Have never read this author and jumped in to start this set of twelve, extremely short and snappy, I'm looking forward to listening the rest of the seHave never read this author and jumped in to start this set of twelve, extremely short and snappy, I'm looking forward to listening the rest of the series though I will be trying much harder for less distraction. Reader issue of course!
Merged review:
Have never read this author and jumped in to start this set of twelve, extremely short and snappy, I'm looking forward to listening the rest of the series though I will be trying much harder for less distraction. Reader issue of course!...more
Oooh feisty! Always a good setting for crime and greed in a funeral home. A tiny audiobook where was just enough time to set the scene for some weird Oooh feisty! Always a good setting for crime and greed in a funeral home. A tiny audiobook where was just enough time to set the scene for some weird irksome feelings, some creepy individuals, leading to a macabre twisty end. I wonder what the author’s full length novels are like? Love the Scottish accent. Sinister!
In listened to this via the Libby app and my public library. ...more
These are clever, and a little zany, tiny audio reads. Great narration, this one a pregnant woman works in a call centre.. old school as the calls areThese are clever, and a little zany, tiny audio reads. Great narration, this one a pregnant woman works in a call centre.. old school as the calls are shady.. dark in nature, those you’d not like to be having with a close relative, put it that way! I’ve not read this author until this set of 12 taste tasters - which you can barely call novellas.
The narration does it for you, snappy, sinister and quite clever. Fans and this who knows the author more will love them I’m sure.
The twist is simple and effective, the author packs lots into little....more
The twist on this one! Set in a morgue, with references to getting it on in the workplace, staff being cranky rostered on in the holiday period. This The twist on this one! Set in a morgue, with references to getting it on in the workplace, staff being cranky rostered on in the holiday period. This was funny and clever, and realistic if that makes sense. Looking forward to continuing on with this quirky lil' audio set of 12....more
Asking for help isn’t failing you know, it’s refusing to fail.
If you are after a read that is bound to make you feel good, to take a load off yourAsking for help isn’t failing you know, it’s refusing to fail.
If you are after a read that is bound to make you feel good, to take a load off your shoulders, and remember there is positivity all around, this book is for you. This is a debut novel, another thing to smile about, as it is a remarkably solid and well written book.
Frederick is in the wrong place at the wrong time, or would that be the opposite? Is this kismet, is this meant to be? He falls into another man's life, at the precise time he needs help. Fred is kind and genuine and amazingly tolerant and sharp witted. He carries out good deeds and is amazingly funny.
This is an affirming and positive tale with no hard edges, what you see is what you get, and I'm so pleased the author has quickly fallen into success. She's off to New York soon. This is well deserved, and furnished by the help of many along the way, as mentioned in the lengthy acknowledgements.
In times when life is often hard, where we see much negativity, this book breathes well deserved fresh air when needed most. Let this cast of characters envelope you, you won't be disappointed.
I listened to this via the Libby app and my public library, with excellent narration by Tim Carroll....more
This tiny little book, which I chose to read as part of my readathon with @chaptersforchange, run by Australian charity Humans for Hope, is a gem. HadThis tiny little book, which I chose to read as part of my readathon with @chaptersforchange, run by Australian charity Humans for Hope, is a gem. Had I not been looking for resources about Cambodia (the readathon raises funds for literacy programs in rural parts of this country) this would have passed me by. This novella is so small, this story is easily read online, originally published for The New Yorker. Here is one of those links to a free and accessible pdf:
Having no expectations, I was drawn to Fatou, a young black migrant woman in London working for a family who treat her poorly, with disrespect and derision. Simply put, she is a modern slave.
This is Fatou’s story, the way she carries herself amid something very wrong. ‘Borrowing� a guest pass from the abusive employers to the local baths she swims every Monday, with the guise of shopping, taking extra bags as props, holding her head high as she wears her black underwear in place of swimwear. This is the only freedom she has � but she does not complain.
This is not just a story of Fatau being a slave, it is a closer look into Fatau herself, an unpaid servant, passport removed. Her strong resilience and outlook on life.
The Embassy comes in to play as she observes it on her daily walking to do tasks or swim, she consistently notes the smashing of the shuttlecock ‘pock smash, pock smash,� while imagining what is beyond the high wall. She is a strong girl, always surviving. Chatting with her friend after church on Sunday, not believing herself to be the slave we know her to be.
A small story carrying a big issue at the heart, I do not know a lot about Zadie Smith. I believe I have a lot more to learn.
I am late to the party with this author! I flew through this quickly, with excellent narration by a full performance cast.
Nina is at the cusp of an aI am late to the party with this author! I flew through this quickly, with excellent narration by a full performance cast.
Nina is at the cusp of an amazing life, loving the outdoors, completely happy within herself, she is smart and confident, just beginning to realise the perilousness she’s facing with her boyfriend Simon. A smarmy guy who presents it all on the outside, the reader instantly learning through fabulous writing that he is not the all-star boy he purports to be.
He had ingrained himself, knowing Nina’s family since age 5, clearly so good at this role, only now her family needing to sort out fallacy from fact. The threading of this into the story arc was remarkable. I loved a twist regarding Nina's younger sister, a clever addition and extra reason to become incensed.
Nina is missing after a climbing trip and a weekend away at Simon’s family home, he returns, she does not. His is a wealthy family, in contrast Nina’s is hardworking, salt of the earth, the type of family you want to be immersed in.
Nina and Simon are rock climbers, Simon does something so chilling to her, this sets up the perfect storm. Simon’s family is equally as snaky- a calculating, cold, and mean mother, a ruthless father, unloving toward his wife, absent from the family, intent on making millions. The only issue this couple bond over is the zealous commitment to protect their son, and the lengths at which they will go.
Simon’s mother and her constant internal mocking of Nina’s mother’s appearance took my breath away � tension and venom portrayed to despise. One meticulously groomed, the other a wholesome woman completely happy in herself, unkempt without a care in the world about her looks. This worked well in creating the acute divide.
This contrast affords the merciless PR smear campaign against the grieving family, creating a social media witch hunt snowballing at an alarming rate, successfully drawing the trolls, and removing the spotlight of their own evil.
What transpires is the unstoppable quest of a desperate family, taking matters into their own hands, ignoring the crazies and finding their own answers. The ensuing results showing precisely how far these two families will proceed with life altering results in carrying out their quest to protect their own.
I couldn’t put this down, it was a perfect read, and wonderful example of exactly what to do in holding the reader in the palm of your hand. Nothing to fault and everything to love. It will be in my top reads of 2024.
I listened to this via the Libby app and the library at which I work....more
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