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Title: The Piper's Son

Author: Melina Marchetta

Narrator: Michael Finney

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-01-10

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Melina Marchetta's brilliant, heart-wrenching new novel takes up the story of the group of friends from her best-selling, much-loved book Saving Francesca only this time it's five years later and Thomas Mackee is the one who needs saving.

Members Reviews:

Story - wonderful; performance - amazing

What made the experience of listening to The Piper's Son the most enjoyable?

I thought nothing could top reading

What other book might you compare The Piper's Son to and why?

Any other books by Melina Marchetta; she has a unique writing style that cannot be compared.

Have you listened to any of Michael Finneys other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first listen to a Michael Finney performance but I am encouraged to listen to more of his performances.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The one-and-a-half night stand...

Any additional comments?

Read it. Listen to it. Anything. It's amazing.

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Title: Never the Bride

Author: Paul Magrs

Narrator: Joanna Tope

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-01-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Brenda has had a long and eventful life, and she has come to Whitby to run a B&B in search of some peace and quiet. She and her best friend, Effie, like nothing better than going out for tea and keeping their eyes open for any of the mysterious goings on in town.

But the oddest thing in Whitby may well be Brenda herself. With her terrible scars, her strange lack of a surname, or the fact that she takes two different shoe sizes, Brenda should have known that people, well, unique as she is, just arent destined for a quiet life.

Members Reviews:

Amusing interlude.

This is the first book in the Brenda and Effie series of books.

What I liked about this was the way there were a few different storylines happening, rather than one long story that might have got bogged down otherwise.

The narrator does a good job, and you have a fair idea about which character she is portraying.

If I had a downside in this review it would be a lack of history for Effie. You do get a history, but it's pretty vague overall. I hope this is because there is a story linking into that in a later book.

It would also have been nice to hear about how Brenda settled into Whitby. But again, I notice there seems to be a short story in the series that I assume covers this a bit more. However, I won't be buying that just yet because I would like to know the main books first.

If you want a lighthearted supernatural book that covers a few clichés (but in a good way), then you shouldn't be disappointed with the start of the adventures of Brenda and Effie.

just wonderfully different.

I wanted some middle aged to elderly female protanganists, and something that had a happy feel good factor. This was it! fantastical, sweet, funny and leaves you feel happy but keen to know what's next. The narrator was superb and I'm my opinion, one of the best I've ever heard!

Fantastic

I am so pleased I read this book an all set for another one am going to send for all a most enjoyable story

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Title: Long for This World

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Sonya Chung

Narrator: Hillary Huber

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-18-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In 1953, on a remote island in South Korea, a young boy stows away on the ferry that is carrying his older brother and sister-in-law to the mainland. Fifty-two years later, Han Hyun-kyu is on a plane back to Korea, leaving behind his wife and grown children in America. It is his daughter, Jane---a war photographer recently injured in a bombing in Baghdad and forced to return to New York---who journeys to find him in the South Korean town where his brothers have settled. Here, father and daughter take refuge from their demons, unearth passions, and, in the wake of tragedy, discover something deeper and more enduring than they'd imagined possible. Long for This World is a pointillist triumph---depicting whole worlds through the details of a carefully prepared meal or a dark childhood memory. But author Sonya Chung is also working on a massive scale, effortlessly moving between domestic intimacies and the global stage---Iraq, Paris, Darfur, Syria---to illuminate the relationship between troubled world affairs and personal devastation. The result is a profound portrayal of the human experience, both large and small. Long for This World establishes Chung as a thrilling new voice in fiction.

Critic Reviews:

An intricately structured and powerfully resonant portrait of lives lived at the crossroads of culture, and a family torn between the old world and the new. (Kate Walbert, National Book Award finalist and author of A Short History of Women)

Members Reviews:

Thought Provoking and Entertaining

Long for This World is bold and subtle, thought-provoking and entertaining. Page after page is filled with writing that made me think: Aha! I know that feeling, but could not articulate it (at all, let alone as beautifully), revealing the many layers that can course through a single moment.

