Scarpetta

by Patricia Cornwell


rating: 3 of 5 stars
Kay Scarpetta is being called to an unusual case. The person of interest requested to be submitted to Belle View and refuses to talk to anyone but Scarpetta. He's a "little person" and is suspected of killing his girlfriend.

Morino, the detective that attempted to rape Scarpetta in the past finds himself, after a long disappearance, on a case that Scarpetta has been requested to get involved.

The story is typical Cornwell and at times I wondered if I could get to the end if I were not listening and were reading. However, when the real highpoints come together it's good stuff.

On completion, I have to say the story was good. Morino and Lucy kept it interesting their characters really pull you in, especially Morino. Without Morino and Lucy, the series would not be worth the effort.

And most of all, Kate Reading the voice-actor that makes it all work, is GREAT!

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WHAT ARE THE BEST THINGS ABOUT AUDIO STORIES?

As a dedicated audio story listener, and a book reader, here are my thoughts:
1) Listening puts life in the words on the page
2) The professional voice actors make the story come off the pages, giving it drama
3) The reader puts character voice interpretation in the story; I can feel and sense the emotion of the story more deeply
4) I can listen to a book for entertainment while working around the house—makes the work time seem to pass quicker, I don’t mind the work as much
5) I can listen while I’m walking miles on my treadmill. I forget about the boredom and walk even further
6) I can listen while driving. I never go on a trip without a couple of audio books
7) I can listen while soaking in the tub
On Goodreads.com, there was an interesting question with numerous responses. The question was asked, “How do you know when you are an audiobook junkie?”
Check it out:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/26218-how-do-you-know-when-you-are-an-audiobook-junkie

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/26218-how-do-you-know-when-you-are-an-audiobook-junkie?page=2

WHAT’S BETTER LISTENING IN AUDIO: FICTION? OR NON-FICTION? HOW TO? …

I was raised not to read or listen to anything that was fictitious and for 20 years I didn’t. I've even tried non-fiction audio books. Truth is, I never listened to the last two CDs. It just didn't work. True, it could be that I wasn't listening to the right author but I just couldn't get into the story. Recently, I tried reading The Innocent Man by John Grisham and couldn't get into that one either. So, after I’d had my fill of truth and reality, I decided to venture into the psyche of our world through those individuals with the ability to express their thoughts, imagination and fantasies on paper. I have been fascinated and find it continually interesting. The only non-fiction that I listen to is the news or news related programs. Fiction is my escape from reality and I’m comfortable there. So what’s your preference?

WHAT’S NEW ► WHAT’S NOW ►WHAT’S GOOD ► WHAT’S BAD ► WHAT’S NEXT

It’s not news anymore that the audio book market is growing. I’m thrilled to know that and I hope it’s true for all aspects of audio publishing. The one area that is of interest me is audio fiction, and I have to say, I don’t see that the prices are being reduced. So who are audio books for, only the affluent? Only those that can shell out, on average, $25 to $55 dollars for an audio book purchase? Libraries are moving forward with their services these days and many of them provide downloads of audio books online. That’s great if computer access is available and the interested party is computer literate. There’s also numerous websites, some free, some with a minimal charge that provide classic stories in audio format.

For those that don’t have an interest or the patience to listen to an entire audio book that lasts for hours, here’s more. There are several sites that market audio story shorts and I mean short, from just a few minutes to maybe an hour; one that comes to mind is Sniplets. I have morphed the audiobook into an interesting variation, a story pitched as a 1-hour audio, called Mind Wings Audio. The story lasts about an hour and is a great listen. These short audios are perfect for anytime, even for lunch at work—not every day but when I need a change. They’re new, and the inventory is growing. The 1-hour audios may be referred to as an audio book but a book it is not. It is a short novelette, about an hour in length. For anyone that doesn’t have the patience or the bucks for an audio book, I highly recommend the 1-hour audio story, they’re definitely worth a try. Try them for yourself and share your thoughts.

AUDIOBOOKS ♦ AUDIO BOOKS ♦ AUDIO STORIES

Since about 2000, I have been a huge fan of audio books. I was traveling a lot to visit my parents and my sister mentioned that she listened to audio books when traveling. Several months later, and total boredom of listening to music while driving, I gave it a shot and I’ve been listening every since. I have been a casual reader through the years but the problem was I had to do nothing but read and I’ve never been one to just do one thing at a time unless I had no choice. Audio books allowed me to indulge my multitasking obsession in an enjoyable way. Now I can: go on road trips, 10-11 hour drives, and listen to a book and not feel so mentally wiped out when I arrive; do housework and be entertained; walk on my treadmill and have something to focus on and walk longer and I listen around town when driving to work and on short trips. I finally decided to take the audiobook to another level. How did I ever get along without audio books! How have audio books impacted you?

Killer View by Ridley Pearson

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ridley Pearson's Sheriff Walt Fleming from his book, Killer Weekend is investigating a skiing insident. There are a lot of twist to the story with different, uncommon incidents--things you wouldn't expect. I found the situation with the doctor and bear intriguing. Also the use of the pig's pancreas for insulin was incredible (yeah, I know that is the source of pharmaceutal insulin but not like in this story)! Heads-up you probably shouldn't be eating when you read/listen to this story but it was interesting!


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The Body by Stephen King

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this story! It was funny, sobering and real. I've never read a book by Stephen King before; I've seen movies based on his books and some were good others not, but this story was the best. I found myself in roll-on-the-floor laughing outbursts at times. It's a story that really reflects on life experiences as well. It may be a story about kids but we were there at one time.

The most important thing that made this story so memorable was the narrator, the late Frank Muller. He made the story come alive; it was better than watching a movie! If you see any audios narrated by Frank Muller, check it out. If you don't enjoy it, it won't be the narrators doing.

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