Audible Listener Favorites

This is an incredible book. WIthout the slightest bit of fantasy or hyperbole, the author shows the reader that the real demons are those inside of us. It's difficult to write about the unparalleled brilliance of this story arc, it's sidebars and underlayers, and the author's out-of-the-box imagining of the characters, without hugely spoiling. It's a bit techno-thriller, a bit relationship commentary, and there is a lot of narrative whiplash where the story takes a sharp turn and you're left with "well, I didn't see that one coming". The author's writing style couldn't be more sophisticated and loaded with complex imagery and phraseology - I found myself writing down word-bytes that were just off-the-charts clever and overflowing with wit. (Pamela, 5-Star Review, "It Doesn't Get Any More 'Noir' Than This")

$28.95

The structure is ideal. The craftsmanship is wonderful -the novel was constructed and finished like some complex engineering creation, say a high rise or, perhaps a tennis court, cantilevered over the sea. This is not a slight -great art often depends on great craftsmanship. The language shines though for me, Edoardo Ballerini's reading may have taken it farther than reading it myself. I rarely laugh out loud listening to novels, particularly since I might be listening with my wife or the three year old asleep next to me. BUT, this made me laugh out loud twice. Once at dialogue and once at a plot twist. Naturally, Beautiful Ruins makes me want to visit Liguria AND perhaps rent Cleopatra. (Kenneth, 5-Star Review, "Fantastic - this novel is bulletproof")

$21.95

I've never read Clines before, but if the rest of his work is on par with 14, I think I will have read all of his work by the end of the month. I devoured 14. I missed a project deadline at work because of 14. I really want there to be a 15, 16, and 17, even though I am perfectly aware that would make no sense. Bottom line? This was a fun book with a fantastic narrator. Nothing deep really, but it didn't need to be. It was perfect fantasy/horror genre pulp. The entire thing is destined to be a movie that will inevitably fall far short of the story Clines has written. For Clines' financial sake, I really hope that happens anyway. Keep up the good work Peter. (Edward, 5-Star Review, "Long Time Listener, First Time Reviewer")

$21.95

I cannot fully express how much fun this book is. I love the fact that Wil Wheaton reads this, and that he sounds like he is impersonating Captin Kirk in his rendition-This makes it even more fun. It is outlandish and requires a complete suspension of disbelief. And, yes, I enjoyed Star Trek and its spin-offs (with the exception of Deep Space Nine) and there are lots of tongue-in-cheek references to the original series. I found myself smiling regularly as I listened and laughing out loud frequently. I highly recommend this book if you enjoyed Star Trek. Redshirts is a book I will bring out if I am feeling blue or nostalgic and need a dose of laughter. I am relatively new to Scalzi, but I love his dry humor and ramapant sarcasm. He is a man after my own heart! Highly recommended by a Trekkie (Ok, I never actually attended a convention so I might only be an honorary Trekkie~) (Joyce, 5-Star Review, "What Fun!!!")

$17.95

Alan Furst is one of very few authors whose books I automatically read as they are published, without waiting for either professional or readers' reviews. I've yet to be disappointed, and his newest, Mission to Paris, is among his best works. 1938 Europe is a frightening place as the continent inexorably moves to war. It is scary for the participants, but darker for Furst's readers because we already know what happens. Furst excels as a mood painter and as a chronicler of ordinary people caught in a history not of their choosing. Their reactions and the roles they chose to play, are as varied as human existence. One finds Furst's novel interspersed with heroes, opportunists, venal and terrifying people, as well as the naive. While Furst's 1938 Paris is meticulously researched, he does not dwell on the historical, perhaps because we already well know the history (e.g., Hitler's annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain's appeasement at Munich, and Krisallnacht in Germany). But he skillfully melds events into the thread of his story. Mission to Paris, while having an exciting plot, is not a thriller or page-turner in the sense of, say, a Daniel Silva story, but it is intense and suspenseful enough. This is a most enjoyable book, easy to read, but worthwhile from a literary standpoint. (Howard, 5-Star Review, "An Exciting Story of a Darkening Europe")

$17.95

There are only a very few books I've listened to twice in immediate succession. After I finished it the second time, I had to wait a couple of days before I could read any other book, in either print or sound This is not only one of the best audiobooks I've experienced; it's one of the best books I've ever read. I'll be buying a print copy to pass around my family. I've always liked Richard Ford (especially The Lay of the Land), and this book was something of a surprise. You can see the connections with his other work, but this seems to have sprung all at once (a very focused and intense book) from some rather different place. I wish Ford a long and productive life! And I thank him for this book. Also, an excellent reader. (Schneider, 5-Star Review, "After the last word, went right back to the beginning")

$24.95

Too many Man vs. World stories rely on characters who lack flaws. Characters who would be perfectly great at everything if the world would stop keeping them down. Alan, our lead in Hologram, is a deeply flawed man. He is jealous and fearful, watching his life and dreams fade away and out of his grasp. Alan wants to play by the rules, all the rules, but the rules refuse to stand still. He wants to do the right thing, but the right thing is never clear. He makes good decisions that go bad and bad decisions that work out just fine. He is a sympathetic man, immanently relatable. This is good, because the story itself, when considered from afar, is quite boring. The journey of an interesting character struggling in an interesting location is enough for Dave Eggers to have a winner. (Dean, 5-Star Review, "A deeply enjoyable man vs world story")

$17.95

I should try to restrain my praise for Polar Star, but I can't, so I won't. Martin Cruz Smith has written a book so fine, with characters so vivid, a reality so fully lived and a plot so clever that you truly are caught up in this world, the Bering Sea, and a "fish factory ship" in which Arkady Renko slaves on the "slime line." If you haven't read a Martin Cruz Smith book, you are in for a treat, and this one is narrated by the greatest reader who ever lived. I first heard Polar Star about ten years ago, and I listen to it every two or three years. Frank Muller had skills that other narrators can only dream of. He was a classically trained actor. His range of voices was stupendous. Renko is one of the most human of any fictional characters ever created. He is a disgraced Moscow homicide detective. He holds on to his humanity in spite of the efforts of the Communist rulers of Russia to degrade him. The first book in this series, Gorky Park, was made into a movie starring William Hurt as Renko and Lee Marvin, one of the best Hollywood bad guys, as the villain. Polar Star could also be made into a movie. There are so many cinematic scenes that you want to cast them yourself. The climax of the book (I will not spoil it) is a whiteout chase on the ice which I believe you will never forget. The closing image still stuns me. Get ready for Polar Star: once you start listening, you truly will not want to stop. Trust me. (Richard, 5-Star Review, "Probably the greatest audiobook ever. Really.")

$23.95

This is by far the best non-fiction book I've read in a very long time. Working as a manager of a software firm - I've long known that the best developers, the silent type, thrieve in solitude and letting them be alone will get you the best results. At the same time I've often wanted to foster better team spirit with open landscape seating etc. This book got me thinking and reflecting on both my workplace and friends and family around me. The perfomance truly matches the sense and meaning of the book - so even thou it's a bit too slow for me it really works. (Magnus, 5-Star Review, "Insightful, thoughtful, and fun")

$23.95

First, thank you to Chris Kyle for his service and to all those who put their country first and bravely fight the battles few of us could even fathom. I appreciated this book immensely. It vividly paints a picture of the battle front and the rollercoaster of emotions our fighting men and women endure. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It and "Lone Survivor" are two must read books. (Bret, 5-Star Review, "Amazing Man, Amazing Recount")

$21.95