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Title: Dandruff Hits The Turtleneck

Author: John Mayfield

Narrator: Prunella Scales

Format: Unabridged

Length: 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-02-11

Publisher: The Copyright Group

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

From the moment pub landlord and keen amateur entomologist, Arnold Matson, arrives in Blinkington-on-the-Treacle to take over his new hostelry, the listener is guided superbly by one of Britains best-loved actresses, Prunella Scales, as she introduces local characters and intimately narrates her way through a colourful collection of vignettes and poignant flashbacks that are both comically funny and disturbingly familiar.

Set in an imaginary backwater village, Dandruff dips delightfully into the intricacies and miniscule absurdities of everyday life. Author John Mayfields world blends originality with an amalgamation of Dylan Thomas, P. G. Wodehouse, G. K. Chesterton and Alan Bennett, and can accurately be described as kite flying for the imagination.

John Mayfield was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and worked on over 2,000 audiobooks as a sound engineer and director in London for 10 years before moving to Ireland to meet myself. He returned to the UK to form an Internet Radio Station dedicated to spoken word and, despite the fact he has written since the age of five, Dandruff on the Turtleneck is his first audio release.

Prunella Scales is most warmly remembered for her role as Sybil in John Cleeses classic Fawlty Towers, but her exceptional talent has created many other highly regarded roles in film, TV, and theatre

Members Reviews:

5 stars for Laugh Out Loud "English" wit

I selected "Dandruff" because it is narrated by Prunella Scales (I could listen to her forever!) I questioned whether a book of less than one hour would be worth purchasing. The answer is YES! Humor in every line, characters one can love (even the Rev Colin Wheatchief). A delight from start to finish. I've listened at least 5 times and catch a clever line each time which I missed the time before. I highly (and I emphasize "highly") recommend this for any listener who enjoys English humor, quaint backwater villages and fun, fun, fun!

British Audiobook Invasion!

Dandruff Hits the Turtleneck by John Mayfield is nothing like I expected it to be. For starters, there is very little dandruff involved even though the title might seem to suggest otherwise. What there is, however, is an engaging monologue narrated by the extremely adept Prunella Scales. The story transports listeners to the town of Blinkington-on-the-Treacle, a name worthy of the eccentric residents who populate it. Scales entices listeners with vivid descriptions of notable characters such as Arnold Matson, a pro-insect type who has re-opened the town's local watering hole, and Reginald Frimpton, a man who writes confounding mysteries under the tantalizing pseudonym, Felicity Grayling. The backstory for Frimpton is no doubt a real hum-dinger.

Mayfield deftly illustrates how many of the defining moments in life are hatched from seemingly innocuous events. One minute, listeners are dabbling in the joys of a sun lit pub where Matson is regaling customers with tales of intrigue involving the most lowly of insects. In a seamless transition, the story dashes back in time to focus on a young boy who loses his innocence but finds his heart. It's remarkable, really. Most authors could never pull this off. Mayfield's crafting of words fused with humor and sentimentality make this a truly compelling audio book.

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Title: Electricity

Author: Ray Robinson

Narrator: Harriet Carmichael

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-28-11

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Thirty year old epileptic Lily is prickly, up-front honest and down-to-earth practical. Life's not easy but she gets by. Needing no-one and asking for nothing, it's just her and her epilepsy: her constant companion. Then her mother dies, and Lily is drawn back into a world she thought she'd left behind. Forced to renegotiate the boundaries of her life, she realises she has some difficult decisions ahead of her.

