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Title: This Beautiful Life

Author: Helen Schulman

Narrator: Jennifer Woodward

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-12-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

When the Bergamots move to a new well-to-do neighbourhood, they're unsure how well they'll adapt. Soon though, Richard is consumed by his new role and Liz is hectically playing mother to 4-year-old Coco and 15 year-old Jake. But the day Jake unthinkingly forwards his friends a sexually-explicit email from a young girl is the last day of the Bergamots' comfortable existence.

Faced with impossible choices, what Richard and Liz do next risks destroying not only their marriage, their daughter, and their place in the community, but also Jake - the child they have set out to protect.

Members Reviews:

not so beautiful!

struggled! totally left up in the air.

flat characters. I didn't enjoy the book at all.

Great listen

An interesting insight into the technological age we now live in and the effect and impact this now has on our lives and those around us, especially those not mature enough to know the full consequences - a really good book, well worth a listen, especially if you have teenagers!!!!

A masterpiece

I could not stop listening to this audiobook and it has stayed with me since. It is a beautifully, compactly written masterpiece that translates perfectly to audio. The alternately narrated chapters work well and Jennifer Woodward is a compelling narrator. The family are not particularly likeable but, along with the society of wealthy Manhattanites they inhabit, are brilliantly characterised . As the parent of a teenager I found that the moral questions it raises are particulary relevant and thought provoking.

Never quite got started

I persevered with this book but somehow how it always felt like it was just starting. I do not think the narrator helped as her monotone delivery seemed to suggest that something more was about to be revealed but it never happened. I enjoyed the last chapter but can't help thinking that much of the middle could have been dispensed with.

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Title: The Boy Who Taught the Beekeeper to Read: And Other Stories

Author: Susan Hill

Narrator: David Holt

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-25-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A young school boy visiting his aunt's country house finds company and friendship with the gentle beekeeper and begins teaching the man to read. It seems nothing can ever intrude upon their closeness. A young country girl fights against becoming a downtrodden domestic skivvy like her dead mother, while another young girl reaches a delicate understanding with an elderly blind man as they walk along the beach together. On another beach a more sinister plot unfolds as a gang of boys plan the wicked deed.

Members Reviews:

disappointed

I stupidly didn't realise that this was a short story book, but thought I'd try it out as I generally like short stories, however I found the stories and the narrator pretty non descript. Very disappointed as I was expecting more oomph from Susan Hill (not sure if they were all written by her).

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Titolo: Tutta colpa del vulcano [Blame the Volcano]

Autore: Silvia Cecchini, Enrica Maschio

Narratore: Silvia Cecchini

Formato: Unabridged

Durata: 1 hr and 57 mins

Lingua: Italiano

Data di pubblicazione: 06-11-12

Editore: Collina d'oro

Categoria: Fiction, Contemporary

Riepilogo Editore:

Tenerife, il vulcano, e una compagnia di aspiranti scrittori, registi e attori. Chiara, trascinata dalla madre e da un'amica, partecipa ad un seminario residenziale di cinema, di cui è appassionata. per Chiara, Stefania,Martina, Vieri, l'insegnante di sceneggiatura, e Giovanni, allievo attore, sarà l'occasione di incontrare se stessi, oltre che alcuni stereotipi maschili e femminili, come Rossella O'Hara, e Don Giovanni. Una vacanza agrodolce e tenera, in cui il tempo viene dilatato dalla presenza del vulcano, che esagera ogni emozione...Cornice musicale di Kevin Mc Leod.

Please note: This audiobook is in Italilan.

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Title: Out of the Girls' Room and into the Night (Iowa Short Fiction Award)

Author: Thisbe Nissen

Narrator: Caroline Miller

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-30-12

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Out of the Girls' Room and into the Night is a spirited, offbeat collection of stories, elongated riffs on that thing we call...love. All manner of love stories: thwarted love stories, imaginary love stories, love stories offhand and obsessive, philosophical love stories, erudite and amusing love stories.

"People don't meet because they both like Burmese food," says one character, "or because someone's sister has a friend who's single and new in town, or because Billy's nose happened to crook just slightly to the left at an angle that made me want to weep...People don't fall in love with each other...they just fall into love."

Everyone does it: women of fierce independence, men of thin character, rambling Deadheads, gay teenage girls, despondent Peace Corps volunteers, anorexic Broadway theatre dancers, the eager, the grieving, the uncommunicative. Even the confused do it. And they don't just fall in love with each other - they fall in love with certain moments and familiar places, with things as ephemeral as gestures and as evanescent as sunlight.

Quirky, real, idealistic, deluded, bohemian, and true, these are people who can - and often do - fall in love with a pair of ears, August afternoons, saucers of vitamins, New Age carpenters, and dead bumblebees. And if there's something they can teach us, it's how to conceive of alternative worlds and the terror and the exhilaration of venturing outside the confines of the lives we know and making our way into a dark, glittering unknown.

Winner of Iowa Short Fiction Award.

Critic Reviews:

"...an awe-inspiring collection of short stories." (Austin Chronicle)

"There is great originality and great freedom in Thisbe Nissen's approach to her subject, a kind of classicism in her lucid and compassionate interest in the ways of this present world." (Marilynne Robinson)

"Nissen as an assured writer whose wide-ranging interest in varied people and life situations creates lively fiction." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

University of Iowa short fiction awards

This is a series of short stories about young women, mostly living in, but not originally from, New York. Some are still in highschool. They each have, in the course of a short story an experience or are part of an event that will change their lives. The last story, the title story, is indicative. It involves a girl who had a crush on her teacher from eighth grade through highschool, but she just flirted with and did not sleep with him. But as shes getting ready to go to college, he suddenly stalks her, always showing up wherever she is, trying to get her not to go to college away from home, in other words behaving in a rather creepy fashion. These are all extremely well written stories, and Miller does an excellent job with each of them. This book was published in 2000. It would be interesting to know what if anything the author has written since that time.

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Title: The Coach's Son

Author: Jeffrey Hickey

Narrator: Jeffrey Hickey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-25-12

Publisher: Big-n-Boo Productions

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Have you ever felt that your presence at a sporting event influenced the result? Are you certain your team could not possibly succeed without you at the game? Do you believe your adherence to a precise routine on game day, whether at the stadium or in your own home, is the key to winning or losing? And if you don't hold to these rituals exactly, do you believe in your heart that your team is doomed?

If you are a sports fan, you know about superstitions, curses, and hexes. The sporting world is littered with these legends. Some, like the Curse of the Bambino, the Curse of the Billy Goat, or being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, are well known and documented. More recently, there has been a rising swell of evidence supporting the Madden Curse.

But there are other stories similar to these that have never been told. This is one of those stories. It is the story of a boy named Mark O'Bern.

Members Reviews:

Terrific story complimented by a great voice.

I absolutely loved this audio version as Mr. Hickey has a most entertaining voice. This is not a boring blah blah reading, his voice is full of character and wonderful inflections. It was a real joy to listen to! A good reading voice really brings the characters to life and makes it a much more exciting adventure.

I happened to see a live performance that Mr. Hickey did a few months ago from his latest book, Morehead. ( which is also very good!) After the reading he was signing books and I

saw The Coaches Son so I bought and read it. But his live performance had been so good so I also bought the audio for the simple fact that he is so much fun to listen to!

The story is well written and honest, about a young boy whose Dad is a professional football coach. The boy, Mark, has a unique and special ability to predict the outcome of games.

It is a warm, and often humorous, tale of a boy's coming of age and the relationships between himself, his family members, and the world. Mark seems to find himself in some interesting situations at every turn, especially when it comes to girls and puberty.

It's an entertaining listen that will keep you involved and laughing, I highly recommend this one!

Entertaining Listen and a Great Story!

What did you love best about The Coach's Son?

I first read the Coach's Son and I enjoyed it so much that I also wanted to listen to it. What a treat! Mr. Hickey has an engaging style that drew me into the story so that I enjoyed it even more than when I read it. The Coach's Son tell's the story of a young boy whose Dad is a football coach. I am not a great sports fan, but I found young Mark's coming of age both amusing and engrossing. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good listen told by a master storyteller.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mark was my favorite character. I enjoyed "watching" him grow up, and listening to his thoughts, especially about religion.

What about Jeffrey Hickeys performance did you like?

Mr. Hickey has a rich voice. He draws the listener into the story without overpowering it.

Who was the most memorable character of The Coach's Son and why?

Al Almighty makes a couple of short but important appearances in Coach's Son. He is a colorful character and Mr. Hickey drew him memorably in my mind.

Any additional comments?

Great book! I think it has something for just about anyone.

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Title: Coronation Day

Author: Kay Brellend

Narrator: Penelope McDonald

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-12

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Hear the latest instalment from the most original voice in saga publishing. Coronation Day will tie in perfectly with the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June 2012.

Its going to be a right old knees up. The residents of the tough streets around Islington are heartbroken at the death of George the VI but having a young Queen on the throne isnt the only change that they can expect. The toughest street in London, Campbell Road, is due for demolition. One of the last residents remaining, Matilda Kiever, born and bred on the street, remembers many things about the past, not least what really happened to Christopher Wilds mum, Pamela. Christopher thought she was dead, but it turns out she is very much alive.

But before he can get to the bottom of things, trouble starts to brew on Campbell Road when, after months of tension between Stephens building firm and the local Irish Navvies, his father is injured and the finger of blame is squarely pointed at the Irish.

Meanwhile, Coronation Day is just around the corner and the street will be having the biggest party it has ever seen. But Christopher is about to get drawn into one hell of a ding dong - and Campbell Road is going to have one last knees up that no one will ever forget.

Members Reviews:

can just remember watching the coronation on tv.

Any additional comments?

listened to this book not realising it was part of a series but it can be read as a stand alone book.

I liked matilda a down to earth east ender who calls a spade a spade. she is kind hearted and brings all her family and friends together to celebrate the day - a street party.

the book starts with the news king George VI has died and goes through the months until queen Elizabeth is crowned queen. its the story of family life, the searching for a mother Christopher never knew and his relationship with his girlfriend grace.

well drawn characters and happy ending.

Penelope McDonald did a great job of doing the east end accents bringing the story to life.

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Titolo: Amore e ginnastica [Love and Gymnastics]

Autore: Edmondo De Amicis

Narratore: Silvia Cecchini

Formato: Unabridged

Durata: 3 hrs and 41 mins

Lingua: Italiano

Data di pubblicazione: 05-21-12

Editore: Collina d'oro

Valutazioni: 5 su 5 su 1 voti

Categoria: Fiction, Contemporary

Riepilogo Editore:

Questo delizioso racconto lungo di Edmondo De Amicis, ci offre un quadro tutto diverso dallidea che possiamo esserci fatta dallautore del libro Cuore. La storia, che si snoda tra personaggi descritti e tratteggiati da un bonario senso umoristico, ci porta nel mondo delle insegnanti e dell entusiasmo per la neo materia delleducazione fisica che si stava diffondendo in quel periodo nella scuola italiana, anchessa ai primi passi. Cornice musicale di Kevin Mac Leod.

Please note: This audiobook is in Italian.

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Title: The Last Summer

Author: Judith Kinghorn

Narrator: Jane Wymark

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-10-12

Publisher: Headline Digital

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

A sweeping debut, perfect for reading groups and fans of Kate Morton and Downton Abbey - a beautiful and haunting story of lost innocence and a powerful, enduring love.Clarissa is almost seventeen when the spell of her childhood is broken. It is 1914, the beginning of a blissful, golden summer - and the end of an era. Deyning Park is in its heyday, the large country house filled with the laughter and excitement of privileged youth preparing for a weekend party.

When Clarissa meets Tom Cuthbert, home from university and staying with his mother, the housekeeper, she is dazzled. Tom is handsome and enigmatic; he is also an outsider. Ambitious, clever, his sights set on a career in law, Tom is an acute observer, and a man who knows what he wants. For now, that is Clarissa.

Members Reviews:

The Last Summer, by Judith Kinghorn

This book is a great listen. I can safely say it has totally taken over every waking moment, and have found myself listening to it, while cooking, walking, shopping! A must. A wonderful love affair and beautifully read.

a wonderful story. I loved loved it.

If you liked downtown abby then I am certain you will love this.

This is one book that I will definitely read again.

It has left me with a nice warm feeling in my heart.

Captivating, engaging, enraging

I got this as part of a two-for-one promo, so I wasn't expecting much. It started off as what I thought was a rather cliched love story across the class divide, and I don't like love stories much, as a rule, so I put it aside for a few days. It did, though, have an underlying teasing erotic tension, never explicitly stated, so I picked it up again! When I started listening once more, I rapidly became totally addicted to it, and listened to the book all over the house, on the bus, on my walks, in the garden while hanging up the washing, etc. Rarely do I find myself shouting at fictional characters, but I did desperately want these star crossed lovers to get together, and also for the woman, Clarissa to Just Say No to her overprotective Mama! However, that is a 21st century judgement...

Yes, this is at heart a love story set in the Edwardian era, but it is also a vivid description of the life and rhythms of a large country estate, and a moving account of the horrors and the waste of lives that war brings, and how it continues to affects the survivors.

I listened in format 4 on my ancient iPod nano, and found the narration faultless. The pace never dragged, and listening to this story took me miles and miles away from the no. 93 bus route in the rain to an altogether sunnier and more privileged place and time.

A good old fashioned enjoyable listen.

I don't have much patience waiting for an audio book to get better, so I am very happy to say that I found this audio book very easy to listen to right from the start.

The narration, the characters, and the storyline were really good too .

A story of true love and circumstances,

it has you wondering if two people who are clearly made for each other will ever get together .

I listened to this story with ease and it kept me listening to it right till the very end. It has lovely descriptions and I found myself wanting to listen to it to find out what happened next.

A tale of true love and those old fashioned class rules that create the type of sadness which pulls on the heartstrings and makes a person sigh.

Excellent summer read!

A beautifully written story.

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Title: The Urban Jungle

Author: Samrat

Narrator: Vikas Adam

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-20-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

This, too, is a jungle. The rules I need to follow are those of teeth and claw! Jimmy moves from his home at the edge of the Seeonee forest to the big, bad capital where he learns to deal with complicated bus routes, unscrupulous property brokers and shady local goons. Along the way he makes a few good friends and volunteers his services as a translator for the Bandar-log when he realizes that, like his grandfather Mowgli, he can speak the language of the monkeys. But Jimmy's life is thrown off course when he is kidnapped by Shamsher Khan, an evil poacher and arms dealer. His friend Heera launches a rescue mission, together with her mentor Guru KA and Inspector A. Kala, while Grandpa Mowgli and the Bandar-log set out on a crosscountry chase that ends in a thrilling climax. The Urban Jungle is a witty contemporary interpretation of Kipling's original tale. With the flair and energy of a master storyteller, Samrat shows us that even in modern cities it is ultimately the law of the jungle that reigns supreme.

Members Reviews:

Wonderfully woven story!

What does Vikas Adam bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

I searched for, and bought this book because of the narration of Vikas Adam. He is very talented, and now one of my favorites.

Any additional comments?

This book is a delight. Samrat is a very talented storyteller, and has woven some of the magic from the classic "The Jungle Book" into a modern day story. I enjoyed it very much.

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Title: Ruby River

Author: Lynn Pruett

Narrator: Cynthia Darlow

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-20-12

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Booklist hails the snappy, smart writing, and memorable characters in this novel that is steeped in Southern sensibility. The last thing widow Hattie Bohannon expects when she opens a truck stop in Alabama is controversy. But thats just what she gets when allegations surface that the parking lot is a haven for prostitution. With the local Bible-thumping minister crusading to close the truck stop, Hattie and her unruly daughters must fight to preserve their names and their way of life.

Members Reviews:

Unforgettable Characters, Sparkling Prose

Wonderful! This is being presented as a "debut novel," but it is supremely accomplished, in both content and style. I read slowly, and put aside as many novels as I finish, maybe more, because sooner or later the author starts slacking off, delivering flat predictable scenes or long stretches of humdrum prose. That never happens here. Lynn Pruett is unfailing good company for 276 pages, and as you make your way through her numerous short chapters, each one offers its own distinct thrill of discovery and insight. The prose is the same way: always graceful, apt, and basically easy, it always has more to offer when you want to pause and savor the full import or the exact tone of what is being said.

Story-wise, what first captures you is the humor of the early chapters, the wonderfully strange mixture of horniness and holiness: that, and of course the human interest of Hattie's quest, as she basically takes on the world in defense of her truck stop and her four girls. Part of what the girls need to be protected from, though, is their own uncontrollable sensuality, with its disastrous tendency to involve them with men twice their age. I don't want to give away too much, but there are enough off-center, ill-advised, oh-no sexual entanglements here to supply a dozen episodes of ER. But whenever you start thinking you have met these people before, on The Jerry Springer Show, you notice again how completely Pruett's writing captures what the tube never can: their humanity, the inner dignity that even the most mistaken and sinning of chracters have in this world.

There are plenty of laughs here, but in the end the story shapes up as a serious quest for redemption, taking us down into the worst places of family hurt and betrayal, then back up again, beautifully, just when we think it can't happen, to forgiveness and reconciliation. Reading for laughs, you end up with much more: a kinder take on the species, and some solid advice on how to turn your life around, should you happen to BE one of those people on The Jerry Springer Show.

A little slice of Alabama truck-stop life

Imagine what would happen if Fannie Flagg (the author of ``Fried Green Tomatoes'') had written one of Faulkner's novels, and you'll get a fair idea of the tone of Lynn Pruett's first novel.

The book crackles with fresh imagery, imaginative dialogue, and characters developed far beyond the usual small-town southern stereotypes.

This is a strongly feminist novel, without a word of visible femonist rhetoric.