Audio Book Review: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

How did I come into possession of this book?
I had bought Bacigalupi's book The Windup Girl for RoB while we were in Tahoe for Christmas (at a super aweosme local bookstore called The Bookshelf).  But let's be honest, I really just wanted to read it and it was nice to use him as a guinea pig and it kept him busy.  Soon I will read that book but I happened to see his young adult book on audio at the library so, of course, I borrowed it!

What is it about?
It takes place in the future when global warming has really taken a toll on our country.  The main character, Nailer,  is somewhere near the gulf of Mexico and works as a ship breaker, someone who dismantles old oil tankers for scrap metal and any other worthwhile commodities.  There are crazy storms that happen (called city wreckers) and one of these brings in a ship that will eventually lead them on an adventure.

What did I think?
I really like the premise for this book, the world that Bacigalupi creates is eerily realistic and very intriguing.  The problem I had was the story was very simple.  I know it is a young adult book but I think it might be meant for younger adults than what I am used to reading.  They go off on a adventure but it is all straight forward and then it ends as expected.  I wanted at least one twist or something else to make the plot more interesting.  I think there is at least one sequel in the works, but because of the simpleness of the ending I don't feel like there needs to be one.  It almost makes me think that the author was trying to dumb down the story for a younger audience when that really isn't necessary.

Who would I recommend it to?
The biggest problem with this book is that it is too simple.  For someone who is not sure about reading YA books for this reason should avoid this book.  However, if you enjoy most YA books and can appreciate all the interesting points of the book and hope that more depth is added as the sequel (an maybe more?) is released.  Its well written and makes me interested in reading his other work that isn't meant for younger audiences.

Audio Book review: The Magician King by Lev Grossman

How did I come into possession of this book?
This is a sequel to The Magicians which I read a couple years ago.  I had wanted to read The Magicians when it first came out, but I restrained myself from buying it until I found it at a used book store for a very good price.  Soon after I started reading it, RoB and I went to the LA Book Festival and Lev Grossman was speaking on one of the panels.  He was a little strange, but I guess to be a good fantasy writer you probably need to be a little strange.  After the panel he signed my book and RoB was suddenly interested in reading it once I was done.  I thought it was a good book but RoB was obsessed with it, he couldn't stop talking about it.  So, of course, as soon as the sequel came out he had to have it.  He read it and it has been lying around our house for a while but just when I was about to pick it up to read I saw the audiobook at the library and decided to try out that version.

What is it about?
A group of Magicians finds the land in which they dreamed of living since they were children.  They become Kings and Queens, but one of them, King Quentin, feels like he wants more.  He heads out to sea hoping to find a quest and ends up on an adventure he never wanted to take.

What did I think?
Everything about this book should appeal to me and it does, but for some reason I don't love these books as much as I should.  This one had a great story with just enough fantasy elements involved.  It also had a much more original story line than most fantasy stories.  I enjoy the way they are written, a little more sophisticated than a young adult fantasy book.  I think my biggest issue with these books is that I don't like any of the characters.  Quentin bothers me so much, he is so entitled and NEVER changes.  So I never feel bad for him if things go wrong, which they do, often.  Julia is not there mentally, and I never really felt bad for her before that either, she was just such a mess and a sob story.  None of the other characters have enough depth for me to ever connect with them so I feel a little empty.  Besides strongly disliking the characters I enjoyed the book, but all I could enjoy was the story.  The audio version of this book was good, the narrator kept my interest, however he didn't really do any different voices so it might be boring to some.

Who would I recommend it to?
This is a little tough.  I'd say if you like fantasy that borders on reality you would like this book.  Definitely read The Magicians first (which I would recommend to most sci-fi/fantasy fans), and if you like it read this one.  Even if it's not your favorite, the sequel deserves a chance since it is a good story and it seems like there will be a third which will hopefully bring closure to the series.  Just the fact that I know some are obsessed with these books and some or more meh (like me) I don't think I can pick out a specific type of person who would or wouldn't enjoy them.

Audio Book Review: Beauty Queens

I love listening to audio books.  It's nice to have one in the car even its its only for a bunch of short trips, its also nice to listen to at work if I have a particularly boring task to complete.  There are only certain books I enjoy in audio form, they need to be books that will capture my attention quickly and easily and not require to much thinking.  Young Adult books are great for this and I've found myself more attracted to them thanks to this website.  Another good way to go with audio books are thrillers or mysteries, you really just need something that would be  page turner if you were reading it. 

One of the best audio books I've listened to lately was Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.  It's basically about a plane full of Miss America participants that crashes on a remote island.  Craziness ensues and it is hilarious. The best part of the audio book are all the different voices used and how all the pageant participants are portrayed.  It also takes place in a sort of futuristic world, so you hear a lot about "The Corporation" and how it impacts the world in which they live.  This book was a great light read, and I'd recommend it to you even if you don't like young adult books.  The setting was great and all the characters were different, and funny.  If you are looking to get and new audio book, I would say definitely get this one, it was great!