Greatest Collection of Audiobooks in Teens, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Best Sellers

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Title: Magisterium

Author: Jeff Hirsch

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-01-12

Publisher: Scholastic Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Teens, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Publisher's Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Glenn Morgan has lived next to the Rift her entire life, and has no idea of what might be on the other side of it. Glenn's only friend, Kevin, insists the fence holds back a world of monsters and witchcraft, but magic isn't for Glenn. She has enough problems with reality: Glenn's mother disappeared when she was six, and soon after, she lost her scientist father to his all-consuming work on his mysterious Project. Glenn buries herself in her studies, and dreams about the day she can escape to the cold isolation of a research station on 813, a planet on the far side of the known universe.

But when her father's work leads to his arrest, he gives Glenn a simple metal bracelet that will send Glenn and Kevin on the run, with only one place to go. The other side of the Rift will bring truths about what really happened to Glenn's mother, and will put them at the center of an age-old struggle between two halves of a divided world.

Members Reviews:

I have read all of his and each one keeps getting better.

Jeff Hirsch knows how to write a book with some crazy things inside. I have read all of his and each one keeps getting better.

Great read

I bought this for a 6th grade student in my class who read the Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch and was hoping for a sequel to it. She took it home over Christmas break and finished it immediately. She loved it...and as a teacher I love any author/book that keeps kids reading!

Young readers can't stop reading!

I love the way Jeff Hirsch sucks you into the book with so much detail and thought, into a book, that you don't see everyday.

Great Book

Having read some other books from Jeff Hirsch, I thought I'd give this one a shot for my son. He's about half way through it and loves it. Good read for a 14 year old.

Boring

I ended up skimming and scanning after the first chapter. Save your money! This was a very disappointing read. Just say no.

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Title: From Dreamer to Dreamfinder

Subtitle: A Life and Lessons Learned in 40 Years Behind a Name Tag

Author: Ron Schneider

Narrator: Ron Schneider

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-28-12

Publisher: Bamboo Forest Publishing

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Ron Schneider takes you on a journey through 40 years of personal triumph and corporate challenges. It's an intimate look into the creative worlds of Disney, Universal, and Six Flags Magic Mountain; a no-holds-barred memoir filled with wild characters and wilder concepts, complete with a step-by-step guide to how the magic is made!

Members Reviews:

Insightful and entertaining!

I'm a big fan of Figment and Journey Into Imagination, so this was an obvious purchase. Ron Schneider is a fascinating man and a wonderful narrator. I enjoyed hearing about every stage in his entertainment and theme park career. Of course, when he said lines from the original Figment, I have to admit I reared up a little!

Great Read

When the author also narrates the book it can be a crapshoot, but this was WONDERFUL! The book is really his professional life wrapped up with a great bow at the end but really the stories are the best part and Ron really basically travelled the the modern history of themed lived entertainment. Very enjoyable read

Very insightful look into the themepark business

Would you consider the audio edition of From Dreamer to Dreamfinder to be better than the print version?

Yes. The author really knows his own life better than anyone so he adds emphasis where he needs to easily

What other book might you compare From Dreamer to Dreamfinder to and why?

Rolly Crump's new bio from Bamboo Forest Publishing. Another unique look from an insider

What about Ron Schneiders performance did you like?

His periodic outbreak into the Dreamfinders Voice! A blast from my past! I got to meet the Dreamfinder once when I was a kid. He and Figment were awesome!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Epcot: a Dream from the 80s turned into total crap by a company I love in the 2000s. or

Epcot: How one company destroyed something totally cool for no good reason.

Disney: Destroying Epcot one Future World building at a time

Epcot: Where in the hell is Horizons?

Epcot: Where in the hell is Wonders of Life?

Epcot: Where in the hell is World of Motion?

Epcot: Why are there animated fish in Sea Base Alpha?

Epcot: Out of all the Future world destroyed, why does the sucky World of Energy still exist????

and finally:

Epcot: WHAT CRACK HEAD THOUGHT IT WAS OK TO TURN IMAGINATION INTO THE COMPLETE AND TOTAL PILE OF JUNK IT IS NOW?????????

Ok that should do it. Should be some great movies.

Any additional comments?

I wish he was still Dreamfinder and still at Epcot. He was awesome. I am really furious what Disney has done to Epcot and particularly Future World. I proposed to my wife on freaking Horizons for goodness sakes. Happily married for many years, we miss that building terribly. They built a glorified zoo with Animal Kingdom and its just ok, Not much to draw people to it. They have abandoned Epcot like River Country. Its like a shell of it former self. Disney has done well with the Magic Kingdom. Fantasyland is great. Cars Land at DCA is a masterpiece. My problem with them is that this all feels reactive rather than pro-active. If I was Disney, I would build a 5th gate with Star Wars immediately and make people remember that they are the 800 pound gorilla in the game.

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Title: The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

Author: Terry Ryan

Narrator: Carrington MacDuffie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-11-12

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 74 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio introduces Evelyn Ryan, an enterprising woman who kept poverty at bay with wit, poetry, and perfect prose during the "contest era" of the 1950s and 1960s. Standing up to the church, her alcoholic husband, and antiquated ideas about women, Evelyn turned every financial challenge into an opportunity for innovation, all the while raising her six sons and four daughters with the belief that miracles are an everyday occurrence.

Members Reviews:

Heartwarming yet unsentimental

If you could sum up The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio in three words, what would they be?

Terry's mom rocks.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mrs. Ryan was an inspiring figure.

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

This book made me laugh and tear up in a few spots...not cry.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the story. It's told without nostalgia, yet somehow made me think of times now gone. I'll never forget the protagonist and the Ryan family.

Good 'slice of life' story

But too long. The first quarter or so was fascinating; the middle two quarters dragged, felt like just more of the same; but then the last quarter was engaging again. I don't regret listening to this book but definitely finished it only because I didn't want to "waste" my credit.

Encouraging, inspiring, worth reading and rereading

Among the other books I read, there are a few I come back to again and again. _The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio_ is a favorite companion whose company I enjoy spending time with once again every two or three years.

Evelyn Ryan, the author's mother, lived with extraordinarily difficult circumstances, yet lived a a joyful, hardworking, faith filled, celebratory life, teaching and inspiring her children-- and her story's readers --that God is faithful, that strength, dignity, and joy are a choice, and life is what you make of it.

The author's parents both saw the loss of their dreams. One turned to alcohol and wasted his life. The other chose to pivot, redirect and refocus in a different but related direction, making a good life for herself.

The author's father was an angry alcoholic, yet his wife found a way to help each of their ten children grasp and embrace that their father's choices and their external circumstances did not have to define their lives, that they, themselves, had the power and freedom to define their own lives, just as their mother had, with wisdom, wit, determination and joy.

Terry Ryan's book is a keeper, one I intend to read and reread over the years. I still have some lessons to learn from her.

this is a wonderful story of love & resiliency

loved this story. it is a good reminder of how optimism can make type life better instead of bitter.

"The Prize Winner" is Prize Winning!

A beautifully written, wonderfully read true story about a mid-century woman whose irrepressible heart, wit, wisdom & talent buoyed her family through tough times.

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Title: Inside SEAL Team Six

Subtitle: My Life and Missions with America's Elite Warriors

Author: Don Mann, Ralph Pezzullo

Narrator: Peter Ganim

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-21-11

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 105 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

The ultimate story of America's dominant warriors....

When Osama bin Laden was assassinated, the entire world was fascinated by the men who had completed the seemingly impossible mission that had dogged the US government for over a decade. SEAL Team 6 became synonymous with heroism, duty, and justice. Only a handful of the elite men who make up the SEALs, the US Navy's best and bravest, survive the legendary and grueling selection process that leads to Team 6, a group so classified it technically does not even exist. There are no better warriors on Earth.

