I Received Twelve Paperback Books From A Bookcrossers In The Mail!!

 

I've been a member of Bookcrossing since Saturday, January 6, 2007! This means that next month marks my19th anniversary of being a Bookcrossing member. Membership is free.

I have enjoyed every minute of being a Bookcrossing member. I've attended in person Bookcrossing meet-ups to discuss and exchange books with other active Bookcrossing members. I've left books at Bookcrossing zones. I've also exchanged books with other Bookcrossers here in the USA and overseas via mail. I also participate heavily in the forums on Bookcrossing, which allows me to interact with other readers on a varieyu of topics.

Earlier this month, I received a surprise box in the mail of twelve used, paperback novels that fall into the thriller genre from a Bookcrosser here in the USA!! 

I look forward to reading some of them. Others, I will pass along right away to Little Free Libraries. It never fails to warm my heart at the generosity of Bookcrossers. In addition to receiving books over the years, I've also received tea, chocolate, and other goodies in the mail too.

There's more to Bookcrossing than what I've mentioned here in this post. I simply wanted to highlight the generosity of Bookcrossers and the joy of receiving new to me books to read.

Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke and narrated by Will Patton. Wayfaring Stranger is the first novel in the 'A Holland Family' series.

Listening time for Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke is 13 hours, 6 minutes.

Prior to listening to Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke, I'd listened to and reviewed two previous novels by James Lee Burke - Crusader's Cross by James Lee Burke and Rain Gods by James Lee Burke. Both novels were narrated by Will Patton and both novels were excellent.

So with that in mind, I was excited to listen to Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke. However, when all was said and done, I wasn't that excited about this novel. I loved the characters for Wayfaring Stranger as James Lee Burke is great at creating interesting characters. The storyline wasn't all that compelling to me. The plot had too much emphasis on the good verses bad motif for my liking. Additionally, the writing for Wayfaring Stranger felt formulaic.

As always, Will Patton is an excellent narrator. I could listen to just about anything he narrates.

The following is a summary for Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke from Audible:

From "America’s best novelist" (The Denver Post): a sprawling thriller drenched with atmosphere and intrigue that takes a young boy from a chance encounter with Bonnie and Clyde to the trenches of World War II and the oil fields along the Texas-Louisiana coast.

It is 1934 and the Depression is bearing down when 16-year-old Weldon Avery Holland happens upon infamous criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow after one of their notorious armed robberies. A confrontation with the outlaws ends as Weldon puts a bullet through the rear window of Clyde’s stolen automobile. Ten years later, Second Lieutenant Weldon Holland and his sergeant, Hershel Pine, escape certain death in the Battle of the Bulge and encounter a beautiful young woman named Rosita Lowenstein hiding in a deserted extermination camp. Eventually, Weldon and Rosita fall in love and marry and, with Hershel, return to Texas to seek their fortunes. There, they enter the domain of jackals known as the oil business. They meet Roy Wiseheart - a former Marine aviator haunted with guilt for deserting his squadron leader over the South Pacific and Roy’s wife, Clara, a vicious anti-Semite who is determined to make Weldon and Rosita’s life a nightmare. It will be the frontier justice upheld by Weldon’s grandfather, Texas lawman Hackberry Holland, and the legendary antics of Bonnie and Clyde that shape Weldon’s plans for saving his family from the evil forces that lurk in peacetime America and threaten to destroy them all.

I'm giving Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke a rating of 2.5 stars out of 5 stars. I will not continue reading the rest of the 'A Holland Family' series.

Until my next post, happy reading!

The Red Ledger by Meredith Wild

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Red Ledger by Meredith Wild and narrated by Jennifer Mack and Brian Pallino. Listening time for The Red Ledger by Meredith Wild is 3 hours, 26 minutes.

The Red Ledger by Meredith Wild is the first book (novella really) in the 'Red Ledger Series' and it is a thriller. I enjoyed the narration of this book by both narrators. The characters and the storyline are good as well. 

The biggest issue for this novella is the cliffhanger ending. I am not a fan of cliffhanger endings in books, especially for books that are part of a series, as I feel like they are gimmicks to hook readers into buying the rest of books in the series. Otherwise The Red Ledger by Meredith Wild was an engaging read from start to finish.

Below is the plot summary for The Red Ledger by Meredith Wild from Audible:

He’s death for hire…

Some people measure life in hours. Days. Weeks. I measure mine in kills. A covert military mission gone wrong robbed me of my memory and any link to my past. This is my existence now. I execute and survive. Nothing more, nothing less. I was ready to write Isabel Foster’s name in my ledger of unfortunate souls until she uttered the one word that could stop the bullet meant for her. My name.

She knows my face. She knows me. She’s the key to the memories I’m not sure I want back. Now nothing is simple. I still have a job to do, and my soul isn’t worth saving. I’m not the man she thinks I am. I can’t love her. And sparing her life puts us both in the crosshairs.

I am giving The Red Ledger by Meredith Wild a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!