Top Website For Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs and Many More

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Title: The Blood We Shed

Author: William Christie

Narrator: Joe Bronzi

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-20-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

The United States Marine Corps is a legendary fighting force. Literally thousands of books and movies have glorified its history. But now a Marine veteran has written a novel that opens up the curtain and provides a look deep inside the modern Corps: the good, the bad, and the sometimes just plain embarrassing.

Lieutenant Mike Galway takes command of his first platoon, and it is not at all what he bargained for. What he anticipated was the challenge of training a unit of disciplined Marine infantrymen to go to war. Instead he finds himself responsible for a group of unruly American teenagers, for whom he has to become a combination of surrogate father, psychologist, high school principal, marriage counselor, financial advisor, conflict mediator, and drug and alcohol therapist. The results are frequently hilarious, always frustrating, and sometimes heartbreakingly tragic.

While Galway learns the secrets of leadership, he and his men are overtaken by the events of September 11, 2001, and the time for playing war is over. Now at the place where Marines always expect to be, the tip of the spear, the men of Echo company deploy aboard ship and race toward the Middle East. There they find themselves fighting the first battle of a war that continues to this day, in a place none of them could expect.

Members Reviews:

Rings True

The writing Rings as true as the sound of a bolt locking closed or expended brass hitting concrete. Well done, L-T!

A great story

A great story that takes you from a Marines first day in service through deployment after 9/11. Christie blends some humor along with the seriousness of going to war, I highly recommend this book.

So Far the Best Report of Soldiers Facing Middle Eastern War

I have family who have been Marines...but readers don't have to be from Marine families to LOVE William Christie's writing or to LOVE this book. If you have read the military classics from other periods: 'No More Parades', 'All Quiet On The Western Front', 'Apocalypse Now,' readers will find this is a very true telling of a war of our Millenials' time. With Mr. Christie, we have a real Marine who has been in exactly the First Lieutenant's position he writes about. The pre-story of training for combat jibes with what my Marine uncle shared and with what my son experienced in the summer pre-program at West Point. The raid on the ground in Yemen brought back vivid memories of the villages and the housing types I saw in a non-military life. The author's descriptions of combat in this place as he saw it is true and instructive to the rest of us. I believe this novel is destined to join the great works by real soldiers about real combat challenges faced by our 'citizen soldiers.'

Introcuction to War in the Mid-East: 101

I have a long-standing interest in military fiction especially as it informs me about the complexities of modern warfare. Recent developments in the Mid-East have been of particular interest. However, I have been hampered by my lack of knowledge about the region, and the various issues that have impacted the way war has been waged there. Mr. Christie's book, *The Blood We Shed,* meets my needs on a variety of levels very well.

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Title: Life after Life, Another Glimpse at Grief, 'Til Death - Never - Do Us Part

Subtitle: A True Tale of Initiation

Author: Marsha Jane Orr

Narrator: Leslie Intriago

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-29-14

Publisher: Intrepreneur Coaching Press

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Cathartic and emotionally relevant for listeners who have recently suffered a loss. Orr relates, in straightforward prose, the ways in which her grief propels her into past-life recall and alters her perception of her own spiritual path and life purpose. listeners might find this book useful as a companion piece to more traditional texts on coping with death, such as Kubler-Ross's seminal On Grief and Grieving...Kirkus Reviews

Members Reviews:

"The value you have is what you promise to yourself."

Marsh Jane Orr is my colleague but I have never known her personal life until I read her book A Way Of Love. Through telling her stories: her husband suddenly passed away, her sisters became unfriendly to her, etc., she examined her life carefully. The pain nibbled her heart but also woke up her spirit. Marsha was not only tangling in her sad feelings, she weaved her feelings into thoughts. When I read the book, I was brought into her contemplation for the life. It showed me that why her husband still lives in her heart, and why she had hate-and-love relationship with her siblings. Life is unpredictable. If you suffers from losing love ones, this book shares the same feeling with you and encourage you to live strong.

A very important contribution to our lives. All of ...

A very important contribution to our lives. All of us have hidden stories but Marsha talks to us about how to recovery from the 'dark' side. One must buy.

A.J.

A Must Read For Anyone Who Has Experienced Loss In Their Life...And That's Everyone.

