How To Get Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary Top Rated

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Title: Chronic City

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Jonathan Lethem

Narrator: Mark Deakins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-13-09

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 169 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Chase Insteadman, a handsome, inoffensive fixture on Manhattan's social scene, lives off residuals earned as a child star on a beloved sitcom called Martyr & Pesty. Chase owes his current social cachet to an ongoing tragedy much covered in the tabloids: His teenage sweetheart and fiancée, Janice Trumbull, is trapped by a layer of low-orbit mines on the International Space Station, from which she sends him rapturous and heartbreaking love letters. Like Janice, Chase is adrift, she in Earth's stratosphere, he in a vague routine punctuated by Upper East Side dinner parties.

Into Chase's cloistered city enters Perkus Tooth, a wall-eyed free-range pop critic whose soaring conspiratorial riffs are fueled by high-grade marijuana, mammoth cheeseburgers, and a desperate ache for meaning. Perkus's countercultural savvy and voracious paranoia draw Chase into another Manhattan, where questions of what is real, what is fake, and who is complicit take on a life-shattering urgency.

Along with Oona Laszlo, a self-loathing ghostwriter, and Richard Abneg, a hero of the Tompkins Square Park riot now working as a fixer for the billionaire mayor, Chase and Perkus attempt to unearth the answers to several mysteries that seem to offer that rarest of artifacts on an island where everything can be bought: Truth.

Like Manhattan itself, Jonathan Lethem's masterpiece is beautiful and tawdry, tragic and forgiving, devastating and antic, a stand-in for the whole world and a place utterly unique.

Editorial Reviews:

Jonathan Lethem's ambitious new book is a warped computer game, a Real Life alternate universe full of corridors and doorways that open up onto esoteric lore, secret histories, and quirky spins on reality a warren where the narrative burrows down in increasingly irregular diversions. Its central concern is our perception of truth, and how that perception is molded by our obsession with celebrity, contemporary art, the obscure byways of the internet, and the hollowness at the heart of human relationships. Marauding tigers, meanwhile, bring chaos to the streets of Manhattan.

The central character is that ultimate has-been, the former child actor. He lives off residuals from an old TV show, and continues to act, in one way or another, as the celebrated fiancé of Janice Trumbull, a dying astronaut lost in space. Chase is locked into his own lonely orbit, a character written into the city's narrative as a recurring name in a slightly skewed but recognizable social scene. That is, until Perkus Tooth, a critic and conspiracy-theorist, enters his life, with his riffs on popular culture and obsession with among many, many other things transparent fetish objects called chauldrons.

Tooth is one of Mark Deakins' many memorable characterizations in this recording he comes across as halfway between Bartleby the Scrivner and The Simpsons' Comic Book Guy. Deakins succeeds in painting each character with a light and unobtrusive touch, bringing life to characters that, on page, could easily appear as ciphers. Throughout Chronic City, reality is riddled through with simulation, and vice versa; Deakins' performance anchors the listener to some semblance of factuality, and makes us care enough to follow the narration through the shifting sands of authenticity.

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Title: And Another Thing...

Subtitle: Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Part Six of Three

Author: Eoin Colfer

Narrator: Simon Jones

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-12-09

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 124 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

An Englishman's continuing search through space and time for a decent cup of tea . . . Arthur Dent's accidental association with that wholly remarkable book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has not been entirely without incident. Arthur has travelled the length, breadth and depth of known, and unknown, space. He has stumbled forwards and backwards through time. He has been blown up, reassembled, cruelly imprisoned, horribly released and colourfully insulted more than is strictly necessary. And, of course, he has comprehensively failed to grasp the meaning of life, the universe and everything.

Arthur has, though, finally made it home to Earth. But that does not mean he has escaped his fate. For Arthur's chances of getting his hands on a decent cuppa are evaporating along with the world's oceans. Because no sooner has he arrived than he finds out that Earth is about to be blown up...again.

And Another Thing...by Eoin Colfer is the rather unexpected, but very welcome, sixth instalment of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. It features a pantheon of unemployed gods, everyone's favourite renegade Galactic President, a lovestruck green alien, an irritating computer and at least one very large slab of cheese.

Members Reviews:

Froody Madness

Eoin Colfer has done a splendid job of keeping the goofiness alive, and Simon Jones should be congratulated for a superb narration.

