Review: Things Fall Apart

Title: Things Fall Apart
Author: Chinua Achebe

Pages: 209
Original Publication: 1958

Series: African Trilogy
1. Things Fall Apart (1958)
2. No Longer at Ease (1960)
3. Arrow of God (1964)

Setting: Nigeria in the late 19th century


Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Things Fall Apart tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first of these stories traces Okonkwo's fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives, and in its classical purity of line and economical beauty it provides us with a powerful fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society.
The second story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, and which elevates the book to a tragic plane, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo's world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries. These twin dramas are perfectly harmonized, and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. Things Fall Apart is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within.

This is one of those books that is considered a "classic". It is listed both on the 1001 Books You Should Read Before You Die-list and on Bloom's Western Canon. This always creates a certain wariness within me, because there is always the risk that such classics are written in such a stiff style with such a large amount of moral that it is a pain to read them.

However, I was really surprised how easy this book was to read and how much I enjoyed it. Set in the late 19th century in a small village in Africa, it tells the story of Okonkwo. He once managed to rise from a poor family to become a influential member of his village. Woven into the story are rituals and customs of Nigerian people. We learn how they live their day-to-day life, how they celebrate weddings and what their annual festivals are. Another review of this book said that the reader was confronted with those customs without an explanation and that this made it difficult to understand. I tend to disagree with this opinion. I liked the way the author presented the African culture. It is always easy to understand the meaning of customs and festivals through the context. Of course their way of living is different from that of the modern world. More explanations would only have distracted from the customs. The author took the advice to "show not tell" and did a great job with it. Their life, customs and thinking might be different from ours, but by learning about it from Okonkwo's perspective, I at least was able to understand it.

In addition to this the story has another layer. It shows the arrival of christian missionaries and how they influence the life and customs of the people. These scenes really touched my heart.

In general there are different layers of storytelling and timeframes. The story changes from the present to the past and back. This is a bit confusing, especially at the beginning, but once one gets the hang of it and gets acquainted with the characters, it adds a nice touch to the story and prevents monotony.


This is a classic that really deserves that name. It gives a vivid insight into African culture and tells a great story of the difficulties in life. Recommended reading for everyone.

Review: Scent of Magic

Author: Maria V. Snyder
Title: Scent of Magic
Pages: 413

Publication date:
- original: December 18, 2012
- edition: December 20, 2012
Publisher: MIRA

Series: Avry of Kazan/Healer
1. Touch of Power (3 stars)
2. Scent of Magic
3. Taste of Death (December 2013)

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: 4 of 5 stars


After her adventures in Touch of Power Avry now has to find a way to counter King Tohon's army of the dead. This is made even harder for her by the fact that she and Kerrick need to go on separate paths. Kerris is bound north to join Prince Ryne's forces and then to battle the wild tribes who threaten to invade the northern realms. Meanwhile Avry enlists in Estrid's army to try and make things right with her sister Noelle as well as to gather useful information for Ryne.


I really like Maria V. Snyder's books. Her current series featuring Avry of Kazan is even more gripping than the previous books. Her world-building is very good. It is easy to picture the characters and places in one's mind. The world makes sense and little things may turn out to be important later on, all is interconnected. Just as a good fantasy-world should be.

The author's vivid writing style manages to capture the reader's attention and it is really hard to lay the book down for more important things. This is especially hard between chapters because Maria V. Snyder has a knack for finishing chapters with a cliffhanger. Generally the narration flows well.

Although I read the first book in the series a year ago and did not re-read it before starting Scent of Magic I didn't have any difficulties in getting back into the story. Some things had slipped my mind but the mention of those occurences brought the memory back quite quickly. Still this a book where one should have read the first installment at some point to get into the story and world.

In this book Maria V. Snyder tried something new by introducing passages written from Kerrick's point-of-view. Considering that Kerrick and Avry are separated for most of the book and Kerrick's adventures and achievements will probably play a certain role in the next book that secondary perspective was probably necessary for the book. Apart from that it is a nice change to get a closer view at the love interest of the protagonist. Kerrick's passages were rather short in comparison of Avry's, but I found the length appropriate for him. Enough to give a feeling of his adventures and paint a mental image of his surroundings but not so much that the focus is distracted from Avry.

