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Raising the Barre
- Big Dreams, False Starts, and My Midlife Quest to Dance the Nutcracker
- Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
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Publisher's summary
When Lauren Kessler was 12, her ballet instructor crushed not just her dreams of being a ballerina but also her youthful self-assurance. Now, many decades and three children later, Kessler embarks on a journey to join a professional company to perform in The Nutcracker.
Raising the Barre is more than just one woman's story; it is a story about shaking things up, taking risks, and ignoring good sense and forgetting how old you are and how you're "supposed" to act. It's about testing limits and raising the bar(re) on your own life.
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- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky, Luke Daniels, Allyson Johnson, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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With candid, witty, and compelling experiences of yoga from renowned memoirists, including Cheryl Strayed (author of the number one New York Times best-seller Wild), Claire Dederer (author of national best-seller Poser: My Life in 23 Yoga Poses), Dinty W. Moore (author of The Accidental Buddhist), Neal Pollack (author of Stretch: The Making of a Yoga Dude) and many others, Going Om shares a range of observations about this popular practice.
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a couple of good stories, but overall just eh
- By Melissa on 05-31-16
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Running Like a Girl
- Notes on Learning to Run
- By: Alexandra Heminsley
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Sastre
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Until five years ago, Alexandra Heminsley was decidedly not a runner. Nor was she athletic in any sense of the word. She was an ordinary, curvy woman who was convinced that sports of any kind, especially running, were beyond her. But she's made running part of her life, and gets to reap the rewards: not just the obvious things, like a touch of weight loss, health and glowing skin, but self-belief, and immeasurable daily pleasure.
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Meh... not what I thought...
- By Maria on 12-03-14
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Knitting Yarns
- Writers on Knitting
- By: Ann Hood - editor
- Narrated by: Ann Hood, Sam Adrain
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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In Knitting Yarns, twenty-seven writers tell stories about how knitting healed, challenged, or helped them to grow. Poignant, funny, and moving, Knitting Yarns is sure to delight knitting enthusiasts and lovers of literature alike.
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Love it!!!!
- By Indigo on 01-30-14
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Life, Animated
- A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism
- By: Ron Suskind
- Narrated by: Ron Suskind
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the real-life story of Owen Suskind, the son of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind and his wife, Cornelia. An autistic boy who couldn't speak for years, Owen memorized dozens of Disney movies, turned them into a language to express love and loss, kinship, brotherhood. The family was forced to become animated characters, communicating with him in Disney dialogue and song; until they all emerge, together, revealing how, in darkness, we all literally need stories to survive.
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Life, Animated ... is Love, Animated *****
- By Tom T. Rumble on 04-12-14
By: Ron Suskind
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I'm Hosting as Fast as I Can!
- By: Tom Bergeron
- Narrated by: Tom Bergeron
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In I'm Hosting as Fast as I Can!, Tom elaborates on the process by which he is able to sit calmly and patiently, without being distracted, at any time, no matter how hectic, as well as respond quickly (and hilariously) when Marie Osmond faints at his feet on live TV. Haven't seen it? Check it out on YouTube. The man is always in control.
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A wonderful "read"
- By Chrys on 04-29-09
By: Tom Bergeron
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The Unspeakable
- And Other Subjects of Discussion
- By: Meghan Daum
- Narrated by: Meghan Daum
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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It's a report tempered by hard times. In "Matricide", Daum unflinchingly describes a parent's death and the uncomfortable emotions it provokes; and in "Diary of a Coma" she relates her own journey to the twilight of the mind. But Daum also operates in a comic register. With perfect precision, she reveals the absurdities of the marriage-industrial complex, of the New Age dating market, and of the peculiar habits of the young and digital.
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Complaining about her dead mom.
- By Erik Hermansen on 11-23-14
By: Meghan Daum
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Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance
- Advice and Inspiration from the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame Coach of 7 NCAA Championship Teams
- By: Valorie Kondos Field, Steve Cooper - contributor
- Narrated by: Valorie Kondos Field
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Miss Val has shaped her UCLA gymnastics program as a life-skills class, and now she's sharing those lessons with you, whether you're an athlete, business leader, or simply someone who wants to own his or her destiny. Miss Val's philosophies are timeless. Her coaching style is unorthodox. Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance is a thought-provoking, fun journey through the personal stories and anecdotes of the 35-year career of a dancer/choreographer turned athletic coach.
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Inspiring doesn't begin to describe this book
- By MG on 03-06-19
By: Valorie Kondos Field, and others
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Size Zero
- My Life as a Disappearing Model
- By: Victoire Dauxerre
- Narrated by: Emily Lucienne
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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memoir of a brief career as a top model - and a brutally honest account of what goes on behind the scenes in a fascinating closed industry. Scouted in the street when she was 17, Victoire Dauxerre's story started like a teenager's dream: within months she was on the catwalks of New York's major fashion shows and part of the most select circle of in-demand supermodels in the world.
