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Title: My Black Mirror

Author: Wilkie Collins

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-27-14

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Wilkie Collins describes a traveller who has a magic mirror in his possession which enables him to recall scenes from his travels. In a series of amusing sketches he relives various travels in the Tyrol and the Alps before taking a decision about his next holiday destination.

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Title: Sherlock Holmes

Subtitle: The Flight Collection, Three Sherlock Holmes Mysteries in One Book

Author: Pennie Mae Cartawick

Narrator: Simon Prebble

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-22-14

Publisher: Catherine Kimball

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Three Compelling Sherlock Holmes Mysteries In One Book. Narrated by the celebrity actor Simon Prebble who is also known as an award winner for the best voice in fiction.

Story One: "The case of the missing Mayan Codices".

"I do not suppose that you have brought your revolver with you Watson?"I shook my head to indicate that my response was in the negative to his question. He turned his head forward again and led us through the kitchen, past several side pantries. As we cautiously inched forward, Holmes observed that the blood trail consisted of droplets of varying size. "Whomever it came from, they must have been applying intermittent pressure on the wound as they walked."

Story Two: "Murders on the Voyage to India".

Murder; "Murder." The scream echoed down the hallway shaking me from my slumber and into the dim vision of the electric lights. Someone was banging on the door and Watson scrambled to open it. I was bleary- eyed, still feeling a bit desensitized when Evelyn Reed burst in to the door. Her hands were covered with odious red, and tears streaked across her reddened face. "There's been a murder!" She repeated.

Story Three: "The Heist".

"Gentlemen, I am here to represent the interest of Henry Bank and Trust. We would like to resolve the situation quickly and quietly, so that all the investors can move forward with a minimum of anxiety." Holmes sat across from her, studying her with a nonplussed air. "I must admit" he said, "that I do not know how to assist you. Inspector Lestrade was here earlier, and it appears that you are missing nothing and they have no thieves in custody. When the bank emptied today, everything was in place, except for the criminals."

Members Reviews:

Not up to the original.

Very wordy but nothing note worthy. Not up to the original Sherlock Homes.

You can tell where the story line is headed.

Fun Read Sherlock Flies!

Sherlock Holmes The Flight Collection by Pennie Mae Cartawick delivers a lovely and accurate sensibility concerning Sherlock and his side kick Watson. Is it the power of being born in England that brings the language so easily to match that of the times and power of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? Whatever the talents that tip the scale this is a lovely read.

The first two stories resound with originality in their plot lines.

In the first, a Mayan codex weaves with a group of mythical texts called the Dresden Codices, a museum curator sits bleeding, his reputation on the line because it is believed he stole the valuable texts, and Holmes finds a cigarette butt outside the curatorâs home, a butt that provides valuable information for solving the mystery.

Here is one of the strongest points of Cartawickâs writing. Attention to detail, and fully described detail provides the reader with an stable sense of setting, characters and action.

In the second story which takes place on the high seas several murders occur. The wrap up to the plot is swift with a few interesting details provided by an albatross and a turtleâs shell.

The third story reads startlingly like a movie in which the bank thieves enter the bank but do not exit; no money is taken and none of the hostages hurt.

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Title: Uncommon Stories

Author: Wilkie Collins, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stacy Aumonier, Sherwood Anderson, Guy de Maupassant, Saki, Edgar Allan Poe

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-14-14

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A captivating anthology of some of the more unusual short stories written by well-known classic writers.

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Title: Fifty Great Classic Stories

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle, Guy de Maupassant, Kenneth Grahame, D. H. Lawrence, Edgar Allan Poe, Wilkie Collins, Stacy Aumonier

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 24 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-10-14

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Fifty great classic short stories selected from the works of the best writers of the last century.

Members Reviews:

Great collection but terrible narrator

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator's very strange accent is very off-putting, as is the cadence and intonation of her voice. It's hard to get past it and almost ruins what would be an excellently curated collection.

What did you like best about this story?

It was an interesting and eclectic collection that went from the very funny to the very macabre.

Would you be willing to try another one of Cathy Dobsons performances?

No.

Do you think Fifty Great Classic Stories needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Maybe one narrated by a different author?...

Very wierd accent. Hard to stay with the tale. Bad

What would have made Fifty Great Classic Stories better?

A better voice without the forced accent that makes following the stories impossible.

Would you ever listen to anything by the authors again?

No, Never.

Would you be willing to try another one of Cathy Dobsons performances?

No. Never.

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

Disappointment

Any additional comments?

The ability to lose yourself in an audiobook with the keys to imagination open has been destroyed by the narrator.

personally did not like it

never did finish it. I like to know who the authors are and it was confusing it ran together

dreadful narration

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

This was absolutely awful ... I wanted to enjoy it but the awful monotonous droning of Cathy Dobson as the narrator spoilt it totally. I only managed to listed to 1-1/2 stories before snatching my headphones off.... Awful awful awful. So disappointed as I have no doubt the stories are great.

How could the performance have been better?

see above

Any additional comments?

Please redo this collection with a different narrator. Just because she's an author in her own right, does not make her a good reader!! I note one other reviewer also made similar comments.

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Title: Major Namby

Author: Wilkie Collins

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-20-14

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A brilliant and humorous short story by Wilkie Collins, in which an elderly lady, whose Victorian sensibilities on morals and propriety are finely honed, finds herself living next door to Major Namby, the ultimate neighbour from hell.

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Title: Horror Stories

Subtitle: Tales of Ghosts, Curses, Mummies, and Zombies

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, Wilkie Collins, Stacy Aumonier, H. P. Lovecraft, Louisa May Alcott, H. Rider Haggard

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-19-13

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A spine-tingling collection of weird and wonderful horror stories, featuring ghosts, curses, strange phenomena, ghouls, black magic, and demonic apparitions. Do you dare to listen?

Members Reviews:

Ugh, more great material ruined by Cathy Dobson

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

A better narrator without the strange cadence and random inflections!

What other book might you compare Horror Stories to and why?

Other great classic material ruined by Dobson's weird narration.

What didnt you like about Cathy Dobsons performance?

Everything. She has a British accent, which would usually bode well for this type of material, but in her case it's just awful.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Horror Stories?

The scene where Cathy Dobson enters the narrators booth.

Boring

What disappointed you about Horror Stories?

Mostly the narration, but the stories are pretty unhorrific as well.

Has Horror Stories turned you off from other books in this genre?

Perhaps.

Would you be willing to try another one of Cathy Dobsons performances?

Absolutely not. Her performance doesn't make these dated tales to life.

What character would you cut from Horror Stories?

The narrator.

The narrator ruined this book.

What would have made Horror Stories better?

If the narrator had made an effort to engage the reader with her voice.

What could the authors have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

This collection seemed like the perfect choice. Many of my favorite authors are featured in this anthology. I could not get past the narrator's constant, unchanging way of reading.

Listening to the narrator has damaged my sanity

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

I don't mean to be unkind but the narrator was definitely not the right person for the job. Having someone else, anyone else, read it would have improved my rating.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My mind has blanked out all specific memory of the stories to protect me.

What didnt you like about Cathy Dobsons performance?

Her vocal rhythm is unendurable and monotonous. Every sentence sounds the same as the as the last and the next one; it starts off quietly and then reaches a crescendo and then quietens again. It's not her fault; she's obviously articulate. The fault lies with whoever gave her the job and whoever directed her. Her talents may be better deployed in the field of hypnosis?

Terrible reader so oils would could be a great col

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

The book WAS for me, the reader wasn't!

What will your next listen be?

Back to an old favourite until I can bear to try this again

Would you be willing to try another one of Cathy Dobsons performances?

No

What character would you cut from Horror Stories?

I don't know I couldn't bear to get past the 3rd chapter

Any additional comments?

Such a shame - looks like a great collection

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Title: Smith and the Pharaohs

Author: Henry Rider Haggard

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-13

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

When the retiring young bank clerk Smith ducks into the British Museum one day to avoid the rain, he finds himself confronted with the bust of an Egyptian lady so beautiful that he becomes infatuated with her. His obsession leads him to read extensively on the subject of Egyptology, learn to read hieroglyphics, and gradually become an established Egyptologist.

Every winter he travels to Egypt and undertakes archeological work. Then, in the third year, he makes an astounding discovery which changes the course of his life forever.

