"The Strain" by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan

I saw this audiobook on the shelf at the library and decided to give it a shot. Guillermo Del Toro has created some movies I really liked and I decided even though I didn't think of him as an author, I'd give it a shot. 

Summary: This story builds up in the manner of an X-Files episode. An airplane has landed at JFK without any hiccups, but once it was on the ground the pilots stopped responding on the radio. It quickly becomes clear that something horrible had happened and Eph Goodweather is responsible for figuring out what.

As the story develops we learn that a powerful vampire was on board and everyone he bit is coming back as ghouls. Eph is with the CDC and so his team and partners play a large role trying to determine the facts of the case. We also meet Vasiliy Fet, a strong-willed exterminator trying to explain the strange behavior of rats as he explores the tunnels. And Abraham Setrakian, an elderly pawnshop owner who knows more than he should.

What I Liked: I love investigation style stories, especially when they take a real-world career and pit it against a strange new enemy. This one unfolds nice and slowly to really bask in it. Eph is a great character that is very likable despite his flaws, perfect for the role of protagonist. Ron Pearlman was a perfect choice for the audiobook.

What I Didn't Like: Vampires are not my favorite monster. I prefer zombies and other pandemic style threats over specific individuals with superpowers, and so I was hoping that the strain in the title would play a larger role that would overshadow the vampire element.

Rating: Recommended.

Also Read by this Author: None.

Reviewed by: Nick

"Miss O'Dell" by Chris O'Dell and Katherine Ketcham

Have I mentioned how much I love the library?  I'd shout if from the roof tops if I could.  (Or if I had been drinking like a frat boy...and not scared of heights...)  My library puts together several different displays each month and if I have time I try to peek at them every so often.  I found "Miss O'Dell" on a Grammy Awards display and picked it up on a whim.  I'm glad I did.

Summary:  Chris O'Dell spent the golden era of rock and roll as a cross between a super groupie and an inside man for some of the biggest rock groups of the 60s, 70s and 80s.  After a chance meeting with a music bigwig at a party in LA, twenty something Chris O'Dell packed her bags, moved to London and finessed her way into a job working with the Beatles at their Apple label.

O'Dells's appetite for drugs and alcohol combined with her self-described inability to say no catapulted her into the inner circles of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and other high profile bands of the 60's through the 80's.  "Miss O'Dell" is a collection of O'Dells more shocking memories of life at home and on the road with rock's greatest.

My Thoughts:  Do you ever read Perez Hilton or watch an episode of TMZ, thoroughly enjoy it, then feel sort of greasy for enjoying it as much as you did once its over?  That's exactly how I felt about this book. "Miss O'Dell" is a rock and roll tell all on the big bands of the past, going into the lurid and absolutely entertaining history of who slept with the most groupies (the Rolling Stones), who did the most drugs ( the Rolling Stones) and who was a total asshat behind closed doors (see: every one, but mostly Eric Clapton.)

While I'm not convinced that the stories in the book were 100% accurate (O'Dell imbibed an amazing amount of coke and liquor during most of the story) I think that the author believes the stories are accurate and told them as she remembered them with only minor twisting to make herself look better than perhaps she was.  This made the book feel genuine to me, which in turn led me to see Chris O'Dell in a sympathetic light.  She may have been a ruthless social engineer who used any means necessary to get into the inner circle of rock's elite, but she was an endearing social engineer and I ended up rather liking her even when she did something awful (sleep with her BFF's Beatle husband), stupid (piss off her other BFF's alcoholic guitar legend husband over and over) or really stupid (allow her doped up husband to drive the car with her infant son in the back).  On second thought, maybe I didn't like her....maybe I pitied her so I tried not to judge her quite so harshly.

"Miss O'Dell" focused on the people behind the legends and was at some of musics most historic events.  The story telling method of writing was very cleverly done and let the reader feel as if they were experiencing the momentous events as Chris did.  Sing in the chorus of Hey Jude?  Sure!  Snort some blow with Freddie Mercury?  Ok!

I also enjoyed Chris' personal story woven in and out of the famous ones.  Chris didn't shy away from admitting to her problems with drugs and alcohol, nor did she shy away from detailing her multiple rock bottoms.  Her honesty about herself in these moments had me rooting for her to come clean and make something of herself at the end.

Overall I enjoyed this book.  It was easy to read, seriously entertaining, and kept the celebrities just mean enough that I wasn't bothered by their darkest moments being aired by someone they once trusted.

Rating:  If you're at all interested in celebrity gossip or rock and roll, check this book out.

Also Read By This Author:  N/A

Reviewed By:  Tami

Side Note:  After reading this book I'm curious to read "the other side" of the stories.  Look for a review on autobiographies by Eric Clapton and Patti Boyd coming soon.