The fact that Avry and Kerrick spend most of the book in different parts of the world also means that the romance aspect takes a secondary place in the book. While Kerrick and Avry are lovers and miss each other this doesn't make them unable to function on their own. They are still able to think of other things and concentrate on their tasks at hand. I really like this about Maria V. Snyder's books. The lovers still have a life apart from each other.

Avry itself is a strong and believeable heroine. She can cope without being rescued by a man (well, there are moments when she gets help from a man, but she has to deal with a whole army, so a bit of help is excuseable). However, she doesn't reach her goals easily, either. She has to work to gain other people's trust and friendship and to succeed in her task.
I especially liked her attitude and behaviour towards Tohon in this book. It showed real strength and character on her part. Also I was pleasantly surprised that there is no love triangle in this book. Shortly I feared that there might be one, but fortuneately this didn't happen.

Not only is Avry a likeable and vivid main character, but the secondary characters are also well-developed. It is easy to form a mental image of them that instantly returns when they are mentioned or appear later on in the book.
This holds true for old characters that already appeared in the previous book as well as new characters that are first introduced in this installment.

In general I also liked the ending. However, there was a situation at the beginning of the last chapter where some things happend a bit too fast and coincidental for my liking. That seemed a bit forced and didn't fit the author's overal writing style and ability to make characters act rationally and believable. That scene could have done well with a bit more explanation or hints leading up to it. But this is only a minor grievance that doesn't really distract from the book as a whole.
As most of Maria V. Snyder's books this ends with a cliffhanger that makes the reader wish to pick up the next book at once. Alas, the next book has not yet been published, so people who need to read the next book in a series instantly after finishing the earlier book should be warned of this.

All in all this is a wonderful fantasy adventure with vivid and fluid narration that I can wholeheartedly recommend; especially for people who tend to get tired of lovesick main characters who can't think of anything else than their lover.

Review: And Then You Dye

Title: And Then You Dye
Author: Monica Ferris
Narrator: Susan Boyce

Publisher: AudioGO
Publication Date: December 4, 2012
Lenth: 7 hrs 30 min (unabridged)

Series: A Needlecraft Mystery, # 16
Setting: Excelsior, Minnesota

Rating: 3 of 5 stars

And Then You Dye is the latest installment in a series of cozy mysteries featuring Betsy Devonshire. Betsy runs a needlework shop in Excelsior, Minnesota. However, the work in her shop often gets interrupted by Betsy's sleuthing habits. This time she is asked to find the murderer of Hailey Brent. Hailey spun and dyed wool which Betsy sold in her shop ... until Hailey is found shot in her house.

This is the first book by Monica Ferris that I read. It took me some time to get into the story and the narrator. While the story itself does not depend on knowing the first books in the series, I would probably have had an easier time in getting into the story had I known the first parts. I'm certain that most of the characters appearing here were introduced earlier in the series, which would have given them more depth and background.
Considering this I was surprised at how fast I was drawn into the story. I might have needed two or three chapters, but after that I was really beginning to enjoy this cozy mystery. Betsy has a nice way of dealing with the case. She might ask around to get information, but she doesn't pry or overstep the border between legal and illegal actions. In spite of her sleuthing she recognizes the police as being the responsible body for apprehending the murderer. She rather sees herself as a person helping the police in gathering evidence and information that the police might not be able to get in their official capacity. This makes her a very amiable sleuth.

The mystery itself was well-written, with appropriate hints dropped in the right places. While I actually guessed right as to who might be the murderer, I wasn't quite certain until the person was revealed. It has been a while since I read a mystery where I found the hints so well-placed in the story. Not too obvious but still there.
Some small side-stories (like Godwin and his friend Rafael and their excursion into the world of coin collecting) provided a nice background to the story to give it life. Even though these parts did not actually belong to the mystery, I didn't find them superfluous and enjoyed them just as much as the rest of the book.

Susan Boyce does a decent job on her narration. For the first few chapters I needed some time to get accustomed to her voice. One reason for this might be that before And Then You Dye I listened to an audiobook narrated by a male narrator and for some reason I always find it easier to listen to a male voice than a female one. However, Susan Boyce's voice soon felt comfortable to my ears and her narrating a book won't keep me from listening to it in the future.

All in all this is a nice cozy mystery and I'll probably get the first fifteen books in the series as well (not all at once, but whenever I feel the need for some cozy entertainment), starting with the first.

Review: Lolita

Title: Lolita
Author: Vladimir Nabokov

Published in 1955
Pages: 331

Setting: mainly USA; there is quite a bit of travel involved, so it's hard to make it more specific

Genre: Classic Literature

Rating: 2 of 5 stars






I had quite high expectations for this book because it is listed both on the 1001 books you need to read before you die list and on Bloom's Western Canon. Both usually include high-quality literature and so far I've at least liked or seen something good about every book I've read from the lists. Not so this time.

This was one of the few books I read in the last year (I actually read it this year, but the new year is still fresh enough that this statement has more meaning when I take my reading experiences of last year into account as well) where I struggled with finishing it. It started very slow, didn't manage to capture me and even repulsed me. I didn't really feel the need to go on or even to finish this book. I eventually did finish it, because I'm bad at not-finishing books. Once I started a book I usually finish it. Otherwise I couldn't really give an educated opinion about it. But the fact that I finished this doesn't make it a good book.

The main character Humbert Humbert is a pedophile who "falls in love" with his landlady's minor daughter. He knows that he is sick and that what he is doing is wrong but he does it nonetheless. Reading about him (the book is actually written from his point-of-view) made me feel sick.

I have to give Nabokov his due in saying that I really liked the writing style and his way of expressing things. I could even have gotten around to seeing some merit in it should it have supposed to be a cautioning example. However, Nabokov said in the afterword explicitly that the book was not thought to have a "meaning" in the sense how it is taught in literature classes. If I accept his statement for truth I have to wonder why he wrote this book.

This is one of the few pieces of "literature" that I can't recommend to anybody else for reading and I'll things twice before I read another work by Nabokov.

Review: Dark Magic

Author: James Swain
Title: Dark Magic
Narrator: Stephen R. Thorne
Publisher: AudioGO
Length: 10 hrs 48 min (unabridged)
Publication date: Dec. 1, 2012
Setting: Contemporary New York
Genre: Thriller/Suspense, Paranormal

Rating: 4 of 5 stars


Peter Warlock is a well-known magician. His magic show regularly draws a large audience into his theatre, including his own fan club. What nobody knows is that Peter really has supernatural powers. Together with a group of six friends Peter holds weekly seances. During those meetings they communicate with the spirits and try to discover what the future holds in store. Peter's life in particular is getting chaotic when one day he sees something dreadful during one of the weekly seances: thousands of people dying, without apparent reason, in Times Square. Peter tries to figure out what will happen and how to stop it, but what can he alone accomplish? Should he contact the police to warn them? This would mean breaking one of the psychics' most elemental rules: Never reveal your powers to outsiders, especially not to officials.

This story gripped me from the start. Especially with a new author and/or new narrator I usually take some time to getting used to them. Not with Dark Magic. Stephen R. Thorne has a very nice voice that I enjoyed immensely listening to. It immediately formed a mental image of Peter in my mind that never left me during the book. I'll certainly not hesitate when I see another book narrated by Stephen R. Thorne.

Apart from the great narrator I also enjoyed the story itself. It is vividly and compellingly told without losing itself in side-plots. Instead it follows a red thread. Enough background to give you a mental image of the events/places/people but not so much that you lose focus of the story over it. Just as I like it.

In another review I read that the characters are flat and the way the psychics are portrayed is cliché. I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement. I liked the way Peter and his psychic friends are portrayed. This might be because I didn't read many similar books lately and found this take on things, even if it is traditional, very enjoyable. This is a kind of "magic" that I could actually believe to exist. Also the characters were well-developed in my opinion. Peter certainly has his strengths and weaknesses. I also didn't have any problems in picturing the secondary characters and liked many of them; even the FBI agent.

The only problem I had with this book was at the end (last two chapters). I would have prefered some things dealt with in a different way. I won't give any particulars here because that would be a bit too spoilery. However, the end didn't really diminish my enjoyment of the book in the whole. Just my personal preference. The end certainly leaves the possibility for a continuation in which those aspects might be covered again.

All in all I really enjoyed this audiobook. After doing a bit of research I realized that another book featuring Peter Warlock will appear this summer and I'll probably read (or listen to) that as well. Of course I would be all the more willing to get that if an audiobook narrated by Stephen R. Thorne was produced again.

