Simply The Best Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary to Listen Online

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Title: Acts of Vengeance

Author: Robert Gandt

Narrator: Thomas Block

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-17-15

Publisher: Robert Gandt

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

When a motor launch carrying the USS Ronald Reagan's top brass is attacked, the US vows a swift reprisal. Enter skipper Brick Maxwell and his Roadrunners - the jocks who fly the F/A-18 Super Hornets. Their mission: a deep air strike in Northern Yemen. But their target - the commander who masterminded the attack - has laid a deadly trap for Maxwell and his fellow warriors....

Members Reviews:

Great book, with a great story.

really enjoyed this book. The narrator does a great job. Would defiantly recommend this book.

Great story. Very well told!

For anyone with an interest in Naval aviation and the intrigue of contemporary geo-political Middle East intrigue, Acts of Vengeance is a must, Mr. Blocks narration was outstanding!

An Intense Military Ride

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

Yes, because it is well done and I enjoyed the narration. For anyone looking to read or listen to a read of a military book that shows both sides, this one is for you.

What about Thomas Blocks performance did you like?

Thomas Block is an excellent narrator with a range of ability. He does a great job narrating this and other books he has narrated for.

Land, Air, and Sea Adventure

What made the experience of listening to Acts of Vengeance the most enjoyable?

Aerial furballs, afterburners, backstabbing bureaucrats, and military romance. What's not to like?

What other book might you compare Acts of Vengeance to and why?

Robert Gandt is a cross between Tom Clancy's military high-speed plotting, and emerging author Lt. Cmdr. Leland Shanle's attention to historical detail. I'd follow any of them into a dogfight.

What does Thomas Block bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Thomas Block is a wise choice for the voice of Robert Gandt's creative voice. He carries the tone of a salty Admiral retelling his fleet's latest sorties.

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

I won't post any spoilers. There are clear heroes and villains in this tale.

What a waste! Thomas Black should be blackballed

What disappointed you about Acts of Vengeance?

This book had a very weak story line. The book plot was predictable and the outcome disappointing and the narrator was the worst I have ever heard. If you are prone to suicidal thoughts, don't get this book. It's so bad it may push you over the edge. A full bottle of sleeping pills would have less of an effect that listening to the monotone narrator.

What could Robert Gandt have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Perhaps listen to some of the more successful war/terrorist novels to get a better idea the value of slowly building the storyline and teasing readers with potential outcomes.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Thomas Block?

Anyone, anyone at all could have narrated a book better. This reader was monotone most of the time, used the same voice for all the players. At first I thought that the narrator was drunk but by the end, I think he was drugged and drunk.

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

The emotion this book caused in me was disappointment for wasting my credit on it, sadness for any other listeners who buy this novel and confusion why the writer would think that this book was remotely good enough to publish.

Too bad it's not a crime for writers to publish trash like this.

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Title: The Story of Junk

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Linda Yablonsky

Narrator: Evelyn Lee

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-16-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Witty, terrifying, and utterly cool, Yablonsky's roman clef is a searing, hyper-real account of the heroin underground in 1980s Manhattan.

Told with dark humor and unremitting honesty, Linda Yablonsky's riveting first novel explores the New York art and postpunk music world of the early 1980s from deep within. Set in motion by the appearance of a federal agent, the tale follows two women on a dangerous and seductive journey through a bohemia where hard drugs, extreme behavior, intense friendships, and the emergence of AIDS profoundly alter their lives.

Members Reviews:

I really wasn't sure what to think as I first dove in but I'm so glad I gave it a try

I decided to give this book a try after I saw some people taking about it in one of my book clubs. I really wasn't sure what to think as I first dove in but I'm so glad I gave it a try. All throughout the book as you're following her life in this junkie world as an outsider looking in you know it's wrong. She's making terrible decisions and ruining her life but at the same time as it's being described I felt drawn into this world and why it was so beautiful to her and completely understood why she continuously made these horrific decisions. The writing was off the charts and I loved every word.

... teacher of mine wrote this and she was the best teacher i ever had in college here in nyc

a former teacher of mine wrote this and she was the best teacher i ever had in college here in nyc. she took us on outings of various important cultural events and had us write editorial reviews on the events. i expected her to be no less honest in this book and my feeling was she was.

!!!!

Great read.

Five Stars

Received it with no problems and in fine shape! Thank you so much! Rebecca

One Star

Dull, repetitive story that has been told so much better by so many others.

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Title: Monday's Lie

Author: Jamie Mason

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-27-15

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 39 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Dee Aldrich rebelled against her off-center upbringing when she married the most conventional man she could imagine: Patrick, her college sweetheart. But now, years later, her marriage is falling apart and she's starting to believe that her husband wants her gone... for good.

