REVIEW - Behind The Seams audiobook

OVERVIEW

This memoir was totally unique. It was about Dolly Parton's style during her career. It was divided into chapters which covered a specific decade in Dolly's life including her hair, makeup, and costumes - Dolly's style. 

It was done in an interview-style which was a first for me. I liked that Dolly was able to answer in her own words, literally. She came across exactly as one would expect! Warm, fun, self-effacing, and smart!

I also enjoyed that Dolly's music was interwoven in clips during the audiobook. 

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

The writing for this memoir was fun! It was interview style which was different and was not really writing. But, I still really enjoyed it.

Narration: 4.0 stars

The narration was good. It was "curated" by Dolly's niece, Rebecca Seaver. She asked the questions and Dolly would answer in her own words. 

Character Arc: 4.0 stars

The memoir covers the time from Dolly's birth (and before) to the current time. It covered a lot and it was fun to see Dolly's style evolve through time!

Memorable: 4.5 stars

Dolly is just a beautiful human. She "tries to be a better person every day" and it shows. I want to be LIKE Dolly!

Entertaining: 4.5 stars

It was highly entertaining! I wish that it had been longer as it was so much fun!

Book cover: 4.5 stars

So Dolly - perfection! 

Book title: 4.0 stars 

A very cute "punny" title!

Suggestions: 

There were some interviews with Dolly's collaborators that were difficult to understand as the recording quality was poor or there was a lot of background noise. This could be improved to improve the experience.

DEFINITE RECOMMENDATION

STATISTICS

Behind The Seams by Dolly Parton and Holly George-Warren; curated by Rebecca Seaver

4 hours, 21 minutes

Listened to as an audiobook from the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)

Release date of 10/17/2023

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Dolly Parton

My Goodreads review

Random House

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

INCREASING my 2023 Goodreads Goal AGAIN

I increased my Goodreads reading goal from 50 to 60 in May 2023 and from 60 to 80 in September. 

So I am AGAIN increasing my goal and this time to 100. It is going to be a big stretch goal so we will see how I do!!

Interestingly, this is DOUBLE my original goal of 50!!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

P.S. Here is my updated goal (and I am already two books behind):

My next ebook is...

 Good Taste by Caroline Scott

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - 23 1/2 Lies ebook

FULL DISCLOSURE:

I only read the first 112 pages of this book. Unfortunately, the cover (as you can see above) indicates that it is part of the Women's Murder Club series. However, this ebook included a total of three novellas in three different series - Women's Murder Club, Texas Ranger, and Watch Your Back. 

This seemed to be very misleading to the consumer which irritated me as the cover did NOT indicate this. So I only read the Women's Murder Club series novella because I do not want to get sucked into another James Patterson series.

OVERVIEW

This a novella in the Women's Murder Club series. I have read all of the novels in this very long series. 

The story is about Lindsay Boxer, a sergeant/detective in the SFPD (San Francisco Police Department). 

You have to read the previous novels in the Women's Murder Club series to get the full backstory and understand the characters.

OVERALL REVIEW: 3.0 stars

Writing: 3.0 stars

The writing is just blah to me now. It has been a very long series with at least 24 books. The writing feels very formulatic and it appears that James Patterson doesn't even write these books anymore. He has "assistant" writers such as Maxine Paetro on this particular serie. 

Character development: 3.0 stars

There wasn't much learned about the characters except for some additional family members in Lindsay's family. 

Storyline:  3.0 stars

I cannot say much as there are big spoilers in this book. But, it is apparent that the novella is purely to set up the series. 

All of the main locations were in the San Francisco Bay area. 

Memorable/Informative: 2.5 stars

This series is getting tired. I would like it to come to a conclusion so I know how all of the characters end up.

Book cover: 2.5 stars

Misleading.

Book title: 3.0 stars 

Typical for this series. 

LUKEWARM recommend 

BOOK INFORMATION

LAPL (Los Angeles Public Library) Kindle ebook

23 1/2 Lies by James Patterson with Maxine Paetro

112 pages 

St. Martin's Press

Release date of 09/12/2023

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

James Patterson 

My Goodreads review

Grand Central Publishing

LAPL

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

My next audiobook is...

 Behind The Seams by Dolly Parton

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - The Woman In Me audiobook

OVERVIEW

This memoir was highly anticipated as many expected so many bombshells and celebrity gossip. But that was not the case as Britney doesn't always name names instead she calls people "my bad friend" or "my brother's friend". Yes, there are a few bombshells, but you will have heard about them before in the media.

It is a sad story of a very broken child who is trying to grow into the woman that she really is. 

I truly hope she finds her authentic, adult self. All, I want to do as a mother, is hug her and protect her. 

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars

Writing: 3.0 stars

The writing for this memoir is good, but it is not great. It didn't ring true to me that Britney actually wrote this book. The writing voice was not hers and obviously was the ghost writer's.  

Narration: 5.0 stars

OMG! Michelle Williams is a narration superstar. 

At times, I completely forgot that Britney was not narrating this audiobook! I see a Grammy in Michelle's future for this audiobook!

Character Arc: 3.5 stars

The memoir covers the time from Britney's birth (and before) to the current time. It covered a lot, but there were a lot of big gaps in time. This was a short audiobook so it could have been much more in-depth.

Memorable: 4.5 stars

It was a memorable memoir due to the issue of women's mental health that it raises. If someone as famous as Britney Spears can be under a conservatorship for THIRTEEN years against her will then something is wrong with our legal system. It is terrifying!

Entertaining: 4.0 stars

It was more informative and horrifying than entertaining. The trauma that Britney endured is so horrible and unnecessary. 

Book cover: 4.0 stars

It is okay. 

Book title: 4.5 stars 

Very strong! 

Suggestions: 

I didn't know all of the individuals that Britney mentioned in different life settings, but it didn't really matter to the flow of the audiobook. 

DEFINITE RECOMMENDATION

STATISTICS

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

5 hours, 31 minutes

Listened to as an audiobook from the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)

Release date of 10/24/2023

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Britney Spears

My Goodreads review

Simon and Schuster

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

My next ebook is...

23 1/2 Lies by James Patterson

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

 

REVIEW - No Two Persons ebook

OVERVIEW

This is the first book I have read by Erica Bauermeister. I loved it!!

The basic story is about an author who writes a novel and nine specific lives impacted by the book. So creative and beautifully done. 

The characters are fascinating when the impact of the book makes various changes or epiphanies in their lives. 

This book was REALLY good! Now I need to go back and read Erica's previous works!!

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars

Writing: 4.5 stars

The writing took me a few pages to get into it as the writing seemed choppy and stilted to me (I have been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately so this could be why). But, after a few more pages, Erica hit her stride which she kept throughout the entire book. 

Erica is beautifully descriptive without being fussy or over-wordy. She just really wrote a beautiful novel that hooked me big time!

Character development: 4.5 stars

The ten characters were just lovely. It wasn't a book with a real main character - there were TEN!! They all had their own dedicated chapter which was lovely. It was a unique way to set the book and the characters made it so interesting! They were varied as to age, gender, work, and life story. It was like reading ten mini-novellas that were linked together beautifully!

Storyline:  4.5 stars

The storyline didn't totally make sense to me until I read the table of contents and saw where this story was going.

This was such a different way to tell this story especially as it had to do with books, the life of a book, and how each person reads a book their own way!!

All of the main locations were in the United States. 

Memorable/Informative: 4.5 stars

This novel makes a strong point about how no two people read the same book even when it IS the same book! 

Book cover: 4.5 stars

Creative.

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Perfect.

HIGHLY recommend 

BOOK INFORMATION

LAPL (Los Angeles Public Library) Kindle ebook

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister

301 pages 

St. Martin's Press

Release date of 05/02/2023

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Erica Bauermeister

My Goodreads review

St. Martin's Press

LAPL

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

P.S. This book was recommended by one of my favorite authors, Camille Di Maio! Thank you, Camille!! Please read her amazing historical fiction!!

My next audiobook is...

 The Woman In Me by Britney Spears

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

UPDATED Glossary

 

There are some important terms to understand when you love to read books and read blogs about them. Here are some of the ones that I quickly thought of:

ANTAGONIST - Normally, the villain or "bad guy" in a book, novel, or other literature. There can be primary, secondary, or tertiary antagonists. 

ADVANCE READER COPY (ARC) - There are many other definitions for this acronym, but I like Advance Reader Copy best. Many publishers gift physical books or ebooks to interested or previous readers of the author's works to create buzz by reviewing the books. Sometimes the invite to read the book comes directly from the author, publisher, or 3rd party site.

BOOK CLUB - A group of people with common interests (usually women) who get together to discuss a specific book, gossip, and maybe drink wine!

BIBLIOGRAPHY - A list of books that an author has written.

BOOK HAUL - The huge amount of books that you have received in the mail or purchased at a bookstore!

BOOKSTAGRAM/BOOKTOC - A bookworm's Instagram/TikTok (VERY creative and artistically posed photos of books). Interestingly, some of the posts are not of books that have been read by the original poster - they are just a creative outlet. This type of posting does NOT work for me as I am not artistic and I only post about books/audiobooks that I have actually read! 

BOOKWORM - A book lover - me, me, me! For more cool translations of the English word, bookworm, check out:

Other Bookworm names. 

BUDDY READ - Reading a specific book with a friend! Book clubs are buddy-read on a larger scale.

CURRENT READ (CR)- What book(s) that you are reading right now!

DID NOT FINISH (DNF) - In my opinion, there are too many books and not enough time to read them all. I do not spend time on books that aren't what I expected, don't interest me, or don't add value to my life. An author friend of mine said to read page 46 of a potential DNF to see if it is interesting - if not, DNF it.

EBOOK -  An ebook or digital book. I primarily read Kindle books via the Amazon Kindle application on my phone or Kindle tablet. 

GOODREADS - A reader-driven review site for all types of books! "Goodreads is the world's largest site for readers and book recommendations" (quote from the Goodreads website). It is also a great place to keep track of the books you have read or want to read, get great recommendations, and follow your friends and favorite authors. 

Goodreads

KINDLE - An electronic device to primarily read ebooks. Some Kindles have Internet access and many other applications, but simple is best for me. Here is the Amazon link to similar Kindles to the one that I have and love! I just need to use it more than I currently do.

Kindle

MAIN CHARACTER (MC) - The leading or main character in a book, novel, or short story. A synonym for a main character is the protagonist. There can be primary, secondary, or tertiary main characters.

NETGALLEY - A third-party site that "helps publishers and authors promote digital review copies to book advocates and industry professionals" (quote from NetGalley website). This is my to-go site as it is free and many authors and publishers that I love use it. There are MANY other free websites out there to explore! 

NetGalley

PHYSICAL BOOK - The good, old-fashioned, but beautiful books that have been around since the Gutenberg Bible!! That wonderful book smell!

POINT OF VIEW (POV) - This is usually for the main character or other important characters.

TO BE READ (TBR) - A specific list of To Be Read books on Goodreads or in a pile on your nightstand!

YOUNG ADULT (YA) - A genre of books for young adults from about 12ish to 21. But, many non-young adults love these books!

I will add more glossary terms as I encounter them or think of them!!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

ETA: Updated 10/23/2023

DNF - Crazy Rich Asians AUDIOBOOK

I will not be finishing Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. What I listened to, I really enjoyed. 

But, I cannot listen to novels as audiobooks. It doesn't work for me. There is too much to focus on (characters, plot, characters) so I prefer memoirs as audiobooks.  

So now to read this as an ebook! 

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