Marsha Jane Orr openly reveals the pain and the triumph of her own personal journey of discovery after the "too soon" death of her husband...her soulmate. In a style that is poetic and full of vivid imagery, Orr warmly invites the reader in to share her most private moments. The result I believe is that the reader is able to awaken to a new way of perceiving and thinking about loss and death. A way that is supportive of the healing journey that we all must travel after the experience of loss, especially the loss of a loved one. A wonderful book to read and to share with others.

UNCOVERING THE TRUTH WITHIN ONESELF

I found Marsha Jane Orr's book well written and very insightful. In simple coincide words, it guided me to look inside my heart and soul to better determine some of the issues I still need to resolve in this particular journey on this planet at this time. I was also very intrigued by her journey so far which she so eloquently and honestly relayed.

Maria Teresa Agostino, B.A., B.Com., M.A.

Excellent Read

This book is an easy read and a fantastic book. The author opens herself up to the reader with private thoughts, honesty and feelings that transend into real human love. Her faith in God is steadfast and I loved this book.

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Title: Discovered in Kathmandu

Subtitle: How I Found My Nepalese Family

Author: Nick Morrice

Narrator: Nick Morrice

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-22-14

Publisher: Balloon View Ltd

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

In Kathmandu, a retired English schoolteacher visits an orphanage where he meets a young man desperate to train as a doctor. After a year's agonizing indecision, the Englishman takes up the challenge and promises to sponsor him. What follows is a life-changing experience in which he himself comes to be adopted into a Nepalese family as brother, uncle, friend and godfather.

This book offers a unique and warm-hearted look into the dilemmas of low-caste family life living on the brink in Nepal. Meet the penniless tailor, Kiran, who was saved from suicide; experience the comic informality of house-hunting in Kathmandu; discover a colourful array of characters, cheerful and courageous in spite of the extreme poverty that they face.

When Nick Morrice took early retirement, following twelve years as Head of English at Downsend Prep School in Leatherhead, he turned his attention to charity work. He founded the West Surrey Local Support Group for WaterAid. But it was the opportunity to sponsor a Nepalese boy through a local charity, CHANCE for Nepal , which led Nick to venture into the country's capital city, Kathmandu, for the first time in October 2009. Thus began what has become a rewarding, ongoing project to support five Nepalese orphans in fulfilling their hopes and ambitions.

When Nick Morrice took early retirement, following twelve years as Head of English at Downsend Prep School in Leatherhead, he turned his attention to charity work. He founded the West Surrey Local Support Group for WaterAid. But it was the opportunity to sponsor a Nepalese boy through a local charity, CHANCE for Nepal , which led Nick to venture into the country's capital city, Kathmandu, for the first time in October 2009. Thus began what has become a rewarding, ongoing project to support five Nepalese orphans in fulfilling their hopes and ambitions.

Members Reviews:

Sharing the Journey

I enjoyed visiting Kathmandu, a country I am unlikely to ever visit, through Nick's writing. He drew me into the story quickly and I shared with him his journeys and his adventures. It is more than a travel book because we get to know his 'family' more intimately than a mere travel book would allow. We share Nick's compassion, his fears and his delight at being so accepted by the Nepalese family.

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Title: Everything Is Embarrassing

Subtitle: A Memoir About the Times I Outed Myself, and Other Cringeworthy Moments

Author: Shawn Binder

Narrator: Johnny Drago

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-19-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Some people may consider joy or love to be the strongest emotion there is, but think back to the most embarrassing moment you've ever experienced and chances are the same gut-punch feeling you had when it happened will come flooding back to you. In this collection of essays, Thought Catalog writer Shawn Binder attempts to capture his most poignant and hilarious embarrassing stories. Starting from his childhood, he'll take you through his journey of pulling out his eyelashes, to the first time he fell in love, to the time he realized just how terrible it is to vomit on the Chicago Red Line at midnight. These essays are grounded in the human experience and, although light in tone, touch on serious topics such as mortality and parenthood. Everything Is Embarrassing is a love letter written for all the people who have ever farted in front of their crush, or tripped in front of a crowd of bullies.

Members Reviews:

Great book

A very revealing and funny story of a young man's life and the ways he managed to cope with the incredibly stupid and embarrassing things we all manage to do while trying to grow up. I'm glad he's come this far and was able to write it down for the enjoyment of others. I expect great things from him and look forward to his next endeavor .

A brief glimpse of more brilliant writing to come.

Incredibly provocative. Binder mangers to deftly balance the high wire act of blistering insight and gut punch humor in such a way that left me chuckling at lines that simultaneously made me uncomfortable because of the unsettling recognition I felt from being in similar moments. An author who's ready to soar.

A Must Read Memoir

"Everything Is Embarrassing" is an autobiographical collection of entertaining, moving, and surprising short stories by author Shawn Binder. From the first to the last chapter, the author gives an intimate look into his life through the embarrassing experiences he has encountered along the way. The book serves as a reminder that often times the ways in which we mistreat others can become the most embarrassing memories of all.

It was a little strange to read this book at the local coffee shop as I found myself laughing out loud, wincing with empathy, and often times doing both simultaneously. It was a fun and energetic read, but left me reminiscing about my own life, and how I have grown through my own embarrassments to become the person I am today.

Five Stars

Read it one sitting really enjoyed it.

Highly recommended

Hilarious read ...

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Title: Room Service Is Closed

Subtitle: Dispatches from the Front Desk

Author: Sean Fox

Narrator: Brandon McKernan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-10-14

Publisher: FoxTail Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 30 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

There are a great many horror stories from people who have stayed in hotels and had a miserable experience. No offense to those people, but working there isn't all rainbows and sausages either. The front desk, usually the first and last point of contact, is where the vast majority of foolishness takes place. And the front desk agent is witness to it all. One of those front desk agents was me. Armed with bitterness, sarcasm, and general unpleasantness, I try to survive the world of The Hotel, a place filled with overly perky HR people, mind numbingly dull coworkers, and managers sent straight from the darkest pit of Hell. That's not to mention the guests, a whole breed of crazy all on their own. Join me on my journey where I learn that the hospitality industry isn't very hospitable and perhaps I don't have the right attitude to be in it.

Members Reviews:

Fantastic Book

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

The is one of the better books I have listened to. So much that I have listened to it multiple times. The narrator MAKES this book!!!

I know people are entitled to their own opinion but.....get over yourself it's just a book.

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

Book made me constantly laugh.

Any additional comments?

The Narrator is perfect!!!

Tip Please!

Having worked within Hotel Industry since my teens, I figured this was a sure buy for memory lane. Some of the stories amusing - but - took me a long time to get thru the audio of the book - did not keep my attention as much as I thought it would. Yet, I found my self shaking my head at so many of the true things that happen in hotel world.

Loved it

This kept me laughing! I want more from him! Extremely entertaining from start to finish!

decent

not overly amazing but we'll worth finishing. many laugh out loud moments, I yes I just don't get the overly grumpiness and constant complaining.

Sarcastic bullshit

Not entertaining or informative at all! Worst audiobook I've encountered so far! I would love a refund! I never write bad reviews. I usually just don't bother. I can't believe he got a book deal!

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Title: A Tour of Bones

Subtitle: Facing Fear and Looking for Life

Author: Denise Inge

Narrator: Elisabeth Rodgers

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-14

Publisher: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Author, academic, and adventurer, Denise Inge grew up in a large and rambunctious family on the east coast of America. She crossed the Sahara, charmed snakes in Marrakech and cycled the Adirondack mountains, but her latest adventure is an interior one. It starts with the discovery that her house is built on a crypt full of human skeletons. Facing her fear of these strangers' bones takes her to other charnel houses in Europe and on a journey into the meaning of bones themselves. This exploration, though it began before her diagnosis with an inoperable sarcoma, takes on a new significance when the question of living well in the face of mortality abruptly ceases to be hypothetical. A Tour of Bones is a passionate testament to the conviction that living is more than not dying, and that contemplating mortality is not about being prepared to die but about being prepared to live.

Members Reviews:

Humility

Having been in love with, and visited Worcester cathedral many times, its archaeology was only partially known to me. The concept of a charnal house fascinated me, so coming across this book, after a chat with the bishop of Worcester, was a delight. The book is beautifuly and elegantly written. It is both thought provoking and thoughtful. Well worth a read.

