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Title: Riders of the Purple Sage

Author: Zane Grey

Narrator: Tim Danko

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-27-16

Publisher: Spoken Realms

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Set in Utah during the spring and summer of 1871, Riders of the Purple Sage, by Zane Grey, is considered a classic of the Western genre. Yet it's more than a Western story. At its heart it's a story of redemption and the discovery, then loss, of paradise as two couples tread a shared path through tragedy to find love.

Jane Withersteen and her friend, Venters, find themselves at odds with the local Mormon church leaders, who covet her vast and valuable property and, at the same time, despise her deep friendship with Venters, a Gentile. A stranger, Lassiter, enters their lives while searching for his long-lost sister and becomes Jane's protector and Venters' mentor. Soon afterward, Venters is thrust together with a girl named Bess, and the four of them discover how their lives have been intertwined for years.

Riders of the Purple Sage has been adapted for feature films five times. Grey's hero, Lassiter, is considered one of the first antiheroes and the foundation for late Western figures including Shane, Zorro, and the character Chris in The Magnificent Seven.

Zane Grey published a sequel in 1915, The Rainbow Trail, about the unfolding of life for Jane and Lassiter.

Members Reviews:

You will be transported back to the Wild West!

This is an excellent rendition of Riders of the Purple Sage. I have listened to other audio recordings of this book before, but this one is the best by far! Tim Danko captures the feel of each character and brings them to life.

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Title: Strange Tales

Author: E. Nesbit, Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: Roy Macready

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-08-16

Publisher: Spiders' House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A collection of 17 classic tales of the macabre and supernatural by some of the best known writers in these genres.

Members Reviews:

Brilliant narration

The last thing I need is another collection of short stories, but when I heard Roy Macready's voice, I couldn't resist him. He is a wonderful narrator and while some of the stories leave something to be desired, his performance does not.

I'd read most of these before, but some were new, such as "The Tale of a Scorpion." (The scorpion in question is not the stinging kind, nor a member of the intriguing eighth sign of the zodiac, but a reviled Englishman of Gibraltar).

Some of my old favorites are here. "The Angel of the Odd" shows Poe's humor at its twisted best. An impish figure bearing quantities of Kirschwasser convinces the author that events unimaginable and improbable not only occur, but are watched over by a genius of their own. And in "The Sphynx," we learn that entomology and horror are but matters of perspective.

"The Music on the Hill," while breathtakingly brief, shows Saki's talents to great effect, combining as it does social satire, the supernatural, and a pervading sense of unease.

E.F. Benson's "The Cat," is a good one, too. An artist of mediocre talents suddenly shows brilliance after he is thrown over by the woman he loves, a femme fatale of feline qualities. (I picture Sarah Alexander in this role). But getting over her turns out to be a bit more difficult than he imagined.

For me, Braddon and Nesbitt write with a bit too much treacle and melodrama, and have not really stood the test of time. I prefer Collins and RLS as novelists, not short story writers. On the other hand, Poe, Conan Doyle, James, and Saki are always superb. At their weakest, they are still wonderful.

But that's just my opinion. See what you think.

(Mr. Macready, please bring us all the Benson ghost stories and a full collection of Poe's humorous tales!)

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Title: Pal Joey

Author: John O'Hara

Narrator: Jefferson Mays

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-23-16

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

For its 75th anniversary and Frank Sinatra's centennial: the Jazz Age masterpiece that inspired the iconic Sinatra film and the hit Broadway musical.

On the seedy side of Chicago nightlife in the 1930s, Joey Evans is a poor man's Bing Crosby - a big-talking small-time nightclub crooner down on his luck but always on the make. In slangy, error-littered letters signed "Pal Joey", he recounts his exploits with brash nightclub managers, shady business partners, and every pretty girl ("mouse") he meets. Charismatic yet conniving, Pal Joey is a smooth operator whose bravado and big ideas disguise a far less self-assured soul caught up in the rags-to-riches dream of the Jazz Age.

Originally serialized in The New Yorker and the inspiration for the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical of the same name and the 1957 film starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, and Rita Hayworth, Pal Joey is the story of a true "heel", as complex and memorable as any antihero in American literature.

Members Reviews:

another fabulous o'hara. read everything of his!

