Free Audiobook - The Picture of Dorian Gray

A special audiobook edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray ($24.95 list), by Oscar Wilde, narrated by Steven Crossley, is free over at Audible. For those that like to read along while listening, there are many editions in the Kindle store, ranging in price from free to a nice edition from Bantam Classics (Random House) for $6.99.

Book Description
Oscar Wilde’s classic story of a young man who sells his soul in exchange for eternal beauty and youth continues to thrill generations of readers. Written by a man who was every bit as flamboyant and unconventional as its hero, The Picture of Dorian Gray is as haunting today as when it first shocked the British public in 1891. Dorian Gray, young, intelligent, sophisticated, gazes on his freshly painted portrait. Wishfully, he murmurs, “If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! … I would give my soul for that!” From that moment, as Dorian spends his days enjoying the splendors of the world and his nights exploring its depravity and sin, his face remains untouched by life. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde creates a metaphor that transcends a specific era to become a timeless reflection on the nature of art, morality, and beauty—and a splendid horror story. Narrator Steven Crossley’s performance highlights the interplay of innocence and corruption that weaves a dark, seductive spell on all who encounter this enigmatic work.

Get the free audiobook from Audible. Note that the edition found when searching isn't free, so use this link; this edition is also not Whispersync enabled; for that, you can buy the pay-edition for $2.99 after picking up on of the Kindle editions above (this edition is in my library, so I suspect it was, at one time, a free edition).

Free Audiobook - Robinson Crusoe

Get a free audiobook download of Robinson Crusoe ($20.97 Audible), by Daniel Defoe, narrated by John Lee, from Downpour (Blackstone Audio's retail site). There are a couple of low-cost editions, for that that like to read along, including a $1.99 edition from Bantam Classics.

Book Description
Shipwrecked and cast ashore onto an uninhabited island, Robinson Crusoe ingeniously carves out a solitary, primitive existence for 24 years. Eventually, he meets a young native whom he saves from death at the hands of cannibals. He calls him Man Friday and makes him his companion and servant.

Crusoe and Friday share in a variety of adventures, including a fierce battle with cannibals that culminates in the heroes recapturing a mutinous ship and returning to England.

Based partly on the real-life experiences of Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, Defoe's novel of human endurance in an exotic, faraway land exerts a timeless appeal and has taken its rightful place among the great works of Western civilization.

Get the free audiobook from Downpour. Use Promo code crusoeemail during checkout (and make sure you see a $0.00 total before continuing).

Almost Free Single + Audiobook from Stephen King (K)

The companion audiobook for Guns ($0.99), a Kindle Single by Stephen King (liberal and gun owner), is free with purchase or if your borrow the title using your Prime Lending choice for the month (personally, I'd save it for something usually more expensive, as the audiobook is 69 cents by itself or you can get book+audiobook for 99 cents).

Book Description
In a pulls-no-punches essay intended to provoke rational discussion, Stephen King sets down his thoughts about gun violence in America. Anger and grief in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School are palpable in this urgent piece of writing, but no less remarkable are King’s keen thoughtfulness and composure as he explores the contours of the gun-control issue and constructs his argument for what can and should be done.

King's earnings from the sale of this essay will go the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

STEPHEN KING is the author of 11/22/63, Under the Dome, Carrie, The Shining and many other bestselling works.

Of course, with such a controversial subject, there are a variety of books that take a contrary view. Guns at Stephen King's Head: A Satire ($0.99), by Sammy Sneeze, takes King's title and uses it as a launchpoint/impetus of the imagined world after massive gun control has been enacted (some seem content to just attack King personally, rather than contribute to the debate). Most reviews are "average", with a few either in the love it/hate it camp.

Book Description
America has been disarmed.

Thanks in large part to Stephen King's popular essays on gun control, the country has finally banned semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. And everyone is finally safe.

But safety can be as fleeting as liberty, as King learns when the monsters, in an ironic twist, come after him.

Guns at Stephen King's Head is a piece of satire. One that, like the essays it satirizes, is intended to stir debate on an issue that affects everyone.

