"Vivian Apple at the End of the World" by Katie Coyle

Due to finals, I've been listening to more podcasts while walking the dog than audiobooks (they're shorter, so less temptation to continue listening once I get home). But last Thursday (5/5) was the first day of AudiobookSYNC, a fantastic program from Audiofile magazine that provides teens (& anyone else over the age of 13) free pairs of audiobooks - one new and one classic - every week for the summer. So I downloaded the first pair, and the "new" title got me right back into audiobooks with a compelling story & fantastic narration. Best part - this book is still available until Thursday, 5/12 when new titles come out - so go download it now!

"Vivian Apple at the End of the World" by Katie Coyle tells the story of the rapture, and those left behind. 17-year-old Vivian doesn't believe her Believer parents who tell her the rapture is coming. But when she comes home from a party and finds two holes in her ceiling and no parents, she has to confront her new reality. But something seems off about her parent's disappearance. Along with her best friend Harpreet and a new crush Peter, she sets out to find the family members who may not have been raptured, and figure out what's actually going on.

I listened to this audiobook from start to finish the day it came out. It's a quick story with clues to the mysteries at the center doled out well - enough to keep me interested, but still guessing. There are twists I didn't see coming, but didn't feel out of place, which is always a hard line to walk. But best of all is watching Vivian come into her own. She describes herself pre-rapture as meek, with the superpower of blending into the background. Post-rapture, she knows she must take control of her life if she wants to survive and get to the bottom of everything happening around her. Since the novel is told from her point of view, the reader sees her grappling with overcoming her timid nature and learning to assert herself.

Verdict: Affirmed. Recommended for YA fans, especially those who like post-apocalyptic works. I went straight on to the sequel & downloaded the book this was paired with as well. Can't wait to start both.

"Vivian Apple at the End of the World" by Katie Coyle, published January 6, 2015 by HMH Books for Young Readers. Audio narration by Julia Whelan, published January 22, 2015 by Dreamscape Audio.

"The Ramblers" by Aidan Donnelly Rowley

Along with "The Expatriates," "The Ramblers" was my other read during finals. I like to read lighter books when I'm focused on other things & both fit the bill. Like "The Expatriates," "The Ramblers" focuses on three characters whose lives intertwine in a large city. Here, though, how their lives intersect is not as unexpected & the plot and prose ramble a bit more.

In New York City, Clio faces a decision about where she wants her relationship with her boyfriend to go. Her best friend & roommate Smith is still reeling from the break up with her ex while coping with her sister's upcoming wedding when she meets Tate, who is coming off his own separation from his wife. The novel follows these three 30-somethings over the course of a week or two as they figure out how they got to this point in their lives & where they want to go from here. 

The first half of the book had me hooked. I liked the main characters, and the secondary cast was intriguing. Rowley gets New York City, so the book is littered with allusions that will ring true to anyone familiar with the city. Unfortunately, once the stage was set, the pace slowed. It's possible this was intentional, given the title and the message Rowley is trying to share about this time in her characters' lives. Yet, days stretched out to dozens of pages more than felt necessary for characters I already knew. Multi-page descriptions of characters' morning routines
are a pet peeve of mine. It wasn't enough that I put down the book, or even to make me dislike it as a whole. It was just enough that things dragged & I wasn't as compelled to pick it up again as I was at the start. 

Verdict: Jury's out. It won't be the first book I recommend to someone looking for lighter literary-ish contemporary fiction, due to the pacing issues. But it's probably make a long list, especially for readers interested in the privileged NYC setting.

"The Ramblers" by Aidan Donelly Rowley, published February 9, 2016 by William Morrow.

"The Book of Speculation" by Erika Swyler

FTC Disclosure: I received an e-ARC through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I check out the audiobook from Overdrive through my local library.

For some reason, when I read descriptions of this book, the circus and eerie, magical elements of this book didn't jump out at me. What I remembered about the descriptions was mainly that Simon is a librarian in a small town, living in a crumbling house, who is given a mysterious book. All true, but far less interesting than this book actually is.I missed the parts that would have made me read this much, much sooner - namely, that it alternates between the present-day and the past, with the portions set in the past taking place in a traveling circus that has implications for the main character, his family, and his book.