Review: The Hobbit

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Title: The Hobbit
Narrator: Rob Inglis
Length: 11 hrs (unabridged)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 2005 (as audible edition)
Original Publication Date: 1937
Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4 1/2 of 5 Stars

It seems a bit redundant to give a summary to The Hobbit, but it feels wrong to start a review without having first given at least a short overview over the book's content, so here we go. Bilbo Baggins is a typical hobbit ... until the wizard Gandalf enters his home and sets a series of events in motion that will make Bilbo a very special hobbit. Gandalf invited a dozen dwarfs and made them believe that Bilbo is a master-thief who could help them in their current venture. Thus Bilbo sets out with the dwarfs. During their travels to the Lonely Mountain where they intend to retrieve their treasures from the dragon Smaug, they have to face numerous dangers.

The Hobbit is a typical adventure story, intended for a younger audience (I'd say older children into the early teenage years). The heroes, i.e. Bilbo, the dwarfs and sometimes Gandalf, have to face difficulties on their way to reach their goal. The main focus lies on Bilbo. The fact that Bilbo is not, of course, a real master-thief, but only a Hobbit leads to some interesting and sometimes quite funny situations for our hero. It is always a pleasure to see how Bilbo manages to "save the day" without having to relay on strength (Hobbits usually aren't that good at fighting). Instead he manages to come up with good ideas.
During the course of the book Bilbo grows as a character and he leaves the story as another person than when we first encountered him in the beginning.

I've first encountered this story by listening to the German audiobook. That is a wonderful dramatized production, but sadly it is also abridged (it fits on four CDs, so nearly half the book has been cut). After years of break from the story I decided to listen to the unabridged audiobook edition and I'm glad I did so. Rob Inglis is a wonderful narrator. He also narrates all three books in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Thus I was already acquainted with his voice and was instantly drawn into Middle Earth. While I found Inglis' voice sometimes difficult to understand when I originally listened to his interpretation of the Lord of the Rings years ago, I really enjoyed his narration this time. He has a deep, calm voice that gives the impression of being told a story while sitting before a nice, warm hearthfire. Still he manages to give every character its distinct "voice". After listening to The Hobbit I count Inglis among my favourite authors and this has made me want to re-listen to The Lord of the Rings (of course narrated by Inglis).

Review: Slam

Title: Slam
Author: Nick Hornby
Narrator: Nicholas Hoult
Length: 7 1/4 hours (6 CDs); unabridged
Publisher: Penguin Audio
ISBN: 978-0-141-80791-1
Publication Date: May 2010
Original Publication Date: October 16, 2007
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction; Young Adult

Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sam has grown up in the knowledge that it is a bad idea to get a kid at 16. While his mother loves him and they have a good relationship, she also told him countless times that getting pregnant with him at such a young age has changed her future for the worse. Sam tries to avoid his mother's "mistake". He is going to go to college. In his free time he loves skateboarding. His greatest idol is Tony Hawk; Sam has read his book and knows it by heart. He even talks to a poster of Tony Hawk and to Sam Tony Hawk even answers with quotations from his book. Sam's life is rapidly changing when he meets Alicia and they begin a romantic relationship. Soon Sam is in danger of following in his mother's footsteps, but Tony Hawk doesn't leave Sam in the lurch. He shows Sam his future.

I have to admit that I had a few problems with this book. The main problem was that I couldn't really emphasise with Sam. This might be due to the fact that I'm older than Sam and female. This doesn't make a great difference in fantasy novels, where the focus is not so much on the protagonists "inside". In this book it was making it hard to get into it.
Apart from Sam I also found the rest of the characters flat and not good developed. Alicia's parents were particularly cliché, but his mother didn't have more depth, either.

The plot was also average. It was well enough but didn't offer a lot of surprises. The "future-dreams" purportedly sent by Tony Hawk were an interesting twist to the storyline but after the first one they became an old hat as well.

Nicholas Hoult as the narrator did a good job at his narration, but again nothing outstanding. At the beginning I had a few problems with getting into his narration and I somehow found him an unfit narrator for this work. Somehow I couldn't imagine his voice alongside a 16-year old protagonist. This was especially difficult because the story is told from Sam's point-of-view as first-person narrator, not from a neutral third-person narrator.

All in all I found this book average. There were no great faults, but it certainly didn't find its way to my heart and the possibility that I'll listen to the audiobook or read the book again is fairly slim.

