Download the Popular Authors Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary

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Title: Blue Moon Bay

Subtitle: Moses Lake, Book 2

Author: Lisa Wingate

Narrator: Johanna Parker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-24-12

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 138 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Award-winning, best-selling crossover author Lisa Wingate pens inspirational Southern fiction that tugs at the heartstrings. Blue Moon Bay takes Seattle architect Heather Hampton to quiet Moses Lake, Texas, where a promotion at her firm hinges on the sale of family farmland for a proposed industrial plant. Her plans hit a few snags thanks to her quirky family and a handsome banker opposing the land deal. It soon becomes clear that providence has other ideas for her future, and maybe this small town is the place where all her dreams could come true.

Members Reviews:

Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate

Would you listen to Blue Moon Bay again? Why?

I would listen to Blue Moon Bay again because the characters were well developed and the narration excellent.

What did you like best about this story?

The plot, play on words and the setting.

What does Johanna Parker bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

She is able to draw a picture of each character through by the reflection she has in her voice. She could make a character believeable or not by the tone of her voice. She added humor that might have been missed if read silently.

Real people, real life, real Love

Where does Blue Moon Bay rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

First or second

What did you like best about this story?

Lisa's words flow like a leaf on a spring stream, sometimes gentle other times fast. She personifies the excellent wordsmith. The solid plot, real characters with real problems keep the reader involved. I especially like the way she shares romance. Real raw emotions that makes the reader feel sweet and tender after reading it--not dirt and used as some do. Nor do you think these are paper people without substance, without true longs and desires.

Have you listened to any of Johanna Parkers other performances before? How does this one compare?

Great.

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

Yes

Captivating

I very rarely write reviews I do not usually find them helpful when it comes to books.

My first and rather lengthy impression of our lead character was way less than favorable, there were times I just couldnt stomach her my way is the only way I know everything attitude, but I kept coming back to see if she every got out of her own way.

I was captivated and listened to the last three hours twice to make sure I didnt miss anything

Not my favorite but enjoyed the ending

This particular book wasnt as interesting as some of her other books.

Have enjoyed the other ones very much!!

Excellent

I didn't want to turn it off, and I didn't want it to end. Good story clean language good morals. I will listen to this author again

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Title: Look at Me

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Jennifer Egan

Narrator: Rachael Warren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 126 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

From the Pulitzer Prize winning author! At the start of this edgy and ambitiously multilayered novel - the National Book Award Finalist - a fashion model named Charlotte Swenson emerges from a car accident in her Illinois hometown with her face so badly shattered that it takes 80 titanium screws to reassemble it. She returns to New York still beautiful but oddly unrecognizable, a virtual stranger in the world she once effortlessly occupied.

With the surreal authority of a David Lynch, Jennifer Egan threads Charlottes narrative with those of other casualties of our infatuation with the image. Theres a deceptively plain teenage girl embarking on a dangerous secret life, an alcoholic private eye, and an enigmatic stranger who changes names and accents as he prepares an apocalyptic blow against American society. As these narratives inexorably converge, Look at Me becomes a coolly mesmerizing intellectual thriller of identity and imposture.

Critic Reviews:

"Brilliantly unnerving.... A haunting, sharp, splendidly articulate novel." (

The New York Times)

Members Reviews:

Good story, horrible narrator.

I don't know if I will make it through this! Jennifer Egan is a great writer, but the narrator's delivery is ruining this listen. Every word is drenched in dramatic urgency. Nauseating.

Boring!

Couldn't even make it through. Normally I force myself to finish books, but nothing about this caught my attention. Sad I spent my Audible credit this month.

A most irritating story and narration

I had high hopes for this story, thinking it might underscore our obsession with appearance and then pull the rug out from under it. All it did was show how it doesn't matter what happens, appearances rule (for some unfortunates) . The narration was so over articulated I thought I was in pre-school. Sorry ... A total disappointment

Could not finish due to terrible narration

Would you try another book from Jennifer Egan and/or Rachael Warren?

Yes, I loved A Visit from the Goon Squad

Any additional comments?

I may finish this later, but can only stand listening to this narrator for short periods.

Boring. A superficial read.

