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The Last Stand of the Great Texas Packrat: A Tale of Books and Obsession
- Narrated by: Derek Dysart
- Length: 25 mins
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Publisher's summary
Texas Jack Page, on the eve of his 48th birthday, emptied his last seven cartons of books, placing them volume by volume across his front door - a one-man human cask of Amontillado interring himself inside a shining silver Airstream trailer sized aluminum tomb of tomes.
"The story is a cracker. An ageing book collector called Texas Jack Page looks back over his life, his loves and hopes and regrets, and waxes philosophical about the books that have kept him going. Avid readers and collectors will recognize some of themselves in Texas Jack Page; everyone else will be touched by the pathos of this character. To say more would be to ruin the effect, so I'll say only that this story tugged at my heartstrings while making me smile. I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. The tale is lyrical and knowing, and the chapbook itself is a thing of wonder, created with real affection." (Whispers of Wickedness)
"Steve Vernon pays homage to horror authors and bibliophiles in this tale of Texas Jack Page, a collector of books including horror books. Texas Jack’s obsession with his books, starting from an early age, continues to dominate his life and ultimately leads to some very strange developments." (Monster Librarian)
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In this unique YA anthology, 13 acclaimed, best-selling authors team up with 13 influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view. These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like Medusa, Sherlock Holmes, and 'Jack and the Beanstalk' provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage - and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!
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I enjoyed more than I expected
- By Doha on 08-30-17
By: Ameriie - editor
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Ex Libris
- Confessions of a Common Reader
- By: Anne Fadiman
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Anyone who has ever loved a book will relish this playful, yet deeply literate collection of essays celebrating the joy of reading. From building castles with books as a child, to the trauma of joining her library with her husband's, the author reveals, with much warmth and humor, the intimate details of her lifelong affair with books. For Anne Fadiman, books are not built for function, and certainly not for decoration. They are close personal friends who never fail to delight and amaze.
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Reading IS fun!
- By Diana on 04-14-05
By: Anne Fadiman
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You Better Be Lightning
- By: Andrea Gibson
- Narrated by: Andrea Gibson
- Length: 1 hr and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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You Better Be Lightning ranges from close examination of the deeply personal to the vastness of the world, exploring the expansiveness of the human experience from love to illness, from space to climate change, and so much more in between.
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Disappointed
- By Rikki B. on 01-31-23
By: Andrea Gibson
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Bad Indians
- A Tribal Memoir
- By: Deborah A. Miranda
- Narrated by: Deborah Miranda
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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This beautiful and devastating book - part tribal history, part lyric and intimate memoir - should be required for anyone seeking to learn about California Indian history, past and present. Deborah A. Miranda tells stories of her Ohlone Costanoan Esselen family as well as the experience of California Indians as a whole through oral histories, newspaper clippings, anthropological recordings, personal reflections, and poems. The result is a work of literary art that is wise, angry, and playful all at once, a compilation that will break your heart and teach you to see the world anew.
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Bad recording
- By Aspyn Maes on 09-18-21
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Poemcrazy
- Freeing Your Life with Words
- By: Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge
- Narrated by: Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Following the success of several recent inspirational and practical books for would-be writers, Poemcrazy is a perfect guide for everyone who ever wanted to write a poem but was afraid to try. Writing workshop leader Susan Wooldridge shows how to think, use one's senses, and practice exercises that will make poems more likely to happen.
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Her Words, Her Voice...
- By S. Schultz on 11-21-14
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Stories
- All-New Tales
- By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, Al Sarrantonio - editor, Joe Hill, and others
- Narrated by: Anne Bobby, Jonathan Davis, Katherine Kellgren, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The best stories pull readers in and keep them turning the pages, eager to discover more—to find the answer to the question: "And then what happened?" The true hallmark of great literature is great imagination, and as Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio prove with this outstanding collection, when it comes to great fiction, all genres are equal.
