Please Note:  I received an advance audio copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

It's the following Thursday.

Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He's made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.

As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn't that be a bonus?

But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn't bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them? 

Review:

I really enjoy mysteries, and the series called The Thursday Murder Club is quickly becoming a favorite.  The first book introduced us to a group of retirees who are not sitting quietly in an old folks home.  These four solve murders!  

The second book in the series, The Man Who Died Twice, continues the adventures of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron, as we learn a lot more about the people in this group.  What was hinted at in the first book is confirmed:  Elizabeth was a spy for MI-5!  This story encompasses murder, spying, and a healthy dose of personal antics on the part of the group.  I loved it.  

What I Liked:

Narration:

Leslie Manville does a superb job as the narrator of this series.  She knows how to show each character's personality and seems to have a lot of fun with the various British accents.  She also knows how to slowly build suspense, and this book gave her plenty of opportunities to do that.

Characters:

I read this book just as I was watching the latest season of The Great British Bake Off on Netflix.  So, when I read the book, I instantly equated several of the characters with people on that show.  Here are my picks for who should play the characters, should this become a television series:

Elizabeth:  The clear choice for the assertive former MI-5 spy of course is on of the judges, Prue Leith.  I love this character!  Elizabeth is a smart, no-nonsense former spy who is not content to sit on the sidelines, watching the world go by.  She wants to continue to solve crimes.  But she also has to (and wants to) take care of her husband who has dementia.

Joyce:  This character seems mild-mannered and quiet.  But Joyce has a lot more depth to her.  I see Val Stones from GBB Season 2016.  I loved Joyce's patience with the other members of the group.  And she is not one to be underestimated!  She often finds to solutions to problems the gang encounters.

Ibrahim:  Ibrahim is the quiet, introspective former psychiatrist.  Although he is way too young, I would love to see Rahul the winner of the 2018 season of Bake Off in the role.  Like Ibrahim, Rahul is very quiet and shy, but also very smart!

Story:

I really liked that we saw more of who the four main characters were, particularly such a complex character as Elizabeth.  She is both incredibly kind and amazingly brutal (when she needs to be).  While she is the epitome of the caring partner to her husband, she also has no qualms about putting her friends in danger, or even killing someone. 

Ibrahim is also quite a complicated character.  At the beginning of the book, Ibrahim is the victim of a crime.  This leaves him really shaken.  He begins to suffer from PTSD.  Now, Ibrahim is a retired psychiatrist, so he knows what is happening to him.  But that doesn't prevent his brain from suffering.  I really felt for this character, but also for his friends who have a hard time knowing how to help him. 

The murder, itself, is quite a who-done- it.  There are several possibilities, each stranger than the next.  It's quite a thrill ride to be sure.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  September 28, 2021

Author:  Richard Osman

Genre:  Mystery

Audio Publisher:  Penguin Audio

Audio Narrator:  Lesley Manville

Audio Length:  11 hours, 50 minutes

Print Publisher:  Penguin 

Print Length:  336 Pages

Review Format:  Audiobook

Source:  Random House Audio

Recommendation:  Start with the first book, and then dive into this fun mystery.  You will want to spend all your time with these wonderful pensioners.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

From the co-creators and co-hosts of the Peabody- and Pulitzer-nominated podcast comes this unflinching, illuminating view of prison life, as told by presently and formerly incarcerated people.

The United States locks up more people per capita than any other nation in the world--600,000 each year and 2.3 million in total. The acclaimed podcast Ear Hustle, named after the prison term for eavesdropping, gives voice to that ever-growing prison population.

Co-created for the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX by visual artist Nigel Poor and inmate Earlonne Woods, who was serving thirty-one years to life before his sentence was commuted in 2018, Ear Hustle was launched in the basement media lab of California's San Quentin State Prison. As the first podcast created and produced entirely within prison, it has since been globally lauded for the rare access and perspective it contributes to the conversation about incarceration.

Now, in their first book, Poor and Woods present unheard stories that delve deeper into the experiences of incarceration and share their personal paths to San Quentin as well as how they came to be co-creators. This unprecedented narrative, enhanced by forty original black-and-white illustrations, reveals the spectrum of humanity of those in prison and navigating post-incarceration. Bringing to the page the same insight, balance, and charismatic rapport that has distinguished their podcast, Poor and Woods illuminate the full--and often surprising--realities of prison life. With characteristic candor and humor, their portrayals include unexpected moments of self-discovery, unlikely alliances, and many ingenious work-arounds. One personal narrative at a time, framed by Poor's and Wood's distinct perspectives, This Is Ear Hustle tells the real lived experience of the criminal justice system.

Review:

I have listened to the podcast of Ear Hustle (prison slang for gossip) for several years, and really appreciate what the podcast is trying to accomplish.  The podcast is made inside San Quentin State Prison, in the San Francisco Bay Area.  With raw language and topics ranging from food and music, to lockdowns to prison sex, this is an authentic portrayal of prison life.  It is it challenging to listen to at times, but it certainly opened my eyes as to the very human lives of those paying for their misdeeds.

