Bossypants by Tina Fey {audio review}

Title: Bossypants
Author: Tina Fey
Narrator: Tina Fey
Audio Time: 5 1/2 hours
Source: library
Rating: I liked it


I've always thought that Tina Fey was really funny and I've heard really good things about Bossypants. Overall I enjoyed it but after the 3rd CD I was ready for it to be over. Parts of it I found laugh out loud funny but some parts were, well, boring. 

I don't watch 30 Rock and I'm not a big Alec Baldwin fan and she talks a lot about her show and fangirls all over Alec Baldwin. Some of the stories seemed made up or at the very least exaggerated. I loved when she talked about her daughter though because you could really get how much she enjoyed her and being a mom. 

Having her as the narrator was great. Since the author knows how they meant a book to be read, it's always interesting to listen to them read their work. She does great voices but I had a hard time understanding her part of the time though because she'd trail off into a whisper and I just couldn't get what she was saying.

I think that my expectations were too high for Bossypants. I didn't think that it was as funny as everyone else seems to think. She is most definitely a multi-talented woman. She's lived a varied and interesting life. I think I enjoy her more as an actress though.

Bossypants by Tina Fey {audio review}

Title: Bossypants
Author: Tina Fey
Narrator: Tina Fey
Audio Time: 5 1/2 hours
Source: library
Rating: I liked it


I've always thought that Tina Fey was really funny and I've heard really good things about Bossypants. Overall I enjoyed it but after the 3rd CD I was ready for it to be over. Parts of it I found laugh out loud funny but some parts were, well, boring. 

I don't watch 30 Rock and I'm not a big Alec Baldwin fan and she talks a lot about her show and fangirls all over Alec Baldwin. Some of the stories seemed made up or at the very least exaggerated. I loved when she talked about her daughter though because you could really get how much she enjoyed her and being a mom. 

Having her as the narrator was great. Since the author knows how they meant a book to be read, it's always interesting to listen to them read their work. She does great voices but I had a hard time understanding her part of the time though because she'd trail off into a whisper and I just couldn't get what she was saying.

I think that my expectations were too high for Bossypants. I didn't think that it was as funny as everyone else seems to think. She is most definitely a multi-talented woman. She's lived a varied and interesting life. I think I enjoy her more as an actress though.

{Audio Review} 14 by Peter Clines

Title: 14
Author: Peter Clines
Genre: horror, sci fi, mystery
Audio Length: 12 h 34m
Narrator: Ray Porter
Publisher: Audible Frontiers / Permuted Press
Published: 2012
Source: my purchase

First heard about this one from Kat of The Aussie Zombie. I really loved the cover and since it sounded like a spooky read I ordered a copy from Audible. It took me so long to listen to, not because it wasn't holding my interest, but because as soon as I put in headphones my boys immediately want to start talking to me. 

In 14, Nate moves into an apartment with great rent and a wonderful view. He notices several strange things about his new apartment building. There are cockroaches that are green and have an extra leg, a weird light fixture and a padlocked apartment door. He ignores them though because, hello, cheap rent/great view in LA. Things that seem too good to be true usually are though...

As he becomes friends with his fellow tenants he starts to notice that every apartment is a bit...odd. The group goes looking for answers and end up finding way more than they ever thought possible. Not sure I'd have gone looking for clues because come on people...look at that cover. Would you want to see what was behind that padlocked door? Me neither.

I so enjoyed the cast of characters. Veek, Tim, Xela and Roger were all well developed. Aside from all the oddities of the building and the sense of foreboding, I found myself wishing that I could live in their building and hang out with all the neighbors. My favorite character had to be Tim and narrator Ray Porter did an amazing job on his voice. They were so varied and true to life that I wanted to spend more time with them.

There are believable romances within the group but it isn't a main part of the plot. Just a nice little sideline that I personally was rooting for. One spelled out sex scene did have me shaking my head because, umm, pregnancy? STDs? How about some protection people. But the group dynamics were wholly believable and that not everyone got along with everyone else made it like real life.

The creepiness factor was a bit of a slow burn. Lots of setting things up for the last chapters before a dramatic conclusion. There wasn't a bunch of action in the middle but I was eagerly listening throughout. It never dropped my attention. I enjoyed the references to classic horror and the interweaving of a historical story within the main story. My one gripe is with the Christian like character. He was presented as the only unlikeable person in the building and I found that highly annoying. Not because Christians can't be holier than thou but because it seemed that it would have been just as easy to make him a hated lawyer or car salesman or whatever than a Christian. *shrugs* I won't spoil the plot by saying any more than.

Narration:

Wow and wow. Porter did an excellent job with each of the voices. They were distinct and I immediately knew who was speaking even without being told "and X said". I find some audio books hard to listen to because there is not much different between the voices but this was definitely not the case here. When we meet the "monster" towards the end, the combination of the unexpected timing along with the creepy voice caused me to literally have chill bumps. I look forward to finding more audios narrated by him.

I think fans of mystery and horror with other worldly sci fi will really enjoy 14. Its solid character development and creepy storyline was highly enjoyable.

5 of 5 to the narration. I don't see how it could have gotten better.
4 of 5 for the story.

{Audio Review} 14 by Peter Clines

Title: 14
Author: Peter Clines
Genre: horror, sci fi, mystery
Audio Length: 12 h 34m
Narrator: Ray Porter
Publisher: Audible Frontiers / Permuted Press
Published: 2012
Source: my purchase

First heard about this one from Kat of The Aussie Zombie. I really loved the cover and since it sounded like a spooky read I ordered a copy from Audible. It took me so long to listen to, not because it wasn't holding my interest, but because as soon as I put in headphones my boys immediately want to start talking to me. 

In 14, Nate moves into an apartment with great rent and a wonderful view. He notices several strange things about his new apartment building. There are cockroaches that are green and have an extra leg, a weird light fixture and a padlocked apartment door. He ignores them though because, hello, cheap rent/great view in LA. Things that seem too good to be true usually are though...

As he becomes friends with his fellow tenants he starts to notice that every apartment is a bit...odd. The group goes looking for answers and end up finding way more than they ever thought possible. Not sure I'd have gone looking for clues because come on people...look at that cover. Would you want to see what was behind that padlocked door? Me neither.

I so enjoyed the cast of characters. Veek, Tim, Xela and Roger were all well developed. Aside from all the oddities of the building and the sense of foreboding, I found myself wishing that I could live in their building and hang out with all the neighbors. My favorite character had to be Tim and narrator Ray Porter did an amazing job on his voice. They were so varied and true to life that I wanted to spend more time with them.

There are believable romances within the group but it isn't a main part of the plot. Just a nice little sideline that I personally was rooting for. One spelled out sex scene did have me shaking my head because, umm, pregnancy? STDs? How about some protection people. But the group dynamics were wholly believable and that not everyone got along with everyone else made it like real life.

The creepiness factor was a bit of a slow burn. Lots of setting things up for the last chapters before a dramatic conclusion. There wasn't a bunch of action in the middle but I was eagerly listening throughout. It never dropped my attention. I enjoyed the references to classic horror and the interweaving of a historical story within the main story. My one gripe is with the Christian like character. He was presented as the only unlikeable person in the building and I found that highly annoying. Not because Christians can't be holier than thou but because it seemed that it would have been just as easy to make him a hated lawyer or car salesman or whatever than a Christian. *shrugs* I won't spoil the plot by saying any more than.

Narration:

Wow and wow. Porter did an excellent job with each of the voices. They were distinct and I immediately knew who was speaking even without being told "and X said". I find some audio books hard to listen to because there is not much different between the voices but this was definitely not the case here. When we meet the "monster" towards the end, the combination of the unexpected timing along with the creepy voice caused me to literally have chill bumps. I look forward to finding more audios narrated by him.

I think fans of mystery and horror with other worldly sci fi will really enjoy 14. Its solid character development and creepy storyline was highly enjoyable.

5 of 5 to the narration. I don't see how it could have gotten better.
4 of 5 for the story.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga - (audiobook) Thoughts

Title: I Hunt Killers 
Author: Barry Lyga (website)(Twitter)
Pages: listened to audiobook...9 hours, 30 minutes
Narrator: Charlie Thurston
Rating: the best mix of humor and chills. Can't wait for the sequel!
Why read: I listened to the audio version after reading Irish's review here.
Source: purchased (!) audiobook


Summary from Goodreads:

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

First let me say that the author is a nice looking man. Go look him up on The Google. Go ahead, I will wait. You know you want to see what he looks like now that I mentioned it. You back? On with the review then.

The author's looks aside, the man can write. I loved this story and am glad that I listened to it. Narrator Charlie Thurston made me shiver every.single.time he said "wakey wakey" and he was dead on with the creepiness that was Jasper's "dear old dad".  His range in voices is amazing.

It had been awhile since I had read a good thriller and this one kept me guessing with each twist in the story. Jasper was a multi-layered character that was both likeable and highly unlikeable at the same time. This conflict is a testament to Lyga's incredible writing skill. As his history is revealed - how his father trained him to be a serial killer - it is easy to be conflicted as to whether or not he can be a killer. Is he what his father thinks he is or is he not?

The wide cast of characters was fantastic. Howie is my favorite character. He is funny and so loyal to Jasper. A true friend to the end. 

I look forward to reading (or listening to) the sequel!

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga - (audiobook) Thoughts

Title: I Hunt Killers 
Author: Barry Lyga (website)(Twitter)
Pages: listened to audiobook...9 hours, 30 minutes
Narrator: Charlie Thurston
Rating: the best mix of humor and chills. Can't wait for the sequel!
Why read: I listened to the audio version after reading Irish's review here.
Source: purchased (!) audiobook


Summary from Goodreads:

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

First let me say that the author is a nice looking man. Go look him up on The Google. Go ahead, I will wait. You know you want to see what he looks like now that I mentioned it. You back? On with the review then.

The author's looks aside, the man can write. I loved this story and am glad that I listened to it. Narrator Charlie Thurston made me shiver every.single.time he said "wakey wakey" and he was dead on with the creepiness that was Jasper's "dear old dad".  His range in voices is amazing.

It had been awhile since I had read a good thriller and this one kept me guessing with each twist in the story. Jasper was a multi-layered character that was both likeable and highly unlikeable at the same time. This conflict is a testament to Lyga's incredible writing skill. As his history is revealed - how his father trained him to be a serial killer - it is easy to be conflicted as to whether or not he can be a killer. Is he what his father thinks he is or is he not?

The wide cast of characters was fantastic. Howie is my favorite character. He is funny and so loyal to Jasper. A true friend to the end. 

I look forward to reading (or listening to) the sequel!