Don Mann knows what it takes to be a brother of this ultra-selective fraternity. As a member of Seal Team Six for over eight years, and a SEAL for over 17 years, he worked in countless covert operations, operating from land, sea, and air, and facing shootings, decapitations, and stabbings. He was captured by the enemy and lived to tell the tale, and he participated in highly classified missions all over the globe, including Somalia, Panama, El Salvador, Colombia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. As a current training coordinator for several civilian SEAL training programs, and as a former Training Officer of SEAL Team 6, he was directly responsible for shaping the bodies and minds of SEALs who carried out the assassination of Osama bin Laden.

But to become a SEAL, Mann had to overcome his own troubled childhood and push his body to its breaking point - and beyond. Inside SEAL Team 6 is a high-octane narrative of physical and mental toughness, giving unprecedented insight to the inner workings of the training and secret missions of the world's most respected and feared combat unit.

Members Reviews:

I hated the darn Bleeping!

They keep bleeping supposedly National Security information in the audio every minute, this drove me nuts in the first couple of minutes, just make the story around it or generalize it but do not put a bleeping sound that will drive the person listening nuts!

I hated the darn Bleeping!

They keep bleeping supposedly National Security information in the audio every minute, this drove me nuts in the first couple of minutes, just make the story around it or generalize it but do not put a bleeping sound that will drive the person listening nuts!

Skip it until you've read EVERY OTHER spec ops

First and foremost, there's no denying Don Mann is a complete, total and utter badass. He's the epitome of "badass"...and he knows it.

In fact, this book is more about his "HOO RAH! I'M SUCH A BADASS" attitude in life than about anything pertaining to the SEALS. It's nothing but "I immediately INSERT AWESOME ACTION, thus proving that I'm the greatest INSERT ANY JOB FROM MEDIC TO COOK that has ever lived. I trained in INSERT ANYTHING FROM MEDICAL TO DOG GROOMING and loved every minute of INSERT ANY CRAPPY SITUATION THAT PROVES YOU ARE AWESOME. I overtrained so many times that I recieved INSERT ANY INJURTY THAT ONLY PROVES YOU ARE EVEN MORE OF A BADASS, SUCH AS RUNNING WITH A BROKEN FOOT, OR PUSH UPS WITH BROKEN SHOULDER! I ROCK SO HARD IT'S AMAZING MY HEAD HASN'T EXPLODED FROM THE AWESOME!!!"

There's nothing really pertaining to SEAL missions, and really only focuses on various stories that took place during a few training missions.

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Title: Monsters of Men

Author: Patrick Ness

Narrator: Humphrey Bower

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-21-11

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Teens, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Publisher's Summary:

War, says the Mayor, at last. Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when theyre so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge.

The electrifying finale to the award-winning Chaos Walking trilogy, Monsters of Men is a heart-stopping novel about power, survival, and the devastating realities of war.

Members Reviews:

Really impressive ending and great narration.

Again, the narration is fantastic by humphrey bower, he is the best I've come across for narration, each character immediately clear.

The best description I can come up with for this trilogy is suggest you imagine the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy combined with the tone of 'The Road'.

That description is intended as a compliment as I enjoyed both of those immensely. Heartily recommend this trilogy.

Great performance

This narrator is excellent! He slips in and out of accents and voices confidently and seems to be immersed in the story he's telling.

The book itself was flagging a bit by the end. Too many moments when the baddie could kill the goodie or vice versa but the writer wants to spin it out for no plausible reason other than - apparently - to load in more tragedy, more cruelty and more impossible-dilemma-porn. The trilogy as a whole is very good and very original, even though it could use some shortening. Definitely recommended as a performance.

Good series

Bought all the books from this series and enjoyed them all, the characters are all well portrayed by the narrators.

Amazing

Monsters of men is an amazing finale to the chaos walking trilogy. It's fast paced, exhilarating, fresh and adrenaline pumping. I loved it.

Awesome!

This is a fantastic climax to the three book story and was so well read that I'll be seeking more by both this author and voice actor.

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Title: Tyger Tyger

Subtitle: A Goblin Wars Book

Author: Kersten Hamilton

Narrator: Celeste Ciulla

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-29-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Teens, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Publisher's Summary:

Talented childrens author Kersten Hamilton pens this thrilling tale, the first in her Goblin Wars series. Tyger Tyger introduces Teagan Wyllstona 16-year-old whose world is about to change forever. Despite her best friends crazy dreams that goblins are after her, Teagans only focus at the moment is getting into college. But thats before Finn Mac Cumhaill shows up on her doorstepsporting a dreamy Irish accent and a mysterious past.

Critic Reviews:

"[T]he plot grabs readers from the start." (

Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

A must read

When the Mac Cumhaill, a gorgeous young man who has been living on the streets, walks into Teagan's home her life is changed forever. Tyger Tyger is a story masterfully woven with threads of Celtic mythology including one of the most terrifying depictions of Cat-Sidhe that I have had the pleasure to read. Tyger Tyger is full of action, adventure and suspense, however, it is Kersten Hamilton's characters that bring this book alive. The Wylltson family is quirky and loveable making what begins happening to them all the more devastating. This is a fabulous fantasy tale, a true paranormal treasure. Tyger Tyger not only makes it into my Top Ten list for best reads of 2010âthis book is securely in my Top Three! A must read for urban fantasy fans.

I recommend Tyger Tyger to readers of fantasy, paranormal romance, young adult, and especially to fans of urban fantasy. Readers who enjoyed The Iron King by Julie Kagawa and Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire will love Tyger Tyger.

Source: This book was provided by the author for honest review. Review originally appeared on my blog.

Favorite Book of 2010

I must admit that I put off reading this book for awhile. I requested the e-book, but didn't think I'd like it so I thought I wouldn't read it. I didn't know what a Goblin was and didn't think I'd be interested in something about a monster. Boy was I wrong! I felt obligated since I'd requested the book and I'm so glad. It may be the best book I've read so far this year.

It starts with Teagan at her job at the zoo observing Cindy the chimp who has her sweater and won't give it back. She's in love with the doctor in charge of primate research at the zoo and she's jealous of Teagan. Teagan finally understands and using American Sign Language (ASL) tells her she's not in love with the doctor and Cindy gives the sweater back, but with a little present that Tegan is unaware of. She puts it on and due to allergies doesn't smell the present on the bus, but everyone else does and not until her friend Abby gets on the bus does she find out. But that's the least of her worries. Abby drags her to St. Drogan's and lights a candle for her soul b/c she had a dream about Tegan that monsters were after her. Tegan dismisses the idea.

When they get to her house, a social worker is there discussing Finn a long lost relative, the nephew of Tegan's mother. The social worker is a busy body and almost doesn't want to let Finn into their lives, but the Wylltston insist he's family and he will stay with them. He comes to stay the next day and sparks fly between Tegan and Finn. But she has no room in her life for boys and Abby is immediately against him.

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Title: The Iron Thorn

Subtitle: The Iron Codex, Book 1

Author: Caitlin Kittredge

Narrator: Katie MacNichol

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 02-22-11

Publisher: Listening Library

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 30 votes

Genres: Teens, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Publisher's Summary:

In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft's epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Hereticalborn of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.

Aoife Grayson's family is unique, in the worst wayevery one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.

Members Reviews:

Mary Sue and Friends Go Amok

Would you try another book from Caitlin Kittredge and/or Katie MacNichol?

Not from Kittredge. It was like listening to a 14 year old's fan fiction. The narrator was good.

What could Caitlin Kittredge have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

She could have learned how to write a cohesive story with relatable, believable, rounded characters. The world-building ideas were interesting, but there was WAYYYY too much going on - Kittredge went buck wild and invested in far too many themes - steam punk, faery, magic, zombies, dystopian world, etc.

The main character was a total Mary Sue, and utterly unlikeable. For example, she is the only female character in the story who the author presents as intelligent/worthwhile/talented (though her actions throughout the story say otherwise - she makes some dumb ass decisions for a supposed amazing genius superwoman), while all other female characters are described as vapid idiots.

What does Katie MacNichol bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

She was a good narrator. No problems with her narration, just the drivel she had to narrate.

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Title: The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Author: Amy Chua

Narrator: Amy Chua

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-21-11

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

"A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what Chinese parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what its like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because Ive done it."

Members Reviews:

Brilliant, funny, self-deprecating

I really enjoyed this book. Amy Chua is a gifted comic writer, her humour is wry and her timing is perfect. She delivers one-liners and put-downs (many aimed at herself) which made me laugh out loud, especially being a mother myself and recognising many situations she describes with her daughters. I almost howled with laughter when she gets super-competitive about her dog as well. Chua is priceless, and her reading of her own memoir is flawless, her voice captivating and very ironic. How can this woman be also a professor of law? She is monstrously gifted - or just raised that way by her parents!

Interesting to hear how others do it...

Heard about this book after seeing a clip of the 'controversial' author on Oprah. Having now 'read' the book I found it interesting to hear how another mother decided to bring up her daughters and the results her methods received. This book has several stories which I found myself sharing or discussing with friends so it's definitely worth a read, even though you probably won't agree with all her views.

Fascinating book on how others mothers do it...

At the end of the book you will either like or loathe Amy Chua. She tells her 'Chinese' story for Westerners, and her discipline, drive and ambition are frightening and fascinating. I didn't loathe her and although I felt desperately sorry for her children on some occasions, I do feel that she did give them gifts that they will carry with them all their lives. While I would never condone her child rearing method, it certainly made me take a good long look at my own easy going family and wonder if perhaps I should ramp up my 'Tiger Mothering' to wean my son off the ps3 so he could practice his drums more!

It is a very well written book and I particularly liked the fact that she narrates it.

Not the way I bring up my kids, but interesting!

I was pleasantly surprised by the book. After the media hype I expected the author unlikeable, her ideas completely absurd and the book a tedious read. Instead Amy Chuan's writing is witty, she can laugh about herself and her obsession to bring out the best in her children, her family even her dogs (if she succeeded is a different story). Although I would never force my children to practice classical music for three hours a day and cut down therefore their time for playing and recreation. I found some of her ideas worth thinking about. Especially her statement, western parents don't dare to have high expectations of their kids because they don't want to put in the time and effort that it needs to help them to fulfill the high expectations, was a bit of an eye-opener for me.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about it than the snippets we got in the media.

Funny, exciting, well written

Story isn't as "extreme" as the media makes it sound.

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Title: The Marbury Lens

Author: Andrew Smith

Narrator: Mark Boyett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-09-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 67 votes

Genres: Teens, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Publisher's Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time: he is kidnapped, but escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner.

When Jack and Connor arrive in London as planned for their summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury.

There is a war in Marbury, which is a desolate and murderous place where Jack is responsible for the survival of two younger boys. Conner is there, too. But he's trying to kill them.

Meanwhile, Jack is falling in love with an English girl and afraid he's losing his mind. Conner tells Jack that everything is going to be okay. But it's not....

Andrew Smith has written his most beautiful and personal novel yet, as he explores the nightmarish outer limits of what trauma can do to our bodies and our minds.

Members Reviews:

Like an addiction, I just couldn't stop listening.

This book was creepy yet I couldn't put it down. I felt a lot like Jack in that I couldn't keep away from the book. It was not my kind of book and yet I am glad to have listened to it and hope there is another to follow...

The Addiction of Needing to Know

Would you put yourself in a horrible nightmare again just to see what happens? This seems to be the predicament of Jack, the main protagonist of "The Marbury Lens". Jack has something horrible happen to him in this world, and then later finds that he exists in another world where horrible things are happening constantly. He is unable to keep from returning, the same way an addict is unable to quit the source of addiction. This is true even when he has a love interest in his 'real' world he cannot keep from going back to the 'other world' to see what will happen next.

The story is very well told, although the f-bombs felt a bit heavily salted through the dialog. Maybe it is the way teenagers talk, but I'm from another generation, and I didn't think the story needed that language as much as it was used. The story was exciting and fast-paced on its own. Jack's romance with Nicki is convincing and touching, and his friendship with Connor is the backbone of the story.

The Marbury 'world' is a brutal alternate earth, and the author allows the door to be open for either returning to Marbury, or choosing a new, possibly scarier, world to visit at the risk of being sucked in again.

I am probably ready to take the next trip with Jack, wherever he goes.

Great book

Would you listen to The Marbury Lens again? Why?

Yes it was a great book

What did you like best about this story?

The story captivates you

What does Mark Boyett bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

I have been following Mark Boyett since I first heard him in B.V Larson's books. Plays each character well and brings you into the story

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

If I had enough time I would have listen to it all at once however I listen to it in parts when driving I couldn't wait until the next time I drove.

Any additional comments?

I cant wait until the next book. I wonder what the blue ones are for

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Title: The Long Run

Subtitle: One Man's Attempt to Regain his Athletic Career-and His Life - by Running the New York City Marathon

Author: Matthew Long, Charles Butler

Narrator: Matthew Del Negro

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-15-10

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 492 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

On the morning of December 22, 2005, New York City firefighter Matt Long was cycling to work when he was struck by and sucked under a 20-ton bus making an illegal turn. The injuries he sustained pushed him within inches of death. Miraculously, after five months in the hospital and more than 40 operations, Matt was able to start his recovery.

In addition to his physical injuries, Matt found the psychological consequences of the accident nearly as hard to process. In the 18 months before the accident, he had competed in more than 20 premier athletic events and had qualified for running's most prestigious race, the Boston Marathon. After the accident, one doctor told him he'd be lucky if he could even walk without a cane.

The Long Run is the emotional and incredibly honest story of Matt's determination to fight through fear, despair, loneliness, and intense physical and psychological pain to regain the life he once had. It chronicles Matt's road to recovery as he teaches himself to walk again and, a mere three years later, to run in the 2008 New York City Marathon.

Members Reviews:

Only 1/2 way through and loving it

I wasn't sure how I'd like this book, being an avid marathon runner and ironman it's heart wrenching to hear what happened to Mathew Long. His story is amazing. Athlete or not this is a must read book. It has the right mix of life stories and focus on the athlete. I listen to it on my commute to and from work and have to watch the tears (always good tears though).

Less than meets the eye

Any additional comments?

I recently read Born to Run (which I loved) and was looking for another inspirational running book. I tried this one mainly because it got a lot of stars. I'm not sure why so many people liked this book, but I did not. I agree with some other reviewers that the political rants are off-putting. I don't find the author's politics objectionable; I just don't think an extended rant against public-transport unions adds much to a story about injury and recovery. I also agree with some reviewers that the author is REALLY impressed with himself--this shines through on almost every page. I think it's awful what he went through, and I admire his determination to bounce back, but a little humility (even feigned) wouldn't hurt. Finally, I just don't think the author has anything really interesting to say. He's been through an extraordinary experience, but his lack of reflectiveness makes this just a story about him rather than something larger.

Riveting and Inspiring

I purchased this because I am a beginning runner and I wanted some inspiration before my first 5K. To listen to Matt's story and what he endured and overcame was incredibly inspiring. I was riveted the entire time, when my device died I nearly had a panic attack because I had to wait for the battery to charge before I could continue listening to Matt's story. He is an incredible person, the story is awe inspiring and entirely worth the credit. You need to know about this human being!

Inspiring Story, Gift-Worthy Book

Honestly my luck with audiobooks has been poor. I was really getting discouraged in my selections as they just have not held my attention, and I've been pretty particular and paid attention to reviews.