Holmes Girl

A great BSG memoir

Reviewed: 08-16-24

If you are a Battlestar Galactica fan, this is a must listen. Richard Hatch gives an inside memoir of his journey from Apollo on the original series to Tom Zarek on the re-imagined series. He remembers his relationships with cast members & guest stars; the conventions & encounters with fans; his attempt to revive the show; his initial reaction to the new series, and a change of heart while being part of the cast.

While not overly long, it's great to hear Richard's voice. I always found him intelligent, well spoken and gracious to fans and interviewers. His love for the BSG world was evident . He is sorely missed.

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Wonderful Christmas treat

Reviewed: 12-09-23

This is a delightful short Christmas story that emphasizes relationships, being true to yourself and authenticity. It's just the thing to get you in the holiday spirit. It would make an enjoyable movie.

The only drawback for me is the narrator. She does a fine job; but to me she her voice sounds much older or mature for the ages of the main characters. I think a younger sounding narrator would fit better

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totally hooked

Reviewed: 12-07-23

Fantastic short, well written, well acted mysteries!
Cast of characters are distinct and make up the flavor of this fictional town.

The stories have that "Murder She Wrote" vibe but slightly more edgy. Plots are well crafted, easy & fun to follow. There is a bit of suspense to go along with the 'who dunnit' mystery. Great length....not too short and just long enough not to feel bogged down.

I've had a great time listening to these. I'm totally hooked and can't wait for more!!

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Started out excited.......ended in disappointment

Reviewed: 08-30-22

I read one person describing this as "Fan Fiction at it's best!"......That isn't a compliment when referring to a professionally written & published novel. Sadly, it's not even decent fan fiction. There's so much to tell about this book that readers need to be aware. There's a little good, lots of bad & some just....odd. So here it goes.

For the Odd: There are several bounties on Leia's head? Why? Apparently they are there from the Hutts because she killed Jabba. How does anyone know she killed Jabba? Watch Return of the Jedi. Anyone who wasn't part of the Rebel rescue team either was lunch for the Sarlac or they were on the sail barge & that BLEW UP! Even if someone did know, Ms. Revis doesn't understand crime syndicates. With Jabba's death they wouldn't put a bounty on her head. The other crime lords would swoop in and seize control of Jabba's territory & assets. She'd be a hero, not hunted.

Next, let's address the elephant in the room: The Halcyon. The obvious advertisement for Disney's Galaxy's Edge hotel. The approach was cheesy and shallow; and the author didn't do a great job of selling the luxury star cruiser, so the ad was pretty ineffective.

For the Bad: This story is very light on the action. It's not about until 75% into the book that the anvil hits the reader on the head with the environmental/global warming message. The plot concerning that was just, meh & sadly a week out from finishing----forgettable. It wasn't exciting or intriguing. Because it's light on the action, they are trying to sell this as a romance. There are some issues with that approach. Over half the book our favorite SW couple is apart, and it's their honeymoon! I don't believe Revis captured Han & Leia well at all. There are approximately 3 big fights they have. We all know that Han & Leia's romance started out with the familiar romance trope, that is also known as classic Tracy & Hepburn. They spar & snipe at each other to deny or deflect that they are truly interested in one another. However, by the end of RotJ, they have moved PAST this. They are in love. The author has them screaming (Yes, that word is used during the fights) at each other. In addition, the every other chapter featuring different points of view Han/Leia, Han/Leia, etc. doesn't work. You can't bill this as a romance when not only the structure of the novel has them separated; but the narrative does as well.

Readers also need to be aware of Disney's politics that they want to insert. There are a few examples; but this one bothered me the most. Leia is remembering a conversation she had with her mother. Her mother is telling her that when she gets married, she will receive a royal sword. In the dialogue her mother says, *this may not be exact, but it's close*, "Leia, whoever you choose as your husband or wife......" (pause & read that sentence again). It's already established Leia's sexual orientation. Forty years ago we knew she & Han were in love. They married, had three kids & were happy. Oh wait....those are the other stories that were canon for over 25 years....until they weren't. Even in the new universe, they married and had Ben. So the question is: Why wasn't the line, "Leia, whoever you choose as your husband, or spouse or "Leia, whoever you choose to marry." The only objective the way the line is written is to further some type of agenda.

The Luke in this book is nothing like the Luke at the end of RotJ. He sounded like some wimpy kid that a bully would beat up on the playground. The section with the Ewoks crashing the bachelor party was an attempt at humor, but it was a swing and a miss.

For the Good: The artwork of the book is stunning! The author captured Lando pretty well and there were some humorous moments when the story was still taking place on Endor. The wedding sounded intriguing. The love-making scenes weren't described, they were eluded to. I give props to the author on how tastefully done this was. A kid could read or listen to this and it wouldn't be a problem.

As previously stated the every other chapter from the different perspectives didn't work for me. The choice of how this is narrated falls flat also. I thought Marc Thompson was great as always, but Saskia Maarleveld was way too breathy in her performance. Also, there are too many characters to have more than one narrator, unless it's an audio drama. The voices for the supporting characters keep changing from narrator to narrator. It's VERY distracting . I didn't find it an enjoyable listen.

