You Can Select Any Audiobook in Fiction, Contemporary of Your Choice

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Title: Shanks for Nothing

Author: Rick Reilly

Narrator: Nick Stevens

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-27-06

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Life is going pretty well for Raymond "Stick" Hart. He's happily married to the former Ponkaquogue Municipal Golf Club assistant pro, the beauteous Cajun firecracker Dannie, raising his rambunctious son, Charlie, and getting by writing smart-mouthed greeting cards for 50 bucks a pop. Best of all, nothing has changed at Ponky, the worst golf course in America. You still have to hook it past the toxic waste dump on No. 1 and under the billboard on No. 8, the fried-egg sandwiches are terrible but cheap, and his pal Two Down is always up for a sucker bet.

Then, one disaster of a day, Stick's world does a 10-car pile-up. The cheapskate bastard owner of Ponky announces he's retiring to a nudist camp in Florida and selling the club to the Mayflower Club next door, a bastion of blue-blood snobbery that plans to pave Ponky over. And life only goes downhill from there.

Luckily, Stick has a solution to all his problems. He'll qualify for the British Open.

Members Reviews:

This book is amazing. I bought it on a whim because I ...

This book is amazing. I bought it on a whim because I love humor and golf but, this is written so well and the characters are just great fun. I listened to this on Audible.com and the narration made the whole thing meld perfectly. It was like listening to an old golf pro tell humor stories about growing up on the course.

Absolutely Hilarious Follow-up to "Missing Links"

"Shanks For Nothing" was an absolutely hilarious sequel to "Missing Links." What Reilly does so well in these two novels (at least for me) is make the characters so real, it's easy to relate to their respective idiosyncrasies. I was literally laughing out-loud throughout most of the book! The only bad thing I can say is that I ordered "Shanks For Nothing" about a week prior to some air travel I had upcoming and I was hoping to read the book on the plane. Curiosity won over and by the time I departed, I only had about 30 pages left to finish the book which I did before we reached 10,000 feet!!!

Buy this, but read "Missing Links" first!

Long and not so straight - Again!

Reilly does it again with the lovable characters from "Missing Links" and the not so lovable golf course affectionately known as Ponky. The book picks up about 10 years later with the same hijinks and fun loving golf. A few new people are added in and they just make the group that much more colorful. Dom, "The World's Most Sexual Man", is hilarious in his attempts to get the new girl behind the counter at Ponky.

The gambling is at the forefront again and our hero, Ray Hart, has to face some past demons as well as some current sticky situations.

Well worth the read, great humor and just plain fun. Please make sure not to pull a Kathy Bates/Misery on Reilly so he will continue the series after reading this one.

Sequel to "Missing Links"

This is a follow up to "Missing Links", continuing the lives and adventures of the characters. If you liked the first book you will enjoy this one as well.

Hilarious!

Both of Rick Reilly's fictional golf books are hilarious. Because of my laughing, I have kept my wife awake at night reading this book. She woke up and told me there is no way a book about golf can be that funny. Trust me, it is.

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Title: Double Vision

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Pat Barker

Narrator: Robert Glenister

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-19-06

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Insomnia, exhaustion, recurring nightmares. Stephen Sharkey is suffering the after effects of his career as a war reporter, most recently in Afghanistan, where Ben Frobisher, war photographer and friend, has been shot dead on assignment. Hanging up his flak jacket and turning his back on the everyday reality of war, Stephen moves into a quiet and peaceful cottage in the north of England. It seems the perfect environment in which to write his book on the representations of war, one that will be based largely on Ben Frobisher's work. But Stephen's supposed isolation offers no protection from other people's suffering or the shattering effects of human brutality.

©2004 Pat Barker; (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

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Title: The Robert Stanek Short Story & Novella Collection

Author: Robert Stanek

Narrator: Karl Fehr, Gary Ryan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-12-05

Publisher: RP Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 163 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Enter the spell-binding worlds of best-selling author Robert Stanek and dream a new dream. The book contains two novellas, two short stories and a special feature exclusive:

Members Reviews:

Fantastic

Hands down, the best written and best narrated Audible book I've heard yet. I found the writing clean and precise and thoroughly enjoyable. The books has four well told and well written stories.

The stories have something for everyone whether you like mystery, action, scifi, adventure. "Magic Lands" is a fun adventure. "August Rains" is sad and haunting in its own way. "Silence is Golden" really makes you think. "Absolutes" had me on the edge of my seat.

I had trouble getting out of the car. I think this might be at the top of my list at the moment for favorite audiobooks. Enjoy!

Best thing that's happened to Audio in YEARS!

After the very first story, I was hooked. OUTSTANDING book. Great writing, great stories. Truly worthy of high praise. If this book doesn't recieve an Emmy or an Audie (preferably both), it will only reaffirm my belief that the people in charge of running those awards things suck moose balls.

Not a single weak story; this is one of those story collections that is good from start to finish. There's a scene with Ev from Silence is Golden that brought goosebumps up and down my skin. Not because it was scary but because it was so real, so dead on. I mention this because it's the hardest I've focussed on anything in years. One of many gold moments.

Phenomenal

I cannot get enough of Robert Stanek?s work - my wife and I have already converted both sets of parents, several friends, and I'm working on my co-workers. The narrators are amazing, the writing brilliant - you won't be disappointed. Actually, you'll probably come back here to order more of his work!

Absolutely Dreadful

I don't know what the other readers saw in these stories. I thought they were very shallow (despite aspiring to depth) and completely boring. This was my 53rd book "read" on Audible.com and it was by far the worst. The funny thing is, I am really enjoying Robert Stanek's "The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches" series and am eagerly awaiting the next.

These stories were so dull it was pure torture to listen to them. The narration in "Silence is Golden" in particular was so bad I wanted to choke the narrator. The only thing that kept me listening was boredom during my long commute to work. The best way I can describe these stories is that they sounded like someone picked up and then published a cocktail napkin upon which Mr. Stanek had written notes to later develop into real stories. My advice: stick to the Kingdoms and Elves of the Reaches series and save your money.

terrible performance

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Really couldn't even get a feel for the book because the performance was so monotone I couldn't bear to listen any longer

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Título: Camino a Casa [The Journey Home] (Texto Completo)

Autor: Olafur Olafsson

Narrador: Adriana Sananes

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 6 hrs and 41 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 11-24-04

Editor: Recorded Books

Calificaciones: 3 de 5 de 8 votos

Categorías: Fiction, Contemporary

Resumen del editor:

Camino a Casa es un enriquecedor y enternecedor retrato de una mujer hecho por un escritor exceptional.

Constructed in tight succinct fragments, like journal entries, The Journey Home shuttles between past and present. In the lush British farm country, Disa runs a small inn with her friend Anthony. They're both elderly eccentrics who understand each other too well. Now terminally ill, Disa must reckon with grief and difficult memories in the face of her impending death.

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Title: The Return

Subtitle: A Novel of Human Adventure

Author: Buzz Aldrin, John Barnes

Narrator: Scott Brick

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-12-04

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 43 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Meanwhile, India and Pakistan go to war. Pakistan deploys a nuclear device high in the upper atmosphere, putting the crew of the orbiting International Space Station in imminent danger of death by radiation exposure. Only a few weeks remain to rescue the crew and there's no known way to do it, except, perhaps, for a secret project of Scott's brother, Nick.

Critic Reviews:

"Fiction-lovers will marvel at Aldrin's ability to tell a great sci-fi tale." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

The high ratings are misleading

I felt compelled to write a review opposing this book's high rating, because I rely heavily on reader ratings to choose my audiobooks, and the average rating on this book really mislead me this time.

I am a big fan of John Barnes, and for those who aren't familiar wtih his solo work I would strongly recommend his novels, especially "Mother of Storms" and "Candle". When I saw that he had collaberated with Buzz Aldrin, I thought that this book could be a real winner, combining Aldrin's familiarity with real space exploration and Barnes' imagination and style.

