The Stones of Ravenglass by Jenny Nimmo (Chronicles of the Red King #2)

The second book of the Chronicles of the Red King finds Timoken still looking a home and then, when he finds it, dealing with his enemies and supernatural forces that wish to stop him.

(Some SPOILERS)
If I'm being honest I'm not entirely sure what I want to say about Ravenglass. It was a good book, for sure. Timoken finds a place to call home and tries to build a castle for himself and his friends but meets with supernatural resistant. Also he is hunted by some enemies and in the end defeats them, is found by all of his friends and they make a home together in the castle that he builds. I didn't really connect with Timoken that much so his story didn't grab me like, for example, Charlie Bone's did. But still it was a good story and I am definitely going to get the third one and hear more about Timoken and his children.

John Keating was once again the narrator and I enjoyed his reading. The audio book was very well done.

5 hours, 46 minutes.

Chronicles of the Red King
#1 The Secret Kingdom

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Poirot finds himself on a train with a murdered man next door and too many suspects. As he methodically makes his way through the passengers, he finds a connection to an old kidnapping case lies at the heart of the murder.

This is probably my 4th reading of Orient Express. I can't remember when I first read it but it was one of my favorites as a teenager. It's a joy to get to listen to the audio book version especially as it is read by David Suchet, the quintessential Hercule Poirot. He does an excellent job, as expected, of bringing to life one of Christie's most famous mysteries.

The mystery itself, though now a classic mystery ending, is surprising at the end with its complexity. There are a number of clues, misdirections, and red herrings but once all the pertinent information has been gathered Poirot uses his little grey cells to solve the case.

6 hours, 53 minutes.

Weekly Round-Up 7/29

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I forgot to get this posted yesterday.

I'm reading The Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty plus All Joy and No Fun by Jennifer Senior. I'm listening to A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie, read by Rosemary Leach.

This week on Headstrong by Patrick Link, performed by Deidrie Henry, Ernie Hudson, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine and Scott Wolf (L.A. Theatre Works) and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, narrated by Scott Brick. Downloads are free till Wednesday.
Thursday the new downloads are Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy, narrated by Andrew Eiden (Scholastic Audio) and The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, narrated by Frank Muller (Recorded Books).

Weekly Round-Up 7/21

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm reading The Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty plus All Joy and No Fun by Jennifer Senior. I'm listening to Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, read by David Suchet.

This week on Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose, narrated by Channie Waites (Brilliance Audio) and While the World Watched by Carolyn Maull McKinstry with Denise George, narrated by Felicia Bullock (Oasis Audio). Downloads are free till Wednesday.
Thursday the new downloads are Headstrong by Patrick Link, performed by Deidrie Henry, Ernie Hudson, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine and Scott Wolf (L.A. Theatre Works) and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, narrated by Scott Brick.

Weekly Round-Up 7/14

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm reading The Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty plus All Joy and No Fun by Jennifer Senior. I'm listening to Chronicles of the Red King: The Stones of Ravenglass by Jenny Nimmo, read by John Keating.

Last week I reviewed The Secret Kingdom by Jenny Nimmo and Once Upon a Thriller by Carolyn Keene.

This week on Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose, narrated by Channie Waites (Brilliance Audio) and While the World Watched by Carolyn Maull McKinstry with Denise George, narrated by Felicia Bullock (Oasis Audio). Downloads are free till Wednesday.
Thursday the new downloads are The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren (Recorded Books) and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes II by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by David Timson (Naxos AudioBooks).

The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman

Confidence. We want it. We need it. But it can be maddeningly enigmatic and out of reach. The authors of the New York Times bestseller Womenomics deconstruct this essential, elusive, and misunderstood quality and offer a blueprint for bringing more of it into our lives.

Is confidence hardwired into the DNA of a lucky few—or can anyone learn it? Is it best expressed by bravado, or is there another way to show confidence? Which is more important: confidence or competence? Why do so many women, even the most successful, struggle with feelings of self-doubt? Is there a secret to channeling our inner confidence?

In The Confidence Code, journalists Katty Kay and Claire Shipman travel to the frontiers of neuroscience on a hunt for the confidence gene and reveal surprising new research on its roots in our brains. They visit the world's leading psychologists who explain how we can all chose to become more confident simply by taking action and courting risk, and how those actions change our physical wiring. They interview women leaders from the worlds of politics, sports, the military, and the arts to learn how they have tapped into this elemental resource. They examine how a lack of confidence impacts our leadership, success, and fulfillment.

Ultimately, they argue, while confidence is partly influenced by genetics, it is not a fixed psychological state. That's the good news. You won't discover it by thinking positive thoughts or by telling yourself (or your children) that you are perfect as you are. You also won't find it by simply squaring your shoulders and faking it. But it does require a choice: less people pleasing and perfectionism and more action, risk taking, and fast failure.

Inspiring, insightful, and persuasive, The Confidence Code shows that by acting on our best instincts and by daring to be authentic, women can feel the transformative power of a life on confidence.

The Stones of Ravenglass by Jenny Nimmo (Chronicles of the Red King #2), read by John Keating

The second book in NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author Jenny Nimmo's new series chronicling the origin and the adventures of Charlie Bone's magical ancestor, the Red King!
Timoken, a magician king, has found a new home in a castle in Britain. But when an evil steward takes control of the castle, he imprisons Timoken and wreaks havoc on surrounding villages. With the help of Gabar, the talking camel, Timoken escapes and embarks on a quest to find and rescue his friends, and build himself a kingdom to call home for good.
In this brand-new series, bestselling author Jenny Nimmo takes readers on an extraordinary quest with one of her most powerful and mysterious characters, the one who started it all for Charlie Bone. 

Once Upon a Thriller by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew Diaries #4)

Somehow I ended up trying out the new Nancy Drew series on book 4 rather than book 1. But that's okay. The beauty of Nancy Drew is that there are not super linear and can be read out of order. As for this new series, eh, it's okay. I still prefer my classic Nancy and the girl on the cover looks 12, not 18 as it's implied this Nancy is. She can drive and has credit cards but no discernible income. I honestly thought this was closer to middle grade based on the cover.

The mystery itself is classic Nancy though. She goes on a weekend vacation with Bess and George and falls straight into a mystery based out of a book. When a bookstore in the town catches on fire, arson is suspected. Was it the reclusive author who was due to give a signing? Or the book store owner herself? Or the inn keeper who didn't get along with either? And why is there a sudden rash of crimes related to the author's books? It's up to Nancy to solve the case.

The Secret Kingdom by Jenny Nimmo (Chronicles of the Red King #1) (audio)

A prequel of sorts to the Children of the Red King series featuring Charlie Bone, this series explores the mysterious Red King, Timoken, and his adventures that lead to the story we later see in the Charlie Bone books.

Timoken and his sister, Zobayda, under the protection of a forest jinni but pursued by evil viridees, straddle the world of men and the world of enchantments, seeking a home while remaining young by drinking a potion called Alixir.

 You know, I enjoyed the Charlie Bone books though I never did finish the series. I plan to though. I think I'm going to finish out the Chronicles of the Red King series and then go back to Charlie Bone from the beginning. I've forgotten quite a bit of the lore and history from those books so it's like I'm learning it all over again. I think this will make the Charlie Bone books pretty fun. But I also think that is what made this book a little bit boring for me because I'm suppose to know some back story of all this all ends. Still I enjoyed the beginnings of Timoken's life and hearing how it all started. I am also glad that the majority of the 200 years covered wasn't spelled out in great detail though I do wonder how he didn't get bored being alone for quite a few of those years with only his camel for company. But I guess that is not the point of the story. The point was to get Timoken to Britain with his friends. So goal achieved and now we know where and how he meet them and how he ended up in Britain from Africa and what the deal with the Red Cloak is. So onwards to the next book to see what happens next.

5 hours, 43 minutes

John Keating is the narrator and, while he did a fine job, he isn't my favorite narrator. Something about his tone, I'm not sure, what but he didn't draw me in as some narrators do.

Weekly Round-Up 7/7

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm reading Once Upon a Thriller by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew Diaries) and The Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty plus All Joy and No Fun by Jennifer Senior. I'm listening to Chronicles of the Red King: The Secret Kingdom by Jenny Nimmo, read by John Keating.

This week on SYNC you can download Torn from Troy by Patrick Bowman, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Post Hypnotic Press) and Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, narrated by Jim Dale (Brilliance Audio). Downloads are free till Wednesday.
Thursday the new downloads are Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose, narrated by Channie Waites (Brilliance Audio) and While the World Watched by Carolyn Maull McKinstry with Denise George, narrated by Felicia Bullock (Oasis Audio).