Audible Book Review: We Like You so Much and Want to Know You Better by Dave Eggers

This is an introduction to the book The Circle which will be released as a movie this month.
We Like You so Much and Want to Know You Better
Written by: Dave Eggers
Narrated by: Dion Graham

Length: 47 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:09-27-13
Publisher: The New York Times
Genre: Fiction, Preview
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
A million people, a billion, wanted to be where Mae was at this moment, entering this atrium, 30 feet high and shot through with California light, on her first day working for the only company that really mattered at all.
A story from The New York Times Magazine, adapted from The Circle, a new novel by Dave Eggers.
Listen to the rest of The Circle and listen to more from The New York Times.
©2013 The New York Times Company (P)2013 The New York Times Company

Review:
Mae, with the help of a friend, got invited to interview for a job at the prestigious company known as The Circle. She is thrilled to get the position and is promptly pulled into training. She is provided with the latest technology phone and tablet and a helpful coworker immediately sets them up so that everything is interactive with the company. As a new employee she is soon provided with clothes, shown all the onsite store and facilities that are available, and introduced to her onsite lodgings, so she doesn’t have to go home for anything.

Although she picks the work up quickly, at the end of the week she is approached by some of her ‘support group’ who express concerns about her lack of socializing with her “team”. She changes her online socializing to spend hours online to increase her socializing ratings.

I didn’t realize as I listened to this that it is just the introduction to the full novel. The author quickly sets the stage for a creepy situation where Mae’s life is immersed in, and manipulated by, The Circle. This clearly raises issues of giving up control and privacy. I found the premise interesting and am curious to know where the story goes and what creates the suspense/thriller elements. On the other hand, I was not so pulled in that I wanted to push through over 500 pages. There was some unnecessary bad language liberally used by Mae’s friend. I liked getting a glimpse of the setting and Mae’s character. I will be waiting for the movie.

Audio Notes: Dion Graham's narration fits well with the high tech sort of energy of the story. He reads at a quick, sharp pace that captures the 20 something excitement of the protagonist. He manages to capture the variety of male and female voices with youthful enthusiasm. The narration is definitely a good fit for the book.

This was from my Audible TBR shelves (2013). It qualifies for 2017 Audiobook and Mount TBR Challenges.

Sunday Post April 2, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday April 3, 2017

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date.
Thank you to Sheila for the years that she handled this meme.
Thank you to Kathryn for taking up the baton.

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

As always my work week was busy. I continue to plug along, completing somethings each day.
We had a couple nights of rain but our day weather is now in the 80s.
I continue to pray for the areas of distress in the states and around the world.
We have two men from the Band of Brothers working with the missionaries in Haiti this week.

Reading was good even though I only finished two books. I finished one ebook and one audio for review. I posted three reviews plus all of my usual memes.

I visited close to 30 blogs last week.
Blog shout out this week is for the Geeky Blogger's Book Blog where Felicia co-sponsers #FitReader posts.
Thank you to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post March 26, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday March 27, 2017.

• ABJ- Audio Book Review: The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk; Sci Fi, Dystopian, Environmentalism; my rating 4.5.

• Lance Erlick Guest Post, Book Spotlight and Tour Giveaway. Ending 4/15/17.

• ET Book Review: Xenogeneic: First Contact by Lance Erlick; Sci Fi, Alien First Contact; my rating 3.75.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway March 31, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 4/7/2017.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: Excerpts from The Encyclopaedia Britannica; Fiction; my rating 4.5.

• Sharing Beyond Books #297 Comment Giveaway April 1, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 4/8/2017.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement April 2, 2017.

Finished Reading:

1. eBook/Kindle (iReads Book Tours)

Xenogeneic: First Contact
by Lance Erlick
This Alien First Contact is full of action.
The author guest post, tour giveaway and my review are both linked above.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audio (ABJ)

The Hollow Hills: The Arthurian Saga, Book 2
Written by: Mary Stewart
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
I was a little surprised that I finished this 16 hour audiobook in one week but it was gripping/engaging.
I received this audio book from the publisher
through Audiobook Jukebox
Click on book title for full description.

