Download the Best Full Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary Popular Authors

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Title: Girls' Weekend

Author: Cara Sue Achterberg

Narrator: Xe Sands

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-14-17

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Dani, Meg, and Charlotte have bonded over babies, barbeques, and backyards, but when they escape for a girls' weekend away, they can't bring themselves to return to lives that don't seem to fit anymore.

Harried Dani can't explain why she feels so discontented until she meets a young gallery owner who inspires her to rediscover the art that once made her happy.

Dependable Meg faces up to a grief that threatens to swallow her whole and confronts a marriage built on expectations.

Flamboyant Charlotte, frustrated with her stagnated life and marriage, pursues a playboy Irish singer and beachside business opportunities.

All three of these women thought they would be different. None of them thought they'd be facing down 40 and still wondering when life starts. What they do when they realize where they're headed is both inspiring and wildly entertaining.

Girls' Weekend is a fun, yet poignant romp through the universal search of who we are, why we love, and what makes us happy by an author who is quickly emerging as one of our most incisive storytellers.

Members Reviews:

A little depressing

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I wasn't looking forward to it.

Would you recommend Girls' Weekend to your friends? Why or why not?

No, it didn't flow, it was a bummer.

What does Xe Sands bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Xe Sands is one of my favorite narrators. I enjoy all of her performances

Did Girls' Weekend inspire you to do anything?

No

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Title: The Blue Hour

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Laura Pritchett

Narrator: Robert Fass, Nicol Zanzarella, Carol Monda, Paul Michael Garcia, Amy Landon, Donald Corren, P. J. Ochlan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-14-17

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The tight-knit residents of Blue Moon Mountain, nestled high in the Colorado Mountains, form an interconnected community of those living off the land, stunned by the beauty and isolation all around them. So when, at the onset of winter, the town veterinarian commits a violent act, the repercussions of that tragedy will be felt all across the mountainside, upending their lives and causing their paths to twist and collide in unexpected ways.

The housecleaner rediscovering her sexual appetite, the farrier who must take in his traumatized niece, the grocer and her daughter, the therapist and the teacher reaching out to the world in new and surprising ways, and the ragged couple trapped in a cycle of addiction and violence. They will all rise and converge upon the blue hour - the l'heure bleu - the hour of twilight, a time of desire, lust, honesty. The strong, spirited people of Blue Moon Mountain must learn to navigate the line between violence and sex, tenderness and the hard edge of yearning, and the often confusing paths of mourning and lust.

Writing with passion for rural lives and the natural world, Laura Pritchett, who has been called "one of the most accomplished writers of the American West", graces the land of desire in vivid prose, exploring the lengths these moving, deeply felt characters - some of whom we've met in Pritchett's previous work - will traverse to protect their own.

Full cast of narrators includes Suzanne Toren, Emily Sutton-Smith, Suzanne Elise Freeman, Andrew Eiden, Traber Burns, Tanya Eby, Elisabeth Rodgers, Emily Woo Zeller, P. J. Ochlan, and Mark Bramhall.

Members Reviews:

Beautiful Stories

What did you love best about The Blue Hour?

This is a collection of stories about the winter of people's lives, a time when things are cold and unknown. There's poetry in Pritchett's writing and a sense that beauty coexists with ugliness.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved that THE BLUE HOUR explores love (and the lack of it), loss, and the fragility of the human psyche.

Which scene was your favorite?

There's no real scene really...but the narrators are amazing. The narrators are so perfectly cast that it seems like they're telling you stories from their heart and not the page.

If you could rename The Blue Hour, what would you call it?

It's the perfect title.

Any additional comments?

Stories can be listened to independently, but as a whole it creates a tableau of a community. (I also discovered some new-to-me narrators by listening.)

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Title: This Is How It Always Is

Author: Laurie Frankel

Narrator: Gabra Zackman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 01-26-17

Publisher: Headline Review

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Laurie Frankel's This Is How It Always Is is a warm, touching and bittersweet novel about a family that's just like any other - until it's not. For fans of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

Rosie and Penn always wanted a daughter. Four sons later, they decide to try one last time - and their beautiful little boy Claude is born. Life continues happily for this big, loving family until the day when Claude says that when he grows up, he wants to be a girl. As far as Rosie and Penn are concerned, bright, funny and wonderful Claude can be whoever he or she wants. But as problems begin at school and in the community, the family faces a seemingly impossible dilemma: should Claude change, or should they and Claude try to change the world?

Warm, touching and bittersweet, This Is How It Always Is is a novel about families, love and how we choose to define ourselves. It will make you laugh and cry - and see the world differently.

