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Dianne

New Bern, NC, United States | Member Since 2011

HELPFUL VOTES

23 reviews
25 ratings
283 titles in library
32 purchased in 2013

FOLLOWING

FOLLOWERS

A Rose for Her Grave - and Other True Cases: Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 1

UNABRIDGED
- by Ann Rule
- Narrated by Laural Merlington
A Rose for Her Grave - and Other True Cases: Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 1

UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 39 mins)

By Ann Rule

Narrated By Laural Merlington

Overall
(27)
Performance
(24)
Story
(25)

"A Rose for Her Grave" - the principal story of this collection - vividly recreates the cautionary tale of Randy Roth, a misogynistic sociopath from the Pacific Northwest whose rage was directed primarily at women and children. Addicted to his own greed, Roth exercised a powerful aura of control over his victims, using his ability to charm and boyish good looks to lower their defenses. By the time they saw the reality of the madness in his eyes, it was usually too late.
Laura says: "Interesting nonfiction cases"
"Ann Rule at her usual best."

Overall
Performance
Story

Would you consider the audio edition of A Rose for Her Grave - and Other True Cases to be better than the print version?

Only for the picture value. Most of her books do include pictures.

What did you like best about this story?

The way criminals always think they are smarter than anyone else.

What does Laural Merlington bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She made the evil pop out in her voice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Everytime the truth was revealed.

Any additional comments?

Never get enough of Ann Rule!!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The Good House: A Novel

UNABRIDGED
- by Ann Leary
- Narrated by Mary Beth Hurt
The Good House: A Novel

UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 12 mins)

By Ann Leary

Narrated By Mary Beth Hurt

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(590)
Performance
(519)
Story
(523)

The Good House tells the story of Hildy Good, who lives in a small town on Boston's North Shore. Hildy is a successful real-estate broker, good neighbor, mother, and grandmother. She's also a raging alcoholic. Hildy's family held an intervention for her about a year before this story takes place - "if they invite you over for dinner, and it’s not a major holiday," she advises "run for your life" - and now she feels lonely and unjustly persecuted. She has also fooled herself into thinking that moderation is the key.
Rhonda Morrison says: "What a great book, Hildy is a great character!"
"Wonderful characters"

Overall
Performance
Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes Yes Yes Its a book you don't want to have an ending.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hildy of course. What a study in denial.

What does Mary Beth Hurt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She sounds just like I vision Hildy

Who was the most memorable character of The Good House and why?

Frank- He just kept being himself and hanging in there.

Any additional comments?

Lovely human insight.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

UNABRIDGED
- by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Narrated by Alan Cumming
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

UNABRIDGED (47 mins)

By Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated By Alan Cumming

Overall
(4165)
Performance
(3594)
Story
(3605)

The season of gift-giving is here, and this year we've got something special for our members: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Yuletide whodunit "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle". In this holiday-themed short story, Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Dr. Watson, follow the trail of a lost hat and a Christmas goose through the streets of London and into a rapidly expanding mystery.
Steven says: "A Classic Holiday Story"
"Loss youth"

Overall
Performance
Story

Would you try another book from Arthur Conan Doyle and/or Alan Cumming?

Maybe

Would you ever listen to anything by Arthur Conan Doyle again?

Maybe

Would you be willing to try another one of Alan Cumming’s performances?

Yes

What character would you cut from The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle?

Characters OK

Any additional comments?

The story was so ordinary in today world that it really doesn't make an interesting read.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Presumed Guilty: Casey Anthony: The Inside Story

UNABRIDGED
- by Peter Golenbock , Jose Baez
- Narrated by Jim Frangione
Presumed Guilty: Casey Anthony: The Inside Story

UNABRIDGED (15 hrs and 44 mins)

By Peter Golenbock, Jose Baez

Narrated By Jim Frangione

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(27)
Performance
(24)
Story
(25)

When Caylee Anthony was reported missing in Orlando, Florida, in July 2008, the public spent the next three years following the investigation and the eventual trial of her mother, Casey Anthony. On July 5, 2011, the case that captured headlines worldwide exploded when, against all odds, defense attorney Jose Baez delivered one of the biggest legal upsets in American history: a not-guilty verdict.
Tracy says: "Blah, blah, blah"
"More than one side to a story"

Overall
Performance
Story

Where does Presumed Guilty rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

a 9 out of 10

What was one of the most memorable moments of Presumed Guilty?

Cindy Anthony panic over the missing grandchild.

What about Jim Frangione’s performance did you like?

Pleasant to listen to

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The finding of the body.

Any additional comments?

Jose Baez seems to have a "pity me" focus in the book. He could have left some of the persecution of his character parts out without effecting the story. People are more interested in information that would assure us that the jury made a good decision.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Genesis

ORIGINAL
- by Dr. Bill Creasy
Genesis

ORIGINAL (14 hrs and 49 mins)

By Dr. Bill Creasy

Overall
(36)
Performance
(35)
Story
(33)

In Genesis the curtain rises on our story. Genesis introduces most of the major themes in the Bible. Listen closely as Logos Bible Study’s Dr. Bill Creasy takes you through the story of creation, the fall of man, grace, atonement, faith, justification, redemption and much more in this extraordinary story of beginnings.
cherry says: "Surprising great"
"Understanding the Beginning of Sin"

Overall
Performance
Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Very Much!! Greasy is a wonderfully educated teacher.