Unfortunately, this book is a mess. I would call the book one giant cliche. The plot is unoriginal and predictable. Conflicts are only sketchily created and resolved without any tension or suspense. The characters that you suspect turn out to be the villians, all right. The entire first half of the book revolves around a lawsuit, and the whole plot involves the characters' legal plotting, PR maneuvers, and spin manipulation. It was mind numbing! If I wanted that, I would just get a book about the OJ trial. When some action *FINALLY* begins (only after about 5 hours), it apparently has nothing to do with the events of the first part of the book and it gives the feeling of two separate plots. They are woven together eventually, but in a cursory "wrap up" manner that is just too pat. At the end of the book, the image I had in my mind was that of the villain at the end of the Scooby Doo cartoons saying "the world could have been mine if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

Then there is the dialogue. It uses every trite phrase I can think of, and reminds me of the way people write when they send out letters in their holiday cards. I started to laugh trying to count them.

I couldn't help thinking that this book was written by a complete novice to wordcraft(Aldrin) and minimally "cleaned up" by Barnes. If you ever read Barnes on his own, you will see what I mean.

A fast-paced, superb adventure

There are very few books (audio or otherwise) that fall into the category of 'can't put down' for me. This was one. It moves quickly, is believable, has entertaining and likeable characters, and is just plain a great story. Aldrin and Barnes have created a contemporary United States that I wish I lived in.

This Is A Great Listen

I was skeptical when I purchased this book because there was only one review written, albeit a positive one. Now, having heard the book, I know why the praise (and five star rating) was there. The characters are well developed, the scientific basis upon which the book is written is both factual (as to current technology) and forseeable (as to future technology) and the story is very well written. The book takes hold quickly and doesn't let you go until the end.

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Title: Everybody Smokes in Hell

Author: John Ridley

Narrator: Peter Francis James

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-12-04

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

From the dark desperation of Los Angeles to the false neon hope of Las Vegas, acclaimed author John Ridley steers a viciously careening ride through a world of dope dealers, Hollywood agents, two-bit felons, and three-dollar strippers. Narrator Peter Francis James expertly voices the flamboyant longings of people who will pay any price to flirt with a dream, even if it's someone else's.

Critic Reviews:

"As usual, Ridley ably strings together a series of unlikely events, making them seem wholly plausible. Continual action, believably unsympathetic characters, and minimal description combine to keep the reader riveted. A welcome change of pace from much of today's plodding fiction." (Library Journal)

"Strong-as-firecrackers plot...Day-Glo dialogue...[A] seriously noir-ish, ultra-violent, ultra-high-speed, occasionally hilarious, dark farce of a novel." (The Washington Post Book World)

"[A] relentless pace...Ridley seems to have a knack for capturing the comic-tragic, tragic-comic lessons of life that seem so prevalent in this half of the twentieth century." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

Members Reviews:

Lyrically written and wonderfully performed

This is one of the best audio books i've ever heard. The book is written so lyrically and performed so smoothly that I wanted to back up and hear certain passages and descriptions again. The plot moves quickly and is very clever as well.

Fantastic

This story reminded me of Pulp Fiction, and moved quickly. The author doesn't waste any time with superfluous character development. He gets to the point and moves the story forward.

good potential but poor narration

A potentially good story- it appears to be well written but the narration is painfully bland and irritating and makes the audiobook extremely hard to listen to and tolerate... its a real shame becuase everything else ive listened to by John Ridley is really good

Funny, violent and ridiculous.

I found this book to be extremely entertaining. If profanity and violence offend you, stay away, but I found it well worth the time. The absurd situations encountered by hapless characters evoked outright laughter. I found the narrator extremely skilled, especially given characters ranging from a ghetto drug dealer to a psychopathic white girl contract killer. This is certainly dark comedy at its finest.

Droning disappointment

Perhaps it was mostly the reader's buzzing monotone that made this audiobook so nauseatingly dull, but I doubt it. The combination was too much for me, and I cleared it off my MuVo after listening to roughly half. Humor? None. Excitement? Zip. Engaging characters? Witty dialogue? Look to Richard Price, Robert Tanenbaum or Elmore Leonard for a better listen.

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Title: Making Waves

Author: Cassandra King

Narrator: Collen Delany, Faith Potts, Nanette Savard, Barrett Whitener

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-30-04

Publisher: Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In a sequence of events, sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, leading up to the surprise denouement, the lives of Donnette, Tim, and others in their small circle of family and friends are unavoidably affected.

Making Waves is about love and friendship and betrayal, unfulfilled desires and heartbreaking losses. Once the waves of change surge through Zion County, the lives of its people are inextricably altered.

Critic Reviews:

"By turns happy and poignant, King's tale is told by several characters, creating a multiplicity of viewpoints that offers great insight into southern small-town life." (Booklist)

"You can't go wrong with this winner." (Birmingham News)

Members Reviews:

Sweet tea and misfortune!

If you are from the South, you will appreciate this even more than other readers. Let's face it, there are some idioms and customs that we practice and take for granted that really add a bit of spice to what could have been a sad and depressing tale. We have a young man, Tim, who is a gifted artist and outstanding athlete with a college football career awaiting him. In a blinding moment of horror, that career is snatched from him when he is paralyzed after an accident. In his high school years, he had downplayed his artistic gifts in favor of the athletics that now elude him. He has a great girl friend whom he has known forever who sees the possibilities an puts all of her energy into making a life for him with his disabilities. The small Alabama community with its close ties and family connections play alternately into the situation in positive ways but also in negative ways as well. Just when things get truly sad, an old friend comes to town and makes waves among the townspeople who are set in their ways. Yes, there is a wealthy landowner who plays a part as well. But, it is in the renewing of relationships and the willingness to take chances that dreams start to come true. Read this, you will be invigorated!

AN ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT AUTHOR

If only I could write. I so envy authors that really know how to write well and know how to tell a story, keeping the reader so captivated that the reader just can't put down the book. I've now read four of her books. I can't tell you which one I liked the best as they were all so well done. The characters are real - I get so disgusted with some of them as it is obvious to the reader what the character should do, but Cassandra takes the reader through the situations just like in real life. These are not sugar-coated romance novels where everything turns out perfectly - this is LIFE. Also, having lived in the south, I do understand the rules of etiquette and tradition and what is expected of people, so she nails that (of course she was raised in Alabama and lives in South Carolina). Good books for anyone who truly wants a good read.

Unsatisfying

Well...this was disappointing. The ending was so abrupt, I thought actual pages were missing.

Not Her Best

I'm a big fan of Cassandra King, but Making Waves just wasn't her best work. The characters didn't seem to be fully developed, and it was sometimes difficult to understand why they acted the way they did. I felt the book ended on a flat note, too. It had such potential, but suddenly it was just over. I so wanted to like this book; however, I just couldn't.

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Título: La Dama de las Camelias

Autor: Alexandre Dumas

Narrador: Mayra Alejandra Rodriguez, Arquimedes Rivero, cast

Formato: Abridged

Duración: 3 hrs and 11 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 01-16-04

Editor: FonoLibro Inc. (Audiolibros - Audio Libros)

Calificaciones: 3.5 de 5 de 15 votos

Categorías: Fiction, Contemporary

Resumen del editor:

La Dama de las Camelias, audio libro dramatizado en espanol basado en la historia original del escritor frances Alejandro Dumas (Hijo). Es la historia de una bella cortesana, Margarita Gautier (personificada por la primera actriz Mayra Alejandra Rodriguez), quien se enamora de un noble y apuesto joven, Armando Duval (personificado por Arquimedes Rivero). Su amor por Armando la hace abandonar su comodo estilo de vida provisto por un Duque. Sin embargo, su gran amor levanta controversias y conflictos; y para probar su amor, ella sacrifica su propia felicidad. Basada en una historia real, escrita por el hijo del gran escritor de aventuras (El Conde de Monte Cristo, Los Tres Mosqueteros, El Hombre de la Mascara de Hierro), esta obra maestra en formato de audio libro le hara vivir y sentir una de las historias de amor mas hermosas jamas contadas.

