Get Best Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

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Title: What One Man Said to Another

Subtitle: Talks with Richard Selzer

Author: Peter Josyph

Narrator: Raymond Todd, Peter Josyph

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-27-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

What One Man Said to Another is, on one level, a series of extended conversations between friends. On another, it is a spoken autobiography of Richard Selzer, respected surgeon and writer, as recorded by New York artist and writer Peter Josyph. In this audio we learn firsthand of Selzer's life as a surgeon in an isolated village in Korea in the early 1950s; the unforgettable evening when he saved the life of author John Cheever; his agonizing courtroom experience during a malpractice suit; the ostracism of colleagues as he trained himself, every night for eight years, to become a writer; and his encounters with notable personalities, such as Orson Welles, John Houseman, Richard Ellmann, Josef Albers, and even one of "Charlie's Angels". The sparkling wit, profound insight, and unique poetic vision that characterize works such as Raising the Dead, Taking the World in for Repairs, Mortal Lessons, and all of Selzer's writing are present in every one of these lively conversations.

©1994 Peter Josyph; (P)2002 Blackstone Audiobooks

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Title: Insatiable

Subtitle: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess

Author: Gael Greene

Narrator: Nancy Travis

Format: Abridged

Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-28-06

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Now, Greene lifts the lid on her most provocative subject yet: herself. And oh, what a pot-au-feu it is, bubbling over with piquant humor, saucy erotic adventures, and some of the most lovingly described meals in literature (at Le Pavillon, Lutece, Troisgros, Tour d'Argent, La Pyramide, Girardet, Le Bernardin). From Manhattan's snootiest boites to the gourmand shrines of France and Italy, this is the story of a woman who invented a fabulous career out of dining on someone else's dollar.

With her passion for fine food, her nose for hypocrisy and social humbug, and, above all, her appetite for love and life, Greene traces her rise from a Velveeta cocoon in the Midwest to journalist wannabe, to powerful critic of New York magazine. What timing: to be un grand fromage in the world of food, just when eating well was becoming a national obsession. Love and food, foreplay and fork play, haute cuisine and social history; all become inextricably linked as the author embarks on what seemed, at times to her, a frivolous quest to satisfy insatiable hunger.

Until the specter of hunger on her own street engaged her energy and Citymeals-on-Wheels emerged. Along the way there are intimate portraits of the culinary icons of our time and revealing dissections of New York's legendary "in" spots and their invisible caste systems-at The Colony, Elaine's, La Grenouille, "21", Le Cirque, Odeon, and Balthazar.

Earthy and delicious but also penetrating and astute, Greene's memoir deserves a prominent place on the shelf of gastronomic classics.

Critic Reviews:

"Her fun memoir spices up the standard chronicle of food supped and wine sipped with breathless descriptions of sexual trysts, travel tales, and signature fashions." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Stick a fork in this one

I have been in the food and wine business for over twenty years and thought that this would be right up my alley, it was not. The book can be transcribed in one sentence: She had sex with Elvis, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds and a 2 bit porn star and ate foie gras everywhere she could order it and lived happily ever after.....there, now you don't have to read this book and waste your credits.

Great Story of Food and Sex

We have always enjoyed the New York Magazine articles by Gael Greene, dating back to the late 70's. This book is basically her autobiography, telling about her encounters with famous food (and other) people over the last 30 years. She is an excellent chronicler of the New York social scene, especially as it relates to food. It's interesting now to hear the "behind the scenes" story of some of the articles we read in the 70's and 80's, when we lived in Philadelphia and would make regular trips to NYC for food and plays.

It will help if you're a "foodie" when you listen to this book, and there is a lot of sex involved also, as she tells about her various escapades. But I loved it and listened to it in two days.

Sensual Pleasures

I was going back and forth on 2 star or 3. The writing has some good visual metaphors. I read this on vacation at the beach. That's what it is a beach read. Light, sex, food and a woman who has more confidence and bravado than a roomful of sorority girls.