"LIVE For Your Listening Pleasure" By David Sedaris

We selected this audiobook because of our success with "Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls". 

Summary: It turns out this is not so much an audiobook as it is a 1-disc collection of recordings from live events in which Sedaris reads to an audience. At least two of the stories were published in other works, and I suspect that the others have as well. It's clear this was not published for the purpose of distributing new content to the world. Instead it is a repackaging of old content. There is some novelty in the live audience bit, but I am just as satisfied with the traditional audiobook, especially if it is read by the author.

What I Liked: This is David Sedaris telling stories. They are always engaging and funny.

What I Didn't Like: It was really short and we recognized some of it from "Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls"

Rating: Honestly, I recommend you go for one of Sedaris' full books.

Also Read by this Author: Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls, Me Talk Pretty One Day.

Reviewed by: Nick

"Impact" by Douglas Preston

We selected this audiobook because of the excitement and fascination we had reading The Monster of Florence, by Preston & Spezi. 

Summary: There are three main story lines that eventually all weave into one. There is a NASA scientist who identifies and investigates strange phenomenon recorded by the Mars Orbiter satellite, Wyman Ford an ex-CIA agent hired to track down the source of radioactive gems, and two young women who search for a meteorite that struck off the east coast. Most of the book is spent following each character as they learn more and more through their investigations. All the characters eventually meet and put their heads together to figure out how it is all connected. There is also an assassin trying to kill all of them and some other exciting dangers like ships in storms, drug addled gunmen/rapists, Cambodian separatists, and more.

What I Liked: Preston does a good job writing individual scenes so that they are exciting and interesting. He also fleshes out the characters and gives them opportunities to develop.

What I Didn't Like: Early on, the NASA scientist (who has no social life and studies Mars all day every day) forgot the length of a Martian day. It led to him profoundly bungling a work presentation. That is one example how the professionals in this book made amateur mistakes. The professional assassin was really sloppy and the experienced boaters kept destroying their boats.

Rating: Skip it, even if you like Preston's other work.

Also Read by this Author: The Monster of Florence (with Mario Spezi).

Reviewed by: Nick

"Rocket Men" by Craig Nelson

This book appealed to me because I am becoming very interested in space travel and colonizing other worlds. I didn't know a lot about the Apollo program before this book and wanted to know more. I borrowed it from the library and started listening to it with Tami, but she quickly lost interest.

Summary: This dense, 17 hour audiobook has everything you could want to know about humanity's journey to the moon ... and everything you didn't. This is a detailed account of the Gemini, Mercury and Apollo programs, including a deep look at the origin of rocket science. All the big names get a part, including Goddard, Von Braun, James Webb, Kennedy, Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins and plenty more. It goes into the politics of World War II, the cold war and domestic support for space exploration. It talks about rocket science and surviving in space. It goes into the lives of the astronauts and uses a lot of quotes from primary sources. It delves into the fears of the NASA employees and what they did to minimize the dangers. This book is a truly comprehensive look at our trip to the moon.

What I Liked: This taught me everything I know about moon trips. I feel like I can talk intelligently about NASA history now that I have finished this book.

What I Didn't Like: It felt a lot like a history lecture, and not a particularly great one. It had a whole heck of a lot of quotes, which are awkward in an audiobook. I glossed over parts of it without really listening.

Rating: Tami didn't make it past the second disc. If you are really curious about the moon missions it is a good choice, but if you are ambivalent,  avoid this book.

Other Books Read By This Author: none

Reviewed By: Nick

"In The President's Secret Service" by Ronald Kessler

This audiobook was handpicked off the shelf of our local library. We selected it because it reminded Tami of the West Wing and Nick had vaguely remembered an interview with the author he'd maybe heard on the radio. We listened to it in the car together. 

Summary: This non-fiction book is a tabloid style peek into the lives of the Secret Service and their protectees. The author interviewed several active and former agents before writing the book and includes all kinds of stories from assassinations, escapes and investigations. It also goes into the history of the Secret Service and extensively explores the critiques put forward by former agents and their analysis of Service politics. Alan Sklar reads this edition and his voice has the deep authoritative sound which is perfect for this book.

What We Liked: The candid stories revealed how presidents act when the camera is not on them. It also talked about many of the exciting threats that the Service neutralized and never got in the news.

What We Didn't Like: The book is kind of a random assemblage of stories, strung together without good transitions. And the author shows his political bias in how strongly he critiques some presidents compared to others.

Rating: If you like non-fiction police stories (or TMZ), you'll like this book.

Also Read By This Author: Nothing yet!

Reviewed By: Tami and Nick