Thank You Audiobooks!

Lately, I've been having trouble focusing for long enough to get through longer books. Thank you audiobooks for being there for me! This is a tribute to all the audiobooks that have helped me get through the past few months: 

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

I wasn't a huge fan of this one, but I totally get why people liked it. I liked the conflicts between faith and science, adding the immigrant experience, grief, and drug addiction on top of it. The complexity of it made the story feel very real to me. I also enjoyed the little scientific discussions scattered throughout, giving context and relevant analogies to the story.  Plus it's narrated by my faaaaavorite reader, Bahni Turpin. It was an engaging read, and this book would be great for those who like literary fiction and novels highlighting social issues. 

261 pages

Rage by Bob Woodward

I know, I know. Everyone is sick of politics by now. Why would I put myself through this book? (To be fair, I read this in October) It's partly because I've enjoyed Woodward's other books. He asks very good interview questions, and the answers given by the subject in this one are... mindboggling. Not surprising, just perplexing. I really liked how the audiobook had the actual recorded interview segments included in the Appendix. That was cool. This would be a good read for anyone who actually isn't sick of politics right now (so what, that's maybe 50 or so people, if that?).

452 pages

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

The premise of the novel is really good! A family is on vacation, only the homeowners show up to stay while the world is falling apart around them. My biggest issue with the book is that the actual details of the apocalypse are never described besides flashes and tidbits. Was it nuclear war? Climate change? Power outages? Something else? Who knows! That isn't really the point though. This is a well written apocalypse novel for dystopian junkies and literary fiction lovers alike. 

241 pages

Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness and Family Secrets by Luke Dittritch

Dittritch is a journalist, but his grandfather was the brain surgeon who sliced out Henry Molaison's hippocampus, leaving him incapable of storing long term memories. I remember learning about H.M. in a psychology course, but this book got so deep into the personal details of the people surrounding Henry's life. Dude, this doctor was nuts! He climbed the Brooklyn Bridge when it was still under construction! He experimented on (mostly female) asylum patients  just to see what would happen after chopping up their brains! He even conducted surgery on his own wife! That is seriously messed up. Also, the psychologist who worked with Henry later in life was so possessive of him and her research that we can't even look back at her research notes anymore. *insert anger emoji* This story was engaging and shocking, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in medicine, psychology, or narrative nonfiction. 

440 pages

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators

   Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators

by Ronan Farrow

Pages: 448

5 stars out of 5

This book made me angry. But, I think it is supposed to make you angry. Reporter Ronan Farrow stumbled upon a conspiracy that had long protected men in power in the media, the government, the world of finance and Hollywood.  As he dug deeper to find out how many women had been sexually harassed and some assaulted, he discovered a network that covered up what was going on for decades. Women were afraid to come forward both because of a threat to their careers but for some their life and the lives of the family members had also been threatened. Some people disappeared. Ronan thought about backing off the story when he realized he was being followed and photographed but his partner and his sister kept encouraging him not to be another  man who had let these women down. He lost his job and had to sell the story freelance but eventually the truth won out. Several people in this book have recently been convicted of their crimes while others are still awaiting trial. Sadly, some are still protected. 

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophia Kinsella

 As a mini-shopaholic this story really spoke to me (and made me feel a lot better about myself as I've never dug myself into the hole that the protagonist had). It's a funny, witty, and before I knew it the book was done! I almost just went in to start the second book right after, but held back as it was already midnight. I can't wait to continue the story.

Rating: 4/5

Pages: 368