What other book might you compare Genesis to and why?

Any books by Bill Creasy. He has such insight into the geography.

Which scene was your favorite?

Joseph's family history

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The deceitfulness of Biblical characters.

Any additional comments?

I've never read anything that puts the story into context like Bill Creasy can do.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City & Sparked the Tabloid Wars

UNABRIDGED
- by Paul Collins
- Narrated by William Dufris
The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City & Sparked the Tabloid Wars

UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 43 mins)

By Paul Collins

Narrated By William Dufris

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(524)
Performance
(412)
Story
(418)

In Long Island, a farmer found a duck pond turned red with blood. On the Lower East Side, two boys playing at a pier discovered a floating human torso wrapped tightly in oilcloth. Blueberry pickers near Harlem stumbled upon neatly severed limbs in an overgrown ditch. Clues to a horrifying crime were turning up all over New York, but the police were baffled: There were no witnesses, no motives, no suspects. The grisly finds that began on the afternoon of June 26, 1897, plunged detectives headlong into the era's most perplexing murder.
Anthony says: "Well worth the credit!"
"Confusion in excess"

Overall
Performance
Story

What would have made The Murder of the Century better?

Story doesn't seem to be very well written

Has The Murder of the Century turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes

What didn’t you like about William Dufris’s performance?

Not much

What character would you cut from The Murder of the Century?

I'm not sure any cuts would help.

Any additional comments?

Had a hard time finishing this audio.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful
A Prayer for Owen Meany

UNABRIDGED
- by John Irving
- Narrated by Joe Barrett
A Prayer for Owen Meany

UNABRIDGED (27 hrs and 20 mins)

By John Irving

Narrated By Joe Barrett

Overall
(2592)
Performance
(1632)
Story
(1624)

In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys - best friends - are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen, after that 1953 foul ball, is extraordinary and terrifying.
Alan says: "Outstanding"
"Surprising Read"

Overall
Performance
Story

What did you love best about A Prayer for Owen Meany?

The readers performance and the author storyline

What other book might you compare A Prayer for Owen Meany to and why?

Secret Life of Bees

What does Joe Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A wonderful voice for this book

Who was the most memorable character of A Prayer for Owen Meany and why?

Owen Meany....He was so comfortable with his station in life.

Any additional comments?

A story that touches your very heart.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors: And Other True Cases: Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 16

UNABRIDGED
- by Ann Rule
- Narrated by Laural Merlington
Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors: And Other True Cases: Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 16

UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 19 mins)

By Ann Rule

Narrated By Laural Merlington

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(34)
Performance
(30)
Story
(29)

It’s a chilling reality that homicide investigators know all too well: The last face most murder victims see is not that of a stranger, but of someone familiar. Whether only an acquaintance or a trusted intimate, such killers share a common trait that triggers the downward spiral toward death for someone close to them: They are masters at hiding who they really are. Their clever masks let them appear safe, kind, and truthful. They are anything but - and almost no one can detect the murderous impulses buried deep in their psyches.
Dianne says: "The Evil People Do"
"The Evil People Do"

Overall
Performance
Story

What did you love best about Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors: And Other True Cases?

Based on facts.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The inner evil contained in the hearts of human beings.

What about Laural Merlington’s performance did you like?

Pleasant voice.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Pure Evil

Any additional comments?

I enjoy everything that Ann Rule writes. Would love to see some movies based on her stories.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape

UNABRIDGED
- by Jenna Miscavige Hill
- Narrated by Sandy Rustin
Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape

UNABRIDGED (12 hrs)

By Jenna Miscavige Hill

Narrated By Sandy Rustin

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(289)
Performance
(261)
Story
(262)

Jenna Miscavige Hill, niece of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, was raised as a Scientologist but left the controversial religion in 2005. In Beyond Belief, she shares her true story of life inside the upper ranks of the sect, details her experiences as a member Sea Org - the church's highest ministry - speaks of her "disconnection" from family outside of the organization, and tells the story of her ultimate escape.
Tim says: "The Despicable Truth Behind Scientology"
"Beyond belief"

Overall
Performance
Story

What would have made Beyond Belief better?

Fine as is as far as I can understand the experiences detailed

What do you think your next listen will be?

Mystery

What didn’t you like about Sandy Rustin’s performance?

Sandy was ok but wasn't into the content

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

unbelief that people can be so controlled mentally.

Any additional comments?

This book is geared to a certain audience. People that have been under the influence of mind control organizations need to read this.

0 of 3 people found this review helpful
Exodus

ORIGINAL
- by Dr. Bill Creasy
Exodus

ORIGINAL (10 hrs and 51 mins)

By Dr. Bill Creasy

Overall
(26)
Performance
(24)
Story
(24)

Join Logos Bible Study as we continue the story of redemption. As told by Dr. Bill Creasy, Israel falls into the cruel bondage of slavery in Egypt. And it is no accident: God had said to Abraham 500 years earlier that his descendants would be “enslaved and mistreated four hundred years”.
puck says: "Dr. Bill hit it out of the park with this one"
"Bible based information"

Overall
Performance
Story

What did you love best about Exodus?

Bill's input into the facts.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Exodus?

Moses conversations with God.

What does the narrator bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Bill adds factual information based on his experiences in the areas Exodus refers to.

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

This reading based on the NIV and Bill's expansions are eye openings to the Exodus.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful