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Emily

San Francisco, CA, USA

HELPFUL VOTES

12 reviews
15 ratings
31 titles in library
0 purchased in 2013

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Running with Scissors: A Memoir

UNABRIDGED
- by Augusten Burroughs
- Narrated by Augusten Burroughs
Running with Scissors: A Memoir

UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 37 mins)

By Augusten Burroughs

Narrated By Augusten Burroughs

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(923)
Performance
(168)
Story
(163)

Running with Scissors is the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of being Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead ringer for Santa and a lunatic in the bargain.
Arthur Held says: "NOT what I was expecting"
"Slightly better than okay"

Overall
Performance
Story

It certainly doesn't leave you feeling good. The characters are hard to relate to and hard to embrace. The story is often disturbing. The writing isn't terrible but isn't exceptional. I'm sorry that this author is being compared to Sedaris, Eggars, and Keillor -- he pales in comparison to those guys.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
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
(1755)
Performance
(646)
Story
(645)

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!"
"so so good!"

Overall
Performance
Story

this is so well written and so well read. what an absolute blast. it gives you great insight into stephen king's life behind the scenes and what it takes to be a good writer.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Across the Nightingale Floor: Tales of the Otori, Book One

UNABRIDGED
- by Lian Hearn
- Narrated by Kevin Gray , Aiko Nakasone
Across the Nightingale Floor: Tales of the Otori, Book One

UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 25 mins)

By Lian Hearn

Narrated By Kevin Gray, Aiko Nakasone

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(5325)
Performance
(1527)
Story
(1519)

A tour-de-force novel set in ancient Japan filled with passion, fantasy, and feuding warlords. The first volume in the highly anticipated Tales of the Otori trilogy.
Jody R. Nathan says: "Wonderful epic story"
"good"

Overall
Performance
Story

I liked this. It was slow at first, and I zoned out a little, but it turned out to be better than I expected. It will be worth hearing again. Try it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The Kite Runner

UNABRIDGED
- by Khaled Hosseini
- Narrated by Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner

UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 2 mins)

By Khaled Hosseini

Narrated By Khaled Hosseini

Overall
(5703)
Performance
(1108)
Story
(1114)

Why we think it’s a great listen: Never before has an author’s narration of his fiction been so important to fully grasping the book’s impact and global implications. Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of its monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them.
Joseph says: "A storyteller's story"
"Forgettable"

Overall
Performance
Story

A fitting three-star book, this is decently written and well read but has characters who are hard to like and a plot that moves slowly. This story doesn't entice the listener to care about who's in it or what's going on. Without good character development or any suspense, this story lacks the page-turning quality that makes a book fun. I only just finished listening to it, and it's already fading from my mind, proving itself to be completely forgettable.

0 of 2 people found this review helpful
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

UNABRIDGED
- by Stephen R. Covey
- Narrated by Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 7 mins)

By Stephen R. Covey

Narrated By Stephen R. Covey

Overall
(4140)
Performance
(1368)
Story
(1352)

Stephen R. Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has been a top seller for the simple reason that it ignores trends and pop psychology for proven principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity. Celebrating its 15th year of helping people solve personal and professional problems, this special anniversary edition includes a new forward and afterword written by Covey that explore whether the 7 Habits are still relevant.
Anita says: "Excellent Insights"
"zzzzzzzzz..."

Overall
Performance
Story

The book might be a best-seller, but the audio presentation is mind-numbing. I tuned it out after 30 minutes. Unless you're on a lot of Ritalin, this will bore you to tears. Buy the book and skim it -- at least that way you won't be forced to hear all the boring anecdotes that support eaching sub-heading. On the other hand, if you're an insomniac, I think you've just found your cure to quick and deep sleep!