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Title: Tales of London Life

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson, Stacy Aumonier, W. W. Jacobs, J. M. Barrie, Marie Corelli, Mark Twain, Arthur Quiller-Couch

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-04-13

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

An absorbing set of stories set in Victorian and Edwardian London.

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Title: The Bottle Imp

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Narrator: Roy McMillan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-04-13

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is a story from the The Body Snatcher and Other Stories collection.

The Body Snatchers is one of Robert Louis Stevenson's most chilling tales. After many years, a chance encounter between two former medical students forces them to recall their sinister past and foul play that was better left buried. Perfect for long winter nights, these stories have been specially selected to create an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. Read by Roy McMillan, with Naxos AudioBooks's trademark of carefully chosen music.

Editorial Reviews:

Keawe buys a magic bottle containing an imp who grants every wish to the bottle's owner. But it comes with a curse, and Keawe must sell the bottle before his death, lest he be sent to Hell. He gets everything he could ever want and sells the bottle, but soon afterwards he contracts a disease. Keawe must retrieve the bottle to cure himself. Robert Louis Stevenson's story is a classic depiction of the consequences of envy and desire, and the composed restraint of Roy McMillan's performance lends the tale a foreboding, almost ghoulish tone as Keawe's fortunes turn to tragedy.

Members Reviews:

Three Short Stories with Varied Themes - Horror, Lunacy, and Love

Robert Louis Stevenson is best known for Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but he also created a remarkably varied collection of short stories. This Dover Thrift Edition, titled The Body Snatcher and Other Tales, offers three tales: The Body Snatcher (1881), The Merry Men (1884), and The Bottle Imp (1890).

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century grave robbers provided stolen corpses to medical schools for dissection in anatomy classes. On occasion grave robbers took short cuts, apprehending and murdering individuals on lonely backstreets in London, rather than making a somewhat arduous and risky journey to a rural cemetery. The Body Snatcher is one of Stevenson's most popular short stories, and has been published in many anthologies, especially collections of horror stories.

The Merry Men are not inebriated revelers and party-goers, but a local name for fearsome, pounding breakers along the rocky cliffs of a Scottish isle named Aros. This isolated location is the setting for a tale of greed and lunacy.

The Bottle Imp is a clever tale of a genie trapped within a round-bellied, narrow-necked, milky white glass bottle. The imprisoned imp satisfies all that the bottle owner desires - love, fame, fortune. But there is a catch: for if a man dies before he sells it, he must burn in hell forever. Despite this ghastly premise, Stevenson has woven an intriguing tale of love and adventure, and of good and evil.

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Title: The Portrait of Mr. W H

Author: Oscar Wilde

Narrator: David Timson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-02-13

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is a story from the Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories collection.

A palmist's prediction leads to murder; an enigmatic woman's lifestyle is a mystery to be solved; a ghost tries to frighten the new tenants of his home; a man has discovered the dedicatee of Shakespeare's Sonnets; a millionaire wants to be painted as a pauper. Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories is a collection of fascinating short stories that are subversive as well as entertaining. Also included in this audiobook is 'The Birthday of the Infanta from A House of Pomegranates', in which an ugly dwarf loves a beautiful princess. How will his feelings fare in a cruel society?

Editorial Reviews:

This Oscar Wilde story from Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories collection is centered around the mysterious identity of the person to whom William Shakespeare addressed his sonnets. The possibility that a boy actor in Shakespeare's company named Willie Hughes was the addressee drives the story's characters to despair and desperation as they try to find proof of his existence. Narrator David Timson adopts a knowing, slightly scholarly tone to his performance that is brightened by his depiction of the characters' passionate obsession.

Members Reviews:

some of these stories are timeless

I really enjoyed most of the stories in this collection. If nothing else they give a window on the popular English perceptions about Americans of the time as well as some (again, for the time) biting satire on English middle-class mores and attitudes. I often re-listen to this collection when I need an antidote to the reverentional treatment that late Victorian England gets on PBS, especially Masterpiece Theatre -- which I enjoy, but come on, in reality the streets were full of horse dung and the upper-class treated the lower classes like they were not human. All in all, well worth the price.