Everybody's heard of John Henry, Paul Bunyan, and Pecos Bill, but nobody's ever heard of Charlie Bundrum. He's not what you'd call a legend: a man who lived his Depression-era hardscrabble life on the Georgia-Alabama border so intensely and so fully that it became the stuff of poetry in the hands of his grandson, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Rick Bragg. It's a rough story about rough people and their rough lives. But like Bundrum's bootleg liquor, it goes down sweetly. Bragg is just brimming with stories about his grand-father, and they're all filled with affection for the man. Tom Stechschulte catches the rhythms, the tones, and the people of this West Georgia hill country with a naturalness that steers clear of caricature. His voice has an angularity that rings just a touch differently with every speaker, giving us, not just a tribute to Bragg's grandfather, but the voices and sounds of a world--its model As and mules and whiskey stills--that would otherwise disappear from our memories.
Pub Date: 2002
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Reader Michael Prichard delivers a convincing rendition of Archie Goodwin, the burly right hand of the portly Nero Wolfe, world-renowned gourmand and detective. Prichard preserves the 1970s setting and 1950s origins of the story, bringing listeners a well-paced narration of murder and politics--a combination of elements that usually guarantees an exciting listen. This audio entertainment is as well formed and fragrant as one of Wolfe's hothouse orchids (the stout sleuth cultivates them by the hundreds in his town house greenhouse) as Goodwin walks us through an explosive murder investigation and political wheeling and dealing in a tough yet intelligent read.
Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2006
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Partners
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This collection of eight short stories contains gentle tales of fantasy and magic--not the magic of wizards and wands, but of wishing mats and enormous cats and gifts brought by the winds. In a lovely English accent, Lizza Aiken quietly narrates these stories in which magic and good fortune often come to those who deserve it. Although her pitch changes little, she registers a range of emotions--from the sadness of a girl whose necklace of raindrops has been stolen to the joy of a child who moves from a hard life and a ramshackle trailer to a happy home amid the clouds. A NECKLACE OF RAINDROPS would make a soothing choice for a family car trip after a long day.
Ages 6+Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
Duration: 1 hr, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101915721
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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