Download Popular Authors Audiobooks in Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

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Title: Some Faces in the Crowd

Subtitle: Short Stories

Author: Budd Schulberg

Narrator: Kevin T. Collins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 12-31-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Budd Schulberg is a master of the art of the short story, as he proved in his early collection, Some Faces in the Crowd. The crowd is the American landscape: indelible characters drawn coast-to-coast from the teeming streets of New York to tables at Hollywood's legendary nightclub, Ciro's. In these sparkling stories, Schulberg brings us vivid, restless people haunted by abrupt failure in the wake of rapid success.

Members Reviews:

Hidden away behind the story.

If you like short stories and characters this is one for you!

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Title: Hair Side, Flesh Side

Author: Helen Marshall

Narrator: Chiquito Joaquim Crasto

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 12-03-13

Publisher: Iambik Audio Inc.

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

A child receives the body of Saint Lucia of Syracuse for her seventh birthday. A rebelling angel rewrites the Book of Judgement to protect the woman he loves. A young woman discovers the lost manuscript of Jane Austen written on the inside of her skin. A 747 populated by a dying pantheon makes the extraordinary journey to the beginning of the universe.

Lyrical and tender, quirky and cutting, Helen Marshalls exceptional debut collection weaves the fantastic and the horrific alongside the touchingly human in fifteen modern parables about history, memory, and cost of creating art.

Editorial Reviews:

"A tour de force of imagination, this remarkable debut collection uses the conventions of dark fantasy and horror as the framework for some of speculative fiction's most unusual stories." (Library Journal)

Critic Reviews:

"Sometimes a book comes along that is so original, so vibrantly alive, so beautifully imagined and so much a law unto itself that the only comment or advice a reviewer can offer is to say: go read it. Hair Side, Flesh Side is one such book, and having experienced it I am left with a genuine sense of excitement, thinking about where Helen Marshall might take us next." (Strange Horizons)

"Hair Side, Flesh Side is a strong first collection of speculative fiction borne out of faded manuscripts, old libraries and the memories of the past. However, its how Marshall sees us reconcile these ghosts with the world of the living that give her stories the weight of immediacy. She is a talent to be discovered, and one hopes that she will continue to balance her medieval research with her prose. There are, no doubt, many more old bones to dig up." (The National Post)

Members Reviews:

Far from enthralling

What didnt you like about Chiquito Joaquim Crastos performance?

The heavy accented, baritone voice just didn't mesh well with the stories. He did a great job with female voices, but the narration parts were lacking in inflection and emotion.

Any additional comments?

Each story had a very unique and imaginative premise, but they lacked something essential I couldn't quite place my finger on. Maybe I didn't fully believe in the choices of the characters. A 7 year-old willing to feel her skin burning for an undisclosed period of time just out of love for her mother? Perhaps it would be better read than listened to.

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Title: The Adventure of the Six Napoleons

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: David Timson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-22-13

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

This is a story from The Return of Sherlock Holmes I collection.

When Sherlock Holmes met his demise in "The Adventure of the Final Problem," published in 1893, the distress of the unsuspecting reading public was profound. For years fans showed no signs of letting Sherlock Holmes lie down and die. Eventually, Doyle saw fit to continue his Holmes' canon and wrote a series of 13 short stories, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, published in 1905.

The series begins, inevitably, with the shock re-appearance of the master detective in "The Adventure of the Empty House." This plus 3 others are included in Naxos AudioBooks' first volume of Doyle's continuation of the famous bloodhound of a genius, read by master storyteller David Timson.

Though he has been away, it seems that Holmes has lost none of his remarkable qualities.

Editorial Reviews:

Scotland Yards Inspector Lestrade presents Sherlock Holmes a small puzzler about broken plaster busts of the French general and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, a mystery that takes a more dramatic turn when the owner of such a bust is murdered. BBC radio drama stalwart, West End, film, and television veteran, and award-winning audiobook director David Timson proves himself a master storyteller in tone and character development with his performance of a selection from the Return of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 1 collection, which features the iconic detective back at work after many, including his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, thought he had been finished off.

Critic Reviews:

"Beautifully produced, thoroughly satisfying rendition of four Holmes stories. English actor David Timson...clearly appreciates Conan Doyle's clever writing. Holmes is masterful....Timson's sensitive pacing and varied intonation make conversations spring to life, intensify dramatic moments, and highlight Conan Doyle's often disregarded humor." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

A good, short read for Sherlock fans

One of Doyle's short stories in the Sherlock Holmes canon, I grabbed it because there are more than a few references from this story (and others) in the latest season of the BBC series Sherlock. It was a very enjoyable read and there are quite a few names and references that made it into the television episode (The Six Thatchers). It is less of a whodunit and more of a whytheydidit which is a nice twist. It doesn't provide a plot with clues that you the reader could solve it with but is interesting because of the inner workings of Sherlock's sleuthing and how HE figured it out. A short read and worth your time.

Excellent Plot!

In this story, Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard brings Holmes a seemingly trivial problem about a man who shatters plaster busts of Napoleon. One was shattered in Morse Hudsonâs shop, and two others, sold by Hudson to a Dr. Barnicot, were smashed after the doctorâs house and branch office had been burgled. Nothing else was taken. In the former case, the bust was taken outside before being broken.

Holmes knows that Lestradeâs theory about a Napoleon-hating lunatic must be wrong. The busts in question all came from the same mould. Why is he breaking them?

The next day, Lestrade calls Holmes to a house where there has been yet another bust-shattering, but there has also been a murder. Mr. Horace Harker found the dead man on his doorstep after investigating a noise.

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Title: Fascia

Author: Ashley Murray

Narrator: Shea Hall, Liam Singer, Austin Milne, MaSovaida Salemo Morgan, Anna Castelaz

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-22-13

Publisher: Palaver Press

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Fascia is the debut collection of short fiction by Ashley Donielle Murray. Like the tissues binding the heart to its arteries, the stories in Murray's collection describe the threads, sometimes thin, sometimes strong, that connect daughter to father, husband to wife, and ourselves to our own histories.

Each story is its own quiet revelation and has the ability to bind the reader to this story long after it's been heard.

Members Reviews:

a mix that keeps the recording fresh.

AudioBook Review

Stars: Overall: 4 Narration; 4 Story 5

Im an admitted fan of short stories, I enjoy the format, and I do very much appreciate the layering and complexity that emerge in a well-crafted story. Ashley Murray has managed to bring relationships to light with her clever crafting with emotionally enticing settings and events.

Produced with inclusions of original music, this is an audiobook unlike many that I have heard: personally while I enjoyed the music I did find it was emotionally invasive at times: guiding an emotional response from the listener, when in truth the writing does stand beautifully on its own encouraging that response. Some will, however, appreciate the mix of spoken work and music, and find the unique presentation more to their taste.

Narration-wise, the stories were competently performed the narrators took care to enunciate and not over-dramatize voicing or emotion, and I particularly appreciated the mixture of male and female narrators used, providing a mix that keeps the recording fresh. This is a production that felt very unlike others: I can only attribute that to the fact that focus and production were from a musically-inclined ear, which added to the lyrical presentation above and beyond the authors words.

The writing here, for a debut offering is quite unique and very unusual. Ashley Murray has a style that flows and uses a rhythm mixes an almost poetic feeling pace with the quicker and faster interior dialog that is constantly running in your head If you are quiet enough to hear it. With the ability to craft a lovely sentence, and the gentle layering of elements to build a complete setting and word picture for the listener, this is a talent that deserves to be heard and seen by many.

Overall: this was a clever version, and I can see many people appreciating the audiobook version of this collection, both for the words and the beautiful flute melodies that wind throughout the recording.

I received an AudioBook version of the title from the producers via AudioBook Jukebox. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Beautiful!

Would you consider the audio edition of Fascia to be better than the print version?

This book is a MUST to listen to. The stories are layered and complex. Because there are several narrators, the audio version of the book separates and brings texture to each individual story in a way that is not possible in print. Also, the music, by Bird Radio, adds emotion and momentum to the stories. The music is beautiful. It is unusual to have such impressive music in an audiobook.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite story is Sweetwater.

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Title: The Naval Treaty

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: David Timson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-22-13

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

This is a story from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes IV collection.

Four more stories from the master detective. The mystery of the missing suitor is solved and Sherlock Holmes raises his whip: an Indian pot stands in the shadows of a Colonel's death; serious affairs of state and international diplomacy are threatened by a theft; and surely evil intent lies behind threats in a hidden house. The cool observations and swift action of Mr. Sherlock Holmes resolves all.

Editorial Reviews:

An old schoolmate of Dr. Watson is in trouble and begs him to intercede on his behalf with his friend Sherlock Holmes. Thus, Sir Arthur Conan Doyles iconic detective is catapulted into a search for who stole a secret treaty. It is a mystery he will solve while serving the papers as breakfast to Watsons excitable, if somewhat priggish "chum". Actor and award-winning audiobook director David Timson creates elegant portraits of the characters with his performance of this selection from the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Vol IV collection, an original audiobook featuring tales of the worlds most famous fictional puzzle-solver.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

My husband enjoyed listening to it very much.

For Lovers Of Holmes

Though not necessarily the best Sherlock Holmes stories, David Timson does a wonderful job bringing flavor and color to stories of our favorite Victorian "consulting detective." Picturing the flat at 221B Baker Street and 19th century London is easy through Watson's naratives and Timson's excellent voice characterizations. David Timson does the best readings among all the Sherlock Holmes audio books I own. I highly recommend any Holmes story read by David Timson.

Would school-age kids enjoy this?

Why grade 9 and above? How about 5th/6th graders?

(disregard the rating, as I have not yet listened to it)

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Title: The Adventure of the Resident Patient

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: David Timson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-22-13

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

This is a story from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes VI collection.

In "The Final Problem", perhaps the greatest of the short stories of Sherlock Holmes, the English detective encounters his most formidable rival, Professor Moriarty. 'The Napoleon of Crime' is how Holmes describes his adversary to his faithful companion, Dr Watson, as they move to the ultimate confrontation at the Reichenbach Falls.

Editorial Reviews:

BBC radio star David Timson knows his Sherlock Holmes. He gives another stellar performance in The Adventure of the Resident Patient. In it, a doctor with an interesting business arrangement brings his problems to the famous sleuth. Winner of the Audio of the Year award, Timson performs this just about 40-minute audiobook with intelligence and clarity. He embodies Dr. Watson, the honorable Victorian gentleman. Sherlock fans will appreciate Timson's extensive contribution to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's body of work.

Members Reviews:

An entertaining quick read

An entertaining will written novella with interesting will developed characters. The story line is fast moving with Sherlock reaching the conclusion. Enjoy reading

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Title: The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: David Timson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 11-20-13

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

This is a story from the The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes I collection.

In this collection are four of the finest cases of Mr. Sherlock Holmes, narrated by his faithful friend and admirer Dr. Watson. What was the horror of the speckled band or the secret behind the curious legacy for men of red hair? These and other puzzles are solved by this bloodhound of a genius.

Editorial Reviews:

Listeners will thrill to hear David Timsons lively and engrossing performance of "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches", one of Arthur Conan Doyles last Sherlock Holmes stories excerpted from the authors The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which collected the fictional super sleuths final slew of adventures. In this curious mystery, Holmes advises a woman concerned about whether to accept a strange governess position which stipulates a selection of extremely unusual requirements. And of course Holmes expert deductive skills are required to puzzle out a series of further mysterious circumstances once his client takes residence....

Timson is a practiced performer whose easy familiarity with Doyles characters, and with his sparse, active prose, is readily apparent in this enjoyable performance.

Members Reviews:

Narration adds to the enjoyment

Where does The Adventure of the Copper Beeches rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

Right up there with the best. David Timson does an admirable job handling all the voices, including the woman's, so that they are distinctive but not distracting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Adventure of the Copper Beeches?

No spoilers, please.

Have you listened to any of David Timsons other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, this is my first. He's very, very good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The governess exploring the locked corridor.

Any additional comments?

A cozy, Victorian read for an evening!

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Title: The Pickpocket Chronicles

Author: Bill Bernico

Narrator: Chip Wood

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-01-13

Publisher: Downwind Publications

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

The Pickpocket Chronicles consists of the following short stories:

Members Reviews:

More Like One Story with Four Chapters

CANDY FROM A BABY: Everyone is focused on the Circus Parade coming down the street, & no one is thinking about their wallets. But they should be. The parade could be just the distraction someone had anticipated so this could turn out to be just like "taking candy from a baby".

However, there is more to this story than a couple of pickpockets working a parade. A couple of nice little twists at the end make this a delightful, entertaining read.

I LEAN AND ROB: This story is a continuation of the first story, & the 3 main characters are again up to their old tricks: "taking candy from a baby". However, this time they have moved from Milwaukee & the Circus Parade to a bratwurst festival in Sheboygan.

While the pickpocket accounts in both of these stories are not really anything that hasn't been done before, both stories have twists that come AFTER the money is stolen, & the trio has stopped "working" for the day.

Both of these stories have been great reading in that they were entertaining, easy to read, & had endings I had not foreseen. And with the end of this story the trio will be changed (though they are not all aware of this at the moment).

Since these 2 stories are connected, I am assuming the other 2 are as well so I am off to see where part 3 takes me......

CALIFORNIA OR BUST: When our trio parted company in the last story, they had agreed to meet in Chicago in 2 days. When this story opens, the husband / wife team is trying to decide where they want to go. There is no mention of Chicago or the missing partner. This was very confusing, & I went directly from one story to the next: I did not set my Kindle aside to go do laundry or take some other break between reading these stories. So that tells me that Bernico dropped the ball on this one: the continuity suffered for it.

In addition to that difficulty, this story had another major difference as opposed to the first 2. Well, actually - now that I have said that, I have to say this story is NOTHING like the first 2 stories in the book (other than the fact that our couple is still picking pockets).

This story finds the couple (not trio) in sunny CA, but nothing is as poor Rob remembers. Sure, he takes his 10 minutes to reminisce, but after that things begin to go wrong quickly for our couple.

The good news is that the pickpocket skills our protagonists have mastered come in handy when they are trying to negotiate their way out of trouble. As it turns out, our couple select the wrong mark on their very first attempt in CA. Not good to try robbing a husband / wife P.I. team who just happen to be working together to find a couple of pickpockets!

But the good news is the P.I.s are not trying to put away a pickpocket couple. No! They need the pickpockets help with a case! Go figure! Only in CA!

Again, there is more to this than the usual "grab the wallet out of the pocket". In fact, it is something our couple doesn't normally do so it is an unusual request for them. And once the wallet portion of the case is concluded Rob is willing to go above & beyond: he has a way to help the case even more - and in a way even the P.I.

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Title: Dead Even

Subtitle: River City Anthology

Author: Frank Zafiro

Narrator: Sharon Bond

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-07-13

Publisher: Frank Scalise

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Detectives and mobsters, missing mummies and a shootout with Gypsies - here are 15 stories featuring major and minor characters from the novels of Frank Zafiro, now given their own chance to shine.

The good, the bad, and the in-between of River City come together in this fast-paced collection of theft, mystery, murder and detection, where the heroes of River City will keep fighting until the scales of justice are once again Dead Even.

Members Reviews:

Collection of great short stories

For those who may have read my reviews of the first two River City anthologies, you would have noticed I was less than impressed with those two offerings. However, this edition hits a home run from the word go. Each of the 15 stories are winners, with a varied subject matter and cast. This was much more akin to his River city novels, which I found to be excellent. I would highly recommend this book, whether you have read the other River City books yet or not.

Good reading

The author's insight into police work and crime is self-evident - combined with his talent and flair to tell an fascinating tale makes these short stories interesting and enjoyable. The characters are intriguing, although it's a little presumptuous of him to consider that the reader is as involved in them as he needs to be.......

Dead Even

I've read a lot of Frank Zafiros' books If you like a good murder mystery, read his books, Fast moving, interesting, and good stories

Love those River City stories

I have now read all the River City books. I love the characters & can relate to them. Find book one and start on a great adventure.

Five Stars

Good book

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Title: On Our Selection

Author: Steele Rudd

Narrator: Peter Hosking

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-28-13

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Full of unforgettable characters and humour, this is the original edition of On Our Selection as it was first written. These are Steele Rudd's immensely popular stories about the selection on the Darling Downs in Queensland where Dad, Mother, Dave, and the rest of the family nearly starve, and eventually prosper. Rudd meant them as a tribute to small selectors like his own family.

Steele Rudd is considered one of Australia's best humorists, but he is also a deep and sympathetic observer of pioneering life, in which humour was as essential as flour.

Members Reviews:

Memories of Farm Life

I remember reading this book as a teenager growing up in rural Australia.

I could relate to it since it reflected some of the hardships my family had; trying to raise five children on a farm, that was always indebted to the bank and town merchants.

In the 1950's there was a serial on the radio, called "Dad and Dave", that was based on the books main characters.

So, after fifty years it was a nostalgic journey to read the book again.

It's not Bill Bryson or Dave Barry, but if you were raised poor. you can still laugh at the anecdotes.

On Our Selection

This book may be very old but is still as enjoyable to read today as it was when first published. It is full of Aussie humor and there is a smile on nearly every page, some passages had me laughing out loud. But be warned, if you did not grow up in the Aussie bush you may not see the funny situations as they are perceived by the author.

I thoroughly recommend this book to all.

It's my selection.

Steele Rudd gives us a book full of short stories about the misadventures of a family trying to survive on a prickle farm. Hard times and hard luck dealt with in typical Australian humour. You'll laugh, maybe cry a little, but you won't regret the experience.

Good ol Dad and Dave

I love books that let us into the lives of those who pioneered this land of Australia. Living in a slab hut and trying to keep a family alive in primitive circumstances. After reading this book and the "New Selection" I just ahd to go on the web and download short videos of the Rudds.

Dad and Dave

Classic early 20th century Aussi humour, a la Dad and Dave. The text layout is very basic. There are no illustrations. A fun read.