Love every word of ohara's oeuvre. delicious snappy and true. I read Butterfield 8 after watching the awful stew of the E. Taylor film.

the book should be remade. what a story!

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Title: The Mirror of Cagliostro

Author: Robert Arthur

Narrator: Mike Vendetti

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-05-16

Publisher: Spoken Realms

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti takes us into The Mirror of Calgiostro, where evil has resided for over 300 years.

A beautiful woman from the 18th century - not dead, yet not alive - lures the spirit of Harry Langham, a 20th-century man, into the mirror with her stunning beauty. This allows Cagliostro, an evil and ancient sorcerer, to inhabit Harry's body. Calgiostro is a serial killer who practices his sick hobby until he is nearly caught and then goes back to the mirror, releasing the soul he was holding in the mirror to the soul's body, to face the consequences of Calgiostro's actions. Oh, and the horrified soul in the mirror is aware of everything the evil Calgiostro does, even to the point of seducing Harry's fiancé.

Members Reviews:

Ripoff!

I should have followed my own advice in my review of "The Scarlet Plague."

I like Robert Arthur, and I was hoping this was a collection. Nope--just one story of 29 pages of text. With P/H and taxes $6.95 ballooned to $11.88, definitely not worth it. The June 1963 issue of Fantastic where it first appeared in print has some nicely atmospheric illustrations, which this printing needed but doesn't have. An excellent adaptation of it was aired in 1961 on "Thriller" as "The Prisoner in the Mirror."

Save your money and give Fantasy and Horror Classics a good scrutiny before ordering. Do notice that the site's homepage doesn't cite prices.

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Title: At the Mountains of Madness

Author: H. P. Lovecraft

Narrator: Jon Bennett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-23-16

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A large-scale and much publicized expedition to Antarctica is about to take place. While excitement runs high in the scientific community over this expedition, one geologist tries his hardest to stop the trip from ever happening. This is because William Dyer has been to Antarctica on an expedition before and knows of the unspeakable horrors that lie in its frigid terrain. Dyer goes into explaining that during his last trip, he and another small group, led by Professor Lake, encountered ancient alien life-forms dubbed The Elder Things. Told from Dyer's perspective, this story goes into detail about his fatal encounters with the aliens in Antarctica and how this new expedition will surely end in nothing but more tragedy.

Members Reviews:

It's very atmospheric and well told story

The voice of the performer fits the tone and period the story is based in

The best recording

For me, Jon Bennett's rendition of 'Madness' is the most appropriate. His tone has the authenticity - neither melodramatic nor too flat - to make you forget you're listening to a reading, allowing you to see the icy landscape, and be in the story.

This is one of the great horror stories, along with House on the Borderland, by William Hope Hodgson. Add to that list Dark Matter, by Michelle Paver, and you have the beginnings of the great, and stylish horror stories of the last hundred and some years.

No horror fan should be without this edition. Essential.

More from Jon Bennett, please, Audible.

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Title: Twenty-Minute Stories

Subtitle: Over Fifty Classic Short Stories

Author: B. M. Croker, Charles John Cutcliffe Hyne, W. C. Morrow, Barry Pain, W. F. Harvey, E. F. Benson, P. C. Wren

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-12-16

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Over 50 great classic short stories, each around 20 minutes in length - perfect for short journeys, bedtime listening and those moments in between....

Plus over 30 more gripping 20-minute tales....

Members Reviews:

Couldn't finish

The narrator had such an affected way of speaking, with a lilt at the end of every sentence, that I couldn't even make it through the first story.

Impulse buy

Would you listen to Twenty-Minute Stories again? Why?

I do listen to this again as there are some good stories

What was one of the most memorable moments of Twenty-Minute Stories?

There are some interpretations of traditional tales which are interesting

What didnt you like about Cathy Dobsons performance?

I found the reading style very strange and slightly off putting

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

not a good book for a film

I had to stop listening.

If this book wasnt for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

The Deaf.

If youve listened to books by the authors before, how does this one compare?

No problem with the authors, but can't really comment as couldn't get through it.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Repetitive intonation that bore no relation whatsoever to the content she was reading, unnecessary mid-sentence pausing and the phrasing, in general all over the shop. Occasional flashes of competence.

You didnt love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I honestly couldn't say as I couldn't get through it.

Any additional comments?

Don't waste your credit.

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Title: The Burglar's Christmas

Author: Willa Cather

Narrator: Max Bollinger

Format: Unabridged

Length: 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-11-16

Publisher: Interactive Media

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A beautiful Christmas story of love, forgiveness and uneasy life. Set in Chicago on a bitterly cold Christmas night.

William considers stealing both to satisfy his hunger and to find excitement in his dull life, but when a woman drops a parcel, he gives it to her instead of running off with it. He feels as if he is a failed thief, in the same manner as he has failed at everything - college, journalism, real estate, performing. He then walks into a house in an attempt to steal jewellery, and his own mother finds him there.

Read in English, unabridged.

Members Reviews:

Reasonably good story...ending a bit trite...

This short story is worth a read, but it rings a bit of all those preacherâs stories I heard as a kid that turned out with serendipities too unlikely to be true. The quality of the story is served up in service of the moral, but that moral isnât bad.

Book review

Too short! Hard to get into the depth of the story!

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Title: Supernatural Stories by Women Writers

Author: Edith Wharton, Mary E. Braddon, Edith Nesbit, Elia W. Peattie, Violet Hunt, Lettice Galbraith, Bessie Kyffin-Taylor

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-24-15

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A rich anthology of classic tales of ghosts and the supernatural written by women.

Members Reviews:

I cannot bear to listen to any more

The narrator's elongation of every last word of every sentence is too annoying to me for me to listen to any more. It's like Ms Dobson is reading poetry, not prose.

I hoped at first maybe it was just one character voice she was using for one story but having started listening to three, this is not the case.

I'm disappointed to find this narrator is listed for a good number of titles I would probably enjoy. I feel I have wasted my credit this month.

I have put 5 stars for story but I don't know, I have not listened to any all the way through. I am abandoning this title very reluctantly.

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Title: Love of Life, and Other Stories

Author: Jack London

Narrator: Robertson Dean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-12-15

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone. Some of his most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote of the South Pacific in such stories as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen" and of the San Francisco Bay area in The Sea Wolf. London was a passionate advocate of unionization, socialism, and the rights of workers and wrote several powerful works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel.

This collection includes "Love of Life", "A Day's Lodging", "The White Man's Way", "The Story of Keesh", "The Unexpected", "Brown Wolf", "The Sun-Dog Trail", and "Negore, the Coward".

Members Reviews:

Review of Love of Life and Other Stories

I knew of Jack London but never read his material except that required in school and I can't recall anything specific from that. I decided to get this audio collection of short stories by Jack London to sample his work as a mature adult with life experiences behind me. I throughly enjoyed this short story collection. I'm not sure if I would have been able to enjoy the deeper meanings within the stories at a younger age because Jack London speaks on two levels. The narrator was excellent! His deep masculine and resonant voice embodied the characters and rugged environment in which they lived.

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Title: The Revolt of Mother

Author: Mary Wilkins Freeman

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-10-15

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Mary Wilkins Freeman (1852-1930) was an American writer, best known for her stories reflecting the world of women fighting for dignity and independence from men. Her tales typically describe domestic settings and intimate relationships and are told with sensitivity and a poignancy which illuminates a bygone era in vivid detail.

"The Revolt of Mother" tells the story of a strong and self-reliant farm wife who defies her obstinate husband by moving her household into his newly built barn when he refuses to build her a proper house.

Members Reviews:

Freeman- a master of the short story

Mary Ella Wilkins Freeman was a New England writer. I became hooked on her stories when I went back to school many years ago. It is difficult to find a book of just her works, but thankfully, Dover sees fit to publish this small tome with just Freeman's short stories. Entitled "The Revolt of Mother", it highlights one of Freeman's most hilarious short stories about a woman who is promised a larger home, only to become dismayed as her husband first builds his ultimtate barn. This book is inexpensive and a great way to become familiar with one of America's historical, overlooked woman authors.

Five Stars

Love The Revolt of Mother!

These stories are wonderful

Wonderful stories, I liked them so much I sent for another book with more of her work. Inspiring, beautiful use of the English language

Pass it on to your daughters

This is the book that will find you again and make you feel the need to pass on to all the girls and women you know. Right on target

Good choice for women's studies courses.

Good choice for women's studies courses.