So, Simon is in the present, tracing the history of this book & worrying about his sister who recently returned home after running away with a circus herself. Back in history, we meet the crew of a traveling circus and the young "wild boy" who comes to live and perform with them. This wild boy is trained by the circus's fortune teller, who warns him against the young, enchanting "mermaid" who entertains spectators by holding her breath. Simon tries to make the connections and figure out how his family came to be in this book. In the past, the circus reels from new developments among its members. As Simon pieces together the history of the book & readers figure out how the traveling circus is connected, Simon must figure out how to avert disaster in the present that stems from his family's history.

This quirky book sparkles with magic lying beneath the surface. It sneaks up on the reader - I didn't realize I was dealing with a bit of magical realism until it had already ensnared me and had me pondering odd coincidences and warnings of tarot cards on their own terms. The audio narration was excellent, with Ari Flaikos capturing Simon's frustration, bewilderment, and curiosity throughout the novel, even when listening on 1.5 speed. This was just the audiobook to take my mind off finals while walking the dog & I'm glad I finally got around to it.

Verdict: Affirmed. I only wish I had gotten to this dark, offbeat family saga sooner.

"The Book of Speculation" by Erika Swyler, published June 23, 2015 by St. Martin's Press. Audio narration by Ari Kliakos, published June 23, 2015 by Macmillan Audio.

"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte

Similar to my experience with "Pride & Prejudice," I somehow made it through high school & college without ever reading "Jane Eyre." We did "Wuthering Heights" my senior year, and I wasn't a fan, so I never went back to the other Brontes. Oops. On Charlotte Bronte's 200th birthday, I (& my DC book club) figured it was time to check out this classic.

Gothic novels still aren't really my thing - the melodrama, the random ghosts and spirits, the nature-as-a-perfect-mirror-for-characters'-emotions all grate on me as I read. I'd also be fine if they cut out the first third of the book and started with 18-year-old Jane instead of annoyingly precocious 10-year-old Jane. But despite these faults, I still found a lot in Jane Eyre to appreciate.

First and foremost, Jane's feminism is great. Compared to other 19th-century novel there are few allowances that need to be made for conventions of the time. Instead, Jane can and will take care of herself, stay true to what she wants, and recognizes that women need as much "exercise for their faculties" as men. I'm talking exclusively about Jane Eyre - the other female characters and their stations in life warrant a more thorough discussion than I'm willing to tackle in a short blog post the week before finals. But Jane, as irritating as I found her as a child in the several chapters, is an admirable heroine who I am glad to have spent time with.

The men in her life? Not so much. I'm not a fan of any of them. I'm Team Jane-Runs-Her-Own-School-Like-A-Boss, and not Team Rochester (and definitely not Team St. John, though I'm not sure that's even worth mentioning). But our book club had a good time discussing whether Rochester is really that great & what her other options could have been. Jane gets to do her own thing, and if her own thing is being with Rochester, I have to be OK with that.

Finally, the last third of this book had twists that just kept coming. I knew some pretty basic plot elements going into this novel, but there were enough unexpected turns that I tore through the last hundred pages or so. Even the points that seemed so unlikely was redeemed by the interesting twists and plot developments they brought along. I'm not sure a re-read would deliver as pleasurable an experience, though, since the late twists redeemed a lot of the earlier, more boring bits.

Verdict: Affirmed for a first time read, but Jury's Out on whether I'll re-visit this on my own.

"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte, originally published October 16, 1847. I read the Puffin Classics edition published in 1994 in print and the free Kindle version published May 12, 2012. I also listened to a small amount of the Susan Ericksen narration, published February 3, 2015 by The Classic Collection.

"The Expatriates" by Janice Y.K. Lee

FTC Disclosure: I received an e-ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I checked out the audiobook from my local library through Overdrive.

When I saw the description of "The Expatriates" on NetGalley, I knew this was a book for me. Intimate portrayals of three American women living abroad? Yes. Their stories intertwine? Even better.

