Discover the Best Sellers Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

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Title: Crashing the Party

Subtitle: An American Reporter in China

Author: Scott Savitt

Narrator: James Chen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-19-17

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

It's 1983. Scott Savitt, one of the first American exchange students in Beijing, picks up his guitar and begins strumming Blackbird. He's soon surrounded by Chinese students who know every word to every Beatles song he plays. Scott stays on in Beijing, working as a reporter for Asiaweek Magazine. The city's first nightclubs open; rock 'n' roll promises democracy. Promoted to foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times then United Press International, Scott finds himself drawn into China's political heart.

Later, at 25 years old, Scott is the youngest accredited foreign correspondent in China with an intimate knowledge of Beijing's backstreets. But as the seven-week occupation of Tiananmen Square ends in bloodshed on June 4, 1989, his greatest asset is his flame-red 500 cc. Honda motorcycle - giving Scott the freedom to witness first-hand what the Chinese government still denies ever took place. After Tiananmen, Scott founds the first independent English-language newspaper in China, Beijing Scene. He knows that it's only a matter of time before the authorities move in, and sure enough, in 2000 he's arrested, flung into solitary confinement and, after a month in jail, deported.

Scott Savitt's memoir turns this complex political-historical subject into an extraordinary adventure story.

Members Reviews:

Great story, even better narration

This book is riveting nearly the whole way through. I would say a few of the later chapters drag a little bit, but the ending is deeply troubling. I highly recommend it overall.

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Title: Get Fit, Get Happy

Author: Harry Judd

Narrator: Harry Judd

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-19-17

Publisher: Coronet

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Get Fit, Get Happy isn't about just transforming the way you look. It's about transforming the way you feel.

Harry Judd is a member of the hugely successful bands McFly and McBusted, who have headlined Hyde Park and notched up 19 hit singles - of which seven went to number one - and two number-one albums. He is a much-loved former Strictly Come Dancing champion and has been crowned the nation's favourite ever winner of the show. And yet in spite of this success, there have been times when Harry has been prone to anxiety and other mental health issues. He's not alone.

Today, anxiety, depression and eating disorders affect more of us than ever before, and we are all looking for ways to adapt, cope and survive the pressures of daily life. The one thing that Harry has turned to time and time again to redress the balance in his life is fitness. Now, using a combination of exercise and dance, Harry makes the mood-boosting benefits of fitness accessible for everyone. Young or old, male or female, small or large, tall, short, thin, fat or somewhere in the middle: anyone will be inspired by Get Fit, Get Happy.

Without any need for expensive kit or lots of time, Harry's approach is fun, fast and free. Part memoir in which Harry tells the life lessons that he has learned and part richly researched fitness plan to get you feeling more positive, Get Fit, Get Happy is a fitness revolution to help people find a little more happiness in their lives.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the fully illustrated Get Fit, Get Happy Fitness Plan PDF will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our desktop site.

Members Reviews:

Theres nothing in this...

Writing a bad review on this feels like kicking a puppy. You cant fault how likeable and sweet Harry is. But there is very little content here and if you are already running or doing light to moderate exercise itll only serve as a reminder to get up and going while youre reading it.

Theres also an irritating retake left in that wasnt cut out. Thats frustrating.

plesant enough listen.

Easy listen. Felt for the guy suffering with mental health issues but didn't say anything you don't already know.

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Title: The Book of Forgotten Authors

Author: Christopher Fowler

Narrator: Christopher Fowler

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-05-17

Publisher: riverrun

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder. It makes people think you're dead.

So begins Christopher Fowler's foray into the back catalogues and backstories of 99 authors who, once hugely popular, have all but disappeared from our shelves. Whether male or female, domestic or international, flash-in-the-pan or prolific, mega-seller or prize-winner, no author, it seems, can ever be fully immune from the fate of being forgotten. And Fowler, as well as remembering their careers, lifts the lid on their lives, and why they often stopped writing or disappeared from the public eye.

These 99 journeys are punctuated by 12 short essays about faded once-favourites, including the now-vanished novels Walt Disney brought to the screen, the contemporary rivals of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie who did not stand the test of time, and the women who introduced us to psychological suspense many decades before it conquered the world.

This is a book about books and their authors. It is for book lovers, and is written by one who could not be a more enthusiastic, enlightening and entertaining guide.

Critic Reviews:

"Joyous...fascinating." (Cathy Rentzenbrink)

"I love it! A real gem." (Joanne Harris)

"Will have the inevitable effect of sending readers in search of these intriguing lost names." (Barry Forshaw)

Members Reviews:

A cornucopia of literary bygones & their writers

Fowler is a great companion as he takes us on his explorations of nooks, crannies and bywaters of past literary successes. For me many of the titles were familiar quality ones on my book shelves Id enjoyed decades ago Brian Moore, J.G.Farrell, Barbara Pym - and its good to re-live them.

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Title: John Grisham

Subtitle: A Biography

Author: Daniel Harrison

Narrator: Mark Rossman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-29-17

Publisher: Daniel Harrison

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

John Grisham is an American bestselling writer, attorney, politician, and activist best known for his popular legal thrillers. His books have been translated into 42 languages and published worldwide.

John Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981. He practiced criminal law for about a decade and served in the House of Representatives in Mississippi from January 1984 to September 1990.

His first novel, A Time to Kill, was published in June 1989, four years after he began writing it. As of 2012, his books have sold over 275 million copies worldwide. A Galaxy British Book Awards winner, Grisham is one of only three authors to sell 2 million copies on a first printing.

Grisham's first bestseller, The Firm, sold more than seven million copies. The book was adapted into a 1993 feature film of the same name, starring Tom Cruise, and a 2012 TV series which "continues the story of attorney Mitchell McDeere and his family 10 years after the events of the film and novel." Eight of his other novels have also been adapted into films: The Chamber, The Client, A Painted House, The Pelican Brief, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, Skipping Christmas, and A Time to Kill.

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Title: Birds Art Life

Subtitle: A Year of Observation

Author: Kyo Maclear

Narrator: Laurel Lefkow

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-13-17

Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

A writer's search for inspiration, beauty, and solace leads her to birds in this intimate and exuberant meditation on creativity and life - a field guide to things small and significant.

For Vladimir Nabokov, it was butterflies. For John Cage, it was mushrooms. For Sylvia Plath, it was bees. Each of these artists took time away from their work to become observers of natural phenomena. In 2012, Kyo Maclear met a local Toronto musician with an equally captivating side passion - he had recently lost his heart to birds. Curious about what prompted this young urban artist to suddenly embrace nature, Kyo decides to follow him for a year and find out.

A distilled, crystal-like companion to H Is for Hawk, this memoir celebrates the particular madness of loving and chasing after birds in a big city. Intimate and philosophical, moving with ease between the granular and the grand view, it celebrates the creative and liberating effects of keeping your eyes and ears wide open and explores what happens when you apply the core lessons of birding to other aspects of life. In one sense this is a book about disconnection - how our passions can buckle under the demands and emotions of daily life - and about reconnection: how the act of seeking passion and beauty in small ways can lead us to discover our most satisfying life. On a deeper level, it takes up the questions of how we are shaped and nurtured by our parallel passions and how we might come to cherish not only the world's pristine natural places but also the blemished urban spaces where most of us live.

Birds Art Life follows two artists on a yearlong adventure that is at once a meditation on the nature of creativity and a quest for a good and meaningful life.

Critic Reviews:

"A wondrous little book about 'being a little lost'." (The New York Times)

"An incandescent exploration of beauty, inspiration, art, family, and freedom that seems to leave no topic out of its binocular scope." (Toronto Star)

Members Reviews:

A Small Gem

This small gem of a book celebrates the oft-ignored value of the commonplace. The author uses her perceptive view of nature, in this case the avian population of urban Toronto, to comment upon more profound facets of daily life.

Her own accompanying ink drawings are whimsical complements to her thoughtful prose and are interspersed with appropriate nature photography.

Although the book flows rapidly through the year it will linger in the reader's mind and lends itself to multiple readings.

A joy to read

Birds Art Life is a charming and intriguing book. The author records her bird walks with a mentor. Their relationship gives an aura of mystery to the narrative. The author learns to listen and observe birds. Birds Art Life is also full of details from books the author has read. It made me want to also read those books. Although the book has a sad theme--the aging of her father--the narrative is life-affirming.

Life, death, and points in between, birds too

Some parts were slow going. It is written in a relatively choppy style of short paragraphs in many of the chapters. I did enjoy reading it though. A very personal set of essays combining beginning birding with associated thoughts about life and death and points in between. I like that it was divided into months and that birds were specifically identified for each month.

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Title: 101 Amazing Facts About Ed Sheeran

Author: Jack Goldstein, Frankie Taylor

Narrator: Kent Harris

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-17-17

Publisher: Andrews UK Limited

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Are you the world's biggest Ed Sheeran fan? Or do you want to know everything there is to know about one of the most talented singer-songwriters of a generation?

In this excellent audiobook, Kent Harris tells us everything about Ed, from how he got started in the music industry, to his tattoos, collaborations with other artists and much more. Whether you're a brand new fan or someone who's been following Ed Sheeran for years, you're sure to enjoy these 101 amazing facts.

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Title: American Legends

Subtitle: The Life of Gregory Peck

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Scott Clem

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-03-17

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

"Entertainment is all right, but entertainment with an idea behind it is much more important." Gregory Peck

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

At the end of the 20th century, the American Film Institute ranked Gregory Peck 12th in its list of best actors, and it's not hard to see why. In addition to being one of the most popular actors in Hollywood for three decades, Peck won an Academy Award for Best Actor playing Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, and he was also nominated several other times. Even when he wasn't being nominated for his performances, he appeared in some of the most acclaimed movies of the century, including How the West Was Won and Roman Holiday.

Peck was a household name across America, but far from resting on his laurels, he poured just as much energy into humanitarian causes, though he didn't think much of it, saying, "I'm not a do-gooder. It embarrassed me to be classified as a humanitarian. I simply take part in activities that I believe in." Nonetheless, Peck's work as a humanitarian led to him being awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by Lyndon Johnson in 1969, when he was still near the height of his career. He championed several causes over the years, most of them liberal ones like gun control and gay rights. Always outspoken, he even lent his name and voice to politically charged commercials, including the notorious fight to stop Ronald Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. Peck continued his work into the 21st century, and in 2011, several years after he died, he was commemorated with a postage stamp.

American Legends: The Life of Gregory Peck profiles the life and career of one of America's greatest actors. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Gregory Peck like never before, in no time at all.

Members Reviews:

The man the legend: Mr Peck

This was absolutely awesome. I've known Gregory for many,many years and I still learned a lot from this very interesting book. So many details and remarkable facts that so many people had no knowledge of. He was one of the truly fascinating actors of my time and the world sorely misses him. One thing I was completely unaware of was his political involvement. I mean we all are to some extent but Gregory was more involved than most at a time when we needed his kind of wholesomeness. I know that we could sure use that in today's political arena. Be ready to enjoy yourself...very good read!

Ok, but don't waste your money!!

Don't bother with this, its an abridged story from something else, no bigger than a pamphlet. I'm not a fast reader but I had the whole thing finished in about an hour. Some grainy photos were inserted. Looks to be haphazardly thrown together. Don't waste your $6+, spend a little bit more and buy one of the other books by Gary Fishgall or Lynn Haney. I bought all three and started on the Lynn Haney book.

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Title: Bulletins from Dallas

Subtitle: Reporting the JFK Assassination

Author: Bill Sanderson

Narrator: James Foster

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-23-17

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

An in-depth look at one of the twentieth century's star reporters and his biggest story.

