Get Legally Your Full Audiobook in Fiction, Contemporary - Fast, Easy and Legally

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Shame and the Captives

Author: Thomas Keneally

Narrator: Paul English, Heather Bolton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-17-14

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

On the edge of a small town in New South Wales, far from the battlefields of the Second World War, lies a prisoner-of-war camp housing Italian, Korean and Japanese soldiers. For their guards and the locals, many with loved ones away fighting, captive or dead, it is hard to know how to treat them - with disdain, hatred or compassion?

Alice, a young woman leading a dull life on her father-in-law's farm, is one of those with a husband held prisoner in Europe. When Giancarlo, an Italian POW and anarchist, is assigned to work on the farm, she hopes that being kind to him will somehow influence her husband's treatment. What she doesn't anticipate is how dramatically Giancarlo will expand her outlook and self-knowledge.

But what most challenges Alice and the town is the foreignness of the Japanese inmates and their culture, which the camp commanders fatally misread. Mortified by being taken alive, they plan an outbreak, to shattering and far-reaching effect.

In a career spanning half a century, Tom Keneally has proved a master at exploring ordinary lives caught up in extraordinary events. With this gripping and profoundly thought-provoking novel, inspired by a notorious incident in 1944, he once again shows why he is celebrated as a writer who 'looks into the heart of the human condition with a piercing intelligence that few can match' - Sunday Telegraph.

Members Reviews:

As far as it goes....

Mr Keneally sets out that Gawell is not Cowra but like Cowra, but the events described at the Gawell Prisoner of War camp fairly closely match the actual events at Cowra and with one or two embellishments of flaws and features most of the identifiable characters, so why not base it there and be done with?

In re-telling the events of August 1944 story does not displace itself from the facts for the fiction to be suspended enough to be believed and the opportunities Keneally creates for a more intriguing story of possibilities out of those events never quite burst into their own lives. Basically I was left with a slightly more padded version of Harry Gordon's' "Die Like the Carp" without the gruesome photos, or indeed my mothers own recollections of the "word on the streets of Cowra, where she grew up, a teenager of 16 in 1944. He does enough to honour the known acts of heros, but in Abercares fictional death, the lives that could be honoured were lost.

What could have been, especially after his ambiguous but clever conclusion to Daughters of Mars, was not another mirror to the imperial Japanese Warrior soldier, but an incursion into their view of the alien, surrounding them. There were moments, the memorable line about how they wondered that it did not snow despite getting so cold, or the offering of scones, but fundamentally, Tom left me with a conclusion that two tribes went to war and just did not or could not understand each other. It is at that point the potential of this book is exasperatingly lost. How did Aoki return to life and wait for death to approach, explain to his family not only his lost honour of capture, but his shame of the stain on his soul of China?

While in war anything is possible, the notion that Alice would have a relationship with Giancarlo in the way it unfolded, did not strike me as particularly plausible, I could imagine personal conflict of feelings, and perhaps a passionate breakout, but Alice was not a woman like Nora, she would not have played the game that way.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Two Shades of Morning

Author: Janice Daugharty

Narrator: Karen Commins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-11-14

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Sibyl is either dying - or just dying to cause trouble.Sympathy for a man-hunting siren? Sibyl says shes dying. But this sexy new neighbor in a small Georgia town, circa 1960, may be lying. After all, her main goal seems to be milking her story in order to keep her husband, Robert, under her thumb while also enchanting his best friend, P.W.

For plain-Jane Earlene, P.W.s wife, Sibyls suspicious motives include a bewildering mix of syrupy kindness and sly cruelty. Earlenes attempts to point out Sibyls behavior to others in town sound petty toward a dying woman. Who is Sibyl, really? Her lavish spending hints at a hidden source for money, since Robert isnt rich. How is it possible to be both repelled and hypnotized by her? There are secrets waiting to be exposed.

Members Reviews:

Two Shades of Morning

Native SonsInnuendo is never in style with country folks. They say what they mean and mean what they say. Earlene and P.W are a couple. Sybil her enemy comes on the scene and P.W. falls in love with her. They say a man falls in love with a woman in direct proportion to the differences between them. That appears to be the case with P.W. Sybil acts the role of sophistication and he is just a good old country boy astounded by the differences he sees in her. For a woman's husband to be intimate with another woman and her enemy to boot was one thing but to fall in love with her was quite something else. Robert Dale Sybil's' husband is kind of shallow, and he plays the role of Sybil's enabler. This novel in one of my favorite by Janice. The dialogue is from that era the facts are an important part of the story adding realism to a lazy sort of shade tree drama. Earlene quickly tires of the whole mess and little by little I saw the changes in her character as she matured and began her growth out of the woods she was raised in and away from the rednecks she was raised around. While she matured with the words of the author I am sure her cultural prerogatives will stay the same. [Nothing wrong with rednecks by the way I have many in my family.] Two Shades of Morning is a fine book and one that I am pleased to be the first to review. Marshall L Dell

Dying Days with a Southern Flair!

I am a lover of southern literature! This author has captured the art of writing in true southern fashion. I never thought I would enjoy a book about someone's dying days, but this story line had me wondering when death would be knocking next door in an unexpected way. The conversational style reminded me of my great grandparents and my deep south childhood. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an interesting plot mixed in with a good dose of southern flair.

"...so young and alive and dying."

Once again Pulitzer-nominated author, Janice Daugharty, has beckoned us back into a small town in Georgia to meet a few of the residents there and to let us into their lives for the length of her latest book, "Two Shades of Morning." In Little Town, GA, the talk of the town in 1960 centers around Robert Dale Sharpe's new wife from Orlando, FL. Her name is Sibyl and she is young, beautiful, blonde, sexy and she is dying. At least that's the word that everyone has heard and can't understand why Robert Dale would marry a girl who doesn't have long to live.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Flowering and Other Stories

Author: Tom Bentley

Narrator: Joseph Woods

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-02-14

Publisher: AuthorMike Ink Audio

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Flowering is a collection of stories built around the themes of loss, social disruption, mistaken judgment and stumbling redemption. From a shoplifting sociopathic genius to a card-dealing witch offering a mystical experience at the blackjack tables to a harsh drunk who turns out to be a malignant-yet chillingly accurate-soothsayer, the story's lead characters are complex and not always charming, but their colors are memorably bright. Location also figures significantly in other stories: Settings in suburban Seattle, a bleak Arizona desert town and a tiny cottage in New Orleans all draw deeply on the native textures of their territories. From flash fiction to richly woven tales, Flowering invites you into distinct worlds, all built on story.

Members Reviews:

Quite Simply One of the Best

You would think that after having published a couple of books and written thousands upon thousands of words for publication over the last 45 years, I would be able to adequately express myself in a book review. But, I've been staring at a blank screen for weeks now trying to summon the sentences that will do justice to "Flowering and Other Stories."

First, know that I bought the book and then let it sit for a couple of weeks. I know the author, Tom Bentley and I know that he the magical ability to use words to make me laugh, bring me to tears, and give me a warm glow inside. I know he can do all that and more. But, I wondered, did he do that with "Flowering and Other Stories." And, I was tentative about picking it up and starting down the path that I hoped would lead me to all these things. Or, would I be disappointed?

Finally, I picked it up one afternoon. I didn't set it back down until late that evening - after I had read it from cover-to-cover. It was all that I hoped it would be and more. Yes, I laughed, cried, was amazed, and experienced emotions from joy to anger. Tom can do that with his words. And, he's done it with this collection of short stories.

Do yourself a favor and buy two copies. One for yourself and one for someone you care about.

And, know that my simple words - my review - don't do it justice.

I was just floored by this first story. The ...

I was just floored by this first story. The characters in "Flowering" seemed all-too-familiar to me, in their deeply flawed, lovable, maddening aimlessness. I've known these people! The ease of the writing style allowed me to enter the strangeness of their world, and the tale took me right in. The judgmental attitude of the main character toward his annoyingly slovenly roommate transitioned into something else, right before my eyes, in an utterly believable way. These characters stayed with me long after I put the book down. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

A Strange and Wonderful Short Story Collection!

"If you are going to hell, go then, but go gracefully--don't arrive in a Rambler."

That's a line from one of my favorite stories ("Presence") in this strange and wonderful collection.

Actually, FLOWERING happens to be the second book of fiction by author Tom Bentley that I've added to my library because he knows how to take a reader to hell, and back, in style.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Settled

Author: Eric Maisel

Narrator: Eric Maisel, Stephen Vernon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-02-14

Publisher: Motivational Press, Inc

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

What if Israelis moved en masse to a safer location where their children could grow up in peace and prosperity? And what if Jews from around the world began to join them? Could a single man create this historic exodus? How would the world react? And what forces might be unleashed as the idea of a second Israel began to take hold? Follow David Cohen from the moment he survives a suicide bombing in Jerusalem to that fateful day when he steps foot onto the island that will become New Israel. Live the epic adventure that may foreshadow world headlines!

Settled is more than a novel about Israel and the Jews. It sets its sights higher to examine how a lone individual can make a difference. In our times of meaning crises and life purpose difficulties, with untold millions going through the motions and wondering why there isn't more to life, Settled provides a blueprint for individual engagement. It announces to listeners, maybe creating a second Israel isn't among your important life purposes but what is? On the one hand Settled is an odyssey of adventure, chronicling the creation of a second Israel. At the same time it is a novel of life purpose and meaning. Settled happens to be about Israel and the Jews but it is more fundamentally about how we can live in the 21st century, making our own meaning and deciding on our own life purposes. If this genre has not existed before, it does now: Settled is a shining star in the genre of life-purpose literature.

Members Reviews:

Terrific "Big Question" Book

This is a "big question" book. As in, the really big questions of life. How do we interface with others? How and why are movements started? How do we make meaning in this world? While the plot centers on ways to address the millenia-old conflicts at the heart of Israel, and the book moves along as a fast-paced political thriller (with a cast of characters from all over the globe and from every walk of life), it really is about much, much more. Eric Maisel expertly presents a set of questions, archetypes, and conflicts that are at the heart of each life and situation, if we are the kind of people who choose to look. Shying away neither from the darkness or the light in each human, Maisel paints a portrait of humanity that is as full and rich and complex as we actually are. And that you will rip through in one or two sittings.

Who better that an artist?

Received the book yesterday afternoon, and had to ask my wife to please take care of the evening duties with putting our three children to bed so I could go to the local coffee shop and finish it. I just couldn't put it down - the story is that interesting.

How refreshing it was to consider an issue as gripping and serious as the MIddle East in the context of several personal perspectives; each treated with an irreverent dose of reality that they all deserve. Absent are the details of the politics and history of the chaos surrounding the nation of Israel, but what you get instead are individuals who are wrestling with a big idea, and more importantly what does the idea *mean* to them.

If you are familiar with Mr. Maisel's philosophy of meaning as expressed in his Natural Psychology, you will recognize the strands of it woven through the character development and thought process of the characters.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: #freetopiary

Subtitle: An Occupy Fable

Author: Peter Burnett

Narrator: James Beaumont

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-01-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In an age of NSA spying and unprecedented government oversight, young Alan Stewart wants nothing to do with change - that is until he is arrested for a crime he didnt commit, and forced to face reality. Consumerism, passivity, apathy, and distraction. The internet is no place to attempt changing anything that matters. A young Scottish drifter, Alan Stewart, struggles to come of age in a world he knows only through the World Wide Web. But come of age he does, learning something of truth and the price of freedom along the way. Arrested for a cybercrime he did not commit, Alan is shipped to Scotland's e-crime unit in Aberdeen with a young hacktivist known only as Topiary. After an escape worthy of The 39 Steps they set about establishing a Scottish Occupy camp, along with others who feel that social inequalities are rising to historically unprecedented heights.

Introduced to the story of Bradley Manning, Alan is forced to question his long-held political apathy and ask himself what he is prepared to do for the struggle. Another world is possible. Make ready your dreams. Inspired in part by a true story, #freetopiary is not just an insightful commentary on internet privacy and our rights in a world increasingly dependent on technology, but the touching story of a brotherhood and the bonds we develop in times of crisis.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Human Solutions

Author: Avi Silberstein

Narrator: Walter Krochmal

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-01-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Chile, 1973: The Human Solutions team (a detective, a psychologist, and an actor) work together to engineer social situations to help their clients with anything they might need - until a case leaves one of them tangled in a cult run by an ex-Nazi with torturous ties to the Pinochet dictatorship.

