Tag Archive | survival

War hits hard in SYNC audiobooks

Jul31

What does war do to us? Listen in as two young men in different eras of US history – past and future – experience it firsthand in this week’s free audiobooks from SYNC.

Download these free complete audiobooks are before Wednesday, August 6th, and you can read them with your ears as long as you keep them on your computer or electronic device

CD cover of Divided We Fall By Trent Reedy Read by Andrew Eiden et al. Published by Scholastic AudioDivided We Fall (download here)
Available only in USA, Canada, & the Philippines

By Trent Reedy
Read by Andrew Eiden et al.
Published by Scholastic Audio

When a young National Guardsman’s gun misfires, it sparks a chain reaction of violence which could tear apart the USA in this near-future political thriller.

 

The Red Badge of Courage (download here)CD cover of The Red Badge of Courage By Stephen Crane Read by Frank Muller Published by Recorded Books
By Stephen Crane
Read by Frank Muller
Published by Recorded Books

The Civil War’s bloody realities eclipse a young man’s lifelong dream of being a soldier as the Battle of Chancellorsville begins.

Will mankind ever learn from the violence of the past?
**kmm

Red Rising, by Pierce Brown (book review) – class warfare on Mars, to the death!

Jul29

book cover of Red Rising by Pierce Brown published by Del ReyDemokracy is a lie.
Mourning is forbidden.
Love adds fuel to vengeance!

Game of Thrones  meets Star Wars and Hunger Games on the Red Planet in this rock ’em, sock ’em story, as lowest-caste Darrow is completely remade so that he can win the ultimate competition among ruling class youth and free his family and friends from slavery in the mines of Mars.

Be sure to visit the publisher’s site and click More Inside to read the first chapters so you know how the injustices heaped upon the Reds for generations have forged Darrow into a weapon.

**kmm

Book info: Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy #1) / Pierce Brown. Del Ray Spectra, 2014.  [author site]  [series site]   [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: A quest for vengeance drives Darrow to escape slavery in Mars’ mines and beat the Gold overlords at their own game as they fight to the death for power.

Deep in its hellish mines, Reds have slaved for decades so the Martian surface can become habitable, little knowing that the Red Planet is already a world of luxury.

When his young wife is executed for singing the forbidden death dirge, 16 year old Darrow’s rage makes him a perfect target for the Sons of Ares, fellow Reds who’re willing to rebel against the ruling Golds – from the inside.

Darrow is remade – bones re-engineered to sustain maximum impact, brain retooled for intellectual superiority, reflexes honed to matchless fighting ferocity – and enters the Institute where young Golds compete to become supreme rulers in the Solar Systems where the “noble lie of demokracy” has been stamped out.

All the Reds will stay enslaved if he doesn’t survive this vicious months’ long war against teens of the various Institute houses battling for the choicest apprenticeships of power, truly battling to the death.

A master strategist, a true leader, a Red in Gold’s skin, Darrow intends to win at all costs and to change society from the top down to the helldivers’ mines in this first book of the Red Rising trilogy.

Broken brain, bent mind in SYNC audiobooks – listen and beware!

Jul24

Go deep into the human brain and mind – if you dare!

Through Wednesday, July 30, you can download this week’s free audiobooks from SYNC, then listen to these 2 explorations of what’s inside one man’s skull. Just remember to keep the Overdrive Media files on your device or computer, and read with your ears at any convenient time.

CD cover of Headstrong by Patrick Link Read by Deidrie Henry, Ernie Hudson, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, & Scott Wolf Published by L.A. Theatre WorksHeadstrong (download here)
By Patrick Link
Read by Deidrie Henry, Ernie Hudson, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, & Scott Wolf
Published by L.A. Theatre Works

The celebrated hard hits in pro football take on new meaning as a retired NFL linebacker faces tragedy in their aftermath.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde CD cover of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde By Robert Louis Stevenson Read by Scott Brick Published by Tantor Audio(download here)
By Robert Louis Stevenson
Read by Scott Brick
Published by Tantor Audio

Everyone has heard of mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll and his malevolent alter ego Mr. Hyde – now it’s time to hear the whole dark tale in its original form.

How does the mind work? How does the brain work? How do we go on when they don’t? Read with your ears to find out.
**kmm

Kiss of Deception, by Mary E. Pearson (book review) – princess seeks peace, finds danger

Jul19

book cover of The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson published by Henry HoltA dreaded arranged marriage,
a daring escape,
two girls on the run
with a killer on their trail!

Prepare for a galloping read across lands we’ve never seen as Lia tries to stay unnoticed in the lovely seaside town, the disguised prince seeks to know her, and the hidden assassin waits for the right moment when you grab this July 8 release at your local library or favorite independent bookstore.

Either a medieval future after failed interplanetary travel or space voyagers in the past created the setting of this great new series by the author of the well-known Jenna Fox Chronicles, which wrapped up last year with Fox Forever (my no-spoilers review here).

Marriage as a political alliance tool- yes or no?
**kmm

Book info:  Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, book 1) / Mary E. Pearson. Henry Holt, 2014. [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Escaping a kingdom-uniting marriage, 17 year old Lia finds peace in a coastal village, unaware that the jilted prince and a stealthy assassin have found her.

Indeed, the First Daughter of Morrighan lacks the Gift of prophecy required by the kingdom of Dalbreck. Piqued by her note “I should like to inspect you before our wedding day”, the prince tracks Lia and Pauline to Terravin where they’re working at aunt Berdi’s inn and poses as a young farmer in town for the religious festival.

Also on her trail are the King’s Army scouts (her father won’t forgive Lia for leaving everyone waiting in the chapel) and an assassin bent on easing a Vendan invasion of Morrighan – by eliminating any alliance with Dalbreck.

Secrets shared, secrets kept, disguises and deceit – how long until Lia falls for handsome Rafe or charming Kaden, shattering her hard-sought peace with a Kiss of Deception?  First in The Remnant Chronicle series where crumbling ruins mark the past’s spacefaring technology, and Lia’s gift of Sight may arrive much too late. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Sherlock Holmes… and his sister? Most mysterious audiobooks!

Jul17

The great sleuth himself and his younger sister Enola (what? You thought that Mycroft was Sherlock Holmes’ only sibling?) are featured in this week’s pair of audiobooks, free for you to download so you can read with your ears!

Click on each title to open the SYNC download site in a new window. Snatch up either or both of this mysterious cases from today (July 17) through Wednesday; you have free use of them as long as you keep them on your computer or electronic device.

So hurry now, the game is afoot!

CD cover of Case of the Cryptic Crinoline By Nancy Springer Read by Katherine Kellgren Published by Recorded BooksThe Case of the Cryptic Crinoline
By Nancy Springer
Read by Katherine Kellgren
Published by Recorded Books

When her much-beloved landlady is kidnapped, Enola Holmes (yes, Sherlock’s sister) is on the case.

 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes IICD cover of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes II By Arthur Conan Doyle Read by David Timson Published by Naxos AudioBooks
By Arthur Conan Doyle
Read by David Timson
Published by Naxos AudioBooks

A missing racehorse, masked royalty visiting 221B Baker Street, and two other famous cases, as reported by faithful friend Dr. Watson: The Engineer’s Thumb,  The Silver Band,  A Scandal in Bohemia,  and The Five Orange Pips.

What’s your favorite Holmes’ case>
**kmm

Shadow Hero, by Gene Luen Yang & Sonny Liew (book review) – Asian superhero against crime!

Jul15

book cover of The Shadow Hero by Gene Yuen Lang and Sonny Liew published by First Second BooksIn Chinatown’s dark alleys,
the ruthless tongs demand payment,
but the Green Turtle arises to protect the innocent!

Happy book birthday to The Shadow Hero, as the origins of the first Asian-American superhero are revealed!

I love this new joint effort of graphic novelists Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew – light-hearted, but underpinned with the historical accuracy which won Gene so many awards for his paired graphic novels of a pivotal time in Chinese history, Boxers and Saints (my review here) .

Get a quick look at its vintage look and action here:

The Green Turtle’s adventures continue in this short sequence published on the Tor website, too.

**kmm

Book info:  The Shadow Hero / Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew. First Second Books, 2014.  [Gene’s site]  [Sonny’s site]   [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: As a child of Chinese immigrants, Hank expected to follow family tradition, but his mother demands that he become a superhero!

When The Anchor of Justice rescues his mother from a bank robber, she won’t be satisfied until Hank reinvents himself as a superhero, instead of being a grocer like his father.

Hank discovers that intense training and a new costume certainly don’t guarantee superhero success when his attempt to save a young lady from thugs merely earns him a beating and the crime boss’s daughter rescues herself.

Fighting against the tong’s extortion has a high price for Hank’s family, yet he vows to continue, aided by the ancient Tortoise spirit from his parents’ homeland.

As the Green Turtle, Hank battles his way into the tong’s headquarters with the Tortoise spirit’s guidance. Yet the challenges he finds there would tax any superhero’s skill and resolve.

“Sometimes a fight you cannot win is still worth fighting,” counsels the spirit of the Tortoise, and Hank is in this fight until the end.

Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew transform an old comic book into this great graphic novel about the first Asian-American superhero.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

SYNC audiobooks showcase Civil Rights herstory

Jul10

Courageous teen women in the early Civil Rights movement – this week’s free SYNC audiobooks bring little-heralded history/herstory to life.

CD cover of Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice By Philip Hoose Read by Channie Waites Published by Brilliance AudioClaudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
By Philip Hoose
Read by Channie Waites
Published by Brilliance Audio

Several months before Rosa Parks’ celebrated bus ride in 1955, black teen Claudette rode a segregated Montgomery bus, but her protest was ignored by area Civil Rights leaders.

 

 

While the World WatchedCD cover of While the World Watched By Carolyn Maull McKinstry with Denise George Read by Felicia Bullock Published by Oasis Audio
By Carolyn Maull McKinstry with Denise George
Read by  Felicia Bullock
Published by Oasis Audio

As a 15 year old, Carolyn was an eyewitness to the fatal Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, another KKK atrocity in the South as the Civil Rights Movement grew.

Remember that although these complete audiobooks are only available for free download from Thursday through Wednesday, you can listen to them as long as you keep the Overdrive Media files on your computer or electronic device.

Visit SYNC for a full list of this summer’s featured audiobooks. If you missed any, try your local library or the publisher.
**kmm

Half Life of Molly Pierce, by Katrina Leno (book review) – mind unhinged or memories unleashed?

Jul8

book cover of The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno published by Harper TeenHer blackouts are more frequent,
suddenly waking up somewhere else,
so disorienting… or is it something more?

There’s a secret about Molly that many people know, but she hasn’t allowed herself to even glimpse it – until now.

Happy book birthday to The Half Life of Molly Pierce!  Find it soon – this distressed teen’s gradual self-awakening is mesmerizing.

How long could you keep someone’s deepest secret – from themself?
**kmm

Book info:  The Half-Life of Molly Pierce / Katrina Leno. HarperTeen, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [author video interview] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: A total stranger calls Molly by name as he dies, triggering flashbacks even more confusing than her frequent blackouts since last year’s almost-suicide.

Abruptly regaining consciousness somewhere different is frightening – how did she get from her Massachusetts high school to the family bookstore in a heartbeat?

Why does the guy in the motorcycle wreck ask her to ride in the ambulance with him, calling her name as he bleeds and bleeds, begging her to call his brother like they’re all friends?

With Sayer at his brother’s funeral, Molly thinks he really knows her, that she was close to Lyle, but why can’t she remember them?

As memories of Lyle and Sayer begin flashing into her mind, Molly finally tells her therapist about the blackouts and is shocked to discover that Alex already knows and that only she can unravel her own self-deception.

Discover what the worried teen’s mind is trying to hide from herself in this tense psychological novel.

 

Let freedom ring with free SYNC audiobooks!

Jul3

If it’s Thursday, that means two new free audiobooks from SYNC for your summertime listening enjoyment!

Be sure to download these free complete audiobooks by Wednesday, July 9th.

CD cover of Torn From Troy By Patrick Bowman Read by Gerard Doyle Published by Post Hypnotic Press Torn From Troy (download here)
By Patrick Bowman
Read by Gerard Doyle
Published by Post Hypnotic Press

Homer’s Odyssey  as seen through the eyes of 15 year old Trojan orphan Alexi, enslaved by Odysseus himself.

 

CD cover of Peter and the Starcatchers By Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson Read by Jim Dale Published by Brilliance Audio
Peter and the Starcatchers (download here)
[not available in UK or British Commonwealth]
By Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
Read by Jim Dale
Published by Brilliance Audio

This prequel to J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan  sees the orphan boy and friend Molly facing pirates who want to steal the magic dust hidden aboard Peter’s ship.

Enjoy these different takes on familiar tales and characters as you read with your ears this weekend (remember that you can listen to SYNC downloads for as long as you keep them on your device or computer).

Read on and travel the world – with your ears!
**kmm

The Jedi Doth Return! by Ian Doescher (book review) – Shakespeare parses the Force, dark and light

Jul1

book cover of William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return by Ian Doescher published by Quirk BooksRescuer disguised, a comrade to free,
Jabba of the Hutt wouldst kill them all!
Luke will not from his Force-dark’nd father flee,
but seeks to free him from th’Emperor’s thrall.

O, rebel band, stay strong and share the Force
with Ewoks small, yet mighty in the fray!
A second Death Star bids to blast their world
and hidden base where freedom fighters stay.

Today marks the natal day of this final tale in Shakespeare’s Star Wars saga – seek for it at thine local library or a-favored independent bookstore.

Certes, thou hast already perused William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope (in discussion here) and well as The Empire Striketh Back (more here) – such classic stories from a galaxy far, far away…

**kmm

Book info: William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return (Star Wars Part the Sixth) / Ian Doescher; inspired by the work of George Lucas and William Shakespeare. Quirk Books, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Amid daring rescues, new allies, and the dark Emperor himself targeting attacks on the Rebellion, the Jedi Doth Return  to win Star Wars in the Bard’s own style or perish forever!

Evil Jabba of the Hutt will soon regret his refusal to release carbonite-encased Han Solo to Luke Skywalker as this iambic pentametered tale begins on  desert Tatooine.

Luke, Han, and Leia’s stealth mission on Endor’s forest moon may gain the Ewoks as new allies, but may also imperil the Rebellion’s fight against the dark Empire, as Darth Vader uses the Force to sense his son’s whereabouts.

Will Luke be swayed to the dark side of the Force by Vader’s soliloquies?
Shall Lando of Calrissian join the Rebels or stand aside?
And what of the past shared by Luke and Leia?

Do read aloud the Ewoks’ speeches and you’ll hear the almost-English of the middle 2 lines of their AABA-rhymed communications.

The concluding volume of Doescher’s epically Shakespearean take on George Lucas’ classic space opera can stand alone (especially for hardcore Star Wars devotees), but is even more enjoyable after reading William Shakespeare’s Verily, a New Hope  (Star Wars Part the Fourth) and The Empire Striketh Back  (Part the Fifth). May the verse be with you!  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)