Haunted by memories of her late mother Annette, a former covert operations asset, Dee reaches back into her childhood to resurrect the lessons and "spy games" in which she learned how and when to lie. But just as she begins delving into her past to determine the course of the future, she makes a discovery that will change her life: the money that her mother left behind.

Members Reviews:

Good story idea..could have been better

I liked the whole idea of this plot but don't think Mason does a really effective job in the details of her characters or the flow of the story arc.

The ending was abrupt..made me wonder if there is a Book 2 coming..and if not, than the ending needs to be revised IMO.

Wanted to like it much more than I did.

It was ok.

just ok. i didnt love it but i didnt hate it either. i probably would not recommend it.

it was a waste of a great narrator

I am a huge fan of anything narrator Cassandra Campbell does. This book however was a huge disappointment. I love this type of book but this story was too slow.

Intriguing

Intriguing but predictable story. Easy to follow with interesting characters. Unfortunately there is little mystery as the books description is the spoiler. Narration is a little drawn but good with variation.

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Title: Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery

Author: Jenny Colgan

Narrator: Anne-Marie Piazza

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-26-15

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Summer has arrived in the Cornish town of Mount Polbearne, and Polly Waterford couldn't be happier. Because Polly is in love: She's in love with the beautiful seaside town she calls home, she's in love with running the bakery on Beach Street, and she's in love with her boyfriend, Huckle. And yet there's something unsettling about the gentle summer breeze that's floating through town.

Selina, recently widowed, hopes that moving to Mount Polbearne will ease her grief, but Polly has a secret that could destroy her friend's fragile recovery. Responsibilities that Huckle thought he'd left behind are back, and Polly finds it hard to cope with his increasingly long periods of absence.

Polly sifts flour, kneads dough, and bakes bread, but nothing can calm the storm she knows is coming: Is Polly about to lose everything she loves?

Critic Reviews:

"This delightful novel will make you feel warm inside - it makes a fab Mother's Day gift." (Closer)

"Cheery and heart-warming escapism." (Sunday Mirror)

"We love Jenny Colgan's books, but Little Beach Street Bakery is definitely one of our favourites. Utterly charming, atmospheric and brilliantly written, it will captivate you and keep you totally absorbed until the very end. We loved it! Highly recommended!" (Hot Brands, Cool Places)

Members Reviews:

strong women achieving their dreams

loved it. a sweet story with perfect twists. I liked following up on the heroines life.

Lovely Story!

A lovely heart warming story which brought a tear to my eye!

I would definitely recommend it but make sure you read the Little Street Bakery first.

Enjoy!

I loved every minute of it.

This story made me laugh and cry and I wish their story would carry on.

Can't help but like the main character.

An easy listen and a pleasant story different enough to keep your interest. Well told by the narrator.

Great story line and characters! Loved it

What made the experience of listening to Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery the most enjoyable?

The story line and introduction of the characters and the puffin! It was well written and well read! I loved it just as much as the first one too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Huckle was my favourite character due to how laid back he was his free spirit and he sounds like a hunk!

What does Anne-Marie Piazza bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you had only read the book?

The way she portrays the characters is spot on and her accents make the story come to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes I wanted to listen to it all at once!!! Didn't want to stop!

Any additional comments?

Much enjoyed would recommend to any or my friends for a good chilled listen.

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Title: Troll's-Eye View

Subtitle: A Book of Villainous Tales

Author: Ellen Datlow - editor, Terri Windling - editor

Narrator: Fleet Cooper

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-16-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Everyone thinks they know the real story behind the villains in fairy tales - but the villains themselves beg to differ. In Troll's-Eye View, you'll hear from the Giant's wife ("Jack and the Beanstalk"), Rumpelstiltskin, the oldest of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and many more. A stellar lineup of authors, including Garth Nix, Jane Yolen, and Nancy Farmer, makes sure that these old stories do new tricks!

Members Reviews:

I SO LOVE THE STORIES BY ELLEN DATLOW & TERRI WINDLINE! I wish they could all be bought as audiobooks without problems.

This sounds very good, my favorite genre only better characters. I only wish they would just give us a decent price on these audiobooks and stop pretending we need their games with audibles for free, only they're not! Just price them so we can buy them now, PLEASE!

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Title: The A26

Author: Pascal Garnier

Narrator: Anna Bentinck

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-14

Publisher: Gallic Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Traumatised by events in 1945, Yolande hasn't left her home since. And life has not been kinder to Bernard, her brother, who is now in the final months of a terminal illness.

Realizing that he has so little time left, Bernard's gloom suddenly lifts. With no longer anything to lose, he becomes reckless - and murderous...

Critic Reviews:

"A brilliant exercise in grim and gripping irony, it makes you grin as well as wince." (The Sunday Telegraph)

"For those with a taste for Georges Simenon or Patricia Highsmith, Garnier's recently translated oeuvre will strike a chord... While this is an undeniably steely work, his translator Melanie Florence does justice to the author's occasional outbreaks of dark humour that suddenly pierce through the clouds of encroaching existential gloom." (The Independent)

"The events in Simenon's Maigret stories are seemingly random and opaque until the great detective perceives how they all fit together; in The A26 we get the story from the other side, as it were, and without any intervention by the forces of good. And Garnier never gives a clear motive for Bernard's murderous turn because this is our random, godless age and there's a top dressing to the novel of a very French existentialism... This is tough, bloody stuff, but put together with a cunning intelligence." (The Sunday Times)

Members Reviews:

Pascal Garnier is Not A Well Man

If you like your new noir steeped in existential philosophy and deeply deeply deeply disturbing than Pascal Garnier is your man. He is erudite and savage in equal measure. I started with The Islanders and then become obsessed I have now listen to all of his books, & now my sleep is permanently disturbed.

ENJOY!

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Title: The Days of Winter

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Cynthia Freeman

Narrator: Tara Sands

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-17-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In a novel spanning two world wars, Cynthia Freeman sweeps us into the lives and loves of a powerful European family and the son whose break from tradition has far-reaching consequences.

Nathan Hack expects his four sons to marry well and keep up the tradition of becoming barristers in the prestigious house of Hack. But Rubin, the youngest, feels that his legacy is a stranglehold. He's betrothed to a woman from a fine family when he falls in love with a beautiful, enigmatic stranger in Paris. Her name is Magda, and she will change Rubins life completely. Decades later, history will repeat itself when a woman is caught between two men during Hitler's regime. Played out on the world stage against the backdrop of World Wars I and II, and peopled by an unforgettable cast of characters, The Days of Winter is a spellbinding story of pride and ambition, survival and redemption.

Members Reviews:

not worth buying

Would you try another book from Cynthia Freeman and/or Tara Sands?

no

What do you think your next listen will be?

graham hurley

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Tara Sands?

almost anyone

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Days of Winter?

KIDNEY TRANSPLANT IN 1938! AND THE HUSBAND WAS THE PERFECT DONOR. LOTS OF RIDICULOUS STUFF THAT AN EDITOR SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONED. BRIGHTON BEACH IN ENGLAND! I HAVE NEVER HEARD BRIGHTON REFERRED TO AS THAT. BRIGHTON BEACH N.Y. JUST BRIGHTON IN ENGLAND.

SO MUCH RIDICULOUS SITUATIONS. MAGDA AND JEANETTE IRRITATING WOMEN.

FOOLISH HEROINES - FOOLISH BOOK. FIRST NEGATIVE REVIEW IN PURCHASE OF ABOUT 1000 AUDIBLE BOOKS.

culturally inaccurate

Jewish wedding ceremony doesn't contain "death do us part ". Unbelievable, cliche, with bad narration . Not worth a credit.

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Title: Saturday

Author: Ian McEwan

Narrator: James Wilby

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-13-14

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Saturday, February 15, 2003. Henry Perowne is a contented man - a successful neurosurgeon, the devoted husband of Rosalind and proud father of two grown-up children. Unusually, he wakes before dawn, drawn to the window of his bedroom and filled with a growing unease.

What troubles him as he looks out at the night sky is the state of the world - the impending war against Iraq, a gathering pessimism since 9/11, and a fear that his city and his happy family life are under threat.

Later, Perowne makes his way to his weekly squash game through London streets filled with hundreds of thousands of anti-war protestors. A minor car accident brings him into a confrontation with Baxter, a fidgety, aggressive, young man, on the edge of violence. To Perowne's professional eye, there appears to be something profoundly wrong with him.

Towards the end of a day rich in incident and filled with Perowne's celebrations of life's pleasures, his family gathers for a reunion. But with the sudden appearance of Baxter, Perowne's earlier fears seem about to be realised.

Members Reviews:

In awe of such good writing

Smart, relevant, entertaining, my life is richer for finding such a good author. The narrator was perfect.

Update

Any additional comments?

Rather than slate this book and it's story, let me tell you where I am with it, and you can make your own mind up.

So I am four hours into the book. The story is set in London, depicting a Saturday as experienced by a successful neurosurgeon, Henry. So far, in four hours, Henry has woken up from his bed in a weird dream like state, good downstairs for a drink of milk and had a chat with his teenage son, who also can't sleep. He was also staring out the window when he saw an aeroplane on fire heading for the runway. He wasn't seen anything on the news as yet.

He's made love to his wife. He is excited about his daughter coming to visit from Paris where she now lives. She likes literature and forces him to read more.

He left the house to go to work where he has just crashed his BMW into another motorist who was driving a BMW series 5...

...and thats it. I've decided not to listen to any more because the fact I am four hours into this book and so little has happened is enough for me to give up.

So there you have it. Love or hate this review; I have given you the facts. Ian Mckewan spent two years shadowing Mr kitchen, a brain surgeon (who operated on my mother in law's tumour) in London in order for him to be able to write this book. It was because of this that I wanted to give it a go.

Decide for yourself what you wish to do!

Flawless narration by James Wilby

A masterclass in narration as near perfect as I have heard. Fantastic novel brilliant examination of the minute details of a day.

A formidable exercise in stream of consciousness

Excellent narration, slightly cliched with the voices of the crooks, but well suited to the protagonist and narrator. The story is a formidable exercise in stream of consciousness, and will thrill any reader of Joyce who enjoys contemporary literature

A good book

Ian McEwan always delivers a good story, this is definitely a good story. The narrator is easy to listen to. Not always the case I find.

Enjoyed it very much.

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Title: The Orange Fish

Author: Carol Shields

Narrator: Jo Anna Perrin, Johnny Heller

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-04-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Milk Bread Beer Ice is a road trip shared by a husband and wife who no longer communicate through meaningful dialogue. Fifty-year-old Hazel is forced to enter an alien workplace after the sudden death of her husband. In Today Is the Day, the village women gather together for their annual ritual of planting blisterlilies. And Family Secrets travels to DeKalb, Illinois, and the First World War, as the narrator searches for a missing year in her mothers life . . . and unearths a surprising connection to Ernest Hemingway.

From a group of musicians who discover they share more than classical Chemistry to an unhappily married couple who may get a second chance, this remarkable collection, like the ageless orange fish of the title story, is filled with the wonder and magic of everyday life.

Members Reviews:

Not Gold Fish

Well written and the short stories were well constructed but did not always keep my interest

A Great Collection

This collection was much better than I expected. Many of the stories in the dozen that make up the collection touched me, made me think, and changed how I look at a few important things in life. The first story, the Orange Fish, was very interesting and I loved the many messages and interpretations that the lithograph brought out in the different characters. The couple in this story undergoes a metamorphosis because of their purchase of a lithograph of an orange fish; the idea that a purchase can tranform a marriage seems preposterous, but Shields makes it believable. 'Hazel' was another one of my favourite stories, about a widow who acquires job skills and confidence and expects to take control of her destiny and realizes that much of what happens in her life and in the lives around her occurs by accident. Another story, 'Times of Sickness and Health' struck a chord with me, as it has a precise poetic quality to it and a magical element.

Each Story a Little World

Each book that I read by Carol Shields only strengthens my admiration. "The Orange Fish", a collection of short stories, is my recent discovery. Although one of her earliest collections, it still bears her signature mark of strong, daring prose/poetry that draws you into the individual worlds of each story. Most of the stories deal with simple, daily occurrences, with every truthful word Carol Shields invites the reader to enter. You feel as if you are interacting with the characters and talking with Kay about her troubled marriage over a cup of tea in "Times of Sickness and Health." You root for the success of Marta's glass-blowing movies in "Collision." You sympathize with Meershank's writer's block in "Block Out." In effect, as the reader, you inhabit the individual world of each story and want to stay longer. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read about ordinary people reflected through the mirror of powerful prose.

Each Story a Little World

Each book that I read by Carol Shields only strengthens my admiration. "The Orange Fish", a collection of short stories, is my recent discovery. Although one of her earliest collections, it still bears her signature mark of strong, daring prose/poetry that draws you into the individual worlds of each story. Most of the stories deal with simple, daily occurrences, with every truthful word Carol Shields invites the reader to enter.

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Title: Yocandra in the Paradise of Nada

Subtitle: A Novel of Cuba

Author: Zoe Valdes, Sabina Cienfuegos (translator)

Narrator: Bianca Salazar

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-29-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Born during the Cuban revolution in 1959, Yocandra learns that for a woman to survive in the world of communist machismo, she must use all her assets - her body, her wits, and most importantly, her ability to transform disillusionment into wonder.

Members Reviews:

not good

This was not a good book, a true waste of my money. A horrible k e book