Audiobook Review: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

The year is 2083 and Anya Balanchine might outwardly appear like your typical 16-year-old girl from the twenty-first century, but outward appearances can be deceiving. In a world where chocolate and coffee are illegal, Anya has grown up in a family where chocolate is the family business. With both her parents having been murdered due to her father's mafia connections, and an ailing grandmother who is their legal guardian, Anya is the de facto head of her family. She does everything in her power to make sure she doesn't get separated from her siblings, which right off the bat, shows the reader how practical and matter-of-fact she is. 

Only when she meets a new boy at school, who ironically happens to be the son of the assistant D.A., does she start to break down her barriers and open up. Even still, with the possibility of love on the horizon, you never feel like Anya doesn't have her wits about her. Her top priority is and always will be her family, so in that sense, her practicality ends up being likeable rather than frustrating. In the hands of a less dexterous author, a character so matter-of-fact and practical might come off as being cold and unfeeling, but Zevin skillfully creates a wonderfully empathetic character in Anya.

The narrator of the audiobook is Ilyana Kadushin, of Twilight fame, and her performance in this audiobook was as luscious as a Balanchine Special Dark chocolate bar. I think her narration of this book was far superior to her performance of the Twilight saga. I thought she wasn't expressive enough and rather one-dimensional in her Twilight performance, and her only saving grace was her exquisite voice. In All These Things I've Done, however, her performance was much more dynamic and expressive. Not only was her voice satisfying to listen to, but she learned from her previous experience that simply having a beautiful voice does not a good narrator make and that you need to put some emotion into it. In Twilight she was stoic and unfeeling, in All These Things I've Done, she was much more charismatic.

In reading other reviews of this novel, everyone labels the genre as dystopia, but I'm not really buying the dystopia moniker. Yes the book takes place in the future and yes, society seems to have degraded, but not enough of the American culture has changed for me to believe that this is a true dystopia. I guess the reason people have labeled it dystopia is because there isn't really any other genre it could be. To me though, it's sort of dystopia-lite. Even with the dubious genre labeling, this book is still worth every second of your time - whether you listen to it or read it. I will definitely be one the people coveting an ARC of the sequel!


All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Published: September 6, 2011 by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and Macmillan Audio
Pages: 354
Audiobook length: 10 hours, 11 minutes
Audiobook narrator: Ilyana Kadushin
Genre: Dystopia
Audience: Young Adult
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book and audiobook for review

Waiting on Wednesday: Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and is meant to showcase upcoming books that you can't wait to read.

I haven't done a Waiting on Wednesday in a while because I have been so insanely busy with teaching that I haven't had much time to even think about my blog during the week, let alone write in it.

But alas, I have returned, and here is my pick for this week:

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Expected Publication: April 24, 2012
Publisher: Walker & Company
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Young Adult

From Goodreads:

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free?

This is one of those books that I totally judged by its cover. The distinctive red high heels along the road near the guardrail clearly indicate an ominous foreboding in the air and it makes me want to know more. But sometimes I judge the book by its cover and then read the synopsis and decide to pass on it because even though the cover is compelling, the synopsis does not make the story seem so. But, after I read the synopsis of this book this book, I still definitely want to read it. 

In My Mailbox (49)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. The books you share do not have to be ones you actually received in the mail. They can be ones you bought at the book store, checked out at the library, or downloaded to your e-reader. The idea is just to share what's on your TBR pile for the upcoming week.

For review:
 
Dreamland by Alyson Noel

Purchased:

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Library Loot:
 
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (audiobook)

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Steve Jobs humor

This picture has been making the rounds on Facebook, but I just had to share it here on my blog because even though it gives you a good chuckle, it still manages to perfectly put into perspective all the things that Jobs has done to make his innovative creations an integral part of our lives. I think about all the ways I use my iPhone and realize that this one device has now become my phone, music player, camera, reading and audiobook device, alarm clock, timer, note-taker, dictionary, shopping list creator, I could go on and on...

Rest in peace Steve. Thank you for all the work you did here one earth. I hope you're just as productive in the afterlife.

Bake Sale by Sara Varon

From Goodreads:

Cupcake’s life is pretty good. He’s got his bakery, and his band, and his best friend, Eggplant. His days are full of cooking, socializing, and playing music. But lately, Cupcake has been struggling in the kitchen. He’s sure the solution to all his problems is out there somewhere. But maybe that solution is hiding closer to home. 

I know there is a lesson or two buried within the pages of Sara Varon's latest graphic novel, but that is honestly the last thing I was thinking about as I was reading this adorable story of a cupcake's life as a bakery owner.  All I could think was how happy-making it was for a food-lover such as myself. I got such a kick out of seeing all the different foods as characters, and got even more satisfaction out of seeing that Varon writes this story using language to indicate that she might be a foodie herself.

This would be a great read for kids who are budding bakers, but it is sure to bring a smile to the faces of adults who like to satisfy their sweet tooth by creating confections in their own kitchens.


The illustrations in this graphic novel use muted, pastel colors, yet they still manage to pop off the page with their sprightliness and personality. This is the perfect book to read when you need a good cheering up. I mean, how can a talking cupcake with his own bakery, a sandwich shop-owning carrot, and a banjo-playing bagel make you anything other than happy?

And as an added bonus, Varon recognizes that reading a book like this is sure to make the reader hungry for baked goods so she includes the recipes that Cupcake makes in his bakery at the end of the book.


Bake Sale by Sara Varon
Published: August 30, 2011 by First Second
Pages: 160
Genre: Graphic Novel
Audience: Middle Grade

Audiobook Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

From Goodreads:

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program--or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan--or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up? 

Libba Bray is a mad, crazy genius.  I do not claim to love everything she writes -- I'm still scratching my head over Going Bovine -- but I also can't deny her talent and ability to get her readers to think. She doesn't write fluff. She really goes for the symbolic. 


So I don't know why I was surprised when Beauty Queens turned out to be more than just fluff. I was expecting a wild, campy romp through a desert island with some ditzy cheerleader types, which is how the story starts off, but the more invested in the story you become, you begin to realize that this book is also a political statement, an imploring to get the reader to question the gender roles and stereotypes we've become accustomed to in our society.


It is clear as you're reading this that Bray pulls no punches when it comes to her political views so there's no doubt that the message and themes of the story will turn some people off, but that's the beauty of being an author - you have the ability to comment on society for anyone with a pair of eyes to see or ears to hear. Even if you don't agree with her stance, you should at least defend her intellectual freedom and her right to express those views. That's what living in America is all about. (Can you tell I'm still a bit hopped up from Banned Books Week?)


Let's talk about the audio presentation for a bit, shall we? It's not very often that an author can narrate her own audiobook, but Libba Bray rose to the challenge and performed the heck out of this book. It is clear from the word go that she obviously has a theatrical background because her emotion and character voices were perfection. I would go so far to say that this is one of the most memorable audiobooks I have ever listened to. The "commercial breaks" all had entertaining soundtracks and the way they were able to get the footnotes to work (with a little "Ding" type noise every time she went to read one) without being distracting was pure genius. This is one of those few audiobooks that manages to make book more enjoyable than if you had read it. That, in my opinion, is how you know you have an talented audiobook narrator. Based on this rolicking performance, I hope Libba will narrate all of her future audiobooks.


Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Published: May 24, 2011 by Scholastic
Pages: 390
Audiobook Length: 14 hours, 34 minutes
Audiobook Narrator: Libba Bray
Genre: Satire/Realistic Fiction
Audience: Young Adult

In My Mailbox (48)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. The books you share do not have to be ones you actually received in the mail. They can be ones you bought at the book store, checked out at the library, or downloaded to your e-reader. The idea is just to share what's on your TBR pile for the upcoming week.

The best part of my week in books was getting my copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone signed at the Laini Taylor event in Ann Arbor:

Check out my recap of the event here.

Other book purchases:

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham

Library Loot:
 
Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld
Smitten by David Gordon

 
Doggy Whys? by Lila Prap
Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guytom and His Art by J.H. Shapiro, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

 
Bake Sale by Sara Varon

What did you get in your mailbox this week?