Listening to this book brought back fond memories of listening to the previous Douglas Adams H2G2 books, and I enjoyed the wacky stories and the sense of deja vu created by the plot. I enjoyed the humour but felt that the god-bashing was a little overdone, but not gratuitous. I guess it was required by the plot, and raised some interesting philosophical questions, which I enjoyed.

This book doesn't feel like a sequel or a "keep the successful formula going" effort. It has plenty of original ideas and feels fresh and froody. I think it brings the series to an elegant close, and it will take a brave man to write part 7.

Not worth even a drop of Adams' ink

If you love the original HGttG works by Douglas Adams so not spoil your impression of them by this horrible parody of his genius. The story makes no sense, the jokes are pasted on with Superglue and the thought in my mind were when it was going to end.

A great addition from a fresh author.

I was skeptical at first when hearing of Eion's entry into the HG2G series, but this was easily up there as one of my favorites. I highly recommend it to any fan.

Slightly sad

Would you try another book from Eoin Colfer and/or Simon Jones?

I love Arthemis Fowl, and I do own all of them, but Eoin Colfer is not Duglas Adems and the story is not as intriguing or as wonderful.

If youve listened to books by Eoin Colfer before, how does this one compare?

Not at all. I am sorry to say

Did Simon Jones do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes he is abel to make a good difference between the characters and it is fun to listen to him.

Was And Another Thing...

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Title: Lunch at the Piccadilly

Author: Clyde Edgerton

Narrator: Sally Darling

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-05-09

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Lil Olive, the leader of a group of feisty elderly women, decides that she is restless at the Rosehaven nursing home. Lil and her friends need some excitement in their dull lives. So, the group of women steal a car and hit the road in search of adventures, which include hilariously unforgettable trips to the local CVS and Hardee's, and end with an encounter with the law.

Critic Reviews:

"Quietly and wonderfully outlandish." (Entertainment Weekly)

Members Reviews:

There's nobody like Edgerton

It's pretty hard for any postmodern writer to not be derivative, but Edgerton has pulled it off. He's one of a kind. What's intriguing about his works is that the gentle humor tends to mask the dark themes underneath.

This book moves at a leisurely pace, and it is surely not "plot-driven" (maybe that explains some of the negative reviews). But the characters in Lunch at the Picadilly hold your attention. You'll remember them long after you've closed the book.

This book was made into a play, and Edgerton and some of his musician friends recorded a great CD of the songs (lyrics are at the end of the book). My favorite is "Baloney, Bacon, and Beer."

Edgerton has a lot of people fooled. He knows that simplicity can be very complex.

Full of Fun!

Edgerton's humorous and sensitive book highlighting the antics of life in the Rosehaven Convalescent Center certainly did not disappoint. This would never have been a book that I would have chosen to read, but it was on my book club's read's for the month, so I read it. Am I ever glad I did! Full of laughs, with tenderness and a touch of what might be expected as life ebbs near the end. No sad songs here, though. Just a light-hearted, enjoyable read. The only reason I did not rate it 5-star is that I am not sure of its appeal to the "younger" generation, but anyone over 50 should get a kick out of it.

not as good.

I compared to Take, and Walking Across Egypt....not as good.

Aging can be funny!

Having read Clyde Edgerton books in the past, I knew I would enjoy whatever antics the characters found themselves in. The book was a fun read.

Since I am around the older folks at the nursing home where I volunteer I found it even more delightful.

It was difficult reading at first but I enjoyed it once I got into it

The writing style is hard to follow but the storyline is very realistic . It was difficult reading at first but I enjoyed it once I got into it.

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Title: Past Caring

Author: Robert Goddard

Narrator: Paul Shelley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-13-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 194 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Why should distinguished Edwardian Cabinet minister Edwin Straford resign at the height of his career? Why does the woman he loves so suddenly reject him? Why, 70 years later, should people go to such lengths to prevent the truth coming out?

©2008 Robert Goddard;

Critic Reviews:

"Written in clear, resonant prose, Goddard's first novel, nominated for the Booker prize, is a poised telling of a complex tale....In one sense a historical thriller, and in another a romantic novel of a love affair gone disastrously wrong, this is, in any case, a wonderful read." (Publishers Weekly)

"Psychological drama and intricate plot will entice readers." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Read the Reviews, not the poor publisher's summary

I hesitated so long whether to get this book.. It had relatively few reviews despite being out for 2 years and the cover artwork and publisher's summary are bland. I eventually took the plunge and glad I did! I highly recommend it.