Thanks to one reporter's skill, we can fix the exact moment on November 22, 1963 when the world stopped and held its breath: At 12:34 p.m. Central Time, UPI White House reporter Merriman Smith broke the news that shots had been fired at President Kennedy's motorcade. Most people think Walter Cronkite was the first to tell America about the assassination. But when Cronkite broke the news on TV, he read from one of Smith's dispatches. At Parkland Hospital, Smith saw President Kennedy's blood-soaked body in the back of his limousine before the emergency room attendants arrived. Two hours later, he was one of three journalists to witness President Johnson's swearing-in aboard Air Force One. Smith rightly won a Pulitzer Prize for the vivid story he wrote for the next day's morning newspapers.

Smith's scoop is journalism legend. But the full story of how he pulled off the most amazing reportorial coup has never been told. As the top White House reporter of his time, Smith was a bona fide celebrity and even a regular on late-night TV. But he has never been the subject of a biography.

With access to a trove of Smith's personal letters and papers and through interviews with Smith's family and colleagues, veteran news reporter Bill Sanderson will crack open the legend. Bulletins from Dallas tells for the first time how Smith beat his competition on the story, and shows how the biggest scoop of his career foreshadowed his personal downfall.

Members Reviews:

A great read with new perspectives on Dallas and the story behind the story

Page-turner. Great read. Stayed up late to finish in one sitting. You thought you knew everything about Dallas, but think again. This is the story of how the story got told, from the perspective of a leading journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage and an author who did voluminous research to fill in the blanks. The subsequent research, interviews, etc. tie everything together. The advantages of just-the-facts reporting over today's more opinion-based version are discussed. So, too, is the personal story of Merriman Smith, the reporter involved. His remarkable rise to prominence, longevity on the beat, relationships with Presidents, and then his ultimate unraveling and tragedy are told in a highly readable way.

A Book You Can't Put Aside About a Story You Think You Know

There have been so many stories written about the Kennedy assassination--history and conspiracies, books and magazine articles--that you'd think after over 50 years there's nothing new or interesting to say. You'd be wrong. Bill Sanderson, a veteran newspaper reporter and editor, does for this story what great writers do. He gives his reader a fresh perspective by telling the story from a new and different viewpoint and by presenting facts that no one knew. The perspective is that of Merriman Smith, a deeply flawed and intensely interesting character. Smith was the UPI White House corespondent from Roosevelt to Nixon. For much of that time, he was a celebrity in his own right. He not only produced stories on the President that appeared in papers all over the world, he also wrote books, penned "gossipy" Page 6 stories, and appeared on talk shows and game shows.

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Title: Scab Vendor

Subtitle: Confessions of a Tattoo Artist

Author: Jonathan Shaw

Narrator: Carol Monda, Jonathan Shaw

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-16-17

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Jonathan Shaw's Scab Vendor: Confessions of a Tattoo Artist is a surreal, multigenerational roller-coaster ride through the underbelly of modern culture, charting the course of a life measured by extremes and all the people, places, and events that shaped that life into a survivor's tale of epic proportions. In it, Shaw takes the listener deep, not only into the recesses of his extraordinary mind and adventures but also into the strange and magical process of memoir-writing itself.

If truth is indeed stranger than fiction, then, as Shaw's friend and literary mentor Charles Bukowski once told him, much of this book would have to be lived before it could be written. In that sense, Scab Vendor: Confessions of a Tattoo Artist is much more than a fascinating chronicle of a popular outlaw artist's creative evolution. It is a multicolored, cinematic, modern-day Odyssey, written in blood, ink, and tears - a kaleidoscopic, visionary road map to the journey of the human soul.

Members Reviews:

Very hard to follow

I appreciate creative verbiage but this book was obviously written under the influence of some serious drugs. That makes it hard to follow. However, someone else might find this book entertaining. It wasnt for me.

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Title: Voltaire

Subtitle: A Biography

Author: Alexander Hall

Narrator: 5395 Media LLC

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-27-17

Publisher: Alexander Hall

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his attacks on the established Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state. Voltaire was a versatile writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, and historical and scientific works. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and more than 2000 books and pamphlets. He was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties, despite the risk this placed him in under the strict censorship laws of the time. As a satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize intolerance, religious dogma, and the French institutions of his day.

Members Reviews:

It's over before it starts

The info is okay but it's too short to think of as a "biography"

It ended before it got started