Libby Audiobook: We Begin at the End, Chris Whitaker

 

Beautifully written. Quite a few twists and turns along the way. I had to listen intently so as not to miss anything. There is a lot to keep track of.

We meet Duchess about 13 / 14 years old, who pretty much has to raise her younger brother Robin because their mom, Star, has a drinking problem and not very reliable.

We learn that Star's sister was killed accidentally by Vincent. He went to jail and felt incredible guilt all his life.

Star is found dead, shot and ribs broken. Vincent was there when the Chief of police arrived and says he did it. 

Star and Robin go and live with their grandfather Hal on his farm.

SPOILER 

Turns out, Star used to visit Vincent in prison, Duchess and Robin are his child. 

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker centers on thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw Duchess Radley, her young brother Robin, their troubled mother Star, and Walker (Walk), the Cape Haven police chief. The story follows their lives in California and Montana after Vincent King, Star's former lover and a friend of Walk, is released from30 years in prison. 

Main Characters

• Duchess Day Radley: A tough, 13-year-old girl who acts as a protector and parental figure to her younger brother and mother.
• Walker (Walk): The chief of police in Cape Haven, California, who is dealing with a terminal illness (Parkinson's) and deep guilt over testifying against his best friend, Vincent.
• Vincent King: Returns to town after 30 years in prison for the death of Sissy Radley (Star’s sister); he is a central, enigmatic figure who carries immense guilt and later acts as a guardian to the children.
• Star Radley: Duchess and Robin's mother, who is struggling with addiction, depression, and the lasting trauma of her sister's death.
• Robin Radley: Duchess's five-year-old brother, who is central to the mystery of the plot. 

Key Supporting Characters

• Dickie Darke: A sinister local figure involved in the central conflict.
• Hal: A character who provides support to the family.
• Martha: A character in the town of Cape Haven.
• Thomas Noble: Duchess's friend
• Dolly: An older friend of Duchess.
• Hank and Busy: Acquaintances and helpers of the family. 

The novel focuses on themes of revenge, protecting family, and the long-term consequences of past actions, driving the characters toward a climactic, tragic, and ultimately revealing ending. 

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.

Kindle Audiobook: Dead in the Water, John Marrs

 

Yippee, John Marrs' latest book is out!

Such a fan of his work. Loads of twists and turns. Some I spotted, but I think the reader is meant to.

In this book we meet Damon who has a near death experience after which he hallucinates a dead boy. He then has four more death experiences and sees an additional dead person every time he comes back to life.

A link up with Laura who we met in The Good Samaritan.

4/5

Libby Audiobook: Vera Wong's

 

It's a sweet series.

Does get confusing with all the names.

Written in present tense.

Kindle Audiobook: Welcome to Cooper, Tariq Ashkanani

 

Did not enjoy this book. Narration was confusing and quite graphic in places re: eyes. Twist at the end, but I will not read the follow up.

2/5

Libby Audiobook: The Women, Kristin Hannah

 

Everyone seems to rave about The Women, and I really wanted to love it. Unpopular opinion, I did not.

I appreciated learning more about the Vietnam War, particularly the fact that the women, especially nurses, who served there were largely unrecognised on their return. That aspect felt important and overdue.

That said, while the novel is fiction rooted in real events, it never quite landed for me emotionally. I admired what it was trying to do more than I actually felt it. 

It is a good book, just not a great one for me.

At a push, 3.5 out of 5.

Libby Audiobook: Wishin' and Hopin', Wally Lamb

 

Sweet. Story about Grade 5 Felix's experience of life.

3/5

Libby Audiobook: The Things We Cannot Say, Kelly Rimmer

 

I enjoyed this audiobook of The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer.

Set between World War II and the present day, the story moves between two timelines. We meet Alina in wartime Poland and Alice in the present. Alina’s narration was particularly strong, measured, emotional, and convincing. Alice, by contrast, I found slightly grating at times, although she does serve her narrative purpose.

Alina, betrothed to Thomas, is forced to find a way out of Poland as the war tightens its grip. Years later, on her deathbed, she sends Alice (her granddaughter) on a mission to uncover what truly happened during that perilous trek. The dual timeline works well, and the historical strand is by far the stronger of the two.

The novel is written in the present tense.

Overall, a moving story.

3.8/5