There are 2 main characters that contribute to telling the story. A man about 30 in early 1970's is hired to find out what happened to a man who was an English Cabinet Minister (at about 1930, if I remember correctly). That sounds kind of boring, but there is quite a robust plot with a couple of unexpected revelations and some duplicitous characters. Even though there are 2 stories with a fair amt of characters, the book is not overly complex to be thoroughly entertaining. Narrator was good, not great, but I would listen to other books narrated by him. I will look for more from this author.

The Story Lingers

Good Book.

After I had finished listening I found that I was puzzling over a decision made by one of the characters. At odd times. In the house, driving, doing normal things..the questions would pop up. It does not seem to fit the character. Then that leads on to thinking about the decisions real people make sometimes, human frailty or inconsistency.

Goddard doesn't even ask the reader to suspend disbelief. The choice, the decision is made. Then at the end of the story another dilemma. Even though the book is finished, the story goes on and "No", we the reader do not feel compelled to learn what happens next.

I think that is clever. It is at the last Goddard allows us / urges us, to use our imagination.

And just maybe we are quite content to be ignorant. In that there is a kind of dialogue between the author, the story and the reader.

Paul Shelly reads "Past Caring " well.

Needed a good editor

This book started reasonably well but quickly became completely bogged down. It was a good premise - old mystery, modern connections - which appears to be the only type of story Robert Goddard writes, but it was clear to me from the first few chapters exactly what the "mystery" was and it seemed to take forever to have this confirmed. It was a struggle to finish and the only reason I did was because I listen when travelling and it didn't require any thought processes.

What a tangle web we weave...

At one point of this story, the protagonist is advised nothing is as it seems. That is a vast understatement in this tangled web of deceit, double-dealing and revenge. As with my prior outing with Goddard, I must work at not giving away any of the plot as spoilers would be difficult to avoid.

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Título: La llorona

Subtitular: Novela [The Weeping Woman (Texto Completo)]

Autor: Marcela Serrano

Narrador: Adriana Sananes

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 3 hrs and 49 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 12-23-08

Editor: Recorded Books

Calificaciones: 4.5 de 5 de 9 votos

Categorías: Fiction, Contemporary

Resumen del editor:

Please note: This title is in Spanish.

Opiniones de los miembros:

Novela para jóvenes

Esta novela es una gran literatura que ofrece una trama muy intrigante. Mi hija leyó y disfrutó de su trama al máximo. Llegó en excelentes condiciones y en el tiempo previsto.

Very Good

The product is as was described, in excellents conditions. I am very greatful and satisfied. Amazon is a great way to purchase.

Great selection for book discussion groups

Winner of the prestigious Sor Juana prize in 1991, for , Chilean author Serrano is singularly capable of capturing the thoughts and feelings of women in engrossing novels. Informed that her baby has died soon after birth, but provided with no corpse, the nameless protagonist suspects foul play and is determined to find the truth--and her baby. She develops a successful organization to help others whose babies have been stolen for adoption or organ harvest, but when she sees what she believes to be her baby in the arms of another woman, her propensity for action causes her both misery and liberation. It seems as though Serrano has contrived to tailor a novel for book clubs and the gender and class analysis endemic to Women's Literature classes: humble protagonist committed to her personal growth, check; strong female relationships and solidarity, check; weak or nonexistent males, check; issues relevant to the developing world, check. While Serrano maintains an authentic voice for her protagonist, the plot's digression into implausibilities greatly detracts from what is otherwise a quick and enjoyable read that begs for lively discussion. This novel is likely to find an audience in bookstores and public libraries where women's literature is popular.

Always great Marcela Serrano!!

As always, Marcela Serrano gives us a novel that has a great history around a woman, and this its not the exception, not only mixing up the llorona (typical latin american legend) with the history of a mother, but making the style of the book very nice and cautivating. I could not stop reading it until i finished it!!!

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Title: Charlotte Fairlie

Author: D. E. Stevenson

Narrator: Hilary Neville

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-24-08

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 100 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Then one summer she goes to stay with a young pupil on the remote Scottish Isle of Targ. In the romantic atmosphere of the Highlands, anything can happen - and even the cool, efficient Charlotte surprises herself...

Members Reviews:

A good "read"

I read this book a number of years ago but didn't remember a lot of the details. It is delightful, as all the author's books are. The reader did an exceptionally good job. I appreciate Audible.com having books by authors like this who are not necessarily known by the mainstream of listeners.