Currently reading:

1. eBook/Kindle (NG TBR)

Codename Lazarus: The Spy Who Came Back From The Dead
by A.P. Martin
I like how this spy story has started.
I received this through NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/MP3

Confluence
Written by: S. K. Dunstall
Narrated by: Brian Hutchison
I am glad to get back to this sci fi series that I really like.
Publisher's Summary
From the national best-selling author of Alliance, linesman Ean Lambert finds himself caught in a dangerous fight for political power.
The lines. Mysterious yet familiar: the key to controlling every ship in the galaxy. Once they were thought of as tools, but since linesman Ean Lambert discovered strange new lines in an alien vessel, they have become so much more - symbols of a power too great to ignore.
©2016 S.K. Dunstall (P)2016 Recorded Books

3. eBook (NG TBR)

Ivy in Bloom:
The Poetry of Spring from Great Poets and Writers from the Past
by Vanita Oelschlager (Author), 
Kristin Blackwood (Illustrator)
I think  early spring is a good time to read this.
I received this from NetGalley
Ivy In Bloom captures the weariness of a young girl tired of a
long winter. ""I stare out the window,"" she says on the first spread of brown and gray, ""looking for birds or flowers / or even warm showers / but I don't see any such thing."" But then Spring comes when ""March is out of breath snow melting to flowery waters and watery flowers spring rose from its wintry rest."" And Ivy's ""heart dances with daffodils."" As these words also dance across each spread, Ivy's world erupts into a riot of color. Ivy In Bloom introduces the poetry of Dickinson, Longfellow, Browning, Wordsworth, Frost and others. Excerpts from their writings, as seen through Ivy's eyes, will open up poetry as a way for children to express their own feelings about the changing of seasons. This book includes longer excerpts and brief bios of each author.

4. Print (TBR Ladies Book Club)

A Talent for Trouble (Ladies of Distinction Book #3)
by Jen Turano
We are reading this for Ladies Book Club which meets this Saturday. We've enjoyed this author before.
For years, Miss Felicia Murdock's every thought and action have been in pursuit of becoming a minister's wife. When the minister she'd set her sights on has other ideas, she decides something in her life needs to change--and soon--before she wastes any more time pretending to be someone she's not. If that means spreading her wings and embracing a more lively way of life, who's to say nay?
Grayson Sumner, Lord Sefton, has had more than enough of spreading his wings and only hopes to settle into the life of a respectable New York gentleman. Prompted by some friends to lift the spirits of the disappointed-in-love Miss Murdock, he is surprised to encounter an adventurous young lady with an unfortunate knack for stumbling into troublesome situations.
Just as Grayson decides he's had quite enough of her antics, his past comes back to haunt him and his presence in Felicia's life endangers her. As they work together to extricate themselves from this latest complication, will Grayson and Felicia decide they want to spend the rest of their lives keeping one another out of trouble?

April 2, 2017 - I am up to date with the One Year Bible; reading along with my husband and others from our church. I hope to take more time this year, staying on the day and listening to the companion commentary online.

I completed two new books and posted three reviews; this will mean I have three reviews for this week so I am up to date.
I have 13 NetGalley Titles remaining and 10+ author titles in my queue.

The new poetry collection needs one more fix and then will go up at eTreasure's NetGalley page.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and (yours truly). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I received one review book this week.
I resisted the Audible daily deals this week but I did purchase three ebooks for $.99 each.
I picked up a good number of free kindle titles again. (Note these are in my Amazon library, NOT on my Kindle until I download and transfer them.)

Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

Jeopardy in July: A Jamie Quinn Mystery (Jamie Quinn Cozy Mystery Book 5)
by Barbara Venkataraman
"Old people were dying at an alarming rate at La Vida Boca, a posh assisted living facility in Boca Raton, Florida."
I've enjoyed this series and the author let me know it was available for free this past week so I picked it up for review.

Won

NONE

Purchased

I bought two sci fi anthologies for $.99 each and a dog book that looks so cute.

