet Ev= anovich's Stephanie Plum series and Darynda Jones's Charley Davidson series=
.. Her many awards include the 2008 Audie Award for Female Solo Narration fo=
r Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas, the Radio Times performer of the Year for The=
Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, and AudioFile Earphones Awards for Elev=
en on Top and Twelve Sharp, both by Janet Evanovich. AudioFile also deemed = her one of the "Best Voices of 2008."

Legacy: A Novel
Nora Roberts, author
January LaVoy, narrator
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250802354, $44.99, CD, (8 Hours)

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250802354/legacy

Synopsis: Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time=
.. That was the day he nearly killed her -- before her mother, Lina, stepped=
in.

Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents' house in Maryland, = where she spent a long summer drinking lemonade, playing with dogs, making =
a new best friend - and developing the stirrings of a crush on her friend's=
ten-year-old brother. Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her = fitness brand and turning it into a billion-dollar business. There was no p= oint in dwelling on the past.

A decade later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos,=
following in Lina's footsteps but intent on maintaining creative control. = And she's just as cool-headed and ambitious as her mother. They aren't clos=
e, but they're cordial -- as long as neither crosses the other.

But while Lina dismisses the death threats that Adrian starts getting as a = routine part of her daughter's growing celebrity, Adrian can't help but fin=
d the vicious rhymes unsettling. Year after year, they keep arriving - the = postmarks changing, but the menacing tone the same. They continue after she=
returns to Maryland and becomes reacquainted with Raylan, her childhood cr= ush, all grown up and as gorgeously green-eyed as ever.

Sometimes it even seems like the terrifying messages are indeed routine, li=
ke nothing will come of them. Until the murders start, and the escalation b= egins!

Critique: A 'must' for the legions of Nora Roberts fans, this complete and = unabridged audio book edition of "Legacy" is brilliantly narrated by by the=
vocal storytelling talents of January LaVoy. The result is a welcome, endu= ringly, and highly recommended addition to personal and community library R= omance audio book collections and acquisition lists.

Editorial Note #1: Nora Roberts (https://noraroberts.com) is the #1 New Yor=
k Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Shelter in Pl= ace, Year One, Come Sundown, and many more. She is also the author of the b= estselling In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are = more than five hundred million copies of her books in print.

Editorial Note #2: January LaVoy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_LaV= oy) is an American actress and audiobook narrator who (as an audiobook narr= ator), received five Audie Awards and been a finalist for nineteen. In 2013=
, she won Publishers Weekly's Listen Up Award for Audiobook Narrator of the=
Year. In 2019, AudioFile named her a Golden Voice narrator.

A World of Curiosities
Louise Penny, author
Robert Bathurst, narrator
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250887382, $39.99, CD (13.5 Hours)

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250887382/aworldofcuriosities

Synopsis: It's spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter.=
But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying do= rmant should reemerge. -- But something has!

As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean= -Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman h= ave reappeared in the S rete du Quebec investigators' lives after many year=
s. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, lea= ving them damaged, shattered. Now they've arrived in the village of Three P= ines. -- But to what end?

Gamache and Beauvoir's memories of that tragic case, the one that first bro= ught them together, come rushing back. Did their mother's murder hurt them = beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered and=
are now about to erupt?

As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a=
letter written by a long dead stone mason is discovered. In it the man des= cribes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. = Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room i=
s found, the villagers decide to open it up.

As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a w= orld of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there's more in=
that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden=
messages warning of mayhem and revenge.

In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into the=
ir lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache's home.

Critique: Robert Bathurst's impressive vocal talents and in full sway with = the Macmillan audio book production of novelist Louise Penny's "A World of = Curiosities". This complete and unabridged audio book experience offers the=
listener Providing several hours of an inherently compelling suspense thri= ller that is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to persona=
l and community library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Louise Penny (https://www.louisepenny.com) is the author=
of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards,=
including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (five times) and was a finalis=
t for the Edgar Award for Best Novel.

Editorial Note #2: Robert Bathurst has an informative interview about his w= ork with novelist Louise Penny at https://audiofilemagazine.com/narrators/r= obert-bathurst

The Villa
Rachel Hawkins, author
Shiromi Arserio, Julia Whelan, and Kimberly Wetherell, narrators
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250878977, $39.99, CD (7 Hours, 57 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Villa-Novel-Rachel-Hawkins/dp/1250878977

Synopsis: As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, thei=
r bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess=
suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect wit=
h her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was=
known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star,=
Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up= -and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce's girlf= riend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain o=
f events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of al=
l time, Lara composing a platinum album - - and ends in Pierce's brutal mur= der.

