We spent Friday night with our friends, Scott and Dawn, at a place called Chancey's in East Petersburg, Pennsylvania, where we talked and laughed. A lot. I treasure that friendship more than words could ever convey.
On Saturday, we sat in my mom's house watching the snow accumulate. It was lovely. My mom's cousin, Kelly, who I always refer to as my cousin since she's only a year and a half older than me, came over and we ate dinner and sat around and talked. On Sunday, Bill, Mom, Kelly and I went out to lunch after church and Kelly gave me a new Sandra Boynton book, which thrilled me! I love Sandra Boynton and can't wait to read it to the grandkids!
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| Promise Me |
I first listened to it a couple of weeks ago and was blown away by the story. While Evans might not be the creative wordsmith Chris Cleave or Jodi Picoult is, he is quite the storyteller. And Promise Me is quite the story.
As we listened to the book, Bill kept pausing it to ask me questions or to give me his guess on who the character of Matthew really was. I just kept saying, "You're never going to guess this. Quit trying." I was right; he never guessed, and was as blown away as I was when the truth was revealed. What a story. I cannot recommend this book enough. Seriously. The unexpected twists keep you reading/listening.
In the case of the audio book, it is not just Evans' writing that keeps you spellbound, it's also the exquisite narration by native Pittsburgher, Michele Pawk. Oh my goodness. This is one of the best, if not the best, narrations I've ever had the privilege to listen to. Pawk is a Tony Award winner (for her performance in Hollywood Arms) and is simply a delight to listen to. A sheer delight.
And here's an interesting bit of trivia to connect the weekend events together, Michele Pawk shares a birthday with Dawn, the friend I was out with on Friday night. Not important, but cool, since Dawn is one of my very favorite people in the whole world, and Pawk is now one of my very favorite narrators. And she doesn't come by the title lightly.
For those of you who don't know what I do, when I'm not writing or focused on being Green Grandma ... I am a voice over talent. I narrate audio books, also. When I find a narrator who impresses me this much, it means something. So, I hope you won't take this recommendation lightly. Michele Pawk is someone worth listening to. Paired with a book like Promise Me, this is a 10 all the way around.
My Sabbath weekend was, as well.
Sharing it with you,
Hana
By the way, if you click on the link for Promise Me, ignore the YouTube trailer at the bottom of the page -- it is one of the worst I've ever seen. Bad male voice over and the images do not fit the book. Obviously, the producer did not read it.
What Sandra Boynton book did you get? Do you think Tom would like the audio book? He loves listening to them now on his drive to and from work!
ReplyDeleteHappy Hippo Angry Duck A Book of Moods. Love it!
ReplyDeleteTom might like it. Dad loved it. It's a love story with lots of twists. It's clean, so you could even listen to it in the car with Lincoln. And, like I said, the narration is superb!
That is my favorite one by far!! We read it every day and when he is in a bad mood we read it a lot more!! I pretty much love the part that says "a difficult mood is not here to stay. Everyone's mood will change day to day." Repeat as necessary!!
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