Last week, I kind of checked out of the internet and reading ... and the crazy drama involving book reviewers, bullying and book bloggers versus librarians ... sheesh ... how do people find the time to go about their daily lives, as well as stir the pot online is beyond me! Although the printed word didn't get much attention, audiobooks were still going strong.

Weekly Reading Wth Pure by Julianna Baggott {An Audiobook Edition} And A July Library Loot {2}

Recently Finished

Summary: There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. But when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

Forget about dystopian novels where the World seems dark but then there's hope ... this novel is bleak, depressing and full of tragic beauty. Baggott did an AMAZING job detailing this post-apocalyptic World - one where survivors under the Dome remain as they were before nuclear detonations, and outside of the Dome, the survivors have been fused to whatever they were in contact with during the explosions. It was hard to hear sometimes - El Capitan has his brother fused to his back; Pressia has a doll-head for a hand; her grandfather has a fan in his throat ... and on and on it goes - believe me, many, many times I just had to put this book down because the descriptions were so harrowing. Make sure you can handle a dark book before reading this one!

BUT I was fascinated. I wanted to know what happened to the main characters - Pressia, so hopeful and naive but strong at the same time; Partridge, the strong silent type; El Capitan, I didn't know what to make of him at first ... friend or foe, I'm still not sure; Lyda, and Bradwell, both Pures who left the comfort of the Dome (or was forced out in the case of Lyda) ... And I wanted a happy ending - those characters deserved it - I would have BEGGED for it - that's how much the author enthralled me. She is meticulous & detailed, bringing us slowly along in this brutal new World, where, of course, there were a few twists to the story as well.

Since there are 2 more books to the series, there was a lot left unanswered - it was sort-of cliff-hangerish, but I'm hooked and fully intend to read the 2nd book when it comes out.

The narrators for the audiobook were fantastic! I had no trouble following along - which sometimes happens with audiobooks when there are multiple points of view. I was already familiar with Khristine Hvam, the voice of Pressia, who narrated one of my favorites of the year - Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor; Kevin T. Collins is the voice of El Capitan - he really shines here, although my only other experience with his narration in The Replacement, I thought him ill-suited for; Joshua Swanson (Partridge) and Casey Holloway (Lyda) are new to me, and I thought they did an excellent job conveying the emotions of their characters. (Amazon|Goodreads)

Currently Reading ... July Library Loot {2}

Feed, Mira Grant. In 2014, two experimental viruses--a genetically engineered flu strain designed by Dr. Alexander Kellis, intended to act as a cure for the common cold, and a cancer-killing strain of Marburg, known as "Marburg Amberlee"--escaped the lab and combined to form a single airborne pathogen that swept around the world in a matter of days. It cured cancer. It stopped a thousand cold and flu viruses in their tracks. It raised the dead. Twenty years after the Rising, a team of bloggers, led by Georgia and Shaun Mason, search for the brutal truths behind the infection. Danger, deceit, and betrayal lurk around every corner.