The story of the Korean American Han's and the Korean Han's covers a panoramic distance across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Yet the story is not sprawling, it is deep and intimate, filled with the thoughts and feelings of an array of distinct and beautifully rendered characters.

Although the main character Ah Jin (Jane) is a war photographer, and there are vivid scenes that take the reader into the war zone, the most dangerous moments in the story seem to occur during ordinary interactions; between a daughter and her mother, a sister and her brother, a husband and a wife. Much of the story takes place in a small town in Korea inland from the ocean, where "...there is little that happens here in the country, and yet the air moves, it is dynamic, taste and texture and life happen in the breeze." Although a lot happens in this story, we also get to experience what happens "in the breeze." Just like a stop-motion movie that shows a field of flowers blossom in the springtime, we get to see the inner shifts and changes inside the characters, the story takes us places we can't ordinarily go in real life.

Even minor characters are rendered with finesse. Dr. Lee, as Jane calls her mother, is a remote woman, who (ironically) is more devoted to her psychiatric career than to her family. Jane is not close to her mother, yet she tries to imagine what her mother's life was like when she grew up. She imagines that Dr. Lee's mother was probably a woman chasing after social status and romantic affairs, disregarding her child, who later takes on the same self-absorbed traits.

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Title: In the Falling Snow

Author: Caryl Phillips

Narrator: Ben Onwukwe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 03-09-10

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Caryl Phillips has won numerous awards for heralded worksof fiction and nonfiction. In the Falling Snow revolves around Keith, born in England to West Indian parents and raisedfor the most partby his white stepmother. Unmoored by a failing marriage, a distant son, and estrangement from his own father, Keith faces daunting change and must accept unsettling truths about himself and those around him.

Critic Reviews:

"Phillips's latest is thoughtful, personal and engrossing, detailing the struggles of second-generation immigrants, thoroughly assimilated Britons who don't "look" British. While Keith can be frustratingly passive, his personal saga is challenging and emblematic, chronicling the changing racial makeup of modern England without ever crossing into stereotypical or maudlin territory." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Had Great Potential but Quickly Went Downhill!!!

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I dont know who would enjoy this book other than fans of Caryl Philips perhaps? Otherwise, I do not know of anyone who would like this book or anyone I would recommend it to at all.

What was most disappointing about Caryl Phillipss story?

The thing that was disappointing about this book was the fact that it started off with a bang, but quickly began to go downhill as far as the story going anywhere else or progressing. Its almost like it was written backwards! The ending didnt make ANY SENSE whatsoever, its almost like Caryl Philips was writing it, got tired, and gave his work to someone else to complete. I read this for a school assignment and it was on its way to being the best one Ive read, but missed in a GREAT way towards the end. Very disappointing and if it wasnt for this being for a grade, it would also have been an utter waste of time...

Have you listened to any of Ben Onwukwes other performances before? How does this one compare?

I havent listened to any of his performances before but I did enjoy his performance over anything else. It was the one thing that made this whole experience somewhat enjoyable after the book started to get worse towards the end.

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

Anger and Disappointment pretty much sums up how I felt after reading this book...angry that I had to read this book only to find out that it was a dud and disappointed because it could have been something great. It had soo much potential.

Any additional comments?

Unless you HAVE TO read this book, DO NOT waste your time with this one. Find another book to read...there are soo many more that wont make you want to burn them when youre done. Im sorry, but yes....it was that bad when it was all over.

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Title: Bloodtide

Author: Melvin Burgess

Narrator: Colin Moody

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-08-10

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

London is in ruins, in the hands of two warring families of ganglords, the Volsons and the Conors. To cement a truce between the two families Val Volson offers Conor the hand of his 14 year old daughter Signy. The wedding feast is disrupted by the dramatic coming to life of a mysterious one eyed prisoner. The people are in no doubt that it is the god Odin, come to play a part in the affairs of men.

©1999 Melvin Burgess; (P)2005 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd.

Critic Reviews:

"Burgess' bleak and breathless vision will spark imaginations and discussions." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Bloody great

There are ripping yarns and then there are ripping your throat out yarns. Bloodtide is the latter. In the broadest terms it's about a post-societal collapse London in, roughly speaking, the year 2100. The city is divided between two warring ganglords who syle themselves as kings, and plot to bring all of London under the rule of one king. Surrounding London is a vast ring of wasteland occupied by the half-men, engineered man/animal hybrids who are hunted and feared by Londoners. To add to the fun the Norse gods are also around, meddling in human affairs for their own obscure pleasures and purposes. King Conor rises to rule all of London, but to do so he must commit an act of profound treachery. He also takes as his wife Signy, the daughter of Valson, his vanquished rival. Conor kills all the Valsons, but unknown to him one has survived: Siggy, Signy's twin brother. Signy pretends to love Conor but actually plots his downfall, which is years in the making. There's a whole bunch more to the story, but that would be telling.

Melvin Burgess has bellied up to the literary buffet and helped himself to Norse mythology, Shakespearean plotting, werewolves, shape-shifters, Dickensian street life, mutants, Brit gangster patois, a bit of steampunk, a generous serving of sci-fi, and he's sauced the whole thing with lots of bone-crunching, artery-spurting violence. What's really gobsmacking about Bloodtide is that Burgess has managed to take all these elements and make them work together brilliantly. It's no mean feat. There are lots of writers out there trying to do mashups in the fantasy/sci-fi field and they usually fail miserably. Burgess succeeds because he's a massively good writer. He uses the various genre elements to flesh out the background to the story and create a dread-filled atosphere, but he doesn't let them get in the way of plot or characterization. Lesser writers tend to fall in love with the bling value, as it were, of various genres and thematic elements, and ignore basic storytelling skills.

Burgess tells his story from multiple points of view, which is always a challenge because it often ends up that one character comes across more strongly than the others. Not in this case. The various characters are all equally compelling, although if I had to name a favourite it would be Melanie, a human/pig hybrid. She's a bit like a Beatrix Potter character forced to live in an earthly hell but still holding onto her decency. At the opposite pole from Melanie is Conor, who manages to combine the less appealing characteristics of Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot.

The theme of Bloodtide is that power corrupts, but the thirst for revenge corrupts even more.

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Title: Special Topics in Calamity Physics

Author: Marisha Pessl

Narrator: Emily Janice Card

Format: Unabridged

Length: 21 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-08-10

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

As teenager Blue van Meer tells her story we are hurled into a dizzying world of murder and butterflies, womanizing and wandering, American McCulture, The Western Canon, political radicalism and juvenile crushisms. Structured around a syllabus for a Great Works of Literature class, Blue's wickedly funny yet poignant tale reveals how the imagination finds meaning in the most bewildering times, the ways people of all ages strive for connection, and how the darkest of secrets can set us free.

Critic Reviews:

"Made me stay up all night reading. I loved this book." (Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife)

"This is undoubtedly one of the most impressive debut novels I have ever read...It is, perhaps, Pessl's level of precision, coupled, of course, with her ability to create a plot that stops you doing anything apart from read it, that makes her such an exciting writer." (Independent on Sunday)

Members Reviews:

Worth it - in the end.

I almost gave up on this - 20 hours is a significant portion of your life to devote to something you are only luke-warm on. However, I pushed on though and once I got over the half-way hump, the story gained momentum and was a reasonably compelling ride to the finish.

Too much time, perhaps, was spent setting up the characters (or is this a male/female thing?), which I guess may not be a problem, except that I was not overly drawn to them. Blue, our heroine, ridiculed various social groups while also striving to be part of one. And in Australia we have a word the rhymes with "banker" to describe her father.

Once the mystery starts to build, I feel the story takes a turn for the better. And the ending brings various aspects together in a satisfying way.

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Title: The Long Way Home

Author: Janis Reams Hudson

Narrator: Ruth Ann Phimister

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-15-10

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A national best-selling author, Janis Reams Hudson has thrilled the hearts of millions of readers with more than 30 novels that feature spirited heroes and heroines.

