Listen to Best Sellers Audiobooks in Fiction, Literary

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Title: Tourmaline

Author: Randolph Stow

Narrator: Humphrey Bower

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 06-09-16

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Tourmaline is an isolated Western Australian mining town - a place of heat and dust, as allegorical as it is real.

Out of the desert staggers a young diviner, Michael Random, offering salvation to this parched town. The once comatose community is indeed stirred to life, by hate as much as by love, and its people find salvation in neither water nor gold.

Members Reviews:

Air

Tourmaline is a novel I had to read for a class called 'air as a literary element' and it worked very well for that specific class. Not sure I'd have picked this one up on my own, but I'm glad I got a chance to read it.

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Title: Blackass

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: A. Igoni Barrett

Narrator: Mirron Willis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-31-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Furo Wariboko, a young Nigerian, awakes the morning before a job interview to find that he's been transformed into a white man. In this condition he plunges into the bustle of Lagos to make his fortune. With his red hair, green eyes, and pale skin, it seems he's been completely changed. Well, almost. There is the matter of his family, his accent, his name. Oh, and his black ass.

Furo must quickly learn to navigate a world made unfamiliar and deal with those who would use him for their own purposes. Taken in by a young woman called Syreeta and pursued by a writer named Igoni, Furo lands his first-ever job, adopts a new name, and soon finds himself evolving in unanticipated ways.

A. Igoni Barrett's Blackass is a fierce comic satire that touches on everything from race to social media while at the same time questioning the values society places on us simply by virtue of the way we look. As he did in Love Is Power, or Something Like That, Barrett brilliantly depicts life in contemporary Nigeria and details the double-dealing and code-switching that are implicit in everyday business. But it's Furo's search for an identity - one deeper than skin - that leads to the final unraveling of his own carefully constructed story.

Members Reviews:

Narrated by Ted Wassanasong

If you could sum up Blackass in three words, what would they be?

Clever twist (on) race

What was one of the most memorable moments of Blackass?

"'Your ass is black!' Syreeta cried"

What three words best describe Mirron Williss performance?

Mike Judge character

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The concept.

Any additional comments?

The narrator is dry, monotone, and has the distinct voice of Mike Judge's character from King of the Hill, Ted Wassanasong. Mirron reads exclamations with the same energy and inflection as whispers, questions, etc. He's done voice work in the past that I've enjoyed, unfortunately, narrating a book does not fall into that category.

Decent not extraordinary

Narration was great but the story felt surface level. I wanted to explore race relations more. It was an enduring sorry but I didn't care for the main character.

covers all voices and characters with panache!

What made the experience of listening to Blackass the most enjoyable?

Willis providing all the different voices in modern Nigeria; white privilege in Africa

Who was your favorite character and why?

Syreeta because she has compassion

What about Mirron Williss performance did you like?

he easily changes accents and voices

If you could rename Blackass, what would you call it?

doesn't need renaming

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Title: Last Ride to Graceland

Author: Kim Wright

Narrator: Cassandra Morris

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-16

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Blues musician Cory Ainsworth is barely scraping by after her mother's death when she discovers a priceless piece of rock 'n' roll memorabilia hidden away in a shed out back of the family's coastal South Carolina home: Elvis Presley's Stutz Blackhawk, its interior a time capsule of the singer's last day on earth.

A backup singer for the King, Cory's mother, Honey, was at Graceland the day Elvis died. Yearning to uncover the secrets of her mother's past, Cory decides to drive the car back to Memphis and turn it over to Elvis' estate, retracing the exact route her mother took 37 years earlier. As she winds her way through the sprawling Deep South, the burning question in Cory's mind is: Who is my father?

Members Reviews:

A Satisfying Daughter's Quest for Her Mother's Past

A classic journey quest filled with mystery, after her motherâs untimely death from a quick cancer, Corey Beth double backs over the same territory her mother traveled when she was eighteen. Except Corey Beth quickly discovers her mother, known to her as Laura, led an entire life in the one year when her mother was eighteen as Honey, a back up singer for Elvis. After Honey left Graceland pregnant and returned home to Beaufort, South Carolina apparently she left more than just the nickname Honey behind. Corey Bethâs father, Bradley, tells her to stay away from a particular shed near a local fishing river. But soon she discovers the hidden away car, black coup Stutz Blackhawk. The same model car Elvis drove on the die he died. An Elvis estate staffer warns Corey Beth to not touch the car until the car can be ruled out as authenticate. She defies this directive, leaves Beaufort and heads west in the very car to Graceland, seeking answers to her questions about the mother she thought she knew. Her trip reveals not only new discoveries about herself but the legacy her mother left her. With crisp dialogue and unforgettable characters Wiley explores the consequences of the secrets we hold. Be prepared to keep turning the pages long after your bedtime.

The King is dead. Long live the King.

From the get go I loved this book. Ms Wright is a fabulous writer! The story moves at break neck speed without a clue where it will end. I must've made a hundred highlights because this lady has so much to say worth remembering. If you loved "The Liars Club" or Barbara Kingslover's "The Bean Tree" and "Pigs in Heaven" , you must read this book!

Fun Southern Fiction

Loved this story and totally enjoy the author's style. After finishing Last Ride to Graceland I ordered two other books by Ms. Wright. Have already finished one and started the next. She writes mysteries too, but I am not a fan of mysteries so hope she continues to write about women in the south.

Fun romp through the south on a way to visit Graceland

This book was a very fun, lighthearted book about a girl in search of her father (perhaps Elvis??). Along the way she meets lots of interesting characters and learns about her mom, who was once a back-up singer for Elvis himself. The book flips back in forth from the voice of Cory, the daughter, and Honey, her mother. The book was a fun reminisce of the 70's when Elvis was king. As I read this book, sometimes I had to keep reminding me that this book is fiction as there are so many facts about the lifestyle and times of Elvis including his death.

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Title: Last Scene Underground

Subtitle: An Ethnographic Novel of Iran

Author: Roxanne Varzi

Narrator: Roxanne Varzi

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-19-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Leili could not have imagined that arriving late to Islamic morals class would change the course of her life. But her arrival catches the eye of a young man, and a chance meeting soon draws Leili into a new circle of friends and artists. Gathering in the cafes of Tehran, these young college students come together to create an underground play that will wake up their generation. They play with fire, literally and figuratively, igniting a drama both personal and political to perform their play - just once.

From the wealthy suburbs and chic coffee shops of Tehran to subterranean spaces teeming with drugs and prostitution to spiritual lodges and saints' tombs in the mountains high above the city, Last Scene Underground presents an Iran rarely seen. Young Tehranis navigate their way through politics, art, and the meaning of home and in the process learn hard lessons about censorship, creativity, and love. Their dangerous discoveries ultimately lead to finding themselves.

Written in the hopeful wake of Iran's Green Movement and against the long shadow of the Iran-Iraq war, this unique novel deepens our understanding of an elusive country that is full of misunderstood contradictions and wonder.

Members Reviews:

Amazing look inside Iran's theater world

As an Iranian American who sometimes visits the old country, I have noticed a marked shift in the arts from cinema towards theater. What's funny is that for so long theater was an underground movement completely dwarfed by cinema. Now that underground scene has burst onto the surface and theater is a vibrant part of artistic life ( at least in Tehran the capital city). No wonder the latest film out of Iran "salesman" is also about theater!

So I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the roots of this underground movement in this novel. The story follows a bohemian group of students and actors trying to put on a play. I was worried that the story wound immediately get political and cliche like almost everything out there now about Iran. To my surprise, its a subtle love story intertwined with exploring the process of creativity. I learned a lot about theater and drama, both the lranian tradition as well as the European movements that have influenced it. What was also wonderful was the descriptions of Tehran; they were beautiful and poignant in a way that only someone who has lived there can know. ( I can't wait to visit some of the locale if I go back again). The plotline was engaging with a few cliff-hanging moments. I also found myself liking most of the characters since they were not the usual archtypes, rather they were complex, fun, obnoxious and confused youth of society that insists on both being civil and revolutionary at the same time. But the best for me was the process of creativity. For most part I wasn't even aware or concerned that this was an Iraninan setting. I could be anywhere where the youthful energy tries to push and burst the boundaries of tired old ways. A great read.