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Self-indulgent twaddle
- By Adeliese Baumann on 05-19-17
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The Diva Rules
- Ditch the Drama, Find Your Strength, and Sparkle Your Way to the Top
- By: Michelle Visage
- Narrated by: Michelle Visage
- Length: 3 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Michelle Visage is not your average diva. Powerful, positive, and polished, this diva's not only glamorous, she's a savvy businesswoman with serious credentials who works her tail off. From her days vogueing in the downtown Manhattan clubs in the '90s to her successful career in radio and her ultimate cult status as a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race, Michelle has achieved her dreams and then some!
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A Whole Lot of Nothing
- By teal on 04-29-16
By: Michelle Visage
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Failing Up
- How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning
- By: Leslie Odom Jr.
- Narrated by: Leslie Odom Jr.
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Leslie Odom Jr. burst on the scene in 2015, originating the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical phenomenon Hamilton. Since then he has performed for sold-out audiences, sung for the Obamas at the White House, and won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. But before he landed the role of a lifetime in one of the biggest musicals of all time, Odom put in years of hard work as a singer and an actor.
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When you take one step, the universe takes two
- By Amy Aguilar on 04-11-18
By: Leslie Odom Jr.
What listeners say about Raising the Barre
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Daisy
- 12-02-22
Become a ballerina through the author
I enjoyed this immersive journey of dance, having restarted dance in adulthood myself. The story was comprehensive, informative, and full of new insights to the world of ballet. My only qualm is that the author interrupts herself a lot, which can be distracting. Overall, a good read though.
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- rcastro
- 04-14-16
I love it!!
This is really amazing. I love anything ballet! Its so much fun! I love this book!:)
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- Anonymous User
- 03-30-21
Great read for adults that dance!
Very heartwarming! Inspired my own adult ballet journey and Nutcracker dreams that became reality! If you are and adult that loves ballet and wants to find the courage to dance, this will give you wings!
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- Daarla
- 04-21-22
Less navel gazing, more plot
Almost a textbook example of why “show don’t tell” is a mantra. On chapter five and she still hasn’t entered a studio—just endless self-indulgent drivel about being middle aged. I hope it gets better.
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- robin carson
- 01-23-18
very inspirational
It was so inspirational and full of tidbits of ballet history. just a joy to hear.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Janice Eyre
- 12-28-20
A Delightful Read!
This book is delightful, from the writing to the narration, the subject to the story. It is insightful without being preachy. The author writes with a human voice, a humble voice, and succeeds in achieving something really extraordinary and bringing the reader along.
The one criticism I have is that there are several bits of indiscriminate language that could easily have been left out.
All things considered, I highly recommend this book.
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- Miamigrrl
- 10-23-22
Charming and educational
I know little about ballet and have never taken classes. Perhaps because of this I found the peek into the inner world of ballet fascinating. I admired Ms. Kessler for sharing her self-doubts (and how she overcame many of them). The narrator sounded perfect for the part of an educated, worldly midlife woman stretching out of her comfort zone. I double-checked before buying another of Ms. Kessler's books to be sure it was Hollis McCarthy narrating.
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- Claudette
- 02-07-20
Smug
I stopped listening to this book because the tone of the reader was so smug. I was hoping for a book that expressed the author's profound love of the art of dance and that her motive to pursue dance in midlife was artistry, not simply the drive to attain a goal. I didn't want to hear about the science of fear, etc.. I wanted to hear about the love of an art form.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jo Ice
- 09-24-24
good. interesting. enteraining
I liked the story overall! As a 37 year old ballerina (who's danced all my life and through adulthood - even postpartum), I had to chuckle at soooo much because it's all true! I can definitely relate! However, the author's narration is quite annoying - too many pauses and intonations randomly. BUT if you listen at 1.25 speed it isn't noticeable and the story flows so much better! I do admire the author for her tenacity and drive! Overall it was an enjoyable listen!
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- Stacey Lynn
- 06-04-20
Meh... and I'm a 40 year old learning ballet!
Well, you don't really "dance the nutcracker" you "dance IN the nutcracker." My mom and step dad have done it with Pacific Northwest Ballet with NO dance training (in their 50s) so the tittle is a little annoying.
Secondly, there wasn't much she had to overcome (which would have made the plot more interesting) except learning the steps and how to put on makeup (false eyelashes with a handheld mirror).
I DID enjoy hearing about the company and how they went about their classes as well as there inside story of the nutcracker (that was fascinating). I listened to it while washing my dishes and got through the rest.
In other words, it's bearable but just OK.
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