A Long Way Home is the story of two outcasts searching for a place to call their own. After seven years in prison, Duncan Malone returns to Washita, Texas desperately wanting to reclaim his familys farm. But it is now owned by Franki Taylor, a young unmarried woman who is six months pregnant. In the eyes of the townspeople, they are both suspicious and untrustworthy. So when Duncan starts working for Franki, a storm of gossip threatens to destroy the two of them. They have joined forces to keep the farm running, but Duncan and Franki soon feel a strong attraction. Narrator Ruth Ann Phimister fully voices the couples hope and fears as they overcome the memories of old betrayals and learn to trust each other.

Members Reviews:

Big fan of the author; the narrator... not so much

I enjoy Hudson's style of writing and her choice of settings for her books. One of her other books, "Angel on a Harley" is my favorite short romance book.

Big fan of the author; the narrator... not so much

I enjoy Hudson's style of writing and her choice of settings for her books. One of her other books, "Angel on a Harley" is my favorite short romance book.

Very enjoyable!

This is my first Janis Reams Hudson book and I must say it was very enjoyable. It had a little bit of everything, love, family, excitement and danger. It will be one that I will listen to again and again throughout my years!

I was a little disappointed at the end of the audiobook because I hadn't realized the one I downloaded was only "Part 1". I was listening to it before I went to bed and when I realized it was "to be continued" I almost jumped out of bed to go download "Part 2". Decided to wait until morning and I enjoyed the second part even more than the first.

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Title: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency 5 (Dramatised)

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrator: Claire Benedict, Nadine Marshall

Format: Original Recording

Length: 1 hr and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-10

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Limited

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

How to Handle Men through the Application of Psychology & The House of Hope

Warm, humorous and uplifting, Alexander McCall Smiths hugely popular novels featuring Precious Ramotswe, proprietor of Botswanas only female private detective agency, have become international best sellers, sold over seven million copies, and been translated into 26 languages. These acclaimed productions, complete with vibrant music, bring the exotic world of the books vividly to life.

How to Handle Men Through the Application of Psychology sees Mma Ramotswe setting out to release her fiancé, Mr J. L. B. Matekoni, from a terrifying obligation. Meanwhile, a new case comes into the agency, and the ladies find themselves on a love quest...

The House of Hope finds Mma Ramotswe and her assistant Mma Makutsi visiting some bad girls as part of their mission to find a husband for their client. But Mma Ramotswe has some marriage problems of her own: when her fiancé seems no closer to setting a date for their wedding, she seeks the advice of a crafty friend.

Starring Claire Benedict as Mma Ramotswe and Nadine Marshall as Mma Makutsi, these dramatisations are guaranteed to appeal to all fans of the engaging lady detective.

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Title: The True Story of Butterfish

Author: Nick Earls

Narrator: David Tredinnick

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-10

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

When Annaliese Winter walks down Curtis Holland's front path, he's ill-prepared for a 16-year-old schoolgirl who's a confounding mixture of adult and child. After years travelling the world with his band, Butterfish, he's not used to having a neighbour at all. So when Curtis receives an invitation to dinner from Annaliese's mother, Kate, he is surprised when he not only accepts but finds himself being drawn to this remarkably unremarkable family.

He's drawn even to 15-year-old Mark, who is at war with his own surging adolescence. Curtis soon realises that with Kate divorced, Annaliese and Mark need a male role model in their lives, but it's hard for him to help when he's just starting to grow up himself - and harder still when Annaliese begins to show an interest in him that is less than filial. Filled with acute observation, humour, and tenderness, Butterfish is Nick Earls at his very best.

Editorial Reviews:

Former rock star Curtis Holland moves to an Australian suburb to escape fame; however, he can't quite find the quiet life he seeks. Nick Earls presents a simple but absorbing storyline with no real climax. The well-depicted characters, nevertheless, carry this work. David Tredinnick's performance is pitch-perfect. His relaxed, contemplative voice suits the tone while he easily handles the complex characters and their quirks. Listeners will particularly enjoy hearing an uncommon audiobook set outside of the U.S. or the U.K.

Critic Reviews:

"It is a tender, funny tale of a man finally coming to terms with adulthood that is touching without ever being saccharine." (The Daily Telegraph)

Members Reviews:

Recommended: amusing, affectionate and real.