Writers of the Future Volume 30: The Best New Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year  
(L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future)
By: Orson Scott Card, Mike Resnick, Robert Silverberg, Val Lindahn, Terry Madden, Amanda E. Forrest, Anaea Lay, K.C. Norton, Randy Henderson, Liz Colter, Leena Likitalo, Shauna O'meara, Paul Eckheart, Megan E. O'Keefe, Oleg Kazantsev, C. Stuart Hardwick, Timothy Jordan, Seonhee Lim, Vicent-Michael Coviello, Kristie Kim, Sarah Webb, Adam Brewster, Trevor Smith, Bernardo Mota, Kirbi Fagan, Michael Talbot, Cassandre Bolan, Vanessa Golitz, Andrew Sonea, Dave Wolverton, L. Ron Hubbard

Writers of the Future 32 Science Fiction & Fantasy Anthology
(L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future)
By: L. Ron Hubbard, Tim Powers, Brandon Sanderson, Sean Williams, David Farland, Jon Laser, Stewart C. Baker, Christoph Weber, Stephen Merlino, K. D. Julicher, Matt Dovey, Rachel K. Jones, Julie Frost, Sylvia Anna Hiven, Ryan Row, R.M. Graves, H. L. Fullerton, J. W. Alden, Killian McKeown, Paul Otteni, Talia Spencer, Irvin Rodriguez, Marciela Ugarte Pena, Eldar Zakirov, Rob Hassan, Adrian Massaro, Prestone Stone, Vlada Monakhova, Brandon Knight, Jonas Spokas, Daniel Tyka, Dino Hadziavdic, Camber Arnhart, Christina Alberici, David Farland

Sit, Stay, Love (Love Unleashed Book 1)
Dana Mentink
"Discover the charming story of Tippy, the dog who brought a family together."
We have a dachshund and I couldn't resist this Christian romance.

Free

Here is one free book I found this week:

Misty Lake: Book One in the Misty Lake Series
by Margaret Standafer
"Jake McCabe, Misty Lake’s sheriff, is as curious as anyone about the town’s newest resident but it isn’t until Sam becomes the victim of a particularly cruel vandal that he meets her and gets a look at the house that has everyone in town talking."
This sounds like a a good, clean mystery.

I added another 56 free Kindle titles to my library this week. Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement April 2, 2017

Our elder brother continued his message this morning on pressing on for the prize. Philippians 3:7-16. He noted how much Paul suffered and, even knowing he was deemed an enemy and would face death, he continued to share the good news wherever he went.

Pastor continued the sermon series "DNA – Who We Are".
He reminded us of last week’s lesson that stated: “Fellowship builds belonging.” Then proceeded to remind us that there are times in every life when we have butterflies in our gut: a 20 year old making a lifelong commitment to marriage; becoming a parent for the first time; or stepping into a career job the first time. On those occasions we may feel insufficiently prepared. They are times of feeling inadequate. Any time we take on responsibility or lead, we step out into deep water that comes with risk. This is part of living.

Pastor asked “When was the last time you had nerves for responsibility in church?” We must always be about LIFE-CHANGE. The only real way to measure church effectiveness or success is not the number of people attending but the number of people experiencing LIFE-CHANGE. LIFE CHANGE is the proof that we are doing the other things well.

Point: The advancing church is a LIFE-CHANGING church.

Reading in Acts 2:37-47 we learn that Peter led the believers and admonished them to change their lives “save yourself from this crooked generation”. The same could be said in today’s world.
Many were saved and they “devoted themselves” to going out and gathering others. Believers were scattered because of persecution. Acts 8:1-4. They did not just meet in church on Sunday but they changed their pattern of life every day.

Persecution of Christians is happening around the world, although not yet in America. Some say that religion is a personal matter. For Christ followers that is a lie from the enemy because we know that faith goes beyond personal. The church must be alive, loving God and loving people. Changing lives.


What do we have to do to show our Church as alive and a place of victory?
1. Allow God to change your life.
2. Understand the need. Take down barriers to life changes. Know that all lives matter.
3. Join a team. The believers went out, not just the apostles.
Start by praying: "God, change me."

I had a couple of good video choices this morning. This is one that fits well.

A Verse for Today:
Acts 2:40 NLT
Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

Lord I do pray – change me. Change my daily life that I may focus more on You and loving others in Your name each day.

Sharing Beyond Books #297 Comment Giveaway April 1, 2017

Hello again and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.

