donna backshall > Recent Status Updates

Finally an audiobook narrator who understands how to pronounce Appalachian and Appalachia, the way people who live there do.

It shows when a narrator respects an author's work by doing some research beforehand, and we listeners do appreciate it.

I'm having the worst time engaging with this book. It's supposed to be about surviving climate change, but the characters are making ridiculous and deadly decisions. I can't find sympathy for them.
Also, WHAT IS UP WITH THE NATIONWIDE BAN ON SMARTPHONES? If the author is going to make up something damaging or toxic about what the phones are made of, please tell us. Otherwise it comes off like conspiracy nonsense.

This is a re-read (actually listen, this time) for me, and I have to say that Eduardo Ballerini is nailing this narration. I couldn't be happier.

If this narrator pronounces the Delta Chi fraternity as Delta CHAI one more time...ugh.

NetGalley, I appreciate the opportunity to listen to this, but seriously, did no one check the narration? Like at all?

Geez, I'm 40% in and there are still HUNDREDS of pages left. This chonker of a book is great so far, but holy crap, Stephen. This is an investment.

Is it all clone/replicant books, or just the few I've read, that closely follow the same basic story line? Our unsuspecting protagonist arrives in a cloned body with no clue how this happened, and joins in the search to find their baffling OG. This one seems so much like Brandon Sanderson's novella, The Original, which I read a couple years ago that I actually feel uncomfortable reading it.

This space adventure is everything I wanted it to be, and more. I have been flying through Project Hail Mary, but want to slow down and savor it. Problem is, I have no self-control when it comes to a great story.

I started You Are Not Alone this afternoon, and I can already tell the main character, Shay, and I need to have a little powwow.

Why? Shay is weak. And awkward. Neurotic even. I am doing a lot of internal screaming, wanting her to wake the F up and stop being so very breakable. I'm hoping upon hope she does, so I can find something in her to relate to, because right now I just want to shake her.

Thank you Victoria Helen Stone for bringing back our favorite sociopath, Jane F*cking Doe. Her snark and smarts are even more fascinating here in round two.

I'm nowhere near done, but I can already tell this is going to be my favorite book of 2020.

I'm really struggling with this one. I can't seem to engage with the writing, because it's so simplistic. Every single sentence is forced and awkward. It's not adding atmosphere. It's boring me.

As well, Sadie is a highly annoying character. Her naive hysteria and judgmental attitude are confusing. I don't even care if there are any big twists coming at this point.

Ugh. I'm barely several pages in and I already hate this book. The author is pushy and arrogant and just too effing much. This had better settle into something approachable soon, or I'm out. Life is too short to tolerate someone else's entitled drama.

You wish every single book you open will be "one of those books" that you absolutely must get back to, and that you have to resist reading too fast, because YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

I don't get them often enough, but when I do, I can't stop myself.

This, Cilka's Journey, is one of those books. I keep reminding myself to sip, when all I want to do is gulp it down.

I know we're not supposed to speculate on the author's identity, since it may distract from the message. However, especially for something so hastily thrown together, this is one of the most skillfully and artfully written books I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

I don't want to guess who wrote it so I can point and have some maniacal "AH HA!" moment.

I just want to read MORE.

SO MUCH MORE from HIM or HER.

I'm out. This is just Mean Girls at cult camp.

As a tech geek by day, this book is everything I wanted it to be and more. For those less tech savvy, not to worry, he steps through everything remarkably well and it's easy to understand how things built until he couldn't handle it any more.

Any other Scott Brick and Michael C. Grumley fans out there? I just entered their Mosaic Audiobook Contest to win a $100 Amazon gift card. Not that I'm psyched for a lot of competition for that hundred bucks, but you enter can too by emailing contests@brickbybrickaudiobooks.com by Nov 30th with proof of purchase of Mosaic from any retailer.

I've been reading and watching lots of horror in honor of Halloween, and this whole Found Footage/Podcast/Mockumentary style is getting old. So very old.

I can remember thinking the first person POV was effective and cutting edge when we saw Blair Witch Project in the theater twenty years ago. But since then, it seems like that's all anyone wants to do. *groan*

Where's the plain old ancient evil horror?

I've never used the "Send This Book"/"Give as a Gift" feature in Audible. It's a crying shame I haven't done more to share the wealth with my Goodreads friends.

If you have an active US Audible account (or eligible for a free trial), and haven't been gifted a book before, I'm happy to be your Santa. I don't even think it needs to be one my 515 audiobooks; pretty sure it can be any book on Audible.

Message me!

Chapter 9: Cool Easter egg/shout out to The God's Eye! I love when an author brings in intrigue and interest from other novels.

Ann Dowd is reading Aunt Lydia!

I love Goodreads because I love talking about books with other book lovers. Of all the social opportunities out in The Internets, Goodreads is my favorite.

I hate that now, in 2019, there are still idiots out there who think *any* social media can be used as their personal dating site. Why do they have to go there and ruin it? Sure I can block and move on, but my perfect story wouldn't need that subplot written in.

*sigh* I need to stop comparing this to Marcia Clark's Samantha Brinkman series. The main character in those novels is similar to Lila here, but not so self-doubting and spiritless.

I hear Lila obsessing over her affair, doubting her life choices, but there's just not enough going on overall for this neurosis to hold my interest. In the Marcia Clark novels, Sam is INVESTED and DRIVEN. Here Lila is just so blah.

I'm so bored. This is like a watered-down version of a Marcia Clark novel, without the edge or action. Things need to pick up pronto, or this will certainly be a DNF for me.

This is a monster of a book! It's moving slowly, but the sci-fi nerd in me is loving the science-y CDC deliberations about what is driving "the flock" to continue on their sleepwalking path.

The only thing I'm not enjoying is this potentially apocalyptic novel too has to prominently include opportunistic religious nuts trying to cash in on the fear and panic. *sigh* I so wish we were done with this cliché.

Any other sci-fi loving nerds like me going to be at Comic Con in San Diego in a couple weeks?

Call me crazy, but I'm thinking it might be fun to meet and chat IRL about some of our favorite books and authors.

I just found out that The Art of Racing in the Rain is now a movie coming out in August. And like an idiot, the first thing I did was seek out a trailer.

I watched it, and even though it wasn't a sad video, it was beautiful just like the book and I cried. I am still crying.

How am I going to make it through a two hour movie?

This is frustratingly repetitive.

As well, Andi's character is "useless", dumbfounded and paralyzed. I don't want to read about her or get in her head, I want to slap her and make her grow the F up.

I'll continue because the reviews say this gets significantly better in the second half. Fingers crossed.

What is up with the constant footnotes? They seemed ubiquitous in the first two books, but their appearance has ramped up from ridiculous to ludicrous in this third book of the trilogy. I sure hope it's not like this for the whole book or I'm going to lose my mind.