Libby Audiobook: Carpet Diem, Justin Lee Anderson

 

Not the normal type of book I usually read.

Brilliant narrator with all the voices. 

Wonderful dark, dry English humour.

A lot of names.

3.8/5

Libby Audiobook: Strange Sally Diamond, Liz Nugent

 

It's so weird how sometimes two books that I am reading have overlapping themes.
Abduction has been the theme in the last two.

This was a very good audiobook. We meet Sally, who, when her dad dies had told her to just put him out in the bin, she took it a step further and tried to incinerate him.

We learn that she is a bit strange. Her mom was abducted when she was 11. Molested her and had two children, a boy, Peter, who the dad loved and raised, and Sally that the dad didn't want anything with.

The dad takes Peter and emigrates to New Zealand. There he returns to old habits and abducts a 14 year old Lindi.

Beautifully written. Incredibly sad. Was hooked 5/5

Kindle Book: Gray after Dark, Noelle W Ihli

 

Oeh she is good!!

Miley is an Olympic skier and shooter who decides to work at a summer camp. She enjoys running and spends time in the forest. Wes, a colleague, had previously encouraged her to run with bear spray. Raynor had disappeared before, and everyone thought she was killed by a bear.

Spoiler.

Miley gets kidnapped by Fred and Hamish, who are preppers. They had also kidnapped Raynor. They rape them. It is dark and horrific. Brent, Miley’s boyfriend, together with Wes from the summer camp, come to rescue them.

I genuinely could not stop reading at the end. I had to find out what happened.

5/5

Libby Audiobook: The Choice, Edith Eger

 

I recently listened  to The Choice by Edith Eger, and what a powerful, humbling story it is.

Her journey from Auschwitz survivor to psychologist is extraordinary, not only because of what she endured, but because of what she chose to become afterwards. There is a quiet strength in her writing. It does not shout. It invites.

The quote that resonated with me most was her reflection on assertiveness:

“To be passive is to let others decide for you. To be aggressive is to decide for others. To be assertive is to decide for yourself.”

I have deep respect for Edith Eger and for the grace with which she carries her story. Survival is one thing. Choosing growth, contribution and healing afterwards is something else entirely.

I also found it interesting that both Edith Eger and Viktor Frankl share the story of a prisoner who fixed their hope on a specific date, believing they would be saved by then, and when that day arrived without rescue, they died soon afterwards. It is a haunting illustration of how fragile hope can become when it is tied to a single outcome. Knowing that Eger and Frankl later became friends and shared a professional respect makes the overlap feel less like repetition and more like a shared psychological truth forged in the same unbearable environment. Some experiences are not owned by one voice. They belong to history, and to the human condition.

Libby: Pirana, Rudie van Rensburg

 

Ag, ek is so 'n fan van Rudie van Rensburg. Hierdie ene net so geniet. Weer bietjie deurmekaar met al die name, maar minder as sy ander boeke.

Hierdie gaan oor renoster en ivoor smokkel.

4/5

Libby Audiobook: Fly Girl, Ann Hood

Meh. Did not enjoy this book. All over the place. Lots of repetition and backwards and forwards. 

2.8/5

Kindle Audiobook: The Ex, Shalini Boland

 

I enjoy her writing. Lovely twists.

This novel moves between two POVs. Jasmine, trapped in a marriage to Adam, who is an objectively awful human and emotionally abusive. Then Willow, who meets Gabe in a coffee shop and, against her better judgement, starts falling for him despite firmly not wanting a relationship.

A few too many repetitions.

3.8/5

*SPOILER BELOW*

Spoiler for myself to remind me: Jasmine is Willow. Gabe is obsessed with Priya, Willow's neighbour but dates Willow to get closer to Priya.