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The Vampire Lestat (The Vampire Chronicles, #2)
The Vampire Lestat (The Vampire Chronicles, #2)
Anne Rice | 1993 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.4 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
After reading Interview with a Vampire over ten years ago, honestly, the last person I wanted to read a book about was that a**hole, Lestat. So, I put off reading it.

Well, I decided to try it, via audiobook, and Lestat is WAY more interesting than that whiny little b**** Louis. First, Simon Vance is an amazing narrator, and I highly recommend the audiobook.

Lestat's story is detailed and fascinating, starting out before he became a vampire, up to modern times, his rock-star period. Lestat is intelligent (majority of the time), a bit arrogant, and drama queen extreme. I loved every second of it.
  
Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane by Jeffrey Lewis
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"In the UK people know Jeffrey Lewis. He is this artistic polymath, he does comics, he's one of the most talented people I've met in my life, he can do anything. I feel if you looked into his notebook it would almost be like looking tin DiVinci's notebook. He can draw anything, write anything. He's got a lot going on, but he's also a super humble guy. This is his first album which he put out through Rough Trade. When I first heard his music I felt it was actual folk music from someone who'd grown up in the East Village. It felt like I was hearing a document of a great person who someone had recorded on a hi-fi in someone's home. He just played his diary to music, but it happened to so interesting and he happened to be a genius so you could put it out as an album. The way Jeff tells a story is unique. He lets words unfold in a way that only someone like Eminem or Notorious BIG – or someone that good! – can. It's great watching someone listen to his songs for the first time: 20 seconds in they're interested; a minute in they're trying to process all the information; three minutes on and they're getting even more intense, but by the end they're 'I cannot believe a person could make a complete statement in something so concise!' His music is like a mathematical proof. You don't realise at the beginning of a song what you're getting into and by the end Jeff has floored you!"

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The Garden (Lavender Shores #2)
The Garden (Lavender Shores #2)
Rosalind Abel | 2017 | LGBTQ+, Romance
9
9.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
excellent narration!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted both the ebook and audio file of this book.
 
This is book two in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. Andrew and Joel from book one take part here, and I loved that, but you don't need their story to follow this one.
 
Gilbert is in town for Andrew and Joel's engagement party. He fins solace in Walden, the man who catches his eye at the gym. But it will only ever be sex for Gilbert, right? He doesn't do relationships. Neither does Walden, but it creeps up on them both and neither wants to walk, or commit. But they both have a dark past. Can they overcome that??
 
I said in my review for book one, The Palisade, that I was looking forward to Gilbert's story, and I was not disappointed.
 
His past, the one he ran from town for, smacks him in the face every time he comes back to town. And he hates being in Lavender Shores for that reason. But he won't let Andrew, his best friend, down. Meeting Walden, and then discovering his profession, and then Gilbert STILL not being able to walk away, is a shock to his system. Walden's past has a darker undertone and one that could well have been a deal breaker but Gilbert is like...and??
 
I loved how both men fought hard against their feelings! Loved that they battled with their innermost desires and insecurities. Loved that they were able to overcome it all.
 
Again written in the first person, from both men. Because I KNEW this going in, I was aware and able to set my mind in the right place, cos lord knows, I say it often enough that i don't like first person books!! But because I KNEW that, I really did enjoy it. And you do get a better sense of the person in the first. Not sure I would have got it all from a third person book. huh. Check me out! Might actually be getting over it!
 
I've filed this on the Over 18 shelf, because there are some darker undertones, and some might find them difficult to read. Nothing is described in great detail, but you are told about them.
 
I have book three, The Veranda, to read shortly. That is Donovan's book, Gilbert's therapist. I loved their interaction here. I look forward to getting into Donovan's mind!
 
Creeping up to 4 stars
 
Audio Review
 
Kirt Graves continues to narrate this series. And he is growing on me!
 
He manages to get across things that I miss when reading, the depth of his emotions is powerful and comes across amazingly well. I do find, more and more, I'm enjoying LISTENING to first person books, and that can only be because of the outstanding narration of those books.
 
Graves voices for Gilbert and Walden are just what I heard in my head (do you do that? hear people talking in your head when you are reading?? ) when I read this book. When Joel and Andrew pop up, the voices are consistent from The Palisade. I had no trouble keeping up with multi person conversations.
 
When Walden tells Gilbert what he did, Graves manages to pull out all the stops and I cried at that bit! I knew it was coming, of course, but I wasn't prepared for it, actually hearing it in Walden's voice.
 
I cannot wait to see what Graves does with Donovan and Spencer (book3) but I'm especially keen to get my hands on Lamont and Tyler's story (book4)
 
4 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
4.5 stars overall

 
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
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David McK (3425 KP) rated Hounded in Books

Jan 28, 2019  
Hounded
Hounded
Kevin Hearne | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.1 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
It's hard now-a-days to read urban fantasy without drawing comparisons with Jim Butchers superlative 'Dresden Files' series.

It's even harder when the story is told in the first person, and features a powerful magic-user who deals with all sorts of magical creatures.

That is most definitely the case with Kevin Hearne's 'Hounded' novel, the first in his Iron Druid series (and, I believe, also his first novel). However, unlike Harry Dresden, Atticus O'Sulivan is a centuries old Irish Druid and is already pretty powerful. Also, unlike Dresden, he does not deliberately draw attention to himself ('Wizard for hire'), nor does he have a relationship with the local PD.

Instead, Atticus is doing his best to live the quiet life, trying to stay away from the attention of a Celtic god who has hounded him for centuries and believes that Atticus has stolen a powerful magical sword from him (the sword is in Atticus possession, yes, but not stolen).

All in all, I found this to be a pleasant diversion while waiting for the next Dresden book, and will possibly read a few more to see if I 'grow into' the series any more.