5 of 13 people found this review helpful
The Memory of Running

UNABRIDGED
- by Ron McLarty
- Narrated by Ron McLarty
The Memory of Running

UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 10 mins)

By Ron McLarty

Narrated By Ron McLarty

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(2544)
Performance
(780)
Story
(772)

In late 2003, in his column in Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King called The Memory of Running "the best novel you won't read this year." This glowing endorsement of the audiobook resulted in Ron McLarty receiving a $2 million two-book deal from Viking Penguin. Also, Warner Brothers has shelled out big bucks for the movie rights to The Memory of Running, for which McLarty will write the script.
Neal says: "Funny and Fascinating, A Wonderful Book"
"Pretty blah"

Overall
Performance
Story

I can't really think of anything to say one way or another. It was totally bland. I'm surprised everybody liked it so much. It didn't suck but it certainly didn't rock.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful
I Capture the Castle

ABRIDGED
- by Dodie Smith
- Narrated by Emilia Fox
I Capture the Castle

ABRIDGED (4 hrs and 52 mins)

By Dodie Smith

Narrated By Emilia Fox

Overall
(40)
Performance
(2)
Story
(3)

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her family in the crumbling ruin of an old English castle. She is the second daughter of a writer father who has suffered in recent years from writer's block but who tries to support his family on the meager royalties from his past work. Life becomes much more complicated during the six month period, when the estate's new American landlords - two young men named Simon and Neil - enter the picture and take an interest in Cassandra and her beautiful older sister.
Robert says: "Wonderfully Delightful"
"Over-abridged"

Overall
Performance
Story

This might be an okay story if it weren't so drastically abridged. The characters speed through development so quickly that it is hard to grasp what stages of life, love, and maturity everyone has reached. The narrator is very good: she has a nice voice and a fluid presentation. But the story is choppy.
As far as the writing goes, I am left unimpressed. I was bothered by grammatical errors (misusing pronouns and ending sentences with prepositions). For a novel that tries so hard to mimic Jane Austin, grammatical errors are hard to overlook. If you're interested in good writing, go for the real thing, listen to Pride and Prejudice instead.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful
The Time Traveler's Wife

ABRIDGED
- by Audrey Niffenegger
- Narrated by Maggi-Meg Reed , Christopher Burns
The Time Traveler's Wife

ABRIDGED (12 hrs and 6 mins)

By Audrey Niffenegger

Narrated By Maggi-Meg Reed, Christopher Burns

Overall
(2474)
Performance
(239)
Story
(249)

Clare and Henry have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six. They were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry was thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future.
Herve says: "My Favorite Audiobook so far"
"Awful."

Overall
Performance
Story

Really awful. Written at a sixth grade level. Horribly narrated. I am amazed that other reviews are so complimentary; I wish I hadn't relied on them. I was terribly disappointed.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The Bad Beginning, A Multi-Voice Recording: A Series of Unfortunate Events #1

UNABRIDGED
- by Lemony Snicket
- Narrated by Tim Curry , Full Cast
The Bad Beginning, A Multi-Voice Recording: A Series of Unfortunate Events #1

UNABRIDGED (2 hrs and 31 mins)

By Lemony Snicket

Narrated By Tim Curry, Full Cast

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(646)
Performance
(189)
Story
(187)

Like a car alarm, bagpipe music, or a doorbell ringing in the middle of the night, hearing this all-new audio edition of The Bad Beginning will only upset you. This unique multi-voice recording brings the first book in Lemony Snicket's alarming A Series of Unfortunate Events to such terrible life that no one should really have to experience it.
Charles says: "Wonderful!"
"This is no Harry Potter"

Overall
Performance
Story

I was so excited to hear this book, especially after reading all the other reviews, but I was sorely disappointed. As a matter of fact, I kept wanting to turn it off and I had to force myself to finish.
I thought the story was too childish. There is a mystery the kids need to solve and you've figured it out immediately but you have to listen to them struggle through it for an hour and a half. Torturous! Also, there are sound effects added in the background that I found terribly annoying (like a baby crying for a full seven minutes!).
If you are playing this for kids, it might be very entertaining for them, but if you're expecting an audio masterpiece like the Harry Potter series, you'll be disappointed.

11 of 21 people found this review helpful
The Alchemist

ABRIDGED
- by Paulo Coelho
- Narrated by Yareli Arizmendi
The Alchemist

ABRIDGED (3 hrs)

By Paulo Coelho

Narrated By Yareli Arizmendi

Overall
(74)
Performance
(3)
Story
(3)
Doug says: "Take the Journey"
"Great story. Annoying narration."

Overall
Performance
Story

The story is as good as it gets--it deserves a 5. But the narrator reads it as if we were five years old--she deserves a 1. There is another audio version of this story read by Jeremy Irons; I recommend hearing that, if you can, or just reading the story on your own.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful