Book review: Shades of Grey

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde was my latest audiobook. It's very much a fantasy story set really far in the future, when humans have changed to only see mainly one colour. The story follows Eddie Russett, who sees red.

While listening to this, I kept thinking this was very fanatisical. It is very much a fantasy story, and it is very well done. It starts with Eddie, the main character, stating that he is being eaten by a plant, and that it was Jane's fault. The story then backs up four days, and you don't get back to the scene in the beginning until right near the end.

I found the story very easy to follow, and very enjoyable. It definitely made my commute seem quick. Almost too quick, I didn't want to stop listening. If I had been reading the story, it definitely would have been one that kept me up way too late because I couldn't put it down.

Being an audiobook, I had the added bonus of the narrator. My version was narrated by John Lee. He was a great narrator. With the added bonus of an English accent. Very enjoyable. When I was checking it out from the library, the librarian mentioned that I would enjoy it, and that the narrator was very soothing and great to listen to. And she wasw definitely right.


Rating: 5/5
Source: Local library

Book review: Nerve Damage

Nerve Damage by Peter Abrahams was the latest audiobook I listened to in my car during my commute. It is about a scupltor, Roy Valois, who learns he is dying of an inoperable, incurable cancer. On a whim, he looks up and reads the obituary that will be printed about him in the New York Times. He finds that it inaccurately states where his dead wife worked, and he makes it his mission to investigate and correct this mistake. But is it a mistake? Or are there secrets his wife never told him?

I would classify this book as a conspiracy thriller. The premise really intrigued me, but I had a hard time enjoying it. I simply disliked, almost hated the main character. He just wasn't likable. He was in complete denial about his condition, and while this may be a common stage, he just took it too far.

And his attitude and treatment of others? He just rubbed me the wrong way, and I couldn't get past it.

Overall, the story was exciting, with some good twists and turns. But the ending was too fairy tale happy to fit the rest of the story.

Since I listened to this on audiobook, I had the addition of the narrator to contribute. And I wasn't impressed. The reading was very choppy. Each sentence stood alone. It was very difficult to follow in the beginning, but I did figure out thow to follow, but it didn't make for the most enjoyable listen.

Rating: 2/5
Source: Library

Book Review: Heat Wave

Heat Wave by Richard Castle is the latest audiobook I listened to during my daily commute. It is a police drama that follows NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat as she investigates the murder of a real estate tycoon.

This is not just a straight police drama though. Detective Heat is accompanied by Jameson Rook, a magazine jourmalist who is doing research. It is not a big surprise that there is chemistry between the two of them, or that Heat is trying to avoid it.

The plot progresses quickly, and does provide some surprise twists. I enjoyed the journey, although I think the last few paragraphs are a little weak and seem a bit out of character for Heat. It's like the author was running out of room, and needed to wrap things up.

Overall, a great police drama. Enough so that I think I'll keep an eye out for the next in the series.

Since it was an audiobook, there was the added element of having someone read it to me. I found the narrator to be a bit over dramatic in the beginning. Once I got past the first CD or two, he seemed to even out a bit. Also, the choice of a male narrator seemed odd, since the book is told from a female perspective. But it was still a pleasant listening opportunity.