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Title: Shakespeare

Subtitle: The Biography, The Onlie Begetter: Literary Stardom and Royal Patronage, Volume IV

Author: Peter Ackroyd

Narrator: Simon Callow

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 09-26-05

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Peter Ackroyd's insightful new biography positions Shakespeare in the close context of his world. In this way, Ackroyd not only richly conjures up the texture of Shakespeare's life, but also imparts an amazing amount of vivid, interesting material about place, period and background. Walk with Ackroyd through sixteenth century London and Stratford as he uncovers the intimate circumstances of Shakespeare's life. Discover the theatrical world in which Shakespeare had his being, not just Shakespeare the actor but the other actors, playwrights, and managers that surrounded him. And journey to Stratford to meet Shakespeare the family man, whose private life had such an impact on his work that the strongest bond in his plays is always between father and daughter.

Don't miss the other volumes of

.

©2005 Peter Ackroyd; (P)2005 Random House Audiobooks

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Title: Shakespeare

Subtitle: The Biography, The Upstart Crow: Ambitious Actor and Poet, Volume II

Author: Peter Ackroyd

Narrator: Simon Callow

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-26-05

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Peter Ackroyd's insightful new biography positions Shakespeare in the close context of his world. In this way, Ackroyd not only richly conjures up the texture of Shakespeare's life, but also imparts an amazing amount of vivid, interesting material about place, period and background. Walk with Ackroyd through sixteenth century London and Stratford as he uncovers the intimate circumstances of Shakespeare's life. Discover the theatrical world in which Shakespeare had his being, not just Shakespeare the actor but the other actors, playwrights, and managers that surrounded him. And journey to Stratford to meet Shakespeare the family man, whose private life had such an impact on his work that the strongest bond in his plays is always between father and daughter.

Don't miss the other volumes of

.

©2005 Peter Ackroyd; (P)2005 Random House Audiobooks

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Title: Mark Twain: Wild Humorist of the West

Author: Mark Twain

Narrator: McAvoy Layne

Format: Original Recording

Length: 2 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-11-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

The fascinating life of storyteller and humorist Mark Twain is revealed in this one-man performance based on Twain's writings. The early years of Samuel Clemens, the Mississippi River experiences, and his move to the silver mining area of Nevada are portrayed by exuberant actor McAvoy Layne; some of the most famous tales, from "The Blue Jay Yarn" to "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" are woven into the history of this most colorful author. Amusing stories from "Letters from the Sandwich Islands" and questions from the live audience conclude this delightful performance.

Critic Reviews:

"Twain's humor is always droll. (On the topic of polygamy he reminds us that the Bible says 'No man shall serve two masters.') Layne, who compiled this one-man show from Twain's writings, has just the right touch to bring this legendary author alive. And the audience laughter and interaction from this 1995 performance help the audio experience." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Performed like stand up comedy! Excellent!

Excellent performance! The read's voice, comedic timing, and audience laughter makes you feel like you are truly at one of Mark Twain's talks. After listening to more modern comedians, I didn't expect to laugh as hard to an old writer, but I was constantly laughing at his blunt remarks and reminiscences. Twain is truly an icon ahead of his time in matters dealing with sex, race, religion, etc. The audience Q & A at the end was great!

Interestingly, my interest in becoming reacquainted with Twain's work began while I was listening to a murder mystery novel by James Patterson (Alex Cross series). The story dealt with post-civil war lynchings. Two of the characters went to a live performance by Twain and remarked on the deep hilarity of his talks. I can relate to their experience. :)

Like having Samuel Langhorne Clemens at home

Layne's narration is brilliant. Close your eyes and you could be in a clapboard homestead on the banks of the Mississippi having Sam Cemens entertaining your dinner guests. The droll vignettes of Twain's life left me with a 'wry smile' that lasted all day.

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Title: Effie

Subtitle: A Victorian Scandal - From Ruskin's Wife to Millais's Muse

Author: Merryn Williams

Narrator: Rosalyn Landor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-24-15

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Victorian scandals don't come much more intimate and revealing than a wife seeking an annulment from her famous husband because their marriage has not been consummated. When Effie Ruskin sought escape from her desperately unhappy life with art critic John Ruskin, she shattered the Victorian illusion of the perfect marriage. That she could then dare to hope for respectability and even happiness as the wife of artist John Everett Millais fuelled a scandal that was to reverberate around Victorian society for years to come.

Ruskin, Millais, and Effie were exposed to the kind of gossip today's wannabe celebrities can only dream of. Effie was regarded as mentally ill, immoral, and certainly tainted - Queen Victoria initially refused to receive her - while Ruskin was seen either as noble and virtuous or deranged and impotent. Ruskin was repelled by Effie's body; Millais used her as a model in some of his greatest paintings. Millais went on to become one of Britain's most popular painters, but the stigma of his wife's past would never be forgotten.

From the heart of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood comes a story as fascinating today as it was shocking in the 1850s.

Members Reviews:

Fascinating

I had heard the outline but it was fascinating to get to know Effie through her own letters. Having done so I have huge respect for her, and compassion perhaps for Ruskin.

The narration was good overall, but the speaker's rendition of some male voices seemed a little artificial - however, this did not spoil the enjoyment.

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Title: Elvis Presley: The King of Rock 'N' Roll

Author: Adam Powley, Go Entertain

Narrator: Mike Kromer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-26-16

Publisher: Go Entertainment Group Ltd

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

This audiobook profiles the life and music of the King.

There will never be a performer quite like Elvis Presley, and this wonderful tribute fondly remembers the most successful recording artist of all time. This splendid audiobook brings to life his incredible story. From bursting on the music scene as a rebellious youngster to the sad and unforgettable day in 1977, celebrate the extraordinary life of the greatest rock 'n' roller of them all.

Members Reviews:

I would not recommend this to anyone

Poorly done, many parts missing. I would not recommend this to anyone.

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Title: Charles Dickens & Jane Austen: The Lives and Legacies of Britain's Two Famous Novelists

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Diane Lehman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-15-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Charles Dickens needs no formal introduction, having been the most popular English writer of the 19th century and still being one of the most popular writers today. Dickens' upbringing was a mixture of happy times and sad: when he recalled his father being sent to debtor's prison in his memoirs, his tears actually left marks on the page. His childhood experiences eventually forged him into the man many regard as the greatest Victorian era novelist - the author of remarkable fictional characters who retain tremendous staying power to this day, including Fagin, Peepy, David Copperfield, and Oliver Twist, to name just a few.

Unlike other great writers and artists, during his own lifetime Dickens' works enjoyed remarkable popularity and renown, to such an extent that even Queen Victoria and Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli felicitated and feted Dickens. In the 20th century, well after Dickens' passing, his literary genius was truly and completely appreciated by ordinary readers as well as critics and scholars. Dickens' novels, novellas, and short stories retain powerful and enduring popularity among the public, largely because Dickens connected history with the present through universal bridges.

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Title: Doris Lessing

Author: Carole Klein

Narrator: Anna Fields

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-10-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

An ardent Communist before and during the Second World War - when she was married to a German - she distanced herself from the movement long before Communism's attraction faded for others.

Always prolific, Lessing continued to explore uncharted territory with her series of science-fiction novels, further unsettling the literary world when her work was submitted under a pseudonym.

Based on numerous interviews and sources, this book is a timely portrait of a fascinating woman.

Critic Reviews:

"Doris Lessing's eventful and controversial life is seen from the outside in this well-researched bio, which is enlivened in audio....What emerges is a serious, analytical work for which Anna Fields's earnest tone, low-pitched voice, and deliberate pace are well suited." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Fascinating!

I really enjoyed this biography. One of those where you drive one more time around the block to hear a little more. . . It describes the rich and very unconventional life of Doris Lessing in full and well-chosen detail and the narrator is excellent. I found it particularly rich as a narrative of what it takes to live a fully creative life as a woman. I recommend it very highly.

Doris Lessing Unabridged

This book is an informative account of the life of Doris Lessing. But the style of reading is not suited to the book. The voice is clear, but too matter of fact, more suited to a business report. I am enjoying the content but not the delivery.

