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Title: Voodoo Island

Author: Michael Duckworth

Narrator: Charles Collingwood

Format: Abridged

Length: 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-17-10

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Mr James Conway wants to make money. He wants to build new houses and shops - and he wants to build them on an old graveyard, on the island of Haiti. There is only one old man who still visits the graveyard; and Mr Conway is not afraid of one old man.But the old man has friends - friends in the graveyard, friends who lie dead, under the ground. And when Mr Conway starts to build his houses, he makes the terrible mistake of disturbing the sleep of the dead.

An Oxford Bookworms Library reader for learners of English.

Critic Reviews:

"The most consistent of all series in terms of language control, length, and quality of storytelling." (David R. Hill, ELT Journal Review)

Members Reviews:

Very informative

A useful study of traditional practices and one of only a handful I would really recommend on voodoo - the others being Voodoo Visions, Divine Horsemen (Maya Deren), Vodou Shaman (Ross Heaven) and Mama Lola (Karen Brown). This book expands on the 'mysteries' of voodoo and is a useful addition to the others.

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Title: Haywards Heath (BBC National Short Story Award 2010)

Author: Aminatta Forna

Narrator: Hugh Quarshie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-08-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Memories of a lost love lead to a much anticipated reunion, but things do not turn out as expected. The BBC National Short Story Award 2010 administered in partnership with Booktrust.

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Title: Undaunted

Subtitle: A Stan Turner Mystery, Volume 1

Author: William Manchee

Narrator: Jeffrey Kafer, Arika Escalona

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-10

Publisher: Top Publications, Ltd.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In this first episode of the Stan Turner Mysteries, it's the tail end of the Vietnam War, and Stan, forced into the United States Marine Corps by a vicious twist of fate, must leave his wife and family, and report for duty. On his first day of boot camp, he unwittingly befriends a serial killer and soon finds himself on trial for the murder of his drill sergeant. Aided by a pretty nurse who wants him, and a reporter who wants his story, Stan desperately searches for the actual killer to prove his innocence.

Critic Reviews:

"Undaunted is a sensual thriller envolving white supremicist, a serial killer, and the Marines all rolled up into a startling package that will leave you clinging to every word. Undaunted proves to me that Manchee is a master at story telling. He has a way of spinning a tale that leaves you breathless every time." (Myshelf.com)

Members Reviews:

Story was okay, but the writing is sophomoric.

When I say sophomoric, I mean high school, not college. The dialogue is stilted, artificial, and trite. Even the narrative is awful. Stuff like this: "Deep down I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what she had to say." And this: "I wanted to ravish her body." A murder trial is central to the plot. I tried cases for 30 years. The defendant is represented by a lazy incompetent passed off as something better. The prosecutor ignores, apparently intentionally, obvious evidence that should materially affect his investigation. If this author has ever been in courtroom, I hope it was only as a spectator.

Couldn't put it down!

"Undaunted" is a real page-turner, or whatever the audio equivalent is. Manchee does a wonderful job of weaving a compelling story line. Escalona & Kafer are masterful in bringing the characters to life in just the way this listener would want - quickly I forgot I was listening to "narration" and was able to simply get lost in the story.

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Title: England, England

Author: Julian Barnes

Narrator: Julian Barnes

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-18-10

Publisher: Random House Audio

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

As every schoolboy knows, you can fit the whole of England on the Isle of White. Grotesque, visionary tycoon Sir Jack Pitman takes the saying literally and does exactly that. He constructs on the island 'The Project', a vast heritage centre containing everything 'English', from Big Ben to Stonehenge, from Manchester United to the white Cliffs of Dover.

The project is monstrous, risky, and vastly successful. In fact, it gradually begins to rival 'Old' England and even threatens to supersede it....

One of Barnes's finest and funniest novels, England, England calls into question the idea of replicas, truth vs fiction, reality vs art, nationhood, myth-making, and self-exploration.