Intelligent, idealistic novel, clumsily presented

Warmly support Roxanne Varziâs desire for a more open Iran, incl. via theatre.

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Title: The Eternal Wonder

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Pearl S. Buck

Narrator: Aaron Abano

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-10-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 25 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

A recently discovered novel written by Pearl S. Buck at the end of her life in 1973, The Eternal Wonder tells the coming-of-age story of Randolph Colfax (Rann for short), an extraordinarily gifted young man whose search for meaning and purpose leads him to New York, England, Paris, on a mission patrolling the DMZ in Korea that will change his life forever - and, ultimately, to love.

Rann falls for the beautiful and equally brilliant Stephanie Kung, who lives in Paris with her Chinese father and has not seen her American mother since she abandoned the family when Stephanie was six years old. Both Rann and Stephanie yearn for a sense of genuine identity. Rann feels plagued by his voracious intellectual curiosity and strives to integrate his life of the mind with his experience in the world. Stephanie struggles to reconcile the Chinese part of herself with her American and French selves. Separated for long periods of time, their final reunion leads to a conclusion that even Rann, in all his hard-earned wisdom, could never have imagined.

A moving and mesmerizing fictional exploration of the themes that meant so much to Pearl S. Buck in her life, this final work is perhaps her most personal and passionate and will no doubt appeal to the millions of listeners who have treasured her novels for generations.

Members Reviews:

Awful

What disappointed you about The Eternal Wonder?

I have read and listened to many books by the author Pearl S Buck. This was either not written by her or was a very rough draft. Underdeveloped, overly wordy, repetitions, and just plain dull. It hadso much potential - but fell flat. I could not finish it. The narrator could not save. Maybe a good editor would have been able to do so.

What was most disappointing about Pearl S. Bucks story?

See above

Which scene was your favorite?

Infant learning to walk

Any additional comments?

Hopefully this will not be anyone's introduction to Peal S. Buck. It is not representative of her work. If this is your first book by this author - go read/listen to "The Good Earth"

Wow what a trip back in time.

What did you love best about The Eternal Wonder?

I love how the author Peal teaches you about certain aspects of life. If you don't know about living in New York or visiting other parts of the world, this book will get your mind clicking. This was a great way of showing the world through the eyes of a child prodigy. Some people are just ahead of their times but Pearl gives you insight of life and the people around you.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Eternal Wonder?

When Ran falls in love with an older woman and lives for months in another country with her. His first time out of the country. Love the details of how he explored in a new country and when his ah-ha moment came to move on with his life.

Which character as performed by Aaron Abano was your favorite?

Ran

Who was the most memorable character of The Eternal Wonder and why?

The college professor because it shows how people can get caught up intellectually and how dynamics of relationships can change with a turn of the hat.

Any additional comments?

I love how Pearl teaches you about life and opens your mind up to another world if you were never exposed. My first time reading one of her books working on reading the Good Earth Now.

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Title: Summary of The Alchemist: by Paulo Coelho | Includes Analysis

Author: Instaread

Narrator: Dwight Equitz

Format: Unabridged

Length: 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-05-16

Publisher: Instaread

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Preview:

The Alchemist is a Brazilian novel about a shepherd named Santiago, an 18-year-old youth who abandons his life in Spain to embark upon an epic treasure hunt across Africa. Making several unexpected stops along the way, he uncovers profound truths about himself, the world, and the kingdom of God, which are fundamentally connected. Ultimately, he finds the treasure, but along the way, he also finds love and personal fulfillment.

At 16, Santiago, who had been studying to become a priest, had defied his parents' wishes and set off to travel across Andalusia with a herd of sheep. The story picks up two years later. The boy has been leading his sheep all this time. Lovesick, he's thinking about settling down with the daughter of a merchant he met the year before. As he contemplates the future, he feels anxious, hopeful, and full of questions....

Please Note: This is summary and analysis of the book and not the original book.

Inside this Instaread summary of The Alchemist:

Members Reviews:

Great Summary!

