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Audiobooks for Postal Employees!
Archives: September 2007 - February 2008 [Audiobooks
Home] |
BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
February 2008 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 Are
science and religion compatible? No, says Douglas Preston in an
interview following the audio production of his novel
BLASPHEMY. This high concept thriller tackles the question of
God by positing a particle accelerator powerful enough to probe the
hidden dimensions where God is thought to live. At such extreme
temperatures anything is possible--even a mini black hole or
singularity where the laws of physics break down in a recreation of
that rarified environment milliseconds after the Big Bang. Sides are
quickly drawn between the scientist whose vision initiated the
development of "Isabella," and a televangelist who plans to use the
machine to propel his own career. With the fate of science as
mankind's new religion, the main characters in Preston's novel each
have their roles in the climactic turn of events. Rev. Don T. Spates
succeeds in goading his evangelical Christian followers into
murdering, rampaging zealots, bent on stopping lead scientist
William North Hazelius (called the AntiChrist) at any cost.
Bellowing Scripture like a rabid wolf, Spates attacks with
melodramatic glee, in narrator Scott Sowers' interpretation.
Meanwhile, Hazelius may or may not be lying about what he's
discovered in that other-dimensional "world." Ultimately, although
nothing is really answered at the conclusion (Preston isn't stupid),
the novel is an entertaining examination of the science/religion
schism, by the author of Tyrannosaur Canyon, Jennie, and The Codex.
A bonus here, as revealed in Preston's interview with the editor of
Scientific American, is that we also learn what a fraud L. Ron
Hubbard (founder of Scientology) may have been, to boot. (Sound
Library on CD, or Audible.com as download; 14 hours unabridged)
Amanda Goldberg
and Ruthanna K. Hopper take aim at Hollywood in CELEBUTANTES, a
novel which follows the misadventures of Lola Santisi, an ex model
and the daughter of a famed director. Lola has been downgraded to
the role of a hanger-on, with the new job of trying to convince true
celebrities to wear a relatively unknown fashion designer's gowns to
the Oscar show. She and her friends, (a talent agent and a
struggling actress), move through the maze of parties and
preparations leading up to the Oscars, noting the choices everyone
("who's anyone") makes, from "exquisite" to "fashion road kill."
It's a vain and vicious world, where privileged multi-millionaires
look down their noses on those beneath them on the party list, and
demand payoffs and bribes to appear at events. (Or to wear certain
designer labels). The authors drop every name in the Variety
register, making metaphoric comparisons, and revealing how silly it
all is, while Lola is told by her Hollywood therapist to wear a
yellow rubber band and to "snap it" whenever she begins to fall for
"another actor." (Like the one who broke her heart.) Still, with all
the comedic excess on display, amid disparaging their unreal tabloid
life, Lola and friends still seem enamored by the glitz, and Lola
herself, as narrator, remains trapped by her past. Secretly wanting
to find a decent man and to live a normal, happy life, she can't, in
the meantime, help but to notice and to name every high-end brand
and label in sight---an entire lexicon of Robb Report products from
Gucci and Fendi to designer facials made with the placentas of
sheep. Before the week is over, and the Vanity Fair after-party
arrives, Lola must come to terms with her insecurities, however. As
guide, reader Gigi Bermingham plays to these insecurities with
aplomb, revealing the desperate side of Lola's character with just
the right angst. leaving the listener guessing about whether Lola
will surrender her fears about becoming just another one of us
"little (but normal) people." (Highbridge Audio; 9.5 hours
unabridged)
Turning to
health, heart physician Dr. Dean Ornish is a middle aged man with a
near zero index of vein obstruction, meaning he's got one of the
most healthy hearts around. So if you're overweight from years of
holiday cheese balls, and worried about your chances for a heart
attack, a life saving tip might be to listen to his latest book, THE
SPECTRUM. The title refers to Ornish's system of measuring the
health qualities of various foods, from one to five--with one being
the most healthy and five being the least. He then lets the listener
decide which of the five groupings best fit their own needs and
desires. That is, instead of just saying "never eat this," Ornish
simply relates the facts behind various foods, and leaves motivation
alone. (ie. "You can lead a horse to water...") Some surprising
things I learned in listening is that olive oil is inferior to
canola oil, although both are superior to animal fats. Coffee
leaches calcium from bones, while green tea strengthens bones. And
spices are very important too, particularly turmeric, which can help
prevent Alsheimers while lowering chronic inflammation, (one of the
silent causes of disease). Also, fiber's TRUE benefit is that it
makes you feel full, and since it's taken out of most grains (to
give snacks longer shelf life) the result is overeating and
$$$diabetes$$$ (Sorry, can't resist the dollar signs here,