Six Free Audiobooks from Audible

Audible has a special Valentine's Day gift for all account holders, whether you have a subscription membership or not: Six Free Audiobooks. The email I received said you could get one for yourself and give one away, the page is confusing vague and it looks like you have to choose to get one or give one, but, it turns out you can add all of them to your cart and once (and give as many away as you like, I suspect) and checkout without using any credits or cash.

Here are your choices (the last is a very short story):

• Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find - and Keep - Love, by Amir Levine, Rachel S. F. Heller, Narrated by Walter Dixon, Length:7 hrs and 9 mins
• Undead Sublet: A Free Story from 'The Undead in My Bed', by Molly Harper, Narrated by Sophie Eastlake, Length:4 hrs and 29 mins
• Romeo and Juliet (Dramatized), by William Shakespeare, Narrated by Calista Flockhart , Matthew Wolf , Julie White , Alan Mandell , Richard Chamberlain , Nicholas Hormann , Josh Stamberg, Length:2 hrs and 53 mins
• Love in the Afternoon, by Alison Packard, Narrated by Gia St. Claire, Length:10 hrs
• Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, Narrated by Flo Gibson, Length:11 hrs and 32 mins
• Eureka: A Free Story from 'The Last Girlfriend on Earth', by Simon Rich, Narrated by Simon Rich, Length:3 mins

Free Audiobook & Book - The Souls of Black Folk (DF)

The download edition of The Souls of Black Folk (free - $11.99 Kindle; $20.99 Audible), by W. E. B. Du Bois, narrated by Richard Allen, is free direct from Tantor Media.

Book Description
W. E. B. Du Bois was the foremost black intellectual of his time. The Souls of Black Folk, his most influential work, is a collection of 14 beautifully written essays, by turns lyrical, historical, and autobiographical. Here, Du Bois records the cruelties of racism, celebrates the strength and pride of black America, and explores the paradoxical "double-consciousness" of African American life.

When it was first published in 1903, The Souls of Black Folk quickly established itself as a work that wholly redefined the history of the black experience in America, introducing the now-famous "problem of the color line." In the decades since its publication, its stature has only grown, and today it ranks as one of the most influential and resonant works in the history of American thought.

Get the free ebook from Tantor Media, along with a bonus PDF ebook when you download the complete ZIP file from your library. The download is available in MP3 (Kindle compatible) format and both it and the book are DRM-free.

While you are there, check out their $6.99 sale, which includes Timothy Egan's The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl amongst the selections.

Free Audiobook - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (DF)

Get a free download of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (free-$7.99 Kindle, $15.37 Audible), by Mark Twain, read by Grover Gardner, from Downpour.com, Blackstone Audio's new consumer site.

Book Description
This humorous and nostalgic novel takes the listener back to the carefree days of boyhood in Hannibal, Missouri, where Mark Twain grew up.

Just what did boys do in a small Midwestern town during the mid-1800s, a time when there were no televisions, no arcades, and no videos? They whitewashed fences, floated down rivers, traded marbles, formed secret societies, smoked pipes, and, on occasion, managed to attend their own funerals. Yes, they may have been a bit mischievous, but as Aunt Polly said of Tom when she believed him to be dead, "He was the best-hearted boy that ever was." Aunt Polly's sentiments reveal one of the cardinal tenets of Twain's philosophy: In this deceitful and infirm world, innocence can be found only in the heart of a boy.

Get the free audiobook from Downpour. Add the Download edition to your cart, then enter coupon code sawyeremail (make sure there are no extra spaces, if you cut and paste) and click on Apply. Make sure that the new total has been adjusted to $0.00, then click on Checkout. You'll be prompted to log into your account (or create a new one) and then taken to the final screen; click on Place Order and then on Continue to My Library in order to download the audiobook. The download is available in either MP3 (Kindle compatible) or M4B (iTunes) formats and is DRM-free.

Free Audiobook - Beowulf

Get a free download of Beowulf ($9.95 Audible/Amazon), produced and directed by Yuri Rasovsky, read by Robertson Dean, from Downpour.com, Blackstone Audio's new consumer site.

