SYNC Free YA Audiobooks All Summer ~ Week 8

I am so in love with audiobooks, and this is an absolutely amazing offer!! Sync is offering 2 free audiobooks every week for 10 weeks, and this is Week 8! One book will be a popular Young Adult book and the other will be a Classic that is related to or parallels the first title. And the best part is they're good books!! And, they're yours to keep! 20 free audiobooks...AMAZING!! Click here to see a list of the 20 books and the dates they will be available. I'll be updating here every week with the books that are currently free. I highly, highly recommend everyone go grab these audiobooks while they're available!! Best. Deal. Ever. Go Now!!

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Week 8!

Click on the Title to be taken to the download page.

 Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and BoneBy Laini Taylor
Read by Khristine Hvam
Published by Hachette Audio

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages–not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she?



A Tale of Two Cities

 

 A Tale of Two CitiesBy Charles Dickens
Read by Simon Prebble
Published by Blackstone Audio

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .” Set before and during the French Revolution, a French aristocrat and an English lawyer compete in their love for Lucie in the menacing shadow of the guillotine.

SYNC YA Audiobooks All Summer ~ Week 7

I am so in love with audiobooks, and this is an absolutely amazing offer!! Sync is offering 2 free audiobooks every week for 10 weeks, and this is Week 7! One book will be a popular Young Adult book and the other will be a Classic that is related to or parallels the first title. And the best part is they're good books!! And, they're yours to keep! 20 free audiobooks...AMAZING!! Click here to see a list of the 20 books and the dates they will be available. I'll be updating here every week with the books that are currently free. I highly, highly recommend everyone go grab these audiobooks while they're available!! Best. Deal. Ever. Go Now!!

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Week 7!

Click on the Title to be taken to the download page.

 
Pinned

 PinnedBy Alfred C. MartinoRead by Mark Shanahan
Published by Listen & Live Audio

Dealing with family problems, girls, and their own competitive natures, high school seniors Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane face each other in the final match of the New Jersey State Wrestling Championship.
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Locomotion


LocomotionBy Jacqueline Woodson
Read by Dion Graham
Published by Brilliance Audio
In a series of poems, eleven-year-old Lonnie writes about his life, after the death of his parents, separated from his younger sister, living in a foster home, and finding his poetic voice at school.

SYNC Free YA Audiobooks All Summer ~ Week 4

I am so in love with audiobooks, and this is an absolutely amazing offer!! Sync is offering 2 free audiobooks every week for 10 weeks, and this is Week 4! One book will be a popular Young Adult book and the other will be a Classic that is related to or parallels the first title. And the best part is they're good books!! And, they're yours to keep! 20 free audiobooks...AMAZING!! Click here to see a list of the 20 books and the dates they will be available. I'll be updating here every week with the books that are currently free. I highly, highly recommend everyone go grab these audiobooks while they're available!! Best. Deal. Ever. Go Now!!

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Week 4!

Click on the Title to be taken to the download page.

Anna Dressed In Blood

Anna Dressed in Blood
By Kendare Blake
Read by August Ross
Published by AudioGO
Available to download 07/05/12 – 07/11/12.
 
Description:
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas’s life.:

The Woman In White

The Woman in White
By Wilkie Collins
Read by Ian Holm
Published by AudioGO
Available to download 07/05/12 – 07/11/12

Description:
One night on the road to London, a young drawing master, Walter Hartright, meets a mysterious woman dressed all in white and answers her pleas for help. But who is she and why is she being followed by two men? And what is her connection with his pupil Laura Fairlie, the woman he secretly loves? Wilkie Collins’ masterpiece of terrible secrets, concealed identities, abductions, fraud, cruel aristocrats and sinister foreigners is a mesmerising read.

 

SYNC Free YA Audiobooks All Summer ~ Week 3

I am so in love with audiobooks, and this is an absolutely amazing offer!! Sync is offering 2 free audiobooks every week for 10 weeks, and this is Week 3! One book will be a popular Young Adult book and the other will be a Classic that is related to or parallels the first title. And the best part is they're good books!! And, they're yours to keep! 20 free audiobooks...AMAZING!! Click here to see a list of the 20 books and the dates they will be available. I'll be updating here every week with the books that are currently free. I highly, highly recommend everyone go grab these audiobooks while they're available!! Best. Deal. Ever. Go Now!!

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Week 3!

Click on the Title to be taken to the download page.

 The Amulet of Samarkand

The Amulet of SamarkandBy Jonathan Stroud

Read by Simon Jones
Published by Listening Library

Description:
Nathaniel is eleven years old and a magician’s apprentice, learning the traditional arts of magic. All is well until he has a life-changing encounter with Simon Lovelace, a magician of unrivaled ruthlessness and ambition. When Lovelace brutally humiliates Nathaniel in public, Nathaniel decides to speed up his education, teaching himself spells way beyond his years. With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all and summons Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni, to assist him. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni out to steal Lovelace’s greatest treasure, the Amulet of Samarkand, he finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder, blackmail, and revolt. Set in a modern-day London spiced with magicians and mayhem, this extraordinary, funny, pitch-perfect thriller will dazzle the myriad fans of Artemis Fowl and the His Dark Materials trilogy. And with the rights sold in more than a dozen countries, and a major motion picture in the works, the Bartimaeus trilogy is on the fast track to becoming a classic.

Tales from The Arabian Nights

Tales from the Arabian NightsBy Andrew Lang
Read by Toby Stephens
Published by Naxos AudioBooks
Description:
To save herself from certain death, the beautiful Scheherazade must beguile a Persian sultan with her enchanting stories. In two of her most well-known tales, Aladdin and Ali Baba’s cleverness and quick-thinking save the day—and a great treasure. Andrew Lang’s masterful version of these ancient Middle Eastern folk tales will captivate listeners of all ages, just as they did when Scheherazade was the storyteller.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Narrator:  Full Cast
Length:  2 hours
Publisher:  L.A. Theatre Works
Format:  Audio
Description:  Drought and economic depression are driving thousands from Oklahoma. As their land becomes just another strip in the dust bowl, the Joads, a family of sharecroppers, decide they have no choice but to follow. They head west, towards California, where they hope to find work and a future for their family.



This review is for the L.A. Theatre Works production of "The Grapes of Wrath" based on the novel by John Steinbeck.  It is not the full novel, only a 2 hour full cast theater production.  When I got the audiobook FREE from SYNC I assumed it was the full length novel, so I was a little disappointed to find I was wrong.  I did enjoy the production, however.  The full cast brought a lot of emotion to it, but you feel a little like there's a television on in another room and you're only hearing it.  It was much different than an actual narration, though I think a lot of that is because of the fact that it was so heavily abridged.  Considering the fact that the full novel audiobook is 21 hours it's not surprising that you feel there's a lot missing from this one.  The story follows the Joad family as they make their way from Oklahoma to California in the midst of The Great Depression.  They have nothing and nowhere to go and hope they can find work when they get there.  This is a chronicle of their journey and the hardships they face.  It's sad and so heart wrenching the trials this family had to face.  This may have only been a small abridged version of "The Grapes of Wrath", but it was enough to show me what I'm missing by never having read the novel.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The Eleventh Plague & GIVEAWAY

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving.

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing--and their lives--forever.

The Story:  I really enjoyed "The Eleventh Plague".  I love dystopian, especially when it involves the destruction of today's world, where things are familiar yet different.  Buildings are crumbling and there's still signs for Starbucks and McDonald's, but they're overgrown with vines and weeds.  In "The Eleventh Plague" we're introduced to a world that has been decimated by war.  Most of the population was killed by a horrible disease after America was bombed by China with a virus called P-11, or The Eleventh Plague.  It's been twenty years since the war and subsequent collapse, and fifteen year old Stephen Quinn's family have become salvagers, people that wander from place to place trying to find things which they can trade for the things they need.  Stephen has watched his mother die when he was just a small child, and he's just buried his grandfather.  When his father ends up in a coma after an accident Stephen is taken to Settler's Landing where they have medicine and a doctor to help his father.  There the people have rebuilt and are trying to maintain a normal society.  As skeptical as Stephen is he finds himself enjoying the normal life with these people.

"The Eleventh Plague" feels extremely real in that it's a look at a future that is a very real possibility.  Actually, it's not even a far fetched reality, which makes it all the more scary.  Stephen is a very likable character.  He's spent all of his life with his father and grandfather.  All he knows is scavenging, so when he's brought to this "town" he can't believe his eyes.  He can hear his grandfather's harsh warnings in his head telling him the people can't be trusted.  He's convinced that they are crazy to believe that they can continue to live as if the world on the outside isn't falling apart.  All he wants is for his father to wake up so that they can get back on the trail and back to their lives.  But when he lets his guard down he begins to make friends and his opinions about the world begin to change.  Stephen is understandably mature for his age.  He sees the devastation around him and blames it on the mistakes of past generations, and he even strives to be better than they were.  He makes important choices and many mistakes, but he always tries to do what's right, sometimes even making the adults around him see the error of their ways.  While the prose is aimed at the younger generation, it's easily enjoyed by all ages.

The Narration:  "The Eleventh Plague" is read by Dan Bittner.  After Googling him I realized he is apparently also an actor, and he did an amazing job.  He read with emotion and put lots of action into his storytelling.  His characters voices were well defined,  and I had no trouble distinguishing between them.  In my opinion, that is the most important quality of a good audiobook narrator.

Story:  4 Stars * * * * *

Narration:  4 Stars * * * *         

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Giveaway!!

I got my audiobook copy of "The Eleventh Plague" FREE from SYNC, and since I already have an ebook and a hardback copy I'm going to do a giveaway.  If you would like to win a Brand New hardback copy of "The Eleventh Plague" be sure to enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SYNC Free YA Audiobooks All Summer ~ WEEK 2



I am so in love with audiobooks, and this is an absolutely amazing offer!! Sync is offering 2 free audiobooks every week for 10 weeks, and this is Week 2! One book will be a popular Young Adult book and the other will be a Classic that is related to or parallels the first title. And the best part is they're good books!! And, they're yours to keep!  20 free audiobooks...AMAZING!! Click here to see a list of the 20 books and the dates they will be available. I'll be updating here every week with the books that are currently free. I highly, highly recommend everyone go grab these audiobooks while they're available!! Best. Deal. Ever. Go Now!!

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Week 2

Downloadable 6/21 - 6/27

Click the titles to be taken to the download page.

Irises

IrisesBy Francisco X. Stork
Read by Carrington MacDuffie
Published by Listening Library

Description:  Two sisters discover what’s truly worth living for in the new novel by the author of Marcelo in the Real World.
TWO SISTERS: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. – if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to stay home and paint. When their loving but repressive father dies, they must figure out how to support themselves and their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state, and how to get along in all their uneasy sisterhood.
THREE YOUNG MEN: Then three men sway their lives: Kate’s boyfriend Simon offers to marry her, providing much-needed stability. Mary is drawn to Marcos, though she fears his violent past. And Andy tempts Kate with more than romance, recognizing her ambition because it matches his own.
ONE AGONIZING CHOICE: Kate and Mary each find new possibilities and darknesses in their sudden freedom. But it’s Mama’s life that might divide them for good – the question of *if* she lives, and what’s worth living for.
Irises is Francisco X. Stork’s most provocative and courageous novel yet.

 

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and SensibilityBy Jane Austen
Read by Wanda McCaddon
Published by Tantor Media

Description:  When Mrs Dashwood is forced by an avaricious daughter-in-law to leave the family home in Sussex, she takes her three daughters to live in a modest cottage in Devon. For Elinor, the eldest daughter, the move means a painful separation from the man she loves, but her sister Marianne finds in Devon the romance and excitement which she longs for. The contrasting fortunes and temperaments of the two girls as they struggle to cope in their different ways with the cruel events which fate has in store for them are portrayed by Jane Austen with her usual irony, humour and profound sensibility.

Sync Free YA Audiobooks All Summer ~ WEEK 1

I am so in love with audiobooks, and this is an absolutely amazing offer!!  Sync will be offering 2 free audiobooks every week for 10 weeks!  One book will be a popular Young Adult book and the other will be a Classic that is related to or parallels the first title.  And the best part is they're good books!!  And, they're yours to keep...not library books.  20 free audiobooks...AMAZING!!  Click here to see a list of the 20 books and the dates they will be available.  I'll be updating here every week with the books that are currently free.  I highly, highly recommend everyone go grab these audiobooks while they're available!!  Best. Deal. Ever.  Go Now!!

Here's some info from the website:

What is SYNC?
• SYNC is the audiobook publishers’ and AudioFile Magazine’s commitment to introducing the listening experience to the young adult audience.
• SYNC will give away 2 FREE audiobook downloads each week for 10 weeks this summer.
• The weekly SYNC audiobook pairings will offer a popular Young Adult title and a related Classic.
• SYNC hooks readers by introducing a free download of a Young Adult “first in series” or prolific author.
• SYNC demonstrates that Required Reading can be completed by listening.
• Libraries, schools, and bloggers can access a full promo tool kit here.

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Week 1

Click the titles to be taken to the download page!

The Eleventh Plague

Description:

In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving.

 In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing–and their lives–forever.

The Grapes of Wrath

Description:

Drought and economic depression are driving thousands from Oklahoma. As their land becomes just another strip in the dust bowl, the Joads, a family of sharecroppers, decide they have no choice but to follow. They head west, towards California, where they hope to find work and a future for their family.