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Title: Mimi

Author: Lucy Ellmann

Narrator: Matthew Josdal

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-03-14

Publisher: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

It's Christmas Eve in Manhattan. An eminent plastic surgeon slips on the ice, lands on his butt, and sprains his ankle. So far, so good. A woman such as he's never known yanks him to his feet and conjures the miracle of a taxi. Harrison recuperates with Franz Schubert, Bette Davis, and a foundling cat. Then it's back to rhinoplasties, liposuction, and the peccadilloes of his obnoxious colleagues. It is only when he collides again with that strangely helpful woman that things take a wild and revolutionary turn. Sparkling, polemical, irreverent, slippery, and sexy, Mimi is a love story, a call to arms, and Lucy Ellmann's most tender and dazzling audiobook. It's also the feminist novel of the century. (So far.)

Members Reviews:

Truly dreadful

If this book wasnt for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

Extremely boring and tedious. Really struggled to get through to the end. The narrative is dreadful with endless lists, characters you could not care less about and nothing really happens

Has Mimi put you off other books in this genre?

Yes

Would you be willing to try another one of Matthew Josdals performances?

No, his voice was annoying, though not helped by writing

What character would you cut from Mimi?

All the main ones

just boring

If this book wasnt for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I do not know who would enjoy this, very weak story .I made mistake buying this. nothing really happened. The narrator was grating. Gave up after two hours listening.

dreadful

Very indulgent ranting on with not much to say, the dullest book I have ever chosen

Wish I'd read it, not listened to it

This was probably a better read, than an audio book. I agree with the other reviewers, the narrator made it very boring and monotone and the emphasis was wrong in parts - like he'd not realised the rest of the sentence was on the next line. Very irritating. This book was on our list for the book club and to save time, I thought I'd listen, rather than read it.

Wish I'd done it the other way round. Shame

Don't Do It, Screaming Drivel.

What would have made Mimi better?

A storey! A character you could scrape up some interest in, or a narrator who didn't feel he had to put inflection into every other word. Perhaps if he had gotten it in the right place it would have helped - no, on second thoughts, nothing would have helped this book.

Has Mimi put you off other books in this genre?

No, I take each book as I find it but I will certainly read reveiws before purchasing another.

Would you be willing to try another one of Matthew Josdals performances?

NEVER! He has to have one of the most annoying voices on the planet.

What character would you cut from Mimi?

Bubbles the cat, to save her from having to listen to these characters.

Any additional comments?

Don't make my mistake and waste a credit on this dross!

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Title: Morskoj volchonok (audiospektakl')

Author: Mayne Reid

Narrator: Petr Kaledin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-03-14

Publisher: Cdcom Publishing

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Morskoj volchonok. Radiospektakl' Hotite poslushat', chto rasskazyvaet mal'chishkam starik iz rybackoj derevushki? Oni obrashhajutsja k nemu "dorogoj kapitan," a tomu, kljanus' chest'ju, est', chto vspomnit'. Kakaja sud'ba zhdet mal'chishku, ded i otec kotorogo byli morjakami?Konechno, v svoe pervoe plavan'e on otpravilsja, kogda v nem i rostu-to bylo men'she chetyreh futov. Na bort ego, konechno, ne vzjali, no emu udalos' sprjatat'sja v trjume. Polnaja temnota, skrip snastej, morskaja kachka, krysyKak iz otchajannyh mal'chishek vyrastajut proslavlennye morskie volki? Chto oznachaet deviz "jekscel'sior!," spasshij togda zhizn' morskomu volchonku? Poslushajte rasskaz starogo kapitana, zapisannyj zamechatel'nym anglijskim pisatelem Tomasom Majn Ridom.

Please note: This audiobook is in Russian.

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Title: Outlaws

Author: William Weldy

Narrator: Joshua Mackey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 12-24-13

Publisher: William O. Weldy

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Ex-cop Josh Grant chooses to live as a recluse in the mountains of Idaho as penance for failing to protect his murdered wife and child in Detroit. His new serenity is shattered when he stumbles onto the murder of his only friend and an assault of his friend's daughter, Jolene. By saving Jolene, Josh angers the Outlaws, a gang of vicious bikers. When they seek revenge, Josh must draw on old skills to keep he and Jolene alive.

