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Audiobooks for Postal Employees! |
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Archives: April 2007 - August 2007 [Audiobooks
Home] |
BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
August 2007 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 Whether novel or novella, English author Ian McEwan's latest,
ON CHESIL BEACH, is an emotional exploration of the disparate
experiences of two young people--and the evolution of one--centering
on their lack of experience in matters of sex. The couple in the
white hot spotlight are Edward Mayhew and Florence Ponting, who marry
in their twenties in 1962, then attempt to consummate their love in a
honeymoon suite on the Dorset Coast. Edward is a history student
with a growing love of rock music, while Florence loves classical
music, as the daughter of an Oxford philosophy professor. If she is
serious and sensitive, he is impatient and naively expectant. So
when their painfully embarrassing first union fails on all levels,
she runs out onto the beach to be alone, and--unfortunately--he
follows. Because when accusations are traded, they part. This
forces Edward to push past the unspeakable to the ultimate question
that later haunts him: had he given her space, might time have
healed their pain, and mended their relationship for a second
chance? Since "there was no language to say what needed to be said,"
Edward goes on alone, later wondering what might have been, had he
possessed patience as well as love. A wistful yet profound book, ON
CHESIL BEACH is all the more attractive in its audio version, since
the author himself dramatizes the book's fears and emotions as its
capable narrator. Able to be listened to in one sitting, the
audiobook also includes a surprising interview with McEwan at the
end, and what's best about this is that Ian's interviewer doesn't ask
him how he works, but rather engages him in a probing discussion of
how universally frightening real intimacy can be, even today. In
this way, we learn more about the author than had the questions been
limited to writing habits, book deals, and other celebrity trivia.
Which is exactly the point of McEwan's writing--to get under the
surface to the truth, however uncomfortable the act may be. (Random
House Audio; 4 hours unabridged)
In BANGKOK HAUNTS, author John Burdett explores the more heartless
and empty world of pornography and corruption in Thailand, as his
Royal Thai detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep investigates the murder of
a woman he once loved. His girlfriend Damrong was killed in a snuff
film made available for sale, which naturally motivates him to enter
the dangerous, exotic world of street gangs and shady men's clubs to
expose those who profit from other people's misery. The pervasive
acceptance of exploitation is most disturbing for Sonchai as his own
boss becomes involved, to boot. As read by Glen McCready, Burdett's
novel succeeds in illuminating how Bangkok became a tourist
destination for perverts, too, although in real life there have been
laws implemented in recent years to discourage the practice. Given
the societal commentary such a plot undertakes, it's superior to
simple serial killer plots set in America, although perhaps our lone,
home-grown killers also say something about the estrangement of our
own violent, competition-obsessed society as well. (Recorded Books;
12 3/4 hours unabridged)
Clive Cussler's thirty-fourth book, THE NAVIGATOR, is his seventh
collaboration with Paul Kemprecos, and again utilizes the National
Underwater & Marine Agency's "Special Assignments Team." When an
ancient Phoenician statue was stolen from a Baghdad museum in 900
BCE, the secret it carried from the past reach into the future of the
present day to inspire murderous lust. Victims of the men seeking
the statue soon include a crooked antiques dealer, and--very nearly--
a UN investigator. With ties to the lost treasure of King Solomon,
plus documents encoded by president Thomas Jefferson, the mystery
follows a well-worn formula of surprise, deceit, action and
intrigue. Narrator here is actor Richard Ferrone, whose gravelly
voice is well known in mystery productions, primarily for Recorded
Books, and he acquits his duties well. As for the writing, it is not
without cliches and some painfully overwrought metaphors, but fans
will forgive almost any transgressions to keep both the Kurt Austin
and the Dirk Pitt series from ending. (Penguin Audio; 6 hours abridged)
According to author Travis Bradberry in THE PERSONALITY CODE, there
just fourteen fundamental personality types. His research is based
on a global study of half a million people, showing that these
fourteen types result from an intermingling of only four major
traits--Dominant, Interpersonal, Steady, and Conscientious. Knowing
which type you are, and how your type typically interacts with other
types, can supposedly help you decipher your reactions to other
people, and their reactions to you. You find out which type you are
by taking an online test, using the code supplied inside the cover of
the audiobook. Sound too easy to be true? I took the test, which
calculated my type as "Architect." Looking at descriptions of the
fourteen, I could see that it was mostly true, although I probably
wouldn't have guessed it for myself. Perhaps this means I don't know
myself as much as I should? That's certainly the book's major
claim: that self awareness is the key to success in all areas of
life, and that few people truly know who they are. Since types
change little over a lifetime, I'm also told I now have a tool to
understand conflict, within and without. Narrated by Lloyd James, it
all sounds convincing, even if the waters seem, at times, a bit
muddy. (Tantor Media; 4 hours unabridged)
Finally, narrators are obviously story tellers, but there are other
professional story tellers whose stories have more to do with fables
and anecdotes than actual books. Joel ben Izzy is one such person,
and his own true story is told in THE BEGGAR KING AND THE SECRET OF
HAPPINESS, which is about the loss of his voice, and how it changed
his perspective and led him to an understanding of happiness and true
success. Along the way, Izzy uses the timeless wisdom of ancient
tales to illustrate his points. Beggars, kings, monks, tigers,
buried treasures--they all serve as fuel to warm the heart of this
small but powerful volume, which is essentially about unexpected
truth. The book is narrated by the author, whose gentle and
sensitive reading make it an excellent gift for Christmas or
Birthdays. (Highbridge Audio; 4 1/2 hours unabridged)
(These audiobooks may be rented at Audio Adventures by calling
1-800-551-6692, or by visiting AudioAdventures.com.)
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BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
July 2007 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 In the classic SF story "A Boy and His Dog" author Harlan Ellison
postulated a post apocalyptic world in which a young man wanders
through a devastated urban landscape with an intelligent dog. The
story was an award winner, made into a less than successful film. On
the same theme, now, comes
THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy, who is past
winner of the National Book Award, and here garners more adulation
than any of his previous books. The plot is threadbare, as not much
happens to "the man" and "the boy," as they are called. Not only
don't we really know who these characters are, but we don't know what
has happened to them, or where they are going. Perhaps it's nuclear
winter, because the world is definitely dying. On the road to the
sea in futile hope of survival, they move through a blasted landscape
where not even birds fly anymore. In fact, their relationship is all
they have left, other than some blankets and a shopping cart. By
focusing on this relationship, though, and by making these two
characters representative of us all, McCarthy saves the story from
collapse with allegory, revealing that the universal will to survive
can ennoble the human heart, which needs love and hope even in the
face of annihilation. Narrator Tom Stechschulte is a rare breed of
actor whose ability to seamlessly simulate reality is unsurpassed.
Disappearing behind the text, Stechschulte adds authenticity with a
natural rhythm and empathetic tone. (Recorded Books; 6 3/4 hours
unabridged)
In PLAY DEAD by David Rosenfelt a rich lawyer named Andy Carpenter
didn't get rich by practicing law, but rather by winning the lotto.
So he doesn't need to pay his bills with high profile corporate
cases. Since he has an affection for golden retrievers, when he
finds one in danger he's on the case. The dog shouldn't be alive,
because it had to swim so far to shore, and yet there it is, at the
pound, awaiting doggie "execution." Soon the dog is key witness in a
crime, but can the judge take canine testimony seriously?
Essentially a murder trial story, the novel is also unusual for its
witty self deprecation, and is penned by the author of an even more
amusing tale, "Bury the Lead." Narrator Grover Gardner is the ideal
voice to interpret these offbeat characters, with a pitch perfect
rendition that's eccentric and rough around the edges when it needs
to be, and most pleasant, rich, and intriguing when it doesn't.
(Listen & Live Audio; 8 hours unabridged)
What is the true secret of happiness? Can it be achieved by being a
rat racer, scurrying to gather as many nuts as possible? Quite
simply, no, according to Tal Ben-Shahar, author of HAPPIER, and the
lecturer behind Harvard University's most popular course, "How to Be
Happy." Being happy is more about psychology than achievement, so
you don't need a big job promotion, a new love life, or even a book
telling you how to change your luck. Being happy is about being
alive in the present, not just living for the future. So a more
important currency than money is the currency of joy, earned through
friendship, honesty, trust, experience, and some simple exercises
that the author outlines with the help of straightforward and helpful
reader Jeff Woodman. Simple enough, but only if one manages to dodge
the brainwashing of a mass media urgently selling substitutions for
happiness in the form of mass marketed consumer products.
