Lend Me Your Ears: It's a DOUBLE Audiobook Review!

HI there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

So, today marks a first as I am sharing my thoughts on a recent AUDIOBOOK I finished...make that, two.  Shocked?  I know I was and while I won't be converting to the format anytime soon (sorry, the narrator in my head RULES!), I DID in fact enjoy the stories themselves, and appreciate the additional venue for "reading" to take place.  I mean, it's not safe to read and drive, right?  (JK!)  Anywho, back to the stories at hand...first up, a ghost of a tale...

Winterbay Abbey:  A Ghost Story

by

John Bladek & Davonna Juroe

Read by

Matt Godfrey

About the book...

Will Larson has one last chance to save his stagnant career as an architect: design a grand restoration for a long-abandoned abbey. Looming above the breathtaking, windswept coast of Maine, Winterbay Abbey offers a picturesque spot for a charming hotel. But the locals harbor a peculiar distaste for the ruined Gothic convent.

After witnessing a drowning within sight of the abbey, Will wonders why the police seem disinterested in the case. He begins looking deeper into the incident, gradually uncovering chilling secrets behind the old nunnery’s walls. Will’s wife, Emily, becomes convinced the drowning is a ghostly replay of a past tragedy. But their investigation into the abbey’s frightening history soon becomes a desperate struggle to escape Winterbay’s dark curse.

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So, I actually listened to this one on Audible.com thanks to a win with the author (sweet!).  We started off on a high note, getting to know our lead characters, and diving head first into the history of Winterbay from the locals.  Let's just say that "colorful" doesn't do it justice.  From a convent to a home for wayward girls to the severely creepy shell that remains today, aside from the location having a great (and dangerous!) view...it's beyond me why anyone would want to set foot there.  Certainly not Will Larson, especially after everything he learns AND experiences.  

We are shown echoes of the past as Will explores the Abbey for all its worth.  He's trying his best to secure a good life for both himself and his growing family, but while he's plagued by his own missteps, these new intrusions are seriously making him question his sanity.  Strange additions to his drawings, mysterious blankets with a rather familiar signature, figures on the beach calling out for...help?  Revenge?  Justice?  Just WHY was he the one reached out to?  Was there no other soul to connect with that would understand the strangeness of what was going on...the lingering hurt from generations of bad deeds done in the name of good?  There was much to puzzle and several leaps of imagination to take as the story twists and turns, binding you to its bones like so much cement in a foundation.  I will admit that the seagulls outside my work totally had me flashing back to the Abbey and not in the most pleasant of ways after having finished a fairly precarious scene before having to pause things and head into work.  *-*

In the end, though certainly not in a format I favor, the story itself was definitely a winner! If you're a fan of gothic horror or simply love a good spooky story, this one's for you.  The characters are memorable for so many reasons and the perilous nature of everything as it currently stands will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Try to guess along the way just how things will turn out...and even if you're a stickler for details thinking you might rival the great Holmes himself, I bet you don't see everything coming.

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Now, our second venture into audio land takes us back to another place, another time, and a totally different type of story.  I've actually reviewed the book here on my site, but when the audio version came out, the author asked if I'd like a listen.  Considering the type of story, I was game and I wasn't disappointed either...

The Case of the Cursed Dodo

The Endangered Files

by

Jake G. Panda

About the book...

Listen up! This is not your garden variety audiobook. Recorded in Jungle Stereo, this audio adventure follows Jake G. Panda, famed wildlife investigator, on a globe trotting mystery that is a throwback to old time radio serials. When trouble calls, Jake is always there to answer the phone. 

This hilarious audio installment of THE ENDANGERED FILES is a wild and woolly tale involving a missing guest, a green bird, and a bunch of double-crossing critters. It's designed to introduce young readers to the subject of endangered species in a fun and informative way.

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As I'm not one to rehash the details, you can read about my adventure through the pages HERE...as for the thrill ride my ears took while listening to this one, I gotta say, it was a win!  Again, SO NOT AN AUDIOBOOK PERSON...but this story, the style it's written in, the genre it claims, the fact that it's more fiction than reality (don't tell the panda!) lends itself a certain permission, if you will, to play with the voices, and be as dramatic as possible.  Even when I was reading, I found myself reading aloud, doing alterations to my own voice for the various characters, and affecting a Bogart-esque way of speaking when in Jake's shows...err, paw prints....so the liberties the author took in utilizing those same variances to bring it to life audibly, worked wonders.  I can easily see audiobook fans digging into this one as well as it being a rather stimulating story time "read" for a group or classroom setting.

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Special thanks to author Davonna Juroe and Jake G. Panda for the audio versions to peruse.  (THANKS!)  For more information on either title, or the authors, feel free to click through the links provided above.

Until next time, remember...if it looks (or sounds!) good, READ IT!

The Endangered Files: The Case of the Cursed Dodo by Jake G. Panda

(~please read post in an old detective or Humphrey Bogart ala Casablanca tone~)

Why hello there.

What's a guy/doll like you doing in a place like this?  After all, this is Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers...the place where all the cool cats meet to get a little...bookish.

Today, we're cracking the spine on a unique read from the type of author you don't usually run across.  The genre is Jungle Noir (Kid's Fiction along the Middle Grade line) and the mind behind the work is...a panda.  Yeah, that's right.  Jake G. Panda to be precise.  He has this screenwriter fella help with the actual typing (panda paws weren't really made for pecking away at those tiny keys) but he prefers to stay in the shadows.  Curious?  I thought so too...but who am I to argue when my attention was needed elsewhere?  Elsewhere, you ask?  Yeah, elsewhere...as in between the pages of this book.  Ladies and gents, put your appendages together as we welcome today's book of choice...

The Case of the Cursed Dodo

The Endangered Files #1

by

Jake G. Panda

9780990939115

Woolly Family Studios

About the book...

If you're looking for trouble, you've found it. The name's Jake G. Panda, and trouble seems to follow me wherever I go. I work in the protection racket at a flophouse for endangered critters called the Last Resort. I'm the hotel snoop. The resident fuzz. It's my job to keep these guests safe and outta harm's way. This is the first of my many misadventures. A wild and woolly mystery involving a lost suitcase, a green bird, and a bunch of double-crossing animals. I'm calling this jungle noir The Case of the Cursed Dodo. 

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So, let's start at the beginning.

The way I requested that you read this post (and partially the way I've typed it up) is EXACTLY the way I read the book.  That's right!  I read the book with the proper inflections, being all swagger-y in voice while still granting the other characters their proper vocals as well.  What's that?  Oh, yes.  I read the entire thing aloud to a very willing audience...who I must say adored my performance greatly, but the story itself EVEN MORE!

It's written in movie script format, an unusual take admittedly, but it works!  It helps set the stage for each scene before it rolls out, lining the characters up to soar or be bowled over as seen fit.  Sound harsh?  Oh, but it's not!  It's totally called for in some cases such as with Karl and his rat gang, Knuckles the reptilian muscle "man", Stan, Bedouin Joe, and...the list goes on and on.  What can I say?  They may be endangered but that doesn't stop the low down dirty dealings from happening.  That's where Jake comes in.  Speaking of Jake, he's got his paws full in this one with enough cloak and danger play going on to bamboozle anyone!  One minute, it's all about discovering the owner of a mysterious suitcase, the next we're seeking the Professor whom we fear is in great danger, and so on and so on.  It's all building to a crescendo as we discover just who the Jade Dodo belongs to, what its significance is, and just what lengths some will go to claim it as their own.  *cue shot of a figure cloaked in shadow drawing ever closer*

The entertainment factor is HIGH in this one, but the EDUtainment is non-stop as well, and done in such a way that younger readers won't know what hit them (much like Daisy in the garden maze).  There are so many names of endangered creatures coming at you, you'll need your own detective notebook to keep track but it does lay the groundwork for further investigation after the final page and what educator, parent, or guardian, can't feel good saying that?  As for those readers outside the target audience, trust me...the education factor is worth it on its own but the rest of the text holds secrets for you as well.  There are so many references to classic detective mysteries and inside jokes when it comes to the many animals in the cast that you won't be able to keep a smile off your face or a laugh from erupting belly wise as the pages fly by.

So you see my feathered and non-feathered friends, this is one story for the books in both content, writing, and presentation.  It gives you the best of each world with the promise of more to come...now doesn't that sound like the start of a beautiful friendship?

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About the author...

Jake G. Panda is a hard-nosed bear investigator.  He likes bamboo and saving endangered wildlife.  He is the author of The Endangered Files, a middle-grade mystery series designed to introduce young readers to the subject of endangered animals in a fun and informative way.

His partner in crime, the fella who helps write these stories, is a successful screenwriter.  He prefers to keep a low profile and let Jake do all the talking.  Both reside somewhere in New England.

SITE   |   GOODREADS   |   FACEBOOK   |   TWITTER

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Special thanks to Jake G. Panda for the chance to shed some light on this release as well as the review copy.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or to keep abreast of those titles still to come as well as connect with other fabulous and fun features, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title was released December 2014 via Woolly Family Studios, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Oh and one more thing before you go...

...you CAN NOT MISS THE BOOK TRAILER!  It's a perfect match to the text, capturing the general mood, ambiance, and tone.  I guess that's really not a surprise considering Jake's partner's background...

Until next time...happy reading!