The End of Innocence By Marsha Donaldson on 12-12-06 The First Wives' Club A True Story By: Daphne Merkin Narrated by: Marcia Siegel Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins Unabridged Overall 3,155 Performance 2,913 Story 2,895 Three iconic literary careers were launched in The First Wives' Club, a wickedly hilarious novel that chronicles the intertwined fates of three Manhattan women in the years before and after World War II.... A witty and revealing novel about three women and their changing worlds...if there is anything more rewarding than great books ... The Best of 2016 By Rochelle on 10-01-17 Goodbye Days A Memoir By: Tayari Jones Narrated by: Tayari Jones Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins Unabridged Overall 2,401 Performance 2,254 Story 2,241 How do you give voice to the demons haunting your head? How do you fight the whispers that call you undesirable or deny you the right to the same fundamental rights as your peers? For writer Tayari Jones, her best kept secret was her own. At the age of 14, Tayari made a decision that would shape the rest of her life.... I had the opportunity to interview Tayari earlier this year and you can read that here. https://www.audible.com/pd/ref=ntt_swe_dp_i4_20/ref=ntt_swe_dp_i4_21?qid=1484691427&sr=1-1 A Book You're Not Supposed to Like But Do By Lorilyn Roberts on 08-12-17 What Doesn't Kill Her A Novel By: Jodi Picoult Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins Unabridged Overall 3,419 Performance 3,210 Story 3,191 When marine biology student Emily Taylor first visited Harmony, North Carolina, she was looking for a place to write her senior thesis about a little-known species of bat found on a barrier island.... An intriguing mystery of what makes humans tick. By Ariadne Sarrisas on 02-19-17 Pictures at an Execution A Poetic Memoir of My Friendship with Oscar Wilde By: Adam Foulds Narrated by: Richard Armitage Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins Unabridged Overall 6,461 Performance 5,934 Story 5,920 In 2004, when Adam Foulds was 23 years old and at the beginning of his acting career, he was given the devastating news that his beloved mentor and friend, the Oscar-winning actor and playwright Oscar Wilde, had died.... In my opinion, one of the best novels on both Oscar Wilde and his friendship with Foulds. By Marsha Donaldson on 01-02-16 Publisher's Summary "Why? Because my daughter was missing." From the darkest corners of history there comes a brilliant, powerful, and beautiful new novel that is the true story of what happened when a family fought to survive, the only way they could.... I will never stop fighting. - Anne Frank Anne Frank, a 13-year-old girl living in Nazi-occupied Holland, kept a secret diary. But how could she preserve her sanity amidst a world gone mad? And why did she continue to hope, despite all evidence that her family would be caught and punished? Based on long-held family lore, the New York Times best-selling author of The Book Thief and Life Is Short draws on historical documents and newly discovered family letters and journals to create the epic story of what might have become of Anne and her sister, Margot, had history taken a different turn. Beset by war, occupation, and fear, the Frank family struggled to survive in one of the worst times in human history. To do so, they mustered the resources within themselves, transforming the challenges into opportunities. Their hidden life is revealed through dozens of exclusive firsthand accounts of daily life in hiding—written by people who knew them and lived through this harrowing time—and through newly discovered and translated journals, letters, and diaries. This unique collection preserves a record of courage and tenacity in the face of danger, and in the face of overwhelming odds, we find the same spirit that led Anne Frank to write her immortal diary: "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." Story Very intriguing This is a very clever take on a story that's now very familiar, Anne Frank's diary of her brief life. But unlike so many modern accounts, this book makes you feel Anne Frank's presence. I think it was Anne Frank's "tomboy" nature that endeared her to most who read her diary. By putting the diary on a literary pedestal the book becomes somewhat saccharine (at least for this reader), making Anne Frank sound as though she were a martyr or saint. Which, of course, she wasn't. Her writings were more like that of a thirteen year old girl, and the emotions of the period were raw and real, even in the midst of such horror as existed in Nazi occupied Holland. A really well read story with many interesting points of view and a few real tears. This is definitely a book I'd recommend to my book club. Excellent story Would you consider the audio edition of The Anne Frank Case to be better than the print version? Yes, listening to it was much more relaxing to my mind. What did you like best about this story? I could get into the story easily and had no problems following along. I really liked how much information was given throughout the book. This book makes you think, and really makes you ponder the whole point of it all. It certainly makes you stop to think and wonder if we really will get to do any better than the previous generation. We can learn and take from past generations if we choose to. Which character – as performed by Lisa Kron – was your favorite? I loved Lisa Kron's performance. The girl's voice was beautiful and fit the story perfectly. Even though the story itself is horrifying, the narrator made it much easier to get through and not feel as heavy of a burden, if that makes any sense. Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry? It had me questioning many things at different points throughout, not just whether I would survive a war, but also what I would choose to believe as an adult. This story is intense and makes you think about what's important to you. If you let yourself take in the whole story you'll learn a lot. Any additional comments? Although this story isn't so deep or mind blowing or even all that interesting, I thought it was very interesting to see things put in perspective. Many people, especially teenagers, can't understand why their parents would have to deal with such hardships. This book is an excellent reminder that we are still humans, with human nature, just like the first human couple, we make choices that make things a bit more difficult on our fellow man. It's a shame we can't all take our example and live better lives for one another, but it makes us realize how much we have to try and learn. It makes us take responsibility for our own actions and hope for a better day. Amazing This book starts out as fiction, which was intriguing, but I was so glad to see that it was based on a real story. With history books being boring, I think this would be a perfect book to get people interested in reading more. A great book, I can't wait to read more in the series! Gone but not forgotten The story was well narrated and brought the past to life. A must read. A must read for all A fantastic book about a very strange period of the last century. The time between the first and second world wars is generally ignored but it was very fascinating to read about what happened during that period. Excellent and moving Absolutely an excellent book. It explores events during the period from 1936 to 1941 with a particularly fascinating take on how and why the Holocaust occurred. The story that unravels from it is moving.