I found this they seriously boring and trite book. And the reader added to this with her sing song he voice. I tolerated about an hour and a half of that and then had to return it

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Title: The Art of Fielding

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Chad Harbach

Narrator: Holter Graham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 09-09-11

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1692 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

At Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for Big League stardom. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended. Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future.

College President Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry's gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners' team captain and Henry's best friend, realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert's daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life.

As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets. In the process, they forge new bonds, and help one another find their true paths.

Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment - to oneself and to others.

Critic Reviews:

"Reading The Art of Fielding is like watching a hugely gifted young shortstop: you keep waiting for the errors, but there are no errors. First novels this complete and consuming come along very, very seldom." (Jonathan Franzen)

"Chad Harbach's The Art of Fielding is one of those rare novels--like Michael Chabon's Mysteries of Pittsburgh or John Irving's The World According to Garp--that seems to appear out of nowhere and then dazzles and bewitches and inspires until you nearly lose your breath from the enjoyment and satisfaction, as well as the unexpected news-blast that the novel is very much alive and well." (James Patterson)

"Chad Harbach has hit a game-ender with The Art of Fielding. It's pure fun, easy to read, as if the other Fielding had a hand in it - as if Tom Jones were about baseball and college life." (John Irving)

Members Reviews:

Not Quite ~

I wanted to like this book - and the writer has wonderful prose - but I just didn't fall in the love any character nor did the story line captivate me. I did like the narrator, but I wouldn't recommend this one. There are too many great books to read via audio, and this isn't one of them.

Entertainingly Simple

Although somewhat simple with some of the writing amateurish and predictable, I found the overall story entertaining and fun. I looked forward to each listening session and was usually quite entertained. The reader was excellent, and his character depiction very good.

Don't buy into the hype

You have to be kidding me. After reading the reviews on this book I couldn't wait to check it out . What a disappointment. The writing style is juvenile, the characters are paper thin and there is nothing remotely believable or insightful. With so many quality writers out there, how did this one get so much press? I rarely give up on a book more than half way in but this one forced me to.

The Art of Fielding- A Work of Art

Where does The Art of Fielding rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I would have to say that 'The Art of Fielding' is probably one of the best audiobooks I've listened to.

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Title: You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

Author: Sarra Manning

Narrator: Julie Maisey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-07-11

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 242 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Girls like Neve Slater dont get gorgeous guys like William. But Williams been in L A for three years, and Neves been slimming down in preparation for his return. Then her sister Celia points out that if Neve wants William to think she's an experienced love-goddess then shed better get some experience - a man to show her the ropes, like Celias colleague Max. And since hes not Neves type, she certainly wont fall for him...

Members Reviews:

Authentic and entertaining

Any additional comments?

Neve and William have an intellectual connection and, while he's been in America the past few years, Neve has been working hard to ensure they have a physical connection when he gets back. She has lost a lot of weight and is no longer obese, but she's still doesn't feel ready for William's not-too-distant return. Aside from shifting the last few pounds, she needs more relationship experience - ANY would be handy - so she comes up with the idea of a "pancake relationship", a first relationship that you can chuck away like you throw away the first mangled pancake in a batch. Her sister's hot but sleazy boss Max is the perfect candidate for her first pancake, and he agrees to try the relationship because he's never really been in one himself, and it's ideal for him coz Neve doesn't care if he sleeps with other people coz she certainly doesn't want to sleep with him.

With this hijinksy set up, I was expecting You Don't Have to Say You Love Me to be a lot of fun. And it certainly was. Charming, funny and completely entertaining. But what I wasn't expecting was just how touching it would be - and how much I would relate to it. Neve is a complete mess, and boy did I see my own messy self in her. She is intelligent and attractive, but so incredibly insecure it's painful to read about at times - all the more painful because it was like hearing my own thoughts repeated back to me. From the way she froze when a guy tried to cuddle her across her tummy, to the way she held up her fingers to indicate she was just a LITTLE bit drunk when she was actually very drunk, it was bizarre just how much I felt like Neve WAS me sometimes. Some readers may find all her insecurities annoying, but they felt completely authentic and relatable to me. She also experiences a lot of character growth over the course of her book, and her journey towards accepting and even loving herself is heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once.

The funniest moments, as well as a number of incredibly moving ones, come when Neve interacts with Max. They are complete opposites in so many ways, and it makes for some hilarious and really fun scenes. Even more fun is the amazing chemistry they have, which gets harder and harder for them to resist. Max is a bit of a douche at times, but of course he has a big heart underneath. He is blokey and messy but he's also sexy and charming and respectful and lovely and a little bit broken himself. It's hard not to fall in love with him by the end.

The secondary characters are really great, and I especially loved Neve's family relationships. The way they hurt each other but love each other so much was realistic and really got under my skin. On a lighter level, Neve's work friendships and the office politics she deals with made for an entertaining subplot.

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Title: Fall of Giants

Author: Ken Follett

Narrator: John Lee

Format: Unabridged

Length: 30 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-29-11

Publisher: Macmillan Digital Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 612 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A huge novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women.

It is 1911. The Coronation Day of King George V. The Williams, a Welsh coal-mining family, is linked by romance and enmity to the Fitzherberts, aristocratic coal-mine owners. Lady Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German Embassy in London. Their destiny is entangled with that of an ambitious young aide to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and to two orphaned Russian brothers, whose plans to immigrate to America fall foul of war, conscription and revolution. In a plot of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, FALL OF GIANTS moves seamlessly from Washington to St Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty.

Members Reviews:

Disapointing

I really wanted to like this book. I have been a keen student of 20th century history since high school, 40 years ago.

Alas I found myself unable to really engage with the characters, finding them rather cardboard cutout. I could not help feeling that each was created purely to act as a vehicle to show key historical moments and most of the conversations they had, tended to give us lengthy history lessons. The fact that they seemed to somehow turn up at key points of world events of the time, I found clunky.

The book is redeemed to an extent by some great descriptions, the delivery of casulty telegrams being one good scene.

Overall, while i have no argument with the accuracy of the events portrayed, I feel that Mr Follet may have been better to have reduced the scope of the epic and used history as a background to the characters lives rather than awkwardly dropping them into each significant event. Not a book I could immerse myself in, rather, I skipped along the top, unable to find a way in

Powerful work; exceptional & gripping adventure.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This audiobook is worth every cent and every second. I would very happily recommend this book to family and friends.A masterful piece.

What other book might you compare Fall of Giants to and why?

Ken Follett is an outstanding author. Yet, I find it very hard to compare one skilled writer's work with other skilled writer's work, even of the same genre, as their styles often differ quite dramatically... and so attempting to compare their work is a bit like debating which is the best type of friut.I can, however, state that there is no better wordsmith for his standard and style of work. The way he keeps your attention from start to finish, never under nor overstating life and it's bare,sometimes brutual, sometimes sensual, but always honest realities. He just weaves you into the lives of his characters and never lets you breath until he's finished.

Have you listened to any of John Lees other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not heard John Lee's performance before, but his reading style is personable and clever. His interpretation of humour is simple and real, and his ability to hold your utter attention in dramatic moments is highly skilled. Brilliant performance... and I will be pleased to listen to any of his other readings.

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

I certainly laughed at times.

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Title: Sharpes Havoc

Subtitle: Portugal, 1809

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Narrator: Patrick Tull

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-21-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 377 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Best-selling novelist Bernard Cornwell crafts a thrilling tale from his immensely popular Richard Sharpe series. In 1809 Lieutenant Sharpe and his riflemen are in Portugal, preparing for Napoleons next strike. The smaller English force will probably pull out before its too late, but not Sharpe. His orders are to find the missing daughter of an English wine shipper. Just as Sharpe and his men begin their mission, the French launch their punishing assault.

Members Reviews:

Not Exactly Unabridged

If you could sum up Sharpes Havoc in three words, what would they be?