(Highbridge Audio; 4 1/2 hours abridged)
Cambridge professor Rebecca Stott's debut novel is GHOSTWALK, about
the mysterious drowning death of a Cambridge University scholar right
before the completion of her biography of Isaac Newton. The dead
woman's son recruits his former lover to complete the controversial
book, which results in the investigation of two separate murders
sprees. The point of view moves between 17th century Cambridge,
where Newton was hindered in his studies, to present day Cambridge,
where an animal rights group is involved. Lydia Brooke's work is
guided by a ghost from Newton's time, who advises her that the role
of Newton's alchemy involved supernatural forces. To this day it's a
mystery what Newton was really up to with his dabbling in alchemy,
and Stott offers up her own postulation here, in this entertaining
and descriptive debut. Reader Susan Duerden can be cited for
maintaining interest throughout the romantic cross genre mystery with
an engaging yet sensitive performance that presumes more than just
acquaintance with both the characters participating and the audience
listening. (Random House Audio; 6 hours abridged)
Finally, SF writer Philip K. Dick was known for his short stories,
primarily. A surprising number of them have become the inspiration
for movies, like "Blade Runner," "Total Recall," and "Minority
Report. " In MARTIAN TIME SLIP and THE GOLDEN MAN, two novellas on
the theme of what it means to be human are narrated by Grover
Gardner. In the first, a mentally "ill" boy just might hold the key
to the future, and a real estate scam on Mars serves as a means to
reveal the truth, along with a murder. The second tale inspired the
recent movie "Next," and employs the cliché so often used by comic
book writers, postulating a post-holocaust America populated by
mutants. Dick elevates the story by introducing one of the mutants
as a mute yet perfect young man, whose very perfection (rather than
his hideous deformities) make him a target for destruction by
government agencies. The irony is that this so-called "mutant" may
actually be the next step in evolution for mankind, superior in
strength and beauty, but more importantly devoid of the egotistical
passions we currently possess, or the fears that inspire envy and
revenge. Gardner narrated the first story almost ten years ago, and
the second this year, adding to his total career number of over 550
titles narrated. (Blackstone Audio; 9 1/2 hours unabridged)
(These audiobooks may be rented at Audio Adventures by calling
1-800-551-6692, or by visiting AudioAdventures.com)
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BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
June 2007 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 We all do it. After all, it's so easy to do. Just type out a letter
or message, and two seconds later hit the "Send" button. Was it a
mistake? Quite possibly, according to David Shipley and Will
Schwalbe, authors of
SEND: The Essential Guide to Email for Office
and Home. For in sending an electronic letter, which you didn't have
to print and fold and insert and stamp--and then take to a mailbox--
there wasn't time to reconsider your email's wording or necessity or
possible effect. And then there's the punctuation to consider, and
the innate tendency for an email's tone to be misconstrued. And what
are the legal ramifications, since emails can now be introduced into
court as evidence, as happened with Enron? Should you cc or bcc
someone, or not? What happens if you attach a file to an email
without asking permission first, and your recipient needs to get to a
vital email just past yours in a hurry? How are your blunders and
intrusions likely to predispose a client toward you, in such a case?
People have been fired for sending emails to fellow office workers.
People have been jailed over emails. But after listening to this
sometimes amusing audiobook, read by the authors (who switch back and
forth to preserve pacing and clarity) , you will definitely think
twice before hitting the Send button, and that alone is worth the
price of admission. In the meantime, they suggest picking up a pen
or a telephone instead, which is sometimes the better choice anyway.
(Random House Audio--2 hours abridged)
What is the definition of a pirate? You might be surprised, after
hearing EMPIRE OF BLUE WATER by Stephan Talty. It's the true story
of Henry Morgan, a Welshman who attacked a major Spanish port in the
Caribbean in a decisive battle for the New World in the late 17th
Century, and delivered a shocking result. The complex relationships
revealed about this age of empire and exploration, together with the
world views expressed by those in England and Spain, make the book
interesting in itself. Add some bizarre characters, given life by
narrator and actor John H. Mayer, and you have a fascinating tale of
hard times set on the briny sea, where subterfuge and bold cunning
matter just as much, if not more, than cannon shot. The fact that
Morgan did not consider himself to be a wild man or pirate, but
rather a faithful servant to the Crown, bears its own irony, too, and
enables him to transcend the cliched image of the pirate perpetuated
by Hollywood. As real life usually does. (Random House Audio--6 1/2
hours abridged)
In THE CANON author Natalie Angier presents "A whirligig tour of the
beautiful basics of science." Starting with an in depth examination
of what science is--and is not--she describes the scientific method,
including some definitions of terms. For instance, the word "theory"
as used by scientists is quite different than the same word used by
laymen. A "theory" is more like an established, proven fact, whether
it be the "theory of evolution" or the "theory of gravity." What
follows is an overview of physics, biology, chemistry, geology, and
astronomy. Having interviewed hundreds of scientists over the course
of her career as a science writer, Angier is also conscious of her
audience enough to know that a straightforward presentation of so
many facts is likely to daze as much as dazzle. So she adds a
plethora of witticisms and metaphors to illustrate the concepts, with
an ear for word play and irony. What exactly is electricity or stem
cell research or gravity? One needs only enough curiosity to look
beyond the sports page to this book for the fascinating answers.