Book Description
The earliest extant heroic epic in any European vernacular, Beowulf is considered the most important poem in Old English. The title character is a warrior of superhuman strength who accomplishes glorious deeds to honor his king. He also represents the ideal lord and vassal, generous to his own men while fulfilling all the forms of courtesy at court. The narrative itself falls into two parts: Beowulf first rescues the royal house of Denmark from two marauding monsters; then, after having ruled his people peacefully for fifty years, he is called upon to combat a dragon that is terrorizing the countryside.

Combining mythical elements with actual historical figures and events, the narrative ranges from fierce action sequences to detailed portrayals of court life and earnest considerations of social and moral dilemmas, all in a tone of sustained grandeur.

First transcribed circa AD 1000. Translated into English prose by Robert K. Gordon in 1922.

Get the free audiobook from Downpour. Add the Download edition to your cart, then enter coupon code LOLBEOWULF (make sure there are no extra spaces, if you cut and paste) and click on Apply. Make sure that the new total has been adjusted to $0.00, then click on Checkout. You'll be prompted to log into your account (or create a new one) and then taken to the final screen; click on Place Order and then on Continue to My Library in order to download the audiobook. The download is available in either MP3 (Kindle compatible) or M4B (iTunes) formats and is DRM-free.

Free Audiobook - The 7th Month

Get the audiobook edition of The 7th Month: A Detective D. D. Warren Story ($1.99 Kindle), by Lisa Gardner, free from Audible. The next novel in the series, Catch Me, has a companion audiobook for only $4.49, but right now subscribers can pick it up for $6.95 without first purchasing the Kindle edition, as the Audible Wishes Granted Sale has been extended yet another day (ends tonight at midnight).

Book Description
In Lisa Gardner’s first-ever short story following thirteen bestselling novels, The 7th Month takes readers between the books and into a day in the life of Boston Detective D. D. Warren.

In her seventh month of pregnancy, D.D. should be taking it easy. Instead, she accepts a small consulting role on the set of a serial killer film shooting in Boston. D.D. figures she’ll be useful to someone for at least one night, serving as a police expert and making a little extra money in the bargain.

It seems like a simple task—until the previous film consultant, a former Boston cop, is found beaten to death. Suddenly D.D.’s date with Hollywood gets serious. Extremely pregnant, on the trail of a killer, and surrounded by a hundred and four murder suspects in the middle of a graveyard, D.D. must quickly unravel a tangled web of lies. As another cast member is attacked, D.D. realizes that like it or not, her priorities have changed—and her last desperate hope is that she can catch a killer before she and her unborn baby face mortal danger.

Packed with the suspenseful storytelling that has turned Gardner’s novels into New York Times bestsellers, The 7th Month reveals new insights into a beloved series heroine.

Get the free audiobook from Audible, narrated by Kirsten Potter.

Free Audiobook from Downpour

While it lasts, download a free audiobook from Downpour.com (Blackstone Audio's new consumer site). There are twenty to choose from and you can download either an MP3 (Kindle compatible) or MP4 (iTunes) format after the audiobook is in your library.

Free Audiobook - A Christmas Carol

A special audiobook edition of A Christmas Carol ($14.95 list; $2.99 WhisperSync), by Charles Dickens, featuring a Signature Performance by Tim Curry, is free over at Audible. For those that like to read along while listening, there are many editions in the Kindle store, ranging in price from free to a nice edition from Bantam Classics (Random House) for $2.99.

Book Description
This version of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, masterfully narrated by Tim Curry, was available for a limited time last year, and now it's back. This one-of-a-kind performance puts a unique spin on a treasured classic, and served as the inspiration for the exciting new line of Audible Signature Classics, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with Elijah Wood, and Heart of Darkness with Kenneth Branagh. Tim Curry performs this timeless holiday story in a deliciously dark tone, returning it to its Dickensian roots with a vivid imagining of Victorian London and just the right touch of outrageous fun.

A Christmas Carol has constantly been in print since its original publication in 1849, and has been adapted for stage, television, film, and opera. It has often been credited with returning the jovial and festive atmosphere to the holiday season in Britain and North America, following the somber period that emerged during the Industrial Revolution.

