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Title: The Hound of Death

Author: Agatha Christie

Narrator: Christopher Lee

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-30-07

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

A collection of Agatha Christie's stories of the macabre and the occult, from the story "The Red Signal", in which an omen from "the other side" unmasks an insane killer, to "The Hound of Death", in which a convent blows up - and on the remaining wall is left a black powder mark, in the shape of a great dog. The other spine-chilling mysteries are "The Fourth Man", "The Gipsy", and "The Lamp".

©Agatha Christie Limited, a Chorion Company; (P)HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London UK

Members Reviews:

Some stories excellent, others repetitive

With my apologies to Miss Christie and Mr. Lee - I can only truthfully rate this book with three stars. At the beginning the chapters are fresh and interesting, as the book progresses some themes repeat themselves, as does the style of narration. For full enjoyment, I would recommend splitting the book up along a longer time period, otherwise... boredom is lurking on the horizon :-(

Perfect late night listening

I love Agatha Christie and as I work through her catalogue - knowing that eventually there will be no more - it becomes a real treat to come across a collection of stories to listen to here and there.

Wonderfully narrated and indulgently creepy it's great last thing at night listening.

Worth the time

Being an avid fan of Agatha I am easily swayed into giving her good reviews. Worth the time to listen, before drifting off into the land of nod.

Spooky !

Christopher Lee is fantastic. He does so many different voices you forget it's one person, even the female voices are good and not in too high falsetto! I liked to listen at night with a candle lit by my bed and my own hound close by... Great for cold evenings by a fireside... Or on warm evenings when you wish it was snowing. This is a masterpiece and Christopher Lee brings the story to life, the fact that he was Dracula in Hammer adds a certain je me sais pas quoi.... Creeeeeaak......

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Title: Secret Ingredients

Subtitle: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink

Author: David Remnick

Narrator: uncredited

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-30-07

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Whether you're in the mood for snacking on humor pieces or for savoring classic profiles of great chefs and great eaters, these offerings, from every age of The New Yorker's fabled 80-year history, are sure to satisfy every taste. There are memoirs, short stories, tell-alls, and poems: ranging in tone from sweet to sour and in subject from soup to nuts.

Selected from the magazine's plentiful larder, Secret Ingredients celebrates all forms of gustatory delight.

Members Reviews:

Personal disappointment !

Completely disapointed! I thought I would listen to scientific discussions of the 'hidden/secret' hazards of secret food additives and ingredients but to find different discussion.. I can not comment further as I did not listen to more than 15-20 min.. My above rating (the median chosen; so to have least effect on overall ratings) was made just to allow me to access writting these comments..

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Title: The Blue Hotel

Author: Stephen Crane

Narrator: Jack Benson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-29-07

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Stephen Crane's fascinating story "The Blue Hotel" is seen by many as a study of fear. Crane used the stereotypical 1890's American West as his setting, and the story uses a card game to show how fear feeds upon itself. There are both inner fears and fears existing in reality, and the ways that they interact with each other make for a fascinating tale.

© and (P)1977 Jimcin Recordings

Critic Reviews:

"The best of Crane's Western stories and one of his handful of fictional masterworks." (Stanley Wertheim, A Stephen Crane Encyclopedia)

Members Reviews:

BORING AND CONFUSING

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

BETTER NARRARATER

What was most disappointing about Stephen Cranes story?

IT WAS CONFUSING AND I THINK THERE WAS TO MUCH SETTING DESCRIPTIONS.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jack Bensons performances?

NOT REALLY

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Blue Hotel?

I WOULD CUT OUT SOME OF THE SCENE DESCRIPTIONS. THE SCENES WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER TO KEEP UP WITH IF THEY WOULD HAVE WROTE MORE ABOUT THE SCENE AND LESS ABOUT THE SURROUNDINGS AND SETTING.

Any additional comments?

I AM NOT A AVID READER TO THESE TYPES OF STORIES SO MAYBE I MISSED THE LESSON THAT THE TEACHER WANTED US TO LEARN BUT THIS WAS JUST A BORING STORY AND CONFUSED US.

