John Grisham's Camino Ghosts- another Grisham classic read by Whoopi Goldberg #booktube

 I’ve been enjoying audiobooks for over a decade and was thrilled when John Grisham's latest legal thriller, Camino Ghosts, became available in my library. As a longtime Grisham fan who has read most of his thrillers, listening to Whoopi Goldberg’s narration was the icing on the cake.

The story weaves a thread between the past—the saga of a slave ship that brought Nala and crashed off the coast of Florida—and the present-day life of Lovely Jackson, a descendant of those enslaved.

Set on Camino Island, the popular bookseller Bruce Cable shares with local author Mercer Mann the story of Jackson and how a resort developer is scheming to claim ownership of a deserted island. What the developer doesn’t know is that the island holds a remarkable history, and locals believe it is cursed.

Goldberg brings Grisham’s fast-paced narrative to life, making for a mesmerizing audiobook. Another five stars to John Grisham for this legal thriller!

American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel - #BookReview

With lockdowns and the pandemic slowing down life and travel as we knew it, I have been bing-listening to Audio Books during the past year. I generally listen to top-ranked non-fictional novels and most stories are transient in my mind. However, a few stories, linger in one's mind long after the book is finished. 

Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt is one such novel - and not surprisingly it has received a lot of acclaim including 51,000 reviews on Amazon! 

 Here is my review from Amazon

I came across American Dirt while searching for my next audio book and was captivated in the first few minutes. Midway through the saga, I googled the book and realized it was a bestseller with critical reviews. I decided to tuck aside that piece of information and continued the journey with the protagonist Lydia, her son Luca and their migrant cohorts as they make the treacherous journey "El Norte."

The story begins with Lydia and her eight-year-old son Luca witnessing the brutal murder of 16 of their family members while the pair have a miraculous escape. That sets in motion Lydia’s determination to escape to the US ("El Norte") with her son. We then join Lydia and Luca in their perilous journey on foot and top of goods train as they try to escape the wide net cast by a cartel boss.

The saga, set in a short span of a few weeks, has a bit of everything – philosophy in the form of Lydia’s oft repeated mantra “try not to think,” suspense, crime, drug lords, cartels and drama. It also tries to give us a glimpse into the sordid state of affairs when a drug-cartel takes over a placid Mexican town. With a few characters who join Lydia and Luca in their journey, the author attempts to highlight why some migrants risk their lives to try to cross the border "El Norte."

Bottomline: Follow Lydia’s advice; “try not to think” of the reviews and just enjoy a good read.