Heklathemorriganandme

Engaging fast paced story about Roman, The Black Volvh

Revisado: 03-14-25

Loved this novella so much, I’ve listened to it four times in the last few weeks when I needed a break from the turmoil and chaos of life.

We get to visit Roman and his motley crew of mystical creatures at his isolated home, just trying to get a little peace. This novella is typical of Ilona Andrews work. Well written and action packed. Lots of twists and turns. Roman is a complex, interesting character. A bit of a recluse by choice, this story brings us a deeper glimpse of his sensitive nature and his clever, badass magical chops.

Quote from the book description:
“It's not easy serving Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death...especially during the holidays; and especially when you're out of eggnog and one of your pesky, freeloading mythic creatures has eaten your last cookie.”

I had this book in my Wish List. When it went on sale I bought it for a fair price. I save my credits for loooong books. 😉

Definitely worth it if you can get it on sale. I do hope this is a “prequel” for a longer series about Roman. There’s a few loose threads that would easily weave into a longer story.

Enjoy!!!!!

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This may be the best book yet in the O’Brien Tales

Revisado: 02-28-25

This book was a fast paced rollercoaster. It was packed full of emotions and strong bonds between young friends and the stronger bonds of generational family ties.
I was not expecting to love this one as much or more than some of the previous books, but this one is definitely one of the best in the series.

The story begins with the current time in the O’Brien family series. I won’t spoil the book with too many details. The book takes the reader back to the time when David O’Brien and his brother Gerry were young men earning money to help their family make ends meet by sailing cargo along the west coast of Ireland. I enjoyed the historical accuracy that reminded me of our own family stories about the old Galway Hookers. The ships are quite beautiful. They are typically 35-44 foot long rigged sailboats with distinctive black hulls (because they were sealed with pitch) and dark red or rusty brown sails. A few remain on the water to this day, mostly for tours. They were a working sailboat along Galway Bay and up and down the west coast from the 1800s and did every job from fishing (hookers) to hauling livestock, sod, beer, goods and provisions.
The book tells us how David met Aoife Kerr when his ship made port in Donegal. We learn a lot about the history of mining and the influence of the Catholic Church in the Donegal region and the areas around Killybegs.

There is a common thread twined throughout this story, that no matter what era, women are never truly safe or free. Abusive men, the clergy, powerful men who who can talk, or bribe their way out of trouble, strict socially expected behavior, and twisted interpretations of religion are often used as leverage and intimidation against women.

We learn a bit more about Cora and Colin Murphy in this book. There’s a definite teaser for an upcoming book.

This book is a beautiful weaving that includes all the generations of the O’Briens. It takes us back to Aoife Kerr and her family and friends and David O’Brien’s family and friends.

Highly recommend!

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Well written Historical Fiction

Revisado: 02-19-25

Fast paced story that takes the reader back in time (1845-1852). The book begins with some history of civil unrest during the famine. How the British rule would deport “convicts” to Australia and other countries, and the Orphan Ships that brought children to the Outback to “resettle.” The children were often taken in as free labor, the older girls were more likely to be married off.

The book gives us some background for the main character and then we jump ahead a few years to
right after the end of the Irish potato famine to the Fenian (Irish Nationalist Organization) to give the backstory of the branches of the O’Briens, O’Ryans, and the families who lived on Inisheer and kept Lighthouse. This book connected to the story, “The Keeper” from this series.

This book was interesting and engaging. I enjoyed learning more about the history of the O’Briens. I was glad that this book addressed the religious strife and conflicts between Church of Ireland (Protestant) and the Catholic Church as it was, and still can be, a hot button in parts of Ireland. That said, I did not miss the Author tendency in her earlier books to imply that adherence to a particular religious belief was the basis for a person’s Character. It was borderline irritating in her early books in this series.
Entertaining.

I relistened to the series before taking this book on. I see there are two new books.
I will check the summaries and decide if they are worth continuing on with this series. I enjoy the characters. Though, it might be time for me to take a break.

Definitely worth the listen if you enjoy the series and are interested in Irish history.

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Helpful information for this old person w CPTSD/DID

Revisado: 01-20-25

The early chapters were mostly focused on things we have already covered in many years of previous therapeutic work using CBT, Internal Family Systems, and a blend of other trauma informed therapy.
We have always been co-conscious. Unfortunately, our trusted most effective therapist retired. Then the COVID pandemic occurred. Finding a replacement therapist was difficult. Telehealth was a disaster. Tried that. It takes ages to create trust and confidence. One version was 6 “phone sessions” and then the therapist cancelled.. and when we tried to reschedule later, the Telehealth service couldn’t get us back in with the same provider.

We fell into a long freeze response and depression at that point. Fortunately we had tools to recognize what was happening and how to cope. Taking walks, time with pets, yoga, reading, and music are helpful. Bless the therapist who retired for that. We also listened to a bunch of online content. TEDtalks and interviews with highly respected therapists. Some useful, some not.

This book is written and intended as a resource for Therapists, not Clients.

My layperson’s observation is that it’s a mix of Bessel van der Kolk, Jung, and somatic grounding techniques. Yes the trauma occurred, but don’t discuss it directly. The book gets into the how and why of that in great detail. Triggering is not useful in therapy. It happens enough in the real world.
The techniques used encourage staying grounded and aware of your physical size, form, don’t discuss the abuse, stay centered with breathing techniques, and create a respectful and “curious” internal dialogue intended to draw in the fragmented Parts and help them feel validated, supported, safe, and in some cases; reparented. Bits of that can be off putting to some internal Parts, but the Author addresses methods to work through those situations.

If you are able to get through the book, the examples of cases and her explanations of how she worked with clients can be useful and resonate.
The author is often plowing the same terrain and the narrative is often far too wordy. (Like this review!)
She seemed to be preening for an audience of her peers at times. Yes, we get it. You’ve got something that is effective and you want the method to have academic credibility.

The problem with this title being an audiobook was I found myself constantly stopping, backing io sections and replaying them in order to take Notes in the app. That’s a bit clunky to do.

For me, the most useful parts (because we’re so self aware and done so much therapy) was mostly covered in the end of the book.

The end of this book includes several Appendixes with the modality broken down into useful steps.

I wish there was a Kindle version of this book. The only hard copy has terrible reviews about the poor binding and the book falling apart. It is an expensive book. I was thankful it was here on Audible.

I feel I have come away with a few new tools in my toolbox for reaching out to my more shut down and fragmented Parts and will share these suggestions with my Significant Other.

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Absolutely spectacular

Revisado: 05-15-24

This memoir is beautifully written and so deeply touching on many, many levels. The author is warm and candid about how her relationship with animals has shaped her life. She doesn’t shy away or gloss over the difficult or uncomfortable aspects as she reflects on her life. The book will easily resonate with anyone who was owned, rescued by, and deeply loved by another creature.
The author writes in an easy, unpretentious manner. She also reads the audiobook. She has a warm, easy way of reading. The fact that she personally is connected to the content draws the listener into her journey. Her passion and deep connections that she has for the world and the creatures she shares it with are evident in her voice. Personally, as a lifelong animal lover and rescuer, I connected with the author. The story felt like a visit with a dear likeminded friend. This book is unique.
You will learn about creatures you may have never have known existed. The authors memoir is filled with stories of creatures that are funny, sweet, interesting, heartwarming and sometimes sad.
I was sad that the book had to come to an end. I will listen to this one again, and plan to gift this book to friends and family.
The author has written a tremendous amount of books for adults and young people. I will be listening to more of them soon.
I’m grateful I picked this book out of my included with my subscription offerings of books. I’m going to have to find a hard copy or buy the audiobook (PDF included) to see the illustrations. I’ve been told they’re spectacular.

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Unbelievably insightful and beautiful

Revisado: 04-24-24

Steve Earle. Singer, songwriter, musician who tells the gritty tales of true life in his songs with gravel in his voice. That’s the man I knew from growing up listening to his music.

I’d previously listened to Steve Earle’s personal story in the Audible Musicians Series.
What I didn’t realize was that he’d written a novel or two. I located and downloaded this book, it was included in my membership. It sat in my unread books collection for the longest time. I noticed it was going to no longer be a free listen in a few weeks. That was incentive enough to get me moving.

Today I started to listen and was completely blown away by the story. This book was nothing at all like I was expecting. I was headed out in the car for a day of driving and just took a chance and hit play.

Steve Earle narrates his novel, and he’s perfect. His voice fits this twisting tale of the colorful individuals who live on a tough street in San Antonio, TX in 1963 and 1964.

The residents are a mix of racially diverse people. The working poor, some undocumented immigrants, addicts, a drug dealer with a moral code, prostitutes, a tough female bar owner, a tougher couple of women who own and run the Yellow Rose Boarding House, and a former medical doctor who is plagued by his own addiction and a ghost that just won’t let him be.
It’s a story that should be depressing, but Earle has a knack for finding the good in the darkest of corners.
His world building and character development are eloquent and beautiful. By the end of this story you can picture the setting and the people in it with ease. I didn’t want the story to end.

Steve Earle was born and raised in San Antonio and you can tell that he is intimately familiar with the mindset, politics, culture and religion of the area.

This story tackles tough life situations and handles them with respect and empathy. There’s a deep thread of Mexican indigenous beliefs woven into this story, as well as the strong Catholic faith of many of the characters. Faith and the struggles of real life can be difficult to navigate in this rough part of town.

The book intertwines some historical events and figures of the times, and they are very relevant to the story. I can’t get into it without spoilers.

I could not put this book down. I listened to it in one day. I likely will listen to it again soon. Even though this novel was written over a decade ago, the story deals with women’s health issues and rights that are now even more pressing than even today.

Wild twists and turns, characters that seem irredeemably lost. They find a way to make their own lives better, as well as caring for those in the neighborhood through empathy, compassion, and a bit of magic.

It’s one heck of a ride. Thank you Steve Earle for an engaging and unforgettable story. It hooks you and makes you so invested in the characters that you just can’t put it down. This novel has you taking a hard look at the world and leaves you feeling so many emotions. Most of all it is about hard won redemption, miracles, and love for your fellow humans.

Warning: if you are a person who can’t be open minded and accept that good people can fall onto hard times and situations that you might not like,
or have to make choices that you don’t condone, then don’t read this book. It’s not for you to judge. Just let the story flow and carry you along with it.

Book deals with real life situations: addiction, poverty, prostitution, abortion, Catholicism, mysticism, and more than a miracle or two.

Fantastic and unique book, highly recommend.

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Drama and Family Relationships

Revisado: 03-29-24

This is not my typical selection of book genre.

I almost stopped listening to this multiple times. The entire story is written from the three MCs (dad) and (elder daughter) and one I will leave out, as it would be a spoiler.

The family story is unspooled as a letter written to a judge. I thought Irish family drama and tales could be dark, bleak and heartbreaking, but this New South Wales story has them beat by a mile.

I nearly quit because of the MC’s letter began in a meandering and detailed description of his life. The almost flat narration nearly broke my brain.
After getting into the book, you realize that the tone is sober to convey to the judge that the letter writer is honest, open, earnest and a bit depressed.

The reader for the MC (dad) is a man who did a commendable NSW working class accent. Once I realized the MC personality and hardships, I understood the reader’s delivery was spot on. It drove me a bit nuts, but it was definitely well done.

I won’t get into the story. I will say that I HATE to quit a book, so I did finish listening to it.

If you like a family roller coaster this book has it. The ending was completely unexpected, if you were paying attention to the earlier events, you didn’t know it was even possible. I guess that’s why it has a somewhat redeeming ending that will pull at your heartstrings.

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Engaging characters and plot

Revisado: 03-23-24

This was such a well written and enjoyable book.
The characters and the landscapes are so detailed and well crafted that it made me this story impossible to put down. The details about the specialties and behaviors of the SAR canines is also spot on. I personally owned and trained several of my own.
This book was definitely worth the listen. It draws you in and leaves you wanting more. I didn’t want the story to end.

Excellent narration too.
Highly recommended

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Not my usual choice but glad I finished it

Revisado: 03-21-24

I nearly gave up on this book several times.
The premise seemed shallow. The characters were equally shallow, annoying and angsty at the beginning of the story.
I reminded myself that the story was about teenagers. I had put this free listen into my library and I couldn’t remember what had captured my interest and caused me to download it.

As the story slowly developed, and the MC’s true issues revealed themselves, it all made perfect sense.

The book is about an upper middle class family that’s more than a little dysfunctional.
The last third of the book when the MC’s story begins to come out was when it really clicked. Other than the upper class piece, it was pretty parallel to what I had grown up in. Disinterested family, things going on right under their noses and they didn’t see, or pretended not to see. The damage that can happen to a child under those circumstances is indescribable. The world truly does move on around them and no one is aware of what is going on. People might see the signs and they simply write it off.

This is an excellent story that lays out all of the common misconceptions. It’s a very accurate and believable story. The feelings the characters went through and the way people interacted were very healing for me to see. My personal experience was very different. It was good to see this situation handled in a positive way.

The narrator did an excellent job of drawing you in and connecting you with the characters and their emotions without sounding whiny. She did such a good job that she simply slipped into the background and the characters spoke for themselves. That to me is what makes a good narrator great.

I’m glad I stuck with this story. When I started it, I was driving and couldn’t switch books. I’m glad that it worked out that way. Very validating story for me. The sweet ending made it worth the listen.

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Good YA and adult read for survivors of sexual abuse. Authentic, Affirming and Healing

Revisado: 03-14-24

This story is likely fiction based on the author’s personal experiences or someone who was close. Either that or the author has a background in psychology. It is that accurate.

Some people might be upset that this book doesn’t have a warning about potentially triggering content for survivors of sexual abuse and assault. It doesn’t need one. There isn’t any detailed graphic content about the abuse. Just enough comes out through Kendra’s flashbacks and bits of memories that surface to tell what she experienced.

I feel I can say this with confidence. I am an adult survivor of child sexual abuse and I have lived this experience. I spent decades dealing with the trauma as an adult. Believe me, child abuse and trauma impacts your life in subtle ways that leaves you feeling isolated from the rest of the world. It’s devastating as a child who has no frame of reference for what’s happening to them. It’s even worse when the events are repressed and you begin to remember. Nothing stays buried forever. Having a safety net and trusted support systems is important, but often unavailable to minors. If you’re underaged and the abuser is a family member, it can be difficult to find someone who will listen and believe in your story. This book does an exceptional job of walking the listeners through Kendra’s experience of trying to reach out for help. Wondering if she can tell, if she will be believed, while also wondering if she’s loosing her mind, if her memories are real, if her abuser is still a threat… these are all very spot on questions in the minds of trauma survivors. This pressure is also why some people turn to self harm and cutting.

This book does an excellent job of describing the daily struggles with shame, flashbacks, dissociation and terror. All while trying to blend in and not draw attention to yourself and also cope with school and life. It’s a horrible way to grow up and it happens more often than people think.

Every child who grows up in a traumatic environment has to be able to develop their own unique coping mechanisms in order to survive. The pressure of trying to bury the secret or fend off memories does drive some people into self injury. Some turn to drugs or alcohol. Some don’t. It’s just too risky to let your guard down.

All of that was woven into this brilliant book. I wish I’d had the chance to read this when I was a teenager trying to find help. Telling doesn’t mean you are heard or believed.

Art is a powerful way to express your inner voice, music is another important avenue.

This book takes you through the journey. It may seem over the top to some listeners, but it is incredibly powerful and accurate.

For me it was validating. Just being with Kendra through her process was another way to understand that survivors are not alone. They are strong and resilient. With the right support they can regain their power. They can be heard, believed, and loved. It is possible to move forward towards a better future.

The narrator was EXCEPTIONAL. What a wonderful job of bringing Kendra’s story to life. I’d give her 10 stars if possible. I was able to listen, feel, and hear the experience of Kendra. Perfectly done and not overacted. Thanks for giving voice and power to a 15 year old girl.

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