Tag Archives: audiobook

Review: Readme.txt by Chelsea Manning

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So, here are things that I knew about Chelsea Manning before reading this book:

  • She is a transwoman who was in the US military during Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
  • She leaked some documents
  • She went to prison for leaking some documents

But, I knew there was more to the story than those things so when her memoir came up in my recommendations, I thought it would be a good idea to check it out. Manning narrates the audiobook, and hearing her story in her own voice made it feel very personal. She discusses growing up in Oklahoma, realizing she was trans, and the problems that caused for her at school and at home (although she didn’t come out as trans for a long time.) She talks about being interested in computers and finding a community. She talks about coming out. She talks about being homeless. She talks about struggling with being trans and how the army, with its enforced masculinity, was part of an effort to change something about herself. She also discusses at length her ideals, what brought her to join the military, and what eventually brought her to share classified documents with Wikileaks. The memoir then discusses her time in prison and the military trial that initially gave her a 35-year prison sentence. This was later commuted by President Obama before he left office in 2017.

I liked how Manning’s humanity is always front and center in this memoir. I mean, as a memoir, how else would it be? But still, as someone who doesn’t have a lot of interaction with military personnel, this reminder that they are individuals with their own problems, concerns, and ideas. I also learned a little bit about how intelligence gathering works, which was at times interesting and appalling. Thinking about what kind of information the government can and does track about people, for various reasons is something that I’m going to be considering for a long while.

I think transparency and a knowledgeable public are important for our democracy, and looking around the world today, with the US in the middle of a Presidential election and ongoing conflicts in Palestine and Ukraine (And Sudan and Congo and many other places where my attention hasn’t already been drawn), thinking about what America’s role is on the world stage and how information and the public back home is managed is important. I am glad that I read this, even if it was at times a very difficult read. Her time in prison and the descriptions of solitary confinement were brutal.

So, if you are interested in contemporary American history and would like to hear about it from someone who was involved, this is worth the read. But, go into it knowing that there are descriptions of solitary confinement, homelessness, war crimes, and mentions of suicide.

Review: Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw (read by Suehyla El-Attar)

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This is a novella, around three hours on audio, so it was an evening read. The story follows a group of friends as they prepare for a wedding. The group used to ghost hunt, so it makes complete sense that two of them, Nadia and Faiz, would want to elope at a haunted house. Their friend Phillip, for whom money is not an option, finds an abandoned Japanese manor that is supposed to be haunted by a bride. The ghost bride’s groom was killed on the way to the wedding, the story says, so she decided to have herself buried (alive? I guess?) at the site of the wedding so she can wait for him to show up. The story goes the others have since joined her in the foundations and walls of the manor. As far as places to get married go, this makes sense to me. If this is what you’re into, why not? Faiz, Phillip, and Nadia are joined by Faiz’s best friend Cat (who has recently been hospitalized for depression), and Lin. There is tension in the friend group that comes out as the story unfolds, petty jealousies and the like. To get the party started, they tell ghost stories as they wander the house, which seems to expand in ways that defy logic. There is possession, loss, mayhem, and sadness. It is horror, after all.

This was a fine novella. It was a quick evening read that didn’t ask too much of me. It didn’t have a ton of gore or surprises, but the atmosphere was right. So, give it a go if that sounds interesting to you. If you want something more detailed, scarier, or innovative, give this one a pass.

What I worked on in April while I was listening to audio books

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One of the things that I like about audiobooks is that they keep me company while I’m working on things. Sometimes I listen to them while I’m trying to complete a boring task, like cleaning. But other times I listen when I’d like a little something and I’ve already had way too much screen time. One of those things is doing fiber arts.

I’ve been a knitter for about twenty years and a serious crocheter for only about three. In April, I did a little of both!

I started a new crochet cardigan. Before last year, I’d only knit two sweaters in my entire knitting career. In the past year and a half, I’ve doubled that number. I’ve also crocheted a sweater now, too. I finished my first cardigan earlier this year and I don’t know why it took me so long to get over my fear of sweaters. The Revival cardigan starts with granny squares before moving building the rest of the hoodie around them. I like doing granny squares because they are portable. And, because if I want to stay up for only a chapter or two, I can do a square and that’ll be it. I have a habit of buying single skeins that catch my eye when I’m at different yarn stores or some kind of event, which means I have a stash of single skeins that don’t necessarily have a project attached. Thankfully, I tend to buy the same few colors over and over again, so something I’ve been trying to do this year is build projects around yarn I already own. The yarn for this is all DK weight and I love them. they’re so fun together.