Members Reviews:

Great Portrayal of Having Epilepsy

I have epilepsy. That includes auras and slow periods of regaining full consciousness, both described by the book's heroine, Lily. This book rings true. I can't emphasize that enough. If you're reading this, I hope for your sake that you don't have epilepsy. If you have epilepsy, well, our experiences can vary quite a bit. I suspect, however, that you'll agree with me on the book. Given that I have epilepsy, I tend to be interested in books that at least claim to have epilepsy as an element. I'm curious to see how it is handled and, of course, if it is a good book just on the face of it. Lying Awake by Mark Salzman is another that I like. Epilepsy or not, this is a great book. Honestly, I read it because the main character had epilepsy. I discovered a compelling character with whom I could relate, an eerily accurate portrayal of having seizures, and a great book. It is set in Great Britain, meaning among other things that there are British colloquialisms, rhyming slang, and that Lily has "fits" and not "seizures." The big picture is Lily's search for her brother. I was't looking for an uplifting book since, after all, epilepsy by and large is for keeps. The tone is ultimately hopeful, I would say.

I highly recommend the book. If you have epilepsy, it hits home.

Shocking and stunning-as!

"Electricity" was Ray Robinson's 2007 début novel. It concerns 30-something Lily O'Connor who, having been separated from her dysfunctional family as a troubled teenager, suddenly finds her sequestered life is a sleepy northern-eastern seaside town disrupted by the death of her mother, which first throws her back into contact with one of her siblings and subsequently off in search of another. The book chronicles Lily's journey from the isolation of her north-eastern existence to the overwhelming metropolis of London in what starts as a search for someone else but which soon becomes a hunt for herself.

Lily's world, both as a child and later as an adult trying to make sense of the maelstrom of life in the capital, is very much one of squalor and brutality. This is as nothing, however, to the internal and debilitating horrors which Lily must face routinely in the form of epileptic seizures and hallucinations, which can hit her unpredictably, at any time of night or day, leaving her bruised, battered and with enormous holes in her memory. However big and scary the outside world might be, Lily knows that the most threatening thing in the world is her own brain; her outlook on life is clearly shaped by the daily terrors she faces in knowing that she can never escape or hide from the dangers of temporal lobe epilepsy.

The book's narrative is presented entirely in the first person from Lily's perspective, in a voice that is (as she herself might say) authentic-as. Lily is as beguiling as she is intimidating, both for her innocence and for her very lack of it.

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Title: A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters

Author: Julian Barnes

Narrator: Alfred Molina

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 11-18-10

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Beginning with an unlikely stowaways account of life on board Noahs Ark, A History of the World in 10 Chapters presents a surprising, subversive, fictional history of earth told from several kaleidoscopic perspectives. Noah disembarks from his ark, but he and his voyage are not forgotten: they are revisited in on other centuries and other climes - by a Victorian spinster mourning her father, by an American astronaut on an obsessive personal mission.

We journey to the Titanic, to the Amazon, to the raft of the Medusa, and to an ecclesiastical court in medieval France where a bizarre case is about to begin....

This is no ordinary history, but something stranger, a challenge and a delight for the listener's imagination. Ambitious yet accessible, witty and playfully serious, this is the work of a brilliant novelist.

Members Reviews:

Kindle edition formatting problem

The kindle edition suffers from an annoying problem in chapter 2. The chapter consists of tables of paragraphs forming a chronology. The text in the table is tiny, and when you click on it to expand it, most of the time the table cell rotates so that you have to read that page in landscape mode. Then you have to click twice to move on to the next "page" of the table, and then expand it again and rotate the kindle again. This goes on for the whole chapter. It undoubtedly works in the paper book; not on the Kindle (K3).

Very good read, purchased to go along with the OpenYale ...

Very good read, purchased to go along with the OpenYale course on Death with Shelly Kagan. I particularly enjoyed the account of immortality in the final chapter.

Where's the Missing 1/2 Chapter?

This book is a collection of long and short stories with a common thread, be it a mention of Noah and his Ark (the subject of the first story), voyaging on a boat or a cruise ship or a canoe, climbing mountains, or stowing away as a "wood worm" (termite) which -like the cockroach- will survive any destruction on earth. Some of the stories were interesting, some boring, most humorous with a touch of sarcasm. This perspective on history will make the reader think outside the proverbial box of learning.

Delightful imaginative and witty

What a delightful way to meet Julian Barne's ! This novel ?... short stories collection, essays or whatever, is a masterful rendering of imagination, style variety, command of language and wit. I am just wondering what my next choice out of his vast output will be.

Recommended reading

julian Barnes is an amazing autor, here I found his style, as brilliant as ever, with deep knowledge of art and history . Humorous view of the misery of man, I found the chapter about The Medusa too similar to the one in Keep an Eye Open

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Title: Como Hunt Club

Author: TJ Cates

Narrator: Sean Kilgore

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-28-10

Publisher: Tate Publishing

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

When small-town 'good ol' boys' collide with the urbanites just across the state line, a spark is ignited. As the flame is fanned by rumor, gossip, and downright lies, the secrets long kept by insiders threaten to blow the Como Hunt Club apart.

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Titolo: Storia della meraviglia - suite [History of Wonder]

Autore: Maurizio Maggiani, Gian Piero Alloisio

Narratore: Maurizio Maggiani, Gian Piero Alloisio

Formato: Abridged

Durata: 16 mins

Lingua: Italiano

Data di pubblicazione: 06-30-10

Editore: Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore

Categoria: Fiction, Literary

Riepilogo Editore:

Musica e parole, Maggiani e Alloisio... riflessioni su un mondo che va scomparendo e sulla bellezza che affiora ovunque, in luoghi, gesti, persone.

Please note: This audiobook is in Italian.

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Title: SUM: Egalitaire (Clarke Peters) / Absence (Kerry Fox)

Author: David Eagleman

Narrator: Clarke Peters, Kerry Fox

Format: Highlights

Length: 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-25-10

Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Two stories from SUM: Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman.

In 'Egalitaire', read by Clarke Peters, in the afterlife you discover that a female God understands that life is not simply a matter of good and evil.

In 'Absence', read by Kerry Fox, Heaven looks exactly the vision of Eden you expected, but God is gone.

In SUM, David Eagleman entertains 40 fictional possibilities of life beyond death. With wit and humanity, he asks the key questions about existence, hope, technology, and love. These stories are full of big ideas and bold imagination.

This release is one of 20 pairings of readings from the audiobook, which assembles a stellar cast of narrators who bring the scenarios of SUM brilliantly alive: Gillian Anderson, Emily Blunt, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Jack Davenport, Lisa Dwan, David Eagleman, Noel Fielding, Kerry Fox, Stephen Fry, Clarke Peters, Lemn Sissay, and Harriet Walter.

Critic Reviews:

"You will not read a more dazzling book this year." (Stephen Fry)

"SUM has the unaccountable, jaw-dropping quality of genius." (Observer)

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Title: SUM: The Unnatural (Lemn Sissay) / Incentive (Lisa Dwan)

Author: David Eagleman

Narrator: Lemn Sissay, Lisa Dwan

Format: Highlights

Length: 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-10

Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Two stories from SUM: Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman.

In 'The Unnatural', read by Lemn Sissay, when you arrive in the afterlife, the Technicians inform you of the great opportunity to make any single change you want, and then live life over again.

In 'Incentive', read by Lisa Dwan, the concept of death is made up and the poeple around you consist of Actors and Beneficiaries of their actions.

In SUM, David Eagleman entertains 40 fictional possibilities of life beyond death. With wit and humanity, he asks the key questions about existence, hope, technology and love. These stories are full of big ideas and bold imagination.

This release is one of 20 pairings of readings from the audiobook, which assembles a stellar cast of narrators who bring the scenarios of SUM brilliantly alive: Gillian Anderson, Emily Blunt, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Jack Davenport, Lisa Dwan, David Eagleman, Noel Fielding, Kerry Fox, Stephen Fry, Clarke Peters, Lemn Sissay and Harriet Walter.

Critic Reviews:

"You will not read a more dazzling book this year." (Stephen Fry)

"SUM has the unaccountable jaw-dropping quality of genius." (OBSERVER)

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: SUM: Missing (Kerry Fox) / Pantheon (Nick Cave)

Author: David Eagleman

Narrator: Kerry Fox, Nick Cave

Format: Highlights

Length: 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-10

Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Two stories from SUM: Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman.

In 'Missing', read by Kerry Fox, what we call God turns out to actually be a married couple.

In 'Pantheon', read by Nick Cave, we learn that there is not a single God, but many, and each rules a separate territory.

In SUM, David Eagleman entertains 40 fictional possibilities of life beyond death. With wit and humanity, he asks the key questions about existence, hope, technology and love. These stories are full of big ideas and bold imagination.

This release is one of 20 pairings of readings from the audiobook, which assembles a stellar cast of narrators who bring the scenarios of SUM brilliantly alive: Gillian Anderson, Emily Blunt, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Jack Davenport, Lisa Dwan, David Eagleman, Noel Fielding, Kerry Fox, Stephen Fry, Clarke Peters, Lemn Sissay and Harriet Walter.

Critic Reviews:

"You will not read a more dazzling book this year." (Stephen Fry)

"SUM has the unaccountable, jaw-dropping quality of genius." (OBSERVER)

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: SUM: Mirrors (Noel Fielding) / Quantum (Jarvis Cocker)

Author: David Eagleman

Narrator: Noel Fielding, Jarvis Cocker

Format: Highlights

Length: 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-10

Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Two stories from SUM: Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman.

In 'Mirrors', read by Noel Fielding, once you've left Earth you are stored in scattered heads around the globe, and in Purgatory these collected bits are held up as mirrors in front of you to see yourself clearly for the first time.

In 'Quantum', read by Jarvis Cocker, everything exists in all possible states at once, even states that are mutually exclusive.

In SUM, David Eagleman entertains 40 fictional possibilities of life beyond death. With wit and humanity, he asks the key questions about existence, hope, technology and love. These stories are full of big ideas and bold imagination.

This release is one of 20 pairings of readings from the audiobook, which assembles a stellar cast of narrators who bring the scenarios of SUM brilliantly alive: Gillian Anderson, Emily Blunt, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Jack Davenport, Lisa Dwan, David Eagleman, Noel Fielding, Kerry Fox, Stephen Fry, Clarke Peters, Lemn Sissay and Harriet Walter.

Critic Reviews:

"You will not read a more dazzling book this year." (Stephen Fry)

"SUM has the unaccountable, jaw-dropping quality of genius." (OBSERVER)

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: SUM: Ineffable (Lisa Dwan) / Seed (David Eagleman)

Author: David Eagleman

Narrator: Lisa Dwan, David Eagleman

Format: Highlights

Length: 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-10

Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Two stories from SUM: Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman.

In 'Ineffable', read by Lisa Dwan, it turns out that anything which enjoys life enjoys an afterlife.

In 'Seed', read by David Eagleman, it turns out that God is not sufficiently skilled to have designed man: He's not so much a creator as a molecule tinkerer who enjoyed a stroke of luck.

In SUM, David Eagleman entertains 40 fictional possibilities of life beyond death. With wit and humanity, he asks the key questions about existence, hope, technology and love. These stories are full of big ideas and bold imagination.

This release is one of 20 pairings of readings from the audiobook, which assembles a stellar cast of narrators who bring the scenarios of SUM brilliantly alive: Gillian Anderson, Emily Blunt, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Jack Davenport, Lisa Dwan, David Eagleman, Noel Fielding, Kerry Fox, Stephen Fry, Clarke Peters, Lemn Sissay and Harriet Walter.

Critic Reviews:

"You will not read a more dazzling book this year." (Stephen Fry)

"SUM has the unaccountable, jaw-dropping quality of genius." (OBSERVER)