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Title: The Game Player

Author: Rafael Yglesias

Narrator: Paul Heitsch

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-06-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The critically acclaimed novel from a master of contemporary American fiction - now available as an ebook.

A story of genius, performance, and the psychological forces that drive the competitive spirit.

Brian Stoppard is blessed with prodigious natural talents. Howard Cohen, less so. Starting in middle school in New York, Howard watches Brian effortlessly win at everything he tries: Hes a natural chess champion, a perfect athlete, a brilliant student. As the two move through life as friends and competitors, Brians easy success is a constant source of envy, awe, and inspiration for the ambitious but less-gifted Howard.

Told with great humor and style, The Game Player is a story of those born to greatness and those who must strive for it.

Members Reviews:

Outstanding!

Friends for life. Is there any such thing? Can you be friends with someone for life? In this story it makes you believe that you can. Howard Cohen and his family move to New York and into their new home. Howard has never been good on making friends and he's been used to not having friends until the day he meets Brian. They become friends almost immediately, lifelong friends. Brian Stoppard is a unique young boy who seems to be blessed with natural talents that continue into adulthood.Brian never loses at anything. It's an odd gift to have, a gift at never losing, never losing at things he's never even tried before. However, Howard doesn't have a talent at winning at anything.From the start of middle school Howard begins to watch Brian as he wins at everything he does or tries. It seems as Brian is a natural chess player, a brilliant student, and a perfect athlete. The two move through life as friends and even as competitors. Howard is in awe of and he's ambitious to be like Brian.

In all honesty I don't normally listen to these types of books, I've never found them enjoyable, that is until this story. Paul Heitsch does a perfect job with his narration of this story. He does a superb job with distinguishing the main characters from young boys to adults, I loved how he changes his voice. He even did an exceptional job with the voices of a woman. I find that really hard for men to do and some really can't change their voice to a woman and make it sound good, like a woman. Paul didn't have any trouble with doing this at all. The book consisted mostly of male characters but there were times when he had to change his voice to sound like a woman. I found Paul Heitsch to be wonderful and he performed the story with great talent. If it weren't for Paul, I honestly don't think that I would've found this story so enjoyable. I want to say thank you to Paul if he ever happens to read this. Thank you Paul for making this story such a great listen. I also just listened to another audio book that Paul narrated called, The Devouring. Paul's talents show much more with this book. The Devouring is a book for teens and adults. I will post my review soon. I really look forward to listening to more audio books by this author.

Rafael Yglesias wrote this book in 1978. I'm extremely thankful that I listened to this story because it addresses some lifelong things, life lessons that we all could learn from. This book was exceptionally great and it was written with pure perfection.

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Title: The Good Luck of Right Now

Author: Matthew Quick

Narrator: Oliver Wyman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-11-14

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

For almost four decades, Bartholomew Neil has done nothing but live with his mom. When she begins calling him Richard - for reasons unknown - and then dies, Bartholomew is woefully unprepared.

A clue comes in the form of a Free Tibet letter he finds in his mothers underwear drawer, and so Bartholomew awkwardly starts his new life, writing Richard Gere a series of highly intimate fan letters. Jungs theory of synchronicity, the mystery of women, the Dalai Lamas teachings, alien abduction, cat telepathy and the Catholic Church are all explored in depth by Bartholomews epistles - but mostly the letters outline one mans heartbreakingly earnest attempt to assemble a family of his own.

A struggling priest, a girlbrarian, her foul-mouthed brother and Richard Gere (well, sort of) join the quest. In a rented Ford Focus, they travel to Canada in search of Bartholomews biological father and end up finding so much more.

Members Reviews:

Pensive, honest, and appropriately quirky

At thirty-nine, Bartholomew Neil still isn't ready to leave his mother's nest, but when he loses her to cancer, he's left with no other choice. His once-stable, once-routine worldâof just him, his mother, and Godâcrumbles to pieces when one of his biggest role models, Father McNamee, consequently denounces himself from the Catholic church, and in turn, becomes more than just a religious father figure to Bartholomew, by becoming a human being.