To most people, Javier Gonzalez is an ordinary man. If you were to ask him, he would tell you that he runs an acting studio in Santiago, Chile, which is the truth, but not the whole story. Only a handful of people know that Javier also runs an unusual sort of business. With the help of a team of actors, Javier engineers social situations that meet the unique needs of his clients. If you want your boss to like you, he can help; if you want the weatherman to fall in love with you, he can arrange it. He calls his business Human Solutions, and that is exactly what he provides.

And he is good. Javier's manipulations never fail because he controls every moment of every interaction - he is precise, observant and emotionally ruthless - and this has served him well. But then one day he slips. He falls for a woman, and against his better judgment, and the council of his associates, Javier takes on her case - a case he would never touch under ordinary circumstances. The woman's name is Elena, and her son is locked behind the well-armed walls of a cult masquerading as an educational institution. She wants him out, so Javier agrees to go in.

Once behind the walls of the compound, Javier meets a man who is running a larger-scale social manipulation than he ever thought possible. The man is Peter Wenzel - or Uncle Peter, as he insists on being called - and as the charismatic leader of the cult he deftly manipulates his followers through a complicated system of fear, deception and brutality. Uncle Peter is an ex-Nazi, expelled from Germany for molesting children, and his ties with General Pinochet - Chile's barbarous dictator - are extensive and terrifying. He is a man with no conscience or fear - and Javier quickly realizes that he may have met his match.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Silberstein's style is unique and refreshing. A must read!

Human Solutions

A beautiful woman he met at a party his sister demanded on his going and he struck up a conversation that led to him going to her apartment. Elena told him as they ate pizza about her son Claudio, and was in a cult here Uncle Peter ruled the colony through fear and molested young boys. Claudio was twelve and they made her sign papers to have no contact allowed for four months and she feared for his safety. Javier was an actor and ran a business of manipulating others to do certain things the way his clients wanted, so he calmed her and then called his two friends. He planned to walk in the cult, find Claudio, and walk out, but he never planned on the horror of the demented Uncle Peter.................

Avi Silberstein pens a book you just can't put down!!

Brilliant !

I could not put this book down!

Historical fiction at its best.

Avi has created a fascinating tale !

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Based on a Bold-Faced Lie

Author: David J. Greene

Narrator: Darryl Hughes Kurylo

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-28-14

Publisher: David J Greene

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Based on a Bold-Faced Lie is a collection of nine short stories with slightly unique twists:

"Pages of Life": Tired of civilization, Professor Lloyd Wagner takes a sabbatical, chronicling his journey. But when he returns, he finds everyone is gone. What happened to the people? How does he cope with his newfound loneliness? Read his journal to find out!

"Undead Love": When Paul is taken before his time, he is given the rare chance to be reunited with his fiancée. Sadly, discovering she has moved on, he blames love and plots a revenge that only a divine intervention can stop!

"Illmoonati": What does the moon have to do with the secretive Illuminati? Eric, a determined teen, discovers the truth and sets out to uncover their plans!

"Censored": After being reunited with his long-lost love of poetry, David uses his rhyming rhetoric to seduce a younger woman. Soon, he discovers that what happens behind closed doors happens behind closed doors for a humorous and slightly sexy reason!

And more!

Members Reviews:

Awesome!

I bought the Kindle version and when I found out it was in paperback, I knew what my next purchase would be. The book is a collection of 8 different short stories with endings I didn't expect. Some even suggest there might be another book coming out in the near future. For the price I would say get it, you won't be disappointed.

A Fun Read

If you like reading interesting / quirky short stories, then you will like this book. I recently received this as a gift and am I really enjoying it. I love the fact that I can read an entire story in about 15-20 minutes. This book lives on my nightstand!

There are nine short stories total. So far my favorites include "Undead Love" and "Censored". I will definitely give this little gem a second read...

Unexpected but welcome results

The first story really drew me in although I was a little disappointed with the ending. Actually it was Dark Matter that stayed with me , It made me feel better about the recent death of a friend. I was not looking for comfort from a short story but thankfully this book I found some.

No lie here, this book is great

Full of intelligent, quirky stories, this book reads quickly and you find yourself wondering if the author found a way to base a character or two on yourself.

Take the time to check this out-it doesn't disappoint.

Great Read!

My favorite part of the book was definitely the title! I loved the short stories. I loved the way you're drawn into the story so easily. I'm looking forward to reading more! Full length versions of some of the stories in this book would make great novels :)

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: A Dog Called Homeless

Author: Sarah Lean

Narrator: Katy Sobey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-27-14

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

My name is Cally Louise Fisher and I haven't spoken for thirty-one days. Talking doesn't always make things happen, however much you want them to. Cally Fisher saw her mum bright and real and alive. But no one believes her, so Cally's stopped talking.

A mysterious wolfhound always seems to be there when her mum appears and now he's started following her everywhere. But how can Cally convince anyone that Mum is still with them, or persuade Dad that the huge silver-grey dog is their last link with her? An outstandingly assured debut novel from a sparkling new talent.

Critic Reviews:

"Heartbreakingly beautiful I loved it." (Cathy Cassidy)"An exceptional debut richly characterised" (The Sunday Times"Genuinely moving and beautifully written." (The Bookseller)A Dog Called Homeless is a tender story of heartache and hope, doubt and courage, silence and song. Sarah Lean's graceful, miraculous writing will have you weeping one moment and rejoicing the next. A luminous debut." (Katherine Applegate, author of The One and Only Ivan')

Members Reviews:

Very touching, excellent story

I was previewing this book to see if it was something I could use in my reading group at school. This book far exceeded my expectations. Although the intended audience is for children, it is one of the best books I've ever read as an adult! It has a very meaningful plot that children and adults can relate to.

Five Stars

my Grand Daughter loved it. Did a book report on it for school. A bit sad.

Five Stars

My 8 year old enjoyed this read.

This book was very entertaining.

Wonderful heartwarming story. I would recommend it to everyone. Hope to read more from this author. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs and the Christmas holidays.

Five Stars

Enjoy this book

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Mo Said She Was Quirky

Author: James Kelman

Narrator: Molly Elston

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-26-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

James Kelman, the Man Booker Prizewinning author of How Late It Was, How Late, tells the story of Helena sister, a mother, a daughtera very ordinary young woman. Her boyfriend said she was quirky but she is much more than that. Trust, love, relationships; parents, children, lovers; death, wealth, home: These are the ordinary parts of the everyday that become extraordinary when you think of them as Helen does, each waking hour. Mo Said She Was Quirky begins on Helens way home from work, with the strangest of moments when a skinny, down-at-heel man crosses the road in front of her and appears to be her lost brother. What follows is an inspired and absorbing story of twenty-four hours in the life of a young woman.

Members Reviews:

Quirky indeed

Very odd story. It's more like a stream of consciousness than a book. Not the best I have listened to

Terrible narration

Love James Kelman but could not listen to this, awful mismatch, whoever thought Molly Elston was the right choice needs their bumps felt !

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: My Name Is Eric

Author: Rei Kimura

Narrator: Joseph M. Dawson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-24-14

Publisher: Hannacroix Creek Books, inc.

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A charming and inspiring "dogography" written from the point of view of Eric, an outspoken and memorable Pomeranian. From his birth on a remote dog breeding farm, deep inside rural New South Wales, Australia through his formative years in Singapore and into old-age, you will get to know, and love, Eric and the family that raises him.

Author Rei Kimura, born and raised in Tokyo, is a lawyer-turned-writer whose other published novels include Butterfly in the Wind, Japanese Magnolia, and Awa Maru, Titanic of Japan. Kimura, who now lives and works in Singapore, has been published in many languages including Dutch, Spanish, Hungarian, Russian, Polish, Hindi, Marathi, Thai, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

Members Reviews:

My name is Eric

There is nothing to dislike about this audiobook . In the contrary every

chapter kept me so intrigued that I just couldn't stop listening to it!

You will find your self laughing and teary eyed at times.

I recommend this book to any dog lover, specially to those with small breeds.