Emily Roberts, Author at AudiobooksNow Blog

Great Belief in an Open and Honest Mind…”The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors”, by Charles Krauthammer

Before his death, American Columnist and Political Analyst, Charles Krauthammer compiled a collection of his most important works. The book, entitled The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors. Krauthammer was highly regarded for his opinions and analyzes of current issues and their effect on global democracy. He always cut through all the background noise of politics to get to the important issues with clarity and integrity. The book is edited and introduction written by his son, Daniel Krauthammer.

The book will fill the void left for thousands of fans who had great respect for Charles, and who tuned in with great anticipation to hear what he would have to comment on the issues of the day. He never disappointed in his clear, concise views. Even the most uninterested could have their interest peaked by his observations. But the book does more…… it shows his personal side, that of a husband, a dad and just a human being, who enjoyed chess, baseball, ideas, and competition.

The best description of Krauthammer’s book is the following…… it’s brimmed with a cup overflowing toward emotion paired with precise logic, and yet succinct in word craft nailing to the logical analysis…….a look at the man behind the words……one who had a great belief in an open and honest mind. R.I.P. Charles Krauthammer.

Get your digital audio copy today!!

Loyalty, Love and Determination…”A Dog’s Way Home”, by W. Bruce Cameron

We have all heard miraculous stories about lost animals who traveled miles and miles to get back to their owners, but American author, W. Bruce Cameron, has created an entire novel on the premise of one mixed breed dog going to great lengths to return to her person. It demonstrates loyalty and focused determination.

The main human character, Lucas Ray is walking on one ordinary day, when a sweet puppy literally lands in his arms as it falls from a building. Lucas loves animals, and decides to take a chance on letting the puppy, who he has named Bella, live with he and his mother in their apartment. Of course, their apartment does not allow pets. But Lucas Mother, a disabled veteran, is so happy to see the new addition.

Alas, Bella, a pit bull mix, gets picked by Animal Control and is sent to a foster family over 400 miles away from Arizona. The VA patients where Lucas works were very sad to see Bella moved so far away. It is a well documented fact that the human-animal bond is very beneficial to both human and animal. Bella and her human both miss each other very much.

A Dog’s Way Home is beautifully narrated and presents a charming story of Bella, a dog who is facing and overcoming great challenges to find her way back to her person, Lucas! A bonus story within the story is about a plan to help provide shelter for feral cats. Author Cameron is an animal supporter and master at keeping the reader entertained and surprised at what happens next! This second book about Dogs has also been produced as a full feature movie.

Get your digital audio copy today!!

A Look Through a Window…”One Day In December”, by Josie Silver

We all wonder if some things are true or have validity. One such query is…..does love at first sight actually exist? Author, Josie Silver has written a charming romance novel that describes the story of two people whose eyes meet through the fogged window of a bus in London. For some unknown reason, it affected both of them and was a moment they would both remember.

Laurie was not looking for love……she was just riding a bus to her destination, but in one brief encounter, she sees Jack through the bus window, and he sees her. They truly connect for a brief moment, then the bus moves on. Laurie finds herself constantly looking for Jack at bus stops and cafés. It would be a whole year, then her friend Sarah introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie…….you guessed it……it was Jack from the bus stop a year prior. They both repeat their attracted look and the saga begins.

Josie Silver has written a book that readers describe as addictive and hard to put down. It describes the next ten years of the three characters and their friendships, their heartbreaks, those missed opportunities, and their undeniable connection. The readers seem to root for the couple to overcome all the odds against them to find true love as a couple.

One Day in December was charming, complex and romantic. Laurie and Jack are perfectly flawed and the kind of well written characters that feel like friends you want to shake and yell at for not being honest about their feelings. Every romantic needs this book in their life”.

Get your digital audio copy today!!!

Great President, Even Better Father…”41: A Portrait of My Father” by George W. Bush

Only twice in history have a father and a son both served as President of the United States. As an admirer suggested to “W”…….. You and John Quincy are the only sons of former Presidents to become President…..I think you should write a book about your father.

It is in this vein that the 43rd President wrote a very personal biography of his father, the 41st President in his book, 41: A Portrait of My Father. It should be stressed that it is a personal account of family stories and experiences, not any type of foot noted biography. “W” had one purpose in writing, and that was to show the love, respect, and admiration that he had for his father.

There will be many books analyzing the professional aspect of President George H. W. Bush, from his life events to his political policies. But, it is very special to have a book written by your son, who walked in your same shoes in the most powerful job in the world. According to “W”, “this book is a personal portrait of the extraordinary man who I am blessed to call my dad”. His purpose was to show why George H. W. was a great President, and an even better father.