Career or romance

D. E. Stevenson is an author who is unsurpassed at creating believable characters that the reader cares about. Charlotte Fairlie is a delightful book about a woman who is a success in her career, as head of an English girls school. Then a chance for romance enters her life. What choices will she make? But the story of Charlotte is only part of this book. The secondary characters, both the good and the bad add to the delight of this book. And Hilary Neville does a great job bringing the characters to life. Listen to this book, then look for other books by D.E. Stevenson. Her world is a delight.

Soothing Vacation or Mid-Year Read

D.E. Stevenson's books are not great literature, but they are the perfect antidote for a tired mind desiring a gentle book. Her characters seem like real people, both the likeable and the unlikeable, and their problems are the problems of the ordinary person. Hilary Neville did an excellent job of narrating the book and seemed to retain the feel Stevenson was after. If you like the Miss Read books, you most certainly will enjoy "Charlotte Fairlie."

As a "comfort read," I just love this book

I was surprised how much I loved this book. The story is old fashioned and a little choppy, but the main character is so decent and likable it's hard not become engaged with her life decisions.

When I was young, I was a big fan of boarding school stories this book is from the perspective of the head of such a school. Another plus for me.

If you're looking for a gentler type of book, but not one that's insipid, I highly recommend this.

Narrator's splendid rendering of a lovely story

I already knew I loved Charlotte Fairlie, having read my paper copy several times. But what makes this so special is Hilary Neville and her splendid rendering of a lovely story. I feel she captures the very essence of talented author D.E. Stevenson's voice...I feel as though this special author is really speaking to me, telling me a wonderfully engaging story earnestly and truthfully. I am VERY happy with this recording, and sorry I didn't play it sooner. It is destined to be re-listened to a couple times a year.

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Titel: Der kleine Bruder

Autor:: Sven Regener

Erzähler: Sven Regener

Format: Unabridged

Spieldauer: 5 hrs and 24 mins

Sprache: Deutsch

Veröffentlichungsdatum: 11-13-08

Herausgeber: tacheles! / Roof Music

Bewertung: 5 von 5 von 1 Stimmen

Kategorien: Fiction, Contemporary

Zusammenfassung des Herausgebers:

Berlin-Kreuzberg, November 1980: Im Schatten der Mauer gedeiht ein Paralleluniversum voller Künstler, Hausbesetzer, Kneipenbesitzer, Kneipenbesucher, Hunde und Punks. Bier, Standpunkte, Reden, Verräterschweine, alles ist da. Nur eins fehlt: jemand, der alles mal richtig durchdenkt: Frank Lehmann aus Bremen.

Nachdem seine WG dort vom Gesundheitsamt geschlossen wurde, das Zimmer bei seinen Eltern zum Fernseherreparieren benötigt wird und er nach kühnem Ausbruch aus dem Wehrdienst noch keinen Plan hat, fährt er erst mal nach Berlin, zu seinem großen Bruder Manni, der dort als Künstler lebt und eine große Nummer ist. Dachte er. Doch Manni ist weg. Weder sein Vermieter Erwin Kächele noch dessen Nichte Chrissie oder sein Mitbewohner Karl haben eine Ahnung, wo Manni steckt. Außerdem nennen sie ihn nicht Manni, sondern Freddie. Und haben sofort eine konkrete Idee davon, was Frank zu tun hat: Anstelle seines Bruders an einem kurzfristig anberaumten Krisenplenum teilnehmen. Damit beginnt eine lange Nacht, in der Frank Lehmann lernt, dass in einer Welt, in der alle Künstler sein wollen, nichts notwendigerweise das ist, als das es erscheint, und in der er mehr über seinen Bruder erfährt, als er wissen will, aber nie das, wonach er fragt...

(c)+(p) 2008 tacheles!/Roof Music GmbH

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Title: Father and Son

Author: Larry Brown

Narrator: Tom Stechschulte

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-27-08

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 59 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In novels like Joe and On Fire, he has astounded critics and earned critical acclaim from many authors, including John Grisham and Pat Conroy. Father and Son follows a bad seed, Glenn Davis, who is deeply flawed and dangerous. After serving several years in prison, Glenn has returned to his rural Mississippi home, not sure what he wants or needs. Over the course of five days, he forges a path of destruction and violence that finally leads him to Sheriff Bobby Blanchard, who is everything Glenn is not.

Larry Brown wraps the listener up in the searing conflict between these two opposites. But from their inevitable stand-off, he skillfully spins them into unpredictable directions and reactions. The stunning conclusion, swelling with unexpected notes of peace and hope, resonates with Brown's powerful talent.

Members Reviews:

App is great!

So far so good. The chapters on the Audible did not match the book, but that was fine because it gave me the option to Clip and write a note where I had stopped. This is my first time with Audible and Im impressed. Thank you!

Really good

Great read. Larry brown is a classic. Great look at Deep South narrator is very good as well she died do young

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Title: The Greatest Player Who Never Lived

Author: Michael Veron

Narrator: Buck Schirner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-17-08

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

It is a story that might never have been told had Charley Hunter not accepted a summer internship at Butler & Yates, a prestigious Atlanta law firm.

Bobby Jones, the legendary amateur golfer, had once been a partner at the firm and his old legal files had been severely neglected over the years. The task of cataloging those files soon presents Charley with the remnants of a man's life, as he pieces together a tale that spans decades.

Who is this mysterious golfer with a golden swing, whose life and career Jones followed with such interest? An accused felon fleeing from the law? Or a man falsely accused, whose only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time? And why would one of the greatest athletes of all time risk his spotless reputation to help a man he met only once?

Charley quickly learns that there is a compelling tale buried within the files of Bobby Jones. Charley uncovers stories of unfulfilled promise, fleeting justice, near captures, and unyielding friendship - and to what end? Charley hopes to find the truth. But what he ultimately finds will change his life and understanding of life forever.

Members Reviews:

Another Mystical Gold Journey.

This was o.k. and kept me from getting totally bored. This is a very overworked subject on the game of golf. Golf in the Kingdom is the all time leader in this category. Go Chivas.

A pleasant mixture of golf fantasy & legal practice

If you have any appreciation of golf history - especially that involving Bobby Jones, Augusta National, and The Masters - then this is the book for you. And if you're a lawyer to boot, then welcome to nirvana.

In reading various reviews, I was expecting a book with jawdropping twists and turns. It's simply not so...the plot twists are more accurately 'swerves' and are about as subtle as a sledgehammer. Moreover, the reader can go 25 - 30 pages without a significant event transpiring. [Most notably in the author's shot-by-shot, interminable rendering of his (er, I mean, Charley Hunter's) fantasy round at Augusta.]

Not that this makes a bad book. Bobby Jones was a giant of American Sport, and although a work of fiction, Veron's work really nails the spirit of a sportsman with a supreme intellect. Jones led a full life as a practicing attorney, and Veron's take - done in sublime fashion - is that the full measure of the man must take into account both his sporting and legal accomplishments. This aspect of the book alone makes the "The Greatest Player..." a very worthwhile read & certainly worth the 2 - 3 evenings it will take to blitz through this sweet tale.

For the golfer who wants a fun read

This book keeps the reader engaged right to the surprise ending. After reading this book, I ordered 5 copies as gifts for friends who love golf.

The perfect book for golfers who want to stay with game in their "off" season.

Highly recommended ! Beware of strong hugs from buddies when (if) they return your copy.

Folks love this read !

Anyone who reads this book is compelled to share it with others.

Golfer?

If so, you'll like this story. Interested in Golf history? Then you'll LOVE this novel ! The plot is simple, and the book moves along swimmingly. All of the sidebar vignettes about famous golfers are accurate.

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Title: Liberty

Author: Garrison Keillor

Narrator: Garrison Keillor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-03-08

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 407 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Lake Wobegon is in a frenzy of preparations for the Fourth of July. This being Wobegon, lives collide and relationships develop in the oddest ways. Take Clint Bunson, the treasurer of the Lutheran church and the auto mechanic who starts cars on below-zero mornings. For six years, he has run the Fourth of July parade, turning what was once a line of pickup trucks into an event of dazzling spectacle.

The town is dizzy with anticipation - until they hear of Clint's ambition to run for Congress. They know about his episodes with vodka sours, his rocky marriage, and his friendship with the 24-year-old who dresses up as the Statue of Liberty for the parade and may be buck naked beneath her robes.

In Keillor's words, "It is Lake Wobegon as you imagined it - good loving people who drive each other crazy."

Critic Reviews:

"Keillor's Lake Wobegon books have become a set of synoptic gospels, full of wistfulness and futility yet somehow spangled with hope." (New York Times Book Review)

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