Emily Roberts, Author at AudiobooksNow Blog

What is a Traditional family?…”A Home at the End of the World”, by Michael Cunningham

Pulitzer prize-winning, American author Michael Cunningham wrote “A Home at The End of the World”. The book is written with narrating by different characters for each chapter. The story is a very complicated one, with themes of living in a drug using, dysfunctional family where a central character, Bobby, loses everyone who is close to him. Their demise came through excess partying and drug use in the 1960s and 1970’s in suburban Cleveland, Ohio.

Bobby becomes friends with Jonathan, whose family took him in after Bobby’s family all died. They are physically attracted to each other, but through various reasons, they eventually part ways. In 1980s New York, they meet up again when they are in their 20s. By then, Jonathan has a roommate Clare who is eccentric to say the least. The three of them become an unusual family, causing them to question the definition of traditional family and love. A question made even more complicated by their love triangle.

Director, Michael Mayer adapted Cunningham’s novel and screenplay into a movie by the same name. The main three characters are played by: Bobby, Colin Farrell; Jonathan, Dallas Roberts; Clare, Robin Wright.

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Life’s Journey of “The Girls of August”, by Anne Rivers Siddons

The Girls of August is author Anne Rivers Siddons’s nineteenth novel. Most are fiction with the exception of one, “John Chancellor Makes Me Cry“. She and her husband, Heyward, spend their time between their homes in Charleston, South Carolina and Brooklyn, Maine. The cover of the book is styled so as to draw anyone in who is interested in summers at the beach. Author Siddons’s Charleston home gives her a perspective from which to draw real beach attitudes, even though her novel is fiction.
The novel follows the friendship of four women who started spending a week at the beach while their husbands were medical students. At that time, they were just four girls, but over the almost twenty years, as it always does, times changed, which in turn changed the dynamic of the group. Each “Girl” has problems of their own. After losing one of their cherished members, they must come to grips with accepting her replacement. The novel is a bit predictable, but it is filled with the senses of summer, with a touch of mystery and angst. It fills the desire of a god read while sitting comfy at home, or while in an umbrella covered chair at the beach.

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Survival….”Under the Dome”, by Stephen King

Stephen King began to write his novel entitled “Under the Dome”, back in 1976. That endeavor lasted about two weeks and only yielded 75 pages before King gave up. Then, while watching the Simpsons Movie in 2007, King was moved to again write on the subject of a community being enclosed in a glassy dome. Thus, in the period of November 22, 2007 to March 14, 2009, Under the Dome was proclaimed.

This is a science fiction/political novel set in and around a small Maine community. The story tells how an invisible barrier literally drops out of the sky, cutting off this small community from the outside world. It has multiple characters and tells how the community inhabitants contend with such a calamity. The local used car salesman, “Big Jim” Rennie, seizes the opportunity to take over the town when the police chief is killed when his pacemaker explodes when he gets too close to the dome. And so begins the struggle for power between the federal government agents and “Big Jim’s” misguided followers acting as police officers.

“Under the Dome” is currently adapted for television on CBS. The Executive Producer is Stephen Spielberg, but is Co-Produced by several others including author Stephen King.

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The Liberty Amendments, by Mark Levin

Mark Levin, a very accomplished and learned scholar, wrote The Liberty Amendments, where he relied on the historical actions and comments of the visionary founding fathers, and the constitution itself as a guide to restoring the American Republic. For at least a century, those governing have created an ongoing and growing assault on those things that are precious to all United States citizens. Levin writes that among these is individual liberty, state sovereignty, as well as others. The Founders correctly foresaw a time when, despite their focused efforts, the Federal government might overstep the Constitution limits causing oppression of the people. The IRS and the EPA are prime examples of that fear.

Levin believes that the people must take steps (as he outlines in this book) to begin re-establishing the balance between the federal and state governments. Author Levin has written numerous books, has a nationally syndicated talk show on all types of radio stations, including the Armed Forces radio. He was a top adviser to several cabinet members of the Reagan administration. He holds a B.S. degree and law degree from Temple University

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The Cure…”The Fever”, by Megan Abbott

Megan Abbott, author of “The Fever”, is known to be the best at writing about the craziness of the adolescent years…better than anyone. In 2012 she tackled the sport, or should we say the bloodsport of cheerleading in her novel “Dare Me”. The Fever is a return to high school for another very disturbing and much too real story of lust hormones, jealousy, and fear of being a teenager. High school is a breeding ground for traumas that affect us for life…and you add a mysterious epidemic, and chaos ensues.