There were several rare circumstances where this father/son were connected. One being that the father and mother were present when their son was sworn into office as President. The only other instance of that occurring was when Joseph and Rose Kennedy were present at the oath ceremony of President John F. Kennedy. A truly special occasion for both the Kennedy’s and Bush’s. And then there was the record set by the elder Bush’s of surpassing John and Abigail Adams once they passed their 54th anniversary. Another milestone in Presidential history came when the elder Bush’s were still living as Bush ’43 left office. The only time that has happened in history.

As George W. would explain, this book by a prominent political figure is in no way political. He also adds some humble self- deprecation, and tells some hilarious stories about his first visit to the White House and other anecdotes. He relates how his father influenced his life from childhood, to campaign trips, to his decision to go into politics resulting in a two-term Presidency. John Quincy quote might have influenced the writing of this book…….

Get your digital audio copy today!!

4 Ways to Read More Than One Book a Week

Do you ever set a goal for how many books you want to read within a year and about half way through realize you aren’t even close to meeting your goal? Or are you continually looking for ways to squeeze more reading into your crazy, busy schedule? If either of these sounds like you, read on to learn how you can increase the amount of time you’re reading and meet your goals!

1. Always Read More Than One Book at a Time
The easiest way to read more than one book at a time is to utilize a 3-book system. This system could look like the following:

A paperback by the couch for easy reading after dinner or for lazy Sunday afternoons.
An e-reader by your bed, where you can enjoy a good story or easy reading after crawling into bed
An audiobook on your smartphone or other device allows you to listen while you are driving, doing tasks around the house, going for walks or completing other tasks throughout the day.

2. Read More of What You Are in the Mood For
Some people will make a reading list for the year and then follow it exactly. If this system works for you and you enjoy it, great! Keep doing it! For others, reading or listening to books that you are in the mood to read will help you to get through them faster, ultimately allowing you to finish more books than you might have otherwise. If you have a friend or family member who knows you well and downloads audio books, ask them for recommendations.

3. Always Have a Book with You
Everywhere you go, always take a book with you. Whether it is a physical book, an eBook, or an audiobook, always having one with you means that when you are stuck sitting in the doctor’s office or waiting at the train station, you’ll be able to pass the time.

4. Work Reading into Your Schedule
Set a scheduled time in your weekly schedule for quality reading. Whether it is after you have set a standard time to turn off your computer and unwind for the day, following dinner, or after the kids are in bed, find a time that works best with your schedule and take some time to sit down and enjoy a good book. During this time, you can enjoy listening to your latest downloads audio books on your smartphone while you enjoy a bubble bath, curl up in your favorite blanket with your e-reader or any other way you enjoy to read your books. The great thing about audiobooks is that because they allow you to multi-task, they are easier to fit into your schedule.

Find time to enjoy your favorite author’s latest novel from Audiobooks Now! Before you know it, you’ll be reading multiple books a week and everyone will want to know your secret.

What Can Be the Best In People…”Elevation”, by Stephen King

In a surprising variation from mystery and gore, author Stephen King presents a poignant novel about what can be the best in people. Of course, King cannot help himself in adding just a bit of supernatural to enrich the story of tolerance and rising above the frey.

Elevation is set in King’s iconic town of Castle Rock, as have many of his stories emanated from. There are a few odd things about his main character, Scott Carey but one really mysterious one is that it does not matter what he eats, or what he wears, he always weighs the same.

The audio version seems best to many readers, since Stephen King himself narrates the story. Nobody would know how to project the story better than author King.

Unlikely alliances are made as local battles ensue in the community. Some call Elevation the feel good novella of the year. And with the audio version, you get a bonus story called Laurie. King also reads the bonus story, which by itself is not fantastic, but it does mesh with Elevation, and it is free. The ending of Elevation is mesmerizing with a kind of emotional finality.

Get your digital audio copy today!!

Life Changing Decisions…”Every Breath” by Nicholas Sparks

American romance novelist, Nicholas Sparks, has written many award winning novels, with several having been adapted to film. His work has been enjoyed by millions all over the world. In his newest offering, Every Breath, the age old dilemma of making choices from the heart or from reality hits home. Almost everyone has had to make a similar decision, and it is never an easy choice.
Hope Anderson has been with her orthopedic surgeon boyfriend for six years, and does not see any signs of a commitment being made. She is thirty-six years old, and had always thought she would be married by now. And to make matters even worse, her father has been diagnosed with the life ending disease, ALS. Hope must now go to their Sunset Beach, North Carolina cottage to refresh it to begin the sale process. She will use the time to think about possible decisions she must make about her future.

