Download the New Releases Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary

Download the New Releases Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary

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Download the New Releases Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary episodes

  • Winter's Tale Audiobook by Mark Helprin
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    Title: Winter's Tale
    Author: Mark Helprin
    Narrator: Oliver Wyman
    Format: Unabridged
    Length: 27 hrs and 45 mins
    Language: English
    Release date: 03-13-08
    Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
    Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 898 votes
    Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
    Publisher's Summary:
    This is a book about the beauty and complexity of the human soul, about God, love, and justice, and yet you can lose yourself in it as if it were a dream. You will be transported to New York of the Belle Epoque, to a city clarified by a siege of unprecedented winters. One night, Peter Lakeorphan, master-mechanic, and master second-story manattempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side. Though he thinks the house is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins the affair between the middle-aged Irish burglar and Beverly Penn, a young girl who is dying. Because of a love that at first he cannot fully understand, Peter, a simple and uneducated man, will be driven to stop time and bring back the dead. His great struggle, in a city ever alight with its own energy and beset by winter, is a truly beautiful and extraordinary story.
    2008 by AudioGO / © 1983 by Mark Helprin / Motion Picture Artwork © 2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Critic Reviews:
    "This novel stretches the boundary of contemporary literature...is a gifted writer's love affair with the language." (Newsday)
    Members Reviews:
    Great book and narrator - bad technical glitch
    I am almost finished with this recording, and it has been a pure joy all the way. That is, until Chapter 5 of Part 4. Suddenly, I was listening to a duplicate of an earlier part of the story. I skipped ahead to Chapter 6 and was hearing new text again, but I can't be sure what, if anything, I have missed. So I've tried to redownload Part 4 to see if it comes out right. Unfortunately, it stalls out at 119 mb and I'm having a hard time getting past that.
    This kind of thing really fouls up the experience...
    NYC 2000 as imagined in 1983
    Posted to Goodreads on 3/19/12:
    This book was written in 1983 but released again in 2008 as an audiobook, which I picked up from Audible at a very good price. I liked the fantasy, magical sequences of the story and the portrait of New York City from the late 1800s to the year 2000 (the future, as of 1983). The story was slow to get going, although the "Gangs of New York" style of the beginning held my interest. Once some of the main characters really take the stage (Peter Lake and Beverly Penn), the pace picks up. On the whole, however, some of the fantasy borders on the juvenile, similar to the movie Polar Express, and some of the history seems incorrect. Also, when the author tries to imagine New York of the future and a cataclysmic event that could destroy the city, he does not reach his goal. That a character tries to build a bridge to see the face of God is difficult to consider seriously.
    The book is really too long, but if you have the time, you may like the early approach to magical reality. The book has some similarities with Chronic City.
    OMG! Helprin is the American Homer!
    No, not Homer Simpson, though you will find many side-splitting laughs to rival Marge's tubby hubby.
    Helprin is the best living writer in the English language, maybe any language. This epic adventure defies any description of the plot which is so magnificently constructed, so sublime as to compare to any masterpiece (architectural, pictorial, sculptural, technological). One can appreciate it, but recounting it diminishes its artistry, beauty and grandeur. If you are fortunate enough to have a hard copy, then read, listen, read, listen.
    0 min
  • What Is the What Audiobook by Dave Eggers
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    Title: What Is the What
    Author: Dave Eggers
    Narrator: Dion Graham
    Format: Unabridged
    Length: 20 hrs and 33 mins
    Language: English
    Release date: 09-04-07
    Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
    Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1310 votes
    Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
    Publisher's Summary:
    Valentino's travels, truly Biblical in scope, bring him in contact with government soldiers, Janjaweed-like militias, liberation rebels, hyenas and lions, disease and starvation, and a string of unexpected romances. Ultimately, Valentino finds safety in Kenya and, just after the millennium, is finally resettled in the United States, from where this novel is narrated. In this book, written with expansive humanity and surprising humor, we come to understand the nature of the conflicts in Sudan, the refugee experience in America, the dreams of the Dinka people, and the challenge one indomitable man faces in a world collapsing around him.
    Critic Reviews:
    "Engrossing." (Publishers Weekly)
    Members Reviews:
    A Story Aching to be Told
    Since the title of the book doesn't give much away, all I knew about this book was that I kept saw it on several critics' lists of books everyone should read. It wasn't until I picked up a paperback copy and read the first few pages that I decided I had to read/listen to it. The first few pages in print swept me into the story of Valentino Achak Deng but the expert narration by Dion Graham made this not quite biographical, not quite fictional book come truly alive.
    This is a story about one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. I have met one of the Lost Boys and heard his story as he told it in around forty minutes. This is the story he might have told if he had days to tell about his life and not merely minutes.
    It doesn't matter whether the listener knows nothing about the civil war in Sudan or a great deal. It is ultimately a human story, one that needs to be heard. This is also America's story - about how the US appears to people half a world away and the things we can and cannot do for other nations. At times it is a heartbreaking story but it is so much more than that. The book may not be 100% factual; however it is completely true. It is true because it is never afraid to display the world as it is: wonderful, terrifying, unfair, generous, compassionate, horrifying and hopeful.
    Beautiful
    Having read the highly self-referential A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius a few months ago, I had no idea what to expect from Eggers in a novel about a Sudanese refugee. I couldn't imagine how the same writing style would work on that topic.
    But Eggers plays it straight this time and simply tells a story. And it's a beautiful, moving story told with thoughtfulness, compassion, and a sense of humor. The narrative of the central character, Valentino, doesn't fail to convey the horrors of the Sudan conflict, but neither does it beat the reader over the head with tragedy. Valentino's calm voice instead makes East Africa (and the American experience of an African immigrant) real, impressing the reader with the fact that the Sudanese are as colorful, complex, and rich in their lives as anyone else. The fact that Valentino's both remarkably aware and astonishingly naive as a character makes him a fascinating witness to this turbulent history.
    A wonderful book.
    As far as the audio aspect of the novel goes, the reader did a great job with Valentino's accents and mannerisms, as well as those of Afro-American characters.
    20 hr 33 min
  • The Keep Audiobook by Jennifer Egan
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    Title: The Keep
    Author: Jennifer Egan
    Narrator: Jeff Gurner, Geneva Carr
    Format: Unabridged
    Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
    Language: English
    Release date: 08-31-07
    Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
    Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 177 votes
    Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
    Publisher's Summary:
    Amid extreme paranoia and eerie silence, the men reenact the signal event of their youth, with even more catastrophic results. And as the full horror of their predicament unfolds, a third party - a prisoner, jailed for an unnamed crime - recounts an unforgettable story that brings the crimes of the past and present into stunning alignment.
    Critic Reviews:
    "A clever, quirky novel." (Publishers Weekly)
    Members Reviews:
    Wish I could read it for the first time again
    This novel is incredibly well written. Ms Egan has a wonderful way of describing a situation and the character's state of mind succinctly and with crystal clarity. This was one novel that I was happy to finish to see what happens, but was sad too because now it's over.
    A dream, a nightmare, reality?
    A fantastic story that plays with reality; don't read this if you are looking for a straight-forward plot. Read this to be excited, confused, concerned, and to be challenged. Egan's prose is, as usual, incredible and innovative.
    While this book raises deeper questions, and does a decent job of exploring "what is real," my main reaction was enjoyment. This book is fun. (Not sure what that says about me...)
    The narration is very good; two narrators are better than one!
    Such a unique author
    At first I wasn't quite sure what I think of this book, but I wasn't about to put it down. Egan unfolds the story within a story in an intriguing, subtly mind blowing way and leaves you wondering about all the forms of confinement that we inflict on others and ourselves. Until I was deeply into the book, I wasn't empathizing with the narrator, but she got me in the end, and that was a surprise.
    Better than Ruin
    As far as I'm concerned The Keep succeeds where Ruin failed miserably. It kept the mystery going from beginning to end and all was plausible at the final page. An altogether satisfying book.
    A stunning story from a brilliant writer
    If you could sum up The Keep in three words, what would they be?
    Elusive, familiar...right. Listening to The Keep is like having a dream. Everything seems familiar and yet, slightly strange in a way you can't quite put your finger on. The feeling of excitement and discovery stays with you the whole way through.
    Who was your favorite character and why?
    The characters are written, and performed, so well that I cannot choose.