In conclusion, the story was very boring! It wasn't a romance, it wasn't a SW adventure. The author failed at capturing the personalities and intellectual maturity of the two main characters. I had high hopes for this; but alas another SW literary disappointment

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Can't even call it mindless fluff

Reviewed: 07-19-22

I got this as a daily deal. I thought it sounded like a straight forward, cute romance for a quick listen. The story was predictable, but I expected that; but it didn't possess enough cute or fluff to make it an enjoyable entry in the genre. It was just blah!

The narration was horrible. There was no inflection & everything was delivered in a very short, clipped manner. I barely got through. Returned this one. If you're looking for a traditional Hallmark-esque romance, or a royal romance story, skip this. There are better options out there.

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Great listen for every age

Reviewed: 05-08-22

What a delightful listen! I've had the book for years, but the audio version with a different narrator for each story truly brings it to life. It was a stroke of genius to have Jude Law do the Dumbledore notes sections.

This is a short but extremely entertaining listen. Everyone in the family will enjoy this!!

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A very different "True Crime" experience

Reviewed: 12-22-21

I don't write a review for every audiobook I listen to; but felt compelled to do so with this one. This is an updated version of "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser. It involves the relationship between Cleo, a social media influencer, her girlfriend Rebecca.. Shortly after they were seen together at a lake, Rebecca is found dead & Cleo is nowhere to be found. It's a story of love, betrayal, and a world where being #1 in the public cybersphere is what counts. Personal lives are laid bare; the amount of importance the media & public opinion have are scrutinized for all of us to evaluate.

Presented in a documentary style series format, I found this to be unique and different for this genre. The performances were excellent; and my attention was riveted from the get-go. The story is engaging and is layered with the same complexity that makes up the human condition. Because of the unusual style the book is written in; I must say I think the Audiobook is the only format that will do this novel justice. It truly was like listening to a podcast or watching an episode of a True Crime show. I don't think "reading' this novel would capture the intensity & flavor of this book.

Unique, fresh, engaging....and a story that will make you still wonder and analyze when it's over. Definitely worth the credit.

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2 people found this helpful

A Holiday Fail

Reviewed: 12-14-21

The story's premise is ok, but lacked a solid direction. It wasn't a believeable or enjoyable plot because of poor execution. I thought the performances were extremely boring and lackluster....frankly they were just bad. Whether that was because of the bad story or not skilled enough actors, is unknown. The story was supposed to be a rom com; but it wasn't funny & you didn't feel the romance.

Between a story that needed a few more drafts and unconvincing acting....this was a holiday fail.

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How would your Christmas Ever After look like?

Reviewed: 11-14-21

For Riley Reynolds, successful romance novelist, there is no Christmas. No traditions, no real memories no celebrating since the death of her father when she was 8 years old. So, when her publisher states her next book is to be a "Christmas Romance", it's difficult to have the mantra, "Write what you know". To help with that she is scheduled by her publicist to attend a Christmas Camp with selected fans to engage in a week of fun-filled holiday activities. The owner of the Lodge, where the camp is to take place, comes to New York to meet her after an interview on National TV; but when Riley walks out early on the interview, Luke is forced to fill the remaining minutes and isn't too pleased. Thus sets the stage for an enjoyable, albeit, predictable romance, misunderstandings, and unforeseen troubles, between our two main protagonists.

This story is a quick, holiday read. It has that typical Hallmark formula, so if you enjoy those types of books and movies this will be pleasing to you.

There were a couple of things I didn't quite understand. One, is that Riley was being billed as Miss Christmas, despite the fact she knows very little about the holiday. That's a publicity ploy; but what is confusing is that the title and Christmas Camp are to generate her good press. She has bad press because she had ONE book that wasn't as good as previous novels? C'mon. How many authors who write a series hit it out of the park 100% of the time? None. So all the 'negative press' and the threat of losing her publishing deal over one book is a little over the top. The second would be the character of Riley herself. Why Ms. Schaler did you write a woman who has the intelligence of a turnip and the maturity level of a 15 year old? I found that very annoying. Riley has traveled all over the world, rubbed shoulders with elite of high society and she comes across dumber than a post.

Katie Schorr does a nice job narrating. Might have been better to have one female & one male narrator though. This is a middle of the road entry into the genre. Pretty digestible; but could have had better characters.

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Great story---this audio, not so much

Reviewed: 10-12-21

I truly enjoyed this movie and remember reading the novelization years ago. The overall novelization I thought was quite decent; but you'd never get that from this audiobook entry.

It is an abridged version. I knew that going in. The reason I wanted it in my library is because it is one of the original cast movie entries. However, the story is so abridged that it loses all the nuances, suspense, mystery & emotion of the story. In fact, if you didn't know the movie, the story wouldn't make sense.

Narration: It is a disservice and disappointment that these movie entry audiobooks as well as many of the older Star Trek books are done by either George Takei & James Doohan. As a HUGE original series fan, I appreciate hearing their voices; but only to a point, especially with Jimmy Doohan gone now. Yet neither are good voice actors and you never get absorbed into the story because of this. Doohan is better than Takei; but both border on a bad listen.

It would be a treat to see these redone in an unabridged version with a true voice actor that can capture the essence of each characters speech sound & patterns. Seems Robert Petkoff is the go-to man for many of the Star Trek books. It would be a better listen with him.

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2 people found this helpful