Tru Walls is on an adventure of his own. He received a message from a man claiming to be his father. He was invited to Sunset Beach to meet this man to find out if he was the father he had never met. He made the long trip there from Zimbabwe, to lear
n more about his mother’s early life. She passed away before he was able to find out details from his mother.
When Hope and Tru cross paths, it seemed to be love at first sight. Neither ever imagined that such a connection would ever happen, but here they both were at a most vulnerable time. Every Breath explores that mysterious time when each character has life changing decisions facing them, and now, how will their new found love influence those decisions?

In the same romantic tradition as previous Nicholas Sparks novels…….The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe…….a chance encounter becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals. Readers will wonder if this novel will follow the previous two mentioned, to become an extremely popular movie. Time will tell.

Get your digital audio copy today!!

The Worst of Humanity…”Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History” , by Bill O’Reilly

In all of human history, people have never had such torment and torture as those who were led to the death camps in Germany during the Holocaust. It is almost unimaginable how those Jewish ancestry people were herded like animals on trains to the death camps. How did the Nazis convince so many to first participate? The new offering by Bill O’Reilly delves into a lesser known subject……that of four of the SS Agents, the worst of the worst, who managed to escape to another country, primarily Argentina and Brazil. The four that O’Reilly tracks are Josef Mengele, the “angel of death”, who performed hideous medical experiments at Auschwitz; Martin Bormann, Hitler’s brutal personal aid; Klaus Barbie, “Butcher of Lyons”, and possibly the most evil of all, Adolf Eichmann, who coordinated and organized every aspect of the “final solution”, which ended up torturing and killing millions of Jews.

A group called the Nazis Hunters, consisting of Israeli Mossad, a French husband and wife team, an American lawyer who served during D-day, a German prosecutor who had signed a Nazis Party note, and a death camp survivor. Over decades, this group tracked down not only the four worst, but the many, many others who were monsters involved in the satanic plan.

The book is told by O’Reilly as he is very descriptive of the horrendous atrocities that were committed against the Jewish people, Gypsies, Homosexuals, and Special needs people. All who Hitler and his minions determined to be defective people. The book has been extensively researched and organized in its formation. It is a very graphic book, because it is a very graphic subject, following the worst of humanity as they perpetrated monstrous and evil crimes against those they despised.

Get your digital audio copy today!!

Achieving So Much, In Spite of Her Life Seeming to Be “In Pieces”, by Sally Field

As with many in the entertainment business, Sally Field had many personal challenges along the way. In her biographical novel, In Pieces, she is very candid about her inadequacies and how they both contributed to and detracted from her successful acting career. She played a 17 year old wholesome teen with the idyllic family life. Her own reality was anything but idyllic.

The shy and anxious little girl who would become a Hollywood and TV star, played every character she was given with everything she had. One of the most moving and emotional of her major works is the made for TV drama, Sybil. She portrayed a schizophrenic of extreme proportions, who like her own reality, had a very tumultuous relationship with her mother. Sybil’s mother was horrendously and violently cruel, performing vile acts against her daughter. Sally Field’s own mother was an alcoholic who was always angry and refused to believe her young daughter that her father was sexually assaulting her. It would seem to make sense that her personal experience would contribute to such a role. Before that serious role of a lifetime, Fields played 17 year old Gidget on TV followed later by The Flying Nun series. Other notable works are Norma Rae, Smokey and the Bandit, Steel Magnolias, Forrest Gump, Lincoln, and the remake of Sybil. She has given each role careful and thoughtful attention. She always receives critic acclaim for her work.

It has been said that Sally Field has written In Pieces with candor and honesty. That is usually a very difficult task for those who are entertainers. They hide behind project roles for much of their life, so when they write about their true selves, it can seem surreal. Those like Sally, who are successful and who speak from a safe height in their career and life, can serve to give guidance to new professionals just beginning. Sally Field hid her shyness and anxiety from the public, but has accomplished much in spite of feeling like her life was at times, In Pieces.

Get your digital audio copy today!!

To End the Potential Destruction of the Earth….”Shadow Tyrants”, by Clive Cussler

In the newest effort by author, Clive Cussler, the 13th in the Oregon series, Shadow Tyrants, has proven to be a very suspenseful and thrilling novel. It has debuted as #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. As in the previous Cussler books, this one begins with an ancient organization, then jumps to some situation, in this case, a plane hijacking and crash, ending with some type of present day correlation.

It takes the crew of the Oregon to try to come between two fighting factions. The Oregon leader, Cabrillo, is charged with keeping the two moguls from fighting, to end the potential destruction of the earth. It was said that this book had the most impactful affect between the characters of ancient time and those in current times.

The huge threat to the world is that one faction has learned how to permanently deactivate all the computer chips in the world, sending it back to the 1950’s. The estimated loss of life would be in the billions. So, in comes the Oregon to save the world again. The Oregon is triumphant again, but only after a very close call.

Get your digital audio copy today!!