This was a great summary of an amazing book. I would highly recommend to listen to this before or even after reading the Alchemist.

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Title: The Anonymous Source

Author: A.C. Fuller

Narrator: Jeff Hays

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-01-16

Publisher: A.C. Fuller

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 53 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Find the source. Break the story. Stay alive.

One year after the 9/11 attacks, Alex Vane - a brilliant, fitness-obsessed reporter for The New York Standard - wants nothing more than to break into the flashy world of TV news. But when he uncovers the scoop of a lifetime, his tightly controlled world is rocked: his editor buries his story, a source turns up dead, and Alex finds himself at the center of a violent media conspiracy.

As he receives tips from a mysterious source, Alex enlists the help of a captivating professor, Camila Gray. Aided by an Internet genius, a billionaire's sexy widow, and a washed-up sports reporter, Alex and Camila discover a $500-million secret that could derail the largest media merger in history.

It's a secret that unearths dark memories from Alex's past. It's a secret that leads back to the morning of 9/11. And it's a secret that could get them both killed.

In his debut thriller, A.C. Fuller brings you a young journalist chasing the biggest story of his career - from the courtrooms of New York City to the beaches of Hawaii, from a crowded newsroom to a lavish boardroom at the top of a media empire.

Members Reviews:

In the wake of Sept 11 a conspiracy comes to light

This book is very much linked with the events of 9/11, opening with a scene from inside the 2nd tower as the first is hit and people try to get out. It deals with the events of the day and builds a story around the actions of someone (albeit a fictional someone) who died in the attack.

If this is an issue for you, then this is not the book for you.

If you are okay with someone making a story based around this sacred cow, then this is a good thriller.

A year after 9/11 our hero, Alex, gets a call from an anonymous source directing him to look into a murder trial that is currently happening, suggesting the person on trial is innocent. This sends Alex down a rabbit hole of investigation and danger as he searches for answers that may only be found in the rubble of the Twin Towers.

It is also set in the start of "online news media" and speaks of the great potential that the internet news can cover that traditional media won't. It's interesting seeing this from the point of view 15 years later seeing both the failures and the successes of non mainstream media online. But the book presents the optimism that was seen back them.

The story is well told, with interesting (although generally unlikable) characters. The plot is tight, with a few good twists in it.

Hays does great work (as always) with the narration, sound production and music. He provides various voices for characters, making it clear and easy to understand who is talking. Once or twice the 'anonymous source' was hard to understand due to distortion, but once I slowed the narration playback speed (I listen at a fairly high playback speed) it became understandable. So maybe that issue is mine, not the narrators.

I hope this book is the start of a new genre - the journalism thriller.

Jeff Hays gives a masterful read of this exciting new thriller. His character voices create a rich tapestry through which the nicely-honed plot weaves at neck-snapping speed.

The Anonymous Source provides an entertaining tour of talented but self-absorbed journalist Alex Vane's pursuit of the truth in what he thought was a cut and dried murder case.

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Title: Not All Bastards Are from Vienna

Author: Andrea Molesini, Antony Shugaar - translator, Patrick Creagh - translator

Narrator: Will Damron

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-16-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

Andrea Molesini's exquisite debut novel - winner of the prestigious Campiello Prize - portrays the depths of heroism and horror within a Northern Italian village toward the end of the Great War.

While a family's villa is requisitioned by enemy troops, they are forced to intimately confront war's injustice as their involvement with its sinister underpinnings grows more and more complex.

In the autumn of 1917, Refrontolo - a small community north of Venice - is invaded by Austrian soldiers as the Italian army is pushed to the Piave river. The Spada family owns the largest estate in the area, where orphaned 17-year-old Paolo lives with his eccentric grandparents, his headstrong aunt, and a loyal staff. With the battlefront nearby, the Spada home becomes a bastion of resistance, both clashing and cooperating with the military members imposing on their household.

When Paolo is recruited to help with a covert operation, his life is put in irrevocable jeopardy. As he bears witness to violence and hostility between enemies, he grows to understand the value of courage, dignity, family bonds, and patriotism during wartime.

