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 Lives And Loves, Volume 1

Author: Frank Harris

Narrator: Leslie Grantham

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-21-09

Publisher: The Copyright Group

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

However, it is undoubtedly his detailed scandalous account of his sexual exploits that remain his lasting legacy.

Leslie Grantham's reading admirably captures this vivid depiction of his many erotic encounters.

Members Reviews:

Times change...

I read this book first when I was about 13 years old, and back then (a long time ago) I was shocked by it, but I thought it was fantastic. However, now was an adult, it seems times change.

In many ways this was a 'ground breaking' piece of literature.

Hearing the audio version, which is very well read incidentally, I found the book very disappointing.

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: I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Giulia Melucci

Narrator: Giulia Melucci

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-01-09

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Peppered throughout Giulia's delightful and often poignant remembrances are fond recollections of her mother's cooking, the recipes she learned from her, and many she invented on her own inspired by the men in her life. Listeners will howl at Giulia's boyfriend-littered past and swoon over her irresistible culinary creations.

Audio includes 66 recipes - all servings for two, but can be eaten alone.

Members Reviews:

For Lovers of Julie and Julia . . .

Ok, I love good food, wine and autobiographies so this was right of up my alley. Very interesting and honest story about a lady's journey through love and life. Reminiscent of Sex and the City with a single girl and her loves with the backdrop of NYC - but this one has more analogies about eating and drinking good food vs. designer clothes as one of its main themes. One thing - why do audiobooks never include the darn recipes as an attachment. I Hate That. The reality is that most of us listen to the books while driving, exercising or doing another activity where we can't stop and write a recipe. A lot of her recipes seemed really good and easy but can't refer to my Ipod like a hard 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: Rainbow's End

Subtitle: A Memoir of Childhood, War and an African Farm

Author: Lauren St. John

Narrator: Bianca Amato

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-30-09

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Celebrated journalist Lauren St. John "bears witness to a remarkable story" (Publishers Weekly) in this striking memoir of her African childhood. In the 1970s St. John lived on a Rhodesian farm that should have been paradise. But the specter of war hung over the land, filling every day with peril and uncertainty.

©2008 Lauren St. John; (P)2007 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic Reviews:

"Lush descriptions of both the terrain and the war distinguish St. John's moving memoir." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

The end of a country and a people.

This is an enjoyable memoir that encapsulates what life was all about for Rhodesians in the 70's and 80's. The engaging details evoke that period very well and this is a gripping account for anybody who was there. For those who weren't it is an eye-opener, although probably slightly too padded with extraneous detail.

Behind all the soul-searching, poignant analysis and honest reflection there is a very likeable author.I also enjoy the humor and slight sarcasm by which she pokes insight into relationships and changing attitudes. Her overall observations are acute, too: many marriages ended with the war or soon after, and the loss of identity and general exodus of whites left many families broken up or somehow alienated from eachother.

However, it has structural flaws. The first part is well-written. The last fifth is somehwat deflated and drags on disjointedly. She also fails to reveal some important underlying facts on which the story hinges.

Intriguing memoir

Some time ago I read The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John and then read her books in The Legend of The Animal Healers series. These books are written for children aged 6 - 8 years. I bought them for my grandchildren, but always read books before giving to them. While checking for other books written by St. John, I purchased this memoir because I was curious about what her life was like and how it contributed to the writing of The White Giraffe and The Legend of The Animal Healers series.

Rainbow's End is an engaging story of her childhood on a wilf-life preserve in war-torn Africa. She explains the divide between blacks and whites from her young girl's perspective and illuminates us on how her opinions changed as she learned more about the differences. I was moved to do more research on the times and places that she described and that was most enjoyable too. Through all her trials, her knowledge and love of animals and people help her survive and grow in understanding the world around her.

Excellent Memoir

I have read a half a dozen books/memoirs on Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. This one is a favorite, second only to Peter Godwin's Mukiwa. After reading the editorial review from Publisher's Weekly on Amazon that placed this book second to Alexander Fuller's Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, I read Fuller's book first. I strongly disagree with that review, which stated: "Though St. John's memoir is not as tight or pitch-perfect as Alexandra Fuller's Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight... " It is my humble opinion that St. John's memoir has far more depth and is much better written than Fuller's.

In addition to eloquently describing the aura of the African bush, St. John's book was very deep from a relational perspective...

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: Live Through This

Subtitle: A Mother's Memoir of Runaway Daughters and Reclaimed Love

Author: Debra Gwartney

Narrator: Joyce Bean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-27-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Live Through This - as emotionally wrenching and ultimately redemptive as David Sheff's Beautiful Boy - is the story of Gwartney's frantic effort to recover the beautiful, intelligent daughters she cherishes. The harrowing subculture of the American runaway, with its random violence, its horrendously dangerous street drugs, and its patchwork of hidden shelters---none of them interested in a parent's grief---is captured by Gwartney with brilliant intensity. Faced with the unraveling of the family she thought she could hold together through blind love, Gwartney begins the painful---and universal---journey toward recognizing her own flawed motivations as a mother. The triumph of Gwartney's story is its sensitive rendering of how all three, over several years, have dug deep for forgiveness and a return to profound love.

Editorial Reviews:

When her two oldest of four daughters decide to live on the streets, Debra Gwartney has to find a way to take control. Joyce Bean's narration portrays Gwartney as a woman on the edge of unrestrained emotions. Bean appropriately expresses the layers of torment the author faces - her guilt and remorse over her divorce and how it affected her children, her conflict over the foster parents who both run her children's lives and deal with their difficult behavior, and her mix of caring and resentment as the young teens cut themselves, steal, and avoid her love. Bean's tight, strained narration corresponds to the story's tension. Her delivery of the author's candid reflections makes listeners hope for the family's resolution.

Critic Reviews:

"An achingly beautiful chronicle of unfathomable sorrow, flickering hope and quiet redemption." (Kirkus Starred Review)

"Truly absorbing." (Library Journal Starred Review)

Members Reviews:

Twins on the Run

Debra Gwartney's wondrously open and honest memoir of the years spent agonizing over her runaway daughters had me raging with frustration at times, knowing exactly where she was coming from and waiting impatiently for her to make the decisions that would put the responsibility for their lives back on her daughters' shoulders, where it belonged.

People I've told about this book, have said that there had to be something more serious under the surface that the author hasn't revealed. I wouldn't know about that. Who's to say why children from loving homes turn wild.

As I read, I kept thinking that Debra's daughters were far more hostile than my runaway girl. Francesca usually let me know where she was. The longest she stayed hidden was one month. When four hospitalizations failed to stop her escalating drug and alcohol abuse, I finally had to ask her to leave home. Even then, she stayed in touch by phone and often visited. She was moving back home the day she was shot and killed. Debra's story has a much happier ending.

A Story of Grace in Loss and Humility in Love

Live Through This stands out as one of the few memoirs I've read recently that is written by a mother about being a mother. Many of the authors I've read have had children, but the journey they've written about isn't centered around what it takes to succeed or fail as a mother.

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: Women of the Outback

Author: Sue Williams

Narrator: Catherine Milte

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-10-08

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Maree was left with three small daughters when her husband and son were killed in a light plane smash. Cheryl lives in such a remote area, she had to winch herself and her three children across the Murray River to get the eldest to school. Alice admits she couldn't even tell a cow from a bull when she first went to live in the outback. These women are only some of the 12 extraordinary women who have overcome incredible hardships to survive and thrive in some of the most extremely remote parts of Australia. Sue Williams has uncovered some remarkable subjects in this work. From high-profile businesswomen to everyday heroes, these women will inspire and delight.

©2008 Sue Williams; (P)2008 Bolinda Publishing

Editorial Reviews:

From the sagas of biblical women crossing the desert to the novels of Willa Cather, stories of women contending with a frequently brutal and lonely landscape have long proved fascinating to the human spirit. In this audiobook, Sue Williams provides another testament, this time set in rural Australia in modern times.

Performed here by Catherine Milte in a voice that commands respect, Women of the Outback provides 12 character studies drawn from interviews with women who have managed life in the outback, whether by choice or necessity. Listeners will meet stay-at-home moms, business owners, and adventurers all battling some combination of drought, loneliness, and the hot, hot sun.

Members Reviews:

Brave women in the face of Adversity

A really broad reporting of the lives of a diverse group of 'outback' women. Made all the more real for me given I was in the Outback of Australia when I read it.

Resilliant Aussie Women

A great way to appreciate the resiliance of Aussie women. Loved it. X

Aussie women

journeys of women

Some of the chapters depicted life in the outback well, but some were a little less interesting as they dwelt more on easier lifestyles

Five Stars

impressive and totally realistic

wow!

Delived fast and love it!

