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Title: The Songmaster

Author: Di Morrissey

Narrator: Kate Hood

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-27-12

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The Kimberley, a land that cradles Australia's ancient treasures, is sanctuary to the mysterious spirits reflected in the oldest rock art in the world. It is also home to a people whose powerful secrets could unlock the future for a modern mankind. Four people are tied up in a mystery so powerful it could change their lives forever.

Members Reviews:

Gross Misrepresentation

Narrated very well. Could not finish book.

As a manager of a West Australian cattle station I am disgusted at how we are portrayed in this book. I live and work with Indigenous people and have always been fascinated with their culture. I have also enjoyed many of this author's other novels.

It doesn't matter if you're white, black, yellow or rainbow. You need to advise someone if you're entering a cattle station. It is for your safety as well as ours and our cattle. Gates get left open so our cattle get cruelly killed on the roads. Rubbish is left lying around (not just by white fellas as the book notes) and our cattle eat it and get sick and die. Not to mention the fact that if different people trespass to go hunting and someone gets shot and killed. Legally that murder is on my back.

Do we need to be better at Indigenous Relations in Australia? Absolutely! But demonising Pastoralists to easily influenced suburbanites is so wrong. Pastoralists have done more for Indigenous Australians at a grass roots level than any other group of people in Australia.

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Title: A Week in Winter

Author: Maeve Binchy

Narrator: Kate Binchy

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-22-12

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group Limited

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

High on the cliffs of the west coast of Ireland, overlooking the windswept Atlantic Ocean, is Stone House. Once falling into disrepair, it is now a beautiful hotel specialising in winter holidays. With a big, warm kitchen, log fires and understated, elegant bedrooms, it provides a welcome few can resist, whatever their reasons for coming... Henry and Nicola are burdened with a terrible secret, and are hoping the break at Stone House will help them find a way to face the future.

Winnie, generally one to make the best of things, finds herself on the holiday from hell. Then there's John, who arrived on impulse after he missed a flight at Shannon; eccentric Freda, who claims to be a psychic - and the silent, watchful Nell, who seems so ready to disapprove. But looks can be deceptive

A Week in Winter is full of Maeve's trademark warmth, humour and characters you want to spend time with. Read by Kate Binchy.

Kate Binchy has worked extensively in all media from West End to fringe theatre. Numerous television appearances include RUTH RENDELL MYSTERIES, FATHER TED, PEAK PRACTICE, CASUALTY, POIROT and FAIR CITY. She has appeared in over 500 radio plays, and films such as MRS DALLOWAY and THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE. She is Maeve's cousin and has read all of Maeve's audiobooks.

Members Reviews:

Not her best

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

While Maeve's sister Kate does a good job at telling the story, the story itself isn't Maeve's finest. It feels like a rough draft which needs a fair bit of polish.

Would you ever listen to anything by Maeve Binchy again?

As I have read every Maeve Binchy book, I don't think I would listen to another.

Did Kate Binchy do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I don't think the characters themselves were very well written.

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

At points I was sad but overall, everything was ho hum.

Sweet Binchy

What did you love best about A Week in Winter?

The Irish accent of the narrator

What other book might you compare A Week in Winter to and why?

Other Maeve Binchy books, though this wasn't her best

Which scene was your favorite?

The first, Chicky's part

Any additional comments?

None. It was apt

Her farewell book

Would you try another book from Maeve Binchy and/or Kate Binchy?

I love reading Maeve Binchy. This one is her last but not her best. Though the reader does a good job.

If youve listened to books by Maeve Binchy before, how does this one compare?

This was my first audiobook of the author.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes the narrator did a good job.

Did A Week in Winter inspire you to do anything?

I like the author very much but this book didn't inspire me.

A lovely story

This is the second book I have read from the author. And I do love her style of writing. I highly recommend this book.

Great

One of Maeve best all the characters are great and how she brings them together is just brilliant. I was very sad when I finished this book got so into the characters.

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Title: The Free-Lance Pallbearers

Author: Ishmael Reed

Narrator: Rodney Gardiner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-15-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Ishmael Reed's electrifying first novel zooms readers off to the crazy, ominous kingdom of HARRY SAM - a miserable and dangerous place ruled for thirty years by Harry Sam, a former used car salesman who wields his power from his bathroom throne. In a land of a thousand contradictions peopled by cops and beatniks, black nationalists and white liberals, the crusading Bukka Doopeyduk leads a rebellion against the corrupt Sam in a wildly uproarious and scathing satire, earning the author the right to be dubbed "the brightest contributor to American satire since Mark Twain" (The Nation).

Critic Reviews:

"For all the talk of the black aesthetic, few black novelists have broken sharply with the traditional devices of the realistic novel. One writer who departs from such conventions, however, is Ishmael Reed.... The Free-Lance Pallbearers uses an explosive combination of straightforward English prose, exaggerated black dialect, hip jargon, advertising slogans and long, howling uppercase screams." (Newsweek)

Members Reviews:

Just Plain Fun

Similar to Paul Beatty's style (I just finished The Sellout), but tighter in story, rougher around the edges, funnier, and with a lighter twist which all lend to a more enjoyable listen. But like Beatty, Reed got sloppy and a bit confusing in his last couple chapters, but his was nevertheless fun to listen to. The narration was perfectly matched to the book. Unlike Beatty, I'll proceed to another by this author.

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Title: Greek Island

Author: Jacqueline Druga

Narrator: David Bolden

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-12

Publisher: Jacqueline Druga

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In the height of the Cold War, in the aftermath of Hiroshima, in the fear of nuclear annihilation, in the heart of West Virginia the surviving salvation was born.

A huge bunker designed to house 1,000 people, most of which were government officials, was constructed and code named "Project Greek Island" for secrecy. In 1995, the secret was exposed and the United States Government ultimately revealed this buried treasure.

It was nestled in the hills of West Virginia 750 feet beneath a plush resort. A few years later, the resort made the bunker a tourist attraction and offered tours for the curious.

A writer with an apocalyptic infatuation takes his family on a guided tour of the deluxe bomb shelter and finds himself in the right place at the right time. While there, an escalating confrontation comes to a climax and nuclear war unfolds.

Taking the leadership reins, Hal Slagel must protect those in the bomb shelter, deal with the insanity of the world, and prepare for long term survival once it is safe to emerge. But radiation doesn't dissipate as predicted and the survivors are left below far longer than they anticipated. There, deep below the Earth's surface, they begin to live life in a whole new way.

Members Reviews:

Not about Greek Island

Where does Greek Island rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I rated it as I did not because it's close to one of the best audio books I've listened to, but, it's not one where I could find any major flaws. I moved fast, explanations where in place, if anything even remotely bad can be said it's that at times things just "fell in to place" a little too conveinently.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Greek Island?

Don't have any one most memorablel moment...

Have you listened to any of David Boldens other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but, he was a good narrator.

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

No extreme reactions. I did laugh quite a bit, and, got a little teary eyed once or twice, but all in all it was a pretty even tempered book.

Any additional comments?

I liked the way folks just seemed to be at the right place at the right time when the story began. This may not have been my most favorite audio book, but, it was very enjoyable and things ended nicely; well, kind of... it was worth the credit as far as I'm concerned.

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Title: Magnificence

Author: Lydia Millet

Narrator: Xe Sands

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-01-12

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

This stunning novel introduces Susan Lindley, a woman adrift after her husband's death. Suddenly gifted her great uncle's Pasadena mansion, Susan decides to restore his extensive collection of preserved animals, tending to "the fur and feathers, the beaks, the bones and shimmering tails." Meanwhile, a menagerie of uniquely damaged humans - including a cheating husband and a chorus of eccentric elderly women - joins her in residence. Funny and heartbreaking, Magnificence is the story of a woman emerging from the sudden dissolution of her family. Millet's trademark themes - evolution and extinction, children and parenthood, loss and wonder - produce a rapturous final act to the critically acclaimed cycle of novels that began with How the Dead Dream.

Critic Reviews:

One of the "Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2012 Book Preview" titles. (The Millions)

Members Reviews:

Was there a point?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This book just drones on and on. If you want to be asleep, then the time listening to this book will be well spent. If you are looking for an exciting or intriguing read, skip it.

What could Lydia Millet have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

There could have been more of a POINT TO THE STORY. The main character never really changed. She was still the same person, except that by the end of the book she stops sleeping around.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was OK. I found the narrator's voice to be a bit monotone.

Could you see Magnificence being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

If they made this book into a movie, it would be an incredible flop. The only way it would work would be to have more steamy interludes, some real intrigue about "the legacy" (all the dead animals and *spoiler alert* native peoples).

Any additional comments?

This book was just not good. It was dull. What should have been a climactic scene at the end where the main character finally finds "the legacy" was really just not exciting. The characters were all pretty flat with no depth. The book spent a lot of time going nowhere and when it got there, that was it.

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Title: Lamb to the Slaughter (A Roald Dahl Short Story)

Author: Roald Dahl

Narrator: Juliet Stevenson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-13-12

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The unabridged, digital audiobook edition of "Lamb to the Slaughter", a short, sharp, chilling story from Roald Dahl, the master of the shocking tale, read by the actress Juliet Stevenson.

In "Lamb to the Slaughter", Roald Dahl, one of the worlds favourite authors, tells a twisted story about the darker side of human nature. Here, a wife serves up a dish that utterly baffles the police....

"Lamb to the Slaughter" is taken from the short story collection Someone Like You, which includes 17 other devious and shocking stories, featuring the two men who make an unusual and chilling wager over the provenance of a bottle of wine; a curious machine that reveals the horrifying truth about plants; the man waiting to be bitten by the venomous snake asleep on his stomach; and others. This story is also available as a Penguin ebook.

Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahls Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahls stories continue to make listeners shiver today.

Juliet Stevensons television work includes White Heat, The Hour, Place of Execution, and Nicholas Nickleby. Her film work includes Infamous, When Did You Last See Your Father?, Mona Lisa Smile, Bend It Like Beckham, and Truly Madly Deeply.

Members Reviews:

An old favourite, well read.

What did you love best about Lamb to the Slaughter (A Roald Dahl Short Story)?

There is a typically Roald Dahl twist at the end of the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

the wife is a complex character

If you could rename Lamb to the Slaughter (A Roald Dahl Short Story), what would you call it?

why would you rename it?

A twist in the lambs tail

If you could sum up Lamb to the Slaughter (A Roald Dahl Short Story) in three words, what would they be?

A dish of revenge. When the husband thought he would leave his loyal wife for another he was murdered and the evidence eaten by the police

What aspect of Juliet Stevensons performance might you have changed?

Nothing

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

No

Exciting and witty

An excellent short story. Very witty with some good, soft dark humour. A good read and well worth it.

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Title: A Dangerous Inheritance

Author: Alison Weir

Narrator: Maggie Mash

Format: Unabridged

Length: 25 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-04-12

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The year is 1562. Lady Catherine Grey, cousin of Elizabeth I, has just been arrested along with her husband, Edward. Their crime is to have secretly married and produced a child who might threaten the Queen's title. Alone in her chamber at the Tower of London, Catherine hears ghostly voices; echoes, she thinks, of a crime committed in the same room where she is imprisoned.

Members Reviews:

It does get better

The book seems to jump between the Tudor reign, the end of Edwards and the beginning of Marys to be precise, to Richard 3rd without any real indication of why or how this is happening. It is not until chapter 12 that things start to come together. At times it is difficult to work out if you are listening to Kate or Catherines story and at times they tend to blur into one.

In history reference books it is a requirement to stay detached and showing all sides of historical facts. However, the attempt to do so in this novel has sadly failed and lends to a sitting on the fence atmosphere. I think this is why the main characters in this book seems very shallow. At times listening to Anne and Kate is like listening to children at a school play, who feel credibly awkward and not really believing in what they are saying.

Anne Nevil spoke the line of the book I should not burden you with this it is a pity the author didnt think the same. Unfortunately this book is not up to the usual standard of Alison Weir. The book does get a bit better as you read but it never really gets there. Its like pouring yourself a really nice Chardonnay and getting Lambrini.

Not impressed

This book was so bad, I couldn't get past chapter 7, even to find out what happens. The story was confusing and

the narrator's portrayal of the different characters was irritating and over egged.

Not a book or audio book I'd recommend. It is the first book I have started and not finished

Meh and flat

The story of lady Jane grey is such a compelling one I felt hopeful this would be a fantastic story.

It just wasn't.

The characterisation felt flat. The historical detail felt contrived at times.

A big fan of Alison Weir's authorship ordinarily I didn't enjoy this one and I gave up on it a few chapters from the end.

Joined two stories of women in love well

Love this book, it had a bit of history, woman power, intrigue and double the pleasure two stories in one and tied them in nicely. A really well done book

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Title: The Silent Touch of Shadows

Author: Christina Courtenay

Narrator: Jilly Bond

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-01-12

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Professional genealogist Melissa Grantham receives an invitation to visit her family's ancestral home, Ashleigh Manor. From the moment she arrives, life-like dreams and visions haunt her. Jake Precy, owner of a nearby cottage, has disturbing dreams too, but it's not until he meets Melissa that they begin to make sense. He hires her to research his family's history, unaware their lives are already entwined.

