I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this book. I listened to it on audiobook and even had a bunch of teenagers addicted to it (yes, teen gI can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this book. I listened to it on audiobook and even had a bunch of teenagers addicted to it (yes, teen girls set their phone down to listen to this audiobook on a long drive, I even had them over to finish it).
I was worried at the beginning because I thought this was going to be one character for the entire book. It's not. I'm on my phone so I can't go into it more. However, this is a must listen to audiobook. I think as a book, you might get lost in the science stuff if that's not your thing. But as a audiobook, it's a suspense filled thriller with great laugh out loud humor. ...more
I'm so annoyed. I want to give this book the review it deserves. I'm playing catch-up (not ketchup) with everything so for right now, I will just put I'm so annoyed. I want to give this book the review it deserves. I'm playing catch-up (not ketchup) with everything so for right now, I will just put this down as one of my favorite books of all time....more
Imagine my surprise when I wanted to read Matterhorn. I mean, come on, don’t I get enough “war” on tv? I guess not.
Imagine my delight when Matterhorn Imagine my surprise when I wanted to read Matterhorn. I mean, come on, don’t I get enough “war” on tv? I guess not.
Imagine my delight when Matterhorn turned out to be much more than a “war” book. It turned out to be much more than a “Vietnam” book. It turned out to be much more than a “guy” book. It turned out to be one of my favorite books of all time.
As my employees always point out, I am a big book cheerleader and I have a tendency to push my favorites on them (like they have a choice, I AM their boss..hehe). However, I am hesitant to share Matterhorn with anyone. I don’t want to hear bad things about the book. I feel as though I’d be personally offended. How can anyone not love the book I couldn’t stop reading (ok, technically listening to)? How can anyone not feel their heart break in half when a favorite character’s survival is questionable? I’m a bit protective of books I simply adore and it is weird to say I adored a book set in Vietnam with a ton of graphic violence, racism, politics, disease and death. Nevertheless, I simply adored it.
Why I loved this book?
I became completely and totally invested in each and every character. Marlantes made me love and/or hate his characters so completely that I felt a profound loss when the book was over. When a reader can have that type of relationship with the characters in a book, the book is unforgettable, and beautiful, in my opinion (of course).
How invested was I?
I was like a zombie (of course, I’d pick zombie). I would stand in my kitchen and wash the same dish over and over again just so I could listen to a bit more of the audiobook.
Don’t tell my family but I even resorted to driving around my block just so I wouldn’t reach my driveway after work. I could not stop listening to this audiobook. And before I forget….
Do you remember Balki from Perfect Strangers?
He is the narrator!
Now before you laugh too hard, I must admit that I triple-checked my audiobook to make sure Bronson Pinchot was indeed the narrator of MY audiobook. Because the guy narrating my audiobook sure didn’t sound like Balki. Instead, he was an incredible narrator. All the voices were distinct, and I had no trouble understanding one voice from another even though the cast of characters was big! Now back to the story
The book has many graphic, violent scenes.Why am I telling you this? Because it is what it is and I don’t want someone to start to read it and stop reading due to the violence. Remember, I am very protective of this book. The book is full of military terminology and can be confusing. Why am I telling you this? Again, if you know what to expect, you won’t shut the book when you come across it.
Whatever you do, don’t give up on the terminology and confusing parts. It took me three chapters to finally “get it” and after that, I was right along with platoon commander Mellas when he was lying on the wet jungle floor hoping that the Viet Cong couldn’t hear his shallow breath. I was cheering when Hawk gave his J Hawk salute or worried about China when I finally realized he was a nice guy.
This is NOT a book about a war. This is NOT a book about Vietnam. This is NOT a book about politics. It IS a book about growing up. It IS a book about unity. It IS a book about sacrifice. It IS a book about loss. It IS a book about discovering what is important and what you can and cannot live without.
Update (October 11)- I'm pissed. This audiobook has ruined all other audiobooks for me. Nothing has been good since listening to Matterhorn. Damn great book!...more
I passed this book to one of my employees. He does NOT read for enjoyment. I promised him he would love this book so he said he would give it aUpdate-
I passed this book to one of my employees. He does NOT read for enjoyment. I promised him he would love this book so he said he would give it a try. Yesterday, I saw him with book 2 and asked him what was up. His explanation- "I read book 1 every night for the past week and all weekend long". THAT is how good the book is, it made a non-reader into a reader and was so good, he bought book 2!
My review below:
Wow, wow, did I mention wow? This book was a history lesson, an action movie, and a tale of family loyalty all tied into one. I would have never read this book if it didn't come with a high recommendation from a friend. Her recommendations have all turned out to be terrific reads so I trusted her when she recommended this book.
It took me about 100 pages to get into the story. It seemed like a boy's adventure book in the beginning. However, once I was past the initial 100 pages, it was hard to put the book down. Literally, I was walking around my house, holding the book (a hard cover so this was a difficult task) trying to finish just one more page.
I can't wait to read book 2. I'm going to give my heart a while to calm itself. The battle scenes are intense but well worth the read!
Ok... All you FEED fans... for your viewing pleasure...(from Mira Grant's aka Seanan McGuire's blog)
[image]
FED by Mira Grant
What if the ending of FEED had been … different? FED, by Mira Grant. But trust us, if you haven't read FEED, you don't want to read on. This ending contains massive spoilers.
Update- 5/23/11- I did say I would pre-order the next book, and I did. Even though I have a Kindle and can get the book the same day I order it, I actually pre-ordered book 2 for my Kindle. Yes, I know I am a dork but I do love this book THAT much!
I'm not very good at writing reviews. Why? Because I don't like big words, suck at grammar, and frankly, I just want everyone to trust me when I say "read the book" without explanation. Nevertheless, I know that I must put forth more effort than begging you to read this book.
Mira Grant aka Seanan McGuire created a world that sucked me in every minute I was reading it. I thought the beginning of the book was long, and boring. But without it, the last 400 pages would have not been what it was, a truly magnificant book!
I can't stop thinking about this book. Everything that happened, George and Shuan, and their relationship, the ending (you'll either love it or hate it), the politics, the action, oh yeah, and the Zombies.
Will I read the next book ?
I, without a shadow of doubt, will hit the pre-order button as soon as the second book becomes available!
Update- my copy is circulating among my co-workers, I liked this book so much, I just bought another copy! The only other time I've ever done that was with the Fever series- Karen Marie Moning!
Another Update- I've placed this book on my "favorite book of 2010" shelf....more
Update- 4/29/12- I'm having serious Outlander withdrawals, whenever this happens, I find myself searching for novels like this (not just time-travel, Update- 4/29/12- I'm having serious Outlander withdrawals, whenever this happens, I find myself searching for novels like this (not just time-travel, or historical romance, or rich with details, but the excellent writing as well) and always come up short. There is nothing out there like this and it is sad.
Re-read finished 1-16-12 (still the best damn book out there)
You can read my review as a guest reviewer here...
I tried three times to read Outlander, the first book in the Outlander series. I could not get past the first 100 pages. I thought it was boring, the detail was tedious, and I was wondering why everyone was raving about the book and how it earned its high ratings. Stubborn as I am, I thought I would try the book as an audiobook. That is when my love affair began!
This review is for the entire series on audiobook and not just book one. Book 1 is what started it all but my love for the series has just grown after each book. As of today’s date, Diana Gabaldon has released seven books in the series. I listened to six of the seven books on audiobook and read one book on paperback. The books I listened to where all unabridged and all narrated by the magnificent Davina Porter.
The story
The story begins in 1945 or is that 1743? See this is a time-travel story like no other. You will find numerous reviews out there that will detail the finer points of the story. For me, it was about love, sacrifice, honor, family, and loyalty. It had action, suspense, violence, sex, heartbreak, and humor.
During the story, I fell in love with Jamie, the main lead male character. In fact, he is my all time favorite male character in any book I have ever read. Considering I average over 300 books a year, there has been plenty of male characters to compete with “my Jamie” (I know, only in my dreams).
The Narrator
What makes a book I could barely read transform into a series I cannot stop reading? Two words- Davina Porter. Ms. Porter is not only an audiobook narrator; she is the best in the business. Ms. Porter not only handles the female character’s voices with elegance and ease, but is a master at the male voices as well. I literally forgot that I was listening to a woman when she voiced Jamie’s character. When Jamie expressed his love for Claire, I really, truly believed I was listening to Jamie. It was not just Jamie and his Scottish brogue that was so realistically voiced but also every other character (male or female, young or old) and every possible accent.
Davina Porter is a master at all genders, accents, and breathing. Breathing you say? Yes breathing. Often times, a narrator will pause to breathe and you hear it. If the narration is fast-paced, the narrator has a tendency to sound out of breath. Ms. Porter does not seem to breathe. I know she does, obviously, but she is just a master at covering it up.
If you couldn’t read book one
Try the audiobook. Listening to Davina Porter and her amazing narration of the story, will change your Outlander experience! ...more
Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker
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