My blog is about the books I'm reading, the independent bookstores I visit, the author and book events I attend, and any bookish related things I come across in the months and years to come!
Showing posts with label FREE AUDIOBOOKS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FREE AUDIOBOOKS. Show all posts
I stumbled upon the audio version of The Treasure in the Forest by H. G. Wells on YouTube. So, I decided to listen to this short story after listening to the previous H. G. Wells short story last week.
I enjoyed listening to The Treasure in the Forest by H. G. Wells. It's a short, fun listen and also well narrated. It's a combination horror/adventure read, imo. Since this is a short story, I will resist giving a summary, so that I don't spoil the plot.
I am giving The Treasure in the Forest by H. G. Wells a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.
I absolutely love orchids! So, when I stumbled upon the audio version of The Strange Orchid by H. G. Wells on YouTube, I happily decided to listen to this short story... After all, how could I resist listening to a short story about an orchid?!
I enjoyed listening to The Strange Orchid by H. G. Wells. It's a short, fun listen and also well narrated. It's a combination horror/science fiction read, imo. Since this is a short story, I will resist giving a summary so I don't spoil the plot.
I am giving The Strange Orchid by H. G. Wells a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars. Until my next post, happy reading!!
I like to read or listen to one or more holiday themed reads each year if possible based on time and interest.
It just so happens that my last read for the month of November was a holiday themed novella titled, The Christmas Ruse by Jennie Goutet. This regency romance is a quick listen at just over 2 hours in length and is well narrated. Overall, I felt The Christmas Ruse had a decent storyline, interesting plot twists, a romance, and filled with fairly well developed characters despite the short length. It is a predictable read as to the story's outcome/ending.
Even though I wasn't wowed by this novella, it is a clean, wholesome read that is worth the read if you enjoy regency romance novels/novellas.
Below is the plot summary for The Christmas Ruse by Jennie GoutetI found in the description section in YouTube video itself.
Nicholas Cranleigh suspects his meddlesome sister is up to something when she invites him to stay at Cothill Manor at the same time as Miss Dresden. He’s on his guard, but it’s hard to resist a woman with luminous eyes, who’s in need of a savior. Lavinia Dresden is ready to sacrifice herself to save her family from financial ruin in the only path open to a woman of gentle breeding. But she hadn’t counted the cost on her sacrifice until Lord Cranleigh came into her life—a man she knew to be her ideal. There remain only five days until the Christmas ball when Miss Dresden’s fate will be decided, and it soon becomes apparent to Nicholas that the question is not whether he wants to save Lavinia, but whether he is able.
I was able to listen to this unabridged novella for FREE on YouTube and so can you by clicking on the video link above.
I am giving The Christmas Ruse by Jennie Goutet a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.
I've been a fan of Agatha Christie's novels and short stories most of my life. I started reading her novels during my teenage years. Yet despite being an avid fan of Christie's writing, I haven't read her entire collection of published works... Mainly, because her entire collection of work is so vast and also because the Hercule Poirot is my favorite character created by Dame Agatha Christie. So, I've largely stuck to reading works that featured Hercule Poirit as a character.
I don't recall reading Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie in my youth. So, I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of this novel in July, which was well narrated by Hugh Fraser. Listening time is 6 hours, 41 seconds.
I was able to listen to Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie for FREE on YouTube. It's truly amazing to discover all of the free audiobooks one is able to listen to for FREE via YouTube at one's leisure! Click on the link above to listen to this novel for free for yourself.
Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie is a Hercule Poirot novel. It is different from other Hercule Poirot novels in that Hercule Poirot is working in conjunction with three other people to solve the murder.
I was hooked into the storyline for Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie from the start of the novel. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, and the writing for most of the novel. In fact, I initially thought I would be giving Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie a 5 star rating... That is until I listened to the last 20% of the novel, when things went south fast! Too many plot twists at the end of the novel and a few other things just didn't sit right with me. I was forced to lower my rating.
Below is the plot summary for Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie from the Goodreads website:
A flamboyant party host is murdered in full view of a roomful of bridge players… Mr Shaitana was famous as a flamboyant party host. Nevertheless, he was a man of whom everybody was a little afraid. So, when he boasted to Poirot that he considered murder an art form, the detective had some reservations about accepting a party invitation to view Shaitana’s private collection. Indeed, what began as an absorbing evening of bridge was to turn into a more dangerous game altogether…
I am giving Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.
Okay, so this is my second time around listening to The Lottery by Shirley Jackson as I listened to a collection of short stories written by Shirley Jackson back in early 2021 and it was one of the best stories in the entire collection.
The Lottery is definitely worth the listen. I can fully understand why it won the O. Henry Prize Stories award in 1949. In fact, The Lottery was written in 1948 and was first published in The New Yorker magazine. The Lottery caused a very negative response from readers and some people even cancelled their subscriptions to The New Yorker due to Jackson's short story! Hate mail was even sent throughout the summer in which this short story was published. (Wikipedia is the source of most of the above bit of information I learned about The Lottery.)
If you haven't read, nor know the plot summary for The Lottery, then I'd rather not spoil it for you! Just go ahead and read/listen to it for yourself. It makes for great reading if you like short stories.
I am givingThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.
Back in 2014, I listened to the audio version of My Man Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse and reviewed this book on my blog.
Last month, I came across the free audio version of Honeysuckle Cottage by P. G. Wodehouse on YouTube and narrated by Tony Walker. So, I decided to give another book by P.G. Wodehouse a try. I wasn't disappointed! Tony Walker is a fabulous narrator and his YouTube channel offers plenty of classic stories that he narrates very well.
P. G. Wodehouse is an entertaining writer and I found Honeysuckle Cottage to be an amusing and charming read. Honeysuckle Cottage is a short listen, which I highly recommend.
Below is the summary for Honeysuckle Cottage by P. G. Wodehouse from Goodreads's website:
Hardboiled crime writer James Rodman assumes his luck is in when he inherits Honeysuckle Cottage. But there’s a catch. He also inherits his dearly departed Aunt Leila – who is determined to soften her nephew’s cynical ways, even from beyond the grave…
Click above video link to listen to Honeysuckle Cottage by P. G. Wodehouse. If you like the narration, then you can subscribe to Tony Walker's YouTube channel and listen to other free classics he narrates.
I am giving Honeysuckle Cottage by P. G. Wodehouse a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.
1. 'The Voice In The Night' by William Hope Hodgson is a horror/suspense short story I was able to listen to for free through YouTube. I enjoyed this short story quite a bit and it is very well narrated. 4/5 stars.
2. 'The Witch Door' by Ray Bradbury is another horror/suspense short story worth a listen! I haven't read many things written by Ray Bradbury. I am usually impressed by what I have read by him. 'The Witch Door' is set in present day and involves time travel through a special door. This short story also touches upon what it means to be a 'witch' in the present day and in the past. The ending of the story leaves it to the reader what may become of the two side characters; one travels to the past and the other to the future. 3/5 stars.
3. It's been several decades since I've read anything by Anton Chekov. In fact, I can't really remember what I've read by him other than perhaps a play or two and some short stories, but which ones? I can't recall anymore. I decided to revisit Chekov's works by listening to 'The Lottery Ticket', which is a very short read. This story essentially takes us through the minds of a husband and wife on how they envision life being different for them should they have won money from a lottery ticket. 3/5 stars.
4. 'The Landlady' by Roald Dahl is a short story for adults. I am very familiar with Roald Dahl's novels for children... In fact, I've read quite a few of them over the years. But it wasn't until I became an adult that I realized that Roald Dahl also wrote things for adults as well. I decided to explore a work of shorter fiction by Roald Dahl by listening to 'The Landlady', which is a creepy, horror short story! 3/5 stars.
5. 'In Amundsen's Tent' by John Martin Leahy is a very well narrated short story. It's creepy. As much as I enjoyed the narration, I wasn't a fan of this short story. 2/5 stars.
6. 'Robot Dreams' by Isaac Asimov is a science fiction story about robots, AI, and consciousness. This topic seems relevant as ever. I enjoyed listening to 'Robot Dreams'. I think you will too. 3/5 stars.
7. 'Garg the Good' by Dominic Bowers-Mason is a fantasy short story. It is a decent listen at just over 13 minutes. This story is nicely narrated. 3/5 stars.
8. 'A Sound of Thunder' by Ray Bradbury is the best of the best of these eight short stories I listened to last month!! 'A Sound of Thunder' is in essence a tale of time travel and covers the idea/concept of the 'Butterfly Effect'... Or put another way, the idea of the 'Grandfather Paradox'... If you go back in time and one thing is changed in even the slightest way, how will that effect the future? 'A Sound of Thunder' by Ray Bradbury explores this idea in a unique way. 4/5 stars.
I've seen the movie version of 'The Birds' starring Tippi Hedren and made by the legendary filmmaker, Alfred Hitchcock, decades ago now. I really don't remember that much about the movie version of 'The Birds' aside from its basic premise.
In recent years, I discovered that the movie version of 'The Birds' is based on the short story written by English author, Daphne du Maurier. As a side note, I read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier last year. I wasn't too impressed with Rebecca, which is billed as one of Daphne du Maurier's finest, if not more famous works of fiction.
Not to be deterred by my first experience reading something written by Daphne du Maurier, I decided to give the audio version of 'The Birds' a try and I wasn't disappointed with it. 'The Birds' is a tightly written short story, which gives off very creepy vibes with regards to social isolation and separation from society due to large groups of birds that will aggressively attack and kill all those that leave their homes. These birds will even try to find their way inside homes to attack. The psychological and emotional toll on people due to the fear caused by being cut off from the world, access to food, social interactions, not knowing what's going on, etc. makes this story all the more horrific.
I saw parallels between this short story with that of the covid-19 pandemic. During the covid-19 pandemic, people were told to shelter in place, stay home to save lives, etc. There was loads of fear and isolation during the pandemic. Granted a pandemic caused by a virus is very much different from an attack by aggressive birds that will kill you, but the fear and isolation in 'The Birds' was captured well by the author and gave the same vibe as dealing with the fear, isolation, etc. we felt during the pandemic.
Click on the above link to listen to the audio version of 'The Birds' I listened to for FREE through YouTube.
I am giving 'The Birds' by Daphne du Maurier a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.
If memory serves me correctly, I first read The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell in middle school for an English class as a required reading assignment. I enjoyed reading this classic, short story at the time, but had forgotten the ending of this story all these decades later.
So, I was thrilled to stumble upon the free audio version of The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell on YouTube last week. I promptly listened to it and enjoyed the storyline and ending once again! The Most Dangerous Game has a captivating storyline and I can understand why it was given the O. Henry Award.
If you enjoy classic, suspense/action adventure type of stories, then The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell is most definitely the read for you!
I've added the edition of The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell I listened to on YouTube as I enjoyed the narrator for this short story.
Below is the plot summary for The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, which I discovered on Amazon's website:
“The Most Dangerous Game”, also published as “The Hounds of Zaroff”, is a story by Richard Connell, first published in Collier’s on January 19, 1924. The story features a big-game hunter from New York City who falls off a yacht and swims to what seems to be an abandoned and isolated island in the Caribbean, where he is hunted by a Russian aristocrat. The story is inspired by the big-game hunting safaris in Africa and South America that were particularly fashionable among wealthy Americans in the 1920s. The story has been adapted numerous times, most notably as the 1932 RKO Pictures film The Most Dangerous Game, starring Joel McCrea and Leslie Banks, and for a 1943 episode of the CBS Radio series Suspense, starring Orson Welles. It has been called the “most popular short story ever written in English.” Upon its publication, it won the O. Henry Award.
I am giving The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is a very short story I read years ago for either a high school English class or college English class. I enjoyed reading it back then and am happy that I recently rediscovered The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin again last month.
Above is the FREE audio edition of The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin I listened to on YouTube. It's roughly 6.5 minutes in length, so if you're up to listening to a short story originally published in Vogue magazine in 1894, check it out as it is a lovely period piece that is well worth a listen.
I am giving The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.
Honestly, I hadn't thought about The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in years until a booktuber I follow on YouTube had uploaded a review of it on his YouTube Channel last month. It was then I decided to reread The Yellow Wallpaper.
Lucky me, I was able to find and listen to the unabridged audio version of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman on YouTube for FREE. I find YouTube to be a wonderful resource for free unabridged audiobooks, especially the classics. (However, plenty of more contemporary works may be found as audiobooks for free on YouTube as well.)
I enjoyed rediscovering The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman! The Yellow Wallpaper is a classic, feminist, 'semi autobiographical' short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1890 and eventually published in the January issue of The New England Magazine in 1892.
The gist of this short story is a young woman who is a wife and new mother is suffering from postpartum depression shortly after giving birth. Her husband is a doctor and he prescribes complete bed rest in the country where she will overcome the issue according to her husband. The husband claims to know what is best for his wife as he is a doctor after all... Let's just say this theory blows up in his face.
The idea that women were treated the way they were in the late 1800s by the medical professionals is appalling. Women's health was not taken seriously by medical professionals and this short story exemplifies this... Reading The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is almost like reading a horror story of sorts.
Read The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman to glean the full details. This short story makes for interesting reading.
Below is the plot summary for The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman I discovered on Goodreads:
Diagnosed by her physician husband with a “temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency” after the birth of her child, a woman is urged to rest for the summer in an old colonial mansion. Forbidden from doing work of any kind, she spends her days in the house’s former nursery, with its barred windows, scratched floor, and peeling yellow wallpaper.
In a private journal, the woman records her growing obsession with the “horrid” wallpaper. Its strange pattern mutates in the moonlight, revealing what appears to be a human figure in the design. With nothing else to occupy her mind, the woman resolves to unlock the mystery of the wallpaper. Her quest, however, leads not to the truth, but into the darkest depths of madness.
A condemnation of the patriarchy, The Yellow Wallpaper explores with terrifying economy the oppression, grave misunderstanding, and willful dismissal of women in late nineteenth-century society.
I am giving The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.
I've watched the 1953 movie version of 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, but I never realized the movie was based on the novel of the same name and written by Anita Loos.
I happened to come across the unabridged audio version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos for FREE on YouTube recently and decided to listen to it. It seems like one can find many classic novels in audiobook form to listen to for FREE on YouTube.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos is a definite period piece and is considered a 'comic novel'. It is written as a series of diary entries, which I found fun. According to Wikipedia, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos was first serialized in Harper's Magazine during the spring and summer of 1925. I also learned from Wikipedia that in November 1925, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos was republished by Boni and Liveright in book form and it became the second bestselling novel of 1926.
So, what did I think of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos? It was a fun, easy peasy read. I enjoyed listening to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and found the narrator to be delightful! Yes, this novel was funny throughout. However, at times, I felt some of the lexicon to be rather repetitive at times. I would recommend this book if you want to read a bestselling 'comic novel' written during the 1920s!
Below is the plot summary for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos I discovered on Chirp's website:
One of the most popular novels released in the 1920s on the hedonistic Jazz Age, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was declared the great American novel by Edith Wharton. Told from the point of view of a blonde flapper named Lorelei in the form of her diary, this novel follows her adventures around the world in search of a gentleman companion who can elevate her position within society. As Lorelei cycles through multiple men, she discovers things about herself and the way that she lives her life in retrospection—while also chronicling her changing moods and petty disputes with her brunette companion, Dorothy. Hilarious and a true classic, this revered novel transcends decades and continues to be relatable in this day and age.
I am giving Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.
While I was on vacation the week of April 16th, I listened to the unabridged audio version of Funny Bunnies by Ann Omasta for free via Ann Omasta's YouTube Channel. Click on the above link to listen to the above novella for free as well.
Funny Bunnies is the third installment of 'The Pet Set' series and is a contemporary romance novella. Listening time is approximately an hour and 12 minutes.
I've read a couple of other things written by Ann Omasta before with mixed feelings. I think that Funny Bunnies may be my last read by her. Funny Bunnies is narrated well enough, but the storyline was not that exciting, nor engaging enough to captivate me. In fact, the storyline was rather boring and too simplistic. The dialogue and interactions between characters was dull as well.
Below in the plot summary for Funny Bunnies by Ann Omasta that I found on Amazon's website:
Hope Montgomery has no doubt that she is the right person to become the next mayor of her beloved town, Nestlebrook Cove. She and her sweet pet, Honey-Bunny, won’t let anything stand in their way––especially not the current mayor––as they sway voters to their side.
Mayor Michael Snow loves his town, his job, and his country. He has big plans for growth in his thriving community, and he’s not going to let Hope or her cute little cottontail rabbit stop him.
Hope and Michael are vying for the same elected position. Neither is willing to admit to the dazzling spark of attraction simmering just beneath the surface between them. Will they find a solution that makes them both happy? The town’s snuggly bunnies may have to insist on it.
I am giving Funny Bunnies by Ann Omasta a rating of 1 stars out of 5 stars.