Members Reviews:

A ghost story with a strong romantic theme

It's not always easy to present a time-slip novel convincingly, but Christina Courtenay has found the perfect formula here. When Melissa Grantham arrives at Ashleigh Manor, hoping to build a new life for herself and her daughter, she starts to experience dreams that are disturbingly real. They are frightening, but compelling, and she finds herself inexorably drawn into the lives of star-crossed lovers Sybilla and Roger several centuries earlier. Unable to shake off the past, she finds herself also unable to give herself wholly to attractive villager Jake Precy because of Roger's all-too-haunting presence. But Melissa is a genealogist and her skills are a useful tool when it comes to untangling the past.

The tale is vividly told and we are swept up by both the past and the present strands. My only niggle would be that I found the narrator's voice rather cloyingly sweet and her attempts at male voices very contrived.

Well worth listening to though!

was an ok Listen.

it wasn't the greatest to be honest.

Although I did find it.

Story was a bit predictable.

Much more soppy than expected

I like time/travel stories, but too emotional and insufficiently historically balanced. Narrator's men' 'voices' made it even more so which may have added to the disappointment . Wish I had another novel downloaded on a long journey! Should have read reviews! Disappointed! Very 'light' entertainment!

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Title: Rebuilding Coventry

Author: Sue Townsend

Narrator: Kate Lock

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-01-12

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Coventry Dakin's tale begins with her accidental killing of her neighbour. Forced to flee the law, she deserts her council estate, her boring husband and two demanding children for the anonymity of London's cardboard city.

Originally published in 1988, Rebuilding Coventry is a brilliantly observed satire of Eighties Britain and the hypocrisy of the middle and upper classes.

Critic Reviews:

"Proof, once more, that Townsend is one of the funniest writers around." (The Times)

"Townsend's wit is razor-sharp" (The Daily Mirror)

Members Reviews:

Awful narration

What disappointed you about Rebuilding Coventry?

I always have an audible tape on the go but can't stand to listen to the narration on this one. Irritating to the extreem.

Definitely worth a listen!

Another clever observational tale from Sue Townsend which kept me well entertained over the Christmas season.

Sue Townshend her usual funny self

Purchased this book on a whim. Glad I did. Amusing easy read. Great, comical narration.

Great story - terrible narrartion

What did you like best about Rebuilding Coventry? What did you like least?

Something different from Sue Townsend. A cockeyed take on the theme of someone taken out of their comfort zone and having to get by in a strange and hostile environment., (a woman flees Coventry to London after unintentionally killing a neighbour). Along the way she meets a number of weird characters and has some surreal experiences. The dialogue is great and the story is fine but the experience of listening to the book is spoiled by the narration. The West Midlands accents are so over the top and the narrator sometimes shouts the words, to the extent that I was unable to understand about a third of the text

What was one of the most memorable moments of Rebuilding Coventry?

The conversation in the pub at the beginning of the book

If this book were a film would you go see it?

Probably not but it would make a good TV two hour programme or mini series

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Titel: Das Mädchen auf den Klippen

Autor:: Lucinda Riley

Erzähler: Simone Kabst

Format: Abridged

Spieldauer: 7 hrs and 4 mins

Sprache: Deutsch

Veröffentlichungsdatum: 05-24-12

Herausgeber: Der Hörverlag

Kategorien: Fiction, Contemporary

Zusammenfassung des Herausgebers:

Mit gebrochenem Herzen sucht die Bildhauerin Grania Ryan Zuflucht in ihrer irischen Heimat. Bei einem Spaziergang an der Steilküste von Dunworley Bay wird Grania jäh aus ihren trüben Gedanken gerissen: Am Rande der Klippen steht ein Mädchen, barfuß und nur mit einem Nachthemd bekleidet. Der Wind zerrt an der zerbrechlichen Gestalt, und von plötzlicher Sorge ergriffen spricht Grania das Kind an. Ohne es zu ahnen, stößt sie durch diese Begegnung die Tür zu ihrer eigenen Geschichte auf. Die Sprecherin Simone Kabst versteht es, diese große Familiensaga in Urlaub für Herz und Seele zu verwandeln, ihr gelingt es mühelos, innere Bilder entstehen zu lassen.

©2012 Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag (P)2012 Der Hörverlag

Mitglieder Bewertungen:

Go ahead and read it

I really enjoyed the book about 7/8 of the time. I think it needs to be edited and made a little shorter.The last chapter is not even necessary but I would encourage people to read it. It is an easy read in German and I picked up a lot of vocabulary through context.