Critic Reviews:

"A lively and fascinating story of a thoroughly modern family and the giant, multifaceted love that binds them... Sparkles with wit and wisdom." (Maria Semple, best-selling author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette)

Members Reviews:

A completely genius debut

Transgender issues have been talked about from many different perspectives but through the eyes of five-year-old Claude, Laurie Frankel manages to present us with something entirely new. And in the process, she's managed to make me think about gender and identity in a completely different way. As young Poppy gradually emerges, the listener is encouraged to confront the complexities of the situation as well as realising that they by no means define a person or their potential.

Perfect

One of those stories you don't want to end. Heartbreaking, beautiful and absolutely gorgeous- a must read!

An incredible book!

If you could sum up This Is How It Always Is in three words, what would they be?

Engaging, absorbing and brilliant!

What was one of the most memorable moments of This Is How It Always Is?

Claude/Poppy discovering the 'middle way' and Buddhism in Thailand

What does Gabra Zackman bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you had only read the book?

The narration brings a sensitivity and vulnerability to the voice of Poppy and Claude.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was at times heartbreaking, at others life-affirming and left me with a sense of optimism

Any additional comments?

I loved the story, the way it was told and will remember the complex cahracters

An intelligent take on gender issues

Where does This Is How It Always Is rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

It comes pretty high up!

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The scenes where Penn reads the bedtime stories

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely

Any additional comments?

Laurie Frankel has done a brilliant job of presenting to the listener all the most pressing and contentious transgender issues in this accessible, often funny and touching novel. From wanting to wear a dress and carry a handbag on his first day at primary school to hiding a secret from the girlfriends that he loves having sleepovers with, Claude has to navigate some complicated truths on the road to properly becoming Poppy.

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Title: A Doula's Journey

Author: Hazel Tree

Narrator: Karen Edland

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-15-16

Publisher: Hazel Tree

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Are you interested in being a doula?

Are you a mother or about to become one?

Are you a midwife interested in how doulas work?

Would you like to know more about what it is that doulas do?

This is the book for you....

The intertwining of the personal life along with the professional life of a Doula shows the frailties and strengths of being a woman as something to be shared and celebrated. Learning to understand and accept our inner landscape is an adventure, one that requires great strength and courage to be able to look into the less desirable shadows of ourselves and embrace it all. By doing so we can become whole beings capable of standing strong and true, able to hear the voice of our own intuition and be brave enough to listen.

Members Reviews:

narrator botched

the book and story wetter great but the narrator botched the flOw and waR of the stOry as she read it.

Such a lovely journey

Thanks for sharing this wonderful journey. Honest, real and heartwarming!loved the reader too. Thank You Sonia D

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Title: The Rules of Backyard Cricket

Author: Jock Serong

Narrator: Rupert Degas

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-16

Publisher: Wavesound Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Darren has two big talents: cricket and trouble. It is no surprise, then, that he becomes an Australian sporting star of the bad-boy variety - one of those men who's always got away with things and just keeps going...until the day we meet him, middle aged and in the boot of a car, and everything pointing towards a shallow grave.

Gripping suspense from the Ned Kelly Award-winning author of Quota.

Members Reviews:

Great story, great book.

Really enjoyable audible experience by one of our fabulous new Australian writers.

Great scene setting but ultimately disappointing

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend the first half of this book.Starts out well believable and engaging but the ending is so ridiculous and the tying up of loose ends dubiously explained as are the final actions of the main character. At the end of the book you feel like you've wasted your time. Serong sets a great scene but the story telling lets the reader down.

Was The Rules of Backyard Cricket worth the listening time?

No only the first half was good the narrator did a great job but the storyline falters.

Any additional comments?

Jock Serong should keep trying.I'll probably read another one but curb my expectations.

Great performance

Rupert does a superb job narrating this book, and I hope some magnificent upcoming director picks up the rights for this and does it justice in film format.

Well done

WOW what a fantastic read

True noir, aussie style, highly recommend this book if you like grit. Incredibly suspenseful and moving. The narration is brilliant thought it was Richard Roxburgh.

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Title: Claude's Christmas Adventure

Author: Sophie Pembroke

Narrator: Jot Davies, Penelope Rawlins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-20-16

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

This Christmas, a little dog is in for a big adventure....

Meet Claude. He's a loveable, big-eared, permanently hungry French bulldog who loves his humans - the McCawley family of number 11 Maple Drive, to be precise.