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: In the Castle of the Flynns

Author: Michael Raleigh

Narrator: Patrick G Lawlor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-21-08

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Michael Raleigh's In the Castle of the Flynns is about a young boy growing up Irish in a vibrant 1950s Chicago neighborhood. Now grown and looking back on those years, Daniel recalls his bouts with grief and fear of abandonment as he learns to adjust to his new surroundings amidst his oddball family. It is a time of wakes and weddings, conflicts and romance.

Above all, it is a time when Daniel comes to understand both his own loss and the dark places in the lives of his loved ones.

In the Castle of the Flynns is a poignant, often hilarious story of hope, passions and unforgettable memories.

Members Reviews:

Chicago in remembered with family.

Just Wonderful! So well done. Lots of laughter. You will love everything about the story.

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: Farewell Babylon

Subtitle: Coming of Age in Jewish Baghdad

Author: Naim Kattan

Narrator: A. C. Fellner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-17-08

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Here is the exotic world of one of the East's ancient cities, where Naim Kattan was born into the heart of its then teeming Jewish community. In this evocative memoir, a young boy comes of age, discovering work, literature, patriotism, racism - and women and love. Farewell, Babylon is a story of roots and anguished exile, of thirst for life and life's experiences. Above all it is a memoir of a lost world, a magical city in which Iraq's Kurds, Bedouins, Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in a rough sort of harmony.

Critic Reviews:

"A fine portrait of a particular place and time that is no more." (Library Journal)

"In all respects, a most moving and haunting work." (Montreal Star)

Members Reviews:

A Great Informat's view.

Same remarks as the 2 previous reviews. Very enlightening.

A creative writer trying to Inform didn't work

The author disrupted an interesting and important topic that he is clearly knowledgeable of with his sexual experiences [maybe the theme - Coming to Age?] and his writing style reminded me of a poet trying to write history and embellishing the issues so much that we can not simply enjoy and learn of his experiences.

readable, mildly interesting

This book is a coming-of-age memoir about the author's youth in Iraq; it begins with a pogrom in 1941 and ends in 1947 when he leaves the country. At the time Baghdad had a large Jewish population, all of which was ethnically cleansed by the Iraqi government. Although Baghdad was somewhat westernized, I was surprised by how traditional the society was: women were still secluded from male society (especially among Muslims), and marriages were still arranged with just a few minutes of contact between bride and groom.

Fairly Interesting

I found this title fairly interesting. It gives a good biographical look at a Jew living in Iraq. No "fireworks" or extremely dramatic stuff, just a good look at the human elements of the situation and some of the hardships encountered.

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: The Red Suit Diaries

Subtitle: A Real-Life Santa on Hopes, Dreams, and Childlike Faith

Author: Ed Butchart

Narrator: Ed Butchart

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 10-10-08

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

With warmth, humor, and wonder, Ed Butchart shares his stories as a professional Santa Claus in The Red Suit Diaries. Deftly combining his Santa persona with his passion for God, Butchart reveals himself as a once-hardened Marine who found Jesus and began to serve others in unusual ways.

Listeners will be enthralled by The Red Suit Diaries - from Santa's day job refurbishing medical equipment for the disabled, to the sweetest of secrets whispered in Santa's ear and written in letters, to the story of how he unknowingly found "Mrs. Claus". Woven throughout is a faith and a joy of giving that energizes Butchart's mission to spread love to all kinds of children and adults.

Members Reviews:

This Could Bridge the Anti-Santa Christians with the Mainstream--It's That Good!

Ed Butchart has written something that potentially could bridge the anti-Santa Christians with the mainstream Christians (if there is such a thing). No, we don't worship Santa and we don't pray to Santa, but Ed has shown in his book, that, as Santa, he can give love to the children whom he interviews as they sit on his lap. This diary of a professional Santa reveals lots of charming stories and not a little of appreciation for his faith. Bravo, Ed, this is a winner! I don't believe there has been anything like this on the market before. I hope there is a BIG check under your tree this year for you, Mr. Claus.

A good read for anyone, especially at Christmas!

An interesting insight into how following what is right in front of you...like the mirror...can direct the path of life and service to God and to fellow human beings. Taking on life in it's different stages and succeeding, blooming where the author is planted...great themes for anyone! As a Jesus follower, I appreciated how it's possible to share the message of God's love expressed through Jesus while dressed as Santa. A sweet read!

Santa does exist!

Delightful chronicle of a Godly couple who's mission in life is to spread love, cheer, and the truth of God's love. Such an easy read and feel good story. God Bless Mr. and Mrs. Clause!

Wonderful book.

This is a remarkable book written by a wonderful, compassionate (Santa) from his view as being a store Santa and all the reactions of the kids to him. Very heartwarming stories and how Santa and Mrs Santa helped so many children see love in this world and how Jesus can be brought into the Christmas time as well. I couldn't put it down and was so intrigued to hear the many stories about the wee little ones. They are all so special.

Good read for the pre-Christmas season

This was a nice read just before Christmas.

It gives insight into why someone would want to be Santa Claus at this busy time of year. It shows that this man had a real ministry to share the happiness of Santa in his region.

Goes to show what one person can do while still having fun and bringing joy to others around him.

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: Thin Is the New Happy

Author: Valerie Frankel

Narrator: Marie Caliendo

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 09-01-08

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 40 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Yes, she lost 20 pounds and two dress sizes along the way - without dieting a single day. But more than that, she's come out on the other side, loving her body, herself, and finally being free.

Thin Is the New Happy is a hilarious, unflinching, self-deprecating, and joy-filled memoir for every woman who has ever felt good or bad about herself based on how she looks.

Critic Reviews:

"Riotously funny...always thought-provoking...down-right inspiring." (Meg Cabot, author of

The Princess Diaries)"[A] poignant...hilarious memoir - as Frankel diets through good times and bad, she skewers her own weight-loss foibles and a society that teaches women that thin is all that matters." (Lucy S. Danziger, Editor-in-Chief,

Self magazine)

Members Reviews:

I liked this book

At first I thought this was a diet book, but it is not. It is a memoir of a woman's struggle with dieting and her coming to peace with herself and losing the weight. I did enjoy it and will probably listen to it again.

Mixed Feelings

I heard about this book on a feminist website I frequent and I was interested in listening to it, especially since I heard that the author worked at a few fashion magazines. She paints a sad portrait of those who work in that environment - many women seeming to posses little to none self-esteem and an unhealthy obsession with dieting. Frankel herself was addicted to dieting, and she attributes it to both her overachieving personality, and her experiences with her mother. I found it interesting to listen to her experiences, but I was disappointed in the way she reconciled them. It seems that a comfort to her is to not focus on needing to be thin, but to point out that she's successful and leads a better life then some people who used to pick on her. It didn't turn out to be the positive message that I was hoping it would be, and I found myself disappointed with it by the books end. However, it is refreshing to see a perspective of leaving behind thin obsessions for a more sensible, whole life.

Was hoping for more motivation

If you want a bio of Valerie Frankel, this is for you. If you are looking for some motivation, keep looking. I also thought it was going to be funny... not so much...

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: Love Letters of Great Men

Author: Ursula Doyle

Narrator: Anton Lesser

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-14-08

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

From the private papers of Mark Twain and Mozart to those of Robert Browning and Nelson, Love Letters of Great Men collects together some of the most romantic letters in history.

For some of these great men, love is a 'delicious poison' (William Congreve); for others, 'a nice soft wife on a sofa with good fire, & books & music' (Charles Darwin). Love can scorch like the heat of the sun (Henry VIII), or penetrate the depths of one's heart like a cooling rain (Flaubert). Every shade of love is here, from the exquisite eloquence of Oscar Wilde and the simple devotion of Robert Browning, to the wonderfully modern misery of the Roman Pliny the Younger, losing himself in work to forget how much he misses his beloved wife, Calpurnia.

Taken together, these Love Letters of Great Men show that perhaps men haven't changed so very much over the last 2,000 years; passion, jealousy, hope and longing are all represented here - as is the simple pleasure of sending a letter to, and receiving one from, the person you love most.

Members Reviews:

Why can't present day men write like this?

I totally enjoyed the words and emotions expressed by these men. I guess in todays world with texting and tweeting it has become a lost art form, but even in an email you can express the same longing and desires of these great men for the women (or men) whom they love. It is time we learn from the past, express your heart felt emotions to those you love, there is a great power in the written words.

Invasion of Privacy

Ursula Doyle did a tremendous job compiling these letters and providing the context in which they were written. I almost feel like I am invading the private intimacies of these relationships which makes this even more fun to read.

Love this book

Love this book, and I really enjoy that the previous owner underlines and made little markings. I get to see or experience what was of interest to them; something that impacted or caught there attention.

Five Stars

This book is awesome!!!

Alright by me

So cute, it didn't have the kinds of lien poems/letters I thought it would have. They're more like short stories, but it's still cute.