Just because we love her doesn't mean she owes us

The headline is a paraphrase of an observation by the author near the end of this book. Doris Lessing was, it seems, not specially agreeable to the author of this artistic biography; and the author did not expect her to be. The Doris Lessing of this book is quite different from the Doris Lessing of her autobiography. There are details here of situations, especially family situations, that Lessing chose to treat less fully.

This book contains descriptions of Lessing's work style. Look at any complete bibliography and you wonder how she did it. The answer given here is that she worked very hard for long periods and turned out several thousand words every day. The stories and the entire worlds they were set in poured out of her.

I have read a fair amount of Lessing starting in the mid-1970s. I have read all the way through the Canopus in Argos pentology twice. The last Lessing novel I read was The Cleft about 7 years ago. Even though I read a lot, I missed a lot. (She was so prolific. She published novels faster than I could assimilate them.) I am grateful to Carole Klein for her summaries of works I have not read.

I recommend this audiobook to anyone who loves Lessing. IMHO, if you have not read her, this book is unlikely to interest you.

Having said that, I must comment on the production. I have noticed that some audiobooks sound like the narration has been speeded up just a little. Most annoyingly, pauses are obliterated. This is one of them. It's not terrible but it adds a certain unnecessary tension to the listening experience.

Clear and intellegent listening

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Nothing.

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Title: Still Whispering After All These Years

Subtitle: My Autobiography

Author: Bob Harris

Narrator: David Rintoul

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 11-17-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Bob Harris first became known as the face of the 1970s live music TV show The Old Grey Whistle Test and his infectious enthusiasm for music and ability to discover new talent has seen him become a national treasure. He continues to be a household name today and his velvety voice can be heard on Radio 2's The Bob Harris Show and Bob Harris Country.

In this fully revised and updated autobiography, with a forward by Robert Plant, Bob tells his story of over 40 years of broadcasting with the BBC, from the young, passionate music fan who moved to London determined to make music his life, to being presented with an OBE for his services to music broadcasting. Much like his musical heroes, Bob's personal life has had somewhat of a rock 'n' roll vibe: he has been married three times, gone bankrupt, fought cancer, weathered a very public spat with a fellow DJ and has had to revamp his career four times. Throughout all these times, however, his love of music and talent for broadcasting has endured.

The Whispering Years is a frank, vibrant and inspiring tale of one of the most influential names on the radio and reveals the story of the man behind the voice. Known affectionately as Whispering Bob due to his softly spoken voice, Bob Harris has worked in broadcasting since the 1970s, when he was the face of the live music show Old Grey Whistle Test. He co-founded Time Out magazine, has written books, newspaper articles and magazine columns, produced records and worked with some of the biggest names in music.

Members Reviews:

Whispering Bob, You Dark Horse, You...

Anyone with even a passing interest in music is going to love this book, especially as it really lifts the lid off of a well-respected personality that you think you know. 'Whisperin' Bob', all laid back, mellow and 'really nice vibes'. Well think again; 3 wives, 8 children, a near-death experience and a feud with a fellow Radio One DJ are just the tip of the very deep iceberg that is the real Bob Harris.

Add to this decades of being in the deep end of an ever-changing music scene and you are in for a great read.

Narration is first-class, and keeps you engaged and entertained all the way along.

Highly recommended

Brilliant

Fantastic narrator and wonderful book. Loved it. What a life Bob Harris has had. Incredible

Partridge-esque

Listening to Rintouls performance of this book is unbearably reminiscent of Steve Coogans performance as Alan Partridge in the sublimeI, Partridge though this is not helped by Harris tedious hyperbole. So many people or experiences were described one of the most (adjective) Ive ever experienced/known that it becomes funny after a while, then unbearable a while after that. Not only that but there were several moments in the telling of this story that I assumed the next words were going to be needless to say, I had the last laugh.

I'll always love Bob

The early history was wonderful the rest was information, but I'm so glad Bob is still with us!

He rambles about rather than whispers....

Quite interesting most of the time, but lost the story thread of the human characters a lot, in pursuit of facts about musicians.

If you like facts you'll probably enjoy it more than me.