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Title: Tear Down the Mountain

Subtitle: An Appalachian Love Story

Author: Roger Alan Skipper

Narrator: Daniel May

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-17-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

In their tiny, secluded mountain community, Sid Lore and Janet Hollar are misfits: Sid because he wasnt born here, Janet because she cant satisfy her Pentecostal churchs demand to speak in tongues. The two drift together and get married, and soon the optimistic, independent newlyweds vow to forge their own reality. Appalachian life, however, proves difficult: Family and friends die or move away and Sids work-related injuries make it impossible to earn a living. As his enters a rut of odd jobs, bar brawls, and dog fights, Janet discovers new worth and a hidden talent for destruction. Just when they don't think they can sink any lower, the "superior" outside world discovers their mountains, their lake, their forests, and their rednecks - which brings new problems. Incisive prose, vivid characters, and a compulsively listenable narrative make this novel about lives cramped and cornered by economic and cultural forces a stunning debut.

Members Reviews:

Love in a Rusted-Out Trailer

Skipper's engrossing first novel is about love in the hard landscape of rural poverty. This account of Sid Lore and Janet Hollar's courtship and marriage is an all-out run down mountains, across yards ruled by angry dogs, through beer joints, and into the hearts and minds of a couple whose tenacity and passion seems to redefine 'until death do us part.'

In Skipper's Appalachia, language is something you chew and savor; characters "masticate their words." Sid's encounters with animals, butchered or alive, dog or mouse, are vivid to the point of being odorous. Janet uses words, sometimes like a whip, sometimes as a gentle wind to fan the couple's hopes into flame. Every word is believable; when Janet "lams" Sid in the mouth with a flowerpot, breaking his front teeth, his acceptance of this indignity seems as natural as relying on duct tape to fix appliances too rusted out for conventional treatments.

The plotting is a bit arbitrary; when Sid and Janet make decisions, they have a random feel. Characters I grew to love in section 1 seem to have dropped off the map without explanation by section II. Yet would more tightly-knit book have conveyed so well the drifting nature of lives bound both by their love of `the mountain' and the poverty that environment engenders?

Tear Down the Mountain is an honest picture of the scrappy nature of love; and a paean to an urge to survival that finds life to be `enough' no matter how tough the circumstances.

Wild Ride, Wonderful Journey

Tear Down the Mountain is a wild ride into a part of the US most rarely visit and almost no one gets to inhabit the way Skipper does. He takes the reader into the intimate spaces between the valleys, gulleys, and heart chambers that ARE Appalachia. Although the book starts out slowly, it definitely picks up momentum, much the way a coal cart does as it rattles to a crashing conclusion at the end of a mine. But what Skipper does here is to make us crave the ride. HIs mastery of characterization and language is nothing short of sublime. He is nearly poetic, evoking in the reader a sense of sympathy and a gasp for breath as the views of this place, this human space, unfold page after page. The raw and sometimes brutal views are well worth the trip.

Skipper has a definitely male Margaret Mitchell approach to regional fiction.

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Title: Ten Things I've Learnt about Love

Author: Sarah Butler

Narrator: Susan Duerden, John Lee

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-11-13

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

About to turn 30, Alice is the youngest of three daughters and the black sheep of her family. Drawn to traveling in far-flung and often dangerous countries, she has never enjoyed the closeness with her father that her two older sisters have and has eschewed their more conventional career paths. She has left behind a failed relationship in London with the man she thought she might marry and is late to hear the news that her father is dying. She returns to the family home only just in time to say good-bye.

Daniel is called many things - "tramp", "bum", "lost". He hasnt had a roof over his head for almost 30 years, but he once had a steady job and a passionate love affair with a woman hes never forgotten. To him, the city of London has come to be like home in a way that no bricks-and-mortar dwelling ever was. He makes sculptures out of the objects he finds on his walks throughout the city - bits of string and scraps of paper, a childs hair tie, and a lost earring - and experiences synesthesia, a neurological condition that causes him to see words and individual letters of the alphabet as colors. But as he approaches his 60s his health is faltering, and he is kept alive by the knowledge of one thing - that he has a daughter somewhere in the world whom he has never been able to find.

A searching and inventive debut, Ten Things Ive Learnt About Love is a story about finding love in unexpected places, about rootlessness and homecoming, and the power of the ties that bind. It announces Sarah Butler as a major new talent for telling stories that are heart-wrenching and unforgettable.

Members Reviews:

Tedious and female narrator a disappointment

I really tried, but could not get through this book. While I liked the male narrators style, I found the womans performance annoying. Every line delivered with a sad downturn at the end of the sentence, lacking any variance in tone, emotion, or inflection. It was too monotonous for me. The book itself may have gotten better if I could have hung in there, but I found the numerous random lists of Ten things ... didnt add much to the story and felt contrived. Overall, a disappointment.

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Title: Good Bones and Simple Murders & the Tent

Author: Margaret Atwood

Narrator: Laurence Bouvard

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-05-13

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd.

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

In Good Bones and Simple Murders, Margaret Atwood displays, in condensed and crystallized form, the trademark wit and virtuosity of her best-selling novels.

Among the jewels gathered here are Gertrude offering Hamlet a piece of her mind, the real truth about the Little Red Hen, a reincarnated bat explaining how Bram Stoker got Dracula all wrong, and the five methods of making a man. There are parables, monologues, prose poems, condensed science fiction, reconfigured fairy tales, and other miniature masterpieces.

In The Tent, Margaret Atwood has penned a collection of smart and entertaining fictional essays. Chilling and witty, prescient and personal, delectable and tart, these highly imaginative, vintage Atwoodian essays speak on a broad range of subjects, reflecting the times we live in with deadly accuracy and knife-edge precision.

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Title: Shadow of a Lady

Author: Jane Aiken Hodge

Narrator: Tara Ochs

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-23-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars and the glitter of the court of Naples, this captivating novel unfolds the story of Helen Telfair, a young English woman in search of herself. Helen, intelligent, witty, rebellious, had sworn never to marry. But when she found herself with child after a brutal encounter with a stranger, she agreed to marry the wealthy and dissolute Lord Henry Merritt. Helen, neglected by her husband, felt very much alone - until she met Emma, the celebrated Lady Hamilton. No two women were less alike. Emma was uneducated, sensual, and by sheer will and unsurpassed beauty had catapulted herself into a brilliant marriage and into a scandalous affair with the famous Lord Nelson. But fate joined these two unforgettable women in a drama of intrigue and war and Helen's destiny was newly shaped by a great and exotic moment in history.

Born near Cambridge, Massachusetts to Pulitzer prize-winning poet Conrad Aiken and his first wife, the writer Jessie McDonald. Jane Hodge was 3 years old when her family moved to Great Britain, settling in Rye, East Sussex, where her younger sister, Joan, who would become a novelist and a childrens writer, was born. Their parents divorced in 1929. From 1935, Jane Hodge read English at Somerville College, Oxford University, and in 1938 she took a second degree in English at Radcliffe College, her mothers alma mater. She was a civil servant for a time, and also worked for Time Magazine, before returning to the UK in 1947. Her works of fiction include historical novels and contemporary detective novels. In 1972 she renounced her United States citizenship and became a British subject. For many years a believer in the right of people to end their own lives, Hodge chose to end her own by means of an overdose in June 2009. The Times obituary (pub. July 25, 2009) stated that she left a letter expressing her deep distress that she had felt unable to discuss her plans with her daughters without risking making them accessories.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Well written and enjoyable to read.

A novel for history buffs: Lord Nelson & the Hamiltons are the back story

I read this book when it was 1st published, and I still found it interesting. But I had to "Google" a lot of historical details as I read.

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Title: Why Don't You Stop Talking

Author: Jackie Kay

Narrator: Adjoa Andoh, Caroline Guthrie, Cathleen McCarron, Rachael Loiuse Miller

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-09-13

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

In Jackie Kays first collection of stories, ordinary lives are transformed by secrets. Her world might seem familiar sex, death and family cast long shadows but the roles of mothers, daughters and lovers are imagined and revealed in the most surprising of ways.

Jackie Kay sees the extraordinary in everyday life, and lights it up with humour and generosity in a way that is uniquely her own.

Critic Reviews:

"A virtuoso of voices that go straight to your guts" (Independeny on Sunday)

"If stories like these can still be written, the short story form must still be alive, not to say kicking." (Irish Times)

"A stunner. I am heartbroken to have finished it." (Ali Smith)

Members Reviews:

Seamlessly Poignant

Kay's first collection of short fiction makes a seamless move from her poetry. That is, oftentimes poets who try their hands at fiction do not cross the genres very gracefully (sorry, Simon Armitage). Jackie Kay's stories remain as biting and as politically/personally infused as her poetry, but with more dialogue and (if you can believe it) more sarcasm. Identity (namely aspects of race, sexual orientation, etc.) figures prominently here, as we expect and appreciate from Kay. Be warned that most selections will make you cry, but don't let that stop you from reading each story at least three times; they become clearer and more profound with each visit. This book will not let you down. In fact, it may lift you up to higher levels of enlightenment - Kay crafts her characters so well that we move through the events of their lives as if we have been transformed onto the pages!

