Review … this four-programme set is an utter delight and quite fascinating — South Wales Argus
May 11th, 2012
Fry's English Delight (BBC Audio)
May 11th, 2012
Wuthering Heights (Illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg with Free audiobook link) eBook: Emily Brontë, ICU Publishing, Fritz Eichenberg
Review "Ideal for the college survey course: judicious introduction plus just the right admixture of explanatory notes (vital for American students’ comprehension of dialect words), up-to-date bibliography, and several other brief, indispensable supports to well-informed reading."–Katherine Linehan, Oberlin College
May 11th, 2012
War Horse
Product Description At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. A beautifully read audio that captures the power of the human spirit. READ BY DAN STEVENS. Beautifully performed by Dan Stevens, ‘War Horse’ has taken the world by storm. First published back in 1982, the book was adapted to the stage and was performed at the National Theatre back in 2007. It’s well deserved success means that it has now gone into it’s third year at the New London Theatre and will be later debuting on Broadway in New York City. At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to the trenches to find him and bring him home.
May 11th, 2012
The Reluctant Dragon (BBC Audio)
Product Description Anton Lesser reads Kenneth Grahame’s much-loved tale about a dragon who doesn’t want to fight and the boy who becomes his friend. The Boy lives in a cottage with his mother and father, and the Dragon lives in a cave on the Downs. He’s not the sort of dragon one might expect to meet, however – he’s polite, friendly, composes poetry and purrs when he’s happy. Lazy and peace-loving, he just wants to lead a quiet life. But when the villagers discover his existence, they send for St George immediately to slay the dreadful monster. So when the saint arrives, with the intention of killing him, The Boy needs to do some persuading. After all, George and the Dragon are supposed to fight – aren’t they? A charming, humorous story from the acclaimed author of “The Wind in the Willows”.
May 11th, 2012
The Jungle Book (Illustrated with Free audiobook link) eBook: Rudyard Kipling, ICU Publishing, Edward Julius Detmold
Review Printed on heavy, coated stock, with wide floral borders adding further notes of luxury, these three complete tales from Kipling’s classic, with attendant verses, get both sumptuous packaging and a generous helping of small, finely detailed illustrations. This treatment not only captures the action and exotic locales, but, most expressively, the power and beauty of the wolves, Bagheera, Balloo and the other animals among whom young Mowgli is raised. As always, Kipling’s measured prose and poetry is a treat to read alone or, especially, aloud; here the story of Mowgli’s education in the Law of the Jungle, his first try at living among humankind, his kidnapping by the Monkey People, and his triumph over the tiger Shere Khan will keep young audiences rapt. An ideal replacement for the edition of these tales illustrated by Inga Moore (1992), and other edited versions. (Fiction. 9-11) (Kirkus Reviews)
May 11th, 2012
Paddington: Please Look After This Bear and Other Stories BBC Childrens Audio
Product Description This work contains four dramatised stories starring everyone’s favourite bear, introduced by Michael Hordern, who narrated the original “BBC TV” series “Paddington”. It includes “Please Look After This Bear”, “A Bear in Hot Water”, “A Disappearing Trick” “Paddington and the Amateur Dramatics”. ‘Please look after this bear’ said the label around Paddington’s neck, so the Brown family take him home and do just that. Life with Paddington, however, is full of surprises – as you’ll find out in these four great dramatised stories!
May 9th, 2012
Spine Chillers (BBC Audio)
Product Description Five atmospheric dramatizations of classic ghost stories, introduced by Derek Jacobi as the voice of M. R. James. Widely acknowledged as the master of the supernatural, M. R. James penned many of his classic ghost stories to be read aloud to friends, by candlelight, in his study on Christmas Eve. These five adaptations, originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4, perfectly capture the mood of nerve-jangling suspense that would surely have been present during those readings.In “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad”, Professor Parkins embarks on a terrifying journey of discovery after he removes a curious artifact from the ruins of a Templar preceptory, while “The Tractate Middoth” sees diligent curator David Garrett caught up in the machinations of the mysterious Dr Rant when he’s sent to retrieve an obscure manuscript from the library stacks. “Lost Hearts” tells of a young boy haunted by two ghostly children and in “The Rose Garden”, terrifying forces are unleashed when the Goodmans tear down their old summer house. Finally, “Number 13″ takes us to the Danish town of Viborg, where Dr. Anderson puts himself in terrible danger as he investigates why the hotel he’s staying at does not contain a room 13. Starring BAFTA and Emmy-award winning actor Derek Jacobi (“Cadfael”, “Gosford Park”, “Doctor Who”), and with powerfully chilling music and sound effects, these rich, riveting dramatizations make for irresistible listening.
May 9th, 2012
David Attenborough's Life Stories (BBC Audio)
Product Description This is the complete “BBC Radio 4″ series written and presented by Sir David Attenborough featuring all twenty episodes about some of the strangest plants and creatures from around the world. One of the nation’s most popular presenters examines twenty marvels of the natural world from his extraordinary and pioneering experiences. What was Sir David’s first pet? Which animal would he most like to be? What creature lays ‘the biggest egg in the world’? How do you communicate with an ancient nomadic community in Fiji? And what did Sir David do when confronted by a ten-foot-long reptile? His enthusiasm is as infectious as ever, and conveys a unique fascination on topics as diverse as the Sloth, Monstrous Flowers, the Platypus, Giant Birds, Dragons, the Fire Salamander, Faking Fossils, the Coelacanth, the Dodo, Bird’s-nest Soup and the Large Blue Butterfly. So listen to these stories to find out the real reason why animals sing, the story behind a 150-million-year-old feather and what it is about snakes that really unnerves Sir David.
May 9th, 2012
Alan Bennett, Triple Bill
Product Description Three classic Alan Bennett adaptations, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and released on CD for the first time. “A Visit from Miss Prothero”: Since Mr Dodsworth retired, he has had all the time in the world. Then he has a visitor from his old firm – Miss Prothero, who is eager to tell him all the news…”Say Something Happened”: A naive, inexperienced social worker calls on an elderly couple – but does she need more help than they do? “Two in Torquay”: A middle-aged man and a middle-aged woman engage in polite conversation in a hotel on the Cornish Riviera. But neither is quite who they appear to be. Who is deceiving whom? Amusing, ironic and affectionate, these three adaptations feature Hugh Lloyd,Patricia Routledge, Judi Dench, Thora Hird, Brian Wilde, Imelda Staunton and Alan Bennett himself.
May 9th, 2012
Johnny Morris Bedtime Stories (Vintage Beeb)
Review … Morris’s voice morphs brilliantly into the animals in his tales — Times