    8 hr 2 min
  • A Suitable Boy (Dramatised) Audiobook by Vikram Seth
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    Title: A Suitable Boy (Dramatised)
    Author: Vikram Seth
    Narrator: Ayesha Dharker, Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, full cast
    Format: Original Recording
    Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
    Language: English
    Release date: 05-15-07
    Publisher: BBC Worldwide Limited
    Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 167 votes
    Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
    Publisher's Summary:
    The award-winning BBC Radio 4 adamptation of Vikram Seth's masterpiece.
    Shortlisted for the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, 1993.
    Winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize, 1994.
    Winner of the WH Smith Literary Award, 1994.
    A Suitable Boy is Vikram Seth's epic love story set in India. Funny and tragic, with engaging, brilliantly observed characters, it is as close as you can get to Dickens for the twentieth century.
    The story unfolds through four middle class families - the Mehras, Kappoors, Khans and Chatterjis. Lata Mehra, a university student, is under pressure from her mother to get married. But not to just anyone she happens to fall in love with. There are standards to be met and finding a husband for Lata becomes a family affair in which all the members are to play a part. The characters struggle, they try to buck the system, to break free of restraint, of interference - but ultimately their strength and sense of being comes from their family and friends. It is a celebration of ordinariness; a beautifully composed story that is an affirmation of family and friendship.
    In his sweeping epic, Vikram Seth has created an entire world filled with warmth, humour, pathos, tragedy - in short, life. Recorded on location in India, A Suitable Boy is made by the production team behind the award-winning Bleak House and The Handmaid's Tale.
    2018 will be the 25th anniversary of the first publication of this classic story.
    Dramatised and directed by John Dryden. A Goldhawk Production.
    Critic Reviews:
    "The drama highlight of the year... this sumptuous production, wonderfully atmospheric, written with pace and performed, by an all-Indian cast, quite superbly. The novel may be vast but I was convinced by this version right from the start. Magnificent drama." (Radio Times)
    Members Reviews:
    A wonderful drama
    I read this book as a teenager after it was nominated for the Booker prize. This book is one of my all time favourites but is enormous and took me a few months to finish. This adaptation greatly shortens the original but really captures the story of Lata and her journey to finding a husband. The actors and actresses were all excellent and I thoroughly recommend this audiodrama.
    would prefer unabridged naration
    It is my own fault because I didn't know what dramatized meant, but it turns out I don't like that format. I would MUCH prefer the actual book being READ. I don't like the background sound effects. I will probably come back to this one at some point, after I have run out of other things to listen to, but I personally MUCH prefer actual reading of the unabridged book. I wish I had not purchased this now, as I will ultimately need to buy it again as a BOOK. but again, my own fault.
    Excellent Dramatization
    I never expected to find an audiobook so interesting. With the clear play of music at the appropriate times, listening to the audiobook is as refreshing as reading the book, and we hardly ever miss out on any part.
    Short, but good charectors
    The charectors were all very well potrayed. The version is too short however to encapsulate vikram seths original book which is very thick.
    5 hr 48 min
  • Heaven, Texas Audiobook by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
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    Title: Heaven, Texas
    Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
    Narrator: Anna Fields
    Format: Unabridged
    Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
    Language: English
    Release date: 03-29-07
    Publisher: Books on Tape
    Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1399 votes
    Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
    Publisher's Summary:
    Easy, if you've got a big ego, a 1957 T-Bird, and prefer cruising the highways for girls. Still, Bobby can't get Gracie, an angel, out of his mind. Why not head to Heaven, raise a little hell, and let Gracie look out for the consequences?
    Critic Reviews:
    "Susan Elizabeth Phillips triumphs once again." (Romantic Times)
    "Susan Elizabeth Phillips makes you laugh, cry...makes you feel good." (Jayne Ann Krentz)
    Members Reviews:
    If you haven't met Bobby Tom . . .
    Susan Elizabeth Phillips is wise and wonderful and this is the best of her darn near perfect books.
    Bobby Tom Denton is the best ever. If you haven't met him, you owe it to yourself. Don't waste another minute.
    Didn't want it to end!
