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Title: The Guts

Author: Roddy Doyle

Narrator: Laurence Kinlan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-08-13

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Jimmy Rabbitte is back. The man who invented the Commitments back in the eighties is now forty-seven, with a loving wife, four kids...and bowel cancer. He isn't dying, he thinks, but he might be. Jimmy still loves his music, and he still loves to hustle - his new thing is finding old bands and then finding the people who loved them enough to pay money for their resurrected singles and albums.

On his path through Dublin he meets two of the Commitments - Outspan, whose own illness is probably terminal, and Imelda Quirk, still as gorgeous as ever. He is reunited with his long-lost brother and learns to play the trumpet....

This warm, funny novel is about friendship and family, about facing death and opting for life. It climaxes in one of the great passages in Roddy Doyles fiction: four middle-aged men at Ireland's hottest rock festival watching Jimmys son Marvins band Moanin' at Midnight pretending to be Bulgarian and playing a song called 'I'm Going to Hell' that apparently hasn't been heard since 1932.... Why? Youll have to listen to The Guts to find out.

Members Reviews:

LOVED IT! The best take on cancer story

Roddy Doyle had me crying with laughter and teary from emotion.

I loved this read, the narrator was great. I could picture this like a movie in my mind.

Some parts where so funny I wouldn't recommend walking around listening, I think I looked like a mad lady while shopping when I couldn't stop laughing!

One of the best audiobooks I've listened to

Great performance of another excellent book by Roddy Doyle. If you're Irish you'll love it. And if you're not Irish, God help you.

A rollercoaster ride

Roddy Doyle brings together characters to create a thoroughly enjoyable, funny yet serious, emotional but not sentimental, journey through male mid-life and all that life brings with it. Wonderfully read by Laurence Kinlan. Recommended

Great Audiobook...Dublin in yer ear!

Great Audiobook...few niggles regarding the dads voice, the overuse of 'Grand" at times, and the theme of infidelity could have been explored more..maybe if the dad had of found out and offered an opinion... but overall best audiobook I've listened to yet possibly.

Brilliant!

This is a really funny tale on what is still something of a taboo subject. Although a little slow at times the banter is hilarious and brought to life by the excellent narration.

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Title: The Long Song

Author: Andrea Levy

Narrator: Adrian Lester, Andrea Levy

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-01-13

Publisher: Headline Audiobooks

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, The Long Song by multi-million-copy best-selling author Andrea Levy is a hauntingly beautiful, heartbreaking and unputdownable novel, which will resonate with everyone who went to see the Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave and fans of Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees.

You do not know me yet. My son Thomas, who is publishing this book, tells me, it is customary at this place in a novel to give the reader a little taste of the story that is held within these pages. As your storyteller, I am to convey that this tale is set in Jamaica during the last turbulent years of slavery and the early years of freedom that followed.

July is a slave girl who lives upon a sugar plantation named Amity and it is her life that is the subject of this tale. She was there when the Baptist War raged in 1831, and she was present when slavery was declared no more. My son says I must convey how the story tells also of July's mama Kitty, of the negroes that worked the plantation land, of Caroline Mortimer the white woman who owned the plantation and many more persons besides - far too many for me to list here. But what befalls them all is carefully chronicled upon these pages for you to peruse.

Perhaps, my son suggests, I might write that it is a thrilling journey through that time in the company of people who lived it. All this he wishes me to pen so the reader can decide if this is a novel they might care to consider. Cha, I tell my son, what fuss-fuss. Come, let them just read it for themselves.

Critic Reviews:

'A marvel of luminous storytelling.' (Financial Times)

Members Reviews:

A brilliantly funny and tragic story

Wow what a performance, Andrea Levy delivers a captivating narration of her novel. Levy has written a masterfully conceived narrative, with a surprising tone. one of the best audiobook experiences I've had.

Brilliant book great to hear it in the vernacular

I read this for a book group, initially I was dreading reading a book about slavery as the subject is so awful and the stories so tragic and painful, but what I found was this was different, as although its gut wrenching sad in parts you have to go there and back for the high points and it's worth it. Hearing the voice of the narrator in the vernacular and how it is written is so rich and makes it so much more immersive in her voice. I felt reading about this subject which I haven't for very many years I learnt such a lot about the systematic mechanisms of oppression used in those times to exert control and the subtleties of prejudice. I will be reading more from Andrea Levy thanks to my book group Books that Bite with Claire Hadfield.