This is Ear Hustle is the story of how the podcast came into existence.  It chronicles the lives of the two main creators of the podcast, artist Nigel Poor, and now former inmate Earlonne Woods.  I liked this book because of the honestly of the creators.  These are not saints, and they work hard to make sure that this is not a story filled with complaints or asking for pity.  They are just showing us on the outside how prison affects not only the offender, but their families as well.  But be warned:  there is a lot of raw, explicit language and descriptions of violence in this book.  If you have been a victim of a violent crime, I would think this might be a trigger, and you should not read  it.  But for others, I highly recommend this book.  

What I Liked:

Audiobook Narrators:

I really think if you want to read this book you should listen to it as an audiobook.  This book is narrated by the two hosts of the Ear Hustle podcast.  Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods have a wonderful rapport that I think would be tough to understand by just reading the words off the page.  Trusting others in prison is hard  and their easy banter masks years of work learning about each other, and understanding each other's motives. It's a really fascinating working relationship.

Impact of Prison on Families:

Regardless of how one feels about people in prison, one has to feel compassion towards the family members of the incarcerated.  While the children, partners, and parents of prisoners did nothing wrong, they are still paying the price of the prisoners poor life choices.  There's a lot of anger, guilt, and sadness playing out in these family dramas.  I was riveted by the stories of visiting loved ones in prison.  It's not a simple process, and families have to jump through a lot of hoops in order to spend any time with their people in prison.  It's especially hard on children.  I really felt for the mothers who have to bring their kids to a prison in order to see their fathers. 

Humanity of Prisoners:

Generally speaking, the hosts of the podcasts do not share how their interviewees got to prison.  While their goal is not to gloss over the crimes that were committed, they feel that divulging that information would cloud the interview.  I agree.  The podcast and book simply show what prison life is like.  It's up to the reader to identify with the prisoners humanity, or not.  I would say that prisoners do pay a heavy price for their crimes.  Loss of any control on their lives, restrictions on how they spend their day, and limited access to their families are just a few of the ways the prisoners lives have changed.  But prison can also bring order to the chaotic lives of the prisoners, which some find helpful so they can reevaluate their life choices.  

What I Was Mixed About:

While I liked the book very much, I felt like something was missing from the topics in the book.  There is only one section on the impact of crime victims.  Yes, I know that this book is focused on the prisoners.  But I would have appreciated some acknowledgment of how their crimes have impacted the victims of their criminal activity.  I know this is not the goal of the book, and that is why it was mostly left out.  But, if I am being honest with myself, it would have made it easier for me to connect with the prisoners if I knew they understood and had remorse for how they hurt their victims.  

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  October 19th, 2021

Authors:  Nigel Poor & Earlonne Woods

Audio Publisher:  Random House Audio

Audio Length:  10 Hours, 18 Minutes

Narrators:  Nigel Poor, Earlonne Woods,  & Lt. Sam Robinson

Print Publisher:  Crown Publishing Group

Book Length:  304 Pages

Genre:  Non-Fiction

Recommendation:  This is a hard-hitting account of life in prison and gives valuable insights into the challenges that inmates face.  I highly recommend this book.

Synopsis (From Goodreads):

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.

Review:

I've always loved the Percy Jackson series by author Rick Riordan.  He found a way to bring the legends of Greek, and then Roman, mythology to life in a modern context.  One of the reasons this series was so wildly popular was because Greek and Roman myths have been a cornerstone of Western culture.  But there are plenty of cultures that also have legends of gods and mythical creatures.  So I was very excited to read Gods of Jade and Shadow, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.  It is structured much like Percy Jackson, where a character goes on a quest and meets various creatures out of mythology.  In this case, the culture was of Mexico.  With detailed world-building, a colorful cast of characters, and a surprising story, this was a wonderful book.

What I Liked:

World-Building:

It was deeply interesting to learn about the many different creatures in Mexican mythology.  As Casiopea searches for the missing pieces of the Mayan god of death, she meets gods and creatures of various abilities.  Each of them tell a part of a larger tale of Mexican mythology. 

This story also takes place in the 1920's.  There are lots of descriptions of all the beautiful clothing, lavish nightlife, and Jazz music of Mexico City.  For Casiopea, this must have been dazzling.

Characters:

Casiopea is almost a Cinderella-like character.  With her father dead, she and her mother must move in with her terrible grandfather and relatives in a small, rural town.  Her mother's family treat her like a servant, plus her cousin, Martin, seems to take extra pleasure in bullying her.  She has no future.  When she accidentally sets the Mayan god of death free, she jumps at the chance to leave her town.  I loved Casiopea's adventurous spirit, and kindness despite how cruel the world treats her.