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Title: Between Heaven and Here

Author: Susan Straight

Narrator: Paul Boehmer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-10-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Glorette Picard is dead. Her body was found in the alley behind a taqueria, half-hidden by wild tobacco trees, but no onenot Sidney, who knew she worked that alley, not her son Victor who memorizes SAT words to avoid the guys selling rock out of dryers in the Launderland, not her uncle Enrique, who everyone knows will be the one to hunt down her killersaw her die. As the close-knit residents of Rio Seco, California react to Glorettes murder, it becomes clear that her life and death are deeply entangled with the dark history of the city, and the untouchable beauty that, finally, killed her.

Just as Faulkner spent years populating his fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Susan Straight has captivated readers with her rich portrait of Rio Seco in novels such as A Million Nightingales and Take One Candle Light a Room. Rio Seco is a town deep in the groves, heavy with the sweet tang of citrus and the smell from the old morgue; its a place some will never leave. In Between Heaven and Here, the final novel in her Rio Seco trilogy, Susan Straight tells a story of unforgettable intimacy and intensity.

Members Reviews:

Solid writing but not up to Straight's earlier works.

Solid writing but not up to Straight's earlier works. This novel was sometimes difficult to follow because of its organization and the difficulty in identifying which characters were being portrayed. The reveal of Gloriette's killer was anticlimactic.

C for effort

After reading Susan Straight's previous novels in the trilogy, which I loved, this novel was a disappointment. She makes clear that some chapters were previously published in magazines. It was disjointed and a lazy effort. I would much rather have heard more about Fantine, or her nephew, Victor. In some chapters the train of thought is almost lacking. I may be white, but having grown up in a black neighborhood, I'm pretty good at understanding the jargon, but here? Not! It's as if she had more threads to unravel and threw them all in and hoped it stuck together--it didn't.

A fine work of writing and story-telling--poignant and strong.

Ms Straight is a unique writer in her vision, which is sharp and original, and in her prose, which is deceptively--in a terrific way--direct. In other words, she is a subtle stylist and she deserves even more attention than she has been receiving.

Great book!

Could not be better sociological or lyrically! Would read it again, would recommend it highly to anyone looking for a good read.

Her Best Yet!

An excellent view of both Riverside citrus history and the relationship between blacks and Hispanics. Susan Straight hit this one out of the park!!

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Titel: How to be good

Autor:: Nick Hornby

Erzähler: Esther Schweins

Format: Abridged

Spieldauer: 4 hrs and 54 mins

Sprache: Deutsch

Veröffentlichungsdatum: 03-27-13

Herausgeber: Der Hörverlag

Kategorien: Fiction, Literary

Zusammenfassung des Herausgebers:

Katie Carr, Mutter zweier Kinder und frustrierte Ehefrau des zynischen Kolumnisten David, tut ihr Bestes. Doch das reicht nicht, als der charismatische Wunderheiler DJ GoodNews auftaucht, mutiert David zu einem schier unerträglichen Gutmenschen, einem Allesversteher, einem Weltverbesserer...

©2001 Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch Köln (P)2001 Der Hörverlag

Kritik Bewertungen:

So witzig wie seit "High Fidelity" nicht mehr.

-- Focus (zum Buch)

Mitglieder Bewertungen:

The million-dollar question

It was the title that originally attracted me to this book. Isn't trying to figure out how to "be good" the central question of all our lives? Hornby seems to have grappled with the issue himself in a deep way, and this parable - that's how I interpret it - is what he came up with. I enjoyed the wild ride through a short-lived affair, a dysfunctional marriage, an utter and disorienting about-face in what originally seemed to be the more offensive of the two partners, a deus-ex-machina solution for back pain and eczema but not emotional turmoil, and the narrator's moving out...but all along I wanted to know where it would all end up. I wasn't disappointed. I found the ending believable, and even quotable. I won't spoil it by giving it away here, since I think it was the best part of the book, and worth the long buildup.

I like the bits of British English I picked up here and there, like "bedsit".

I was impressed with Hornby's success in writing the story from a female point of view. The one time when I suppose it made the most difference was when he described the couple's marital bed routines. Otherwise the female narrator in many ways has taken on more traditionally masculine roles, such as being the main breadwinner. But the effort is convincing in any case.

This was in fact the most enjoyable book I'd read in quite a long time.

Tedious, irritating and whiny characters. Don't bother

I've enjo yed so many of Nick Hornby's other books that I looked forward to this one eagerly, and was really disappointed. It's tedious, full of irritating, whiny people I couldn't possibly care about (including the protagonist), so who cares if the marriage is dysfunctional and the kids are a mess? I read through to the end on principle and because I was hoping somehow it would get better. It didn't. Don't make the same mistake. Save yourself the time and money and skip this one.