Interesting story but dissapointing performance

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes, the reader was too fast at the beginning. It was stressful trying to keep up.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Too fast and a Swedish accent that sounded as if it was out of Monty Python.

If this book were a film would you go see it?

No

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Title: The Clothes They Stood Up In

Author: Alan Bennett

Narrator: Alan Bennett

Format: Original Recording

Length: 2 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-01-07

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Here is a quirky, wry, and ironic tale about the Ransomes, who have been burgled. Everything has gone, even the toilet paper, and for the stuffy solicitor and his wife, it marks a turning point.

© and (P)1997, 2001, 2005 BBC Audiobooks LTD

Critic Reviews:

"Welcome to the wonderful world of Alan Bennett, deliciously enriched by the voice of the master himself." (The Sunday Times)

Members Reviews:

WARNING

Would you ever listen to anything by Alan Bennett again?

I have read and enjoyed The Uncommon Reader. This book is NOT at all like that pleasant book.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger!!!

Any additional comments?

I was looking for an entertaining, gentle read. This certainly isn't that!!! A man and wife, who bicker constantly, find a pornographic recording in their posession. The end of this very depressing book focuses mostly on this tape.

The sharp tongue of Bennett is delightful

If you could sum up The Clothes They Stood Up In in three words, what would they be?

Witty. Acerbic. Understated.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I wouldn't change anything. Bennett is a master of social observation, particularly of the common man. I adore his ability to expose the darker personality flaws of the general middle class. Very satisfying.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Probably the beginning where the couple first discover their plight. The dialogue is so clever. Tiny nuances evolve with such terse snaps. I can think of a few older men with outlooks like Mr Ransome, and many long suffering wives like Mre Ransome.

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

The ending. Makes you feel sorry for older generations who were supposed to grin and bear any sort of banal existence

Totally Refreshing

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and surprising. I listened to it as I walked on my treadmill. Made the time pass quickly:-) The way Bennett read it through made all the characters shine.

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Title: The Tale of Satampra Zeiros

Author: Clark Ashton Smith

Narrator: Jim Gallant

Format: Unabridged

Length: 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-30-06

Publisher: Ziggurat Productions

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

May this tale be a warning to all good thieves and adventurers who dare follow in the footsteps of the now one-armed Satampra Zeiros!

Members Reviews:

The Birth of Tsathoggua

Originally published in the November 1931 issue of Weird Tales pulp magazine, this is the story that gave birth to the Cthulhu mythos deity Tsathoggua. But its not the story that introduced Tsathoggua to the world, because while this story was written in 1929, it wasn't published for a couple years, and in the meantime Clark Ashton Smith showed the manuscript to his friend H.P. Lovecraft, who then invoked Tsathoggua in his own story "The Whisperer in Darkness" which was published in the August 1931 issue of Weird Tales. So, H.P.L's Tsathoggua was the first in print by three months even though it was created by Clark Ashton Smith.

While Lovecraft's Tsathoggua was first to print, he was only briefly mentioned in "The Whisperer in Darkness." In "The Tale of Satampra Zeiros" Tsathoggua is fleshed out with a wonderfully macabre and slightly humorous description: "He was very squat and pot-bellied, his head was more like that of a monstrous toad than a deity, and his whole body was covered with an imitation of short fur, giving somehow a vague suggestion of both the bat and the sloth. His sleepy lids were half-lowered over his globular eyes; and the tip of a queer tongue issued from his fat mouth. In truth, he was not a comely or personable sort of god..."

Needless to say, this story is a classic of weird fiction, and the reading by Jim Gallant is marvelous as you can tell by the sample. This is the type of audiobook that rewards full focus, and I personally enjoy visually reading stories such as this along with the narration for full immersion.

Darkness in the Jungle

Clark Ashton Smith was a contemporary of Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft, but sadly he never quite achieved their level of fame. That said, if you love weird fiction like the Cthulhu mythos this story is well worth youre time. Plus, the audio version by Jim Gallant is absolutely perfect. You just dont often see performances that put this level of detail into the work. A true hidden gem on Audible. Beyond highly recommended!

Pretty damn awful. Couldn't listen to the last 5 minutes

The story is predictable and boring. The performance is so over the top melodramatic that with 5 minutes to go I cut it off rather than torture myself any longer. What a waste of time and money.

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Title: A Cross of Centuries

Subtitle: The Outer Twilight Series, Volume III

Author: Henry Kuttner

Narrator: Jim Gallant, Harold Harris, Jamie Zimmerman

Format: Abridged

Length: 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-30-06

Publisher: Ziggurat Productions

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Journey 3,000 years into the future, where Tyrell has lived 20 centuries and is now worshipped as a god. He and Herina, his love, were born immortal and have lived together for 300 years. Each century that passes, Tyrell must undergo a mental birthing cycle that washes away most of his memories and restores his mind to a clear slate. Every time, though, his personality changes ever so slightly to adjust to the current times. And each time, Herina fears he will forget her. Her fears soon turn to other matters, however, after Tyrell begins exhibiting changes no one could have expected!

©2005 Bob E. Flick; (P)2005 Ziggurat Productions

Members Reviews:

Classic Religious Science Fiction

Originally published in the paperback anthology Star Science Fiction Stories No. 4 edited by Frederik Pohl in 1958, this story has been included in just about every religious themed science fiction anthology since. In 1971 it was included in Other Worlds, Other Gods: Adventures in Religious Science Fiction and recently in 2007 it was the featured title story for A Cross of Centuries: Twenty-Five Imaginative Stories about the Christ edited by Michael Bishop. You know when a story is heavily anthologized that its a classic, and this one certainly is.

You don't need to be religious to enjoy this story of an immortal man who plays the role of Messiah and must have his memories wiped clean every century since the body renews itself, but the mind ages and becomes senile. So is he really immortal if his memories are lost every century? Plus, the Antichrist makes an appearance!

The performances in this reading are outstanding, but since the dialog is spoken by various voice actors, this audiobook is not exactly unabridged. The lines that boil down to "He said," are not included and some of those lines are descriptive, such as "his hand wavered; then he remembered," "He cried" "He murmured," etc. However, the actors convey those descriptions through their performances very well. Otherwise, all of the narration is present.

This is a great Henry Kuttner story, its just too bad there aren't more Kuttner stories available on Audible. :(

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Title: Classic John Buchan Stories

Author: John Buchan

Narrator: Iain Cuthbertson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-21-06

Publisher: CSA Word

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Here are tales about war-time code breaking, cannibalism, and swashbuckling adventure during the times of Bonnie Prince Charlie. They vie with subtler stories, with a more intimate perspective, about the vagaries of human nature, politics, fishing, and poaching, set against the landscape of the lowland Scottish countryside where Buchan spent his youth.

Members Reviews:

Many unique British & Scottish stories

A set of 8 short stories on everything from World War I to poachers in a Scottish glenn.... worth the time if you like Buchan's longer books.

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Title: The Secret Society of Demolition Writers

Author: Michael Connelly, Sebastian Junger, Benjamin Cheever, more

Narrator: Alan Sklar, Ellen Archer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-20-05

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 30 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Unconventional and unapologetic, this publishing equivalent of a whodunit features an eclectic group of fictional characters, including a delusional schizophrenic narrator, an egg donor with second thoughts about her decision, a pharmacist who forms a weird crush on a woman who beat both of her parents to death, and a little girl who understands that an old safe is the threshold to another, ghostly, world. Equally diverse and surprising are the authors themselves: Aimee Bender, Benjamin Cheever, Michael Connelly, Sebastian Junger, Elizabeth McCracken, Rosie O'Donnell, Chris Offutt, Anna Quindlen, John Burnham Schwartz, Alice Sebold, Lauren Slater, and Marc Parent, the editor of the collection. Never before has such a wide-ranging and talented group of authors been assembled to such explosive and entertaining effect.

The Secret Society of Demolition Writers is an intriguing puzzle in itself, but it's also an important addition to the careers of some of our finest storytellers, even if we never really know who wrote what. Its boundary-smashing fiction offers exhilarating proof that for an artist, withholding your identity can mean gaining your freedom.

Members Reviews:

Disappointed at best

Perhaps my expectations were too high. I did enjoy two of the stories. The rest left me feeling depressed and wondering, "Why am I doing this to myself?"