Cover art courtesy Galleria LImage, Alassio-Italy.

Members Reviews:

WW I: Fiction or Reality?

Would you listen to Not All Bastards Are from Vienna again? Why?

Yes. This story fills in blanks about enduring the disaster that was WW I in Italy and is peopled by authentic voices speaking truth about their time. It seemed to have the veracity of one who lived through this difficult time.

It had elements of The Leopard as the landed gentry were engulfed by the invaders from the north and faced the loss of, not only their traditions and possessions, but their freedom.

This is also the story of a boy becoming a man, the intelligence deployed by the family, especially Paolo's aunt, to outwit the German and Austrian soldiers and the creativity the strength that besieged people can bring forth when confronted by an evil enemy.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Not All Bastards Are from Vienna?

The last scene with the heroes facing the firing squad

Which scene was your favorite?

Any scene with Grandfather speaking his mind

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were many tense scenes with the threat of violence omnipresent.

Any additional comments?

The narrator captured the voices of both men and women, young and old, and German and Austrian accents extremely well.

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Title: The Kindness of Enemies

Author: Leila Aboulela

Narrator: Ruth Urquhart

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-16-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

It's 2010, and Natasha, a half-Russian, half-Sudanese professor of Islamic studies, is researching the life of Imam Shamil, the 19th-century Muslim leader who led the anti-Russian resistance in the Caucasian War. When shy, single Natasha discovers that her star student, Oz, is not only descended from the warrior but also possesses Shamil's priceless sword, the imam's story comes vividly to life. As Natasha's relationship with Oz and his alluring actress mother intensifies, Natasha is forced to confront an issue she has long tried to avoid - that of her Muslim heritage. When Oz is suddenly arrested at his home one morning, Natasha realizes that everything she values stands in jeopardy.

Told with Aboulela's inimitable elegance and narrated from the points of view of both Natasha and the historical characters she is researching, The Kindness of Enemies is both an engrossing story of a provocative period in history and an important examination of what it is to be a Muslim in a post-9/11 world.

Critic Reviews:

A versatile prose stylist.... [Aboulelas] lyrical style and incisive portrayal of Muslims living in the West received praise from the Nobel Prize winner J. M. Coetzee...[she is] a voice for multiculturalism. (The New York Times)

Members Reviews:

Perfect

This is a beautifully and sensitively written book. And the narrator is the best I have ever heard. It moved me to tears. Kept me on my toes. Made me smile. I am so happy to have this one.

A visit in History

Very interesting and informative. Once you adjust to the story line, it becomes a living, breathing history. Yesterday and today merge and become reality.

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Title: The Lost Time Accidents

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: John Wray

Narrator: Holter Graham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-09-16

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 44 votes

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

In his ambitious and fiercely inventive The Lost Time Accidents, John Wray takes us from turn-of-the-century Viennese salons buzzing with rumors about Einstein's radical new theory to the death camps of World War Two, from the golden age of postwar pulp science fiction to a startling discovery in a Manhattan apartment packed to the ceiling with artifacts of modern life.

Haunted by a failed love affair and the darkest of family secrets, Waldemar "Waldy" Tolliver wakes one morning to discover that he has been exiled from the flow of time. The world continues to turn, and Waldy is desperate to find his way back - a journey that forces him to reckon not only with the betrayal at the heart of his doomed romance but also the legacy of his great-grandfather's fatal pursuit of the hidden nature of time itself.

Part madcap adventure, part harrowing family drama, part scientific mystery - and never less than wildly entertaining - The Lost Time Accidents is a bold and epic saga set against the greatest upheavals of the 20th century.

Members Reviews:

Is this Science Fiction? Or what?

Any additional comments?

The writing is excellent, the pace fairly slow - written as a memoir to a former lover, this is the story of a man whose family inherited an approach to time travel - or did it? At times confusing, at times incredibly impressive with the writing, I occasionally wondered if it would ever finish. The narration is excellent.

Narrator Issues

If you dislike hearing a lot of "mouth noises" from the narrator, you may have a problem with this audiobook. I couldn't listen for more than a few minutes. I'm sorry though because I was really looking forward to this one!