The Lady of the Camellias, audiobook dramatized in Spanish based on the original story of Alexander Dumas Fils, is the story of a beautiful courtesan, Marguerite Gautier (performed by Mayra Alejandra Rodriguez), who falls in love with a handsome young nobleman, Armand Duval (performed by Arquimedes Rivero). Her love for Armand makes her decide to leave the comfortable lifestyle provided by a Duke. Their romance raises conflicts, and to prove her love, she sacrifices her own happiness. Based on a true story written by the son of the recognized author of adventures (The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask, etc.), this masterpiece in audiobook format will make you live one of the most beautiful love stories ever told.

(P)2003 FonoLibro Inc. All Rights Reserved

Opiniones de los miembros:

Good for practicing Spanish

This book is very much like watching a telenovela on Tele Mundo. It is a sappy romance.

I did enjoy it, however, because it was very easy to understand, and excellent review of converstional Spanish. Spanish is my second language. Therefore, I write this in English.

Fantastica produccion

FonoLibro trae de nuevo una magnifica produccion, con un elenco completo, hermosa musica y efectos de sonido que te meten completamente en la historia. Las voces de todos los personajes son interpretadas por actores y actrices profesionales. Altamente recomendado.

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Title: The Lost Art of Gratitude

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrator: Hilary Neville

Format: Abridged

Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-03-09

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Minty is not the only high-flier in Isabel's life; her niece Cat has just become engaged to a tightrope-walking stuntman. Isabel fears his next job - and the engagement - could end in disaster. Meanwhile, her own boyfriend, Jamie, has marriage in mind too . . .

Members Reviews:

A Giggle on the Way to Work

Would you listen to The Lost Art of Gratitude again? Why?

I would certainly listen again...because Alexander has a way of making me giggle on the way to work. I take delight in his subtle humour and understated seriousness of thought.

What did you like best about this story?

All of it

Which scene was your favorite?

All of it

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

No. I like to savour every section. Slowly

Any additional comments?

I wish these books were not abridged!

Gentle and thought provoking

A big fan of Alexander McCall Smith in print I enjoyed this installment of Isobel Dalhousie with the chracters all gently moving forward and the usual philosopical questions. However I would have preferred a more Scottish reader.

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Title: Native Moments

Author: Nic Schuck

Narrator: Dan Jones

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-09-16

Publisher: Waldorf Publishing

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

After the death of his brother, Sanch Murray leaves for a surf trip to Costa Rica as a way to cope, but also as a way to prolong making decisions about his adult life, setting out on a quixotic search for an alternative to the American Dream.

Set in 1999 Costa Rica, Sanch and his friend Jake Higdon wander the dirt roads of Tamarindo and surrounding areas chasing waves as a way to live out the romantic fantasy lifestyle of traveling surfers. Jake Higdon, six years Sanch's senior, takes on the role of the wise leader and Sanch as his young apprentice. Sanch's adventure leads to encounters with people who share world views he had never considered and could potentially shape his own changing perceptions about life. His existential adjustment gradually manifests through sometimes humorous episodes such as trying his hand as a matador at a roadside rodeo or in his not so humorous battle with dysentery. Along his journey, Sanch befriends a shamanistic traveler named Rob, young revolutionaries from Venezuela, numerous expatriates from around the world trying to escape whatever it is that keeps chasing them and a beautiful local girl named Andrea, who Sanch suspects is a prostitute but can't help falling for.

Members Reviews:

Different but authentic

God help this generation. The story provides interesting and deep insight into the innocent, list millennial generation raised on weed and nihilism. Only surfers will understand.