considering latest cost reports in the news). Finally, Ornish says
that doctors are trained and paid to do heart surgery like stints
and by-pass operations, but these have very poor results compared to
radical diet and lifestyle changes. Medicare has finally agreed with
him, and is now funding his own program, after wasting billions on
typically ineffective surgeries while nearly bankrupting itself. A
fascinating short but comprehensive book on diet, The Spectrum is
read by the author, with the aid of Anne Ornish, who connects the
body with the mind by offering guided meditations. A memorable quote
from the audiobook: "If something has a long shelf life, your own
shelf life won't be so long, if you eat it." (Random House Audio; 3
1/2 hours abridged)
Finally, what
makes a good narrator? Well, obviously, it’s in the voice. A
sonorous and pleasing voice is preferable to one that sounds like
it’s coming over the speaker at a fast food drive-through. “Want
fries with that?” No, thank you. Given a rich or interesting voice,
the really good reader enunciates clearly. Words must be crisp and
precise in the telling. Finally, a reader must not sound like they
are reading, and should be able to present a realistic
interpretation. This requires acting skills to jump between dialog,
narration, and action while using appropriate dialects and different
character voices. It’s rare to find a reader who possesses all of
these qualities--golden voice, precise diction, acting skills,
versatile dialects. One of the pioneers of the industry was Frank
Muller, who began recording in the '70s, and along with Barbara
Rosenblat, propelled audiobooks out of the vinyl phonograph world
into the realm of Recorded Books (tapes and CDs found in libraries
everywhere). I had the privilege of having Frank record my own first
novel, POSTAL, for The Publishing Mills in 1999, for which he won
another of his many Earphones awards. Later, I interviewed him for
Cracker Barrel Old Country stores, and was there when one of his
last recordings, TISHOMINGO BLUES, by Elmore Leonard, won the
prestigious Audie award. (The industry's "Oscar.") The motorcycle
accident that ended Frank's career did not, thankfully, end his life
or his spirit, and so now, especially if you are new to audiobooks,
you owe it to yourself to sample his work.
As an example,
TISHOMINGO BLUES features one of Elmore Leonard's typically
eccentric characters, the high diver Dennis Lenahan. Lenahan works
at a lodge and casino in Tunica, Mississippi, and while up on the
diving board one day witnesses a mob hit. A second witness is Robert
Taylor, a shady Civil War reenactment participant who lures Dennis
into his varied schemes. Both men seem to take naturally to their
respective death wishes, and also seem to have weaknesses for women
who could also get them killed. With a background of Delta blues,
wacky Civil War buffs, and reputed deals with the devil, the novel
hums along under the steady and engaged voice of Muller, who lends
to Leonard's quirky dialogue his own brand of ambient energy.
(Recorded Books & Harper Audio; 7.5 hours unabridged)
(These
audiobooks may be rented in truck stops or from AudioAdventures.com.
Be sure to check out my new
satirical website, JustSayNoWay.com)
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BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
January 2008 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
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Every year, it
seems, we feel the need to make New Year's resolutions. Whether we
succeed in sticking to them is a matter of motivation and tenacity.
To aid such attempts at self improvement I've chosen several new
releases for their unique perspectives and/or scientific rigor. They
are especially practical when heard on audio, while stuck in traffic
and passing all those fast food restaurant signs, or while being
tailgated by frustrated shoppers returning presents that didn't
quite make them as happy as they expected.
 First up is a
book that turns the head on our modern western diet.
IN DEFENSE OF FOOD by Michael Pollan poses the argument that the
reason why we're getting fatter and more unhealthy every year is
because big food processors make more profit selling grains than
leaves. That is, whole foods spoil easily, while denatured and
milled grains have a long shelf life, and can be transported long
distances easier. The most profitable grains are corn and soybeans,
which has led to the near extinction of many more nutrient-dense
crops. Since the most healthy parts of grains spoil fastest, these
are milled out, leaving a bleached "fake" food behind, which is then
"enriched" with a chemical spray, and introduced with other
potentially hazardous chemicals to preserve freshness. Empty
calories and added sugars then lead to a host of diseases over time,
including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Particularly
disturbing is the rise in consumption of high fructose corn syrup,
present in most non-diet sodas and juices, and many cookies, cakes,
and other snacks. It is an unnatural (manmade) but cheap sweetener
that is difficult to digest, just as trans-fats are, and is being
guzzled by Americans like there's no tomorrow. Those doing the
guzzling had better hope there's no tomorrow, too, because their
savings on food costs over buying whole foods will translate into
their spending far more on drugs and health care in the future!
