Category Archives: Fiction
Blog Tour for Karin Slaughter’s CRIMINAL — Daily Giveaways!
Today kicks off the blog tour for Karin Slaughter’s riveting new audiobook, CRIMINAL. Narrated by award-winning actress Kathleen Early, CRIMINAL delves deep into both the past and the present, spinning an epic tale of love, loyalty, and murder that encompasses forty years, two chillingly similar murder cases, and a good man’s deepest secrets. Drop by each of our blog tour stops to hear exclusive audio clips, win your own copy of CRIMINAL, and read reviews from fabulous audiobook bloggers. There’s also a Q&A with Karin where we finally find out what’s #1 on her bucket list.
Monday, July 9: Literate Housewife
Tuesday, July 10: Teresa’s Reading Corner
Thursday, July 12: Book Addict Reviews
Friday, July 13: In Real Life
Monday, July 16: Geeky Blogger’s Book Blog
Tuesday, July 17: You’ve GOTTA Read This!
Wednesday, July 18: Alison’s Book Marks
Thursday, July 19: Jen’s Book Thoughts
Can’t wait for your chance to win a copy? Get it here.
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Filed under Audiobooks, Crime, Fiction, Karin Slaughter, Mystery, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Claire’s Bay Scallops with Saffron and Leeks from Steven Raichlen’s New Audiobook Island Apart
Author Steven Raichlen discussing his new novel Island Apart.
Watch a short video of New York Times bestselling author and international TV host Steven Raichlen setting the scene for his new novel Island Apart at Chappaquiddick Island in Martha’s Vineyard.
Listen to Steven Raichlen prepare Claire’s Bay Scallops recipe with bacon sizzling in the background in the companion audio piece Steven Raichlen’s Martha’s Vineyard: Stories and Recipes from Island Apart.
Claire’s Bay Scallops with Saffron and Leeks
“Absolutely loved the interview with Daniel Larsen at Edgartown Seafood! I felt like I was amongst friends listening to their conversation.” ~ Liz M.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Soak the saffron in a small bowl with 2 teaspoons of warm water for 10 minutes. Trim and wash the leeks (see note below). Thinly slice the white parts crosswise.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a cast iron skillet or sauté pan. Cook the leeks over medium heat until very soft and tender, 6 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Do not let brown. (You may need to lower the heat as the leeks cook.) The leeks should lose half their volume.
Increase the heat to high and stir in the tomatoes. Cook until the tomato liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the vermouth and boil until it’s reduced to 2 tablespoons. Stir in the saffron with its soaking liquid and crème fraiche. Reduce the heat and gently simmer the mixture until the crème fraiche is absorbed and the mixture is creamy and flavorful, 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste: The mixture should be highly seasoned. If using a sauté pan, spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Remove and discard the small crescent-shaped muscle on the side of each bay scallop. (Pull it off with your fingers—it’s tougher than the rest of the scallop.) Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Arrange the scallops on top of the tomato-leek mixture.
Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the scallops. Dot the top with the remaining butter. Bake the scallops until the bread crumbs are sizzling and browned, the scallops are cooked through (but just barely), and the tomato leek mixture is bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve at once.
Note: To trim and wash a leek, cut the furry root off the bottom and cut off and discard the dark green leaves. Peel off the outside leaves. The part you use is the pale greenish white center. Cut each leek almost in half lengthwise, leaving the halves attached at the last inch of the base. Rotate the leeks 90 degrees and cut almost in half lengthwise again. Fill a bowl with cold water and plunge the leek up and down in the water to remove all the sand and grit. (Leeks are very sandy.)
© Steven Raichlen, 2012. All rights reserved.
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The Hermit’s Truly Locavore Salad from Steven Raichlen’s Martha’s Vineyard: Stories and Recipes from Island Apart
Morning Glory Farm, Edgartown, MA on Martha’s Vineyard
Get an in-depth look behind the scenes at Morning Glory Farm in Steven Raichlen’s Martha’s Vineyard: Stories and Recipes from Island Apart hosted by Steven Raichlen, where he buys the ingredients for this mouth-watering summer salad.
The Hermit’s Truly Locavore Salad
Serves 4 to 6.