The story opens on a bleak and cold Christmas Eve as Ebenezer Scrooge is closing up his office for the day. As the story progresses and Christmas morning approaches, Scrooge encounters the unforgettable characters that make this story a classic: Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and, of course, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

Get the free audiobook from Audible. Note that the edition found when searching isn't free, so use this link; this edition is also not Whispersync enabled; for that, you can buy the pay-edition (which I believe was free last year) for $2.99 after picking up on of the Kindle editions above.

Free AudioBook - The Jefferson Bible

The audiobook download of The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth ($12.59 Audible), by Thomas Jefferson, narrated by Mel Foster, is free over at Tantor Media thru the end of December.

Book Description
Thomas Jefferson believed that the pure-principled teachings of Jesus should have been separated from the dogma and abuse of organized religion of the day. This led him to recast, by cutting and pasting from the gospels, a new narrative of the life and teachings of Jesus.

In the early nineteenth century, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, conceived the idea of extracting a gospel purified of what he saw as extraneous philosophical, mythological, and theological elements. To do so, he took verses from the four canonical gospels and arranged them into a single narrative, focusing on the actual words of Jesus. This work was never published during Jefferson's lifetime but was inherited by his grandson and printed for the first time in the early twentieth century. The original bound manuscript, popularly referred to as The Jefferson Bible, is held by the United States National Museum in Washington.

Get the free audiobook from Tantor Media. Included in the ZIP download is a PDF edition of the book, as well.

Free AudioBook Short Story

The audiobook edition of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a short story by Dr. Seuss, narrated by Walter Matthau, is free from Audible.

Book Description
The Grinch, whose heart is two sizes too small, hates Who-ville's holiday celebrations, and plans to steal all the presents to prevent Christmas from coming. To his amazement, Christmas comes anyway, and the Grinch discovers the true meaning of the holiday.

Get free audiobook at Audible (use the link; the edition you find by searching isn't free).

Free Audio Short Story - The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

The audiobook edition of The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Alan Cumming, is free for members (those with a subscription) at Audible. I checked the price while not logged in, however, and it looks like everyone with an account can get it free, as well.

Book Description
The season of gift-giving is here, and this year we've got something special for our members: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Yuletide whodunit "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle". In this holiday-themed short story, Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Dr. Watson, follow the trail of a lost hat and a Christmas goose through the streets of London and into a rapidly expanding mystery. And, since a great story calls for a great voice, we’ve brought in Emmy Award nominee Alan Cumming (TV's The Good Wife), a past Audie Award winner for Best Male Narrator and one of our very favorite narrators. We enjoyed it, and we hope you will too. Happy listening and happy holidays!

Get the free audiobook from Audible.

Free Audiobook - Three Short Stories by Charles Dickens

It's my favorite time of year and Tantor Media is starting off the gifting season by giving all of us the Audio + Ebook edition of Three Short Stories ($19.95 Audible), by Charles Dickens, narratted by Donada Peters, free on their website.

Book Description
Three of Charles Dickens's much-loved Christmas novellas — The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man — are brought to life in this classic audiobook collection.

About the author
Charles Dickens is known not only for his novels but also for his shorter works. Particularly notable are his five Christmas novellas, especially A Christmas Carol. In this genre, Dickens's stories had a powerful commercial impulse, for it became an annual tradition for the author to publish one in time for the holiday season between 1843 and 1847. Three Short Stories brings together a trio of the celebrated author's Christmas stories: The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man. All three lay emphasis on family love and the delights of home, but there is more to these stories than surface sentimentality. Each year, a whole nation would eagerly anticipate these tales, telling us much about the age Dickens lived in. And these stories never would have survived without roots and power.

Get the free audiobook and ebook from Tantor Media. Be sure to download the ZIP file to get the ebook (PDF, DRM-free).

Free Audiobook - Listening Is an Act of Love

The audiobook edition of Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project ($12.99 Kindle), by Dave Isay, is free on Audible thru Nov 29.

Book Description
As heard on NPR?a wondrous nationwide celebration of our shared humanity

StoryCorps founder and legendary radio producer Dave Isay selects the most memorable stories from StoryCorps? collection, creating a moving portrait of American life.