Sharpe's adventures are always entertaining, rich in historical detail, and good action-adventure. This particular story is a little below the usual high grade yarn Cornwell tells, but only a little. The climax is a modestly improbable in what does *not* happen to Sharpe (I am avoiding a spoiler). For much of this book, this story also takes Sharpe further from the actual historical events than is the norm for the series. The Sharpe series was originally a series of 11 books. They were sufficiently successful that some sequel and prequel books were written, plus a few (like this novel) that were shoe-horned in between the original volumes. This particular story is taking place in the spring of 1809, as French Marshal Soult conquers northern Portugal, and then prepares to move on to Lisbon with his seemingly unstoppable army of 25,000 veterans. The small British army is in Lisbon, commanded by General Cradock, perhaps waiting to embark on British shops and sail home. All of Portugal is ready to fall, and Soult is being encouraged to dream big dreams for his personal future. But of course, Soult never planned on Lieutenant Richard Sharpe, Sergeant Patrick Harper, and their fearsome dogs of war, their fellow refugees from the British 95th Rifles.

Any additional comments?

Unlike the original 11 books in the Sharpe series (I believe all read by Frederick Davidson), the narrator of this book neglects to read the closing "Historical Notes" provided by the author. For me, at least, it is always interesting to know when the story's done what was real history and what was fiction. I'm fortunate enough to have a hard cover version of the book, and so able to look this information up, after listening to the book in my car. I would strongly encourage Audible to include the "Historical Notes" of Cornwall's books.

Hard to go back

I am a huge Sharpe fan and have read or listened to all the books at least twice. I do notice that when Mr. Cornwell goes back to insert a battle into the original timeline the story is not as crips as before. Mr. Tull does a very fine job but once you listen to Mr. Davidson read, he is so very hard to beat. The story is good. What I am saying is if you have not heard all the other Sharpe stories, start with them and go back and insert these, as Mr. Cornwell did.

Does not sink well the books either side of it but a good read

As this book was written years after Sharpe's Rifles and Sharpe's Eagle it should fit nicely between the two and a few facts don't quite work well. Yes they mention his poor dead estrange wife and child, which are never mentioned in any of the other books besides Sharpe's Trafalgar, and Sharpe's Prey.

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Title: The Shipping News

Author: Annie Proulx

Narrator: Paul Hecht

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-28-11

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 298 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 1994

National Book Award, Fiction, 1994

At 36, Quoyle, a third-rate newspaperman, is wrenched violently out of his workaday life when his two-timing wife gets her just desserts. He retreats with his two daughters to his ancestral home on the starkly beautiful Newfoundland coast, where a rich cast of local characters all play a part in Quoyle's struggle to reclaim his life. As three generations of his family cobble up new lives, Quoyle confronts his private demons - and the unpredictable forces of nature and society - and begins to see the possibility of love without pain or misery.

A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary American family, The Shipping News demonstrates why Annie Proulx is recognized as one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.

Critic Reviews:

"The Shipping News is that rare creation, a lyric page-turner." (Chicago Tribune)

"The writing is charged with sardonic wit - alive, funny, a little threatening; packed with brilliantly original images... and, now and then, a sentence that simply takes your breath away." (USA Today)

"Annie Proulx's stunning, big-hearted The Shipping News thaws the frozen lives of its characters and warms readers." (San Francisco Examiner)

Members Reviews:

Can't Explain Why I Love This Book

This book is written in a style I've never come across before. The sentences are short, almost choppy. The characters are equally strange, and the story took me by surprise many times. In reading this book, I felt as though I was on a child's roller coaster; it seemed slow and easy, but suddenly and unexpectedly jerked to the right or left. I felt sure that certain characters had secrets, and so I listened with building interest.

The setting (Newfoundland, Canada) was new to me as well, and wrapped its cold grey arms around me. As I look back, I think the locale may be the main character of this novel. Very powerful.

And, as I say in my title, I am not sure why I loved it, but I did. I recommend this book.

A great companion

Where does The Shipping News rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I really enjoyed reading this book years ago and having grown tired of listing to the radio have taken to exclusively listing to audible books while driving to and from work. I now relish the traffic and find myself sitting in the driveway for a few more momments when i get home to continue to listen. The Shipping news is a favorite of mine and i greatly enjoyed listening to the narration. Paul Hecht did a fantastic job; bringing the characters back to life for me. So far it is my favorite audiobook.

What other book might you compare The Shipping News to and why?

