Discover the New Releases Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs Top 100

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Title: Death at the Priory

Subtitle: Love, Sex and Murder in Victorian England

Author: James Ruddick

Narrator: Alistair Petrie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-17-09

Publisher: Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 77 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

It took three tortured days in 1876 for Charles Bravo to die from the poison that burned its way through his body. The subsequent investigation revealed many people with a grudge against the young barrister. The dramatic inquest was covered in sensational detail by the press, but no one was convicted of his murder. Over a century later, James Ruddick draws on new evidence to solve one of the most famous murders in criminal history.

©2009 James Ruddick; (P)2009 Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Members Reviews:

Good story but ...

The underlying story behind Death at the Priory has everything that a good mystery needs -- sex, love, and murder. The first part of this book definitely draws you in. However, toward the middle to end, the focus shifts from the story of the murder to a first person account of the author's investigation and details about how he ultimately "solved" the murder! It ruined the whole book for me, and the author comes off sounding quite pompous! It is as if the book is no longer about the intriguing murder, but suddenly about the author! Particularly if you are a fan of these sorts of books and may have listened to The Suspicions of Mr. Wicher first, this book will disappoint.

A feminist book by a man - who knew!

The story of this century-old unsolved murder serves a framework (jumping off point) for an examination of the status (or lack thereof) of British Victorian women, though members of that sex elsewhere weren't faring all that much better.

Ruddick has managed to put his extensive research together as an interesting conjecture as to how Charles Bravo met his end. I suspect the audio version might prove more interesting than the print book; the narrator conveys the author's enthusiasm well.

Worth purchasing and reading again

I had bought this title as a physical book years ago and had enjoyed it tremendously. I did not hesitate to purchase it again when I noticed it being available as an audio book here. I had the added pleasure this time to savor it on another level: Mr. Alistair Petrie's performance. It was a lovely experience and I will no doubt recommend it to others.

Intriguing true crime story

This story, about a murder that occurred in England more than 100 years ago, was well told and interesting. The author reviewed the case material from the original investigation and then looked for additional information related to the families involved and their descendants. The case had been investigated by Scotland Yard and written about by such crime-writing stars as Agatha Christie. James Ruddick presents a credible case for his "choice" of murderer.

I selected this title because my book club had decided to read it. I'm glad they did! As a lover of good detective fiction, this one met my expectations for being both a good story and a well-written narrative. And the bonus: it wasn't fiction!

The narrator did a fine job with the audio book.

Fantastic true story read by fantastic narrator

I just loved this book. As with The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, this true story (of the murder of a husband by his wife,) is set in late Victorian England. Although both books are very good reads, this is the better of the two. It's more succinct and to the point. The story is riveting and holds your attention.

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Title: Resistance

Subtitle: A Frenchwoman's Journal of the War

Author: Agnes Humbert, Barbara Mellor

Narrator: Joyce Bean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-09-08

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 42 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

In the throes of their struggle for freedom, the members of Humbert's group were betrayed to the Gestapo; Humbert herself was imprisoned. In immediate, electrifying detail, Humbert describes her time in prison; her deportation to Germany, where for more than two years she endured a string of brutal labor camps; and the horror of discovering that seven of her friends were executed by a firing squad. But through the direst of conditions and ill health in the labor camps, Humbert retains hope for herself, for her friends, and for humanity.

Originally published in France in 1946, the book was soon forgotten and is now translated into English for the first time. Résistance is more than a firsthand account of wartime France; it is the work of a brave, witty, and forceful woman, a true believer who refused to go quietly.

Editorial Reviews:

This diary captures the remarkable wartime experience of Agnes Humbert, a French art historian who found her spirit working against the Nazis for the French Resistance, only to have that spirit nearly crushed by years of forced labor in a Nazi factory. Narrator Joyce Bean captures the steely will and intelligence that animate this invaluable document. "Who could understand what we have suffered?" Humbert writes. "Only those who like us have descended into the murderous depths of the Nazi abyss." More than 60 years after its first publication in France, Resistance stands as a monument to the understanding, the defiance, and the hope this remarkable woman was able to rescue from the abyss.

Members Reviews:

Great listen

An excellent, first person account of resistence to the Nazi occupation of Paris in particular and France in general. It gives a moving picture of the fate of political prisoners in the hands of the Nazi conquerors.

Resistance

Griping...incredible..The strenght of the human spirit never ceases to amaze me...

Captivating

If you are interested in the history of les annees noires and the resistance movement in France - this will keep you spellbound for hours

Interesting first person accounts

I was reading this book as tangential research for a class I'm teaching next summer, but enjoyed it more than I expected.