Mercy, Margaret, and Hilary live in Hong Kong. Mercy floundered after graduating from college, and found herself pursuing work in Hong Kong when she was priced out of New York City. Margaret lives with her children and husband and is struggling to cope after tragedy besets their family while on a trip to Korea. Hilary moved to Hong Kong for her husband's job, and is feeling the weight and strain on their relationship of their inability to have children. In the surprisingly small Hong Kong expat community, these women interact and their lives become inextricably intertwined in unexpected ways.

Lee does a great job getting into the heads of these three women, drawing out their unique personalities that shape how they address the same concerns and challenges. With women at different stages in their lives, the reader sees different expat experiences that accompany different life stages. The novel offers a peek into a the world of Americans living abroad, and into the touching, heartbreaking private moments in the lives of these three women. The audio narration is also on point, bringing each of these characters to life.

Verdict: Affirmed, an enjoyable read, and a great pick for book clubs.

"The Expatriates" by Janice Y.K. Lee, published January 12, 2016 by Viking. Audio narration by Ann Marie Lee, published January 12, 2016 by Penguin Audio.

"Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg" by Irin Carmen and Shana Knizhnik

As a female law student, and at RBG's alma mater nonetheless, I am embarrassed by my previous lack of knowledge regarding Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I knew her as an admirable, inspiring Justice, but hadn't given much thought to her career prior to the Court beyond vaguely assuming it was impressive. "Notorious RBG" set me straight.

RBG has dedicated her career to advocating for women. She argued six gender equality cases before the Supreme Court, winning five of them, and was an architect of the legal fight for true gender equality. It's an issue about which she still cares deeply, as can be seen in her ringing dissents. Full of facts and fun trivia (RBG took a European Literature course taught by Vladimir Nabokov, author of "Lolita" while at Cornell!), "Notorious RBG" provides insight into RBG's life, both public and private.

The authors are a journalist and the founder of the Notorious RBG tumblr, who was a law student at the time. They write simply - middle school children could read, understand, and be inspired by this biography. Yet, adults will still learn from RBG's life and be entertained by the authors' light approach. RBG's briefs and opinions are helpfully annotated for the non-legal reader, and the authors interviewed dozens of people close to RBG including former clerks, colleagues. They even fact-checked with RBG herself.  Readers with a legal background may find it too simplified, but I found the conversational tone & lighthearted approach made for a fast, enjoyable read.

Verdict: Affirmed. If you also have an embarrassing gap in your RBG knowledge or are looking to be inspired by an incredible, history-making figure, check this one out.

"Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg" by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, published Oct. 27, 2015 by Dey Street Books.

"All the Birds in the Sky" by Charlie Jane Anders

I wanted to like "All the Birds in the Sky" more than I did - but I still liked it well enough. There was so much hype around this book, maybe I was doomed to be disappointed (though "The Library at Mount Char" surpassed all its hype). Some of it was self-imposed, because I love Anders's short story "Six Months, Three Days." If you haven't read it, and like science-y fiction set in the present, definitely go check it out.

"All the Birds in the Sky" is the story of Patricia and Laurence, two outcasts who became friends at a young age and go on to hold the fate of the world in their very different hands. Patricia is a witch, in touch with the natural world and the magic side of things. Laurence is into technology, builds a two-second time machine, and generally handles the science side of things. Both are massively misunderstood by their parents and peers at a young age, and this drives them together in childhood.

Life goes on to separate them over time, but they encounter each other again in San Francisco. The novel covers both their childhood adventures and their adult encounters, culminating in their quests to save the world. At times these quests are in competition, at others they cooperate. Honestly, it's a bit hard to follow and even feels somewhat haphazard once it gets to that point in the novel. Had the book started with them as adults, I probably would have put it down. But the first chunk, with Patricia & Laurence as children gave me a solid grounding in them as characters & cultivated an interest in their relationship, such that I was invested enough to see it through.

All this sounds like I didn't like the novel - I did. It was an enjoyable reading experience, but it hasn't stuck with me enough to make this a resounding recommendation.

Verdict: Jury's out. If you're interested in something a bit different that blends science fiction & fantasy, check it out. Just beware it can feel a bit uneven.

"All the Birds in the Sky" by Charlie Jane Anders, published January 26, 2016 by Tor Books.