Misery touches on several large themes: the state of possession by an evil being, the idea that art is an act in which the artist willingly becomes captive, the tortured condition of being a writer, and the fears attendant to becoming a "brand-name" bestselling author with legions of zealous fans. And yet it's a tight, highly resonant echo chamber of a book--one of King's shortest, and best novels ever. --Fiona Webster

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a book about a group of young boys - consisting of the "bigguns" and the "littluns" - that are stranded on an island when their escape plane crashes. The story takes place during World War II, and they're leaving because of the threat of nuclear war. Ralph first meets Piggy, the logical one of the group, and they find a conch in a lagoon on the island. Then, when Ralph blows the conch, all the boys come to him, and he's chosen as the leader. The boys try to keep an orderly and democratic "government," but without the right guidance, they are led into a more primitive, and savage, living by Jack.

Vonnegut rounds up several familiar themes and character types for his 13th novel: genocide, the surreality of the modern world, fluid interplay of the past and present, and the less-than-heroic figure taking center stage to tell his story. Here he elevates to narrator a minor character from Breakfast of Champions , wounded World War II veteran and abstract painter Rabo Karabekian. At the urging of enchantress-as-bully Circe Berman, Karabekian writes his "hoax autobiography." Vonnegut uses the tale to satirize art movements and the art-as-investment mind-set and to explore the shifting shape of reality. Although not among his best novels, Bluebeard is a good one and features liberal doses of his off-balance humor. Recommended. A.J. Wright, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham.

Praise for the work of Justin Cartwright: 'A quiet masterpiece' Los Angeles Times 'Cartwright makes the reader pause, gasp and wonder. This is what great fiction should do, and it certainly does here' Eileen Battersby, Irish Times 'It is simply a great, many-layered novel that does exactly what art should do: bring coherence to life' Boston Globe

Audiobook | ISBN-10: 8917161464 | English | MP3 (32 kb/s) | 96 Mb

First published in 1951, Catcher in the Rye continues to be one of the most popular novels ever written as well as one of the most frequently banned books in the United States.

Frank Herbert, «Dune Saga» (audiobook 1-6)
English | MP3 (32-64 kb/s) | 108-386 Mb

The Wheel of Time is notable for its length, its detailed imaginary world, its well-developed magic system and a large cast of characters. The eighth through eleventh books each reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list. As of August 12, 2008 the series has sold over 44 million copies worldwide and has spawned a computer game, roleplaying game and a soundtrack album. The television and film rights to the series have been optioned several times, most recently by Universal Studios.

'Stephen Fry is one of the great originals. This autobiography of his first twenty years is a pleasure to read, mixing outrageous acts with sensible opinions in bewildering confusion. That so much outward charm, self-awareness and intellect should exist alongside behavior that threatened to ruin the lives of innocent victims, noble parents and Fry himself, gives the book a tragic grandeur and lifts it to classic status." - "Financial Times".

Relentlessly paced and brilliantly orchestrated, this cat-and-mouse game of a novel is one of King's most engrossing and topical horror stories. At the center of the action is heroine Rose McClendon, a battered wife who starts life anew by leaving her police officer husband, a consummately cruel man depicted by King as a paragon of evil. Crowded with character and incident, the novel builds to a nearly apocalyptic conclusion that combines the best of King's long novels?the breadth of vision of The Stand, for example?

Read by Blair Brown.