Convinced that his other beloved role model, Richard Gere, is watching over him now that God no longer is, Bartholomew begins a one-way correspondence; these letters are what make up the entire novel. This fantasy relationship he creates is the only thing that still connects him to his deceased mother, considering she was Richard Gere's biggest fan, and the sole belief that he is guiding Bartholomew as if they were old friends, leads to unexpected discoveries and profound self-inquiry.

The unique narrator is what stood out to me, first and foremost. It is not a shock that Quick would write a protagonist who isn't quite normalâone who clearly suffers from a mental disorder, but internally, is the same as any and all of us: deeply, imperfectly human. Bartholomew isn't a grand hero, no, but he glows with sincerity and is a compassionate, warm character; his brilliantly observant and self-recognizing tone will capture the hearts of readers just as that of The Silver Linings Playbook did.

Matthew Quick is skilled not only at providing perspective, but also at conveying the necessity of pretendingânot out of delusion, but out of self-preservationâand the sheer magic of believingâwhether through faith or through faithlessness. While the book is stylistically simple, it will make you think hard and think long; Bartholomew's introspection on religion, political correctness, and the nature of existence, will make your mind turn. There are moments where you'll disbelievingly relate, and resultantly be touchedâfateâand the way the story proceeds rather messily, but falls into place, piece by pieceâsynchronicityâwill provide immense comfort; this is a story for the soul.

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Title: Rent (minus) Control

Author: R. B. Winters

Narrator: Dane Elcar

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-03-14

Publisher: R.B. Winters

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

An episodic adventure of life in the confines of "the city." The reality of renting, dating and mingling with eight million others takes place in Rent (minus) Control. This narrative follows our main character to Brooklyn and back in search of a new beginning after learning that things aren't always as perfect as they appear and that sometimes you need to let life take control.

Members Reviews:

NYC from the Inside

This is a great story where characters grow and change. Relationships begin, end and reform, as life affects the participants in a myriad of ways.

not much here.

same as r.b. winter's other novel. he needs to find new material.

Five Stars

Funny.

Interesting

This story held my interest. It's more a diary than a novel. The ending left me disappointed.

The writing needs polishing. Several words were spelled wrong (peek, borough, led) and there were a few incomplete sentences. A character is referred to by his nickname (London) before he is given that nickname.

Interesting and Different

This book was not what I expected but I did think it was written well, interesting characters, story flowed. It was really a slice of one person's life as a gay man living in New York.

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Title: Wicked Good

Author: Joanne Lewis, Amy Lewis Faircloth

Narrator: Scott O'Neill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-27-14

Publisher: Joanne Tawny Lewis

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A single mom struggles to solve the puzzle of a son with Asperger's syndrome in this touching, winsome comic melodrama. Rory Falcon is a bundle of exasperating eccentricities-perpetual pacing, mile-a-minute talkativeness, an obsession with lawn mowers and antique gas cans, an incorrigible refusal to follow instructions or tolerate constraints-combined with a good heart that only his adoptive mother Archer can see. But as he pushes 16-years-old, his quirks escalate to drinking, joyriding and muscular rages that can end with him blackening his mom's eye. Archer, a frantically multitasking lawyer who's up for a judgeship, blames her mothering skills for Rory's behavior because there's no one else to blame - least of all her ex-husband Wayne, a whiny man-child still looking to break into a theater career. Then Rory and a high-school hellion named Trish hare off in a stolen car to find Rory's birth mother, and Archer embarks on a journey to recover her son and unearth buried family secrets that stretch all the way back to the Salem Witch Trials. In this entertaining dysfunction romp, the authors cut the pathos with tart humor and vivid characterizations. Hurricane Rory is an indelible portrait of a high-functioning autistic kid who's both off-putting and magnetic; veering between wild, foul-mouthed tantrums, plangent sweetness and locked-down obliviousness, he's as much a mystery to himself as to everyone else. Archer is another vibrant tangle of contradictions; determined to play the stalwart authority figure, she feels like a wreck and a failure-a tiger mom who is nonetheless in serious danger of collapsing in vodka-soaked sniffles into the arms of a comforting teenager. As she walks a fraying maternal tightrope-with plenty of pratfalls-Lewis and Faircloth give readers a hilarious and moving study of familial love that's all the stronger for its conflicts and misgivings.

Critic Reviews:

"In this entertaining dysfunction romp, the authors cut the pathos with tart humor and vivid characterizations." (

Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

.

Would you consider the audio edition of Wicked Good to be better than the print version?

I don't usually read print editions of books (I'm an audio girl all the way), I really can't answer this question other than I thought the narrator took a little (very little) away from the story. I found that his accents were a little distracting. Now, I'm not from the Maine/Mass area so maybe the accents were spot on but they didn't work for me.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wicked Good?

I enjoyed the way that Archer and Trish were able to connect. I think that with all that is going on in Trish's life that Archer can actually be a good role model for her.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this story but felt at times that the story fell into some of the traditional cliches of writing. Some of the story lines with in the book were easy to guess ie: birth father/adopted father. I would recommend it to friends and family.

Touching Road Trip to Finding Oneself

What does Scott O'Neill bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Scott O'Neill did an excellent job narrating this story. His performance reflected the proper tones during the more series parts of the book, as well as the lighter and more comedic parts of the book.

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Title: The Red House

Author: Mark Haddon

Narrator: Maxwell Caulfield

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-23-14

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

From the bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and A Spot of Bother comes a superb book about family and secrets. Two families. Seven days. One house. Angela and her brother Richard have spent twenty years avoiding each other. Now, after the death of their mother, they bring their families together for a holiday in a rented house on the Welsh border.

Four adults and four children. Seven days of shared meals, log fires, card games and wet walks. But in the quiet and stillness of the valley, ghosts begin to rise up. The parents Richard thought he had. The parents Angela thought she had. Past and present lovers. Friends, enemies, victims, saviours.

Once again Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and A Spot of Bother, has written a novel that is funny, poignant and deeply insightful about human lives.

Members Reviews:

Badly narrated

This book demanded a very competent narrater due the complex and almost poetic nature of the text. Unfortunately, Caufield is so bad I am contempleting returning the book.

I cannot believe Haddon has approved this and he should demand that it is re-narrated.

At least listen to the sample before you even consider buying.

Sorry!

"There's now't so queer as folk"

I enjoyed this wry insight into family life. Haddon gets inside people's thoughts - sometimes people like us, but also some that we might have met, but wish we hadn't. I guess he's best known for the thoughts of the autistic hero of The Curious Incident. The ground covered here is closer to "normality." That said, put a couple of buttoned-up English families into a holiday let in Herefordshire and quite a lot of autistic thoughts and behaviours can emerge. What we learn of the family members is by turns tragic, funny and occasionally moving.

It's a tricky book to narrate because there's a lot of dialogue, making it easy to miss-cue which character is speaking. Maxwell Caulfield takes a little longer than I would like to get into it - but don't be put off because overall he does a decent job. The book isn't as startlingly original as Curious Incident but is nonetheless a really good read which I preferred to his "Spot of Bother"

Not what I hoped for.

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

It would have been better told as a straightforward narrative. The somewhat experimental format did not work for me, though I think it might have been easier to read than to listen to.

What was most disappointing about Mark Haddons story?

I found it very disjointed, just a series of short scenes, seemingly unconnected. There was often little indication of which characters were involved. It needed a proper narrative thread.

What didnt you like about Maxwell Caulfields performance?

He didn't do anything to differentiate between the different characters. There were also some very odd pronunciations, and oddly phrased sentences.

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Title: Stay

Author: Aislinn Hunter

Narrator: Carla Mercer-Meyer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-21-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Stay follows Abbey, a young woman from Canada now living in a village outside Galway. She falls in love with Dermot, an older Irish man, in an unconventional, affectionate but troubled relationship.

The extraordinary skill of Stay lies in its unsentimental depiction of modern Ireland. The inhabitants of Dermot's village form a riotous and poignant chorus, commenting on their rapidly changing world with wit and insight. Here is a beautiful, funny and richly rewarding novel about history and obligation, and above all, the meaning of human connection in a land poised uneasily between past and present

Members Reviews:

Love it so far

Just started reading Stay and will read The World Before Us next. Then I answer your feedback questions. I can tell you so far that Ms. Hunter is an amazing writer

Stay - a postcolonial examination of Ireland

What I loved most about this book was that it was more than a love story and more than a "journey of self discovery". The characters in this novel delve into history, their own as well as their country's and come up with hard answers to the questions how are we shaped by our culture and by the events that have come before us? So many of the scenes that stayed with me - Deirdre going into labour at the wake, the exumation of the bog body and Dermot throwing his boots at the church wall while being watched by Abbey - resonated because of their authenticity.

The villagers,a colourful Greek chorus, were both hilarious and genuinely moving.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading a beautifully written novel about relationships or Ireland and it's complex history.

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Title: The Cruellest Game

Author: Hilary Bonner

Narrator: Karen Cass

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-16-14

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

An unnerving psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The Cruelty of Morning. Perfect for fans of Nicci French and Sophie Hannah.

The lie was just the begnning.... Marion Anderton lives the perfect life. She has a beautiful home, a handsome and loving husband, and an intelligent and caring son. But as easily as perfect lives are built, they can also be demolished. When tragedy strikes at the heart of her family, Marion finds herself in the middle of a nightmare, with no sign of waking-up. The life she treasured is disintegrating before her very eyes, but it's just the beginning of something much worse and altogether more deadly.

Members Reviews:

Just ok - too wordy

This book is just over 11.5 hrs. In my opinion it should have been edited down. It was too long. I think some writers write a bunch of extra words just because they can and thus make what could have been a really good tight story a long and windy story. Where are the editors? The narrator is good.

Disappointing

Any additional comments?

I bought this based on reviews on other Hilary Bonner novels.

It was boringly slow and the story line is full of holes. I regret wasting a credit on it.

Ok listen but dragged on and gaping plot holes

Would you try another book written by Hilary Bonner or narrated by Karen Cass?

I would try another by narrater not author. Narrator did her best and was quite good at differentiating different characters.

What will your next listen be?

Am listening to "the secret place"

Have you listened to any of Karen Casss other performances? How does this one compare?

no

Do you think The Cruellest Game needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

please no !

Any additional comments?

Very unbelievable plot and characterisation, felt like it should have ended about 2 hours before it finally did but author wanted to spin out final "twist" though that "twist" just like all the others in book had been pretty obvious all along.

So disappointing

I have read Hilary Bonner's books before, which is why I selected this, but boy was I disappointed! The narrator was awful (sorry), but I'm sure she got as fed up reading such nonsense as I did listening, even I picked up the end 'twist'very early on, and I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Love the way this author writes.

Excellent, love the twist at the end.

I enjoy this authors writing and can't wait to start the next book.

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Title: The Death of Davy Moss

Author: Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Narrator: Flora Plumb

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-11-14

Publisher: WMG Publishing Incorporated

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Davy Moss died fifteen years ago, but his fans keep him alive. They see him everywhere. They hold reunions, listen to his music over and over again. They encourage him to haunt them.

But Davy Moss already haunts one man. Josh Candless, the man Davy Moss became after that accident. Contractor, loner, a man who makes music in the quiet of his apartment. Until one fateful day when he gives an impromptu performance in a bar. Music promoter Emily Lukovich wants to make Josh Candless a star. Unaware of his past, she finds herself drawn to his music, his potential - everything about him.

She realizes she could fall in love with Josh Candless. But Emily mixed business with pleasure once before, and it ruined her career. A relationship with Josh Candless might destroy her career all over again. And worse, it might destroy her.

Because Davy Moss betrayed everyone he ever knew. And Josh Candless might do the same

Members Reviews:

This book got its hooks into me...

I first read the opening to this hybrid romance/mystery/music novel a few months ago, and the female protagonist really intrigued me. I wanted to know more about her and her fascinating job as a music promoter and band manager.

I finally came back and read the whole novel in about a week (record time for me!), and I really enjoy the two points of view in this romance -- the female businesswoman with lots of emotional baggage from her past, and the male musician with a huge secret from his own past.

I feel like Emily and Josh are old friends now, that's how deeply the author goes into their characters. And it has a wonderful ending. Can't say more or I'll ruin i for you...

Recommended.

A stunning read

Beautifully written, this novel alternates between two points of view - a 'dead' singer's and a 'scarred' manager's - at a perfect pace which maintains the tension and the need to know what will happen next at the level one would expect of a thriller. In some ways that is what it is - a thriller. But it is also a great romance - as the subtitle 'A Love Story' indicates - as well as a damn good book about the music industry told through the actions of the characters (Rusch never lectures the reader).

A great love story

I've enjoyed the work of Kristine Kathryn Rusch for a long time, but this is an all-time favorite. Music and romance are two of my top reader cookies and Rusch delivered big-time on both counts. I loved this book. Highly recommended.

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Title: Hearts of Avon

Author: Scott J. Toney

Narrator: Darrell Mitchell II

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-14

Publisher: Scott J. Toney

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In Avon, a beach town along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Ben is falling fast for the beautiful and intelligent Caroline, even as they both deal with her stalker ex-boyfriend who has followed her south on vacation.

As Ben learns the depths of the other man's madness his and Caroline's relationship runs into another wall, level 3 Hurricane Irene moving quickly toward the Outer Banks. When the storm arrives, all of their lives will be drastically changed.

How will they learn to cope with the consequences? When they are tested with a disaster on the brink of their comprehension, how will they pick up the pieces of their lives?

Members Reviews:

Absolutely wonderful!

I would give this more than five stars if I could, because I loved this book that much! It held my attention right from the start, all the way to the end. I live in North Carolina, although I'm in the mountains, and not the outter banks where this story takes place. I do have relatives there, and well remember the destruction from Hurricane Irene. That made this story so real to me! A big thank you to Scott for a great job, you have a wonderful God-given talent for story telling, and are using it well!

Book

I liked this book. The setting in the Outer Banks makes you fell like you know all about it when you have been to the location yourself. I recommend this book to any that reads.

interesting.

It was an interesting romance. Clean, points for that. It was kinda Christian, in the sense that the characters would pray, and it was written out. God did talk back when a character was in a coma, but that was it. It wasn't preachy Christian, which I liked. The stalker ex boyfriend was a total crazy person. Good story line though.

it was hard to set this book aside, but I need sleep at some point!

At first I almost removed this title from my library. Predictable, not much depth...boy was I wrong!

Several twists kept my attention. Congratulations on an admirable publication.

Great book

I really liked this book! It kept my interest and I enjoyed all the references to the coastal life. My only reason for giving it less than 5 stars is that towards the end the names of the aunt and mom were switched. Kind of took away from the good read.

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Title: The Gamal

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Ciarán Collins

Narrator: Matthew Waterson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-03-14

Publisher: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Meet Charlie. People think he's crazy. But he's not. People think he's stupid. But he's not. People think he's innocent...He's the Gamal. Charlie has a story to tell, about his best friends Sinead and James and the bad things that happened. But he can't tell it yet, at least not 'til he's worked out where the beginning is. Is the beginning long ago when Sinead first spoke up for him after Charlie got in trouble at school for the millionth time? Or was it later, when Sinead and James followed the music and found each other? Or was it later still on that terrible night when something unspeakable happened after closing time and someone chose to turn a blind eye? Charlie has promised Dr Quinn he'll write 1,000 words a day, but it's hard to know which words to write. And which secrets to tell. This is the story of the dark heart of an Irish village, of how daring to be different can be dangerous, and how there is nothing a person will not do for love. Exhilarating, bitingly funny and unforgettably poignant, this is a story like no other. This is the story of the Gamal.

Members Reviews:

Bad Irish Accent

Good but narrator should have been an actual Irish person.Fake accent wasn't great and mispronounced a lot of Irish slang words and Gaeilge which irked me.