1 bunch sorrel (see below)
1 bunch borage (see below)2 bunches upland cress or watercress
8 ounces wild or fresh asparagus, trimmed (buy the slenderest stalks you can find)
8 ounces Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed
1 ramp (see below), trimmed and cut in half lengthwise, or 1 clove garlic, cut in half widthwise
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup dried cranberries2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 nasturtium flowers
The Hermit’s Truly Locavore Salad
Pick through the sorrel and borage, discarding any tough leaves or blemished stems. Remove any large stems from the watercress. Wash the greens if needed and spin dry.Trim the tough bottoms off the asparagus. Cut the asparagus stalks sharply on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces. Cut the Jerusalem artichokes into paper-thin slices using a mandoline, a food processor fitted with a slicing blade, or a chef’s knife.
Rub a large salad bowl (the Hermit uses a wooden one) with the cut ramp or garlic. Add the greens, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, blueberries, and cranberries, but do not toss. The salad can be made several hours ahead to this stage, covered with a wet paper towel and refrigerated.
Shortly before serving, drizzle the hazelnut oil, maple syrup, and vinegar over the salad, but don’t toss until you’re ready to serve it. Gently toss the salad, adding salt and pepper taste: The salad should be highly seasoned.
Transfer the salad to four plates and garnish each with a nasturtium flower.
Note: Sorrel is an herb that looks like spinach and tastes like lemon juice. Borage is a leafy herb that tastes like a cross between cucumber and celery. Upland cress is a small leafed peppery cousin of watercress. Jerusalem artichokes are tubers in the sunflower family that taste like artichoke hearts. Ramps are a sort of wild green onion (in season in springtime) with a flavor suggestive of garlic, scallion, and leek. Look for all of these vegetables at gourmet shops and natural foods markets with a good produce section, or order them on line from a company like Melissa’s (www.melissas.com). Hazelnut oil is available at most gourmet shops. If unavailable, substitute walnut oil or a good extra virgin olive oil.
© Steven Raichlen, 2012. All rights reserved.
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Claire’s Cranberry Walnut Bread Recipe From Steven Raichlen’s Martha’s Vineyard: Stories and Recipes from Island Apart
AudioGO is delighted to share recipes found in Steven Raichlen’s novel Island Apart and discussed in detail in the exclusive audio companion piece Steven Raichlen’s Martha’s Vineyard: Stories and Recipes from Island Apart.
Stay tuned for more recipes and surprises throughout the week.
If only you could smell the cranberry walnut bread scented with cardamom when you click play!
Claire’s Cranberry Walnut Bread Recipe
Makes 1 loaf, enough to serve 6 to 8.
1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup walnut halves
1-1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour,
plus flour for the loaf pan
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted,
plus 1 tablespoon for the loaf pan
2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
The grated zest of 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon)
2/3 cup fresh orange juice (from 2 to 3 oranges including the one grated
for the zest)
(1) 9- x 5-inch loaf pan
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pick through the cranberries, removing any stems or shriveled berries.
Toast the walnuts in a dry cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool.
Brush the loaf pan with melted butter, chill, brush it again with butter, and lightly dust it with flour.
Sift the flour into a bowl, followed by the spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the brown sugar. Add the butter, egg, orange juice, and orange zest, and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Fold in the cranberries and walnuts. Spoon the batter into the loaf pan and tap a couple times to dislodge any air bubbles.
Bake the bread until puffed and browned and sounds hollow when tapped, 40 to 60 minutes. (When done, an inserted skewer will come out clean.)
Unmold the cranberry bread onto a cooling rack and cool for 30 minutes. Serve right away, or wrap in plastic and let “ripen” overnight at room temperature before serving.
Slice with a serrated knife.
© Steven Raichlen, 2012. All rights reserved.
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Filed under Audiobooks, Fiction, Fiction, Health & Diet
Steven Raichlen’s Martha’s Vineyard: Stories and Recipes from Island Apart
Steven Raichlen on location at The FARM Institute
Recently, AudioGO ventured out of the recording studio and into the vineyard—Martha’s Vineyard, that is—to create an exclusive, one-of-a-kind audio experience: Steven Raichlen’s Martha’s Vineyard. To celebrate the release of Raichlen’s debut novel, Island Apart, we joined the acclaimed food writer and PBS TV host as he took us on a historical and culinary tour of his beloved island and prepared the delicious food that plays a central role in his novel for this original cooking show on audio.
Our first stop was The FARM Institute, a non-profit teaching farm that engages children and adults in sustainable agriculture by letting them get hands-on with the daily operations of a working farm. We met with Jon Previant, who educated us on how organic chickens are raised, what the different breeds are, and how you can be more knowledgeable about buying your own chickens from the grocery store. He then gave us a guided tour including a visit with a massive steer (who luckily had a very good disposition!) and several dozen baby turkeys. But we had no time to dote over the furry creatures, as we were then off to our next stop.
Morning Glory Farms, started in 1975 by James and Deborah Athearn, grows about 55 acres of vegetables and small fruits. It is a food lover’s haven only to be rivaled by our next destination, Edgartown Seafood, where we chatted with proprietor, Danny Larsen. Edgartown Seafood is a family-owned and -operated fish market, whose sole purpose is to provide customers with the freshest, highest quality fish and shellfish available on Martha’s Vineyard.
With a couple dozen Bay Vineyard scallops and little neck clams in hand; we headed off to Steven’s home on the island of Chappaquiddick to cook up a storm. Buy the download of Steven Raichlen’s Martha’s Vineyard to listen along as Steven prepares five mouth-watering meals, complete with step-by-step preparations so you can make these fabulous feasts at home. Stay tuned for recipes posted on our blog throughout the week!
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Celebrate the Life and Works of Charles Dickens Via Audio
Today marks the anniversary of the death of Charles Dickens in 1870. If you’ve never read Dickens, you haven’t experienced one of the world’s greatest novelists. Perhaps you’ve always intended to, but can never seem to find the time. Now it’s easier than ever to catch up on the classics by downloading and listening anywhere. Whether you’re on the go or sitting at the beach, exercising or working in the yard, with AudioGO’s great selection of Charles Dickens titles, you can finally cross him off your list.
Some of Dickens’ best-loved works are available as audiobooks from AudioGO, including David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, The Adventures of Oliver Twist, Bleak House, and Little Dorrit. Also available are BBC Radio full-cast broadcasts of Charles Dicken’s Our Mutual Friend, Part I, Charles Dicken’s Our Mutual Friend, Part II, The Pickwick Papers (Classic Drama), and Charles Dicken’s Our Mutual Friend, Women’s Hour Drama. AudioGO also carries dramatizations of Little Dorrit and A Tale of Two Cities.
Earn AG Rewards on these purchases. Just sign up for a free account.
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Filed under Audiobooks, Charles Dickens, Classics, Fiction, Fiction
Audiobook Review: Zombie by J. R. Angelella
Download Zombie by J. R. Angelella at 40% off list price
Read review of Zombie by The Guilded Earlobe: Audiobook Review: Zombie by J. R. Angelella.
Description: Fourteen-year-old Jeremy Barker is obsessed with zombie movies. He attends an all-boys Catholic High School where roving gangs in plaid make his days a living hell. His mother is an absentee pillhead, his older brother a self-diagnosed sex-addict, and his father an ex-Marine realtor who disappears night after night without explanation. Jeremy navigates it all with a code cobbled together from Night of the Living Dead, 28 Days Later, Planet Terror, Zombieland, and Shaun of the Dead: Avoid Contact, Keep Quiet, Forget the Past, and Lock-and-load. The code is put to the test when he discovers in his father’s closet a bizarre homemade video of a man strapped to a bed, being prepped for some sort of surgical procedure. As Jeremy–troubled but ever-optimistic–attempts to trace the origin of the video, this remarkable debut moves from its sharp, precocious beginnings to a climax of almost unthinkable violence, testing him to the core
Available for download through AudioGO at 40% off list price. Earn AG Rewards for this purchase.
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Bad Faith: The New Must-Read Thriller from Robert K. Tanenbaum
Bad Faith, the newest installment featuring fan-favorites Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi, combines two gripping storylines of religion and medical ethics that could have been torn out of today’s headlines.
