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Tag Archives: audio book

Book Review: The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort

26 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by Ermilia in Eliabeth, Reviews

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

audio book, book, books, Jordan Belfort, memoir, The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street

by  Jordan Belfort

genre: memoir

Summary from Goodreads

wolf-of-wallstreet

By day he made thousands of dollars a minute. By night he spent it as fast as he could, on drugs, sex, and international globe-trotting. From the binge that sunk a 170-foot motor yacht, crashed a Gulfstream jet, and ran up a $700,000 hotel tab, to the wife and kids who waited for him for at home, and the fast-talking, hard-partying young stockbrokers who called him king and did his bidding, here, in his own inimitable words, is the story of the ill-fated genius they called…

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

In the 1990s Jordan Belfort, former kingpin of the notorious investment firm Stratton Oakmont, became one of the most infamous names in American finance: a brilliant, conniving stock-chopper who led his merry mob on a wild ride out of the canyons of Wall Street and into a massive office on Long Island. Now, in this astounding and hilarious tell-all autobiography, Belfort narrates a story of greed, power, and excess no one could invent–the story of an ordinary guy who went from hustling Italian ices at sixteen to making hundreds of millions. Until it all came crashing down.

Mature content.

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Book Review: Men, Women, and Children by Chad Kultgen

04 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by Ermilia in Eliabeth, Reviews

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

adult, audio book, book, book review, books, Chad Kultgen, depression, drama, fiction, Men Women and Children, movie, review, reviews, sex, trailer

Men, Women, and Children

by Chad Kultgen

genre: adult, drama

Instead of a summary from Goodreads, I want to show you the trailer for the movie as that was how I first discovered this book.

Interested in seeing the movie, I decided to buy the book.

Mature content follows.

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Book Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

11 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by Ermilia in Eliabeth, Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

audio book, book, book review, books, chick-lit, Confessions of a Shopaholic, fiction, review, reviews, romance, Sophie Kinsella

Confessions of a Shopaholic

by Sophie Kinsella

genre: historical romance

Summary from Audible

confessions of a shopaholic

MEET BECKY BLOOMWOOD, AN IRRESISTIBLE HEROINE WITH A BIG HEART, BIG DREAMS — AND JUST ONE LITTLE WEAKNESS …

Becky Bloomwood has what most twenty-five-year-olds only dream of: a flat in London’s trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season’s must-haves. The only trouble is, she can’t actually afford it — not any of it. Her job writing at Successful Saving magazine not only bores her to tears, it doesn’t pay much at all. Still, how can she resist that perfect pair of shoes? Or the divine silk blouse in the window of that ultra-trendy boutique? But lately Becky’s been chased by dismal letters from Visa and the Endwich Bank — letters with large red sums she can’t bear to read — and they’re getting ever harder to ignore. She tries cutting back; she even tries making more money. But none of her efforts succeeds. Her only consolation is to buy herself something … just a little something …

Finally, a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life — and the lives of those around her — forever.

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Book Review: Quiet by Susan Cain

14 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by Ermilia in Eliabeth, Reviews

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

audio book, audio books, audiobook, book, books, intorverts, introversion, non-fiction, Quiet, self image, self-improvement, Susan Cain

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

by Susan Cain

genre: self-improvement

Synopsis from Goodreads

Quiet by Susan CainAt least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled “quiet,” it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society–from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.

Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools. She questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. And she draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts.

Perhaps most inspiring, she introduces us to successful introverts–from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Finally, she offers invaluable advice on everything from how to better negotiate differences in introvert-extrovert relationships to how to empower an introverted child to when it makes sense to be a “pretend extrovert.”

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Book Review: Zoo City by Lauren Beukes

13 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by Ermilia in Eliabeth, Reviews

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Tags

audio book, book, book review, fantasy, fiction, Lauren Beukes, reviews, s review, South Africa, urban fantasy, Zoo City

Zoo City

by Lauren Beukes

genre: urban fantasy

A unique novel, urban fantasy set in South Africa. However, I couldn’t accept the premise (will explain in the review) and I had trouble following the story. For me it was a 2 star book, but several people in the discussion group really enjoyed it. Read on to see if you’d enjoy it.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Zoo CityZinzi has a Sloth on her back, a dirty 419 scam habit and a talent for finding lost things. But when a little old lady turns up dead and the cops confiscate her last paycheck, she’s forced to take on her least favourite kind of job – missing persons.

Being hired by reclusive music producer Odi Huron to find a teenybop pop star should be her ticket out of Zoo City, the festering slum where the criminal underclass and their animal companions live in the shadow of hell’s undertow.

Instead, it catapults Zinzi deeper into the maw of a city twisted by crime and magic, where she’ll be forced to confront the dark secrets of former lives – including her own.

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Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

11 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by Ermilia in Eliabeth, Reviews

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

audio book, book, book review, books, fantasy, high fantasy, Julie Kagawa, review, reviews, steampunk, The Iron Fey, The Iron King, urban fantasy

The Iron King
(The Iron Fey #1)

by Julie Kagawa

genre: urban fantasy, YA

The Iron King by Julia KagawaFantasy meets steampunk. The plot and concept behind the Iron Fey series is brilliant. Imagination and human dreams have given birth to a new type of fairies: iron fey. Mixing traditional characters from A Middsummer Knight’s Dream with characters of her own creation, Kagawa paints a unique world hidden in the doorways and under beds in the mortal realm. Read on to find out why I gave The Iron King a 4 out of 5.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth – that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

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Book Review: Whodunnit? Series by Anthony E. Zuiker

06 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by Ermilia in Eliabeth

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Anthony E. Zuiker, Audible, audio book, book, book review, books, CSI, murder, mystery, review, reviews, Whodunnit

Whodunnit? Murder in Mystery Manor (Whodunnit #1) and Whodunnit? Murder on Mystery Island (Whodunnit #2)

by Anthony E. Zuiker

Genre: Mystery

From the creator and executive producer of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation franchise and the murder mystery TV show Whodunnit comes two brilliantly written novels free on Audible!

  • Whodunnit?: Murder in Mystery Manor (7 hours 37 minutes)
  • Whodunnit? Murder on Mystery Island (5 hours 56 minutes)

Whodunnit Murder in Mystery Manor Whodunnit Murder on Mystery Island

Synopsis from Goodreads

A grand estate. Ten unsuspecting guests. A diabolical game of life and death…

Ten excited guests arrive at the Westlake Estate, expecting a lavish retreat. They are the winners of a sweepstakes to “Live Like a Billionaire for a Week.” But what was supposed to be a promising escape soon turns into a horrific nightmare.

Within hours of arrival, the guests sit down for an extravagant dinner. When they pull their party poppers as instructed, a loud chorus of bangs resounds, followed by earsplitting screams as the guest seated at the head of the table bursts into flames and slumps to the floor. The others are told they must solve the crime or be the next victim.

The killer, their diabolical host, is hiding among the frightened guests. Is the murderer the well-toned trophy wife, the retired deputy sheriff, the stoned college dropout, or perhaps the sweet, homely grandmother? The killer toys with them, inviting the guests to explore the lavish estate, from the stables to the hedge maze, in an effort to uncover the gory details of how the murderer pulled off such a gruesome murder.

Alliances are forged carefully and information is shared warily, since none of the remaining guests knows whom to trust. The next to die a hideous death will be the one with the least accurate solution to the latest murder. In the end, only three guests will remain: the winner, the loser, and the killer.

Review

The two novels are very similar–guests arrive, one of them is the killer, killer kills off the guests who do the worst figuring out the previous murder. However, they are different enough to keep you interested through both, so long as you enjoy the general premise. In the first novel, the guests are strangers. Suspicion and accusations run high. Fingers are pointed at a variety of people. In the second novel, the guests all work for the same company. They are the top performer from each department and the ending has an interesting twist not seen in the first book.

The murders are complicated and creative. Many are designed with a red herring to throw you off. A guest bursts into flames, but was really caused by a gunshot or was stabbed but really poisoned. While I rarely attempted to piece together the murder, I did figure out who the killer was in both novels. Periodically om the fence, flip flopping between two people, I had it figured out within the first 3 murders for both novels if I’d have gone with my gut. I had it figured out for sure five murders before the end.

Both novels are 4 out of 5 stars. What was missing for me–motive. Why these people? Why would you kill off top performers at your company? What happened in the murderer’s life that would cause them to come up with this twisted game? It reminded me a little of the SAW series, but without the back story.

If you’ve never tried Audible, these are the perfect books to test the waters. Both are interesting from start to end and very easy reads. Do read them in order, the first killer is mentioned in the start of the second novel.

amazonbutton2 copy-Eliabeth Hawthorne

Enjoy this review? Leave comments below or to submit a review request for your novel or see what other books we’ve reviewed, please check the Book Reviews page.

Book Review: Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Ermilia in Eliabeth, Reviews

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

audio book, book, book review, Can You Keep a Secret?, chick-lit, fiction, humor, novel, review, Sophie Kinsella

Can You Keep a Secret?

by Sophie Kinsella

genre: chick-lit, romance

Another great book by the author of The Undomestic Goddess. Not quite 5 stars though. Read on to find out why.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Can You Keep A Secret Book CoverMeet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets:

Secrets from her boyfriend: I’ve always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken.

Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur.

Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world: I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is.

Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger… Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company’s elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her.

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Book Review: Viral by James Lilliefors

11 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by Ermilia in Eliabeth, Reviews

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

audio book, book, book review, books, fiction, James Lilliefors, review, thriller, Viral

Viral

by James Lilliefors

genre: thriller

Great concept, a little hard to follow. That’s why I gave it 3 stars.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Two brothers race to stop a political mastermind’s massive bioterrorist plot in this terrifying espionage thriller.
In remote pockets of the Third World, a deadly virus is quietly sweeping through impoverished farming villages and shanty towns with frightening speed and potency. Meanwhile, in Washington, a three-word message left in a safe-deposit box may be the key to stopping the crisis—if, that is, Charles Mallory, a private intelligence contractor and former CIA operative, can decipher the puzzle before time runs out.

What Mallory begins to discover are the traces of a secret war, with a bold objective—to create a new, technologically advanced society. With the help of his brother Jon, an investigative reporter, can he break the story to the world before it is too late—before a planned “humane depopulation” takes place?

As the stakes and strategies of this secret war become more evident, the Mallory brothers find themselves in a complex game of wits with an enemy they can’t see: a new sort of superpower led by a brilliant, elusive tactician who believes that ends justify means.

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Book Review: Guilty Wives by James Patterson and David Ellis

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by Ermilia in Eliabeth, Reviews

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

audio book, book, book review, books, David Ellis, fiction, Guilty Wives, James Patterson, reading, review, reviews, thriller

Guilty Wives

by James Patterson and David Ellis

genre: thriller

This is the book that inspired my post, “Now Rewind” Plots: Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em. It opens in the middle of the drama, then skips back several months to the beginning of the story, which is actually my one complaint about the novel, particularly because it’s a thriller. Some people on Goodreads labeled it a mystery, but what’s the mystery when you’re told what happens right at the beginning?

Synopsis from Goodreads

Guilty Wives by James PattersonOnly minutes after Abbie Elliot and her three best friends step off of a private helicopter, they enter the most luxurious, sumptuous, sensually pampering hotel they have ever been to. Their lavish presidential suite overlooks Monte Carlo, and they surrender: to the sun and pool, to the sashimi and sake, to the Bruno Paillard champagne. For four days they’re free to live someone else’s life. As the weekend moves into pulsating discos, high-stakes casinos, and beyond, Abbie is transported to the greatest pleasure and release she has ever known.

In the morning’s harsh light, Abbie awakens on a yacht, surrounded by police. Something awful has happened—something impossible, unthinkable. Abbie, Winnie, Serena, and Bryah are arrested and accused of the foulest crime imaginable. And now the vacation of a lifetime becomes the fight of a lifetime & for survival. GUILTY WIVES is the ultimate indulgence, the kind of nonstop joy-ride of excess, friendship, betrayal, and danger that only James Patterson can create.

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Ermisenda and Eliabeth are coauthors blogging about books, life, and everything in between. May Ermilia Blog inspire you today!

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