Steph

Ol' Saint Nick

Revisado: 01-12-25

The story of St. Nicholas (not the Coca Cola Santa Clause we think of) is one I really like. I also watch/listen to Dr. Marshall's podcast. So for the Christmas season I listened to his retelling of the Saint Nicholas Story.

This is really funny and I can say it because it's not a spoiler. I didn't read the publisher's summary so I was very surprised that Melitta's father was possessed by a demon. That was a turn of events I didn't see coming! Oh wait, I just read the summary and its right there. *face palm*

Usually I stay away from stories of that kind because they're frightening and unnerving. But here I was okay because a) the narration was not scary, b) it's a short story and I knew Bishop Nikolaos would figure out a solution quickly.

I thought the character development for Nikolaos was pretty good. I liked how he overcame his doubts and realized going at it alone and letting the demon control the conversation was not going to work. Calling upon the Lord was the way to do it. I also liked his dedication to making sure Melitta and her sisters wouldn't be trafficked.

Melitta had her own struggles too. While thinking her reasons were noble she was repeatedly tempted to do the wrong thing and I just kept thinking, girl remember Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

While I liked the story and the inclusion of religious and historical elements, the narration was not good. I know Kennedy Hall has narrated Marshall's other books and I have yet to listen to them, but I have a feeling he's only a good narrator when it comes to non-fiction. He's not good at voicing different characters. Nikolaos, who was from modern day Turkey, sounded Scottish. Everyone else sounded Middle Eastern, and (this isn't really his fault because he's grown man) his voices for the young girls were -how do I put this?-painful to listen to. If it weren't for the bad narration I would have given this a 4 or 4.5 but as it stands I am giving it a 3 out of 5 Gold Coins.

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Magic and murder are illusions.

Revisado: 12-29-24

I really enjoyed this short, holiday special in the Ernest Cunningham series. It's not so much a Christmas story as it is just taking place around Christmas, like Die Hard. It did have an Advent calendar of clues, which I did not figure out.

I also liked the mystery and how less involved it was than the previous two books.

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Very sad biography.

Revisado: 12-29-24

This was an in-depth biography of Audry's life of a young girl. There is some family history but it mostly focuses on the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. The story is non-linear. It will jump back and forth between Audry's adolescence and her adult life as an actress and ambassador.

While I found the biography to be educational and also very sad at times, there was a point in the middle of the book that I got bored. I feel horrible saying so because of all the trauma the soldiers endured, but the military stuff just dragged on and on and my mind would wander. I preferred to hear more about Audry and the Dutch Resistance.

Also, sometimes the narrator did get in my nerves with her overdramatic performance. I know it's very heavy material, that starvation and murder are traumatic, but she laid it on thick.

3 out of 5 Point Shoes

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I'm not sure I retained anything.

Revisado: 11-22-24

I want to dive deeper into writings on Christianity and apologetics, and this book often comes up as one to read.

For me it was a difficult listen. There is a lot of circular logic so it is not easy to pay attention to. I can't say that I retained any information, or any theological or philosophical points.

Also, sometimes the way Simon Vance narrated it reminded me of Professor Binns, the history professor in Harry Potter, droning on and on.

I wish I had a more profound review. I did go back to some of my bookmarks to pick a few of the quotes I liked:

Moreover, it is worthy of remark that when a poet really was morbid it was commonly because he had some weak spot of rationality on his brain. Poe, for instance, really was morbid; not because he was poetical, but because he was specially analytical. Even chess was too poetical for him; he disliked chess because it was full of knights and castles, like a poem. He avowedly preferred the black discs of draughts, because they were more like the mere black dots on a diagram. Perhaps the strongest case of all is this: that only one great English poet went mad, Cowper. And he was definitely driven mad by logic, by the ugly and alien logic of predestination.

Love is not blind; that is the last thing that it is. Love is bound; and the more it is bound the less it is blind.

We have not any need to rebel against antiquity; we have to rebel against novelty.

Akin to these is the false theory of progress, which maintains that we alter the test instead of trying to pass the test. We often hear it said, for instance, "What is right in one age is wrong in another." This is quite reasonable, if it means that there is a fixed aim, and that certain methods attain at certain times and not at other times.

3 out of 5 Apologetics.

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Choo choo!

Revisado: 11-08-24

My sister enjoyed this mystery and recommended it to me, so I got it on Audible. The narrator was good too. His Aussie accent wasn't too thick and he performed a good variety of voices.

I like that it was witty and that Ernest, the protagonist, broke the fourth wall.

There are lots of moving parts and clues to follow, but I liked this one better than the first. The reveal was easier to follow.

It was also funny to see Ernest and (I forgot his name already) the other author rival each other to solve the murder.

As for the name tally game...readers with an e-book can cheat/spoil themselves by searching for the name word count.

4 out of 5 Train Cars

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A reliable narrator.

Revisado: 11-08-24

My sister enjoyed this mystery and recommended it to me, so I got it on Audible. The narrator was good too. His Aussie accent wasn't too thick and he performed a good variety of voices.

I like that it was witty and that Ernest, the protagonist, broke the fourth wall. He gives the rules a mystery novel must follow and calls himself a reliable narrator because he tells you what he knows at that time.

There are lots of moving parts and clues to follow. I had to rewind a few times at the reveal to stay connected. . Past mysteries mix with present mysteries was well thought-out and executed. A clever mystery.

3.5 out of 5 Ski Lodges.

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Do you really need that?

Revisado: 11-08-24

This was a really helpful and inspirational book. It wasn't just a how-to-book, but also a memoir of Cait's life's ups and downs and I think that added to understanding the root cause of her addictions.

Cait Flanders had some great (and very detailed) rules to stop shopping for a year. I love how she blogged it month to month and included how confident she felt she would accomplish the task. She also reflected on her triggers to shop and worked to find new ways deal with it and find the root causes of her bad habits. She also realized that there were skills she lacked. Instead of buying new clothes, learn how to sew to repair clothing. Learn to make your own candles or your own cleaning supplies. This Pinterest generation wants all new things, but that is wasteful. When you decided to not shop for a year and then see something shiny and new, instead of saying "this sucks," say "that's nice, but I don't need it."

And what she quickly learned was that she was saving money to retire with and to travel with! She got to travel for fun instead of for work. I love that.

This wasn't just about giving up shopping for a year and developing new habits, but it was also about getting rid of clutter. She mentioned having these boxes that moved place to place with her and she couldn't remember what was in them.

There was also this quote I really liked:
One thing debt and clutter have in common is that as soon as you start letting it pile up it gets harder and harder to see your way around it.

I can see how some might be annoyed or put off but the stories of her personal life because they are just looking for a how-to guide. But it was helpful because to understand why we over spend and accumulate clutter we have to reflect on our root causes and psychological factors.

4 out of 5 Donations.

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Jumped the shark.

Revisado: 10-13-24

2 out of 5 Tropes

I think this one jumped the shark with the trope used.

I also had a feeling I wouldn't like it as much because my sister warned me that it opened with an exorcism. So I skipped listening to that chapter because I really don't need that voice acting in my ears. I read that chapter in the ebook instead. Then I listened to the rest. Fortunately there were only two scenes where I had to skip the audio edition.

There were some moments that were entertaining and I did bookmark some good quotes.

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Apparently, everyone named Antonio is handsome.

Revisado: 10-13-24

This is the one I bought in paperback Memorial Day weekend 2022 in Boston at the Prudential Center's Barnes and Noble clearance. I still listened to audiobook since it was included in the Audible catalogue and made bookmarks in the paperback.

I didn't like this one as much as the first two. I still enjoyed some things, like the road trip adventure in the Maserati, there were still some very funny parts, and some of the descriptions were poetic. But I think it was the return of the estranged husband-ensue love triangle trope that made me not like this one as much; as well as the conclusion of the case.

Overall, this one was a middle of the road story in whole series.
3 out of 5 Maserati Cars

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Salute!

Revisado: 10-13-24

4 out of 5 Glasses of Wine

I thought this was a good follow up to Sicilian Lions. I really liked the plot,

Poldi continues to be a sassy woman who struggles with alcoholism and depression. Which explains why she can be so mean to her nephew at times. She does experience consequences for her unofficial private investigator actions.

There continues to be some funny moments and antidotes from Poldi's life (the voice acting for Cher was very funny).

In this second book there are noticeable reoccurring themes: Uncle Martino's theories on the CIA and the mafia (I loved those!), how the mafia is like a vampire, how the warring police departments are stereotypical dumb cops and how her nephew's epic family saga is convoluted (those parts of the story go off the rails and I stop listening sometimes).

There is also all the little tidbits about Sicilian culture, life and food that are my favorite.

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