Members Reviews:

a ride in yesterday

What about Joshua Mackeys performance did you like?

the narrator was a great fit for the tone of the novel and the character of Josh.

Any additional comments?

Having read this book in both a "work in progress" phase and in a final published phase I was quite happy to hear it would also be available in audio format. The narrator is a great fit - adding yet another layer of enjoyment. The story itself is a glimpse into a simpler time, both because Josh, the main character, lives a simple life and because the novel was written to reflect ideals like: personal responsibility, honesty and dependability.

Great "Modern Western" with a bit of Romance

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I'd recommend Outlaws to a friend (actually I have).

It's a good story, with likable characters--and dislikeable for the gang members. Plenty of action and build up to a good climax.

What did you like best about this story?

Josh, the retired cop, and the rural setting.

What about Joshua Mackeys performance did you like?

He was consistent and had good pacing.

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

No, no extreme reactions. Made me smirk and chuckle a few times but no all out laughter.

Any additional comments?

I'd say, listen to the sample and read the description. If any part of them catch even a little bit of your interest, you'll really enjoy the story.

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Title: Nightingale

Author: Tobias Wolff

Narrator: Anthony Heald

Format: Unabridged

Length: 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-24-13

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Dr. Booth drives his son, Owen, to Fort Steele Academy, where he hopes his son will thrive in a structured, disciplined environment that mirrors Booth's own upbringing. But after he drops Owen off at his new school, he's filled with a deep sense of doubt - about his decision to send his son away, about his childhood - and finds himself lost in more ways than one.

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Title: Standing Fast

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Harvey Swados

Narrator: Noah Michael Levine

Format: Unabridged

Length: 26 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A masterful novel of political progressives making their way - and not - in an ever-changing postwar America

For Marty Dworkin and his band of young Trotskyist dreamers in Buffalo, New York, the vision of a just, socialist world crumbles with the rise of Stalin and the chaos of World War II. In the two decades that follow, Dworkin and his idealistic colleagues strive to establish a new political party and battle through unexpected trials with family, work, aging, and the changing world.

They run up against an increasingly conservative America and a thriving materialism directly opposed to their own fervent beliefs. They emerge humbled, but still hopeful, into the 1960s, when civil rights struggles and anti-war radicalism move to center stage.

Standing Fast is a classic, panoramic portrait of life amid the shattered dreams and visionary ambitions of the American left.

Members Reviews:

Great American Labor Movement Novel

Standing Fast tells the multi-generational story of the members of a labor union cell and their families and friends through the political events of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. While a lesser writer might have given us cardboard figures, Swados draws real characters-black, white, male, female, Jewish and Protestant-whose ideological affiliations and personality conflicts are complex and fascinating. As a white writer in the 1960s, Swados had an unusual understanding of the variety of African-American culture. His black characters (3 men) are as fully drawn as his white ones. Reading the book could be a joy for students of American history, as it describes political events that are largely forgotten today.

This is a terrific book to help understand the social history of America ...

This is a terrific book to help understand the social history of America during the 1940s and 1950s from the perspective of labor and the American Left. I've just recently discovered Swados and have also read his book of short stories, Nights in the Gardens of Brooklyn. The lesson I gleaned from these works: idealism is often trumped by rising material comfort; the post-war years of the 1950s had to have been a frustrating time for those dedicated to building a different kind of society. Radicals found it hard to make head way when people on the production line had money for cars, plenty of food, decent housing and an amount of discretionary income that had been unheard of in previous decades. Long live the Fifties!

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Title: City of Bohane

Author: Kevin Barry

Narrator: Kevin Barry

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-12-13

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Shortlisted for the 2011 Costa First Novel Award. Winner of the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award.

Forty years in the future. The once-great city of Bohane on the west coast of Ireland is on its knees, infested by vice and split along tribal lines.

There are the posh parts of town, but it is in the slums and backstreets of Smoketown, the tower blocks of the Northside Rises and the eerie bogs of Big Nothin' that the city really lives.

