The Last Bookshop in London is a historical fiction novel set in London during the German blitzkrieg of World War II. The story explores how the power of a good book can temporarily soothe anxiety during a crisis and transport readers away from dangerous realities. The novel also has strong themes of love, relationships, duty, human decency, and perseverance. Continue reading
Category Archives: Audio book
Audio Book Review: The Broken Girls by Simone St. James, Narrated by Rebecca Lowman
In The Broken Girls, freelance journalist Fiona Sheridan takes on a story about the renovation of a long-shuttered girls boarding school and suddenly finds herself investigating a 64-year-old murder, as well. An original plot plus an eerie paranormal element make The Broken Girls an engaging murder mystery. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave, Narrated by Julia Whelan
The Night We Lost Him is a suspense novel highly focused on the complexities of family and romantic relationships. When Nora Noone’s father falls off a cliff at his seaside home, her half-brother Sam calls foul play despite the police determining the death was an accident. Nora and Sam, who barely know each other, team up to do their own investigation. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham, Narrated by Karissa Vacker
A Flicker in the Dark is an entertaining suspense novel that explores what it’s like to be a family member of a serial killer. Just when psychologist Chloe Davis thinks her father’s reign of terror is in the distant past, girls begin disappearing again. Are these the acts of a copycat killer, or is something else going on? Continue reading
Audio Book Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney, Narrated by Richard Armitage, et al
In Rock Paper Scissors, a married couple travels to Scotland to attempt to salvage their relationship. Instead of being the free, cozy vacation they were hoping for, they find themselves stranded by a snowstorm in a creepy old church. Can their marriage survive? Can THEY survive? Continue reading
Audio Book Review: Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith, Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris
In Stalin’s Russia, thoroughly investigating a murder could be considered its own subversive crime, especially if the outcome tarnishes the State’s narrative of being a communist Utopia where citizens are so content that they never turn to crime. Against this backdrop, Leo Demidov, a member of the much-feared State Security Force (MGB), risks everything to track down a serial killer who is viciously preying on children. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger, Narrated by CJ Wilson
The River We Remember is another terrific historical fiction mystery from author William Kent Krueger. Set in a small Minnesota town in the late 1950s, the novel tackles meaty topics such as prejudice, PTSD, family, and redemption, as well as being a smart murder mystery. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: Love, Mom by Iliana Xander, Narrated by Kira Fixx, et al
Love, Mom is an engaging novel of suspense about a daughter trying to unravel the truth about her dead mother, a successful author who died under mysterious circumstances. Plot twists and a quick pace make Love, Mom an enjoyable read/listen. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: The Life Impossible by Matt Haig, Narrated by Joanna Lumley
Matt Haig has a knack for writing supernatural stories with depth and meaning that explore what it means to be human. The Life Impossible fits this description. The novel is philosophical in a fun and imaginative way, with a bit of a mystery woven into the plot. Add to that superb reading by Joanna Lumley, and you get a recipe for a very enjoyable story. Continue reading
Audio Book Discussion: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, Narrated by Spike McClure
The Outsiders is S. E. Hinton’s iconic coming of age story. Published in 1967, this young adult novel’s themes of friendship, humanity, class rivalry, and trying to succeed in the face of tough odds are still relevant today. Continue reading
Book Thoughts from Bed 