Review: Island of Dragons

The End of Artime is Here!

Island of Dragons is the final installment of Lisa McMann's Unwanteds series. I've waited on the edge of my seat for each audiobook release. The series has been captivating! Island of Dragons made me want to cry because it's the end of a series that stole a piece of my heart. I've gotten to know the people, critters, and statues from Artime, Quill, Island of Shipwrecks, and the other islands. I don't want to say goodbye...

Yet there is always a time for a story to wrap up. McMann brought the conclusion of the Unwanteds to a satisfying end. She also left room for a sequel. More adventures are on the horizon! I cannot wait! Uwanteds Quests is coming in 2017! Thank you, Lisa McMann for not leaving these beloved lands.

Steve West returns to narrate the last Unwanteds tale. Yippee! I've enjoyed his voice for several of audiobooks in the series. Mr. West is beginning to feel like an audiobook friend and I love to hear his voice make the story come alive. Simon & Schuster did have a female voice share the beginning and ending information for the story and production. The end of disc voice was jarring for me, but I have a multi-disc player so have that interruption was annoying to me. I know other audiobook listeners appreciate the "end of disc" statements. I hope West return for the next installment of the Unwanteds adventure. I understand if a new narrator is chosen for a new series, but Mr. West would be greatly missed.

Thank you, Ms. McMann and Mr. West. It's been a treat!

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
Island of Dragons by Lisa McMann
Series: Book 7, The Unwanteds
Read by Steve West
Produced by Simon & Schuster Audio
Number of Discs: 9
Total Time: 11 hours, 15 minutes
Release Date: April 2016
ISBN: 9781442393844

Review: A Clatter of Jars

Welcome back to the world of talents in glass jars!

A Clatter of Jars is a companion book to A Tangle of Knots. Lisa Graff returns with new stories that share a glimpse of magic in the real world. Everyone, well, almost everyone, has a special talent which can range from cooking, baking, ice control, or communicating with frogs. Some talents can beckon talents from others while others can move talents from one person to another.

If you are unfamiliar with Graff's Tangle or Clatter, I would recommend reading A Tangle of Knots first and then follow up with A Clatter of Jars. Characters from Tangle appear briefly in Clatter but I believe it is significant enough to read them in order of publication. There are also talent ties to the first novel as well.

The setting for A Clatter of Jars is a summer camp for talented kids. A great story to read during the summertime! Clatter features several talent children who's stories are woven together at camp. It's a good read for a family trip or listening on your own.

Ellen Archer narrates A Clatter of Jars. This is a different narrator from A Tangle of Knots. The differences of stories deserves a different narrator. I liked Archer's narration of Clatter. With the range of characters, I could hear the difference between who was "speaking." I also appreciated the frog sounds throughout the book. Many times we learn the sound of a frog is "ribbit," but the frogs around camp were not "ribbit frogs," so appropriate frog sounds were shared. Looking for more frog sounds? Visit Animal Diversity Web for their page on Frog Calls.


I received this audiobook from Penguin Random House for an honest review. Thank you, Listening Library!

Audio Book Details...
A Clatter of Jars by Lisa Graff
Read by Ellen Archer
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 4
Total Time: 4 hours, 31 minutes
Release Date: May 24, 2016
ISBN: 9780451485885 / 9780451485892

Review: The Hidden Oracle

The Percy Jackson Saga continues!

The focus shifts from Percy Jackson to the god Apollo who has been thrown to earth as a human teenager. The beginning is a humorous trial of escaping garbage, bullies, and fruit. A strange coincidence ... right as I began listening to the book I walked past a banana peel on the sidewalk. How ironic to sight it around the the beginning of The Hidden Oracle. You'll understand if you listen or read the beginning of the book.

I will admit that I have a Percy Jackson gap. My last check in with the series was The Mark of Athena ... which was published in 2012. The saga began with Greek gods, moved to Roman gods, and now the series returns to Greek gods while keeping tabs with characters from previous books. Listeners and readers of the series will enjoy this next installment. I'm glad to have touched base with Camp Halfblood & friends, but I'm not sure how closely I'll follow along with Apollo's trials. Some themes of the book are friendship, mythology, romantic interest between guys and gals, romantic interest between guys, overcoming obstacles, and fighting/battles. I also heard the humor sprinkled throughout which had me chuckling. I think the guiser gods might be my favorite characters.

Robbie Daymond's reading of The Hidden Oracle was fantastic. Apollo is a bit full of himself and Daymond gives voice to his attitude so well. I think his reading made the book. Apollo is the main character but there is a plethora of ladies, gentlemen, and mythological creatures which Daymond shares with different voices. I look forward to the next book I find read by Robbie Daymond!

I received this audiobook from Penguin Random House for an honest review. Thank you, Listening Library!


Audio Book Details...
The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
Series: Book 1, The Trials of Apollo
Read by Robbie Daymond
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 9
Total Time: 10 hours, 30 minutes
Release Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 9780451485199 / 9780451485205

Review: Wolf Hollow

Lauren Elizabeth Wolk is an artist, poet, and novelist. Wolf Hollow is her second book and is "Wolk's first novel for young people (although really for all people)." I would completely agree that this title is a book for everyone. It captured my attention and I am closer to middle age than middle school. Here is the novel teaser from Listening Library ...

Annebelle reflects upon a very brief period in her life. Great tragedy accompanies a budding friendship and a case of bullying. Each chapter revealed small pieces of a larger painting, until the masterpiece is revealed. It's not a lighthearted story. It's one that begs the listener (or reader) to reflect on the truth of tale. It took me a while to write a review because of the depth of this novel. It's not a book that will be easily passed by after reading it.

Part of the story was the addition of art. Annebelle's mother won a camera and a lifetime supply a film. Photographs play a role in the drama, but the photos also give insight

Emily Rankin narrates Wolf Hollow. I really enjoyed the story through her voice. She sounded youthful and mature which is a great bland for the character of Annabelle. Rankin also give believable voices for the men, brothers, and women throughout the story. I would definitely listen to Emily Rankin narrate another story.

I received this audiobook from Penguin Random House for an honest review. Thank you, Listening Library!








Audio Book Details...
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
Read by Emily Rankin
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 6
Total Time: 6 hours, 55 minutes
Release Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 9780451485656 / 9780451485663

June is Audiobook Month 2016

Welcome to June 2016! Welcome to Audiobook Month!

I look forward to June every year. I get to celebrate my passion for audiobook for an entire month! I also connect with readers, publishers, and organizations who are passionate about audiobooks. It's a great time of year!

At my library, I put up a display of audiobooks during the month. Each week of the June, I try to feature different audiobooks. For example, one week can be about family listens, another week on mysteries, another on first books in a series, and so on and so forth. I will try to snap of photo of each display and share them during Audiobook Month. Connect with me on Twitter or Instagram at @MissPippiReads

Join the fun this month by blogging about audiobooks or interacting with audiobook enthusiasts. Some hashtags to keep in mind are #JuneIsAudiobookMonth, #JIAM, #AudiobookMonth, or #LoveAudiobooks. Looking forward to talking audiobooks with you this month!