Nick Earls specialises in story telling about characters who are complex, believable and loveable in spite of - or perhaps because of - their flaws. Like Jane Austen, Earls is able to take ordinary events and everyday exchanges, and convert them into an extraordinary and engaging tale. Like all his books, this one left me feeling warmly amused, affectionately joyful, and hopeful... I can't put it into words. It's gold.

The True Story of Butterfish is about Curtis Holland, a mid-30s guy who has returned home to settle in the suburbs of Brisbane after living for a few years with international fame and touring in a rock band called Butterfish. Curtis is reconnecting with real life: a suburban house, his family, and real people, particularly the two teenagers and their single mum next door.

Tredinnick does a great job reading. He uses a moderately broad Australian accent that works just fine with the story. His vocal representation of the characters is brilliant; he does a better job than my own imagination when I read the paper-book! His performance enhances the listener's experience and allows us to soak up the images evoked by Earls' choice of words and ride the amusing story to its satisfying end.

It's a shame that (as I write this review) there aren't more of Nick Earls' books available on Audible.

An enjoyable listen.

Having just come off a jag of science, history and 'serious' fiction listens, this book seemed like a pleasant interlude. And it was. The over-the-hill rocker protaganist is likable and endearing as he assesses the mess he has made of his life and relationships.

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Title: Color Me Jazzmyne

Author: Marian L. Thomas

Narrator: Lucinda Gainey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-29-09

Publisher: Hudson Audio Publishing

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Rape is often the "hush" word in our society, and yet Naya Mona opens her voice through the pages of Color Me Jazzmyne and allows each listener to hear her pain, feel her emotions, and understand the journey she takes as she confronts a son she never got a chance to name.

How do you tell your son that your father is his? How do you explain what color is Jazzmyne? When a father's touch is no longer innocent, how do you find the strength to push past the pain? These are the questions that will face Naya, these are the questions she will answer each time she steps on the stage and becomes Jazzmyne, the Jazz Singer.

Critic Reviews:

"Color Me Jazzmyne" is an unconventional, yet fascinating first novel by Marian L. Thomas. A true reading pleasure. The book is written in a kind of free flow, stream of consciousness style that one can hear her melody singing through the pages." (Jeneke Lesak for RebeccasReads)

"Color Me Jazzmyne is a book that every woman ought to read at least once. Through the eyes and voice of Naya Mona, author Marian Thomas has given readers the opportunity to do some introspective thinking while reading about challenges that make us who we are today." (Carol Hoyer, PhD, Reader Views)

Members Reviews:

great beginning

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a book discussion with the author, Marian L. Thomas; therefore I purposely waited to review the book before reviewing. I had never before heard of this great storyteller (who by the way only writes clean fiction, which is quite admirable). My first thought was to give the book a four, simply because there were so many unanswered questions and I was disappointed in the way the story left me hanging. But after learning how this story was conceived and first written when the author was a teen and that it's the beginning of a sequel, I immediately found hope and downloaded "My Father's Colors," book two. Readers, I think you will love this book. It's difficult and dark, yet offers light in the unexpected.

Great plot!

I thought the plot was great. The subject of child abuse and incest may seem like it has been flogged by the media but considering how evil it is and how much damage and havoc it wreaks in the lives of those involved, it deserves continued attention in my opinion. Sub plots focusing on the music industry and how it is not for the faint at heart or the naive were also quite welcome. All in all, thumbs up for the story-line.

That being said, the narrative style did not really work for me. While I felt like Naya Mona was speaking to me and I felt that connection somewhat, I did not feel a connection between her and the other characters. The narrative style is said to be the least engaging writing style and I guess this rang true for me in this case. It was telling rather than showing is how it came across to me and I felt it took away from it. I didn't have to deduce anything from watching it unfold because I was being told. But then again, that's just me, a non-poetic person. Now, if that was a movie script in which it would fade from her talking to actually showing scenes of what happened inbetween, that would be perfect for me.

However, I would still love to read the sequel but I hope it is not written in the exact same style. I hope it's a story and not a narration of a story.

Heartfelt

I definitely felt the pain of Naya Mona.