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Title: Ben Franklin: Unplugged

Subtitle: .... And Other Comic Monologues

Author: Josh Kornbluth

Narrator: Josh Kornbluth

Format: Original Recording

Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-31-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 23 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Gazing into the bathroom mirror one morning while shaving, Josh Kornbluth realizes that he looks remarkably like the guy on the $100 bill. Like any good Jewish son, he immediately calls his mother. From there he becomes obsessed with what it means to be a founding father, especially when your own father/son relationship (Ben had an illegitimate son named William who was a British loyalist during the Revolutionary War) is more than a bit strained. Part History Detectives and part embarrassingly hilarious autobiography, Kornbluths resulting investigation of the man behind the famous spectacles will take you from the hallowed halls of academia to Kornbluths richly comic interactions with his mother Bunny and Aunt Birdie, sharing along the way his discoveries about Americas history, family foibles, and the surprises beneath the surface of even our most familiar American tall tales.

Members Reviews:

Satirical Disembowelment

Please Dont Tickle Me, Ben Franklin, You Crazy Diamond!

If you haven't peed your pants listening to Josh Kornbluth, you haven't LIVED. Kornbluth is a master storyteller and his comic timing is peerless.

After noticing a passing resemblance to Ben Franklin in the mirror, Josh Kornbluth embarks on a journey ofwell not exactly SELF-discovery. More like satrical disembowelment.

I laughed til I cried.

PLUG HIM BACK IN

If only I had started on this book sooner, I could have returned it for a free credit. Instead I forced myself to listen to the first third of it honestly wanting to give it a chance. In the end I just couldn't take it any more and deleted it from my device. I suppose that there are folks who do appreciate the humor (yes I got it) but I thought it was boring and not very funny. As a firm believer in live and let live I would say that if you want to try this audiobook, do that first. Listen to a sample before you commit yourself, or get it for a credit so you can return it if it is not your cup of tea. De gustibus non disputandem esse. (To each his own).

Very disappointing

The Franklin portion somewhat amusing but not as funny as he thinks he is. Continuing mostly boring.

Very enjoyable

Loved this, and I'm a right wing Christian! Great modulation on voice, very enjoyable! Good story telling, amusing.

Perfection!

Where does Ben Franklin: Unplugged rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I have listened to a million (roughly) audiobooks ( : and I can't think of any I liked better than this one.

What did you like best about this story?

It is fascinating, intriguing, intelligent, funny, and brilliantly told.

Have you listened to any of Josh Kornbluths other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first.

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

Yes. I tried to listen to it while running. But I was laughing so hard, I would veer off track, which would make other runners stumble out of my way. So I started to walk instead while I listened. I have gained a little wait, but it was worth it.

Any additional comments?

I can't really begin to describe how entertaining I think this is. I think it's brilliant.

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Title: Cinderland: A Memoir

Author: Amy Jo Burns

Narrator: Jorjeana Marie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-07-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

A riveting literary debut about the cost of keeping quiet. Amy Jo Burns grew up in Mercury, Pennsylvania, an industrial town humbled by the steel collapse of the 1980s. Instead of the construction booms and twelve-hour shifts her parents' generation had known, the Mercury Amy Jo knew was marred by empty houses, old strip mines, and vacant lots. It wasn't quite a ghost town - only because many people had no choice but to stay. The year Burns turned ten, this sleepy town suddenly woke up. Howard Lotte, its beloved piano teacher, was accused of sexually assaulting his female students. Among the countless girls questioned, only seven came forward. For telling the truth, the town ostracized these girls and accused them of trying to smear a good man's reputation. As for the remaining girls - well, they were smarter. They lied. Burns was one of them. But such a lie has its own consequences.

Against a backdrop of fire and steel, shame and redemption, Burns tells of the boys she ran from and toward, the friends she abandoned, and the endless performances she gave to please a town that never trusted girls in the first place. This is the story of growing up in a town that both worshipped and sacrificed its youth - a town that believed being a good girl meant being a quiet one - and the long road Burns took toward forgiving her ten-year-old self. Cinderland is an elegy to that young girl's innocence, as well as a praise song to the curative powers of breaking a long silence.

Members Reviews:

Small Town Burning

Amy Jo Burns makes vivid the confines of small town life. That the choices involved in defining a girl's own self will have consequences in her treatment by the townlong after she should have outgrown any labels.

When the town's piano teacher is accused of molesting his students, she's perceptive enough to know that the girls who come forward will be branded and ostracized. She says, "In a small town, innocence can never be overrated. Innocence is a small town girl's currency. It's better not to know what you don't know and to un-know what you already do."

But her own choice of staying quiet burns her up on the inside.

Amy Jo Burns is observant and self reflective without being self-centered. Her writing is fluid and beautiful while being as real as it gets.

Narrator, Jorjeanna Marie gives such an unaffected performance that there is no divide between story and reader. It sounds like she's telling her own secrets.

This book deserves to be heard.

I can't wait to listen again!

I absolutely loved this book. And, while I've just finished it and am anxious to give it the accolades it is due, I'm almost lost for words. Amy Jo Burns has a thoughtful and provocative writing style that makes it impossible not to get lost in the characters, places, and moods of the story.

She could not have picked a better person to read it as well. Jorjeana Marie was meant to read this book - I can't imagine anyone else would have done it it's full justice.

Just give it a listen - you'll be glad you did.

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Title: Querencia

Author: Stephen Bodio

Narrator: Paul Christy

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 07-08-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Born in Boston, Stephen Bodio wandered into Magdalena, New Mexico, in the 1970s while on his way to Montana and never left. He was accompanied by Betsy Huntington, who was twenty years his senior; the couple had been inseparable from the day they met. After stumbling upon a vintage home along the highway, they settled into a country life; it was the perfect way for the two of them to make their lives together in an out-of-the-way place.

It's through Bodio that Betsy's story is painted in such memorable passages that soon captivate listeners. Together they made their home among the mountains of New Mexico, returning to a simple life of hunting, falconry, and becoming acquainted with the local reptiles and insects of the desert. A lover of nature, Bodio here explains in vivid detail his time spent in the wilderness. He found himself the center of his neighbors' attention when they discovered his endless fascination with the local fauna, from snakes and birds to coursing dogs. He became accustomed to Magdalena through the people and wildlife, even joining in the biggest festival on the calendar: The Quemado Rodeo, better known by locals as the Street Dance and Brawl.

From the Spanish term meaning "the heart's true home," Querencia captivates and settles the heart. It is an astonishing listen for those looking for an escape from the hustle of the big city, or just seeking to find solitude in the country life.

Members Reviews:

If only the reader had researched how to say Socorro.

What a wonderful book! I had read it but knew it would be perfect to listen to as we drove through Magdalena on our way home to Santa Fe. The authors mispronunciation of Socorro was like fingernails across a chalkboard interrupting the gorgeous prose that is Bodio's.

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Title: Surviving in Spirit

Subtitle: A Memoir about Sisterhood and Addiction

Author: Mélanie Berliet

Narrator: Dina Pearlman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-29-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

What prompts a young woman to abandon the safe bounds of convention for the unknown?

At first, all Mélanie Berliet understood was that she'd lost her sense of what "supposed to" meant. And that her older sister, Céline, was sick.

While it's tough to understand what leads a person into addiction - to witness someone you love kind-of kill herself - the truth is that you can learn from it. By the time Céline died at age 30, she was Kermit The Frog green and she vomited blood more frequently than she was able to eat. In less than a decade, she had gone from summa cum laude Columbia graduate to NYU PhD student to unemployed, rambling, stumbling drunk saddled with a cirrhotic liver beyond repair. By the time Céline died, her younger sister, Mélanie, was no longer a Miss Goody Two Shoes from a waspy Connecticut suburb trotting down the sensible path. She was an adult who had abandoned a secure job on Wall Street to establish a career as a writer committed to exploring fascinating subcultures.

As Céline's illness escalated, you see, a basic lesson crept up on Mlanie: Life is beautifully short, and fragile as hell. Life happens. Gradually, Mélanie stopped agonizing over what she was supposed to do/think/know/read/listen to/watch/feel, or who she was supposed to be/befriend/love/like/learn from. So she pitched projects that sounded crazy and/or dangerous to most, but which gave her a thrill and helped her establish a career as an immersive journalist. She grew some balls, so to speak, after freeing herself from caring about what others might think.

The devastating beauty of what happened to Céline forced Mélanie to question who she is. However unwittingly, in dying, Céline empowered her younger sister to take risks - to live. This is their story.

Members Reviews:

Awful amateur writing

I couldn't even finish it. Author can't seem to keep to the simple outline of story, tracking and describing the decline and death of her sister to alcoholism. It's full of about the boring details of her own life, how she gave up a job on Wall Street to pursue writing.