Anonymous
- 7
- reviews
- 3
- helpful votes
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- ratings
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You’re Not a Girl in a Movie
- By: Hala Alyan
- Narrated by: Hala Alyan
- Length: 34 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 891
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 806
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 795
You’re Not a Girl in a Movie is a new collection of powerful poems by Hala Alyan, winner of the Arab American Book Award in Poetry and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. In these nine extraordinary poems, Alyan wrestles with the intimate themes that have driven her acclaimed body of work to date: the aching loss of homeland, the image and worth of women, and the violence of love. In Beirut, Brooklyn, and roads in the American West, she unravels the effects of decades of war and displacement on love and human worth and identity.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I am going to have to listen again...
- By James on 12-23-20
- You’re Not a Girl in a Movie
- By: Hala Alyan
- Narrated by: Hala Alyan
Powerful Poetry
Reviewed: 09-04-22
This is the most powerful "new" voice I've read in a very long time. Honest, biting, seething, soft, reflective... strong.
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Just as I Am
- A Memoir
- By: Cicely Tyson, Michelle Burford
- Narrated by: Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis, Robin Miles
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 6,602
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 5,870
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Story5 out of 5 stars 5,854
Just as I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. Here, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades. Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word. I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named. I am a daughter and mother, a sister, and a friend. I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Legend and National Treasure
- By Mz Fabulous on 01-29-21
- Just as I Am
- A Memoir
- By: Cicely Tyson, Michelle Burford
- Narrated by: Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis, Robin Miles
A memoir well worth the wait
Reviewed: 04-12-21
This riveting memoir is a great peek into the life of one of our most important actresses and activists in American history. At times mysterious, other times heartwrenching but always inspiring, she manages to tell her story with grace, honesty and humor all the while leaving room for the supernatural. (It's amazing to listen to how certain blessings just seemed to unfold in her life.)
You are sure to want to go back and re- watch all her television and film credits over her sixty-plus year career. Her perspective on and place in American history is astounding. The last chapter alone can inspire for generations to come.
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Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick
- Stories from the Harlem Renaissance
- By: Zora Neale Hurston
- Narrated by: Aunjanue Ellis
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 637
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 550
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 545
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is an outstanding collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African-American folk culture. Brought together for the first time in one volume, they include eight of Hurston’s "lost" Harlem stories, which were found in forgotten periodicals and archives. These stories challenge conceptions of Hurston as an author of rural fiction and include gems that flash with her biting, satiric humor, as well as more serious tales.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great Writer - Great Reader
- By Avid Listener on 09-09-20
- Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick
- Stories from the Harlem Renaissance
- By: Zora Neale Hurston
- Narrated by: Aunjanue Ellis
Superb and sophisticated stories
Reviewed: 01-17-21
Hurston doesn't disappoint with this meaty work of short stories. The tales are at times hilarious, thought- provoking, upsetting and always entertaining. As always, she does such a superb job of centering Black characters and life.
The stories written in/as verse were such a wonderful and masterful surprise.
The introduction of this book does a great job of preparing you to take the journey with Hurston as she develops as a great storyteller. Ellis' narration keeps you engaged. It makes me want to pick up a copy of the book just to marvel at Hurston's words on the page.
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People in Hell Want Ice Water
- By: Edan Lepucki
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 1 hr and 21 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 1,113
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,011
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 1,014
In "People in Hell Want Ice Water" - an eerie and suspenseful short story about connection, trust, and self-preservation - a random hookup amidst the COVID-19 pandemic brings two lonely people together when they need it most. Colin is an immunocompromised software engineer living alone in Los Angeles when he meets Martha on an early morning walk. She’s irreverent and mysterious, and although Colin knows better than to invite a stranger into his house, it’s been over 40 days since he’s been touched, and he can’t resist the temptation.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Beyond weird
- By Placeholder on 12-18-20
- People in Hell Want Ice Water
- By: Edan Lepucki
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
Interesting, mysterious "hook up" in Corona times
Reviewed: 01-09-21
This quick and entertaining read offers a glance into the life of a couple of personal contact starved people in the hills of California. There's wine, a dog, thermometers, paranoia and lots of cringey sex. Enjoy.
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Children of Virtue and Vengeance
- Legacy of Orisha, Book 2
- By: Tomi Adeyemi
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,699
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 5,162
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,142
After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too. Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari's right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy's wrath.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Constant melodrama ruins a promising story
- By Bryn Stevens-Guill on 12-10-19
- Children of Virtue and Vengeance
- Legacy of Orisha, Book 2
- By: Tomi Adeyemi
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Turpin's narration is the star!
Reviewed: 08-17-20
The first installment in this series was incredible- the story, the imagery, the conflict. This second book was harder to get through. I don't know if it was the constant war plotting and changes of plans by the parties but it wasn't as interesting as in the first book. The themes are still strong and thought-provoking.
Bahni Turpin is a powerhouse of talent displayed with each voice. She made it worth the read even at almost twice the speed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Unexpected Stories
- Two Novellas
- By: Octavia E. Butler
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 277
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 236
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 234
This exciting collection presents two previously unpublished stories by SF legend Octavia E. Butler. A Necessary Being precedes the events of Survivor, Butler's third (famously disowned) installment in her Patternist series, and includes characters from it, focusing exclusively on the Kohn, aliens who build their social hierarchies on the blueness of their fur. In Childfinder, a black woman with the gift of identifying children with latent psychic ability refuses to share her skill with an organization of white telepaths.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Octavia B. is the John Coltrane of Scifi fantasy
- By Adé Ngeno on 06-30-19
- Unexpected Stories
- Two Novellas
- By: Octavia E. Butler
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
Amazing Short Read
Reviewed: 07-21-20
I am always amazed at how I easily allow myself to accept the worlds that Butler effortlessly creates. This was my first time reading her shorter works and each one made me want more. She approaches issues of tolerance, peace, power, land stewardship, aging, psychic gifts and more like no other. Dig in!
And I will read ANYTHING that Robin Miles narrates. She's incredible!
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3 people found this helpful
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Creative Quest
- By: Questlove
- Narrated by: Questlove, Fred Armisen, Tariq Trotter, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,931
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,722
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,709
In Creative Quest, Questlove synthesizes all the creative philosophies, lessons, and stories he's heard from the many creators and collaborators in his life, and reflects on his own experience, to advise listeners and fans on how to consider creativity and where to find it. He addresses many topics - what it means to be creative, how to find a mentor and serve as an apprentice, the wisdom of maintaining a creative network, coping with critics and the foibles of success, and the specific pitfalls of contemporary culture.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Questlove once again is my fairy godmother
- By Richard on 04-26-18
- Creative Quest
- By: Questlove
- Narrated by: Questlove, Fred Armisen, Tariq Trotter, Dion Flynn, Robin Thede, Norm MacDonald
Very interesting perspectives on creativity
Reviewed: 06-27-19
It took me way too long to finish this book. I don't blame the book or the author. The "problem" is that it's chock-full of insights, cultural gems and little- known facts that made me constantly stop to ponder or "goggle" information. I recommended it to all the creative people I know after the first couple of chapters. Quest Love has very interesting perspectives and personal experiences to share.
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