Martin, her seemingly sadistic cousin, is complicated.  While he is a complete bully and misogynist, he is also dependent on his grandfather, which builds resentment and anger in her cousin.  I liked that the author tried to create a fully-formed character, and not just a caricature of a bad guy.

Story:

While the first part of novel is a quest to find the missing parts of the Mayan god, the second part pits Casiopea against her cousin, Martin.  They both must travel the dark road to reach a mythical city.  This was a really fun part of the book where we see the characters tested in a variety of ways.  Both Casiopea and Martin are forced to face their own shortcomings and asked them to make choices that aren't always in their best interests.

What I Was Mixed About: 

Narrator:

I wasn't very impressed with the narration by Yetta Gottsman.  I think it's because I felt like she just read it, and didn't really act it out.  Sometimes it was difficult to distinguish which character was speaking.  Perhaps I'm spoiled, but the joy of audiobooks is hearing them acted out.  So I think some of the emotional punch was missing in this audiobook.

Rating: 

Release Date:  July 23rd, 2019

Author:  Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Audio Publisher:  Random House Audio

Narrator:  Yetta Gottesman

Audio Length:   11 Hours, 4 Minutes

Print Publisher:  Del Rey

Page Length:  338 Pages

Source:  Public Library

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  A Mexican novel of mythology reminiscent of Percy Jackson.  Full of wonderful world-building and an exciting story. 

Please Note:  I received an advance audio copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

From the beloved and best-selling Anne Tyler, a sparkling new novel about misperception, second chances, and the sometimes elusive power of human connection.

Micah Mortimer is a creature of habit. A self-employed tech expert, superintendent of his Baltimore apartment building, cautious to a fault behind the steering wheel, he seems content leading a steady, circumscribed life. But one day his routines are blown apart when his woman friend (he refuses to call anyone in her late thirties a "girlfriend") tells him she's facing eviction, and a teenager shows up at Micah's door claiming to be his son. These surprises, and the ways they throw Micah's meticulously organized life off-kilter, risk changing him forever. An intimate look into the heart and mind of a man who finds those around him just out of reach, and a funny, joyful, deeply compassionate story about seeing the world through new eyes, Redhead by the Side of the Road is a triumph, filled with Anne Tyler's signature wit and gimlet-eyed observation

Review:

Ever since this pandemic began, I have taken the opportunity to up my reading game.  I try to read at every opportunity, and listen to audiobooks as I work.  I've always loved how Anne Tyler creates sweet, quirky characters and makes us truly care about their happiness.  Redhead by the Side of the Road is a lovely novel about love and second chances.  It is a perfect book for our time.

What I Liked:

Characters:

Micah has many set routines.  Having order in his life is his way of keeping himself frogetting hurt.  I don't think he is consciously doing this.  But his distance (even from his "woman friend") means there won't be an opportunity to blame himself if someone leaves him.

He observes others (like his clients who neehis help with mundane computer issues) with a slight disdain.  But you could feel that he is not quite happy.  I know a few people like this.  People who have a lot to offer, if only they (and others) take the time to get to know them.  This book gives me hope for the people in my life who are like this.

Story:

When Micah loses his steady "woman friend", he is unsettled.  I think when anyone goes through this you go through a period where you reflect on past relationships.  Patterns emerge and you can't help but wallow in self pity.  But (of course), our memories aren't necessarily an accurate chronicle of what actually happened.

Micah gets his reality check when the son of one of his former girlfriend's comes knocking at his door.  This brings his past romances into focus.  Is there something wrong with him?

He begins to understand a pattern.  Once Micah gets a girlfriend, he becomes complacent.  It's like he's checked a box (girlfriend, achieved), and then loses interest.  His many"woman friends" sense this and the  relationships are doomed.

This is not a complicated story.  It's a character study of one man and his journey to understand his life.  This is just the kind of story that Anne Tyler excels at.  If you've ever read her classic book The Accidental Tourist, you understand how she goes deep into a character, makes you adore them, and then picks apart their life.  The fun of the story is how the subject puts their life back together again.

Theme:

I loved the theme of this book, that we can find happiness when we open our hearts to those around us.  Micah isn't ever unhappy, but he certainly seems like he's missing something in his life.  By closing himself to strong ties with others, he is shielding himself from getting hurt.  But his life is less satisfying because of it.  When he finally takes a chance to really connect with others, life is so much better.  In a time where we are forced to keep apart, it's a lovely reminder that when this is over, there will be better times.  I know I will appreciate family gatherings, and get-togethers with friends all the more due to our collective hibernation.

Rating: 

Release Date:  April 7th, 2020

Author:  Anne Tyler

Audiobook Publisher:  Random House Audio

Audio Length:  4 Hrs, 50 Mins.

Print Publisher:  Knop Publishing Group

Genre:  General Fiction

Page Length:  192 Pages

Source:  Publisher

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  I lovely story of a man assessing his life.  A great listening experience.