
Gather ‘Round the Sound
Holiday Stories from Beloved Authors and Great Performers Across the Globe
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About this listen
Gather 'Round the Sound: Holiday Stories from Beloved Authors and Great Performers Across the Globe
2017 has been a monumental year for Audible, having just celebrated our 20th anniversary, a milestone that would have never been possible without our wonderful and loyal listeners. One of our major commitments is bringing new and diverse audio experiences to our members, so this year, as our gift to you, we pulled together a collection that reflects a little bit of everything we've been up to recently: a surprising and heartwarming documentary, a selection of stories from our partners around the world, and even some improvised comedic carols we hope will make you laugh as much as they did us.
The lineup includes:
Zip Code 12345
This mini-documentary centers around a peculiar holiday tradition at General Electric's headquarters in Schenectady, NY. For two decades, GE has been receiving thousands of letters from kids - children who think they're reaching Santa Claus. And every year, a handful of GE employees give up their December lunchbreaks to respond to each and every letter.
An Aussie Night Before Christmas, by Yvonne Morrison, performed by Magda Szubanksi
This rollicking rewrite of the famous old poem 'Twas The Night Before Christmas gives the original version a hilarious Aussie twist. Magda Szubanski, Australia's most trusted personality, caries this incredibly fun romp. Kangaroos pulling the sleigh, a beer for Santa, and all the over-the-top Australian lingo, it's everything you'd expect.
The Music Coming from the House, by Paulo Coehlo, performed by Daniel Frances-Berenson
In this magical story from the author of The Alchemist - the master of the modern parable - a disguised king visits a poor village, and what he sees through the window of a house changes his life, and those of the occupants.
The Signal-man, by Charles Dickens, performed by Simon Callow, Dan Starkey, and John Banks
For literature lovers, the holiday season needs a little Dickens. We dug up a story of his that you may not be familiar with, originally published in the Christmas edition of a Victorian short story periodical. Of course, ghosts are involved in this 19th century work told by Simon Callow (Outlander) and Dan Starkey (Dr. Who).
A Very Improvised Holiday Musical
What would the holidays be without some carols? Vern, a New York City-based improv troupe, performs a few improvised holiday songs.
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MERRY CHRISTMAS
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Good christmas cheer. Easy listening.
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Fun
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What disappointed you about Gather ‘Round the Sound?
After last year's The Most Wonderful Tales of the Year, I was eagerly anticipating this year's holiday offering from Audible. Alas, this haphazard production was a let-down. The part about Santa and the kids was interesting, and I enjoyed the story based on n Indian tale and the Aussie Night Before Christmas. But the Dickens story seemed out of place, and the improv piece at the end was truly awful. Perhaps next year we'll be treated to a more well-written, cohesive, well-performed collection!What do you think your next listen will be?
Alan Furst's Mission to ParisDid the narration match the pace of the story?
I found it uneven. However, I found the entire thing to be disjointed.What character would you cut from Gather ‘Round the Sound?
Improv section at the endAny additional comments?
Last year's Audible holiday work was excellent. Great stories, great narration, and great flow. I'd love to see something like that again next year!So disappointing after last year's holiday magic!
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This is a short collection of holiday tales put together by Audible for Christmas in 2017. Some of the stories are quite good, though some are not. One of the best, in my personal opinion, is a tale by Charles Dickens called the Signal Man. It's more appropriate to Halloween than Christmas, but 'tis still quite good.
The narration was solid on this throughout. Some stories had a single narrator and others were full cast, but it generally was well done.
Conclusion: This was a halfway decent collection of stories. Some weren't quite as good and others didn't match the intended theme, thus I would say it's one to avoid unless they give it away for free in the future.
Not a winner
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In the holiday spirit...
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Glad it was free
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A very appropriative Christmas
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first half great second not so much.
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Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but...
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