    I immediately listened to it again!!! It is a story of love prevailing against the odds. SEP is insightful in her development of the characters. It is a wonderful story of arrogant but loveable superstar jock, Bobby Tom Denton and Gracie Snow, smart, anything but attractive and geeky. BT only dates bombshells; but his life is turned upside down when he meets Gracie the absolute opposite of the women that he surrounds himself.She is smart,but geeky and sporatically insecure. She irritates and amuses him, but Gracie's makeover transforms her into a cutie and BT doesn't like the competition. SEP also gives great descriptions of the intimate scenarios...WHEW!!! Very heartwarming to hear this story and the wonderful "story in a story" of BTs Mother overcoming the loss of her husband and BTs Dad. It is definitely worth listening to MORE THAN ONCE. Almost didn't buy because of the summary; but, it has become my favorite.
    Loved Bobby Tom
    I find it interesting that every single person in SEP???s books have their own distinct character and personality. I find this amazing as I read through the Chicago Stars series. Each person is distinctive. The reason I mention this is because for some unexplained reason I have a fondness for Bobby Tom Denton. Can???t explain it. Only know this character, over the other male characters in the series, stood out for me. I loved this book, as I have all of the Chicago Stars series, and would recommend it to anyone wanting an adorable love story full of fun, laughter and downright good entertainment.
    Bobby, Bobby, Bobby, Gracie, Gracie, Gracie
    Again a great S.E.P. book. Love, humor, football and great, great characters. You just have to love Gracie; she is so off the wall. Bobby Tom is so flummoxed by Gracie that it is cute. He thinks that he is always is in control, but little does he know... If you like S.E.P. definitely get this one.
    Wooie
    BT is as hot as it gets. This is a must get, but I own all of SEP books. All her Chicago stars books are Heaven. My all time fave "it had to be you" is still a great listen after all these years.
    11 hr 25 min
  • The Kite Runner Audiobook by Khaled Hosseini
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    Title: The Kite Runner
    Author: Khaled Hosseini
    Narrator: Khaled Hosseini
    Format: Abridged
    Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
    Language: English
    Release date: 11-29-06
    Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
    Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 422 votes
    Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
    Publisher's Summary:
    The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship, betrayal, and the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of fathers over sons - their love, their sacrifices, and their lies. Written against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before, The Kite Runner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. But through the devastation, Khaled Hosseini offers hope for redemption.
    Critic Reviews:
    " "A beautiful novel...ranks among the best-written and most provocative stories of the year." (The Denver Post)
    "Powerful first novel...tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love." (The New York Times)
    Members Reviews:
    Kite Runner
    A cultural must read. I first read "A Thousand Splendid Suns", though it was the author second book, the order does not matter.
    Both books brought tears to my eyes, and sympathy to my heart.
    Wonderfully written and wonderfully read.
    Your heart will break for the poor, simple, innocent people of Afghanistan that have nothing to do with their countries politics or hatred of the west. They struggle each day to fight for the basic human rights we so take for granted. A roof overhead, food and education for their young. You will feel shame for the things we take everyday for granted.
    A brilliant author. I couldn't recommend it enough!
    Loved it!
    Would you listen to The Kite Runner again? Why?
    I would definitely listen to this story again. It was a poignant and honest tale of how our jealousies and fears cause us to do things we are ashamed of but that we sometimes get the chance for redemption. I loved the book and highly recommend it and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
    Wow
    Prior to this book, I was not a fan of audio books. I never believed that someone reading a book to me would be worthwhile. This audio changed my view. I was going on a long drive, and a colleague suggested trying Audible. The Kite Runner was the first book I downloaded. It kept me enthralled for the entire trip. It is well read, the character voices are consistent and appropriate. I would highly recommend this audio version of the book. It is better than the movie.
    One of the best books I listened to all year
    Excellent book, well written and engaging. Some grime moments but worth every minute.
    The Kite Runner
    – this book was recommended to me I don’t think I would have chosen to read this with out guidance. Having just seen the film though…..wow the reading effects are so much better. Never getting anything that is current due to going to the library and selecting talking books up until I joined, meant I never knew how a book could be better than a movie. I think had I not read the book I definitely would have wanted my money back if I went to watch it on the big screen. I love having the book read to me. I think though that by reading the book you have expectations of how a movie would be shot. I remember thinking while listening I wonder how they depicted this in the movie? That’s easy – they didn’t! Or briefly and weakly. I think the message was of good intent but the story was just above average.
    6 hr 17 min
  • Under Orders Audiobook by Dick Francis
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    Title: Under Orders
    Author: Dick Francis
    Narrator: Martin Jarvis
    Format: Unabridged
    Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
    Language: English
    Release date: 09-07-06
    Publisher: Penguin Audio
    Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 374 votes
    Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
    Publisher's Summary:
    It's the third death on Cheltenham Gold Cup Day that really troubles super-sleuth Sid Halley. Last seen in 1995's Come to Grief, former champion jockey Halley knows the perils of racing all too well but, in his day, jockeys didn't usually reach the finishing line with three .38 rounds in the chest. But this is precisely how he finds jockey Huw Walker who, only a few hours earlier, had won the coveted Triumph Hurdle.
    Just moments before the gruesome discovery, Halley had been called upon by Lord Enstone to make discreet inquiries into why his horses appeared to be on a permanent losing streak. Are races being fixed? Are bookies taking a cut? And if so, are trainers and jockeys playing a dangerous game with stakes far higher than they realize?
    Halley's quest for answers draws him even deeper into the darker side of the race game, in a life-or-death power play that will push him to his very limits, both professionally and personally.
    Critic Reviews:
    "Dick Francis is a genius." (Los Angeles Times)
    "The writing and action are as crisp as ever." (Publishers Weekly)
    Members Reviews:
    Happy to see you again, Sid Halley!

    Under Orders is the fourth book in Dick Francis series featuring one of his most popular detectives, ex-jockey Sid Halley, who turned to investigation after an accident (and a villain) left him without one of his hands. Previous stories in the series are Odds Against, where Sid adjusts to the loss of his marriage and his career as a jockey while working for an investigative firm, followed by Whip Hand, where he strikes out on his own as a detective with trusty sidekick Chico Barnes, and Come To Grief, where his relationship with the Cassandra Committee begins. Each book presents an not only an interesting puzzle, with illuminating insights into the world of British horse racing, but also lets you see how Sid grows and changes with his life experiences and with modern developments.

    Under Orders shows us an older, more settled Sid Halley who, at 38, has finally found his new love, the humorous Dutch scientist Marina. The interplay between the two enlivens an interesting story that involves race fixing, internet gambling, and murder. The plot presented many surprises with Francis usual twists and turns, including the identity of the villain. In other areas it was predictable, leaving you wanting to tap Sid on the shoulder and say, Hey, you are overlooking this!

    Although Tony Britton is my favorite Dick Francis reader, Martin Jarvis did a wonderful job and did not detract from my enjoyment of the story in any way. His reading is slightly more boisterous than Tony Brittons but he does very well with town and country British accents from various classes.

    All in all, this was a good story and an absolutely essential listen for Dick Francis enthusiasts. Fans of Sid Halley will be delighted to be reunited with his most popular detective.

    Read this one Fourth
    If you like one Dick Francis mystery, you will probably like them all (if you get a good reader - which is usually the case fortunately). He wrote four mysteries featuring ex-jockey Sid Halley: Odds Against (1965); Whip Hand (1979); Come to Grief (1995); and Under Orders (2006).

    9 hr 51 min
  • Fear of Flying Audiobook by Erica Jong
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    Title: Fear of Flying
    Author: Erica Jong
    Narrator: Hope Davis
    Format: Unabridged
    Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
    Language: English
    Release date: 05-15-06
    Publisher: HarperAudio
    Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 179 votes
    Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
    Publisher's Summary:
    Originally published in 1973, the groundbreaking, uninhibited story of Isadora Wing and her desire to fly free caused a national sensation. In The New York Times, Henry Miller compared it to his own classic, Tropic of Cancer and predicted that "this book will make literary history..." It has sold more than 12-million copies. Now, after 30 years, the revolutionary novel known as Fear of Flying still stands as a timeless tale of self-discovery, liberation, and womanhood.
    ©1973, 2001 Erica Mann Jong; (P)2006 HarperCollins Publishers
    Critic Reviews:
    "Extraordinary....At once wildly funny and very wise." (Los Angeles Times)
    "An amazing tour de force." (Cosmopolitan)
    Members Reviews:
    Glad I didn't give up on it...
    I very nearly gave up on this one. I'm a woman in my 30's. I have always considered myself a modern, liberated woman. I had a memory of this book on my (feminist) mother's bookshelf, and of being titillated by the racey cover. I had heard that it was a seminal feminist book. So, I finally decided I should fill in this gap in my literary repertoir and "read" it for myself.
    However, as I listened I found I really despised the main character. I was completely unable to relate to her. My generation is very different from hers. I am happy in my marriage, my interpersonal relationships, and my self-image. I've never felt oppressed or smothered by anyone. This woman just seemed disgustingly whiney, neurotic, and childish.
    I am stubborn, though. At first I kept myself going by telling myself how good it was to see how far we'd really come since then. I thought it was heading for all kinds of extreme endorsements-- live in communes, forsake all commitments, want nothing more from life than perpetual free sex and empty "freedom". I kept thinking, thank goodness the pendulum has swung back from that extreme into some sanity!
    In the end though it didn't go where I feared it would. It more than redeemed itself, and I'm glad I stuck with it. It's about a woman finding her own identity, and while the details of path she took to get there ARE rather dated, the journey itself is as pertinent today as it ever was. It IS a wonderful insight into the dilemmas of being a woman, of the differences and conflicts between the sexes, and of what it means to really grow up and be a whole person.
    Too darn neurotic!
    Whew! I can't believe I hung in there until the end. The main character is too darn neurotic - I wanted to throttle her.
    Not my kind of book.
    The interview with the author at the end of the story was interesting.
    An enjoyably readable classic
    I read this book about 20 years ago and wanted to re-read it now to see how it holds up with the passage of time. I really enjoyed it a lot. Hope Davis is great as the narrator. Really believable. I can still see why this book was considered "ground-breaking". Isadora's unembarrassed search for who she is still speaks to me and her open acceptance of her sexuality still seems pretty radical and brave. And not just because she talks openly about sex and uses a lot of "swear words". But because it really isn't about finding the right man, which she eventually figures out.
    Boring
    The book was very well written. The narrator did an excellent job. At no point did her portrayals feel robotic or inauthentic. But the story itself is lackluster.
    11 hr 45 min
  • Blue Shoes and Happiness Audiobook by Alexander McCall Smith
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    Title: Blue Shoes and Happiness
    Subtitle: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
    Author: Alexander McCall Smith
    Narrator: Lisette Lecat
    Format: Unabridged
    Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
    Language: English
    Release date: 04-10-06
    Publisher: Recorded Books
    Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 915 votes
    Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
    Publisher's Summary:
    Danger hits close to home when a cobra is found in Mma Ramotswe's office. Of less immediate danger, but greater general interest, are the faulty blood pressure measurements being recorded at the local clinic. But perhaps the biggest mystery is why Mma Makutsi's fiance has missed their usual dinner date. Is he discontented? And if so, will cramming her feet into a pair of fashionable blue shoes help Mma Makutsi find happiness?
    Full of subtle wit and charming characters, Blue Shoes and Happiness is another unforgettable gem from McCall Smith.
    Critic Reviews:
    "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series is a literary confection of gossamer deliciousness....There is no end to the pleasure that may be extracted from these books." (The New York Times Book Review)
    "Scotsman McCall Smith renders brisk, seamless tales that are both wry and profound. Amidst the mayhem (like the cobra that slithers its way into the detective agency's headquarters) are eloquent descriptions of the serene African country that holds a special place in his heart." (Booklist)
    Members Reviews:
    Much ado about bush tea
    Little ever seems to happen in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books that can't be resolved in the time it takes the irrepressable Mma Ramotswe to brew and consume a pot of bush tea. Mysteries are solved, quips exchanged, and long passages recited that may (or may not) be quotes from Sir Seretse Khama.
    On the flip side, there's something refreshing about Mma Ramotswe and crew - these are books to listen to when you're having a bad day. Lisette Lecat breathes life into the series in a way that's almost magical (and you get to find out how to properly pronounce all the Setswana words, too).
    Blue Shoes and Happiness continues in the same vein as the previous books: Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni isn't happy with his apprentices, Mma Makutsi (who has developed the strange ability to hold conversations with shoes) faces her own insecurities and bandages them with her 97% mark from the Botswana Secretarial College, Mma Ramotswe contemplates the appropriateness of her own traditional build, and much bush tea is consumed.
    Parts of this book are downright funny (wait until you meet Aunt Imong), and others are sad and contemplative. By this point, the little office next to Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors is familiar territory, and it's a little bit like coming home ... and Mma Ramotswe has the tea on.
    so good
    This is one of the books in the Ladies #1 Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. This is a top notch series and I believe that to truly enjoy the series, every book should be read in the order written. The characters and story line develop over time in the series and they are people you really want to get to know. The story lines and characters can be funny, disgraceful or tragic, but they are always interesting. Smith is a keen observer of people and has great talent for drawing characters and telling whopping good stories.
    The reader is the same for each book in the series and she is one of the best I have ever heard. She gives consistly solid performances over the entire series. The characters remain the same from one book to the other. Her accents are extrordinarily good.
    8 hr 20 min
  • Black Swan Green Audiobook by David Mitchell
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    Title: Black Swan Green
    Author: David Mitchell
    Narrator: Kirby Heyborne
    Format: Unabridged
    Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
    Language: English
    Release date: 04-07-06
    Publisher: Random House Audio
    Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 572 votes
    Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
    Publisher's Summary:
    Black Swan Green tracks a single year in what is, for 13-year-old Jason Taylor, the sleepiest village in muddiest Worcestershire in dying Cold War England, 1982. But the 13 chapters, each a short story in its own right, create an exquisitely observed world that is anything but sleepy. A world of Kissinger-esque realpolitik enacted in boys' games on a frozen lake; of "nightcreeping" through the summer backyards of strangers; of the tabloid-fueled thrills of the Falklands War and its human toll; of the cruel, luscious Dawn Madden and her power-hungry boyfriend, Ross Wilcox; of a certain Madame Eva van Outryve de Crommelynck, an elderly bohemian emigre who is both more and less than she appears; of Jason's search to replace his dead grandfather's irreplaceable smashed watch before the crime is discovered; of first cigarettes, first kisses, first Duran Duran LPs, and first deaths; of Margaret Thatcher's recession; of Gypsies camping in the woods and the hysteria they inspire; and, even closer to home, of a slow-motion divorce in four seasons.
    Pointed, funny, profound, left-field, elegiac, and painted with the stuff of life, Black Swan Green is David Mitchell's subtlest and most effective achievement to date.
    Critic Reviews:
    "Great Britain's Catcher in the Rye, and another triumph for one of the present age's most interesting and accomplished novelists." (Kirkus Reviews)
    "Gorgeous....Captures the sheer pleasure of being a boy and brings to mind adventures shared by Huck and Tom." (Publishers Weekly)
    "He reproduces Jason's inner life with such astonishing verisimilitude that readers will find themselves haunted by him long after turning the last page." (Booklist)
    Members Reviews:
    Great intro to Mitchell's world: Black Swan Green
    Any additional comments?
    Five stars to David Mitchell's unrelentingly real portrayal of one boy's 13th year. Jason Taylor is disturbed, eloquent, sweet, bawdy (in a 13 year old kind of way), unintuitive and unable to be anyone but himself. That last part is the trouble: no one accepts a 13-year-old who is true to himself, so he gets beat up on a regular basis. He has a rough time of it--an unrelenting stammer, a highly developed intellect which does not usually work in his favor, and a vicious internal life--he names his alter egos the Unborn Twin, Hangman and Maggot. But his talent for language (I know, ironic) and the picaresque episodes with unexpected allies put him in the driver's seat for the bildungsroman which is 8th grade. He emerges victorious, to take the challenges of 9th grade on--whether he wants to or not.
    Captivating
    I absolutly loved this book and this author. I also have recently listen to Cloud Atlas. I love the voice of the character,13 year old Jason Taylor. He is a middle tier cool kid. This book is a funny, sensative and often heartbreaking look at how difficult it is to be a 13 year old boy and navigate your place in the food chain of boys in school, the mysterious draw of girls, world politics and family problems. The narrator is brillant. I couldn't stop listening because of his magical voice. He effortlessly breaths life into all of the characters in the book.
    13 hr 8 min

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