Narrated by Scott Brick, who takes a dramatic approach to the
eye-opening text, the audiobook also dispenses sound advice,
including limiting your purchases to those items near the walls of
supermarkets, since highly processed "fake" foods tend to line the
center aisles. If you take just this advice, you'll lose weigh,
outlive your classmates, and may decide to petition your Congressman
to declare war on the food industry lobby as well. (Penguin Audio;
6 1/2 hours unabridged)
A year of so ago
I published a novel about longevity science, so naturally I was
interested in hearing what Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz had to
say about the subject in YOU STAYING YOUNG--The Owner's Manual for
Extending Your Warranty. Dr. Oz is Oprah's doctor, but both men
narrate this interesting and comprehensive examination of what causes
aging, and how to slow down the process. Some of it relates to things
mentioned in the previous book, but here, as told by medical doctors,
we see deeper into the science of aging, not just those risk factors
most people already know about--smoking, processed foods, saturated
fat, sedentary lifestyles, etc. For instance, did you know there's a
relationship between flossing and heart disease? Or that sunburn
triggers the stem cells grown in your bones to migrate to the burn to
repair it, and so if you burn often the odds for a genetic mistake
increases, resulting in cancer? Every eight years the body's aging
rate gets on a faster treadmill, and the trick is to fool your
internal pedometer by minimizing the biological processes that propel
it graveward. Avoiding stress--both internal and external--is most
important here, since tension and toxins have a direct effect on the
cells, turning off and on various genes that regulate their life
cycle. Think of tension as anger, frustration, worry and regret, and
toxins as tail pipe exhaust, loud noises, and even those greasy, salty
french fries you just ate. You can't make up for thirty years of
eating holiday cheese balls by popping a vitamin pill, but you can
start reversing the aging process, say the authors, by thinking about
what you're doing instead of doing it automatically. Popping an
aspirin a day and drinking one glass of red wine in the evening may
help too, surprisingly. As long as that's all the alcohol you're
drinking, and you avoid soda altogether. (Simon & Schuster Audio; 5
hours abridged)
Next, in THE HOW
OF HAPPINESS--A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want,
author Sonja Lyubomirsky reveals evidence that happiness is 60% a
matter of genetic predisposition, and 40% a conditioned response. No
doubt you've met people who are happy by nature, and who therefore
possess a cushion against the effects of bad things happening in
their lives. For the rest of us, without this high set point for
happiness, there is the remaining 40% to be manipulated. One of the
ways, surprisingly, is simply smiling, even when things may be going
wrong. Studies have shown that moods become elevated just by
mimicking happy people, or pretending to be happy. Read by the
author, the audiobook walks through case studies which demonstrate
that money, love, fame, and outward success have little to do with
happiness, which is more about an outlook and state of mind than a
quantifiable list of causes. Feeling alive and having a relationship
to that life which makes it an adventure is far more important than
driving a new Mercedes or having a big bank account. (Penguin
Audio; 6 hours abridged)
The idea of
breaking free from myths regarding happiness is continued in THE
ULTIMATE CHEAPSKATE'S ROAD MAP TO TRUE RICHES by Jeff Yeager. Here
is a man who cares not a wit about designer labels, $4 cups of
coffee, or showing off some new gas-guzzling luxury car to friends
and neighbors. His primary mode of transport is a bicycle, which
keeps him healthier while sparing the air. Yeager advocates living
within your means at age thirty, and staying there for life, rather
than trading up continuously until hospital bills take what's left.
In addition to his many tips for conserving rather than spending on
everyday items, he recommends pinching dollars more of pennies,
since big ticket items are what most weigh people down. Keep
everything else in perspective, and you can really enjoy life more
while spending less. According to Yeager, who also reads the
audiobook, once you step off the treadmill of "more is better"
you'll discover that less means less stress, too. (Brilliance Audio;
8 hours unabidged)
Finally, we come
to a true revolutionary. Timothy Ferriss is author of THE FOUR HOUR
WORK WEEK--Escape 9 to 5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich.
Ferris turned his early dislike of authority into a career by
rejecting the established model of deferring life until retirement
while "wasting" your prime years in a dead end job. Having designed
his own escape from drudgery, Ferriss now sells sports medicines
online, and travels the world on the income, while still in his 30s.