How to Write a Book with No Heart and Soul

I kept reading and waiting....waiting for the revelation, the "a-ha!" moment, the change of heart, the redemption...or a fall from grace....for any of these depressing, unlovable, self-deluded and self-centered characters that Hornby has concocted. Oh, my, this novel did drag on and on and on, waxing unpoetic about the same boring problems of a mother who thinks she "is a good person" and loves her children and family, yet from all accounts, she is a boring and unconscientious woman (with no notable feminine qualities) who blames the lack of love in her life on other people, rather that creating an environment of warmth around her.

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Title: Leah's Children

Author: Gloria Goldreich

Narrator: Suzanne Toren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-05-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Spanning decades and the globe, the remarkable odysseys of Aaron, Michael, and Rebecca were as compelling as the journey of their renowned mother, Leah. From the courageous struggle of the Hungarian revolution, to the dramatic strife of the civil rights movement in Mississippifrom Israels heroic fight for freedom, to the eve of the Six-Day WarLeahs children confronted their own convictions and desires in an ever-changing world fraught with danger, idealism, and betrayal. Their uncompromising search for love and fulfillment carried them into dangerous emotional territory - where only the strength, courage, and imagination inherited from their mother could lead them to their own triumphant destinies.

Members Reviews:

Great storyline

Brilliant story, well written, great narration. Enjoyable from beginning to end. Kept on edge all the journey

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Titel: Das Mädchen, das den Himmel berührte

Autor:: Luca Di Fulvio

Erzähler: Sascha Rotermund

Format: Unabridged

Spieldauer: 29 hrs and 6 mins

Sprache: Deutsch

Veröffentlichungsdatum: 02-18-13

Herausgeber: Lübbe Audio

Bewertung: 4.5 von 5 von 3 Stimmen

Kategorien: Fiction, Literary

Zusammenfassung des Herausgebers:

Wie wird ein junger Tagedieb, der seine Kindheit in einer Höhle verbracht hat, zu einem glühenden Verfechter der Freiheit? Wie wird ein jüdischer Betrüger zu einem berühmten Arzt? Und wie wird ein junges Mädchen ohne Perspektive zu einer einflussreichen Modeschöpferin? Die Antwort liegt in Venedig. Denn dort, im Labyrinth der Gassen und Kanäle der geheimnisvollsten Lagune Europas, zwischen der Pracht San Marcos und dem Elend der Spelunken von Rialto findet sich das gesamte Panorama des Lebens...

©2013 Bastei Lübbe (P)2013 Lübbe Audio

Mitglieder Bewertungen:

Five Stars

Good read if you like historical books. Good story.

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Title: Joyland

Author: Emily Schultz

Narrator: Tristan Morris

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-21-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Its 1984 and in the town of South Wakefield, 14-year-old Chris Lane is sure that he can see the future, or at least guess what's inside of Christie Brinkley's mind. Unfortunately, he can't foresee the closing of Joyland, the towns only video arcade. As the arcade fades from his life, Chris is forced to find a new source of entertainment, and ends up getting more than he bargained for - a summer of teenage lust and violence.

Joyland is about the impossibility of knowing the future, bringing the Cold War home in a novel set to the digital pulse of video games and the echoes of hair metal.

Members Reviews:

compelling reading

I bought the book with no idea about it's story line. I was pleasantly surprised by the portrayal of these young teen characters. As a former high school teacher, I could understand their pain and humor as well as their addiction to video games.

Worth the time

Great dark coming of age story. Mr. King himself recommended it. I would have given it a five... But, it's a little slow in the beginning but worth the read!

Justice for the author

People are buying this book, which btw is delightful, by mistake - thinking they are buying the Steven King book that was written AFTER this was - and then giving the author crappy reviews. This is wrong. if you are careless enough to buy the wrong book, don't take it out on the author.

Counter Balance

I didn't read this book and likely never will as it does not sound like the tyoe of story I would enjoy.

However somebody give it a one star rating because THEY accidently purchased it thinking it was Stephen King, i've no idea how they did that but this review is too counter balance that one.

Thoughtful and well written.

Excellent. This is the kind of book you need to read without knowing what's going to happen so suffice to say I'll keep my review short as I don't want to spoil the treat in store. I highly recommend this well-told, thoughtful, and suspenseful novel. It's a little slow at times, but if you're patient, it's very rewarding. And please note this is not written by Stephen King. The two books are very different in style and tone.