Review: Désirée - The Bestselling Story of Napoleon's First Love

Title: Désirée - The Bestselling Story of Napoleon's First Love
Author: Annemarie Selinko
Narrator: Nicole Quinn

Publisher: BlueBarnProductions (according to audible entry; however, the disclaimer at the end of the audiobook gives the impression that this audiobook was actually self-published by the narrator)
Length: 26 hours (unabridged)

Genre: Historical Novel
Setting: 19th century France with small portions of the book set in other countries, eg Sweden
Style: Epilostary (told in Désirée's diary entries)

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

As the title suggests, this book tells the story of Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, who later becomes Désirée Bernadotte and Queen of Sweden. She was born into a family of silk merchants and never had high aspirations. It was a coincidence that Désirée (who was then still known as Eugénie) met Joseph Bonaparte, the elder brother of Napoléon Bonaparte. She invited the brothers to her home for a dinner. Her family was indignant at Désirée's behavior. Napoléon was already a distinguished general, but the Bonapartes were a poor family of Corsican immigrants. Thus the Carlys did not want to have anything to do with them. But Napoléon's charme managed to capture the family and soon both brothers were regular guests at the Clary's. Désirée's sister Julie married Joseph and Désirée got engaged to Napoléon.
But destiny would not have Désirée as Napoléon's wife. Before the marriage Napoléon left for Paris in order to convince the political leaders of France of his plans for France. In Paris Napoléon also meets Joséphine de Beauharnais. While Désirée had a large dowry, Josephine has influence in Paris. Thus Napoléon dissolves his engagement with Désirée and marries Josephine instead. At first Désirée is devastated, but soon she finds a new love as well in General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. Jean-Baptiste even becomes one of the Marshalls of France under Emperor Napoléon.

This novel details Désirées life from her teenage years until her fifties. It is presented in the form of Désirée's diary entries. I'm always a bit ambivalent about books written as a diary, because this can go terribly wrong. However, in this case it seems to have been the perfect choice. Désirée writes entries whenever something decisive happened in her life. This gives a vivid picture of the time and Désirée's life without getting boring with too much detail (a problem quite a few historical novels have). It is easy to empthise with Désirée and I enjoyed her story very much. I can easily understand why this books belongs in the category of bestsellers.

The audiobook production lives up the the story. The narrator, Nicole Quinn, has a calm voice that is is pleasant to listen to. However, I had one problem with the audiobook: There were quite a few sudden volume changes. This is especially bad when one listens in the car or with headphones.

All in all this is a very enjoyable novel and I'll probably listen to the audiobook again some time and might even look for other books by Selinko. I'm torn between four and five stars in this case but tend towards four.

Review: Days of Blood & Starlight

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
Series information: Second book in series
Audiobook narrator: Khristine Hvam
Length: 15 hrs, 17 min
Publication date: November 8, 2012 (orig. November 6, 2012)
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Days of Blood and Starlight is the second book in a trilogy and follows the events of Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
After Karou has found out about her past life and that Akiva is responsible for the demise of her own race, the chimaera, Karou decided to leave Akiva. Now she is allied with the chimaera rebells and helps them by resurrecting their fallen. Meanwhile Akiva thinks that Karou is dead and plans his own rebellion against his father. In Prague, Zuzana is worried about her friend and tries to decipher an email sent by Karou that might help her find her friend.

I had some more troubles getting into this volume than I had with the first book. The book only grapped me once I had listened to about a third of it; but then it enfolded its whole charme and proved to be just as good as the first volume.

It is more than just a fantasy book or a romance novel. It is an intricately woven story of two worlds, two leaders bent on war and cruelty and a few people trying to bring peace to their world. It is a story about hate and politics, but it is also a story about friendship.

The unabridged audiobook is narrated again by Khristine Hvam, who already narrated the first book. I fell in love with her way of narrating in the first book and enoyed her interpretation of this second book just as much. She has a wonderful voice and I particularly liked how she gave life to Karou's friend Zuzana (whom I find a great character).



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Review: Fearless

Fearless by Cornelia Funke
Series Information: 2nd book featuring Jacob Reckless

Original Title: Lebendige Schatten
Original Publication Date:  September 6, 2012
English Publication Date: April 2, 2013


My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I loved Cornelia Funke's Inkheart books and was a bit disappointed by Reckless, the first book in Funke's new series. I liked it but something seemed missing. I just finished the second book and liked it much more. The story continues where the first book left off. Jacob tries to find a way to counter the fairy curse that will kill him if he doesn't succeed. He is accompanied by the shapeshifter Fox. After every other measure Jacob knows of and tries fails to help against the curse, his last option is a magical crossbow. According to legend this crossbow can kill whole armies with one shot; but the legends also tell that the crossbow may save a person's life when it is used out of love. But to find the crossbow Jacob first has to find a hand, the heart and the head of an ancient sorcerer and reunite those with his body. His search is made even more difficult by the fact that another treasure-hunter wants to find the crossbow and is determined to beat Jacob.

