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Charon

New York, NY, USA

HELPFUL VOTES

8 reviews
49 ratings
419 titles in library
0 purchased in 2013

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On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

UNABRIDGED
- by Stephen King
- Narrated by Stephen King
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 5 mins)

By Stephen King

Narrated By Stephen King

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1732)
Performance
(622)
Story
(619)

The prolific, perennially best selling author recounts his early life and writing struggles, gives advice on the crucial aspects of the writing art, and talks about his much-publicized, near-fatal accident.
Bill says: "Excellent!"
"Very motivational"

Overall
Performance
Story

This book was very interesting. King really shows how his whole life goes into his writing. I was very motivated after reading it. It is a very good book on the craft of writing and what a career in the business takes on a personal level.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Glass Castle

UNABRIDGED
- by Jeanette Walls
- Narrated by Julia Gibson
The Glass Castle

UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 14 mins)

By Jeanette Walls

Narrated By Julia Gibson

Overall
(1363)
Performance
(194)
Story
(202)

This extraordinary memoir from Jeannette Walls is a stirring and distinctive story that has won tremendous critical acclaim. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly applauds the author's "fantastic storytelling knack", saying, "Walls doesn't pull her punches...in this excellent, unusual book."
Tracie says: "Stayed Awake Until 5 am to Finish!!!"
"Unbelievably frustrating and forgiving"

Overall
Performance
Story

Jeanette Walls keeps you hooked even when you want to throw the book down and stomp on it picturing her parents' faces. The events can be so upsetting you wonder how she can have any relationship with them--but slowly she pulls you through to the end you get it and her. Made me reevaluate a lot of things in my life on her sheer understanding and forgiveness power.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Never Let Me Go

UNABRIDGED
- by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by Rosalyn Landor
Never Let Me Go

UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 46 mins)

By Kazuo Ishiguro

Narrated By Rosalyn Landor

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1429)
Performance
(288)
Story
(291)

From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans, comes an unforgettable edge-of-your-seat mystery that is at once heartbreakingly tender and morally courageous about what it means to be human.
Christopher says: "Moving, haunting, but slow developing"
"Somes downs but many ups"

Overall
Performance
Story

In "Never Let Me Go" you are transported to another version of our world. By the end, the narrator had really distinguished the characters so I knew who was talking without "tags". The material did not seem fresh, but it was a fascinating pseudo-mystery. If you figure out what is going on (which isn't that hard) the ending may disappoint, but ultimately the writing itself is beautiful and compelling.

One major drawback (although I've read it goes directly to the characters and plot) is that the character goes back and forth in this backhanded way. Kathy will tell you something then say:
"Maybe I felt that way because of what happened next" and then proceeds to tell you what happened next. Or she'd say "That made a difference because of something else that happened. Now let me tell you what happened that time." OR "I didn't know at the time that such and such had happened." It gets into these pointless tangles that can get frustrating. Still, the book is a worthy read if you can hang in there.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything

UNABRIDGED
- by Don Tapscott , Anthony D. Williams
- Narrated by Alan Sklar
Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything

UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 40 mins)

By Don Tapscott, Anthony D. Williams

Narrated By Alan Sklar

Overall
(347)
Performance
(61)
Story
(61)

Today, encyclopedias, jetliners, operating systems, mutual funds, and many other items are being created by teams numbering in the thousands or even millions. While some leaders fear the burgeoning growth of these massive online communities, Wikinomics proves this fear is folly. Smart firms can harness collective capability and genius to spur innovation, growth, and success.
Bruce says: "Editor please"
"Surprisingly Boring."

Overall
Performance
Story

It is difficult to take authors seriously who are writing about revolutionary technologies and the next generation but call said generation "youngsters". It seems like a trivial point but it isn't. The author's are so amazed with this generation and the latest technologies that they sound like amateurs. I don't think they understand collaboration any better than the people they are trying to educate, they've just read more articles. I thought I was getting something truly illuminating but it truly wasn't.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Bel Canto

UNABRIDGED
- by Ann Patchett
- Narrated by Anna Fields
Bel Canto

UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 24 mins)

By Ann Patchett

Narrated By Anna Fields

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1359)
Performance
(570)
Story
(570)

Somewhere in South America at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful Japanese businessman. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening, until a band of terrorists breaks in, taking the entire party hostage.
A User says: "Surprisingly engrossing"
"Beautifully Written"

Overall
Performance
Story

This book moved gradually, but better and better as it went forward. I got a little confused by all the names. I wanted to go out and get the paper book and read it again as soon as I was done. That said, I would highly recommend this to anyone who is enthralled with characters and an intricate but not complicated plot. I highly recommend.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful
The Historian

UNABRIDGED
- by Elizabeth Kostova
- Narrated by Joanne Whalley , Dennis Boutsikaris , Rosalyn Landor , Martin Jarvis , Robin Atkin Downes , Jim Ward
The Historian

UNABRIDGED (26 hrs and 5 mins)

By Elizabeth Kostova

Narrated By Joanne Whalley, Dennis Boutsikaris, Rosalyn Landor, and others

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(2344)
Performance
(735)
Story
(735)

Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor", and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of: a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.
Branden says: "Phenomenallly detailed..."
"Beautiful Writer"

Overall
Performance
Story

Kostova has come up with a new way to write a vampire drama with beautiful, patient storytelling and a compelling drama. The history, culture and settings were done well. The narrators added to the story.

If you are into easy, breezy fiction with quick conclusions and easy development...this book isn't it and that isn't a bad thing. She is a very good writer.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
A Million Little Pieces

ABRIDGED
- by James Frey
- Narrated by Oliver Wyman
A Million Little Pieces

ABRIDGED (10 hrs and 6 mins)

By James Frey

Narrated By Oliver Wyman

Overall
(675)
Performance
(96)
Story
(99)

By the time James Frey enters a drug and alcohol treatment facility, he has so thoroughly ravaged his body that the doctors are shocked he is still alive. Inside the clinic, he is surrounded by patients as troubled as he: a judge, a mobster, a former world-champion boxer, and a fragile former prostitute. To James, their friendship and advice seem stronger and truer than the clinic's droning dogma of How to Recover.
Robert in Denver says: "Waste of time"
"A Shallow Struggle to Recovery"

Overall
Performance
Story

At the end of this book I felt about Frey the way HE feels about the 12 Step program--pointless and annoying. Whether the events were exaggerated or not is irrelevant because they SEEM exaggerated. The characters, the plot, the intensity all feel neatly packaged and unrealistic.

His use of repetition as a writing device does not deepen his struggle, instead it becomes monotonous and reads like a screenplay.

Not only did I not feel any real, true recovery or struggle occured within him,I felt none from his characters. His angry outbursts show a very stubborn person with a--rare--heroic compassion for others (but who knows if that is the reality or just what he wishes had happened). He blames only himself and views himself as weak unless he can beat the addiction, but it ends up coming off as preachy and frustrating.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Red Tent

UNABRIDGED
- by Anita Diamant
- Narrated by Carol Bilger
The Red Tent

UNABRIDGED (12 hrs)

By Anita Diamant

Narrated By Carol Bilger

Overall
(1330)
Performance
(266)
Story
(275)

Passionate, earthy, deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable contribution to modern fiction: a vibrant new perspective of female life in the age that shaped present day civilization and values.
If you like The Red Tent, try The Harlot by the Side of the Road, a recounting of some of the most startling and explicit writings from The Old Testament.
R. S. Herron says: "The key word is 'fiction'"
"Historically interesting but too idyllic"

Overall
Performance
Story

Anita Diamant depicted a very historically interesting story in the life and times of Dinah, but from a story point of view, the character and her life were too idyllic. Life was tough in the desert but Dinah's problems always came quickly and were wrapped up neatly. There was a lot of today's attitude wrapped up in the women of The Red Tent. The narrator was very sing-song, some people may enjoy it, but it contributed to my attitude towards the book.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful