The Cursing Mommy’s Book of Days – A Review

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The other day I finally finished listening to “The Cursing Mommy’s Book of Days” by Ian Frazier. Cynthia Nixion narrated the story.

Why finally, you may ask? Well, for starters, they weren’t joking when they called it the Cursing Mommy. This woman swears like a sailor. My husband got an earful one afternoon and announced that he didn’t want to hear that sort of language in the house.

I’m no prude, but I have to agree that the language was a bit excessive.

The story follows along for a year in a blogger’s life. This particular blogger addresses herself as the “Cursing Mommy.”

I can’t say that I enjoyed this book. Yes, there were some hilarious moments. But I often found myself shaking my head at the main character’s vulgarity.

I often thought, “This woman needs a bottle of dish soap to wash her mouth out, a course in anger management, and some AA meetings.”

I could overlook the cursing (not gonna lie, I’ve done a fair bit myself). However, some of the situations seemed unrealistic and over the top, especially when it came to the kids’ schools and their insurance company. I know it was tongue-in-cheek, but it just didn’t work for me.

Another thing I didn’t like was the fact that I didn’t feel that they story WENT anywhere. There was no sense of resolution. I know it’ supposed to be a blog, but the story needed some wrapping up. Some sort of closure. A sense of satisfaction at a story well told.

I didn’t get any of those feelings.

I would like to leave this review on a high note, though. Cynthia Nixon did a fantastic job narrating this story. She was emphatic and emotional. No dull monotone here! She was the best part of this story and I want to thank her for doing such a wonderful job. I couldn’t have gotten through it without her.

This book wasn’t my cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean you might not enjoy it. I’ve included an excerpt below. It was funny, if not exactly safe for work. Beware; the Cursing Mommy does just that and more.

I Love Audio Books

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My mother used to read to me and my twin when we were young children. And when she was at work we had a small record player that we would take to the babysitter’s. Little Golden books, Sesame Street, Winnie the Pooh, etc. I’d follow along speaking aloud the words I knew.

My favorite teachers read to their classes after lunch. And they were good readers, too. They made listening interesting.

As I got older reading became a solitary occupation. And read I did. On the bus to and from work, during my lunch break. But I recently discovered (thanks to my twin who kept pushing me to give audio books a try) that I still enjoy being read to.

Bonus: I can do the dishes, make dinner, and get ready for work all while enjoying the latest novel.

I guess I’m more in touch with my inner child than I thought! 🙂

Audio book Narrators – Bahni Turpin

http://www.bubblews.com/news/8191059-audio-book-narrators-bahni-turpin

I am not familiar with Bahni Turpin’s acting career, which, according to IMDb, ran from 1987 to 2012 and includes both movies and TV series appearances. Until I looked her up on the Internet, I had no idea what she even looked like. Nor did I really care.

What I know and love about Bahni Turpin is her voice and the fact that she is an excellent and extremely expressive audio book narrator.

I first heard Bahni Turpin narrating while listening to “Calling Me Home”, by Julie Kibler. The story was told through two different women’s perspectives – eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle McAllister, who was read by the very talented Lorna Raver, and her hairdresser Dorrie Curtis, whose story was narrated by Bahni Turpin. Both narrators did a fantastic job and I highly recommend them both.

“Calling Me Home” was the first time I had heard Bahni Turpin read, but I later recognized her voice while I was in the car while my sister was listening to “The True Meaning of Smekday” by Adam Rex. Once again, she did a fabulous job reading the story.

A quick search on my local library’s webpage shows that she has narrated several novels including, but not limited to, “The Mighty Miss Malone” by Christopher Paul Curtis and “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. I intend to work my way through every story, she is that good.

When listening to audio books, having a decent narrator can be just as important as the novel itself. If you’ve ever suffered through a good book read in a dull, monotonous voice, you’ll understand what I’m saying. And Bahni Turpin is anything but dull and monotonous. Pick up one of the novels she’s narrated today. You won’t be disappointed.