I would compare the Shipping News to anything by John Irving, Anne Tyler, Amy Tan. All favorites. the stories that encompass a lifetime and all its events are the best to me. Full character development, historical references, and characters so rich and deep. They are my companions of the road.

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Title: The Sisters Brothers

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Patrick deWitt

Narrator: John Pruden

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-26-11

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 768 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. The enigmatic and powerful man known only as the Commodore has ordered it, and his henchmen, Eli and Charlie Sisters, will make sure of it. Though Eli doesn't share his brother's appetite for whiskey and killing, he's never known anything else. But their prey isn't an easy mark, and on the road from Oregon City to Warm's gold-mining claim outside Sacramento, Eli begins to question what he does for a living - and whom he does it for.

With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters - losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life - and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.

Critic Reviews:

gritty, as well as deadpan and often very comicDeWitt has chosen a narrative voice so sharp and distinctiveits very narrowing of possibilities opens new doors in the imagination. (New York Times Book Review)

Weirdly funny, startlingly violent and steeped in sadness Its all rendered irresistible by Eli Sisters, who narrates with a mixture of melancholy and thoughtfulness. (Washington Post)

[T]heres something cinematic about Mr. deWitts unadorned prose style, which at first made this reader do a double-takecan this be serious?only to continue flicking the pages with pleasure. (Wall Street Journal)

Members Reviews:

Beautiful, Absurd & Melancholic Frontier Noir.

Absurd, fantastic, and the narrative almost measures up to the cover art. A book about two frontier assassin brothers in search of the 'pot of gold' over the rainbow. Two killer angels seeking to "understand why, or how they might change things for the better." This novel is about that quest. A quest to change, to understand, to alter lots, cheat fate and better predicaments. Fundamentally, however, it is about the things that link us: blood, death, family, lust and greed. The book's absurdity lacks nihilism, its craziness exists without meanness, and the killings and murders seem to echo with a beautiful melancholic fatalism of Charles Portis and Mark Twain.

The Cruelty To Animals is Hard to Take

Great narrator, I would say perfect for this story. The prose is enchanting, that's why I stuck with it. The Sister Brothers have no regard for human life, so it is hard to like them. The treatment of animals in the story is abhorrent. I realize this may have been realistic for the period, but if that bothers you (and it should,) you may want to avoid this book. The dialogue is glorious, and for that reason I recommend it.

Oddly compelling!

I loved this book, despite my general avoidance of stories featuring this much violence. But the viiolence is so embedded in the context of the times that it seems, if not okay, at least understandable. This is a perfect Coen brothers story--I would love to see it filmed. The dialogue is pitch perfect and the narration is sensational. I truly could not stop listening--got lots of extra exercise in just to have an excuse to keep listening. Enjoy!

If you liked "True Grit"...

And I mean the book, "True Grit", you will find much to like in this story.

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Title: Strip Tease

Author: Carl Hiaasen

Narrator: George Wilson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-22-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1332 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

No matter what you heard or thought about the movie version of Strip Tease, forget it. Film simply cant catch the layers of humor, satire, and imagination that author Carl Hiaasen creates in each of his novels.

When a deranged Florida congressman falls for a gorgeous but virtuous stripper, he dedicates himself to pursuing this tasselled princess. Not only is she a real beauty, shes a damsel in distress. The effects of his quest will ripple through the spotlights of the strip joint, the sugar cane fields of south Florida, and some powerful political careers.

Fueled by innocent lust and dizzy miscalculations, this story will keep you howling with surprise. George Wilsons colorful narration is the perfect vehicle for Carl Hiaasens twisted fairy tale.

Critic Reviews:

Rough, raucous, and filled with lovable losers, Strip Tease is a caper novel for readers not afraid to laugh out loud. (People)

Reading a Hiaasen book is always a high-speed boat ride where laughter can turn to horror and disaster at any moment. Hearing the story aloud adds a dose of realism and sensation; these characters really could be driving around the streets (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

A total delightr

What did you love best about Strip Tease?

This has it all--humor, gore, great dialogue, characters, and plot.

Any additional comments?

The reader is fabulous. He is clearly an actor as well, and gets each character's individual voice spot-on.

