This is how Ethan would hide when he first started hiding:

Today, for the first time, he actually did hide, as opposed to leaning against a wall and telling you he’s hiding:

Title: The Last Man [Audiobook] [Hardcover]
Author: Vince Flynn
Narrator: George Guidall
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Running Time: 11 hours
Date Published: November 13, 2012

I accepted The Last Man by Vince Flynn for review with quite a bit of trepidation. While I love mystery/suspense/thriller novels, the synopsis for The Last Man didn’t make my skirt fly up. But within minutes of listening to the book, I knew I would love it, though I didn’t realize that this author would become that kind of author that would make me want to drop all my other reading commitments and just read his whole backlist. Seriously. I don’t kid.

So here’s the setup: Mitch Rapp, assassin for the CIA, is sent to Afghanistan to investigate the kidnapping of Joe Rickman, a guy who basically knows all the CIA’s secrets, particularly the identity of many of their spies. The fact that the US doesn’t want Rickman spilling all their secrets is an understatement. But when Rapp arrives in Afghanistan to find out what happened to Rickman, it becomes obvious that things are a lot more complicated than they seem. In fact, a series of events makes it appear as if someone is out to kill Rapp as well.

Backstory: When I discovered the show 24, it had already ended. I watched season one in a few days, and then proceeded to blow through the next seven seasons over the next few months. I loved Jack Bauer’s no-nonsense style and his bad ass ways. Mitch Rapp reminds me of Jack Bauer. He’s a no-nonsense, doesn’t-take-garbage-from-anyone, smart-ass, isn’t-a-cold-blooded-killer kind of guy. This is the best thriller I’ve read. Period. It had nonstop action, snappy characters, fantastic bad guys, even better good guys, and the violence was at a minimum. The narrator, George Guidall, has recorded a ton of novels (over 900!!!) and has won awards for his narration. I have to admit, though, that I found his cadence to be distracting. I felt like he read the way an author would read as opposed to the easy flowing style that many narrators have. I got used to it after a while, and it certainly wouldn’t stop me from listening to other novels he’s narrated but I won’t be seeking him out.

Bottom line: Best thriller I’ve ever read.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for giving me this audiobook to review!

Well hello! I’ve missed you all! You’ve grown so much I hardly recognize you. Let me pinch those cheeks!

I’ve been meaning to keep you updated on what’s been going on with Ethan, but I keep putting off writing any posts because I’m always so busy doing other things. I want to get back to posting semi-regularly, though, and what better way than to tell you that I had another miscarriage.

I was super excited to find out I was pregnant because I found out on December 9th, two days after my birthday, and I knew EXACTLY how we were going to tell my MIL. I set up an appointment for an ultrasound for when I would be 6 weeks because I was a wee bit nervous since I’d already had one miscarriage, though the doctor had assured me that I would most likely not have another miscarriage. I was sure this pregnancy would be fine.

In fact, I was so excited about this pregnancy that I totally spaced and only got my MIL two gifts for Christmas, one of which was the photo that told her we were pregnant.

I started telling Ethan he was going to be a big brother and I set up an appointment with our midwife and I told a few close friends that I finally got my BFP.

We left my MIL’s house Christmas evening because we had some things to do the next day. When I woke up on December 26th, I thought I felt my period starting but then told myself I was being ridiculous and paranoid. I wasn’t actually surprised when I went to the bathroom and saw bright red spotting. I knew. I just knew.

When I called the doctor’s office, I ended up with an appointment with a doctor that I didn’t want to be assigned to but had forgotten to switch away from when I’d been assigned to her. I figured she couldn’t be that bad, and in fact our appointment with her was fine. She was matter of fact about the whole thing and gave me a 50/50 chance of carrying to baby to term, though I knew without a doubt I was miscarrying. She sent me for blood work and told me she’d call when the results came in.

One of the tests done with the blood work was an hCG test, which tests for the pregnancy hormone. When the results came back, I had almost completely finished the miscarriage. The doctor called to tell me that, and I took the opportunity to ask about a few things. First, I asked about progesterone. It seemed to me that my results from this current blood work and the blood work I had done when I had my last miscarriage were low. I was told that testing for progesterone is an outdated test that they did in the 1950s and won’t tell me anything except whether I’ve ovulated or not. Actually, this isn’t true but I didn’t want to argue over the phone.

So then I asked why I had a second miscarriage when I was told it was unlikely that this would happen again. This is what the doctor said:

“Well, you’re just unlucky.”

OH REALLY. Is that an official diagnosis?

Needless to say, I switched away from her as fast as I could. I’ve been meaning to write a note to the head of her department to ask that she show a little more compassion to the next woman who comes to her in the middle of a miscarriage.

I had my first appointment with my new OBGYN today and I told her what’s going on and my concerns about when I get pregnant again. She listened, understood where I was coming from, and agreed that we would do blood work as soon as I find out I’m pregnant again. I’m so thrilled that I found her!

My situation isn’t really cut and dry because Ethan is still nursing, and nursing affects hormone levels so that could be why I’m having trouble staying pregnant. I’m hesitant to wean him just to get pregnant. I’m hoping I can have a viable pregnancy and still nurse Ethan.

I’ve also discussed this whole situation with our midwife and she suggested I take Welcome Womb, a tincture with herbs that are know to help progesterone.