The three best friends in the novel find themselves at the center of the epidemic, causing each girl to exhibit different symptoms. And nobody knows why it only affects girls. The Fever is a brilliantly told tale that will give you chills of fright as it explains the bewildering age when love, sex, revenge, and even friendship fells so new, terrifying, and all consuming. What will be the cure??

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Ideal World Turned Contrived Society…”The Giver”, by Lois Lowry

“The Giver” written in 1993 by Lois Lowry, covers the “ideal” world where well-matched couples marry, give birth, and raise exactly two offspring, one boy and one girl. As the offspring reach adolescence, drugs are given to stifle any sexual feelings, and by age 12 their elders have given each child an appropriate career path. The elderly live in group homes, and are “released” at the proper time with great celebration.
All “citizens” of this “perfect” world are very complacent until they are weighed down by the responsibilities of their assignments. They begin to be aware of and realize the hypocrisy that rules their world. What we as readers, think would be a perfect world in the beginning, quickly shows itself to be a contrived society.
“The Giver” is the first in the series of “The Giver Quartet” by the author. Other books in the series are…….The Giver 2 – Gathering Blue; The Giver 3 – Messenger; The Giver 4 – Son.

A motion picture is to be released August 15th, 2014. It will have a very impressive cast, including: Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgård and Taylor Swift.

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Decide for yourself…Killing Jesus: A History by, Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

This book has raised much controversy for its content and because its author is a controversial figure himself. Bill O’Reilly has written several books, most of which have been best sellers. This is possibly his most difficult endeavor to try to explain the circumstances and historical events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. To explain such an important event in religious history is a daunting task, but one that Mr. O’Reilly and Martin Dugard gave every effort to accomplish. They write this book from the perspective of fact that we do not actually know that much about Jesus. Until the last few months of his life, he was considered just an ordinary Jewish man struggling to survive, as all others in that difficult time period. He lived in a time when Rome reined over all, not allowing any dissent from people whose lives were worth very little. Jesus struggled to bring goodness and light to these down trodden people, but in the short term, the Romans won. Jesus was executed.
Killing Jesus is a true story of the fight between good and evil. Listen for to it, and decide for yourself your opinion of their research and work. Whether you agree with all of their conclusions or not, Killing Jesus: A History is an important reference about the life of Jesus.

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Just In Time For Easter…”Heaven Is For Real”, by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

“Heaven is for Real” is about the four year old son of a Nebraska minister, Colton, who requires emergency surgery, and describes being able to look down to see the doctors performing the surgery, and also could see his Dad praying in the hospital waiting room. There were many doubters who attributed the reason for the stories to various causes. But soon even the doubters were convinced and became believers. The central message of the inspirational book is to live each day with the hope of heaven and eternal life.
This incredible true story has been adapted to film. The movie will be in theaters this Easter weekend, April 16. It is a TriStar Pictures Production, under the direction of Randall Wallace. The inspirational characters are played by Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Connor Corum as Colton, Jacob Vargas, Nancy Sorel, and Lane Styles as Colton’s sister.

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Justice System Gone Wrong…”Devil’s Knot”, by Mara Leveritt

This non-fiction novel is based on the 1993 murders of three eight year old children and the three teenagers who stood trial for their murders. The children went missing from their homes on May 5th and on May 6th their bodies were found in the woods near their homes. The murders were savagely executed, giving the community the evidence they thought they needed to claim it to be Satanic ritual.
The story follows the process of finding those who were thought to have perpetrated the crime and all the mishandling of the evidence and trial by the detectives, lawyers, and what the author perceived to be a prosecution biased judge. All three were convicted with poor representation and nothing more than circumstantial evidence. Two received life sentences without parole, and one a death sentence. Eventually, they were released from prison. This novel uncovers the blatant abuses of the criminal justice system in a horrific case.

A movie is soon to be released adapted from the novel starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth (directed by Atom Egoyan)

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Fighting for the Factionless…”Allegiant”, by Veronica Roth.

This is the final novel in the Divergent trilogy by author Veronica Roth. Since Tris tested with equal aptitude for three of the five factions she is deemed “Divergent”. She is warned never to share information with anyone, and is considered simply not strong enough, and factionless….a category that could cost her her life.
Tris continues her journey in fighting for the factionless. She is put through much torture and many trials. In the end, she dies to be once again embraced by her mother. Eventually, Chicago is finally at peace with normalcy back in the city. The central characters still living accept all that they have been through, and realize people can still be healed.

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