Very informative

Gives an insight into slavery in Jamaica.

The main character July ,born a slave has to witness her Mother's death.

Struggled with this book

Any additional comments?

I read Small Island by Andrea Levy when it was first published and really enjoyed it. It reminded me of some of the stories my grandparents had shared with me of their arrival here in the UK from Jamaica. I had hoped I would enjoy The Long Song as much but I found it a real effort to break into. I'm now 5 chapters in, having re-started the book three times, and I'm now retiring my efforts. I found Andrea's narration grating.

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Title: Where Did We Go Wrong?

Author: Monica Mathis-Stowe

Narrator: Hillary Hawkins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-19-13

Publisher: The Literary Publishing Group

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 62 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

True friends help you through the consequences of poor judgment when no one else will. Best friends Gabby, Maxine, and Joy protect each other at all costs, even if it means keeping secrets that turn their lives upside-down. Gabby has no boundaries when it comes to getting what she wants. She pulls out every trick in the book to keep her daughter's married father out of their lives but keep his money in her bank account. Maxine lives for her family but when her husband's excessive spending lands them in more debt than they can handle, the stress takes a toll on their perfect marriage. After Joy's loyalty to her controlling mother causes her to lose the only man she's ever loved, she marries a man she barely knows. After her wedding, she quickly realizes she made the biggest mistake of her life and it puts everybody she loves in danger. Unfortunately, someone will have to pay the ultimate price with their life.

Members Reviews:

Narrator captured my attention. (EXCELLENT!)

What did you love best about Where Did We Go Wrong??

As mentioned I enjoyed the colorful narration. I think her name is Hillary Hawkins. Great job!!!!

What did you like best about this story?

The way the narrator portrayed Monica's Characters, I was captivated in particular with Gabby and her trails and tribulations.

Have you listened to any of Hillary Hawkinss other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time, but I look forward to her next work.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A little of this, a little of that.

Any additional comments?

It's good to hear refreshing talent both literary and performance.

AWESOME NARRATOR!

Where does Where Did We Go Wrong? rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I like it a lot!

What did you like best about this story?

I like how the narrator changed her voice for all those different characters. That made it interesting.

Which character as performed by Hillary Hawkins was your favorite?

Allen!

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

A story about friendship

Any additional comments?

Can't wait to hear the sequel!!

Story Good...Narrator TERRIBLE

Where does Where Did We Go Wrong? rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

It is fair to middle in comparison. I have to say the story is good, but the narrator is terrible & she steals the joy of the story.

What other book might you compare Where Did We Go Wrong? to and why?

I can't think of any book to compare it to. I'm use to strong women & this story seems to have weak women.

What aspect of Hillary Hawkinss performance would you have changed?

All of it. The men always sound angry. The women sound weak. Her inflections are wrong. Her tone is horrible. Her reading is just bad.

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

None. I wouldn't want to see this book in a film. All stories aren't meant to be movies.

Any additional comments?

Please find another narrator. This one is horrible.

Nice Plot

The story line was pretty good. I liked the characters in the book but I didn't like narrator that much.

Voices

I did like the story but I found the voice was not easy to listen to.

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Title: Contracted: America's Secret Warriors

Author: Kerry Patton

Narrator: John Skinner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-18-13

Publisher: Kerry Patton

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Who is fighting the war in Afghanistan? Did you know that 52% of people fighting in Afghanistan are contracted to do so? Contractors operate far beyond the borders of Afghanistan, they operate globally. Real people. Real missions. Real wars.

After the United States was attacked and the President vowed to search for and destroy the enemy, the government formed a secret unit comprised of civilians. Paid civilians. Contracted civilians. Many of these people left their jobs, families, and friends to voluntarily serve alongside their military brethren. They did it out of love, passion, and deep patriotism.

Declan Collins is one of those men. Just another patriot you have never heard of, working to keep America safe. A former member of the US Armed Forces trying to make it in the civilian world as a newlywed, Declan quickly found himself working for one of America's most secretive organizations. He fit the role of what they needed perfectly.

This novel is about what happened after Declan received a mysterious phone call, was paid and given two weeks to get into Afghanistan all the while placing his life on hold to preserve and protect America. Find out about the fighting force rarely ever spoken of, those who were Contracted: America's Secret Warriors.

Members Reviews:

Much better than I expected.

The narration can be a little distracting as he pronounces every word so well and gives them their space between words. That sounds odd but consider that the English language is usually spoken with words blending here and there. The overall story is fantastic and doesn't have the overly macho characters usually found in books like this. The guys are just guys that happen to be doing a dangerous job. That's how they come across anyways.

Fantastic

What did you love best about Contracted: America's Secret Warriors?

Fanstastic from start to finish. Brought me back to my days in Iraq. Makes me wish I was still over there doing the job.

What did you like best about this story?

Everything

What does John Skinner bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Voice?

If you could take any character from Contracted: America's Secret Warriors out to dinner, who would it be and why?

ummmm.....spartacus

Any additional comments?

Hope Contracted II is out soon on Audible.

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Title: Saturn Returns

Subtitle: The Private Papers of a Reluctant Astrologer

Author: Elizabeth Spring

Narrator: Laura Jennings

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-01-13

Publisher: Elizabeth Spring

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

The Saturn Return profoundly changes everyone's life around the ages of 29 and 59. What happens to us then? And how do we understand the "fated" astrological predictions that challenge us in these times?

Author Elizabeth Spring, M.A. is a professional astrologer who has written a fictionalized memoir about the poignant journey of Isabelle, a 'reluctant astrologer,' as she makes her way through her second Saturn Return at age 59, while also mentoring a young woman through her first Saturn Return at 29.

In this dramatic story, Isabelle is forced to leave Boston to reunite with her ex-husband at the bedside of her nearly drowned daughter on a remote Celtic island off the coast of Scotland. Her journey continues from old bookshops to sacred monasteries, from Carl Jung's stone retreat in Switzerland, to the back streets of Beacon Hill, Boston. Isabelle is dealing with issues of fate, destiny and prediction as she re-discovers herself through a quest to save her life, her marriage, and her daughter, Kendra.

Although written as fiction, the listener learns some astrology as the book proceeds...as Isabelle dares to re-imagine how to change her broken life into an enchanted life.

Elizabeth's work has been endorsed by many writers and astrologers, including: Alice Howell, Steven Forrest and Donna Cunningham, and Jungian analyst, James Hollis.

Members Reviews:

An Awesome Writer, An Amazing Woman and Absolutely Wonderful Astrologer!!!

Elizabeth Spring's book, "Saturn Returns ~ The Private Papers of A Reluctant Astrologer", has been a huge life changer for me. I absolutely loved everything about this book and plan to reread it after I finish reading another book of Mrs. Spring's.

Elizabeth's fictional writing is just as superb as her "technical" writing. In fact, at the end of the fictional writing, I couldn't help but cry as I related that much to the story within which she drew me with her words. As well, reading my sections of the second part of the book filled me with a hope, and even comfort, regarding the planet Saturn.

I was so inspired by Elizabeth's book that I decided to have a reading with her. I am still reeling in awe of it and I cannot wait to work with her again. She is just such a lovely woman and beautiful soul. Along with some of her books (I plan on purchasing all of them), I'm so glad to watch her YouTube videos when I need a reminder or to uplift my soul.

Lovely! All around, just lovely!!!

Saturn Returns Times Three

Elizabeth Spring is not your everyday astrologer. For those of us loving astrology and attempting to understand more than the everyday horoscope, Elizabeth takes us on a journey of the returns of Saturn through the character of Isabelle. There are many life changes and Saturn Returns make these apparent around the ages of 29, 59, and 88 (if we are so lucky). The story of Isabelle as she goes through these life changes is warm and filled with magnificent images of the past and present she is living. Isabelle becomes very real to us as she reveals her true feelings about her life. She describes being an astrologer who wonders about her abilities to know and use these skills to figure out her life. The story goes way beyond what you would expect from your ordinary astrologer. Elizabeth Spring is extraordinary in her knowledge and her story-telling.

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Title: God on the Rocks

Author: Jane Gardam

Narrator: Carmela Corbett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-25-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

During one glorious summer between the wars, the realities of life and the sexual ritual dance of the adult world creep into the life of young Margaret Marsh. Her father, preaching the doctrine of the unsavory Primal Saints; her mother, bitterly nostalgic for what might have been; Charles and Binkie, anchored in the past and a game of words; dying Mrs. Frayling and Lydia the maid, given to the vulgar enjoyment of life; all contribute to Margaret's shattering moment of truth. And when the storm breaks, it is not only God who is on the rocks as the summer hurtles towards drama, tragedy, and a touch of farce.

Members Reviews:

Insidious

How exactly should a reviewer rate a book which is quite well written but which she nonetheless didn't like? Ms. Gardam's prose is both tight and subtle, gradually revealing everything we need to know in understated, often easy to overlook hints and details. Her plotting and characterization are complete and well integrated. In a minimum of words Ms. Gardam conveys her character's actions and words while gradually revealing the history and motivations that underlie such behavior. Her characters are fully understandable, but, as such, they are also thoroughly detestable. There was not one character, not even the precocious main character, eight-year-old Margaret, whom I connected with enough to care about.

The story revolves around the neglected, smart-mouthed Margaret and her dysfunctional family. Her father's sole concern is his strict, Bible-based religion, the Primal Saints. Margaret is expected to - and does - memorize vast numbers of Bible verses. Such verses become a means of communication - and battle of wits - between Margaret and her father. For instance, Margaret wants to see the pierrots on an outing to the seaside and her father brings up Moses' views about dancing in Exodus. The conversation continues with Margaret responding:

"I hate Moses. What about David?"

"How dare you, Margaret!"

"Psalms 150 verses three to six. And what about two Samuel six fourteen?"

"That will do."

Margaret's mother, meanwhile, is a hopeless, doddering, nostalgic fool for whom Margaret has contempt. Elinor is caught up in caring for the new baby and following her husband's religion, but she herself seems to have no personality. We sense perhaps there is (or was) something to her buried under all that silliness, but even as we learn more about the real Elinor, she remains as doughy and insubstantial as ever.

Although Margaret sees and understands (and despises) her parents perfectly well, they do not see her. Since the baby came, she has been often left in the care of Lydia, the brash, loose, profane maid whom Mr. Marsh feels has been sent to him to be saved. On Wednesdays Margaret is allowed to take excursions to the seaside with Lydia, only to be left to her own devices while Lydia attends to her personal affairs.

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Title: Apart from Love: Still Life with Memories, Volume 1 and 2

Author: Uvi Poznansky

Narrator: Heather Jane Hogan, David Kudler

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-13

Publisher: Uvi Poznansky

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Apart from Love contains two threads, volume I and II of Still Life with Memories, woven together (along with two new chapters) around the same events in 1980, when Ben returns to meet his father, Lenny, and his new wife, Anita. It is then that he discovers a family secret.

My Own Voice (volume I of Still Life with Memories): Ten years ago, when she was seventeen, Anita started an affair with Lenny, in spite of knowing that he was a married man. Now married to him and carrying his child, she finds herself condemned to compete with Natasha's shadow, the memory of her brilliance back in her prime, before she succumbed to early-onset Alzheimer's. Despite Anita's lack of education, her rough slang, and what happened to her in the past, Lenny tries to transform her. He wants her to become Natasha. Faced with his compelling wish, and the way he writes her as a character in his book, how can Anita find a voice of her own? And when his estranged son, Ben, comes back and lives in the same small apartment, can she keep the balance between the two men, whose desire for her is marred by guilt and blame?

The White Piano (volume II of Still Life with Memories): Coming back to his childhood home after years of absence, Ben is unprepared for the secret, which is now revealed to him: his mother, Natasha, who used to be a brilliant pianist, is losing herself to early-onset Alzheimer's, which turns the way her mind works into a riddle. His father has remarried, and his new wife, Anita, looks remarkably similar to Natasha, only much younger. In this state of being isolated, being apart from love, how will Ben react when it is so tempting to resort to blame and guilt? "In our family, forgiveness is something you pray for, something you yearn to receivebut so seldom do you give it to others." What emerges in this family is a struggle, a desperate, daring struggle to find a path out of conflicts, out of isolation, from guilt to forgiveness.

Members Reviews:

A Literary Masterpiece!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I already have, several times actually. This book is totally out of my usual genre (mysteries/thrillers) and probably falls most squarely in the literary fiction category, but I was completely blown away by its beauty and pathos. The quality of the writing is absolutely top notch, and when that is coupled with two supremely talented narrators, the combination is riveting.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the current tense in which the vignettes were told, alternating between Anita and Ben, and the immediacy of the sensations one experiences when listening. The voices are so authentic, the dialog just perfect. I am so in awe of David Kudler's ability to interpret the written word. He is astoundingly good. And Heather Jane Hogan is equally as talented - her Southern accent was impeccable! I've become instant fans of both narrators.

Which character as performed by David Kudler and Heather Jane Hogan was your favorite?

That's really tough, because I loved Anita, Ben, Lenny, and the three aunts. But I guess if I was forced to choose, I'd pick Anita. She was so honest and real, no pretenses. She'd been through so much. My heart broke for her in many scenes.

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

So many moments...

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Title: Parents and Children

Author: Ivy Compton-Burnett

Narrator: Teresa DeBerry

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-15-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Eleanor and Fulbert Sullivan live, with their nine children ranging from nursery to university age, in a huge country house belonging to Fulbert's parents, Sir Jesse and Lady Regan. Sir Jesse sends Fulbert, his only son, on a business mission to South America. News comes of Fulbert's death, and his executor, Ridley Cranmer, plans an impulsive marriage to Eleanor. But is Fulbert really dead? And what is the mystery surrounding the parentage of the three strange Marlowes living in genteel penury on the fringe of the great estate? Parents and Children is less savage in theme than some of Ivy Compton-Burnett's fiction and, with its richly funny scenes with the children and happily resolved ending, makes a perfect introduction to this distinguished author's highly individual world - a closed world of intense relationships within late Victorian upper-class families, a world in which the normally unspoken is stated and the unthinkable enacted, with dark revelations blandly emerging from formal speeches of great subtlety.

Compton-Burnett was encouraged by her liberal and unorthodox father, homeopath Dr Burnett, to prepare to read classics at London university (neither Oxford nor Cambridge gave degrees to women at this time). She had dearly loved her father, who died without warning from a heart attack in 1901 when she was sixteen. Her closest brother died three years later, and Ivy Compton-Burnett went on to lose three more of her younger siblings and her mother by the time she was 35, something she could hardly bear to speak about, but constantly explored in her novels. Compton-Burnett published twenty novels, the first while she was in her 20s, in 1911. However, the first of her works to use her mature and startlingly original style was published when she was 40, in 1925. Compton-Burnetts fiction deals with domestic situations in large households which, to all intents and purposes, invariably seem Edwardian. She was named a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1967.

Members Reviews:

witty writer who should be better known. Dialogue-driven

Unusual, witty writer who should be better known. Dialogue-driven, sophisticated entertainment..

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Title: Snapper

Author: Brian Kimberling

Narrator: MacLeod Andrews

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-23-13

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A great, hilarious new voice in fiction: the poignant, all-too-human recollections of an affable bird researcher in backwater Indiana as he goes through a disastrous yet heartrening love affair with the place and its people.

Nathan Lochmueller studies birds for just enough money to live and learn on. He drives a glitter-festooned truck, the Gypsy Moth, and he is in love with Lola, a woman so free-spirited and mysterious she can break a man's heart with a sigh or a shrug. Around them swirls a remarkable cast of characters: the proprietor of Fast Eddie's Burgers, the genius behind "Thong Thursdays"; Uncle Dart, a Texan who brings his swagger to Indiana with profound and nearly devastating results; a snapping turtle with a taste for thumbs; a German Shepherd who howls backup vocals; and the very charismatic state of Indiana itself. And at the centre of it all: Nathan, creeping through the forest to observe the birds he loves, and coming to terms with the accidental turns his life has taken.