Demolition Derby

Not for me, didn't like it. I thought I would recognize the stories from some favorite writers (Michael Connelly) but no... Stay with your tried and true.

Ain't such-a-much.

There's nothing in there that made me say,

"Oooh, I wonder who wrote THAT? I wouldn't want to own it either!"

That said, there are a few very engaging stories on offer--but just a few.

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Title: Hidden Kitchens

Subtitle: Stories and More from NPR's The Kitchen Sisters

Author: Davia Nelson, Nikki Silvia

Narrator: Frances McDormand

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-14-05

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 76 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Produced by the Peabody Award winning radio team, The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva, (creators of NPR's "Lost & Found Sound" and "The Sonic Memorial Project") with Jay Allison, Hidden Kitchens explores the world of street corner cooking, kitchen traditions and visionaries, and how communities come together through food. These stories of secret, underground, unofficial, and off the radar kitchens come alive in these sound rich stories full of an array of voices, music, and archival audio that capture a strong sense of place and time, stories that travel the country chronicling kitchen cultures past and present.

Hundreds of listeners called the NPR Hidden Kitchens Hotline with intriguing messages and hot tips about underground kitchens at nuclear test sites, secret civil rights kitchen, family recipes, and more. Many of these funny, passionate, and poignant messages are featured on this beautifully crafted, richly layered audio edition.

Critic Reviews:

" "The Kitchen Sisters are my favorite storytellers. Their off-beat kitchen stories make me want to walk through my neighbrohood, go on a road trip, and eat the food of family. They have heart." (Francis Ford Coppola)

Members Reviews:

LOVED this!

We don't receive this show in my area and now I'm extremely sad. This was fantastic! Little vignettes about people and lives that look ordinary, but are really examples of traditions and actions that make being an American so interesting.

Loved it

More than just about eating or cooking, this is a wonderful compilation of "hidden kitchens" across the country. Makes you open your eyes to what is around you that you may be missing or have ignored.

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Title: Sarah Orne Jewett

Subtitle: Collected Stories

Author: Sarah Orne Jewett

Narrator: Tana Hicken

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-06-04

Publisher: Findaway World

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Included are:

"Miss Tempy's Watchers", in which two friends, one poor, one well-to-do, sit up with the body of their common friend.

In "Going to Shrewsbury", sad but hopeful, Mrs. Peet found herself without a home and aboard a train bound for Shrewsbury.

"Martha's Lady" is a wonderful story about the bond that develops between two young women, one a visiting cousin, the other an awkward maid who has just been employed.

In "Miss Esther's Guest", Miss Esther has decided to perform an act of charity and allow a poor elderly city dweller to visit for a week; but she wasn't expecting a man.

"The Only Rose" is a touching story about a woman who must decide which of her three deceased husband's graves is to have a rose.

In "Aunt Cynthy Dallett", two old friends walk up the hill to visit Aunt Cynthy and reminisce along the way.

"The Flight of Betsy Lane" was a favorite story of Willa Cather. It tells of three friends at the poor house and the adventures of Betsey Lane.

In "Hilton's Holiday", two young girls ride with their father in his best wagon, making their first trip to town. This was Sarah Orne Jewett's favorite story.

Critic Reviews:

"To read Sarah Orne Jewett is to peep into the windows of rose-trellised cottages. What a wonderful introduction to Maine writing!" (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Simply the most satisfying and relaxing stories

If you could sum up Sarah Orne Jewett in three words, what would they be?

Genuine, compassionate, warm

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Watchers at the house of the deceased speaking through a long, companionable night and revealing their own characters as well as that of their dead friend.

Which scene was your favorite?

All of the stories are accessible and remind us of our common humanity across generations and cultures.

If you could rename Sarah Orne Jewett, what would you call it?

I think she is fine with her name.

Any additional comments?

Whenever I feel the need for a sympathetic, loving voice, I listen again to Tana Hicken narrate these wonderful stories.

Old Fashioned New England Tales

If you enjoy Willa Cather - you will enjoy these simple but moving tales of life in rural New England in the latter half of the 1800s.