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Audiobooks for Postal Employees!
Archives: March 2008 - June 2008 [Audiobooks
Home] |
BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
June
2008 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 Prepare
to be moved by FINAL SALUTE, easily one of the
most emotionally gripping tributes to American soldiers dying in Iraq
ever written. With the subtitle "A Story of Unfinished Lives," this
account, by Pulitzer Prize winner Jim Sheeler, chronicles the job of
Major Steve Beck, a casualty notification officer for the Marines.
Beck's mission is one without weapons, in which he and an assistant
must inform the parents of dead soldiers in person, before anyone else
does. Narrated by actor Mark Deakins, the book is stunning in its
power, especially on audio. Accordingly, I predict it will be
nominated for an Audie award next time around. One mother is in the
act of reading an encouraging letter from her son when Beck's car
arrives. Another has just seen President Bush on TV declaring the war
is over. When Beck mispronounces her last name, the mother argues that
he must be mistaken about her son being dead, too. Haunted by their
eyes when they first catch sight of him, "like a snapshot that will
stay with me forever," Beck serves his country--and his President--by
taking on the "worst job in the military," a job he never asked for,
and for which he was never trained. And when he goes home to his own
family, Beck cries alone in the dark, haunted as well by the eyes of
little girls and boys whose fathers will never play with them again.
Be warned: you will cry too. (Penguin Audio; 5 1/2 hours unabridged; a
photo booklet accompanies the audiobook)
How do we get on with our lives? By remembering our values--family,
faith, hope. Garrison Keillor has been hosting live radio theater for
decades, and his show A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION was made into a movie
two years ago that starred Meryl Streep and Lindsay Lohan. One of the
most endearing segments of the show has always been his "News from
Lake Wobegon," in which Garrison reports on a small Minnesota town's
eccentric citizens. Wry, inventive, spontaneous, Garrison has been
called "the funniest American writer still open for business" by Time
magazine, and you will hear the truth of it in HOPE--MORE NEWS FROM
LAKE WOBEGON, a CD that includes four stories, the first being "Truckstop,"
about a man who inadvertently leaves his wife behind while on an RV
trip, then gets lost, unable to find his way back to her. There is
nothing sensational about Keillor's quirky stories, except that their
ring of truth is so authentic that Keillor himself doesn't even admit
to their ad lib creation. This is the America we dearly hope has not
already vanished forever. (Highbridge Audio; 73 minutes unabridged)
For humor, no problem is too ridiculous and no solution too absurd for
the Car Talk guys, "Click and Clack." Their latest audiobook, FIELD
GUIDE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN WACKO, is billed as a "radio road trip
across America," and features call-ins taken during four of their NPR
shows, including a man from Minnesota who attempted to get his Chevy
Cavalier home from Alaska with the help of a rusty barbecue grill.
Also, a guy named Dinesh, who is more concerned about how his car will
hold up in Death Valley than he is about whether he'll survive,
himself. Then there's the single guy who wonders if he should tidy up
his vehicle for a first date, or reveal his trashy side. Land of the
Free, Home of the Wacko? Hosts Tom & Ray are pretty wacky themselves,
but with a gift for gab, and the chops wild laughter, at least they're
having infectious fun. (Highbridge Audio; 3 1/2 Hours unabridged)
Any six hour rumination about hitting small dimpled balls across acres
of manicured grass must, by necessity, get around to talking
philosophy. Carl Hiaasen gets right to it in the title: THE DOWNHILL
LIE--A HACKER'S RETURN TO A RUINOUS SPORT. Narrated by the author (who
has also authored fourteen novels), the audiobook is an often funny
memoir exploring the game as played by the average Joe (or, in this
case, Carl). Just like so many players first get hooked, Hiaasen was
drawn to golf by his father, then left it as a failure, and here
returns to it in order to compete in a tournament for which he is
unprepared. Calling himself "one sick bastard" for doing so, Hiaasen
describes the allure of the "infernal game" as being because "it
surrenders just enough good shots to let you talk yourself out of
quitting." In continuing the tradition of instilling in his own son
the seeds of future frustration, the author (who is also a columnist
for the Miami Herald) waxes poetic about condo development in south
Florida, too, where high end tract houses line a hundred golf courses
(as real estate developers attempt to squeeze every dime they can out
of dwindling acreage.) He speaks of Tiger Woods, of high tech golf
technology, and of an entire subculture of devotees whose very lives
may end being stuck by lightning on a golf course somewhere, or via
heart attack in their golden years when hit by a stray ball while
sipping margaritas on their patio. Tone here is natural and
appropriate to someone who feels a duty to try again at a past
obsession, while realizing the futility of it all. For narrative
skills, and for keeping it in perspective, Hiaasen finishes under par,
with the help of a microphone and a sand wedge. (Random House Audio; 6
hours unabridged)
Finally, although it would be difficult to render EAT THIS, NOT THAT
on audio, it's a real eye-opener (as opposed to an ear-opener),
recommended mainly for people who are hooked on fast food. Authors
David Zinczenko and Matt Golding rely heavily on photos for this book,
and suggest alternative choices for bad menu items at all major fast
food chains, plus tips on supermarket shopping. The left side pages
show what to eat instead of the items displayed on the right side.
Each class of food is covered, too, from breads and soups to snacks
and desserts. A list of calories and fat content, along with sodium,
accompany instructions on how to "decode" the confusing ingredient
lists displayed on the labels and menus of brand name products.
Chapter 7 is the best, as it clearly shows what you should be eating
for real health, and during various moods or stresses. While more than
half the book is about eating out at places you should probably not go
to eat in the first place, this "no-diet weight loss solution" is
frightening in its implications, (and may lead to actual thought about
food, rather than submission to mind-numbing TV advertising.) On the
cover, for instance, a Big Mac is "good," even with 29 grams of fat,
when compared to a Whopper with cheese, which clocks in at 780
calories and 47 grams of fat. Some "weapons of mass destruction"
(foods to avoid at all cost) include Arby's large Mozzarella Sticks,
Boston Market's Meatloaf Carver, Carl's Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger
(111 grams of fat!), Chili's Awesome Blossom ("easily one of the worst
things you can put in your body"), Denny's Mini Burgers w/Onion rings,
Domino's Cheesy Bread w/Garlic Dipping Sauce, In-N-Out Burger's
Chocolate Shake ("as much saturated fat as six burgers"), PF Chang's
Lo Mein Pork ("a wok full of oil sinks this dish"), Starbucks Venti
White Hot Chocolate, and finally the winner of the "Worst Food in
America," Outback's Aussie Cheese Fries, ("even if you split it with
three friends, you'll have downed a dinner's worth of calories before
your entree arrives"). It's a "starter" that may end you, too, with
182 grams of fat and 240 grams of carbs. Contemplating a horror novel?
Read this, not that. (Rodale Books; 304 pages)
(These audiobooks may be rented from AudioAdventures.com. Jonathan
Lowe's author website is JustSayNoWay.com) |
BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
May 2008 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 Economic
commentator Kevin Phillips spills the Navy beans on the true cost of
our reliance on oil in BAD MONEY--Reckless Finance,
Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism. If
you're looking for an explanation as to why the dollar is falling
today, and how the housing crisis escaped notice until the bubble
burst in August of 2007, this is the audiobook to hear. Essentially, you
can thank our deeply flawed financial services industry, underpinned
by a deluded public addicted to debt and unlimited oil reserves, for
what may be the end of America as a Superpower. Phillips outlines how
we've stumbled into this nightmare scenario, in which foreign oil
producers have strategically substituted the Euro for the Dollar in an
era of falling supply and increasing demand. Add a war of occupation,
and our resulting loss of respect has us paying full price even to
fuel the military vehicles used to "liberate" the Iraqis. Meanwhile,
says Phillips, "moving money around" became our biggest industry at
home, with real estate speculators encouraging a casino
mentality--(the delusion of getting something for nothing.) When the
house of cards finally fell, the loan sharks, wielding their exotic
financial instruments, then moved in to break some knees. As though to
add insult to injury, the Fed is now stepping in to bail out those
banks whose feeding frenzy was most horrific, while letting
manufacturers continue to go belly up. The result? China is set to
take our place on the world stage, and to pollute the air more than we
did in the American Century, (which was the 20th.) Scary? As narrated
with provocative urgency by Scott Brick, it's clear that Stephen King
and James Patterson have nothing on this. (Penguin Audio; 9 1/2 hours
unabridged)
Charles Osgood, host of CBS News "Sunday Morning," has a new audiobook
highlight collection titled SEE YOU ON THE RADIO, in which he profiles
the eccentric habits of Americans as a means to showcase societal
trends. As an example, he cites a study showing that Americans try to
maintain inside temperatures at extreme opposites from outside temps.
So when it's 100 degrees outside, we tend to air condition down to 65
degrees, and when it's 20 degrees outside, we heat to more than 75.
Those ten to fifteen degrees above or below the "ideal" temperature
amounts to millions and millions of barrels of oil wasted per year.
(To say nothing of the waste in heating or cooling spaces which are
unoccupied or poorly insulated.) Osgood clearly enjoys disclosing such
idiosyncrasies, evident by his occasional rhymes. It gets particularly
unnerving when he compares psychopaths to politicians, and the
listener begins to understand why the more things change, the more
they stay the same. (Highbridge Audio; 3 3/4 hours unabridged)
Next, REBEL ISLAND is the new Tres Navarre mystery by Rick Riordan,
about a private detective who gives up his old life to get married,
but on his honeymoon stumbles onto a murder victim, and gets swept
back up into the old game of catch-a-killer. A hurricane is bearing
down on the island, cutting everyone off from the mainland, so Tres
must solve the crime while facing the tensions of both weather and
romance. Riordan has a strong narrative voice, lent appeal by the kind
of narrator who makes such characters his own, namely Tom Stechschulte.
Riordan is one of my own favorites, along with James Lee Burke, and
has won the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony awards while being compared to
Dashiell Hammett. An especially good previous outing for Tres, also
narrated by Stechschulte, was "The Devil Went Down to Austin." Don't
miss that one. (Recorded Books; 7 3/4 hours unabridged)
In the horror novel INFECTED by Scott Sigler a bioengineered parasite
from space infects Earth's population, causing most everyone to
rampage and kill each other. (Kinda like your typical Congressional
Assembly.) There's just enough science here to lend the story
borderline plausibility, but the actual writing is more pulp than
fruit. At one point a character bleeds "like a stuck pig," while the
decision to let Sigler narrate, ostensibly because he's a rabidly
successful podcaster, is unfortunate. There are dozens of professional
readers who could have improved the text by actually adding subtle
nuances of characterization. The cover is genius, however. No doubt
about that. An eyeball with a triangular iris, that in online ads is
seen to move around. You can't help but click, and to consider buying.
But for my money, "Bad Money" is still scarier, because no one can
seem to hit the Stop button there. (Random House Audio; 12 hours
unabridged)
Now, the universe is a big place, and if that's isn't an
understatement, I don't know what is. In the new award-winning science
fiction novel SPIN author Robert Wilson postulates a civilization so
advanced that, not only don't they need to invade us or infect us
somehow, their purposes seem totally alien and unknown. These beings
may not even inhabit bodies as we know them, and are here called
merely "the Hypotheticals." How to explain, after all, their reasoning
in encapsulating the Earth in a singularity membrane--a barrier
similar to the event horizon of a black hole, in which time slows to a
near stop, while the outside ages as usual? We don't notice the
slowing of time, since, according to Einstein, time itself is relative
to the observer. So for every 24 hour day on Earth, the rest of the
universe, including the Sun, is aging millions of years. Meaning the
sun is soon going to explode. What happens next, of course, I can't
tell. Suffice it to say that the novel is made believable by two
factors. One, by some deeply realized characters (Tyler, Jason, Diane)
who are not given second billing to the action. Two, by a narrator
(Scott Brick) whose interpretation breaths life into them, and keeps
the story spinning like a top until the end. There's nothing pulp
about this story, either, so while it may not sell as many copies as a
media sensation with moving eyeballs, the higher road, less taken,
makes all the difference. (McMillan Audio download from Audible.com;
17 hours unabridged)
Mary Higgins Clark has been writing mysteries for decades, and like
Jonathan Kellerman, (whose son Jesse is a mystery writer), her own
daughter Carol is too. The new book from America's "Queen of Suspense"
is WHERE ARE YOU NOW? It's about a university student who, about to
graduate, simply walks away from his life and family without a word.
Each year thereafter, Mack calls his mother on Mother's Day, says he's
fine, then hangs up. Now, ten years later, Mack's sister Carolyn can't
take the suspense any longer, and devotes her life to finding him.
Ignoring the mysterious warning he'd given not to be found, she begins
to wonder if Mack had something to do with his drama teacher's brutal
murder. Narrated by Jan Maxwell, a veteran stage actress, the novel is
empathetically performed with all the emotions necessary to give the
story a level of believability most suitable for such a personal first
person tale. (Simon & Schuster Audio; 7 1/2 hours unabridged)
If finding a college student isn't enough of a challenge, Morgan
Spurlock is back from his documentary "Super Size Me" with the
audiobook version of WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN? It's an
interesting and insightful examination of just who Osama is, and why
his message is so compelling to Arabs everywhere. As narrated by Erik
Singer, a former soap opera actor, the book is nonetheless more
docudrama than melodrama. As in the film, Spurlock asks the right
questions, and ultimately shows that Osama was hugely influential and
smart, but is now insignificant except as an iconic symbol. He knew,
for instance, that if he could get us to invade Afghanistan or Iraq,
we would be bogged down there, and he could thereby recruit thousands
for a Holy war against the West. His insane justifications are
propelled by radical fundamentalist beliefs, yet he is intimately
acquainted with American customs, and is just as angry with Saudi
royals as with us for defending the Jewish people. For the full story
of Osama, listen to "The Bin Ladens" by the Pulitzer Prize winning
biographer Steve Coll, (also narrated by Erik Singer.) But for a broad
overview in an abridged version, you can't beat Spurlock's more
entertaining summation. (Random House Audio; 6 hours abridged) |
BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
April
2008 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 There
are few, if any, current actors as famous as Thomas C. Mapother IV,
the short and seemingly unremarkable youth whose hidden talent lay
dormant in his cocky bravado until his first agent shortened his name
to Tom Cruise. The fascinating story of the rise of this middle class
boy with an iconic smile to one of the most powerful players in
Hollywood is detailed in TOM CRUISE: AN UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY by
Andrew Morton. It's all here, from Tom's family roots in Ireland to
his being picked-on by romantic rivals in high school, and from his
"bizarre" jumping-the-couch scene on Oprah to his being lured by
then-desperate cult leaders eager to capitalize on his celebrity.
Estranged from his stern father, while doting on his mother, Tom was
something of an enigma to his many girlfriends and wives, and remains
so to this day. Known for his obsessive focus on career and image,
Cruise sought both creative and personal control whenever possible,
which was why it seemed so shocking to see him display emotion on
Oprah. (The actual event itself seems mild when viewed now on YouTube,
since any fan in the audience at the time clearly seems more excited
simply by his being there.) As narrated by John Hinch, the audio
version maintains interest with just the right mix of anecdotes to
embellish the timeline, and a not overly colorful or austere reading.
You may not learn much new about Cruise the man, if you're a die-hard
fan, but the objectivity of the author, who also did books on Princess
Diana and Monica Lewinsky, is evident throughout. (MacMillan Audio
download from Audible.com; 6 hours unabridged)
Next, actor John Rubinstein's long association with clinical
psychologist turned mystery novelist Jonathan Kellerman continues in
COMPULSION, a thriller featuring (appropriately enough) psychologist
Alex Delaware, along with his own LAPD associate and sidekick, Milo
Sturgis. On this outing the pair hunt a serial killer whose M.O.
includes stealing luxury sedans in upscale L.A. for murders in the
city's seedier suburbs. Ultimately, their manhunt moves from the
brokers and hookers of the City of Angels to the even more colorful
denizens of the Big Apple, propelled by Rubinstein's intricately honed
talent for creating realistic dialogue. Of course Kellerman supplies
the obsessively detailed text for this, but it is their paring that
gives the listener an almost real-time experience as the investigation
proceeds. (Better than the TV series 24 because one must exercise the
imagination, too.) On a cultural level, it may be revealing to note
that you also learn as much or more about L.A. society as you do about
things like crime scene procedures, psycho-pathology, or the habits of
compulsive killers. And speaking of associations, it may also be who
you know that counts in another sense, too, even if we dismiss the
question of whether Dr. Kellerman actually assists the other novelists
in his household--wife Faye and son Jesse. (Random House Audio; 10
hours unabridged)
Next, British author Sophie Kinsella is best known for her Shopaholic
series, and this time delivers a modern fairy tale with rather stock
characters and a predictable twist. Still, REMEMBER ME? is fun at
times, as listeners can't help but empathize with "Lexi Smart" through
her ordeal and attempts to cope. No, she's not dying. Her dilemma is
that, upon being struck on the head during a car crash, she's lost her
short term memory. So when she wakes up in the hospital, all Lexi
remembers is being a twenty-five year old working girl, and not a
wealthy woman with perfect teeth, a millionaire husband, and a
glamourous job. Three years from her life are missing. Desperate to
remember something about the schemes that seem to be developing around
her, Lexi is determined to become "who she seems to be." In an ironic
way, this may also be the dilemma of the listener, in identifying what
they want from escapist entertainment. "To escape, of course, you
ninny," Lexi might say. Narrator Charlotte Parry nails the character,
in a contrived and formulaic story that does benefit from a spot-on
performance. (Random House Audio; 6 hours abridged)
Of course George Lucas is one savvy storyteller, not only because he
licenses his blockbuster concept to certain other selected authors,
(who breathe new life into what would otherwise be a dying franchise),
but because he maintains effective quality control over all
productions, even through distributors. So the performance copyright
for STAR WARS REVELATION: Legacy of the Force, while it may be
distributed by the largest publisher on Lucas's home world (Earth), is
held instead by LucasFilm Ltd.. Which also explains the sound effects
present throughout, since few audiobook producers have the time to add
such effects and music. This latest production seems designed for
radio, and is written by British author Karen Traviss (who penned five
previous Star Wars related novels), and features the son of Hans Solo
as a Sith Lord named Jacen, while Luke Skywalker's nephew Ben heads an
alliance against the dark side. Ben must risk everything to find out
if Jacen killed his mother Mara, while Jacen's sister Jaina seeks to
learn the dangerous skills of Boba Fett in order to bring her brother
back to the fold. Sound familiar? Naturally there's swordplay and
hanger deck assaults to keep the storyline moving. Most notable,
though, is narrator Marc Thompson, whose versatile voiceovers can also
be heard in many commercials and cartoons. (Random House Audio; 6
hours abridged)
Finally, do you remember the movie Dead Poets Society? The new
audiobook ENGLISH MAJORS might attract a similar audience, as well as
those who love slapstick and a quirky stage show. Included on the two
disks taken from A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION are "the Six Minute Hamlet,"
tributes to Hawthorne, Kerouac & Emily Dickinson, and a "Guy Noir"
investigation of an MFA scam. Contributing to the skits are Dave
Barry, Calvin Trillin, Meryl Streep, Allen Ginsberg, Billy Collins,
Donald Hall, Roy Blount Jr., and the master himself in the final
piece, which was recorded at the University Concert Hall in Limerick,
Ireland. Garrison Keillor is, of course, best when he's just talking
to the audience, describing his life and the residents of that most
quirky of all towns, Lake Wobegon, Minnesota. What follows is my email
interview with him. (Highbridge Audio; 2 1/2 hours unabridged)
Jonathan Lowe: You have an association with Minnesota Public Radio and
with Highbridge Audio, and you often tour the country with your radio
show, besides teaching at the University of Minnesota. What gives you
most satisfaction--writing, performing, or teaching?
Garrison Keillor: I don't associate work with feelings of
satisfaction. Rather, guilt, frustration, and resentment of people who
write better than I do. Writing is the main gig around here, and
teaching and performing are sidelines, an excuse for not writing more.
Working on a novel and on an opera make me seriously want to retire
and find a volunteer job as a docent at the zoo explaining to
schoolchildren where frogs go in the winter.
Lowe: What inspired you to begin this journey? Who influenced you?
Keillor: I was inspired by the need, as an English major, to earn a
living in the world and to pay the rent and purchase coffee and cheese
danish. I spent most of the 60s in college, imagining I was brilliant,
and then, in 1969, my son was born and I had to find work that someone
would be willing to pay me to do, and the choices were limited in the
extreme. Fortunately, I caught on as a DeeJay in public radio and I've
clung to this raft ever since. My last job interview was in 1969. I
will never write another resume. This is my earnest prayer.
Lowe: In your novel Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 you mention a lady who
hypnotizes chickens before chopping their heads off. Then there's the
Doo Dads singing "My Girl" while while repressed 14 year old Gary
tries to both indulge and conquer his adolescent urges. With all the
description and depiction going on, your town of Lake Wobegon really
comes to life, and has people asking you if the place really exists.
Do you see that question as a compliment or a nuisance?
Keillor: Nothing that readers say or do strikes me as a nuisance.
Anyone who cracks open a book of mine is, to me, a gem. And I am
impressed that you know about the chicken hypnotizer and the Doo Dads
and the boy's adolescent urges. Most interviewers don't have time to
read my books. They ask questions like "What's your favorite TV show?"
or "What's it like to be your age and know that the twilight years are
near?" As for Lake Wobegon, it's a real place, so the question is
easily answered.
Lowe: You live in St. Paul, in the land of 10,000 oft-frozen lakes. I
was born there, but haven't been back since age six. How has the area
changed, and is the longing for simplicity and family values more
alive there than elsewhere?
Keillor: In the time since you left, son, Minnesota hasn't changed all
that much, except the Twins won the World Series twice, and we elected
an irate oaf for a governor, and a lot of farms have been lost to
housing developments with names like Woodlawn and Riverwood and
Floodcrest. I don't detect a longing for simplicity so much as a
longing for a 28 hour day. People are ferociously busy, and it's taken
a toll on all the leisurely arts, such as friendship and humor and
good samaritanship. There isn't time for it. As for family values,
they are whatever they are--some families are tight, others are blown
away like dandelion puffs. A main value in Minnesota is still: don't
waste my time, don't B.S. me, I wasn't born yesterday.
Lowe: What is audience reaction to your shows and signings? Any
anecdotes to share?
Keillor: I did a reading in Seattle at which a little girl in the
front row fell sound asleep. She slept for more than an hour. It was
sweet. I seem to have a God given ability there. Some people in the
room were hooting and slapping their knees, and she simply leaned her
head against the fat lady next to her and dozed off. It's good to be
useful. A boy wrote me once to say that he loved it when the news from
Lake Wobegon came on the radio because it meant that his parents
stopped arguing. That was an eye-opener for me. You work hard to
polish your act and then you find out that it does people good in ways
you couldn't predict. The audience is invisible and that's good.
Somewhere my voice is drifting through a swine barn and the sound of
it seems to perk up the sows' appetite. Or a lady is listening on
headphones as she jogs along a beach, running to my cadence. Or a dog
sits in front of the radio, head cocked, and the sibilants excite him
in some mysterious way. A dog's humorist, that's me.
Lowe: Your guests are an eclectic mix of musicians and storytellers.
Who are you most proud of having had on the show, and who do you wish
would appear or come back?
Keillor: Chet Atkins was a classy act. Nobody like him. The man never
had a bad night. And Willie Nelson. A great musician, very underrated.
Bogan, Martin, and Armstrong were great, an old black string band from
Knoxville. And Emmylou Harris and Gilliian Welch and the Fairfield
Four. And the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. When they left, at the
intermission, the hall was suddenly half empty. I wish Willie would
come back, but then I also wish I were 36, so what can you do?
Lowe: On the show you also have comedy radio drama skits and fake
commercials. Are those items advertised ever real?
Keillor: They're all real, actually. Bertha's Kitty Boutique, and the
American Duct Tape Council, and Bebopareebop Rhubarb pie, and
Powdermilk Biscuits. And if you'd like to buy a few shares of stock,
see me.
Lowe: What does Garrison Keillor do during off hours, if there is such
a thing as off hours for you?
Keillor: Sleeps, cooks, reads, plays with the kid, goes to movies,
shovels snow, sits and yaks with friends. I'm a lucky guy. I get to
sit around every day and indulge in make believe and get paid for it.
Lowe: What's next for you?
Keillor: A show on Saturday. Look forward to it.
(These audiobooks may be rented from AudioAdventures.com. Jonathan
Lowe's author website is JustSayNoWay.com) |
BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
March 2008 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 Has the world gone
mad? It would seem so, says Eckhart Tolle in his book A NEW EARTH,
which describes this collective madness as enslavement by the ego's
obsessive thought patterns. What's the ego? According to Tolle, it's
who you THINK you are--a substitute identity for who you really are.
The ego is at the core of what's wrong with the world because it's
such a pervasive delusion. So people who brag and scheme, who obsess
over status, who tailgate you and worry about keeping up with the
Joneses. . . these people are enslaved by their "egoic mind," says
Tolle in this Oprah pick, and are not happy campers. Not only are they
not happy, they don't want anyone else to be happy either. (Misery
loves company, after all.) What's the alternative to being judgmental,
vain, impatient, competitive and/or ruthless? Well, apparently for
some it's to acquire a collective group identity---a political party,
a sports team, a cult. An "us versus them" mentality which then
replaces the lonely and terrified "I" that fears inevitable loss. .
.or rather the ego that demands to be perceived as right. To find
one's true identity, however, explains Tolle, a person needs to slow
down and realize that the future is only a concept, and never a
reality. So being conscious of the present moment as one's only true
possession is key. Such an awareness also dissolves the past,
substituting a sense of joy and "being" for the more typical regret,
angst, and anxiety. Read by the author, the audiobook version
resonates with many of these seemingly simple yet profound truths,
evident to the listener in Eckhart's own narrative tone--never
preachy, never soapbox maudlin, and most of all never accepting of
"The Secret" mindset espoused by other self help gurus who've gotten
rich by holding up material wealth (rather than mental & spiritual
health) as the ultimate goal. As such, it's a worthy followup to
Tolle's masterpiece "The Power of Now." (Penguin Audio or Audible.com
download; 9 hours unabridged)
Next, a classic murder mystery with an appeal to anyone, but
particularly to students assigned a book report, is CRIME AND
PUNISHMENT by Fyodor Dostoevsky, given a new reading by actor Anthony
Heald for Blackstone. Originally published in 1866, this masterpiece
explores the tortures that conscience imposes on a Russian citizen who
murders a despicable pawnbroker. Trapped by his own mind, Raskolnikov
narrates his disordered psychological descent into darkness with a
fevered intensity, and who better to act out his story than Heald, a
Tony and Obie award winner who also had a role in Silence of the
Lambs. Heald is relatively new to the audiobook scene, but is a
commanding presence, able to acquire a character's unique voice with
subtle ease, especially those whose complex emotions make for a
compelling and nuanced interpretation. As book report material, the
novel is often required reading, but as an audiobook performance, let
us now assign it as required listening. (Blackstone Audio; 20 hours on
Mp3 disk format)
Finally, David Baldacci has sold 50 million copies of his novels in 35
languages and in 85 countries. These include Absolute Power, Total
Control, The Winner, The Simple Truth, Saving Faith, Wish You Well,
The Christmas Train, Split Second, The Camel Club, Simple Genius, and
STONE COLD, his new "Camel Club" novel featuring a character named
Oliver Stone--a former CIA assassin who tries to protect a con artist
being hunted by the casino don she conned out of millions, and who
killed her mother. Narrated by Ron McLarty for Hachette Audio, the
audiobook has garnered praise as a twisting plot romp among various
shadow agencies and governments. David's next novel, due out next
month, is "The Whole Truth," and I spoke to him via phone about his
writing, audiobooks in general, and McLarty in particular.
JONATHAN LOWE: Mystery writer Dennis LeHane said that he starts with
characters, sets them in conflict, and lets them work out the plot. Do
you start with an outline, yourself, and if so, which comes first--the
characters or the action?
DAVID BALDACCI: I've done it both ways. Had some novels where I've
started with characters, and built the plot around them. Other times
I've come up with an interesting plot, and constructed characters to
inhabit that story. That said, you can have a great plot, but if the
characters are cardboard, and the reader doesn't care what happens to
them, even the greatest plot in the world won't hold their attention.
LOWE: How much of the writing is discovery for you, then, and do you
know the ending when you begin?
BALDACCI: I hardly ever know the ending when I begin. I'm not smart
enough to know everything that's going to happen. Some writers have
very elaborate outlines, and they don't deviate from that. It's an
evolutionary process for me. As I research a subject, new subplots and
ideas occur to me. I may not know what characters are capable of in
the first hundred pages, and so this dictates future action.
LOWE: I know what you mean, although I also know some writers who
start with the ending and work backward, not knowing how they're going
to get there. It's more fun not knowing, in any case, isn't it?
BALDACCI: Oh, it is. I mean, I don't want to sit down and say, 'okay,
today I'm going to be writing section two, subparagraph nine...'
(Laughs)
LOWE: I've read once that you like trains, and you wrote "The
Christmas Train." What trips have you taken on trains, and what
inspired that book, specifically?
BALDACCI: Well, I took a trip across the country which was documented
in that book in a fictional sense. The Capitol Limited, Washington to
Chicago, then to L.A. on the Southwest Chief. You know, I grew up
reading the Sherlock Holmes, the Hercule Poirots, the Jane Marples of
the world, and they used trains and seemed mysterious and also
enlightening. It's a great place to people watch. I've also taken
trains in Europe, across Italy, France, Germany. . . Most of the time
I have to fly just because of the demands of time, but love taking
trains, and I've written so much on trains, just sitting in your
compartment, the lights flashing by, the darkness outside. It's the
perfect atmosphere to write.
LOWE: I wonder if you've read "Strangers on a Train" by Patricia
Highsmith, and what other writers have influenced you.
BALDACCI: I actually enjoy Patricia Highsmith's work. She is quite
dark and compelling, and also unpredictable. That type of genre
appeals to me. I like mysteries that break outside the normal rules.
Other writers, John Irving, Anne Tyler, Eudora Welty, Flannery
O'Connor, John Updike. Updike deals with many generations of people,
as does Irving. Any writer can be influential, depending on what
you're reading them for.
LOWE: How are the movie and TV projects coming along?
BALDACCI: "Absolute Power" as a movie did very well. A couple other
books have been in development too. But it's tough, you've got seventy
different factors out there competing.
LOWE: Screenwriting is very different from novel writing, isn't it?
BALDACCI: It is. Different questions are asked, and there's a
different discipline involved. I've sold a number of screenplays, none
produced yet, but I worked with producers at studios, where everybody
has input, you know, depending on what day it is, and what angle they
want you to take. And so you have to know your marks. I've sat in
offices with six people on the other side, just firing questions. And
it helped me, in a way, because it made me think out things a little
better. In a script, if you don't think things out, at some point they
start asking questions, and it becomes a long afternoon.
LOWE: Do you listen to your audiobooks, and what do you think of the
medium?
BALDACCI: I do, and it's an exploding medium. It's amazing, the number
of audiobooks that are sold now. For example, I've gone to Cracker
Barrel, and seen the displays there, and I think it's a great
value-added thing for customers, because more and more people these
days are popping them in their cars while commuting. People don't want
to carry books around, and would rather listen to them while they're
doing something else.
LOWE: Plus they don't have time.
BALDACCI: Right, they really don't have time to sit down with a book,
but if they can do something else too, that's a great thing. Just
looking at the numbers of my books, it's extraordinary the increases
over the years. I enjoy them. I remember first listening to Ron
McLarty reading "Last Man Standing," actually while on a train, and
he's like this diminutive Irish character actor you see all the time,
but when he did the voice of this big villain, I couldn't believe it.
It was like the guy was right in the train with me! I wrote him a
letter, and said, "my God, you just nailed that character!" He did
that voice so effectively.
LOWE: Some of his female characters are just uncanny, too. You start
to wonder. . . there's gotta be somebody else in the studio. . . some
woman there doing this!
BALDACCI: (Laughs) I know, it's talent. I certainly can't do it.
LOWE: Literacy is one of your charities. I'm wondering how much TV you
let your kids watch, and how parents can get their kids to read more.
BALDACCI: Our kids don't watch much TV. We're very strict about that.
No video games in our house, just a computer where we let them go to
specific sites while we're there. We read to each other instead, and
make it a family affair, even making up stories sometimes. Often we'll
read a story, come to the end, and I'll close the book and say, 'what
did you think of that ending?' Then we'll discuss alternative endings,
and why an author did it the way he or she did. Kids want to be
creative, use their imaginations.
LOWE: And if you're just watching TV, everything is given to you, so
you can't picture things in your own mind.
BALDACCI: Right, it's totally passive. I gave my daughter a journal,
and told her she could write anything she wanted in there, drawings
included. And if she wants to show me anything, we'll discuss it. Our
kids are outside playing, too, coming up with things on their own, as
opposed to just clicking on a Game Boy. And what we're doing is paying
off. Our kids are bright, imaginative, they play well, and come up
with interesting stuff. I'm convinced it's because they don't sit in
front of the television.
(These audiobooks may be rented from AudioAdventures.com. Jonathan
Lowe's author website is JustSayNoWay.com) |
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