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Title: We Are All Made of Stars

Author: Rowan Coleman

Narrator: Avita Jay, Ben Allen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-22-15

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Married to a soldier who has returned from Afghanistan injured in body and mind, Stella Carey leaves the house every evening.

During her nursing shifts, Stella writes letters for her patients to their loved ones - some full of humour, love and practical advice, others steeped in regret or pain - promising to post them after their deaths.

Until one night Stella writes the letter that could give her patient one last chance at redemption, if she delivers it in time....

Critic Reviews:

"What a gorgeous book this is - it gripped me and wouldn't let me go. So engaging, so beautifully written - I loved every single thing about it." (Jill Mansell)

"We Are All Made of Stars is simply wonderful. Profoundly moving and ultimately hopeful, this story - like its deftly drawn characters - refuses to let you forget it." (Miranda Dickinson)

Members Reviews:

Fantastic book

I loved loved this book. It's the first book I read by the author. I cried my heart out in places and then was crying with laughter the next minute. Hope made me laugh out loud with some of her thoughts and things she says.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

The narrator did a fabulous job especially with all of the different voices. Well done.

If only there were more people Ike Stella in this world.

I would recommend this book whole heartedly.

Maybe the only caveat would be, don't listen to it if you are feeling down, as there some lovely uplifting moments but some very sad moments. Definitely buy it just wait until you are in a happy mood.

A Few Too Many Sub Plots.

There was a lot going on in this book, and it takes a while for it to become apparent where the connections are. This makes the whole thing feel a bit disjointed in parts.

The story centres around a nurse working nights in a hospice....or possibly a young CF patient who goes there for respite care. Not sure.... You can get the gist of it from reading the publisher's blurb. Anyway, in parts, it feels like a lot of random short stories, but it does all make sense in the end. I gave the story 4 stars as it's an interesting take on relationships, and a difficult set of issues to tackle (terminal illness / disability caused by war / the difficulties of being a single parent / dealing with cystic fibrosis as a young adult / family secrets....) not really selling it am I??

So to try and be brief. The letters written for the dying will break your heart - but you probably knew they would. Ben the boyfriend had a really annoying voice, and the relationship between him and his best friend with cystic fibrosis was irritating. (no idea why - maybe because of the voices). The wife / soldier story was too drawn out. The letter writing was a bit random and the friendship between the neighbours and the little boy seemed a bit unlikely. It was ok....but not a page turner. And I feel mean for saying that because most of their problems weren't of their own doing. Probably better to read than listen.

Letters from the dying.

I've never read anything by Rowan Coleman before, I guess I had her down as a bit of a Chick-Lit author, but We Are All Made of Stars seemed to be getting a lot of attention so I decided to listen to the audiobook from Audible.

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Título: El Gris [The Grey]

Autor: Javier Pérez Fernández

Narrador: Hector Almenara

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 10-15-15

Editor: Audible Studios

Calificaciones: 4 de 5 de 1 votos

Categorías: Fiction, Contemporary

Resumen del editor:

Lothar los mata ahora con un punzón, apurando la última mirada de sus víctimas, pero no es un asesino. El miedo le impide quedarse dormido; teme que si pierde la consciencia no vuelva a despertar, y por ello intenta familiarizarse con la muerte, para perderle el miedo y dormir al fin. Elige sus víctimas entre gente que no pueda guardarle rencor por quitarles la vida, gente sin importancia, y gente triste o amargada. Es un buen año para encontrar gente triste: en 1923 Alemania pasa por la mayor crisis económica que jamás ha conocido Europa, un millón de personas han muerto de hambre y frío, y comienza el ascenso del nazismo.

El comisario Müller tendrá que enfrentarse a la vez a los intentos golpistas de los nazis, los saqueos de los hambrientos, y los crímenes del punzón, que tanto empiezan a interesarle a la prensa. En El gris, Javier Pérez nos sumerge en la turbulenta Alemania de entreguerras.

Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

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Titre: Daisy Sisters

Auteur: Henning Mankell

Narrateur: Marie-Christine Letort

Format: Unabridged

Durée: 16 hrs and 24 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 10-15-15

Éditeur: Sixtrid

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Résumé de l'éditeur:

Été 1941, en Suède. Deux amies, Elna et Vivi, dix-sept ans, de condition modeste, s'offrent une escapade à bicyclette à travers la Suède en longeant la frontière de la Norvège occupée par les nazis. L'aventure, d'abord idyllique - l'été de toutes les joies, de tous les espoirs - est de courte durée : Elna, violée, revient chez elle enceinte d'une petite fille qu'elle appellera Eivor.

1960. Eivor, dix-huit ans, en révolte contre sa mère, veut devenir une femme libre. Elle s'enfuit du village avec un jeune délinquant. Que lui réserve l'avenir ? Réalisera-t-elle son rêve d'indépendance et de liberté, et à quel prix ?

En s'attachant aux destins d'une mère et de sa fille entre 1941 et 1981 en Suède, Mankell brosse le portrait de ces générations de femmes (épouses, mères, ouvrières) qui ont dû lutter avec leurs propres désirs et renoncements pour exister et se faire une place au cœur d'une société où s'élaborait le modèle suédois.

Daisy Sisters, premier roman de Henning Mankell, renferme déjà les idéaux sociaux et politiques qui sous-tendent l'ensemble de son œuvre.

©2015 Éditions du Seuil (P)2015 Sixtrid SAS

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Title: Valley of the Moon

Author: Ryan W. Bradley

Narrator: Elijah Alexander

Format: Unabridged

Length: 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-14-15

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Ryan W. Bradley takes listeners into the world of blue-collar Alaska, reflecting on all that is unique about the rough and untamed state while touching on the basic truths about what it means to be human. In Valley of the Moon, an absentee father meets his son for the first time and comes to grips with the life he's missed.

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Title: The Holy Mark

Subtitle: The Tragedy of a Fallen Priest

Author: Gregory Alexander

Narrator: Rene Maggio

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-29-15

Publisher: Auspicious Apparatus Press

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The Holy Mark is the story of one reluctant priest caught between the cynicism of his own Southern upbringing and the political machinations of the Roman Catholic Church. In this disturbingly memorable novel about a wayward priest set in late 20th-century New Orleans, Alexander explores familial revenge, rails against the hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic Church, and creates a likable narrator guilty of heinous acts. Father Tony is born with a red birthmark on his head, which his grandmother claims is a sign that he is to become a priest; a prophecy he fulfills, eventually finding his calling working with disadvantaged young boys. Though he fancies himself a modern-day Saint John Bosco, Father Tony's relationship with some boys becomes sexual, and he endeavors to outwit his family and the Church to save himself.

Alexander ably captures the essence of parochial education in the 1970s and '80s, having himself taught in Catholic schools.

Members Reviews:

Suffice it to say that by having the book set in New Orleans and populated with New Orleans characters lends to its story a quir

This is a well written slice of life narrated by its main character, Father Tony. He is as the title alludes, a fallen Catholic priest. The book describes the events which precipitate his fall. Let's just say that these events approach from several directions to converge on Father Tony. To describe the proceedings would be to give away the plot.

Suffice it to say that by having the book set in New Orleans and populated with New Orleans characters lends to its story a quirkiness that is not easy to find in most other locales. Add in dashes of Catholic church as well as family politics and you have the makings of a tasty gumbo. This story has dark themes and elements but its main strength is an honest portrayal of issues that many would not like to see discussed anywhere.

Anne Rice, the prodigious author know for Interview with a Vampire, among many other titles has expressed admiration for this work because of its willingness to lay bare its ticklish subject matter. She also admires the atmospheric New Orleans based setting and characters.

This book has been compared to A Confederacy of Dunces, which I agree with to a point. They are similar in their characterizations and quirkiness which is owed in no small part to their shared setting. Confederacy of Dunces is a bit lighter in tone while The Holy Mark feels a touch darker due to its subject matter.

I good read that I recommend if you enjoy stories that relate to the underbelly of institutions, family politics, quirky settings and how people can justify their actions simply by defining them differently than most everyone else.

Tour de Force about a dysfunctional Italian family

The Holy Mark was quite engrossing. From the first page I wanted to know more and more about the family being portrayed. I actually could not put the book down, and acutally read the entire book in one long session. The dysfunctional Italian family portrayed in this book had elements based in truth which were familiar to me not only in my own family but those of friends and acquaintances as well. The characters rang 'true to life' for me and were quite fascinating and perhaps familiar in many ways. Father Tony himself was someone whose actions led to his own downfall.

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Title: Amanda's Wedding

Author: Jenny Colgan

Narrator: Lucy Price-Lewis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-24-15

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Amanda's old school friends can't believe it when the social climbing queen of preen, Satan's very own PR girl, pulls off the ultimate publicity stunt in getting herself engaged to a Scottish laird.

Who cares that Fraser McConnald has worn the same pair of Converse trainers for the last three years and that his castle is a pile of rubble with one calor gas heater - she'll be titled!

Something must be done. Gentle, decent Fraser is clearly ignorant of her wiles, and Mel and Fran, still smarting from the memory of all the mean things Amanda put them through in their days at Portmount Comprehensive, set out to sabotage this mismatch of the century.

So between fighting off the attentions of a love-crazed accountant, keeping Fran's deadly manoeuvres with the opposite sex under control and trying to win her own war of love with the elusive but gorgeous Alex, Mel finds herself attending a wild Scottish stag night and a hen night from hell and preparing for a wedding that's everything you'd wish on your worst enemy.

Critic Reviews:

"The sweetest, loveliest book I've read in a long time. Gorgeous, glorious, uplifting. A very happy-making book." (Marian Keyes on The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris)

Members Reviews:

Lovely and funny, worth a listen.

Very cute and funny, couldn't stop listening. Nice performance too, the accents made me smile a lot :)

loved it

really enjoyed thus book. it was my 1st book by this author and will now listen to others

Weak!

Mel, the heroin, is weak, rude and childish. usually a fan of Jenny Colgan's books I found this one very irritating and could not listen until the end. Very disappointed.

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Title: Sexing the Cherry

Author: Jeanette Winterson

Narrator: Juliet Stevenson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-17-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Set in 17th-century London, Sexing the Cherry is about the journeys taken by the boisterous Dog-Woman and her son, Jordan: journeys across seas to find bananas and pineapples; journeys through time that weave snatches of the present with tales of Charles the First and Oliver Cromwell; journeys in search of the self.

As mothers go, the Dog-Woman takes some beating. She's a giant wrapped in a skirt that could 'serve as a sail for some wartorn ship' and strong enough to fling an elephant into the air. She's hideous, too, with smallpox scars on her face where fleas live, a flat nose and black, broken teeth. To top it all, she's a 'fantasist, a liar and a murderer'.

But her son, Jordan, is proud of her - who else has a mother who can hold a dozen oranges in her mouth at once?

Like the best of Winterson's writing, such as Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and The Passion, the audiobook is engaging, ambitious and contrary. Alongside a hearty historical realism, young girls swoon in locked towers that don't exist, islands slip sideways in time and mysterious diseases wipe out towns and cities.

Even though Sexing the Cherry is short, it is impossible to listen to it in a straight line - fairy tales and dreams run in and out of the story, and it's hard to resist chasing them.

Critic Reviews:

"A book of innocence and bawdiness, fury and joy...needs to be read and re-read." (The Times)

"Read it and marvel. Jeanette Winterson's voice is startlingly original, and her imaginative feats are utterly dazzling." (Cosmopolitan)

"Simple prose shows the subtlest of minds behind it, swift, confident and dazzling." (Financial Times)

"Winterson juggles past and present, fantasy and reality, to produce an original and entertaining novel which invites us to re-examine our own perceptions of time." (Sunday Times)

"Her stories and characters levitate off the page into dancing life...A bold, bizarre and timely book." (Independent)

Members Reviews:

this story is all messed up

I understand why the book has been written like that, to prove impossible things etc.

the problem is, listening to it, it's just sooooo confusing. very hard to understand who is talking and when and why.

I advise reading the paper / e book to avoid unnecessary frustration.

the narrator did a good job.

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Title: Split Estate

Author: Charlotte Bacon

Narrator: Kate Reading

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-14-15

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Shortly after his wife, the mother of his two teenage children, ends her life by jumping from the window of their Manhattan apartment, Arthur King decides he must return with his family to his home state of Wyoming. There, his mother welcomes her wounded son and her bereft grandchildren to her much loved but now quite diminished ranch. But how long will they stay?

In elegantly modulated, brisk, and engaging prose, Charlotte Bacon, a master dramatist of the interwoven crises of modern life, tracks the surviving Kings through the course of a summer as they try to come to terms with the new realities set in motion by Laura's inscrutable act. From the perspective of each protagonist in turn, we watch shy Celia and handsome Cam, distraught Arthur, and his brave mother, Lucy, face themselves and their future in a Wyoming that is both beautiful and consoling yet beset by new threats of destruction.

A split estate is a form of real property in which the mineral rights have been split off from the other land uses to which the owner is entitled. This practice has transformed the landscape the Kings love, and, in truth, their very lives have become split estates. A novel very much about America today, both rural and urban, Split Estate is a heartrending depiction of an ordinary family trying desperately to reconnect in the midst of loss and to find solace in the heart of despair.

Members Reviews:

A stark and haunting examination of grief

Split Estate is a quietly powerful novel that examines the grief of the King family some time after Laura King jumped from their tenth-story New York City apartment, leaving no explanation. Arthur and his two teenaged children, Cam and Celia, are individually and collectively damaged by the suicide, and in desperation, Arthur drags Cam and Celia to live temporarily with his mother, Lucy, in his hometown of Callendar, Wyoming. Laura's memory isn't banished by a mere change of scene, however, and as the Kings struggle to relate to each other and adjust to life in Wyoming, each has grief and anger to contend with. The novel's title refers to the mining in Wyoming; as the ranching way of life has become harder and harder to sustain, families have begun to sell off the rights to mine their land, resulting in a split estate. Likewise, Laura still possesses the underlying foundation of the King family, and the question is whether they can either reclaim what they've lost or move on to lives without it.

Bacon's spare, precise prose illuminated with poetic turns of phrase ably compares the brutal reality of Wyoming with that of grief. As the Kings settle into their lives, there is hope that the change of scene might save what is left of the family. Chapters alternate between Arthur, Celia, Lucy, and Cam, but because the grief is collective as well as individual, this doesn't result in a lack of continuity; rather, the story is more nuanced and developed for the varied points of view. Each person has his secrets that are slowly revealed to the reader, and the ending is both shocking and inevitable. This is a beautiful, heartbreaking novel of despair, family, and Western life.

Four Stars for Split Estate

I'm in awe of Charlotte Bacon's talent; the beautiful way she uses words, the way she brings her characters to life.

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Title: The Ballroom Café

Author: Ann O'Loughlin

Narrator: Grainne Gillis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-11-15

Publisher: Oakhill Publishing

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Sisters Ella and Roberta OCallaghan live in separate wings of their crumbling Irish mansion. They havent spoken for decades, torn apart by a dark family secret from their past, and communicate only through the terse notes they leave for each other in the hallway.

Debbie, an American, is searching for her birth mother, hoping to discover who she really is and what happened to her.

With the bank threatening, Ella tries to save the family home by opening a café in the ballroom, much to Robertas disgust. And when Debbie offers to help out in the café, the war between the sisters intensifies. But then Debbie begins to unravel the truth....

Critic Reviews:

"A moving tale of loss, love and redemption." (Bella Magazine)

"Deftly written, moving and courageous." (The Sunday Times)

"Slow-marching, romantic prose draws us into an old world that is rustic, genteel, quaint...[but] scandals lie in wait." (Irish Independent)

"Highly engaging debut you will want to dive into." (Sunday Independent, Ireland)

"A lovely first novel." (Cathy Kelly, best-selling author)

Members Reviews:

EVERY CHILD HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW WHO THEY BELONG TO

Based. On facts but the storyline didn't quite hit the note with me

Maybe because I knew the facts

Rather boring , sorry to say

Sweet story

Sweet story but not particularly gripping. However, it is well written and interesting enough to make you want to finish it. The narrator is good but all the voices are rather shouty and manly which I found probably made me less into the book than had I read it. I felt Ella would have had a softer voice

Surprising plot

I found this book unusual as it has some very surprising plot twists and turns, some of them are a bit disturbing too as you find yourself thinking 'could this really have happened?', especially if you've seen the film Philomena. I suppose it may be the mark of a good storyteller that she makes it all seem quite real and once you get absorbed by it, the storyline is unpredictable and that makes a nice change.

Although, I'm not sure about this narrator...I persevered with her and did begin to get used to her, by which point she didn't seem quite so strange! Worth it though for a good story.

Don't bother

What would have made The Ballroom Café better?

Take your pick - believable dialogue, less extreme story lines or less unlikely characters. Or it could have been shorter.

What was most disappointing about Ann O'Loughlins story?

The dialogue - I simply could not believe that real people would talk in the pretentious and convoluted way portrayed. The dialogue was not credible, let alone convincing or engaging

Would you be willing to try another one of Grainne Gilliss performances?

God no. The dialogue was bad enough to begin with, but it was all too evident that Grainne was reading it off the page (as opposed to making it sound like spontaneous conversation).

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Title: The Last Kiss Goodbye

Author: Tasmina Perry

Narrator: Penelope Rawlins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-10-15

Publisher: Headline Digital

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

With her signature blend of 'lose yourself' love stories and buried secrets, Sunday Times Top Ten best seller Tasmina Perry is back with this gorgeously romantic read, perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore and Rachel Hore.

From Paris to St Petersburg, this spellbinding tale of love, loss and long-buried secrets is guaranteed to break your heart....

Everyone remembers their first kiss. You never forget the last....

1961. Bright-eyed young journalist Rosamund Bailey is determined to change the world. When she meets dashing explorer and man about town Dominic Blake, she realises she has found the love of her life. Just as happiness is in their grasp, the worst happens, and their future is snatched from them.

2014. Deep in the vaults of a museum, archivist Abby Morgan stumbles upon a breathtaking find. A faded, old photograph of an explorer saying goodbye to the woman he loves. Looking for a way to escape her own heartache, Abby becomes obsessed with the story behind the image.

And when she finally meets the woman in the photograph, she unravels a devastating tale of love and loss. And a shocking secret buried in time....

Members Reviews:

nice love story

it is a nice love story, with everything, a bit. the plot is really nice, nothing to heavy, but it isn't also a plain story.