The voices here connect us to real people and their lives?to their experiences of profound joy, sadness, courage, and despair, to good times and hard times, to good deeds and misdeeds. To read this book is to be reminded of how rich and varied the American storybook truly is, how resistant to easy categorization or stereotype. We are our history, individually and collectively, and Listening Is an Act of Love touchingly reminds us of this powerful truth.

Get the free audiobook from Audible.

Free Audiobook - The Interpretation of Dreams

The audiobook edition of The Interpretation of Dreams ($0.99 Kindle; $24.49 Audible or $7.95 as a companion edition), by Sigmund Freud and Michael Page, is free direct from Tantor Media.

While you are over at Tantor, be sure to also check out their 50% Off Holiday Listening sale.

Book Description
What are the most common dreams and why do we have them? What does a dream about death mean? What do dreams of swimming, failing, or flying symbolize?

First published by Sigmund Freud in 1899, The Interpretation of Dreams considers why we dream and what it means in the larger picture of our psychological lives. Delving into theories of manifest and latent dream content, the special language of dreams, dreams as wish fulfillments, the significance of childhood experiences, and much more, Freud, widely considered the "father of psychoanalysis," thoroughly and thoughtfully examines dream psychology.

Encompassing dozens of case histories and detailed analyses of actual dreams, this landmark text presents Freud's legendary work as a tool for comprehending our sleeping experiences.

Get the free ebook from Tantor Media.

Free Audiobook - What is the Mission of the Church?

Christianaudio's free audiobook this month is What is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom and the Great Commission ($8.51 Kindle; $14.95 Audible), by Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert, narrated by Adam Verner.

Book Description
Social justice and mission are hot topics today: there's a wonderful resurgence of motivated Christians passionate about spreading the gospel and caring for the needs of others. But in our zeal to get sharing and serving, many are unclear on gospel and mission. Yes, we are called to spend ourselves for the sake of others, but what is the church’s unique priority as it engages the world?

DeYoung and Gilbert write to help Christians “articulate and live out their views on the mission of the church in ways that are theologically faithful, exegetically careful, and personally sustainable.” Looking at the Bible’s teaching on evangelism, social justice, and shalom, they explore the what, why, and how of the church’s mission. From defining “mission”, to examining key passages on social justice and their application, to setting our efforts in the context of God’s rule, DeYoung and Gilbert bring a wise, studied perspective to the missional conversation.

Readers in all spheres of ministry will grow in their understanding of the mission of the church and gain a renewed sense of urgency for Jesus’ call to preach the Word and make disciples.

Get the free audio download from Christianaudio and scroll down the page for several titles on sale for $4.98 this month, three of them by the same authors as the free title. Francis Chan titles are also half-price thru Nov 5.

The checkout process is very streamlined (a coupon code is no longer required), as is the download process (no longer do you have to download each part of the book separately). You can also send a gift download of the free audiobook to someone else!

After finishing your order, download a zip file with the entire audiobook: select MP3 if you want to be able to play the book on your Kindle (M4B for the iOS, iTunes or QuickTime). Unzip the contents to the \audiobooks directory on your Kindle (not \music) in order to have audiobook controls and see it on your Kindle home page.

Free Audiobook + Charity Donation - Click-Clack the Rattlebag

Click-Clack the Rattlebag, a free short story written and performed by Neil Gaiman, is free on Audible and for every copy downloaded through Halloween, Audible will donate $1 (up to $100,000) to the education charity DonorsChoose.org.

Book Description
A few words from Neil: "Why tell ghost stories? Why read them or listen to them? Why take such pleasure in tales that have no purpose but, comfortably, to scare?

"I don't know. Not really. It goes way back. We have ghost stories from ancient Egypt, after all, ghost stories in the Bible, classical ghost stories from Rome (along with werewolves, cases of demonic possession, and of course, over and over, witches). We have been telling each other tales of otherness, of life beyond the grave, for a long time; stories that prickle the flesh and make the shadows deeper and, most important, remind us that we live, and that there is something special, something unique and remarkable, about the state of being alive. Happy Halloween!"

"'What kind of story would you like me to tell you?' 'Well,' he said, thoughtfully, 'I don't think it should be too scary, because then when I go up to bed, I will just be thinking about monsters the whole time. But if it isn't just a little bit scary, then I won't be interested. And you make up scary stories, don't you?'"