As Emily digs into the villa's complicated history, she begins to think the=
re might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps = Pierce's murder wasn't just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wron=
g, but that something more sinister might have occurred - - and that there = might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behin=
d.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels dev= eloping between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equa= lly dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge -- and it begins to lo=
ok like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

Critique: This complete and unabridged audio book edition of Rachel Hawkins=
' novel, "The Villa" is deftly narrated by the impressive storytelling tale= nts of a team of truly gifted vocal actors -- Shiromi Arserio, Julia Whelan=
, and Kimberly M. Wetherell. This Macmillan Audio edition of "The Villa" is=
a strongly recommended addition to both personal and community library Mys= tery/Suspense audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Rachel Hawkins (https://www.rachelhawkinsbooks.com) is t=
he author of The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls, as well as multiple book=
s for young readers. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries=
.. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn Univer= sity.

Editorial Note #2: Shiromi Arserio (https://www.shiromispeaks.com) has work=
ed as a voice actor. As an audiobook narrator she has narrated over 200 tit= les for major publishers. She is an Audie Finalist and recently won an Earp= hones Award for The Last Garden in England which she co-narrated. She has a=
knack for accents and love Science Fiction & Fantasy, as well as YA and Ro= mance and is a member of SAG-AFTRA.

Editorial Note #3: Julia Whelan (https://jmwhelan.com/narrator) Has narrate=
d over 400 audiobooks in all genres, She has been repeatedly featured on Au= diofile Magazine's annual Best-Of Lists. She was named Audible's Narrator o=
f the Year in 2014 and is a Grammy-nominated audiobook director. She has ac= quired multiple Audies and SOVAS (Society of Voice Arts) Awards, including = for the performance of her own novel, My Oxford Year. She has won dozens of=
Earphone Awards, The Audie Award for Best Female Narrator of 2019, and was=
presented with Audiofile Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Golden Voice Awar=
d in 2020.

Editorial Note #4: Kimberly M. Wetherrell (http://www.voxkimberly.com) is a=
n award-winning SAG-AFTRA audiobook narrator and director who has worked wi=
th Penguin Random House, Macmillan, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and au= diobook producers including Blackstone, Dreamscape, Deyan Audio, and Orange=
Sky Audio, among others.

What Rose Forgot
Nevada Barr, author
Kate Burton, narrator
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250240965, $39.99, CD

https://www.amazon.com/What-Rose-Forgot-Nevada-Barr/dp/1250240964

Synopsis: Rose Dennis wakes up in a hospital gown, her brain in a fog, only=
to discover that she's been committed to an Alzheimer's Unit in a nursing = home. With no memory of how she ended up in this position, Rose is sure tha=
t something is very wrong. When she overhears one of the administrators say= ing about her that she's "not making it through the week," Rose is convince=
d that if she's to survive, she has to get out of the nursing home. She avo= ids taking her medication, putting on a show for the aides, then stages her=
escape.

The only problem is -- how does she convince anyone that she's not actually=
demented? Her relatives were the ones to commit her, all the legal papers = were drawn up, the authorities are on the side of the nursing home, and eve=
n she isn't sure she sounds completely sane. But any lingering doubt Rose h= erself might have had is erased when a would-be killer shows up in her hous=
e in the middle of the night. Now Rose knows that someone is determined to = get rid of her.

With the help of her computer hacker/recluse sister Marion, thirteen-year o=
ld granddaughter Mel, and Mel's friend Royal, Rose begins to gather her str= ength and fight back - to find out who is after her and take back control o=
f her own life. But someone out there is still determined to kill Rose, and=
they're holding all the cards!

Critique: Author Nevada Barr's psychological thriller of a novel is vividly=
brought to life by the narrative storytelling styles of vocal acting profe= ssional Kate Burton. This complete and unabridged audio book edition from M= acmillan Audio is a 'must' for the legions of Nevada Barr fans and an unres= ervedly recommended addition to community library audio book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Nevada Barr (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_Barr) = received a BA in speech and drama and her MFA in Acting. For eighteen years=
she worked on stage, in commercials, industrial training films and did voi= ce-overs for radio. Nevada also wrote and presented campfire stories, taugh=
t storytelling and was a travel writer and restaurant critic. Her first nov= el, Bittersweet was published in 1983.

Editorial Note #2: Katherine Burton (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Bur= ton_(actress) is a British/Swiss actress, the daughter of Welsh actors Rich= ard Burton and Sybil Christopher. On television, Burton received critical a= cclaim as Ellis Grey in the Shonda Rhimes drama series Grey's Anatomy, and =
as Vice President Sally Langston on Scandal. She has been nominated for thr=
ee Primetime Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
s from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these=
reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, inte= rnet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested indivi= duals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: ---:- FTN<->UseNet Gate -:--- (3:633/280.2@fidonet)