Six commenters do not have instant buy authors. Three others have favorite authors but do not necessarily buy the books right off - they try the library first. The remainder of us have a variety of authors with two picking Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs and two picking author Chevy Stevens. I did not know all the authors so I will go looking for them.

~~~~~

The Winner from SBB #296 comments is: #13 Marjorie who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the Updated **Old (and soon to be updated) ARC/Review titles or (recently updated) Love titles - all linked near the end of the post.

**NOTE: I did set aside new books to add to the SBB choices and took pictures today. I will get those loaded later this week since tonight's winner is another international participant.
Thanks again for being patient with me!
Please let me know your choice by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #297

(One Question.)

bn100 asks: How do you feel about books with a lot of reviews and all of them are 5 star reviews??

I admit that I notice the ratings but I still look at the reviews to determine good points and negatives. I try to look at the low ratings too especially when there are some of both.

 
Image found at Clipart Kid.

Thanks to those who are sending in Questions. DON'T BE SHY! Surely everyone has a Q or two you'd like to ask. Input suggestions in this Suggested Question Form. At the end of each month I draw from the suggestions I used during the month and that person will get a book choice or GC. I thank everyone for submitting questions. Thanks for sending in questions! The supply of questions is dwindling so share some if you think of any -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify.


Your turn to share: bn100 asks: How do you feel about books with a lot of reviews and all of them are 5 star reviews??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the Valentine and "Love" books or the February 2015 Newly Updated ARC/Review List. 2-4-17: I FINALLY have some new "Love" and Christmas titles! I hope to get the picture posted later this week.

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on the question above.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.
I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made through Saturday April 8, 2017 at 5 PM central.

Audible Book Review: Excerpts from The Encyclopaedia Britannica

I smiled as I listened to this wonderful reading!
Since it was Audible's 2016 April Fool's joke, it is fitting to post my review April Fool's 2017.
But my review is not a joke --- I did enjoy this.

Excerpts from The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information, Eleventh Edition
Written by: Various
Narrated by: full cast

Length: 13 mins
HIGHLIGHTS Audiobook
Release Date:03-31-16
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Nonfiction
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Prepare yourself for the ultimate multicast performance. We've gathered many of Audible's most popular narrators to bring to life some of the most extraordinary words ever written. 19 words, in fact, carefully selected and arranged alphabetically as in their original source: the 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. We created this enlightening journey from AUDIENCE to LITERATURE because you asked for it. You said you could listen to your favorite narrators read the phone book, bookcase assembly instructions, or a restaurant menu. With this production we've proven that a truly talented narrator can, in fact, take any work and make it extraordinary. Enjoy!

The full list of narrators includes:
Nick Podehl - AUDIENCE
CJ Critt - BLACKBALL
Kaleo Griffith - BLACKMAIL
Katherine Kellgren - BLUNDERBUSS
Kevin Pariseau - CHAOS
Tom Stechschulte - CHAPERON
Sebastian York - CHEESE
Cassandra Campbell - CHIC
Victor Bevine - COB
Eric Michael Summerer - DECOY
John Lee - ELIXIR
Sophie Eastlake - ENTHUSIASM
Therese Plummer - EPHEBEUM
Zachary Webber - EPISTAXIS
Peter Ganim - GERBIL
Luke Daniels - IMAGINATION
Eric Dove - IMITATION
Scott Brick - JEALOUSY
Gregory Salinas - LITERATURE
Please Note: This recording of the Encyclopaedia Britannica was Audible's 2016 April Fool's Joke.
Public Domain (P)2016 Audible Studios

Review:
If you want to get a sample of some wonderful narrators, I encourage listening to this. I know it seems strange to some that anyone might listen to excerpts from an Encyclopedia. But it is not so strange to me. When I was a tween we had some rough times. One summer our TV broke and I guess we couldn’t replace it. Part of my entertainment, by my own choice, was to read from our encyclopedia. Maybe that is why I have been a “word” geek all my life.

In any event, this book was right up my alley. The fact that the purpose was to share the voices of numerous narrators makes it all the more fun. It may have been intended as an April Fool’s joke but for me it is a delight. Some of the voices were natural in the presentation of the selections although even then they imbue emotion into the word description. Others, like Luke Daniels, give a wonderful, multi-voiced performance. My only disappointment is that it was too short.

This was a fun, quick listen from my Audible TBR shelves (2016). It qualifies for 2017 Audio Challenge, Mount TBR and “E” in 2017 Alphabet Challenge.