1984 (audio book)

4 1/2 Stars

This was my first audio book ever! It was cool because it allowed me to “read” while doing other stuff like playing Civ IV or doing bookkeeping or whatever. Unfortunately this also causes me to miss some of the smaller points, but for the most part it is satisfying.

The book itself was great. It was written in 1948 about a future in which the moral authority sees everything and controls everything.  Personal freedom, even of thought, is less than an memory.  It is depressing, frankly, and a little scary in its resemblance with the current American social and political climate.  Overall it was very good.

ben

52 Pickup

3 Stars

This is a SLM with a twist. The hero in our story has an affair and ends up getting blackmailed for it. Instead of doing what every other hero ever has done, he fesses up to his wife and the two of them go after the blackmailers with vengeance. Not bad at all.

–Adrienne

The 37th Hour

3 Stars

This was a super serious mystery with a woman as the main character. The basic story is the main character is a detective (as is her husband, as is her best friend) and when her husband disappears, she embarks on a quest of discovery to find him. During this quest she meets his family (of which she new nothing) met his old friends (of whom she had never heard) and learned about his past (which was a complete surprise). During all this she is trying to help her best friend who recently lost a daughter. It was a fast paced thriller type book, and ended with a strange downer/happy mix that made me glad the book ended the way it did, but did not make me want to read the next one because I don’t want to see these characters suffer. Overall not bad.