In the first, Butch battles to convict the parents of a deceased boy for failing to seek medical attention for their son, who believed, wrongly, that prayer was the answer for healing his rare but treatable brain disease. At the same time, Marlene investigates the charismatic demagogue Reverend McCord, who has an undeniable grasp on the parents. Meanwhile, a beautiful but deadly Russian incarcerated assassin, Nadya Malovo, works with Karp from behind bars to prevent a violent attack on New York City. But she harbors a secret vendetta against Karp for interfering in her past crimes, and can’t be trusted. This action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thriller will leave fans turning pages into the night.
Available on CD June 5, 2012 by AudioGO.
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Filed under Audiobooks, Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Do You Consider Yourself a True Doctor Who Fan?
Would you join Doctor Who in his TARDIS and explore the universe without a second thought? Have you watched every episode of Doctor Who yet still want more? If you haven’t listened to the audio versions of Doctor Who….YOU MUST! It’s a completely different experience than watching a TV episode and just as addicting.
AudioGO features all kinds of Who audios, from the original radio episodes and TV soundtracks to unabridged readings of WHO tie-in novels, original audio stories starring current TV cast members like Matt Smith and Arthur Darvill and even missing classic television episodes now only available on audio. Enjoy reliving all of the 11 Doctors’ adventures throughout the years.
The newest Doctor Who release is Paradise Towers. Bonnie Langford, who played Mel in the original TV series, reads Stephen Wyatt’s complete and unabridged novelization, first published by Target Books in 1988. Much in need of a holiday, Mel and the Doctor head for Paradise Towers: a luxury man-made planet with sparkling fountains, sunny streets, exotic flowers, and a shimmering blue swimming pool. But when the TARDIS materializes in a dark, rubbish-filled, rat-infested alley it seems that this particular Paradise has turned into Hell! Pursued by rogue cleaning machines, authoritarian caretakers, and old ladies with strange eating habits, the Doctor and Mel track down the source of the chaos to one mysterious character–the designer of Paradise Towers, the Great Architect himself…
Don’t forget—you can save 40% off downloads every day at AudioGO.com!
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Filed under Audiobooks, Classic Sci-Fi, Doctor Who, Doctor Who, Fiction, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction & Fantasy
‘Of Poseidon’ written by Anna Banks Audio Download Available May 22, 2012
Be the first to download and rate this unabridged young adult audio for 40% off list price. Earn up to 1557 AG Reward points for this download. Click here for more information on our AG Rewards Program.
Emma and her friend Chloe are spending vacation in Florida. When Emma (literally) runs into a hot guy named Galen on the beach, little does she know he’s a prince of the Syrena. Galen and Emma both feel something strange–is it attraction?–and Galen suspects that Emma might well be the girl he’s heard of–a human who can communicate with fish. What follows is a deadly scene with a shark in which Galen witnesses Emma’s gifts. He must know more about her, and follows her back to New Jersey, and high school, to find out for sure if she’s the key to saving his kingdom. Soon, Emma can’t deny her feelings for him, but can’t explain them, either–and both she and Galen must learn more about where she comes from and what her powers are before they can trust one another and their feelings. Told from both Emma and Galen’s points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.
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Filed under Comedy, Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult
“The Gods of War’ by Conn Iggulden
“The Gods of War” written by Conn Iggulden, author of the best-selling ‘Emperor’ and ‘Conqueror’ historical fiction series is available on CD at AudioGO. The year is 53 B.C. Fresh from victory in Gaul, Julius Caesar leads battle-hardened legions across the Rubicon river-threatening Rome herself. Even the master strategist Pompey is caught unprepared by the strike, and forced to abandon his city. The armies of Rome will face each other at last in civil war, led by the two greatest generals ever to walk the seven hills. Thus begins Conn Iggulden’s towering saga of Julius Caesar as he approaches his final destiny-a destiny that will be decided not by legions but by his friend Brutus and an Egyptian queen named Cleopatra, who will bear his only son…The Gods of War follows Julius Caesar through politics and passion, ruthless ambition and private grief, and into the corruption of power itself. Those he has loved will play a part in his triumphs-as will the jealousy and hatred of his enemies. From the spectacles of the arena to the whispered lies of conspirators, Conn Iggulden brings to life a world of monumental drama. And at its heart is one extraordinary friendship-marked by fierce loyalty and bitter betrayal, with dark events shrouded in noble ideals.
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Filed under Audiobooks, Fiction, Historical Fiction
READ ....with your EARS 