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Title: Texas City, 1947

Subtitle: A Story from 'Jesus Out to Sea'

Author: James Lee Burke

Narrator: Ron McLarty

Format: Unabridged

Length: 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-31-07

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Burke is one of the country's most acclaimed and popular novelists. He elegantly marries his flair for gripping storytelling with an urbane writing style and complex, fascinating character portraits. The backdrop of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast proves to be a versatile setting for Burke's stories, which cover the scope of the human experience, from love and sex to domestic abuse, to war and death and friendship.

Critic Reviews:

"Burke demonstrates impressive range, sensitivity and polish in these smaller-scale gems." (Publisher's Weekly)

Members Reviews:

More 'Texas City' was in the title than the story.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

This was an insightful listen regarding hard times and hardships from which period in American history my father had conveyed much to me. He lost his brother to the

Would you be willing to try another book from James Lee Burke? Why or why not?

Yes, great character development within a compact space.

Have you listened to any of Ron McLartys other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Could you see Texas City, 1947 being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

This story would make a good movie. I don' know any current child actor names...Fred Savage would have been a good fit back in the day for the central character.

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Title: Country Wives

Author: Rebecca Shaw

Narrator: Gordon Griffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-25-07

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The arrival of Dan the new vet causes trouble in the practice. In his first week, he succeeds in losing an important client by his arrogant behaviour. But Kate, a receptionist planning to go to veterinary college, finds she likes his in-your-face approach to things. And as Dan helps Kate through the trauma of losing her mother, he introduces her to the real work of a vet, helping the likes of Sunny Boy the bull; Copperfield, a cruelty-case cat; Perkins the Airedale; the superb horse; and Cadbury the Labrador.

Members Reviews:

Fall in love with Barleybridge

I love the whole Barleybridge series!! The characters have such diverse personalities. I love the country setting and all of the interesting action of a veterinary practice. Good, clean reading!

good

I absolutely loved this series, I felt like I was there My only regret is it did not continue on

fine English village cozy

In Barleybridge, England Dr. Daniel Brown joins the staff of the local veterinary hospital as a temporary veterinarian. He is terrific with his patients, but he has no patience for their inane owners. In fact his lambasting of Lord Askew for mistreating a cow leads to this influential client angrily informing senior partner Dr. Price that he will go elsewhere. Price is irate over losing an affluent client and the office manager Joy wants Dan fired. However Price's wife Miriam thinks the new vet is a winner. So does receptionist Kate Howard, who dreams of becoming a vet one day though money is an issue.

Dan takes Kate with him as he makes his rounds, which enables her to understand more of his past. She also wishes she could learn more about her biological mom whom she never met except inside the womb, as her mother abandoned her and the family when she Kate was born; however she will never act on her desire because she does not want to hurt her loving dad or stepmom. Sometimes you get what you wish for as a personal tragedy enables Kate to meet the woman who dumped her years ago, the person who offers her the money to go to school if she accepts the conditions imposed on her.

This fine cozy enables readers to follow the goings on in a rustic English village where in some ways the center of life is the vet hospital that cares for farm animals as well as pets. The story line is character driven mostly by Daniel who refuses to back down when he sees animal abuse even by an aristocratic patron who could cost him his job and by Kate who has to decide between her loving stepmother and her deserting mother. Readers will enjoy returning to Barleybridge for A COUNTRY AFFAIR.

Harriet Klausner

Good read

This second novel in the Barleybridge series features a practice without the engaging character of Scott, who has returned to Australia. A replacement, Dan, is hired, but his ways conflict with some of the already established members of the veterinary hospital. He also comes into conflict with some prominent clients with his outspoken ways. Additionally, Kate must deal with the arrival of her mother, who she has not seen since she was a child, on the scene, and finds herself torn between the mother she always wondered about and the step mother who raised her.

Quote: "One by one Kate opened them and read all about her dad's tender love for her mum in every line: a pining and a longing which revealed so poignantly a depth of feeling she never knew he was capable of. Poor Dad! Loving her like that.

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Title: Five Skies

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Ron Carlson

Narrator: Ron Carlson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-12-07

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 117 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

As they endeavor upon this simple, grand project, the three reveal themselves in cautiously resonant, profound ways. And in a voice of striking intimacy and grace, Carlson's novel reveals itself as a story of biblical, almost spiritual force.

A bellwether return from one of our greatest craftsmen, Five Skies is sure to be one of the most praised and cherished novels of the year.

Critic Reviews:

"Carlson writes with uncommon precision, and this return to long-form fiction after four well-received story collections is stunning." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A first-rate audio experience.

Five Skies written and narrated by Ron Carlson, is a considered and uplifting portrait of male life. Three emotionally scarred strangers find themselves together on a construction project deep in the back blocks of rural Idaho. As spring turns into summer a camaraderie is quietly forged as they gradually reveal their stories to each other. As the summer progresses healing and resolution begin. The story itself is relaxed and measured but at times it flares into life with frightening intensity and the action is perilous and real. The characters are all recognizable and familiar men, fundamentally decent and honest, trying to come to grips with the tragedy and change that life has thrust upon them. Arthur Key is especially memorable as the mentor figure trying to redefine his emotional centre. There are many moments in the story worth revisiting. The depictions of working life. The satisfaction of mastering new skills, problem solving and a job well done. The simple pleasures of a meal under the stars after a tiring day. The joy of watching a young man growing into himself. While not a faultless novel, any inconsistencies can be forgiven for at its heart this story is deeply authentic. This was a first-rate audio experience, compelling and absorbing, and I recommend it without hesitation.

an excellent listen

From a woman's perspective, I think this book reminded me of forgotten parts of a man's psyche. I'd especially recommend this story to young men in high school. Young girls with a penchant for building things or a desire to better understand the men around them might enjoy it too. The characters are believable and the values they demonstrate are excellent. This is a story about forgiveness, and it's worth a listen. Doesn't have a fairy tale ending.

Really enjoyed this

It's a simple book and has that sort of "Cowboy Way" type of feel - little said with so much more implied, but I really enjoyed how this book flowed and how you felt like you really knew these men by the end of the story. It was eight hours well spent. I ended up finishing it in one day because it kept me so intrigued.

Subtle, well written, insightful

A simple yet engaging story of three men rebuilding their lives, set in a tough but beautiful desert wilderness. Carlson's dialogue is spare but clever, while his characters are interesting and carefully drawn although all would have benefited from further development. This doesn't detract from the enjoyment of this methodically paced and evocative story of heartbreak, recovery and friendship. Some beautiful turns of phrase and great descriptions of the high desert environment. Carlson narrates his own story, and gets the mood right.

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Title: Body Surfing

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Anita Shreve

Narrator: Lolita Davidovich

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-21-07

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 119 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

With the subtle wit, lyrical language, and brilliant insight into the human heart that has led her to be called "an author at one with her métier" (Miami Herald), Shreve weaves a novel about marriage, family, and the supreme courage that it takes to love.

Critic Reviews:

"[Shreve's] control is masterful, particularly in the sure-handed and compassionate aftermath." (Publishers Weekly)

"In simple yet eloquent style, Shreve portrays the arc of a complicated romantic relationship, from infatuation to betrayal. What's more, she builds in a palpable sense of suspense as well as a deep empathy for human frailty. The ever-skillful Shreve delivers yet another gripping read that will satisfy her many fans and earn her some new ones." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Boring? Not!

Another stellar performance from Anita Shreve, who never dissappoints, with her incsiive insights into family relationships and rich, evocative sense of place.

At first I found the music a little intrusive and ominous but then I gradually warmed to the concept as it mirrored the various heartbreaking dysfunctions throughout the story.

A very sad tale of pain and loss but redemptive at the end. As I said it was heartbreaking but I stayed up nearly all night to finish.

OK

not as gripping and complex as earlier Anita Shreve titles. She is usually one of my favorite authors. Quite predictable. I felt like she threw this together almost as an after thought. She even mentioned someone running the Boston Marathon "on a whim", obviously not researching it properly and finding that to enter Boston you must run a qualifying time in the previous 12 months....If you haven't read any of her previous work, download those before this one, they are all much better

A very good listen

Rather predictable but enjoyable. Interesting characters and the prose is very good.

Better off reading it

Anita Shreve writes wonderful books and I am sure that this is no exception. Listening to this narration however is torture. The narrator has a slight lisp that is terribly distracting

Narrator was too distracting

I'm not sure if I really actually hated this story, but I definitely couldn't stand the narrator. She kept switching voices/accents for different characters, but it was done at random and wasn't for any character in particular. She also over-emphasized words and mispronounced some words. On top of that, sometimes she would try to sound really young and sometimes she sounded really old, but it never really made sense for the character. She was just too distracting! I feel bad only giving the story 2 stars because it might have been better than that, but I really couldn't tell because I kept fast-forwarding to see if there was any point I'd be able to handle the narrator (I couldn't, she just kept getting worse).

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Title: The Lay of the Land

Subtitle: Frank Bascombe, Book 3

Author: Richard Ford

Narrator: Joe Barrett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 24 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-13-06

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 198 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

His story resumes in the autumn of 2000, when his trade as a realtor on the Jersey Shore is thriving, permitting him to revel in the acceptance of "that long, stretching-out time when my dreams would have mystery like any ordinary person's; when whatever I do or say, who I marry, how my kids turn out, becomes what the world, if it makes note at all, knows of me, how I'm seen, understood, even how I think of myself before whatever there is that's wild and unassuagable rises and cheerlessly hauls me off to oblivion."

But as a presidential election hangs in the balance, and a postnuclear-family Thanksgiving looms before him, along with crises both marital and medical, Frank discovers that what he terms the Permanent Period is fraught with unforeseen perils: "All the ways that life feels like life at age 55 were strewn around me like poppies."

This is a holiday, and a novel, no reader will ever forget, at once hilarious, harrowing, surprising, and profound. The Lay of the Land is astonishing in its own right and a magnificent expansion of one of the most celebrated chronicles of our time.

Critic Reviews:

"The third and most eventful novel in the Frank Bascombe series." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Ford summons a remarkable voice for his protagonist, ruminant, jaunty, merciless, generous and painfully observant, building a dense narrative from Frank's improvisations, epiphanies and revisions." (Publishers Weekly)

"As ever the drama is rooted in the interior world of its authentically life-sized hero, as he logs long hours on the highways and back roads of New Jersey, taking expansive stock of middle-age defeats and registering the erosions of a brilliantly evoked landscape of suburbs, strip malls and ocean towns." (New York Times Book Review)

Members Reviews:

Richard Ford, get out of my mind!

Richard Ford has written one of those books that make you believe he has been reading your mind for years. If you are a middle-aged suburban man, Frank Bascome is as real as the guy you see in the mirror every morning. We have the tendency to think our personal experience is unique, but a good author that so perfectly recreates your experience can let you see how universal life's story's are. I find it liberating and humorous to realize my situation is not as unique as I thought, hearing another man struggle with the same questions puts my fears and doubts in perspective.

Wisdom from the realtor

Richard Ford has to be one of the best writers working today. Each sentence, wonderfully narrated, is packed with meaning. The strength of this novel is not plot but character. You get to know Frank, and in the process he teaches you a great deal about how to learn to accept life, family, and a variety of other imperfections. There is a great deal of wit here - I agree with the reviewer who found delight in Frank's visit to the Lesbian bar while waiting for his car to be repaired across the street. But I would say that the wisdom in this book is what finally makes it such a good one. Frank learns to accept what his life has given and to accept and even love the people he encounters. I had the feeling several times that Frank is a better person than I am, or at least a much wiser one.

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Title: A Spot of Bother

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Mark Haddon

Narrator: Charles Keating

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-25-06

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A Spot of Bother is Mark Haddon's unforgettable follow-up to the internationally beloved best seller The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Here the madness, literally, of family life proves rich comic fodder for Haddon's crackling prose and bittersweet insights into misdirected love.

Critic Reviews:

"No bother at all, this comic follow-up to Haddon's blockbuster (and nicely selling book of poems) is great fun." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

If you loved

I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,and I hoped this book would be as good. I wasn't disappointed. I'm now a confirmed Mark Hadden fan.

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Title: Showdown

Author: Tilly Bagshawe

Narrator: Gillian Doyle

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-03-06

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 41 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The 17-year-old daughter of a millionaire Newmarket breeder, Milly has watched her odious older brother become a jockey, and pursue a career she knows should be hers. Forbidden to race because of a childhood accident and her mother's notions about unladylike behavior, Milly is still secretly determined to follow her dreams. Then Bobby Cameron strides into her life, and nothing is ever the same.

She accepts his offer to work for a year at Highwood, desperate to make a name for herself in racing, and for Bobby to see her as a woman.

Caught up in a world where unscrupulous horse owners and billionaire media moguls rub shoulders, and more, with oversexed racing widows and fiercely ambitious jockeys, Milly must discover if she has what it takes to be a winner, on the track, in the bedroom, and, ultimately, in the game of love.

Critic Reviews:

"The Horse Whisperer and National Velvet meet Jackie Collins behind the barn in this libidinous fly-on-the-stall peek at horse racing and California real estate chicanery, just in time for beach read season." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Short on story long on mediocre sex scenes

What disappointed you about Showdown?

This book was short on story. Story lines opened up and never went anywhere. Bobby the main male character was a a brooding pathological git up til the last 3 minutes of the story. Don't waste your time or your 2 credits.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The pronunciation was bad in places. Made me roll my eyes.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Frustration and disappointment were the order of the day.

Just couldn't get into it

Would you try another book from Tilly Bagshawe and/or Gillian Doyle?

I've read and enjoyed many other Tilly Bagshawe books but this just didn't do it for me even after going back to it 3 different times

Great story

I thought this book was an excellent read. A definite must if you like horse tales along with biting romance and interesting characters. A great way to pass my commute time every morning.

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Title: JPod

Author: Douglas Coupland

Narrator: Marc Cashman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-12-06

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 154 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Ethan Jarlewski and five co-workers whose names start with J are bureaucratically marooned in jPod. jPod is a no-escape architectural limbo on the fringes of a massive Vancouver game design company.

The six workers daily confront the forces that define our era: global piracy, boneheaded marketing staff, people smuggling, the rise of China, marijuana grow-ops, Jeff Probst, and the ashes of the 1990s financial tech dream. jPod's universe is amoral and shameless. The characters are products of their era even as they're creating it.

Everybody in Ethan's life inhabits a moral grey zone. Nobody is exempt, not even his seemingly straitlaced parents or Coupland himself, as readers will see.

Full of word games, visual jokes, and sideways jabs, this audiobook throws a sharp, pointed lawn dart into the heart of contemporary life. jPod is Douglas Coupland at the top of his game.

Critic Reviews:

"Coupland revisits the digital kingdom he so shrewdly depicted in Microserfs (1995) in a zeitgeist-trawling satire about 21st-century cyber obsession." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Very Annoying Production

I am not a book reviewer, so I am not going to attempt to speak to JPod's overall tone, story, character development, etc.

What I do want to review is how annoying the production of this audio book is. The printed edition of JPod includes detailed lists of objects, random visual minutia and other hip typographic trickery. Actually, describing it is difficult because I have never seen the printed edition. All I know is that the aduio book features long, random sections where the narrator drones on and on and on with these various lists. One includes 900 (900!) 3 letter combinations which is read aloud for over 10 minutes. Others feature a detailed reading of nutritional contents off an energy bar wrapper, lists of random video game resource files off of a game developer's hard drive (exciting!) and sometimes, just random psuedo pop culture crap is red aloud in list format.

I am sure these elements work well in the printed format where the reader can scan the first couple of lines, get the point, then flip the page and delve back into the story. In an audio book, these random passages of gibberish take the listening experience hostage in the most boring and monotinous way. Whoever made the decision to produce this audio book in this fashion needs to be fired.

How I Wish I Sounded While Trapped In My Office

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

I would absolutely recommend this audiobook to a friend! The story is compelling -- it's funny and full of techno-humour, which I love, and little bit haunting in how well it portrays the weirdness of an office environment. When I just can't stand another meeting, I think of how characters in this story would handle it. Also, I cannot get enough of Marc Cashman's voice! I keep thinking that he doesn't sound like a traditional narrator, and I don't know how he got started in this career, but the way he voices a story somehow locks it in your memory. The combination of a great story and a phenomenal narration makes for a beyond wonderful audiobook!

Geeks only please

This book truly is a "hugging machine" for appropriately aged internet geeks. I enjoyed it immensely and found it to be very refreshing.

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Título: La Buena Tierra [The Good Earth]

Autor: Pearl S. Buck

Narrador: Laura Garcia

Formato: Abridged

Duración: 3 hrs and 23 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 03-27-06

Editor: Yoyo USA, Inc

Calificaciones: 4.5 de 5 de 15 votos

Categorías: Fiction, Contemporary

Resumen del editor:

The novel, about peasant life in China in the 1920s, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1932. The Good Earth follows the life of Wang Lung, from his beginnings as an impoverished peasant to his eventual position as a prosperous landowner.

Opiniones de los miembros:

Excellent extraordinary book of China culture

Excellent extraordinary book of China culture. Humans relationships are always the same regardless the country, money and gender. This author is an artist of language.

Five Stars

Thanks for everything

Clasica obra del ingenio de P. Buck

Este Best Seller se cree que describe la experiencia de ella en China. Excelente. Arrobadora. Es posible la base del premio Novel de literatura otorgado a la autora.

No dejes de verla. Regalala. Es cultura en todo el sentido de la palabra.

Five Stars

Very Good!

Two Stars

I got the book

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Title: Puberty Blues

Author: Kathy Lette, Gabrielle Carey

Narrator: Rebecca Macauley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-06-06

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Written 20 years ago, Puberty Blues is the best-selling account of growing up in the 1970s that took Australia by storm and spawned an eponymous cult movie. Puberty Blues is about "top chicks" and "surfie spunks" and the kids who don't quite make the cut: it recreates with fascinating honesty a world where only the gang and the surf count. It's a hilarious and horrifying account of the way many teenagers live, and some of them die.

With forewords by Kylie Minogue and Germaine Greer.

Editorial Reviews:

This is a classic account of life on the beach for the teenage set in Australia. Two 13-year-old girls, Deb and Sue, are trying everything they can to be accepted by the cool crowd of surfers, even if that means experimenting with drugs and sex before they're ready. Some of the Aussie slang can be difficult for a non-native, and Rebecca Macauley's portrayal of the teenager's high-pitched voices occasionally grates, but this is ultimately a satisfying, true-to-life account that most former teenagers will relate to.

Members Reviews:

Should Popularity Be The Main Thing for Teenagers?

I am a fifteen year teenage girl and I found this book very upfront and thought provoking. I enjoyed the book immensely and thought the characters were realistic. Every girl or guy wants to be popular at some point in their high school years. But this book represents that not everything in the popular group is as fun and exciting as it seems to be. In this book it demonstrates how two girls who clearly wanted to be popular force themselves to change their behaviour in order to fit into the popular group. However, in the end they leave this group in order to be true to themselves. This saves them from a life that could have ended in tragedy.

I recommend this book.

Took you back to your teenage years

What made the experience of listening to Puberty Blues the most enjoyable?

Just brings back the teenager years even if we didn't all spend it at the beach. It was the same in the country.

What other book might you compare Puberty Blues to and why?

There is no other book that you could compare it to. It is totally Australian.

What does Rebecca Macauley bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

She puts in a heap of felling in to the audio. But at the same time I loved the book when I read it years ago.

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

It brought back all the memories of all the stuff we got up to as teenagers.

Any additional comments?

A truly Australian book.