Members Reviews:

Why can't Americans learn to write this well?

Barnes is still one of the best writers living today, in company with a mostly British crowd. Why can't American authors learn to love character development, plot construction and language as the Brits do?

Fine light comic novel and comedy of manners

My wife and I enjoyed this as an audiobook some years ago during a long drive. I happened to look it up again and was surprised the average rating was 3 stars. If you like whimsical comic novels with eccentric characters and unpredictable turns of events, you'll like this. I still have fond memories of the business leader in the book - I imagined a sort of Jack Welch persona - who faced every management dilemma by storming into or out of a room while bellowing, "You do it by DOING IT." If you like comic novels you will like this.

Fictional Satire at its Best

I wish I were older and/or had better knowledge concerning England. Everything I know at this point consists of the scant details spoon-fed to me in high school and a history survey in college. But even with this limited knowledge, Julian Barnes' England, England is a wonderful satire, one that even such as myself was able to enjoy.

The novel tells the story of the strangely brilliant Sir Jack Pitman, who builds an island "England, England," which is a small miniaturized version of England that attracts tourists from all over the world. Packed within a few square miles are scaled down versions of all that the rest of the world views as inherently "English." From Robin Hood and Buckingham Palace, to pubs and Princess Di's tombstone, the small tourist attraction professes to include everything a tourist would want to see in England but in a quarter of the time.

Much of the novel is told through the eyes of Martha Cochrane, a middle-aged woman with the kind of outsider's point of view that is both strange and comforting once it's thrown into this plan to create Pitman's dream island. Her views on sex, relationships, and just about everything is told, along with the rest of the novel, in the type of dry humor much of the world has come to associate with the British. I found myself laughing as Barnes described some of the historical possibilities including Robin and his Merry Men being a group of homosexuals and other such reinterpretations.

Though I found this novel wonderful, I can see a lot of people not liking it. Barnes' prose is dense and makes it impossible to skim. And many parts of the novel include really elaborate descriptions, which for some may seem over-elaborate and possibly boring.

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Title: Men I've Loved Before

Author: Adele Parks

Narrator: Charlotte Strevens

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-15-10

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Neil and Nat are a beautifully matched couple. They hate marmite and opera, they love smelly cheese and the missionary position, and they both absolutely do not want children. Then, suddenly, Neil is practically begging her for a baby, causing Nat to wonder if he really is the man she should be with. Is it possible that someone from her past could actually be 'the one'?

Members Reviews:

Rambling Wreck

If you're interested in how good buttered toast tastes in the afternoon or whether the drapes match the wall paper this book's for you. On and on it rambled and finally got to the end where absolutely nothing that was unpredictable happened. Save a credit!

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Título: Mandarina

Autor: Susana Pérez Alonso

Narrador: Pilar Lozano

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 4 hrs and 29 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 11-12-10

Editor: Audiomol

Categorías: Fiction, Contemporary

Resumen del editor:

Mandarina narra la relación telefónica que van siguiendo Laura y un desconocido, que la llama cada mañana para que ésta le cuente historias eróticas en una relación de sometimiento. Cada capítulo conforma una de estas historias, siguiendo los diferentes momentos por los que "esta relación" va pasando, hasta llegar la punto culminante de la novela, con una vuelta de tuerca interesante. Mandarina es una historia de amor. De amor hermoso, de amor que poco a poco se torna en violencia. Mandarina es un tormento. Mandarina es la esencia del placer y del amor. Quienes viven la historia, un hombre y una mujer, lo hacen de forma diferente. Ella, la mujer, la vive con placer, pasión y amor. Él, el hombre, la vive con pasión y placer. El amor queda fuera de su historia, de la que él vive. Mandarina refleja el doble lenguaje de algunos seres humanos.

Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

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Title: Red Roses

Author: Christine Lindop

Narrator: Jeff Harding

Format: Abridged

Length: 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-10-10

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

"Who is the man with the roses in his hand?" thinks Anna. "I want to meet him." Who is the girl with the guitar? thinks Will. "I like her. I want to meet her." But they do not meet. "There are lots of men!" says Annas friend Vicki, but Anna cannot forget Will. And then, one rainy day....

An Oxford Bookworms Library reader for learners of English.

An Oxford Bookworms Library reader for learners of English.

Critic Reviews:

"The most consistent of all series in terms of language control, length, and quality of storytelling." (ELT Journal Review)

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Title: Mr. Toppit

Author: Charles Elton

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-09-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

And out of the Darkwood Mr. Toppit comes, and he comes not for you, or for me, but for all of us.

When the Hayseed Chronicles, an obscure series of childrens books, becomes world famous, millions of readers debate the significance of that enigmatic last line and of the shadowy figure, Mr. Toppit, who dominates the books. The author, Arthur Hayman, an unsuccessful screenwriter mown down by a concrete truck in Soho, never reaps the benefits of the books success. The legacy passes to his widow, Martha, and her children - the fragile Rachel, and Luke, reluctantly immortalized as Luke Hayseed, the central character of his fathers books. But others want their share, particularly Laurie, the overweight stranger from California who comforted Arthur as he lay dying and has a mysterious agenda of her own that will change all their lives, for buried deep in the books lie secrets which threaten to be revealed as the family begins to crumble under the heavy burden of their inheritance.

Spanning several decades, from the heyday of the British film industry after the war to the cut-throat world of show business in Los Angeles, Mr. Toppit is a riveting tale of the unexpected effects of sudden fame and fortune. Not since Jonathan Coes What a Carve Up! has a novel managed to capture a family and a society to such wonderfully funny and painful effect.

Charles Elton worked as a designer and editor in publishing before becoming a director of the literary agency Curtis Brown. Since 1991 he has worked in television and has been executive producer in drama at ITV since 2000. Among his productions are The Railway Children, the Oscar-nominated short Syrup, Andrew Davies adaptation of Northanger Abbey, and the recent series Time of Your Life.

Editorial Reviews:

Luke Hayman has lived his life in the shadow of another Luke: the main character, named Luke Hayseed, in a series of books written by his father, Arthur. Throughout the books known as The Hayseed Chronicles an unseen character named Mr. Toppit keeps Luke Hayseed busy with an array of nearly impossible tasks; Luke Hayman has spent his days on the equally daunting task of convincing fans of the books that fact and fiction are two different things. But when an American tourist named Laurie finds a connection with Arthur during his dying moments in England and then brings The Hayseed Chronicles to an American audience the books become an international phenomenon that Luke and his family cant escape.

In Mr. Toppit, Charles Elton weaves together the stories of pre-Hayseed Arthur and his wife, Martha; Luke and his sister, Rachel; and Laurie and her mother, Alma, to detail all the ways that unseen people (absent fathers, deceased children, lost siblings) can influence us. Narrator Simon Vance adjusts his voice for each character, giving Luke, Rachel, Martha, and their friends and neighbors unique English accents; saddling Laurie with a West Coast twang (and a slightly masculine voice to match her not-very-delicate personality); using a raspy, aged voice for Lauries nursing home-bound mother. But his narration mostly done from Lukes point of view is classic coming-of-age, taking Luke from prep school exploits to post-grad rebellion without missing a beat.

Critic Reviews:

Witty, engrossing, movingOne hot mess of a family romance. (London Times)

An extraordinary debutDark, funnyjangly with secrets. (Sunday Times, London)

Mr.

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Title: 36 Arguments for the Existence of God

Author: Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

Narrator: Steven Pinker, Oliver Wyman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-02-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

After Cass Seltzers book becomes a surprise best seller, he's dubbed the atheist with a soul and becomes a celebrity. He wins over the stunning Lucinda Mandelbaum, the goddess of game theory, and loses himself in a spiritually expansive infatuation.