The author has a talent for putting you in her shoes. As she had such an interesting story to tell, and it is told so well in her first-person experience, I'm glad I read it.

interesting oral history of a Nazi prisoner

This was an interesting account of a woman's experience as a nazi political prisoner. However the account of her time in the resistance is rather short and not very detailed. Having read the accounts of concentration camp survivors, she really had it better than others. She still faced brutality and this account should still be listened to, but as a history of the resistance it doesn't measure up.

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Title: Tales from the Dad Side

Author: Steve Doocy

Narrator: Steve Doocy

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-07-08

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Publishing types tell me if you're reading this it means you're looking for a reason to buy this audiobook.

What you're looking at is a very funny and sometimes remarkably poignant look at fathers from the dad's side. Which is why it's called Tales from the Dad Side.

It's filled with stories of what it's been like as a dad and a son, from a child's first day of kindergarten, the awkward sex talk, right up to the day the always practical dad tries to pay for college with bonus miles. As children get older, the lessons of the father get harder.

The truth is, fatherhood is like Wikipedia, some parts based in fact, others just made up along the way. And while bookstores are filled with tales of mothers, their children, and families, there are so few from the dad's side. Now as a public service, I'm doing my part to right this wrong.

Steve Doocy

Members Reviews:

Fails to be funny

The author starts out his description saying "Publishing types tell me if you're reading this it means you're looking for a reason to buy" and I think it's fair to say that his comment is representative of the level of funny this book achieves. IE: Not much. I picked this because the last book I read was a downer when I expected and upper. I needed a laugh and thus thought myself pre-disposed to laugh.

I only made it half way through this book. It's much like listening to a neighbor tell you about his family and childhood. You stand and there listening politely, because he is your neighbor. There maybe a few interesting bits, and a few light laughs, but all in all you would much rather be doing something else. I kept waiting for laughs, and while there were a few chuckles, there were just as many places where the story is sad. Most of it is just annoying like the aforementioned neighbor thought he was funny when he really wasn't.

If you enjoy those types of stories from your neighbor instead of like me, just listening to be polite and wishing you were doing something else, then buy the book. If you are a fan of this guy and want to know about him and his wife and kids, buy the book. But if you are looking for laughs or comical relief I suggest you keep browsing.

Steve is really funny. like thus dude

Funny book. as a dad of four it is spot on. recommend for a laugh or two

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Title: A Rare Recording of Sigmund Freud

Author: Sigmund Freud

Narrator: Sigmund Freud

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-25-08

Publisher: Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

As the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud developed theories that made him one of the most influential psychologists of the last century. In this rare actual recording from 1938, Freud talks about his professional career and his escape from the Nazis at the age of 82. (Some German is spoken.)

(P)2008 Listen & Live Audio

Members Reviews:

This is what it says it is...

but buy this ONLY if you are curious about what a very eldery famous German with advanced mouth/throat cancer sounds like. There is absolutely nothing profound or enlightening here. After all, it is only three minutes long.

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Title: Standing Tall

Subtitle: A Memoir of Tragedy and Triumph

Author: C. Vivian Stringer, Laura Tucker

Narrator: Adenrele Ojo

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-04-08

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Standing Tall is a story of quiet strength in the face of punishing odds. Above all, it is an extraordinary love story - love for the game, for the players she has coached, for her close-knit family, and for the husband she lost far too soon.

Critic Reviews:

"Coach Vivian Stringer is a pillar of strength who always stands tall. I'm inspired by her, both on and off the court, and you will be too." (Bill Clinton)

"What a story! In a way that touches me very personally, I see in Coach Stringer a mother's love - and I know that love is the kind of leadership that can change the world." (Michael Jordan)

"Simply put, it is a wonderful book about the wonder of growing up African American, female, ambitious, and successful. I laughed and cried with this book and was pleased." (Maya Angelou)

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Title: Hillbilly Gothic

Author: Adrienne Martini

Narrator: Christina Moore

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-11-07

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Adrienne Martini is an award-winning freelance writer. In her candid memoir Hillbilly Gothic, she offers a glimpse at mental illness from a personal perspective, and reveals how the women of her Appalachian family invariably suffer postpartum depression. After the birth of her first child, Adrienne found herself spiraling toward a breakdown that led to her eventual institutionalization.

©2006 Adrienne Martini; (P)2007 Recorded Books

Members Reviews:

Informative and profound

Although I've never experienced postpartum depression, I did have a mother who struggled her entire life with depression. This memoir deals very well with important topics.

I very much related to the mother/daughter aspects of the story. By not acknowledging her depression, my mother chose to not have treatment...something that affected our relationship until the day she died.

Martini is brutally honest in the sharing of her story and I commend her for that. But even more important was the fact that she managed to get through her dark time and move forward. Her memoir is about so much more than postpartum depression. It's about admitting to a problem, overcoming it, working through it and coming out the other side to become the person that she was meant to be. Highly recommended memoir!

I really enjoyed reading the family history and the author's description and ...

I really enjoyed reading the family history and the author's description and perspective on mental illness. I think her wit and sarcasm are entertaining without taking away from the seriousness of the topic. I would definitely recommend!

Five Stars

Great book, couldn't put it down

Hmmmmm?

This book was really not quite what I expected. The author races from topic to topic; most which deal with her unstable family history and these interludes are repeated throughout the book, but from different angles so you never quite get the sense about whom each character really is in her family and why they relate to the story. Surprisingly, to me, I thought this book really did not focus on the post-partum depression of the author. Yes, she speaks of it and gives a very vivid account of being on a mental ward for a bit due to PPD and added to this are excerpts from her journal directed at her newborn that seem to be thrown in with the mix as an extra or filling to her struggles to describe her story. But to say that she constantly cried about being pregnant, having her baby, trying to nurse the baby etc...really doesn't jive with me considering she lets on that she cries about almost every facet of her life, and has for quite some time. Hence, the need for anti-depressants earlier in her life.

Therefore, I'd say that this book really is about madness in that it makes little to no sense in the context that the author would like it to make sense in. She adds too much info about irrelevent items that occurred in her life (i.e.

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Title: The Late Bloomer's Revolution

Author: Amy Cohen

Narrator: Amy Cohen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-08-07

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Amy felt as if her life was behind schedule...way behind. The more time passed, the more difficult it became for her to believe that she would ever come into her own. The only thing that made her feel hopeful and even determined was the idea that she might be a late bloomer. She kept telling herself that things would change, that everything would happen for her, just not in the time she expected.

As it turned out, she was right. Fresh, funny, and above all, real, The Late Bloomer's Revolution is an irresistible memoir, and the perfect audiobook for anyone who hopes, as George Eliot so perfectly put it, that "it's never too late to be what you might have been".

Members Reviews:

My life story

I could so relate to the author...I'm curious how her life turned out...It's a great, easy listening adventure.

Shrillness vs. wit

I'll never know whether I would have found this book amusing if I'd read it instead of hearing it performed, apparently, by someone huffing helium every other sentence. It seemed as if the producers decided to up the funny factor by coaching the reader to be as shrill and nasal as possible (and to experiment freely with bad fake accents).

I also wish I'd been warned that the book's "humor" would consist of an endless, predictable string of Jewish-mother tropes and cutesy women's-magazine one-liners about catching/keeping/losing men. Ugh.

I knew it wasn't going well when I started forwarding through 10 minutes at a time, then 20 minutes at a time, hoping the mother character was going to shut up or die or something. She didn't. And neither did the main character.

I usually don't mind a dose of chick-lit, but this was truly so cloying and pointless that I'm actually sitting here venting in a nasty review. Double ugh.

Moving and Funny

I looked forward to listening to this audiobook. At times, Cohen's writing would make me gasp or laugh out loud. Other times I was moved to tears. My only criticism is that the reader/author frequently used "upspeak" as part of her presentation; sentences that were written as statements were often phrased as a question: "There was a guy in the restaurant? He looked like my ex-boyfriend from the back?"

Unlike a previous reviewer, I did not find Cohen's voice screechy or shrill. In fact, it was like listening to a phone message from a long lost friend.

I hope that she will consider writing another book-

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Title: Days of Obligation

Subtitle: An Argument with My Mexican Father

Author: Richard Rodriguez

Narrator: Michael Anthony

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-19-07

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

The book's "argument" poses Mexico and the United States as moral rivals. Mexico wears the mask of tragedy, the United States wears the mask of comedy. By the end of the book, the reader recognizes an historical irony: the United States is becoming a culture of tragedy; Mexico, meanwhile, revels in youthful optimism. Mexico and the United States have changed roles.

Critic Reviews:

"Luminous....[Rodriguez's] insights, irony, and descriptions make the writing richly evocative." (Publishers Weekly)

"Days of Obligation looks into America, north and south of the Rio Grande, as penetratingly and eloquently as Camus did when he compared the mental landscapes of France and Algiers." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

"The best American essayist as far as I'm concerned....[Rodriguez] doesn't kowtow to political correctness. He shuns the pack, rides alone. He writes a lonely line of individualism, the grandeur and grief of the American soul." (Village Voice)

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

A beautiful work.

MUST-to-have new classics

Must to read!

Especially for Californians!

We are being a witnesses of the new classics created.

Despite the tough vocabulary and not an easy writing style, author created brilliant and truly remarkable set of essays. They are not related to each other directly, which makes it somewhat easier to read and possible to skip around, moving back and forth according to your own moods and preferences.

A Treasure!!!

What an opportunity to own this collection of autobiographical essays by the most prolific Hispanic nonfiction writer of our time.

Four Stars

Hardcover was awesome.

Not my first choice.

not the usual type of book i would read but had to for an ap class, there is no arguement instead it is a 10 part flow of everything Richard feels about our culture. I am 17 so i prefer more thought provoking books

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Title: The 8.55 to Baghdad

Author: Andrew Eames

Narrator: Andrew Eames

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-27-06

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

The author travels from London to Baghdad by train, following the route of an identical journey made by Agatha Christie in 1928. Many of the countries Eames passes through have been deeply troubled in recent years. Merging literary biography with travel adventure, The 8.55 to Baghdad is the journey of a lifetime.

©2005, 2006 Andrew Eames; (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Agatha...and beyond

I was originally reticent to purchase this audiobook - I cant explain why - but I was glad that I did.

The initial premise of the journey (and the book) was to follow Agatha Christie's journey over land from the UK to Baghdad but the story turned into so much more. This book didnt cover just one journey by Christie, rather her 'second' life, following her divorce from her first husband and her travels and then life married to the much younger (~13 years younger) Max the archaeologist.

Christie was the premise, but not the main focus of the book. This was the countries the author travelled through, including the Baltic countries (a decade after being bombed into submission by Nato) through to Iraq (in the days leading up to the bombing by, you guessed it, Nato, in the initial days on the post-9/11 invasion to oust Saddam). Much is also given to the people he meets and travels with and the factions that develop when English people in particular travel together.

I rarely read/listen to non-fiction books that cover topics still so fresh in everyone's mind, but this book does not suffer. Eames is sympathetic to the peoples he meets (bar the English he travels with!), and is a decent narrator, which makes things all the easier to listen to

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Title: Best of Bryson City

Subtitle: Stories of a Doctor's First Years of Practice in the Smoky Mountains

Author: Dr. Walt Larimore

Narrator: Dr. Walt Larimore

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 02-23-05

Publisher: Zondervan

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 31 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

In Best of Bryson City, Dr. Larimore reads selections from his two collections of stories about the place that forever shaped not only his medical practice, but also his practice of life and faith. He sweeps readers into a world of colorful characters and the warmth, humor, quirks, and struggles of a small country town.

Members Reviews:

great family book!!

This was a great wholesome book that would be good for the whole family to listen to together on a trip. Made me laugh out loud often.

A piece of the NC mountains

Anyone who thinks this story sounds like fiction has never spent years in the mountains of NC. Such a slice of life! I enjoyed the stories from the midwives to the fishermen; from the realities of hospital politics to the pain of having a disabled child.

The small-town stories are almost too familiar! As a tubing enthusiast who loves Deep Creek it sounds like home!

The story is heavy on faith, just as life in NC *is* - yes, doctors here STILL offer to pray with you. Not politically correct in some parts of the country, as many expect certain professionals to exist separate from their faith. I have to tell you Dr Larimore is never condeming of those of another faith, simply expressing the joy he has found in his own - that is refreshing! A REALISTIC and joyful slice of life.

I have already searched to see if his complete collection is on Audible and will download it whenever it becomes available.

Not too bad, but....

Having knowledge of the area and people, this was a fairly accurate description of both. However, the narration is pretty cloying and self-promoting - to the point of distraction. I tried listening to this in car with family. They preferred country music.

Of more value to physicians and anthropologists interested in Western Carolina/Easter Tennessee ways of life. These are likely to dissappear over the next few decades as Boomer retirees move in.

Inspiring

I found this book inspiring... Dr. Larimore has the ability to look at the toughest situation, even one where he looks like the "fool," and take that situation as a learning experience. He wears his faith on his sleeve, but I would rather have my doctor praying with me then acting as "god!"

Dr. Larimore does a great job of reading his own work... one of the best I've heard by an author!

Enjoyable tale told well.

Enjoyed this on a long car ride. it made it go quickly. Story is one that makes you laugh, then cry, then laugh again. Leaves you laughing about the description of the Miss Flame contest!