Narrator and actress Nike Doukas deserves no small credit, as well,
for enlivening the engaging text with her own amiable personality,
standing in for the author with her gift for inspiring enthusiasm.
(Highbridge Audio--13 hours unabridged)
THE SECRET is a curious bestseller. Mostly hype without substance,
it began as a website, much like "Blair Witch Project," and claims to
reveal the great secret of wealth and fulfillment, employed by
geniuses throughout the ages. What is this incredible secret? Think
about what you want, and it will be attracted to you. Author Rhonda
Byrne narrates, along with a host of motivational speakers, and even
a wacky quantum physicist who has signed on to the idea that there's
something mystical going on here. We are all like massive radio
towers, Byrne says, broadcasting our thoughts to the universe, which
senses the vibrational energy emitted, and responds accordingly.
Aided by endless commentary of the "I agree, I agree" sort, the few
points made by the book are repeated like indoctrination, while a
moody yet beatific sound track lends it all the air of revelation.
Want a Hummer or a private jet? That could be in your future, too,
if you concentrate hard enough on it. Never mind global warming, or
whether you SHOULD want more and more. Never mind the Biblical
admonition that the love of money is the root of all evil, either, or
any Eastern values concerned with accepting what is. Byrne, the Anti-
Christ of popcorn psychology, would have you focus your thoughts on
riches instead of seeking one's identity beyond thoughts--the
traditional goal of meditation. This is why she picked people like
Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup books, instead of Eckhart
Tolle or Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche as one of her "seers." While it is
true that one's thoughts influence one's direction or destiny, it is
also true that thoughts are fleeting, obsessive, compulsive vapors of
the mind, and shouldn't be believed without question. The secret to
happiness is therefore not in acquiring and possessing as many
symbols of wealth as possible via thought control, but in realizing
that once you are no longer a prisoner of your thoughts--or others--
you will not need those things in the first place. (Simon & Schuster
Audio/4 hours unabridged)
Finally, there is the TWINKIE, DECONSTRUCTED. Author Steve Ettlinger
is aided by the personable voice of actor Mark Lund in this ear-
opening road trip through the ingredient label of the iconic snack
cake. Who knew that it would take six hours to describe how all
these ingredients are mined, processed, and packaged? Due to
Homeland Security, access to some of the chemical plants that create
these additives is limited, but the author has done his research, and
so takes the listener on a mind boggling tour of where emulsifiers
like polysorbate 60 come from, how they are manufactured, and what
other uses the common ingredients of processed baked goods have in
products as diverse as paint or herbicides. Does it scare you to
learn that it is more likely, when you bite into a creamy filling,
that you're eating a former petroleum byproduct than you are eggs?
Surprisingly, the author doesn't worry much about it. It is not his
purpose to denigrate the food industry for focusing on taste,
appearance, and shelf life as the Holy Trinity of profit. Rather, he
cites FDA approval and industry cooperation in neglecting to name
names "out of courtesy." So the book is not an exposé so much as a
layout of the complex and sometimes secretive processes by which
dyes, fillers, emulsifiers, and preservatives are produced in huge
vats, and then subjected to high heat, acids, atomizations,
extrusions, and a hundred other transformations before being added to
foods that are cleverly packaged, shipped--and may wait in storage
for months before being consumed. Crack an egg and try to do that.
(Listen & Live Audio--6 hours unabridged)
(These audiobooks may be rented at Audio Adventures by calling
1-800-551-6692. Be sure to ask for FAME ISLAND, a satirical
adventure about a Powerball winner who disappears right after picking
up his check because he intends to be famous for more than just 15
minutes.)
