Narrator Stina Nielsen's light Southern accent gently draws listeners into a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Annie P. Logan's mother left the family years ago. Ever since then, unasked questions and fading memories have nurtured Annie's belief that her life is unlucky. Feeling ignored and misunderstood by her dad and her brother, Annie escapes into drawing and daydreaming. Then, she makes a foolish decision that changes everything. A tangle of unexpected events involving an elderly woman and her beloved dog teaches Annie how to look beyond "luck" and discover what defines who a person truly is. Nielsen's nuanced first-person narration captures Annie's expressive personality and enhances the other character portrayals, as well.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: 2021
Duration: 6 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Complete with creative production touches, the result is a dark, satisfying listen.
Listeners don't just experience a fascinating historical drama--they also become steeped in a bloody gothic Western. Stellar performances are the center of this compelling listening experience. Narrator Marin Ireland fully embodies the beleaguered humanities professor who, while deep diving into the campus archive, discovers the story of her ancestors. At the same time, she is struggling with her tenure committee. In a deft transition back to 1912, Owen Teale's performance of a Lutheran pastor exhibits gravitas as he slowly unwinds the secrets of his relationship with Good Stab, a Blackfeet Indian who mysteriously appears in his congregation. Shane Ghostkeeper provides Good Stab with a subtle yet ferocious performance as the two face each other's buried truths.
Complete with creative production touches, the result is a dark, satisfying listen.Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
DD ISBN: 9789876543210
Publisher: Vicky Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2026
Live Oak Media recently caught our attention with this new read-along book and cassette program. We listened first, and were so delighted we couldn't wait to get the book. The picture book made the experience even better, but the audio recordings was strong and vibrant by itself. THE GARDENER, Sarah Stewart's Depression-era story of a young girl sent to live with her Uncle Jim in the city has a sweet, wistful quality with narration alone, but coupled with David Small's soft-edged pencil illustration, it's a total delight. The reading is repeated on both sides of the tape, one with and without page-turning signals.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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