When Daisy and Oliver McCawley start using new words like, ferry, chateau and France, Claude realises they won't be spending this Christmas at home. Only, when he finds himself on the street as the family car pulls away, Claude realises he is alone. And, more importantly, he is without all the yummy treats he knows the festive season brings.

Cue the start of Claude's Christmas Adventure. It all begins with a belly flop through next door's cat flap, where he finds newly single craftaholic Holly; Jack the ex-army postman; his archnemesis, Perdita the cat...and serious amounts of gingerbread.

Maple Drive's cutest resident is about to bring the street together for Christmas in ways no-one could have imagined.

Members Reviews:

Four Stubby Legs... and Gingerbread

Here you go: A wonderful Christmas listen.

Jot Davies does a stupendous job voicing little Claude, a stubby legged French bulldog with a craving for, well, food and more food. And for his beloved family. The big-eared dog goes through rounds of fear, desperation, indignation (because of that plotting Perdita the cat), and hope: that there'll be gingerbread, that he won't go to the pound but will be taken into somebody's heart, that the people around him will find their way to peace.

This is a story of family. The ones we're born into, the ones we create along the way.

It's a heartwarming listen, and as I get ready for the season this year, what can I say? I've already listened to Claude's exploits twice...!

Cute family holiday story!

One left-behind dog unites an entire neighborhood while his family tries to get back home to him.

Merry Christmas, Claude!

What a sweet story for the season- I have only praise, and a new fondness for Frenchies.

Cute Christmas book.

Cute Christmas book. Me and my mom both really enjoyed. Claude is the best part.

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Title: Merrick

Subtitle: The Vampire Chronicles 7

Author: Anne Rice

Narrator: Graeme Malcolm

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-20-16

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

When last the vampire Lestat was seen, he was rising from the dead in present-day New Orleans to walk again among Anne Rice's unforgettable undead. Now Lestat lives again but in a twilight world of music and memory.

His charismatic friend Louis de Pointe du Lac is tortured by the memory of the child vampire, Claudia, whom he loved and lost. He calls on Merrick, a young and gorgeous mixed-race by-blow of the rich New Orleans Mayfair clan. To save Louis' sanity, Merrick must use her black witchcraft to call up the ghost of Claudia - however dangerous this may be. There are other Mayfair spirits who will not lie still, and her search takes her close to the edge, through blood and terror, ritual and violence.

Sweeping from New Orleans to the Brazilian jungle and the island of Haiti, this is vampire literature at its most tantalising, sexy and irresistible.

Members Reviews:

brilliant!

I love Anne Rice so decided to try the audio book... I was not disappointed! Graeme Malcolm it's amazing for this story. Simply brilliant.

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Title: My Husband's Wife

Author: Amanda Prowse

Narrator: Amanda Prowse

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-15-16

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 48 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Once a week Rosie Tipcott counts her blessings. She goes to sit on her favourite bench on the North Devon cliffs and thanks her lucky stars for her wonderful husband, her mischievous young daughters and her house by the sea.

But then her husband unexpectedly leaves her for another woman and takes the children. Now she must ask the question: what is left in her life? Can Rosie find the strength to rebuild herself? More importantly, does she even want to?

Critic Reviews:

"Prowse handles her explosive subject with delicate skill.... Deeply moving and inspiring." (Daily Mail)

"No one writes contemporary family drama as well as Amanda Prowse." (Daily Mail, on Perfect Daughter)

Members Reviews:

Count your blessings

I liked the story line. Any mom or woman will easily connect with Rosie. The banter between mom and girls was comical. It's sad that this scenario happens all too often but it is real life. Families splitting up affects more than just the hubby/wife/kids. You really see that and it puts everyone in the middle or forces people to take sides. I hate it!!! I'm torn with the ending. I get it but I would've love to hear a little more on how Rosie ended up where she did. Narrator was very good. Can't wait to visit London.

Gripping family drama

Rosie was happy with her life. she loved her husband and her daughters. in spite of struggling to make ends meet, she believes her life us perfect, until one day her life is turned upside down. Rosie goes through hell and back. Her perfect life will never be the same. A dramatic and heartbreaking novel.

A nice read, albeit tough at times to get through

What made the experience of listening to My Husband's Wife the most enjoyable?

I thought the author who was also the narrator did a great job. Her emotion throughout was so believable and touching that I was so much more drawn in than I usually am when listening to a book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rosie of course! Amanda Prowse captured the essence of Rosie beautifully through the use of her voice. I could relate to a great deal of what Rosie felt and expressed at times throughout the book. It had it's difficult moments for me.