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Something for Everyone
- By Nicole on 05-24-17
By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, and others
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New American Best Friend
- By: Olivia Gatwood
- Narrated by: Olivia Gatwood
- Length: 54 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most recognizable young poets in America, Olivia Gatwood dazzles with her tribute to contemporary American womanhood in her debut book, New American Best Friend. Gatwood's poems deftly deconstruct traditional stereotypes. The focus shifts from childhood to adulthood, gender to sexuality, violence to joy. And always and inexorably, the book moves toward celebration, culminating in a series of odes: odes to the body, to tough women, to embracing your own journey in all its failures and triumphs.
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Amazing poetry, but the music
- By Keaira on 07-29-19
By: Olivia Gatwood
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Abandon Me
- Memoirs
- By: Melissa Febos
- Narrated by: Melissa Febos
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In her critically acclaimed memoir, Whip Smart, Melissa Febos laid bare the intimate world of the professional dominatrix, turning an honest examination of her life into a lyrical study of power, desire, and fulfillment. In her dazzling Abandon Me, Febos captures the intense bonds of love and the need for connection - with family, lovers, and oneself. First, her birth father, who left her with only an inheritance of addiction and Native American blood, its meaning a mystery.
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This journey is captivating to say the least!
- By Ilanna on 08-11-17
By: Melissa Febos
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Clockwork Angels
- The Novel
- By: Neil Peart - contributor, Kevin J. Anderson
- Narrated by: Neil Peart
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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For more than two centuries, the land of Albion has been ruled by the supposedly benevolent Watchmaker, who imposes precision on every aspect of life. Young Owen Hardy from the village of Barrel Arbor dreams of seeing the big city and the breathtaking Clockwork Angels that dispense wisdom to the people, maybe even catching a glimpse of the Watchmaker himself. He watches the steamliners drift by, powered by alchemical energy, as they head toward Crown City....
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ALL AROUND GOOD BOOK
- By Randall on 08-08-18
By: Neil Peart - contributor, and others
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The Stolen Child
- By: Keith Donohue
- Narrated by: Andy Paris, Jeff Woodman
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Seven-year-old Henry Day is kidnapped and renamed "Aniday" by changelings, ageless beings who inhabit the woods near his home. The changelings also leave behind one of their own, who flawlessly impersonates Henry except for one noteworthy detail: the new Henry is a prodigiously talented pianist.
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Not Anything Close to the Hype
- By Jon on 06-20-06
By: Keith Donohue
What listeners say about The Last Stand of the Great Texas Packrat: A Tale of Books and Obsession
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kingsley
- 02-13-19
Short and sharp
The Last Stand of the Great Texas Packrat tells the story of 'Texas Jack Page' an trailer park man and collector of books. He has thousands, ranging from rarities to beloved classics to special one of a kinds (such as signed books, or a book 'borrowed' from a President). Texas Jack is known all over the internet as a fine collector of books, but in his life he is a reclusive man, living in a trailer and battling the weight of his history.
It's a much different story to most of the Steve Vernon books I have read. This is a literary work, compared to the horror or humour I have previously seen from him.
The book is abut the magic of books, the ability for them to take you away and create a world for you. To live in and be enveloped by. It's a ode to the love of books. But it's also about how that is a two edge sword, where you can live for your books and escape from the world, to the detriment of your work.
Narration by Derek Dysart is good. Nothing outstanding, but there is little in this book to allow him to show his range and ability. there is little to no dialogue. He is clear and well paced. No issues. So enjoyable and a solid performance.
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- Cyphers Fallen
- 02-08-19
Passion Becomes an Obsession
The story is brief but it has a lot packed into the space. You get to understand how a man's passion for books becomes an all consuming obsession. This becomes his downfall. I listened to it this morning on my drive to work and again when I got working. I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of when I was first married and my wife wanted me to sell my comic books. I just couldn't bring myself to part with a single one. After much arguing I had told her that I would rather burn them than sell them. In my mind, at the time, I thought the idea of anyone else having them was the worse than burning them to ash. The way that the Texas Packrat wanted to be buried with some of his priceless book reminded me of that.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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