For years, the city has been in the cool grip of Logan Hartnett, the dapper godfather of the Hartnett Fancy gang. But there's trouble in the air. They say his old nemesis is back in town; his trusted henchmen are getting ambitious; and his missus wants him to give it all up and go straight... And then there's his mother.

Members Reviews:

Impressive Debut

Visceral,powerful first novel. Witty and yet unforgiving. Unusually the author's reading adds a credible sense of place, pace and characterisation.

A gripping story poetically narrated by the author

This novel, as distinct from the sometimes sterile readings by professional readers, is narrated by the books author. His attention to language and flow is brought to light in his passionate reading of his own work.

The novel itself is at times gruesome but also emotive in those moments. One is drawn by the in-depth character depictions into this dark, cruel world where surviving the year is a success. His descriptions of their clothes are overly elaborate and take somewhat from it as you can't skip it, like with a book.

Overall it's a complex and exciting story well told by the books own writer.

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Title: Twenty-One Steps of Courage

Author: Sarah Bates

Narrator: Matthew Douglas Hill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-11-13

Publisher: Sarah L Bates

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In 2006, with wars in the Middle East raging, Rod Strong enlists in the Army to seek the goal his father did not achieve when he tragically died in the Gulf War. His objective: The Old Guard regiment, the elite Soldiers who stand as Sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington Cemetery. He overcomes the setbacks that litter his path until an unexpected firefight in Afghanistan changes his life forever.

Members Reviews:

Excellent storyline - hope for more soon!

What made the experience of listening to Twenty-One Steps of Courage the most enjoyable?

This story has good character development - make me want to here what happens next to the characters - perhaps a sequel?

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, listened to it on an airplane and waiting for my connection over the holidays; then couldn't put it down and had to find out what happened.

What three words best describe Matthew Douglas Hills voice?

Familiar

Melodic

Interesting

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

Yes

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Titre: L'Homme-Joie, précédé d'un entretien d'une heure avec l'auteur

Auteur: Christian Bobin

Narrateur: Élizabeth Bourgine

Format: Unabridged

Durée: 2 hrs and 34 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 12-06-13

Éditeur: Saint-Léger productions

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Résumé de l'éditeur:

Christian Bobin renoue avec la fibre narrative de ses grands livres : Le Très-Bas, Prisonnier au berceau, et construit celui-ci en quinze récits : des portraits d'êtres aimés (son père), des rencontres (Maria l'enfant gitane, une mendiante), des figures emblématiques (Soulages, Glenn Gould, Matisse, Pascal), des visions (une branche de mimosa, une cathédrale) et une longue lettre à la femme aimée et perdue, "la plus que vive".

Entre ces récits viennent des paragraphes courts, condensés sur une pensée, fulgurants de profondeur et d'humanité. Un même fil rouge unifie tous ces textes, c'est la voix de Bobin, à nulle autre pareille et son regard de poète qui transfigure le quotidien.

©2012 Editions L'Iconoclaste (P)2013 Saint-Léger productions

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Title: Katherine

Author: Anchee Min

Narrator: Emily Zeller

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-05-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Traveling to China during the Cultural Revolution to become an English teacher, the free-spirited, Beatles' music-loving Katherine awakens in her students a desire for Western lifestyles and becomes caught in a doomed love triangle. A first novel. By the author of Red Azalea.

Members Reviews:

Katherine

The novel Katherine written by Anchee Min tells the story of a Chinese Girl "Zebra" living in China during the 1980's after the chaotic, and painful years of the Cultural Revolution in China during which the lifestyles of the rich were condemned and the peasants and the good of the people and modern knowledge were held up as the standard as well as Chairman Mao's teachings and beliefs. These philosophies led to many underground cruelties and a generation who was now living under a government who controlled almost every aspect of their lives, they were used to living in a restricted environment and with restricted emotions.

Into this world walks Katherine, an American in her thirties who has been married and divorced, who loves color, and dances to music and dares to speak her mind in a country where this is not only discouraged but it can get you arrested just to speak out against a party official. Zebra; and her friends quickly come to both admire and yet at times hate their new teacher for her outgoing ways because she is the opposite of everything they have been taught to be and yet they yearn to be able to feel and act as freely as she does.

With love triangles, arrests made in the middle of the night, and moments when you just want to cry along with the characters this is not a book that will lose your attention. The writing was a little choppy at times for my taste, but overall it was a good read.

Check out more of my reviews on my blog:http://booksalicious.blogspot.com/

China

A very good read

Katherine

Five stars for a wonderful book. Will recommend to my book club.

slow moving

Interesting about China customs and beliefs, but repeats and is slow moving. Red azalia is much better. If you like reading about China, you will like it

Slow start, furious finish

After several aborted attempts, I finally finished âKatherineâ in a flurry this morning. In my previous attempts, it was difficult to get past the first third of the novel, as it was slow in starting and setting characters and plot. Once past that point, however, things snowballed furiously towards the end. What had started as a slow tale about an American ESL teacher coming to China in the early 80s quickly warped into a harrowing, tense and rapidly paced drama. Author Anchee Min expertly illustrates the dangerous and random world of authority in the post-Mao years, and how such power can determine oneâs future. The book is bound together with frequent contrasts between the positivity and endless opportunity of the American approach to life with that of the pessimistic and gray pragmatism of the Chinese, as demonstrated in the dialogue, interactions, and thoughts of the protagonist Zebra.

One interesting thing to me was that there werenât that many likable characters, even the titular one, who is written as a self-absorbed and arrogant westerner who dances condescendingly above the meek and obedient Chinese. Granted this was intended, but it made it hard for me to see her in the manner the locals did, which brings up an interesting aspect of the novel.

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Title: Communion Town

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Sam Thompson

Narrator: Luke Daniels

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-03-13

Publisher: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

AudioFile Best Voices - Fiction and Classics, 2014

The Man Booker long-listed novel explores how each of us conjures up our own city. Every city is made of stories: Stories that meet and diverge, stories of the commonplace and the strange, of love and crime, of ghosts and monsters. The iridescent, Man Booker long-listed Communion Town is reminiscent of David Mitchell's Ghostwritten and Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, it is the story of a place that never looks the same way twice: A place imagined anew by each citizen who walks through the changing streets among voices half-heard, signs half-glimpsed and desires half-acknowledged. This is the story of a city.

Critic Reviews:

"Luke Daniels manages not only to capture each narrator's voice but also to give us the voices that would be created by that narrator.... It's a superb reading." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Long- listed for Man Booker Prize but still a trial to get through

I was eager to read Communion Town after learning it was a Man Booker nomination (long listed at this point). It also received considerable praise and attention from the media, including a blurb from Tash Aw on the back cover, an author also once longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

Based on the book's description, I expected the novel to focus on a city portrayed from different viewpoints - perhaps culminating in a deeper and intriguing sketch of a place, real or imagined.

Unfortunately, I labored to finish Communion Town. I stuck with it only because I feel uncomfortable reviewing a book without seeing it through. Although less than 300 pages, it felt more like 600.

I did have some hope in the early pages of the first chapter. That one focused on Ulya and Nicolas as they arrived at "the city", a pair "different from the rest." The plot was somewhat understandable at this point as Nicolas and Ulya applied for identity cards and help with finding food and housing.

But even before the chapter's conclusion, it became obscure and indecipherable....and from that point on, the book never came together. I was left wondering: was this novel part realism, part science fiction? Was it meant to be dream- like or mythic? Would the sentences ever lead anywhere coherent? Was there some inherent flow to the book that I was missing?

Whatever it was...it lost me completely.

What city? Good craftsmanship but lacks a strong unifying theme...

No doubt Sam Thompson is a great craftsman -- he gives litte gems of narrative gymnastics, here and there, but the city he attempts to portray from 10 different angles fails to come together. He keeps the city anonymous, only dropping a few hints that this may be Greko-Roman harbor city ("the Nordic look that,it was already obvious, made her conspicuous here."), a gritty, crime and corruption ridden, repressed by fear, and despotically ruled place. He keeps a wide time frame pre-information technology 20th or late 19th century. This vagueness gives may make it "timeless" but it makes it difficult for the reader to make the connections and fill in the gaps and figure what is and what is not possible in this fictional city.

Each storiy has a good set up, nice character developments, but a lot of promising and interesting story premises dry out to a trickle by the end. Perhaps some of the better stories should have been developed into separate short novels.