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BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
May 2007 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 If you want to see what it's like for an award winning literary
novelist to cross over into the mystery genre, give
CHRISTINE FALLS a
listen. Author Benjamin Black is actually Englishman John Banville,
whose 2005 novel "The Sea" won the Man Booker Prize. Banville, here
writing under a pseudonym, has conjured up a Dublin pathologist named
Garret Quirke, who follows Christine's corpse into Catholic high
society, where a conspiracy lurks. The novel floats atop an ocean of
psychological tension, and is replete with the same finely detailed
observations that eddied through "The Sea." One can only speculate
why the genre change for Banville, but even without former James Bond
actor Timothy Dalton at the helm as narrator, there would still be
enough authority and believability here to propel any lifeboat to
shore. Suffice it to say that the pacing, tone and accent are
unerringly on track under Dalton's careful guidance, since, being the
most serious of Bond actors, Dalton is, after all, a classical
trained Shakespearean actor who also appeared in "Wuthering Heights"
and "The Lion in Winter." As for the novel itself, it is
conventional in structure and yet as quirky as real life--or the name
of its protagonist. Combine great writing with strong narration, and
this production emerges like a pearl of originality surfacing from an
abyss of murky banality, revealing a whole that is more than the sum
of its parts. (Audio Renaissance--9 1/2 hours unabridged)
Next, and more traditional in development and convention, is another
mystery set within the Catholic church: GOD'S SPY by Juan Gomez-
Jurado. Here, a serial killer has been targeting cardinals and
priests. When some of them turn up not only dead but tortured, a
police inspector gets help from an American priest and former Army
intelligence officer who is examining sexual abuse within the
church. Not without irony, the two men are led to suspect someone
within the Vatican is protecting the killer. Narrated by the
wonderful Kate Reading, whose accolades are legion, the novel moves
with compelling purpose from the lives of its principal characters--
which come to life in Reading's sympathetic rendering--into that
shadowy world behind the lofty hallowed walls of Rome. An
international bestseller, the novel will appeal to murder mystery
fans of all types. (Penguin Audio--10 1/2 hours unabridged)
Finally, if, as a publisher, you're going to pick a narrator for your
next major biography, you could hardly choose better than actor
Edward Herrmann. Here is a narrator whose gentle authority and gift
of disappearing behind the fluidity of a timeline entrance the
listener to the same degree that a Grover Gardner or a Will Patton
enliven a regional fictional tale by the sheer bravura of precisely
realized dialog, or by the understated charm of a carefully lilting
exposition. Given the subject of Walter Isaacson's new biography--
even though his last was "Benjamin Franklin"--you also need
Herrmann's steady, unpretentious tutelage to guide your listeners
into the secrets revealed in EINSTEIN: HIS LIFE AND UNIVERSE. After
all, this subject was not merely Man of the Year, or even Man of the
Decade, but was awarded Man of the Century by Time Magazine, due
largely to two astonishing papers that forever changed our concepts
of time, energy, motion, and gravity. A rare genius, able not only
to visualize complex mathematical relationships in his mind, but to
express them as easily understood thought problems, Einstein is here
revealed, perhaps for the first time, as a complete person, both
scientifically and personally, through both his public and personal
life. This is partly thanks to new personal letters and papers
released in 2006. What comes to light is a man without political
ambitions, who hoped for world government as an end to nationalism.
A gentle, kindly and unassuming man with a sense of humor, who prized
imagination over intellect. A rebel who believed God was bigger than
anyone imagined, yet who also believed the ultimate answers were
symmetrical, elegant, simple, and just out of reach. One of
America's first true celebrities, Einstein lived in an age when
modesty was still respected, and vanity was considered a weakness.
He transcended it all with a surprising humility, and so will be
remembered throughout the ages as a man for all ages. An icon worth
listening to. (Simon & Schuster Audio or Recorded Books--21 1/2
hours unabridged)
(These audiobooks may be rented at Audio Adventures by calling
1-800-551-6692. Be sure to ask for FAME ISLAND, a satirical
adventure about a Powerball winner who disappears right after picking
up his check because he intends to be famous for more than just 15
minutes.)
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BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
April 2007 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 Former Presidents remain under security, which is one of the
benefits--and drawbacks--of holding the nation's highest office. So
when former chief executive Kal Wilson needs to accomplish his own
personal investigation, involving political dealings in Panama--and
his wife's so-called "accidental" death--he needs help to disappear.
Enter Randy Wayne White's protagonist Doc Ford, who inadvertently
saves Wilson's life on an island off Florida's west coast, and
thereby teams with Wilson in an adventure of intrigue.
HUNTER'S MOON
is read by audiobook pioneer George Guidall, whose prolific narrative
power is legendary, lending balance and poise to this somewhat
unlikely suspense. Wilson's short speech at the climax is one of the
most remarkable ever penned, for its jolting authenticity and
spontaneity, while Guidall's mastery of tone provides the perfect
vehicle of understated conveyance. This is a raft that does float
despite repeated boardings, thanks as much to the subtle shiftings
characterizing its passengers as to the roaring engine of its plot.
(Penguin Audio/8 1/2 hours unabridged)
We live in a society obsessed with "stuff." After we buy it and use
it, we tire of it and end up storing it. Then we're off to buy more
stuff. Some people can't part with any of their stuff, due to
unending commercials that brainwash us into believing that bigger is
better, and more is favorable to less. Is it really true, though?
Is a big heart attack better than a small one? Is more anxiety
better than less? According to Peter Walsh, life is not necessarily
improved by accumulation, (any more than cholesterol in arteries by
supersized meals.) His new audiobook is titled "IT'S ALL TOO MUCH--
An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life With Less Stuff." Written and
read by the author, this audiobook takes listeners by the ear, room
by room, to discover what they need and what they don't. Some of it
is pretty obvious, of course. Less obvious are things you might be
surprised to discover that you haven't used in months. Get rid of
the clutter, and you may feel like a weight has been lifted. The
final CD is enhanced with a PDF file of lists taken from the print
book. Recommended for people with over ten pairs of shoes, or over
two drawers full of kitchen utensils. (Simon & Schuster Audio/ 6
hours unabridged)
Once the clutter in your house is under control, Byron Katie and
Stephen Mitchell have a formula for the rest of your life. Because
if you can accept whatever you have, then wanting something else
becomes superfluous. Their new audiobook is appropriately titled "A
THOUSAND NAMES FOR JOY--Living In Harmony With the Way Things Are."
Read by the authors in the same unemotional manner that characterized
Eckhart Tolle reading "The Power of Now," this audiobook asks you to
accept EVERYTHING, no matter what it is, and claims that this is the
path to happiness and peace. As such, it's a bit different than "The
Secret," which inevitably causes one to expect more. While it does
seem fatalistic to accept disaster and even death, what's undeniable
is that such a person is no longer at odds with reality, and so once
you stop looking for the future to save you, you can be happy in the
present. The instructions for self inquiry, including how to stop
believing every one of your idle thoughts, can also be an eye-
opener. (Random House Audio/6 hours abridged)
Imagine being called to an oil rig in the North Atlantic to diagnose
a mysterious illness, only to discover that no one there is drilling
for oil. This is the mystery that Dr. Peter Crane attempts to solve
in DEEP STORM by Lincoln Child. It's a high concept cross-genre
science fiction novel from Douglas Preston's usual coauthor,
sometimes writing suspense novels on his own. The oil rig is
actually a cover for a top secret project, ostensibly to discover
Atlantis, two miles below the seabed. There is a signal being heard
from below, which may be causing the illness, but it's definitely not
Atlantis that they will discover. It's far more dangerous than
that. Narrated by Scott Brick, who has the skill to make each
revelation believably new and real to the listener, the audiobook is
what I call "a CD changer" (audio equivalent to the page-turner),
with an intriguing plot that propels listeners to a twist finish. My
advice? They should make this one a movie, and get Brick to play
Crane. (Random House Audio/7.5 hours abridged)
Finally, first time novelist and former JPMorgan broker Dana Vachon
has a book out titled MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS, about a Georgetown grad
who lands a job as an investment banker for J. S. Spenser, a company
whose clients pony up millions for the privilege of making billions.
Tommy Quinn and his young friends get drunk on power, money, sex, and
prestige as they plum the depths of corruption present on Wall
Street. It's quite a ride, and both the author and his narrator,
Kirby Heyborne, are young and relatively inexperienced enough to seem
in awe and envy themselves, even while the predictable denouement
involving death and disillusionment unfolds. Donald Trump will
probably have this one on his iPod. For the rest of us, it's a
vicarious thrill, not without humor, but a little like
rubbernecking. (Penguin Audio/10 hours unabridged)
(These audiobooks may be rented at Audio Adventures by calling
1-800-551-6692. If you play the lotto instead of the stock market,
be sure to ask for FAME ISLAND, about a Powerball winner who
disappears right after picking up his check because he intends to be
famous for more than just 15 minutes!)
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