Critic Reviews:

"Brian Kimberling's debut novel, Snapper, captures the high lonesome beauty of a songbird's canorous call. Nathan Lochmueller, an amateur ornithologist and future falconer, adventures through the Indiana wilds heartsick with Yeatsian love but full of good humor and stumbling grace. As Nathan searches for starlings, he teaches us all to care more deeply about the wonders and dangers of the natural world. Snapper is a brilliant field study, a soulful guide to the humble glories and enduring legacies of the Great Midwest. Brian Kimberling is a writer of serious wit and wisdom." (Amber Dermont, author of The Starboard Sea and Damage Control)

"In those awkward, drifting, post-college years, when many young men find themselves working behind a counter, Nathan Lochmueller learns he has a gift for tracking songbirds.... Told with precise and memorable prose in beautifully rendered, time-shifted vignettes, Snapper richly evokes the emotions of coming to adulthood. Nathan's fascination with the physical world and with living an authentic and meaningful life, his disdain for jingoistic environmentalism, and his struggle to find balance between the cloistered liberalism of college towns and the conservatism of small towns are thoughtfully explored. All this and it's funny, too.... Kimberling writes gracefully about absurdity, showing a rich feeling for the whole range of human tragicomedy. A delightful debut." (Booklist)

"[A] catchy, well-written debut novel.... [An] accomplished, ironic Midwest coming-of-age tale." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

One I will read again

Brian Kimberling's Snapper is a witty, emotional, fun group of interwoven stories about a young man's attempts at love. Often backtracking to an earlier time in the protagonist's life, it takes the reader through the high points (and low) that lead him to finding what is important in his life.

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Title: Beirut 39

Subtitle: New Writing from the Arab World

Author: Samuel Shimon

Narrator: Peter Ganim

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-18-13

Publisher: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Beirut is the 2009 World Book Capital, as designated by UNESCO, and at the center of the festivities, in collaboration with the world-renowned Hay Festival, is a competition to identify the 39 most promising young talents in Arab literature. The selection of the "Beirut 39" follows the success of a similar competition in the 2007 World Book Capital, Bogot, celebrating achievements in Latin American literature.

This year, for the first time, the winners - nominated by publishers, literary critics, and readers across the Arab world and internationally, and selected by a panel of eminent Arab writers, academics, and journalists - will be published together in a one-of-a-kind anthology. Edited by Samuel Shimon of Banipal magazine, the collection will be published simultaneously in Arabic and English throughout the world by Bloomsbury and Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing.

Beirut 39 provides an important look at the Arab-speaking world today, through the eyes of thirty-nine of its brightest young literary stars.

Members Reviews:

A Collection of Stories

"Beirut 39" is a collection of stories and poems, edited by Samuel Shimon. The collection is the product of a literary competition in the Arab world, young authors and poets, all under 40 years of age, competed in a contest sponsored by, among others, Banipal magazine in the Hay festival. The best 39 short stories, poems and novel parts were published.

The stories and poems touch on many varied subjects, politics, sexuality and culture. The selections are as individual as the authors and tell such tales as the wife of a Damascus man who is measuring, for good or bad, her various lovers; or the man who hides his gay identity from his mother while watching a movie about the subject on satellite, hoping she wouldn't wake up.

There were two standout stories I thought, in this book which were a cut above the rest: "The Twentieth [9/11] Terrorist" by Abdullah Thabit and the straight-to-the-point "Coexistence" by Ala Hlehel. Both stories were told from a very believable and vivid point of view which I found refreshing as well as enlightening on an intellectual level. "The Twentieth [9/11] Terrorist" tells of the harsh system of education in religious schools, how a young boy could get sucked into such an education - against the wishes of his parents - and he is literally beaten into submission and submits to a life of misery. "Coexistence" is the ironic story of a Palestinian-Israeli writer who scribes a letter to a Palestinian general (in the words of the author) begging to stop bombing attacks in the Israeli port city of Haifa; a city which is ofen portrayed as a model of Arabs and Jews sharing the same piece of land. However, the writer's motives are selfish, because of the writer's high profile in the Haifa; journalists are calling for comments for their stories - and that is a bother.

"Beirut 39" has to be read slowly, I felt, as the Arab language is spoken, with emphasis on certain words and phrases. The book's topics jump greatly, from sad war stories to joyous self discovery and the fast reader might find himself or herself confused.