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Title: The Fly Trap

Author: Fredrik Sjöberg

Narrator: Robert Fass

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-21-15

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

A rare memoir of extraordinary, mesmerizing brilliance - and a Swedish best seller - by an entomologist fascinated with the natural world and the hidden wonders of life, and which asks: What is it that drives the obsessively curious to exploration and the practice of collecting?

Warm and humorous, self-deprecating and contemplative, The Fly Trap is a meditation on solitude, stillness, and the observation of beauty - be it found among insects or in art. Weaving a fascinating web of associations, histories, and personal memories, the book begins with Fredrik Sjöberg's own experience as an entomologist on a tranquil, remote Swedish island and pulls in the tales of past heroic scientific expeditions to Burma and the wilderness of Kamchatka. As confounded by his unusual love of collecting flies as anyone, Sjöberg pauses to reflect on a range of ideas - the passage of time, art, freedom - drawing into dialogue writers such as Bruce Chatwin and D. H. Lawrence, and the lives of collectors such as René Edmond Malaise, inventor of the Malaise trap.

From the everyday to the exotic, The Fly Trap revels in the wonders of the natural world.

Members Reviews:

Catching more than flies!

The trap catches more than flies! I will not divulge the secret of this book...however, it is best to think of this as a book about how we make islands, how we think or do not think about the inter-relatedness (is there such as word) of all species of plan and animals, and how we are both observers and participants in this interplay whether we want to be or not. Fun book...pleasurable reading...you can take this as deep as you want to go or just skim the surface...I really liked the book. Get a signed copy if you can.

Life, Death, Art, Drama, and Hover Flies

I'm thoroughly caught in Sjoberg's trap. What an enchanting discourse on the pleasures of investigation and discovery. He illuminates the particular joy of studying a"language" (in this case, the grammar, syntax, and expression metaphorically represented by every detail of the hover fly, his speciality). What a treat to find stories within the story, an account of another entomologist, Renee Malaise, that ties into the author's own pursuits and leads to an art heist.

Who knew that a book about flies could be so riveting?

This book defies a genre.

How very odd, this book. Entomology has always been about as interesting as beans to me but this book is not really about collecting insects even though it occupies much of the content. It is more about searching for meaning and making sense in a disorderly world.

Hilarious and engaging, a great story about topics you don't expect

This is a surprisingly engaging and fun read. The author has a great wry sense of humor. I would never have bought this except it was recommended to me and now I'm glad I did (our library does not have any copies). It's much more about life and what engages us as adults than it is about hoverflies. His account of other Swedish adventurers in the 19th-20th centuries is especially entertaining. His personal library must set a high-water mark for obscure titles. I'd like to understand how the author made even a subsistence living prior to writing books.

Five Stars

This book was captivating. Now I'm saving for a vacation to see the nature in this book!

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Title: Agent Storm

Subtitle: My Life Inside al-Qaeda

Author: Morten Storm, Paul Cruickshank, Tim Lister

Narrator: Neil Shah

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-21-15

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

He was the Western convert who would plunge deep inside al-Qaeda. He named his first son Osama after 9/11 and became a Jihadist. But then - after a sudden loss of faith - Morten Storm made a life-changing decision. He became a double agent and joined the CIA, MI6 and MI5.

Filled with hair-raising close calls and deception, Storm's story builds to the climactic finale when he must betray his friend and mentor, al-Awlaki - al-Qaeda's biggest threat to the West. Storm is trusted to find al-Awlaki a wife from Europe. She becomes the bait for a possible American drone strike.

Members Reviews:

Brilliant book, powerful story, engaging narration

This is one of my favourite books in Audible. A moving story and great narration. Five star and highly recommended.

good honest account

interesting story which came across very honest with the author admitting to all his bad deeds aa well as his good ones that followed, I personally feel for all his efforts he has not been rewarded or treated nor protected adequately by the government agencies who he helped so much to catch terrorists, gripping story too, highly recommended x

a great listen and highly recommend

It's a book that grips you from start to finish, Great twists and turns throughout

Highly recommend

Brilliant!

Very enjoyable book, and well written. leaves me wondering where Storm is now and what he's doing.

A sad story

If you could sum up Agent Storm in three words, what would they be?

False, Interesting, Sad

What other book might you compare Agent Storm to, and why?

In the process of reading...

Have you listened to any of Neil Shahs other performances? How does this one compare?

Nil

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

See below

Any additional comments?

This story centres around the following: a man seeking fame and fortune - to fill a hole inside his heart, that would never be filled. He apparently was a Muslim convert, that eventually rejected the faith, and became a double agent, spying on Al-Qaeda for Western intelligence agencies. I am afraid this man is a professional liar, so much of this story is likely not true, or severely twisted. Try to listen to story between the lines: look at what he means, not what he writes. The other is to gleam some information on the operation of intelligence agencies including CIA, MI5, and PET(Danish CIA).

The protagonist of the story is Morten Storm, a man born in a broken home who never got love or approval of his parents. He was a troubled boy, and I am afraid, from his own story, a troubled man. This is evident in the story when he went as a man to see his birth father who had left his mother when he was young, and was rejected. I suspect his involvement in Islam, Spying, publishing this book etc was to try to get this approval from all his peers and family, to be accepted and respected. This is evident when in the story he forces the Danish Intelligence agencies to tell his mother directly what he was doing as a double agent.

My feelings on this book can be summarised in the following.

1. Why this book is released.

I suspect the intelligence agencies could have easily stopped this book. They either could taken him out, or used laws such as the Secrecy Act to gag or arrest him. Make no mistake the intelligence agencies wanted this release. At this time he still lives in the West.

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Title: A Dog's Gift

Subtitle: The Inspirational Story of Veterans and Children Healed by Man's Best Friend

Author: Bob Drury

Narrator: Traber Burns

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-19-15

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

A decade ago former military counterintelligence officer Terry Henry joined his precocious young daughter, Kyria, on a trip to a nursing home in order to allow its residents to play with their family dog, a golden retriever named Riley. Terry was astounded by the transformations that unfolded before his eyes. Soon after, Terry and Kyria started their service dog organization, Paws4people, with the goal of pairing dogs with human beings in need of healing, including traumatized and wounded war veterans and children living with physical, emotional, and intellectual disabilities.

In A Dog's Gift, award-winning journalist and author Bob Drury movingly captures the story of a year in the life of Paws4people and the broken bodies and souls the organization mends. The audiobook follows the journey of pups bred by the organization, from their loving if rigorous early training to an emotional event that Terry and Kyria have christened "the bump", where each individual service dog chooses its new owner through an almost mystical connection that ignites the healing process. Incorporating vivid storytelling, insights into canine wisdom, history, science, and moving tales of personal transformation, A Dog's Gift is a story of miracles bound to be embraced by not only the 60 million Americans who own dogs but by anyone with a full heart and a loving soul.

Members Reviews:

Loved ---a dogs gift

Enjoyed this book very much, did make me cry at times because I related to parts of the book in my own life. I believe in the cause for service dogs in this book. Would definitely recommend book, in fact I bought a copy of the book for my daughter-in-law, wife of an army soldier.

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Title: War on the Basepaths

Subtitle: The Definitive Biography of Ty Cobb

Author: Tim Hornbaker

Narrator: Stephen McLaughlin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-11-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

During his 24-year career, Ty Cobb was an MVP, a Triple Crown-winner, and a 12-time batting champion and was elected in the inaugural ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame (along with Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson). As someone who retired from the game over 85 years ago, he is still the leader for career batting average; second in runs, hits, and triples; and a mainstay in dozens of other categories. However, when most people think of "The Georgia Peach", they're reminded of his reputation as a "dirty" player. It was said that he got so many of his steals because he would sharpen his metal cleats and "spike" the second basemen if they would try to tag him out. It's also said that he was rude, nasty, a racist, and hated by peers and the press alike.

As author Tim Hornbaker did for Charles Comiskey in Turning the Black Sox White, War on the Basepaths is an unbiased biography of one of the greatest players ever to grace a baseball diamond. Based on detailed research and analysis, Tim Hornbaker offers the full story of Cobb's life and career, some of which has been altered for almost a century. While he retired in 1928 and passed away in 1961, War on the Basepaths will show how Ty Cobb really was and place listeners in the box seats of his incredible life.

Members Reviews:

Two Cobb Books, One Review of a Maligned Legacy

I purposely waited to review this book until I had read both, War on the Basepaths: The Definitive Biography of Ty Cobb (Tim Hornbaker) and Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty (Charles Leerhsen). When purchasing, I couldn't decide between the two so I hope this review helps you to decide.

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): I thoroughly enjoyed 'War on the Basepaths,' (4 stars) which I read first, but 'A Terrible Beauty,' (5 Stars) has more detail and apparent research to counter some of the more colorful Cobb History. Both books counter the tainted Cobb legacy of a racist, jerk, and spiker.

Regarding both narrators: I listen at 3x speed and neither narrator appealed to me more than the other. If narration performance is important to you, I really can't help you decide. I gave both 4 stars for performance since I could clearly hear both without adjusting the speed.

Since I read 'War on the Basepaths' first, I almost felt like I didn't need to read the other, but I committed myself to it and this review. Despite both books being about 15 hours (1x speed) the biggest difference is focus of the book. As previously mentioned, 'Terrible Beauty' provides more context and theory to Cobb's upbringing, personality, motivations, and day-to-day life minutia. I felt that 'War' covered more baseball statistics but missed some key information that I got from 'Terrible Beauty' (e.g., circumstances around Ty's Father's death, post baseball life with 2nd wife, personal finances and wealth growth).

It was nice to listen to both books and I didn't feel like it was repetitive; in fact the juxtaposing of the two books helped inculcate me to Ty's life.

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Title: Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story

Subtitle: A Blind Broadcaster's Story of Overcoming Life's Greatest Obstacles

Author: Ed Lucas, Christopher Lucas, Ed Lucas - introduction

Narrator: Christopher Lucas

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 04-21-15

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Soon to be a major motion picture, Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story is the incredible true tale of a beloved Emmy-winning blind broadcaster who refused to let his disability prevent him from overcoming many challenging obstacles and achieving his dreams.

In 1951, when he was only 12 years old, Ed Lucas was hit between the eyes by a baseball during a sandlot game in Jersey City. He lost his sight forever. To cheer him up, his mother wrote letters to baseball superstars of the day, explaining her son's condition. Soon Ed was invited into their clubhouses and dugouts, and the players and coaches personally made him feel at home.

Despite the warm reception he got from his heroes, Ed was told repeatedly by others that he would never be able to accomplish anything worthwhile because of his limitations. But Hall-of-Famer Phil Rizzuto became Ed's mentor and encouraged him to pursue his passion - broadcasting. Ed then overcame hundreds of barriers, big and small, to become a pioneer - the first blind person covering baseball on a regular basis, a career he has successfully continued for six decades.

Ed may have lost his sight, but he never lost his faith, which got him through many pitfalls and dark days. When Ed's two sons were very young, his wife walked out and left him to raise them all by himself, which he did. Six years later, Ed's ex-wife returned and sued him for full custody, saying that a blind man shouldn't have her kids. The judge agreed, tearing Ed's sons away from their father's loving home. Ed fought the heartbreaking decision with appeals all the way up to the highest level of the court system. Eventually he prevailed, marking the very first time in US history that a disabled person was awarded custody over a nondisabled spouse.

Even in his later years, Ed is still enjoying a remarkably blessed life.

Members Reviews:

Home Run

What are inspiring story the people with handicap and without any cam should be required to read.

I've recommended it to everyone I talk to...

Full of fun stories and inspirational moments, there isn't a dull or boring part. Really makes you think about where you are in your life and how you interact with others. The narration is fair at best but it is TOTALLY forgivable and actually enduring because it's his son. This is one I'll want to listen to again. Definitely recommend.

SEEING HOME will become a classic

This book is inspiring and motivating. The many big names included will make it too difficult to duplicate the impact of the book in a movie and all the laughs tears make the personal experience of the book the best venue for this remarkable story.

My favorite anecdote was the story where Ed was trying to deal with a bureaucrat to get a Mortgage (I don't want to spoil it for the reader).

Speaking of "reader"- what a great read by co-author Chris Lucas (regional and foreign accents included)!!

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Title: Bookmarked

Subtitle: Reading My Way from Hollywood to Brooklyn

Author: Wendy Fairey

Narrator: Christy Carlo

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-07-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Wendy Fairey grew up among books. As the shy and studious daughter of famed Hollywood columnist Sheilah Graham - F. Scott Fitzgerald's lover during the last years of his life - she began as a child reading her way through the library Fitzgerald had assembled for her mother and escaped into the landscape of classic English novels. Their protagonists became her intimates, starting with David Copperfield, whose sensibility and aspirations seemed so akin to her own. She felt as plain as Jane Eyre but craved the panache of Becky Sharp. English novels squired her to adulthood, and Bookmarked is a memoir of that journey.

In a series of brilliant chapters that blend the genres of personal memoir and literary criticism, we follow Fairey, refracted through her reading, as student, wife, professor, mother, grandmother, and happily remarried writer. E. M. Forster's Howards End helps her cope with a failing marriage; Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Ramsay teaches important lessons about love and memory. Like Eliot's Daniel Deronda, she learns only as an adult of her Jewish heritage (and learns also the identity of her real father, the British philosopher A. J. Ayer). In this intimate and inspiring book, Wendy Fairey shows that her love of reading has been both a source of deep personal pleasure and key to living a fulfilling and richly self-examined life.

Members Reviews:

A gorgeous work!

I love this book! It reads itself like a novel: each chapter locates us at a moment in the reader's life and explores the impact of the book she is discussing. And she is an exquisite reader! Immersing myself in her universe of books attuned me freshly to the ways novels invite us into a symbolic world where forces operate consistently and details cohere. As she places each work in the larger framework of nineteenth-century fiction, we see the themes of the century unfold and change. She also draws us into the realm of her imagination, explaining how these powerful works shaped her sense of personhood, how characters mirrored and supported her in defining her evolving identity.

As a reader, I engaged in her discriminations. What did David Copperfield mean to me when I first encountered him? Becky Sharpe? Dorothea Brooke? Isabel Archer? Who was I, who am I in relation to nineteenth-century fiction? How did these stories shape my sense of self? if they didnât, which books did?

Along with offering us this sharp-eyed, deeply learned and always personal study of the novels, Fairey allowed us into the privileged and yet often painfully deprived world of a young woman who seeks to understand and protect herself in relation to a bold, famous, often outrageous mother, an absent father, a miserable stepfather. We go with her as she explores her sexuality, raises her children and becomes a brave, knowledgeable teacher. Moving from David Copperfield's question of whether he will become the hero of his own life to the stories of Indian women who are writing to become the hero of theirs, Fairey pursues the question for herself through the work.

It is sometimes said that one has to love another in order to truly know her. Fairey's work supports this view. She loves these books, this field, her work as a teacher and writer. And she knows it deeply. And in loving this book, we come to know and love her.

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Title: One Life

Subtitle: My Mother's Story

Author: Kate Grenville

Narrator: Kate Grenville

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-25-15

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 30 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Nance was a week short of her sixth birthday when she and Frank were roused out of bed in the dark and lifted into the buggy, squashed in with bedding, the cooking pots rattling around in the back, and her mother shouting back towards the house, "Good-bye, Rothsay, I hope I never see you again!"

When Kate Grenvilles mother died, she left behind many fragments of memoir. These were the starting point for One Life, the story of a woman whose life spanned a century of tumult and change. In many ways Nances story echoes that of many mothers and grandmothers for whom the spectacular shifts of the 20th century offered a path to new freedoms and choices.

In other ways Nance was exceptional. In an era when women were expected to have no ambitions beyond the domestic, she ran successful businesses as a registered pharmacist, laid the bricks for the family home, and discovered her husbands secret life as a revolutionary.

Critic Reviews:

"A few sentences of Grenvilles makes one realise that much of the writing one encounters in a novel these days is thin and perfunctory." (The Daily Express)

"One Life is a treat further enhanced by a contemplative and intimate narration." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

For all Australian Women

Really interesting story and insight into life especially for women last century in Australia. thankyou!

an ordinary life?

Loved it! an ordinary life made extraordinary in its courage, fullness and determination. Had to finish!

Interesting and Informative

Would you consider the audio edition of One Life to be better than the print version?

Yes. One couldn't really hear the passion without the narrator. Without a narrator, it'd be just words.

What was one of the most memorable moments of One Life?

Not knowing love. And having to give up the pharmacy.

Which character as performed by Kate Grenville was your favorite?

Nance.

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

No. Some of it got long and drawn out in places.

A woMan to admire

Kate Grenville has captured the spirit of her mother, trapped in the cultural construct of Sydney in the 1950's. That spirit, determined to have a life worth living, found a way despite the barriers. The reading itself was captivating, in a tone and with empathy and love for the woman who gave her life and inspiration. I was enthralled and the book triggered so many memories of the women who allowed us, by their sacrifices, to enjoy what they could not, to have a life of choice.

Excellent Book

I loved this book from start to finish. All the details brought this one life alive for the reader. Nance was such a likable person, I just wanted it to go on and on.

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Título: Marco Polo [Spanish Edition]

Subtitular: El gran viajero [Marco Polo: The Great Voyager]

Autor: Online Studio Productions

Narrador: uncredited

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 41 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 03-25-15

Editor: Online Studio Productions

Calificaciones: 4 de 5 de 4 votos

Categorías: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Resumen del editor:

Nacido en el año 1254, veneciano de corazón, este notable explorador italiano ha pasado a la historia por ser uno de los primeros hombres que llegó a China, país del que aprendió su arte, idioma, y difusión por sus notables avances culturales. Su libro, Las Aventuras de Marco Polo, causó admiración en la Europa del siglo XIII, al extremo de considerarlo un hombre bendecido por la suerte y a admiración.

Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

Opiniones de los miembros:

love it.the narrator doing excellent.interere

I love it.the narrator doing excellent.intererest story.

surprise when the a emparador not allow Marco Polo to learn Chinese

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Titel: Vierzig Jahre

Untertitel: Ein Lebensbericht

Autor:: Günter de Bruyn

Erzähler: Sylvester Groth

Format: Unabridged

Spieldauer: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Sprache: Deutsch

Veröffentlichungsdatum: 03-19-15

Herausgeber: Der Audio Verlag

Kategorien: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Zusammenfassung des Herausgebers:

Die Gründung der DDR erlebt Günter de Bruyn im Alter von 22 Jahren - ihr Ende mit 63. Von diesen 40 Jahren berichtet er hier. Er beschreibt seine Arbeitsjahre als Bibliothekar in Ost-Berlin und die ersten Erfolge als Schriftsteller, die ihn auch im Westen bekannt machen. Er schildert Begegnungen mit Schriftstellern wie Heinrich Böll, Wolf Biermann und Christa Wolf sowie mit SED-Funktionären wie Hermann Kant und Klaus Höpcke. Immer wirft er auch einen kritischen Blick auf das eigene Handeln als Bürger eines diktatorischen Staates, gewissenhaft und schonungslos.

Sylvester Groth liest die ungekürzte Fassung dieses beeindruckenden Lebensberichtes.

©1996 S. Fischer Verlag (P)2015 DAV

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Title: Growing up in Blue

Subtitle: A Young Officer's Journey Through the NOPD

Author: Warren V. Pope

Narrator: John Steele

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-11-15

Publisher: Warren V. Pope

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

This is a narrative of a young Officer's journey through the New Orleans Police Department, told in a series of tales, humor being a necessary part of such a narrative...

This is an optimistic look at the learning experiences that occur to a young man as he's growing from a rookie to a veteran police officer... There are a few surprises...

Members Reviews:

Entertaining way to learn a bit about NOLA

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed listening to a real person's experience doing their job. I'm fascinated by the insights of someone who has worked as an officer and how it effects their lives and families. I was able to almost see and smell the city as I read of a place I've never had a chance to visit. Warren has a way of writing that draws you in and keeps you wanting to hear what happens next. His humor is unrivaled. Can't wait to listen to another of his writings.

Journey through NOPD ---A Trip Through Time

Any additional comments?

Warren Pope is a gifted story teller.

Every story takes you to a different place in time, each word is mesmerizing.

You are instantly drawn into his words; Warren never disappoints and always leaves you wanting more.

Ive read Warrens other books, simply fascinating in every way. A must listen to book.

Fascinatingly Great!

Many people would love to hear from an insider and the stories that only police officers' could possibly know. Warren Pope brilliantly tells many of the stories that only a fly on the wall could confirm. You'll be surprised and astounded. You'll experience sympathy and empathy at different times. You'll want to cry at times but can't help but laugh. A wonderful glimpse into the life and culture of a young cop in the Big Easy. A cultural classic that you won't want to put down.