Which character as performed by Amanda Prowse was your favorite?

Rosie - for all the reasons above.

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

When Rosie lost it all. The pain, despair, and loss were very deep.

Narrated by the author,. . .

Narrated by the author is usually the duo I try to avoid. However Amanda pulls it off, well done.

Lacks credibility

I found it hard to get into at first because it took many chapters before it became interesting. It also lacked credibility in parts.

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Title: Anne's House of Dreams

Author: L. M. Montgomery

Narrator: Flo Gibson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-22-16

Publisher: Audio Book Contractors, LLC

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The newlyweds move into their house of dreams where they share joys and sorrows with their special neighbors Captain Jim, Leslie Moore, and Cornelia. The births of their children are a moving part of this beautiful story.

Members Reviews:

Thought Provoking

A thought provoking read. This being the third time I read this tome. Although the premise is far fetched I still wonder about the curiosity of humans to create beings in their own image. In current times the process used by Dr. Moreau is beyond plausible feasibility. Yet we have cloning and robotics and anomalies like the ape that was taught to communicate through sign language. All in the name of advancement and betterment of mankind. Wells remains a favorite author of mine.

So What If It's A Classic

This review is for the Kindle version with the Audible edition.

I enjoyed the book although I can't say that it was the most compelling of stories. It is written well it just did not hold my interest very well. I would call it a mediocre read.

An exquisite spell-binding delight; such good company!

Anne, Gilbert, Miss Cornelia, Captain Jim, Leslie and their Prince Edward Island co-inhabitants invite us to share their lives and loves. In doing so, each of us is swept away to a place lending hope, warmth, comfort, and inspiration. To this point, Anneâs House of Dreams so wonderfully crowns the saga of Anne of Green Gables.

Great read

Wells wrote things that were difficult to have imagined during his life time

I see why this book is on the 1001 books to read list.

Wonderful

This is a wonderful story. The portrait of each character is painted with all the colors of humanity. From beginning to end the reader becomes the invisible guest in the 'house of dreams'-sharing the fireside chats between friends, the joys and sorrows that weave there way in and out of each character's life. The wisdom of the elderly, the hopes and struggles of the young and the vivid description of life on the shores of Prince Edward Island make this a delightful read.

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Title: The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Scott Stambach

Narrator: Dan Bittner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-09-16

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 52 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The Fault In Our Stars meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Seventeen-year-old Ivan Isaenko is a life-long resident of the Mazyr Hospital for Gravely Ill Children in Belarus. For the most part, every day is exactly the same for Ivan, which is why he turns everything into a game, manipulating people and events around him for his own amusement.

Until Polina arrives.

She steals his books. She challenges his routine. The nurses like her.

She is exquisite. Soon, he cannot help being drawn to her and the two forge a romance that is tenuous and beautiful and everything they never dared dream of. Before, he survived by being utterly detached from things and people. Now, Ivan wants something more: Ivan wants Polina to live.

This program features a bonus interview with the author.

Members Reviews:

Heartbreaking yet hilarious

This is a heartbreaking yet, at times, hilarious story that is probably more real than we know. The main character, Ivan, is wicked smart, sarcastic, and riddled with fears (as he should be living institutionalized his whole life). Yet, so many of his fears are common to life and growing up. His description of life in the hospital and the other residents were horrifying and hilarious, reminding us that sometimes things are so bad you have to laugh. My only criticism of this book is that I don't think a whole, prolonged scene about oral sex is appropriate material for a young adult book.

1932 Movie "Freaks" but with a Acerbic Narrator

Ivan is a 17-year-old orphan in Belarus, and he lives in a home for kids affected by the 1986 accident at Chernobyl. While Ivan is severely deformed, he is brilliant, insightful, rude and sarcastic - and then he falls in love. This funny, dysfunctional, brilliant, beautiful coming-of-age story is both heart-breaking and heartwarming. Stop whatever you are doing right now and order this book. Trust me.

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

Great book

This book is fascinating. It was written by a 17 year old boy who lacked a formal education yet was extraordinarily gifted in literary writing. At a specific time of his life he was compelled to write about his struggles and love and life. His ability to draw me into his life by writing so clearly, logically and descriptively was a pleasure. I found it difficult to believe that his story was true. I was fascinated that the tale/story/autobiography was written in Russia and revealed a life of a handicapped young man living in an institution but clearly thriving despite the hand he was dealt.

Do not hesitate to read this story of perseverance, love and life. It will inspire you and hold you even after you've heard or read the last words. Enjoy!!!!