Then a former girlfriend appears: an anthropologist who invites him to join in her quest for immortality through biochemistry. And he is haunted by reminders of the two people who ignited his passion to understand religion: his mentor and professor - a renowned literary scholar with a suspicious obsession with messianism - and an angelic six-year-old mathematical genius who is heir to the leadership of a Hasidic sect. Each encounter reinforces Cass's theory that the religious impulse spills over into life at large.

36 Arguments for the Existence of God plunges into the great debate of our day: the clash between faith and reason. World events are being shaped by fervent believers at home and abroad, while a new atheism is asserting itself in the public sphere. On purely intellectual grounds the sceptics would seem to have everything on their side. Yet people refuse to accept their seemingly irrefutable arguments and continue to embrace faith in God as their source of meaning, purpose, and comfort.

Through the enchantment of fiction, award-winning novelist and MacArthur Fellow Rebecca Newberger Goldstein shows that the tension between religion and doubt cannot be understood through rational argument alone. It also must be explored from the point of view of individual people caught in the raptures and torments of religious experience in all their variety. Using her gifts in fiction and philosophy, Goldstein has produced a true crossover novel, complete with a nail-biting debate ("Resolved: God Exists") and a stand-alone appendix with the 36 arguments (and responses) that propelled Seltzer to stardom.

Critic Reviews:

"Oliver Wymans narration contains just the right bit of mischief to deliver the polysyllabic academicians jargon in this ambitious, humorous new novelWyman is wonderful as puffed-up conversations about the psychology of religion, Matthew Arnolds poetry, and the Kabbalah rain down." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

What Fun!

I've read and enjoyed plenty of non-fiction on the existence (or otherwise) of God, but this is much more fun. This book had me laughing and crying in between all the thinking and learning. If Cass Seltzer is the atheist with a soul, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is an atheist mensh.

Deeply Disappointing

I found this book dreary and dull and I say that as an Atheist, who has no axe to grind. I had hoped a new vogue of atheist inspired fiction would be so much better, but instead we're given characters that no one outside of Havard Faculty could even begin recognise or identify with. - way to alienate the mass market!

A grey sludge of soppy sentimentalist crap sprinkled with over intellectualised dialogue. Not even Steven Pinker's cameo at the end can make it worth your while.

Deeply intelligent and very funny

This is a witty and deeply intelligent book. Often hilariuos and with a broad intellectual range. A background in philosophy is helpful; not for the narrow-minded!

Oliver Wyman adopts just the right tone, and gives an excellent performance.

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Title: Seven for a Secret

Author: Judy Astley

Narrator: Patricia Gallimore

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-28-10

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 1.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

It was Heather's silver wedding anniversary. But this important milestone did not mark her marriage to Tom, her often-absent airline pilot husband and father of their two teenage children. It was for her first marriage - a wildly romantic, secret affair, when she and Iain - 12 years older than her and the heir to a Scottish baronetcy - had eloped immediately after her final school speech day. She was just 16 at the time. The marriage had not lasted 25 weeks, let alone years, and it was, as her mother firmly announced, As If It Never Happened. But secrets have a habit of coming out, and when a film crew arrived in the attractive Thames side village where Heather and Tom lived, Heather was horrified to find her ex-husband amongst them.

As Heather and Iain met again, many secrets jostled to be revealed, including Tom's own highly secret life. Heather, her daughter Kate - the same age as Heather was when she embarked upon her disastrous elopement - and her mother, Delia, all had to reveal things they never thought would need to be revealed, and their peaceful Oxfordshire village community buzzed with speculation and scandal.

Members Reviews:

Lovely British setting. Interesting story about complex relationships/family matters.

Can't go wrong with Judy Astley. Well written. Funny and sad. I'm generally surprised by Ms. Astley's view on things..I don't always agree with the way things turn out, but I'm the reader not the writer, and I enjoy her take on family matters.