The year 2012 will be The Year of the Miscarriages, but I’m hoping 2013 will have better things in store for us. I’m hoping we’ll get pregnant quickly again (getting pregnant hasn’t been the hard part!) and that we’ll buy a house and sell our condo. I’ve got big plans for you, 2013. In the meantime, let me leave you with some pictures of Ethan!

Title: Stardust [Audiobook] [Physical]
Author: Neil Gaiman
Narrator: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fantasy
Running Time: 6 hours 38 minutes
Date Published: October 30, 2012

I’m actually quite embarrassed that I’ve never read any Neil Gaiman, so when the opportunity arose for me to listen to the audio of Stardust, I jumped at the chance.

I actually went into this not even knowing what Stardust was about. Gaiman says in the Introduction that this story was born out of his desire to write a fairy tale for adults. I was instantly hooked. A fairy tale for adults? HELLS YEAH! I’ll admit, though, that my heart sank a little when I found out the Gaiman was the performer for this audiobook. The author? What the hell?! I’ve been to more author appearances than I can count, and honestly, I haven’t heard too many great author readings. The reading is stilted, emphasis is placed on the wrong words, and it always feels like they’re reading so I never get lost in the words. But Gaiman did an amazing job, making me eat my opinion about authors reading their own books in a very short period of time. It makes me wonder if he’s performed other novels of his, and if so, I want to get my hands on them!

Stardust is about Tristran Thorn who is in love with Victoria Forester. One night he tries to get a kiss from her and they see a falling star. She tells him that he can have anything he wants if he retrieves that very star for her. So off he goes to find the star so that he can present it to Victoria. He finds the star quite easily, which turns out to be a girl who, due to falling from the sky, has broken her leg. Tristran captures her and takes her on the journey back to his village. Along the way they encounter a unicorn, witches, elves (I think?), slaves that have been turned into animals, and an assortment of odd characters.

Since this was a fairy tale for adults, there was some swearing and sex. Which I actually really enjoyed. It wasn’t over the top. It was a nice juxtaposition of the quaint fairy tale with modern words sprinkled in. Gaiman is still able to keep the traditional feel of fairy tales with the way he writes, while still nodding to the fact that this book is for adults who still love fairy tales.

The writing was always so much fun, to the point that I would laugh out loud at the way Gaiman turned a phrase. At one point I got out of the car and was just grinning because I was so happy to be immersed in this book. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t listening to it at that very second (I mostly only listen to books in the car). I felt like a teenager whose crush just asked her out on a date. I was smiling LIKE A FOOL. And when I was away from the book, I was thinking about it. I was positively giddy to get back in my car and start the story again.

I’m sure the book is great, but I highly recommend the audiobook. Do yourself a favor and get Stardust for yourself for Christmas. I will be listening to this book again. And again.

Five out of five stars! I want to throw stars at this book it was so good. This guy can tell a story.

Title: The Boy in the Suitcase [Audiobook] [Paperback]
Author: Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis
Narrator: Katherine Kellgren
Genre: Mystery
Running Time: 8 hours 41 minutes
Date Published: December 13, 2011

Summary:

Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, wife, and mother of two, is trying to live a quiet life. The last thing her husband wants is for her to go running off on another dangerous mission to help illegal refugees. But when Nina’s estranged friend Karin leaves Nina a key to a public locker in the Copenhagen train station and begs her to take care of its contents, Nina gets suckered into her most dangerous case yet. Because inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy: naked and drugged, but alive.

Nina’s natural instinct is to rescue the boy, but she knows the situation is risky. Is the boy a victim of child trafficking? Can he be turned over to authorities, or will they only return him to whoever sold him? In an increasingly desperate trek across Denmark, Nina tries to figure out who the boy is, where he belongs, and who exactly is hunting him down. When Karin is discovered brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life and the boy’s are in jeopardy, too.

My thoughts:

The Boy in the Suitcase was the first translated book that I listened to on audio, and I was pretty sure that audio is the only way I’ll be reading translated crime fiction in the future. The second translated crime fiction book that I listened to confirmed that. It’s so nice to have names and locations properly pronounced, and I think the proper pronunciation helps me keep track of the characters better.

I found The Boy in the Suitcase to be such a refreshing read! I can’t expound too much into why it was a refreshing read, other than to say that I read a fair amount of crime fiction and the reason the boy is kidnapped was quite interesting and had me thinking about right and wrong long after I finished the book. The pacing was excellent and I thought it was gripping from the minute I started the audio.

The Boy in the Suitcase had some interesting social commentary about immigrant refugees that is relevant to those of us in the US. I don’t like to be beat over the head with an author’s agenda or personal political or social opinions. Not because I don’t like discussion or debate, but because I’m relatively intelligent and can get more out of one well worded sentence than I will something that belabors a topic. Thankfully, the authors don’t focus too much on the immigrant refugees topic, but they did do a good job of putting it out there for you to ruminate on or dismiss as you see fit.

I don’t know if it’s my newness to audiobooks or that the narrator Katherine Kellgren really is as good as I thought she was, but the narrator was fantastic! She had a different voice for everyone and her pronunciation and accents had me repeating words and names exactly as she said them long after I finished the audiobook. I’ve got the second book in the series, Invisible Murder, on my list of books to read, and I’m hopeful that Katherine Kellgren will be the narrator for that one as well!

Thanks to Audiogo for giving me this audiobook to review!