I also started working on a sample shawl for my local yarn shop. This pattern has a nice little repeat that lends itself to a rhythm that’s made it pretty easy knitting. It’s also made in Dream In Color Smooshy Cashmere, which is, in fact, smooshy and so, so, soft. I’m definitely going to have to make something for myself with it. Cashmere is expensive, but oh, does this. yarn feel nice. I would say it’s definitely worth it.

Review: Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki, translated by Eriko Sugita and read by Keith Szarabajka

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Every now and then, usually in the Spring when I have that itch to Spring clean and try as many new things as I can cram into my waking hours, I want to pick up a book on minimalism. The idea that you should have only the possessions you need, or at least the fewest possessions you can get by with, is nothing new. And even though I don’t really want to live a minimalist life, I am always a little curious. Fumio Sasaki has so few possessions, it takes him thirty minutes to move apartments. I look around my apartment and get an overwhelming feeling of not even knowing where to start if I wanted to move. So, as appealing as it sounds to be able to pick up and go at the drop of a hat instead of spending a month to pack up my place, what I realized when I was reading this wasn’t that I want to be able just abandon all my things and live with a toothbrush, a bowl, a cup, a spoon, my cat, his bowls, and his litter box (until I teach him to use a toilet, of course). What I want is to have more emotional space in my life. I would like some room, metaphorical but also physical, to grow.

In the end, this is what I take from minimalism. The Marie Kondo idea that if it doesn’t spark joy, I don’t need to keep it. I don’t need to keep something I am not using and don’t love, even if it was a gift. I don’t need to keep a piece of clothing, even if it will be cute once I lose another ten pounds. I don’t need to keep yarn I no longer love. And, gasp, I don’t need to keep books I know I’ll never (re-)read. That, in itself, is a daunting project. But, it is also exciting. I could have shelf space. Shelf space for new books that I am excited to read. Or, shelf space for something else. Who knows what’s out there?

This book (essay?) was short and it was okay. It wasn’t overly groundbreaking. The writing was economical and there were no turns of phrase that caught me and had me thinking days later. I have been thinking about the concepts of minimalism, but there’s a good chance I would have been anyway since I made a massive Spring cleaning list. So, in the end, this book gets a 6/10. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but I also wouldn’t not recommend it.

Review: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, narrated by Jennifer Lim

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Oh, my god, this was so good, y’all. Just, so so good. So, this is the story of two families whose lives collide with each other. Set in 1997, the Richardsons have four kids and live in a nice house in the lovely suburb of Cleveland, Shaker Heights. Mia Warren, a single mother and artist, moves to town with her daughter Pearl and rents an apartment from Mrs.Richardson. One of the Richardson children, Moody, rides his bike to the house because he is curious about the new tenants and that starts this story of friendship, growth, self-discovery, betrayal, and love. The main complication of the story comes when the Richardsons attend a party of a family friend celebrating the birthday of their child, whose adoption is about to be finalized. Lexie, the oldest Richardson child, mentions the baby to Mia, who has become the Richardson’s part-time housekeeper and cook. Mia realizes that this baby is the daughter of someone she met at a different part-time job. Bebe, the baby’s mother and a Chinese immigrant, surrendered the child to a fire station in the midst of post-partum depression and hopelessness. Since getting back on her feet, she’s been trying to find the little girl.

The resulting public revelation and custody trial sets fire to the community. Family members disagree, everything is heated, and Mrs. Richardson uncovers Mia’s involvement and takes it personally. She sets out to discover everything she can about Mia. The results are painful, beautiful, and deeply touching.

I was taken in by this novel. The characters felt real; you could see how their choices had led them to where they were and how they gloried and chafed against their results and consequences. I felt for all of them, even when what they did made me angry or deeply uncomfortable. The court case that ran through part of the story made clear how complex family situations can be. Issues of maternal support, child welfare, and race all interconnected in a way that made for no easy answers.

This book was so good and I can’t believe it took me so long to get to it. I know it is now also a TV show, so I might have to watch it and see how it compares. But the book on its own is enough. If you’ve not read it, get out there and give it a try. The audiobook was read by Jennifer Lim and she brought the characters to life. I can’t recommend this book enough.

What I’m Listening to Now: The Maid by Nita Prose

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A black key hole on a red background. Through the keyhole, you can see the one leg with a grey high heel, a grey skirt, a white apron and apron strings, as a person feels to the left. The text reads, “The Maid. A Novel. Nita Prose”
The Maid by Nita Prose

This is the second knitting book club pick. A few folks have already finished it, so I’ve heard a little bit about it. Im very excited to start it. I am still working on the same pair of socks.

A sock on a black background. it is blue with multicolored squares that are stacked like bricks in the legs. on the foot the bricks are on the top of the foot and there are stripes on the bottom of the foot.
Painting Bricks Socks by Stephen West in progress