In this book Cornelia Funke shows again how much imagination she has. The world she created behind the mirrors is loosely based on our own, but it is also a world where fairy tales are real and a part of everyday life. Although she draws from the real world and common fairy tales, this doesn't prevent Funke from creating her very own world with vivid characters. I enjoyed every sentence of this book.



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Review: Glory in Death

Glory in Death by J.D. Robb

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Glory in Death is the second book of a series of futuristic mysteries featuring Eve Dallas. This time she has to find a serial killer who is preying on successful, strong women who are well-known in the media. As the number of victims rises, Eve is put under more and more pressure. In addition to this her relationship with Roarke also undergoes some struggles.
This is a good average for a book. It was clearly written for entertainment, so I didn’t expect more and wasn’t disappointed. Eve is a character one can like and relate to, Roarke is a great love-interest for her (who doesn’t want a boyfriend who just takes you to a villa hundreds of miles away for a night to relax and forget about your job). I found the mystery part of the book a bit weak this time. It was mysterious enough in the beginning, but it soon became clear to me who might be the murderer and that really made me wonder at Eve not catching on to it sooner. The redeeming part to the mystery was Roarke saving the day at the end.
And as a sidenote: I really liked the narrator of this audiobook.



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Review: Kalter Mittwoch

Kalter Mittwoch by Garth Nix

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is the third volume in Garth Nix’ series about Arthur and his adventures. Arthur has already defeated Monday and Tuesday, which brought him two of the seven keys. Now he has to face Wednesday. Wednesday governs the large sea of the House that can even be expanded to reach into the human worlds. Arthur learns this the hard way when his hospital room is suddenly flooded. He and his friend Leaf are drawn into the world of the House, in the middle of the ocean, where they have only Arthur’s hospital bed to prevent them from drowning. But the bed won’t stay above water for long.
In comparison to Nix’ other series I’ve read, the Abhorsen books, this series is aimed at a younger audience. Having read it so far, however, I think that those books belong to those that can be read and enjoyed by all ages. Nix creates a vivid world with wonderful characters. They can be funny, scary, sympathetic or just plain disagreeable.
In this respect Drowned Wednesday didn’t disappoint. After having already read two books in the series that had the same basis: Arthur has to go into the House to find the ruler of the part of the House that is the current topic of the book. In this book Nix introduces a slightly varied background in this respect and I really enjoyed that. I also liked to see old characters return (especially Susi).
I listened to the German audiobook read by Oliver Rohrbeck. Rohrbeck is a great narrator and gives life to those books. As such those audiobooks are highly recommendable for Germans. The only downside of the audiobook is the fact that it is an abridged production. I got the audiobook from the library, which is the only reason I listened to this abridged production (I refuse to buy any abridged audiobooks). Considering that the books aren’t that long in the first place the abridgment is probably not as severe as in other books. Not having read the books before listening to the audiobook I can’t say whether the abridgment affects important parts of the books. At least there weren’t any abrupt changes or scenes where I thought there was something missing.
The books only exist as an English audiobook production, which as far as I can tell is unabridged, but not having listened to that, I can’t say anything on its quality.



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Review: Bound for Eternity

Bound for Eternity by Sarah Wisseman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Bound for Eternity by Sarah Wisseman and narrated by Priscilla Holbrook, published by Iambik Audio in 2012 is one of the shorter audiobooks I have listened to in the recent past with only 6 ½ hours.
It is the second part of a series of mystery novels whose protagonist is Lisa Donahue (the first book in the series, The Dead Sea Codex, isn't available as an audiobook; but I've seen it available for Kindle, so I might get that). In Bound for Eternity Lisa is curator at a museum for historical/archaeological artefacts. Normal work routine is interrupted when one of the museum employee’s is found dead in the building. As things progress it becomes more and more obvious that one of the other employee’s must be the murderer. While trying to plan the next exhibit Lisa notices that some artefacts are not where they are supposed to be and even begins to suspect that some of the items might be forgeries. Are both incidents connected?