So begins this subtle, witty, deceptive little tale from master storyteller Neil Gaiman. Lock the doors, turn off the lights, and enjoy!

Get the free audiobook from Audible. If you are in the UK, use this link and donations will go to the education charity BookTrust.

Free Audiobook - The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie

The audiobook edition of The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie (free Kindle, $27.99 Audible or $9.95 if you get the ebook first), narrated by Antony Ferguson, is free direct from Tantor Media.

Book Description
Andrew Carnegie, the great steel-baron-turned-philanthropist, was an industrialist unlike any other. His famous dictum, that he who dies rich dies disgraced, has inspired a generation of twenty-first-century philanthropists to follow in his footsteps and put their money towards philanthropic causes. He had an unwavering belief in distributing wealth for good, and systematically and deliberately gave away the bulk of his riches throughout his lifetime.

Born in 1835, he emigrated with his family to the United States from Scotland at a young age. His first job was in a cotton factory, and he later worked as an errand boy. The industrial age brought great opportunities for Mr. Carnegie. With drive and hard work, he amassed a fortune as a steel tycoon, and by adulthood the errand boy was one of the richest and most generous men in the United States. A strong dedication to giving back guided him throughout his life and career. During his own lifetime, he put his ideas into action by creating a family of organizations that continue to work toward improving the human condition, advancing international peace, strengthening democracy, and creating social progress that benefits men, women and children both in the United States and around the globe.

Here is the rags-to-riches tale of the life and philosophies of one of the most celebrated industrialists and philanthropists in history. From his humble beginnings as a poor Scottish immigrant to his immense success in business, Andrew Carnegie outlines the principles that he lived by and that today serve as the pillars of modern philanthropy.

About the Author
Entrepreneur and philanthropist ANDREW CARNEGIE (1835-1919) was born in Scotland and emigrated to America as a teenager. His Carnegie Steel Company launched the steel industry in Pittsburgh, and after its sale to J.P. Morgan, he devoted his life to philanthropic causes. His charitable organizations built more than 2,500 public libraries around the world, and gave away more than $350 million during his lifetime.

Get the free audiobook from Tantor. Do note that they've been having a few issues with their server this weekend, so you may want to wait until Monday afternoon to try for this one or try another browser (I managed to get this morning's title, but not this one, so far); it will be free thru the end of the month.

Free Audiobook - The Phantom of the Opera

The MP3 download audiobook edition of The Phantom of the Opera (free+ Kindle, $19.59 Audible), by Gaston Leroux, narrated by Alexander Adams, is free over at Tantor Media for your Halloween listening pleasure, complete with a PDF edition of the book to read as you listen. It isn't quite the same as Whispersync for Voice, but it's a lot cheaper, since it appears that the combo cost at Amazon is $8+, depending on the ebook edition you choose (they are often linked to different audiobook performances; none appear to be linked to this one, sadly).

Book Description
Under the Paris Opera House lives a disfigured musical genius who uses music to win the love of a beautiful opera singer.

The actors, singers, and patrons of the Paris Opera House say that a ghost haunts the labyrinthine chambers beneath its stage. Those who laugh off such superstitions always do so nervously, in the bright light of day. Nearly everyone connected with the opera house in any way has felt the phantom's vague, troubling presence. But beautiful, talented young singer Christine Daae will soon experience a terror far more acute than any vague feeling of unease. For she is about to learn the secret of why the man who has made the tunnels beneath Paris his private domain must forever hide his face behind a mask.

Part horror story, part historical romance, and part detective thriller, the timeless tale of a masked, disfigured musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opera House is familiar to millions of readers, as well as to movie and theater-goers. At the heart of the story's long-standing popularity lies its questioning of a universal theme: the relationship between outward appearance and the beauty or darkness of the human soul.

Get the free audiobook/ebook combo from Tantor. While you are there, you may also want to check out their $6.99 Horror Sale; I see a lot of Zombie Apocalypse at the front of the sale, but there are some Urban Fantasy titles too (such as Kim Harrison's Hollows series).