Hilarious drama

Carl Hiaasen is one of a kind. Kept me laughing, as people were getting knocked off right and left. How is that possible? It's all in the slap stick writing that is so enjoyable. This tale starts out with a young mother forced to strip tease so she can afford a good attorney, in order to regain custody of her daughter. Her ex, is a lowly drugged out thief, who just happens to be a snitch for the local police. In pops an oversexed Congressman that gets himself in a compromising predicament at the strip club. The whole story is trying to cover up this Congressman's indiscretion, while Erin just wants to get her daughter back.

It's crazy and zany with lovable and hateable characters, that keep you in stitches throughout. Highly recommend this one.

Way Better Than the Movie

What did you love best about Strip Tease?

The vast array of characters, as interesting and they are unlikely. Some are too far over the top, like the Congressman and Darrell Grant, but most are engaging and funny. I love the way Hiaasen occasionally shifts point of view to previously unknown characters who hardly if ever reappear afterwards, in order to show what happens to one of the more central characters, like the Montana locals who discover the body of Jerry Killian -- it's a device that adds to the depth and charm of the story. I don't remember the movie (a bomb) being a comedy, but the book is majorly chuckle-worthy.

What other book might you compare Strip Tease to and why?

Just about any of Carl Hiaasen's other books, wall to wall with a variety of characters, with Florida itself acting as a major character, especially its local politics and Hiaasen's omnipresent environmental awareness.

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Title: The Tiger's Wife

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Tea Obreht

Narrator: Susan Duerden, Robin Sachs

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-08-11

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 1051 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Weaving a brilliant latticework of family legend, loss, and love, Téa Obreht, the youngest of The New Yorkers 20 best American fiction writers under 40, has spun a timeless novel that will establish her as one of the most vibrant, original authors of her generation.

In a Balkan country mending from years of conflict, Natalia, a young doctor, arrives on a mission of mercy at an orphanage by the sea. By the time she and her lifelong friend, Zóra, begin to inoculate the children there, she feels age-old superstitions and secrets gathering everywhere around her. Secrets her outwardly cheerful hosts have chosen not to tell her. Secrets involving the strange family digging for something in the surrounding vineyards. Secrets hidden in the landscape itself.

But Natalia is also confronting a private, hurtful mystery of her own: the inexplicable circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfathers recent death. After telling her grandmother that he was on his way to meet Natalia, he instead set off for a ramshackle settlement none of their family had ever heard of and died there alone. A famed physician, her grandfather must have known that he was too ill to travel. Why he left home becomes a riddle Natalia is compelled to unravel.

Grief struck and searching for clues to her grandfathers final state of mind, she turns to the stories he told her when she was a child. These stories, Natalia comes to understand, run like secret rivers through all the other stories of her grandfathers life. And it is ultimately within these rich, luminous narratives that she will find the answer she is looking for.

Editorial Reviews:

The youngest author included in The New Yorkers 20 under 40 fiction issue last year, 25-year-old Tea Obreht is no doubt one of the most talked about novelists in the business right now. And her highly anticipated debut novel, The Tigers Wife, has more than lived up to the deafening hype; it is an engrossing story that masterfully mixes realism and fantasy, exploring intricate themes of life, death, and wartime. Both Obreht and her main character are skilled storytellers, and to hear their beautifully woven narratives performed by Susan Duerden and Robin Sachs only makes it that much easier to escape into The Tigers Wife.

Set in an unnamed, mysterious Balkan country, The Tigers Wife tells the story of a special bond between Natalia Stefanovic and her recently deceased grandfather. Natalia is a physician charged with inoculating orphaned children vulnerable to disease in the war-torn countryside. She grew up very close to her grandfather, also a physician, and his sudden death in a village he had no known ties to sends her on a pilgrimage to understand the circumstances of his passing. Along the way, she remembers and discovers details of her grandfathers past, including two stories he told her when she was a child one of the deathless man, and another of an escaped tiger cared for by a deaf-mute girl. Obreht weaves Natalias story with the two fables seamlessly. It is a delicate balance of realism/science vs. myth/superstition Duerden and Sachs guide the listener through the intricate structure with their affecting narration.

The Tigers Wife features a cast of dynamic, unforgettable characters, some with even supernatural qualities.