His purchases, sales, and inventory are all outsourced, so there's
no management attention needed, either. And he suggests that
listeners can copy what he did by planing month-long
"mini-vacations" to do what they really love, and then see if
there's a way to continue it. If not, he suggests going back to the
office cubical to come up with a new plan. It worked for him, after
all. Formerly stuck in a job he despised, making $40G a year,
Ferriss now makes $40G a month while living outside the U.S. for 11
months of the year in major world capitals. (Far less expensive than
people suppose, he claims.) Utilizing his opportunistic talent for
seeing ways to bend the rules, he also won a dance competition in
Brazil, and a kickboxing championship in Japan as well. But can
anyone follow in his footsteps? Perhaps, but only if they share the
same mindset. Self driven and innovative, Ferriss is a rare breed.
He doesn't need or desire either the admiration of others, nor their
symbols of wealth. He certainly cares not at all for the treadmill
lifestyle which characterizes most everyone's experience, watching
TV and mimicking their neighbors. "Why retire at all?" Ferriss asks,
"if you're doing what you love? Besides, in the traditional
retirement you'll be so bored you'll want to stick bicycle spokes in
your eyes." (Audible.com download to iPod; 8 hours unabridged)
(These audiobooks may be rented from AudioAdventures.com. Jonathan
Lowe's e-book of stories, "Ghost Rider," is the #1 free download
online at Fictionwise.com)
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BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
December 2007 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 What
if a genetically engineered oil-eating virus infected all the major
oil fields in the Middle East and Alaska? That's the scenario Kyle
Mills postulates in his new novel
DARKNESS FALLS, a book with scary relevance as a cautionary
tale. Talk about high concept, you can't get much higher in terms
of consequence for humanity--especially for the United States, which
has a gluttonous relationship with fossil fuels. The environmental
terrorists responsible for introducing this fictional virus have no
idea, either, to what extent chaos will descend. As an example,
while I write these words I'm sitting in a full service car wash
lobby, and just outside are over a dozen SUVs and trucks being
detailed. Yet even gas for my compact car would become unavailable,
soon after rationing at $12 a gallon expired. Ground transportation
would fail, next. Then grocery stores would be cleaned out. In the
end, most aircraft would be grounded, except for hospital
helicopters sent to shuttle rich people who were injured defending
their cellars from home invasion. In short, darkness falling would
mean a return to the Dark Ages, when life-spans were brief, and
survival as difficult as making it to the final round of American
Idol. Narrated by actor Erik Steele, who brings an open and
objective sense of surprise to each unfortunate revelation, the
novel plays with its nightmare scenario, making it more plausible as
the plot unfolds. This is not a great book in the sense of literary
style or use of metaphor. Character development is as limited as
other books typical of the genre. What gives it life and meaning is
its relentless narrative arc, and its uncanny proximity to the
unfolding world energy crisis. Because, like it or not, we are
going to run out of oil as effectively as this, eventually, and
unless someone solves the nuclear waste dilemma (and brings other
alternative energy sources online as well) our grandkids--in their
retirement--will be forced to grow and defend their own potatoes and
green beans. Nevermind cruising the great capitals of the world,
either, because cities will die first, once transportation--and
audiobooks--are gone! As a footnote, film rights to the novel sold
long before publication, based on its simple premise, and so until
seeing is believing, perhaps listening to the "audio movie" version
starring Erik Steele will inspire more chills than Stephen King ever
could, and give people second thoughts about NASCAR events or the
purchase of vehicles the size of dinosaurs. (BBC Audiobooks
America; 8 1/2 hours unabridged)
Next, in
imagining what other-worldly civilizations might be like, we humans
like to transpose onto aliens not only some of our own facial
features, but also our ego-maniacal penchant for conquest, derived
(one must assume) from the "glories" of war. But how likely is it
that "advanced" alien life forms look and think like us? Do they
also strap high explosives around their waists and imagine a heaven
filled with virgins? Do they paint themselves orange or blue, and
scream obscenities from the bleachers whenever someone runs an oddly
shaped inflated cow hide over the wrong goal line? In Fred
Saberhagen's BERSERKER FURY a race of savage androids is intent on
the noble cause of obliterating all life in the galaxy. But to
infiltrate human worlds they first get extreme makeovers to look
like machines we created. Luckily, though, we humans have cracked
their transmission codes, so we're ready for their final
assault. Sound silly? Well, not so fast. Maybe these androids
have the right idea. Maybe they are more worthy than us to
rule the Milky Way. Just what is life, anyway? Can't a sentient
machine win in a debate with an atheist, after all? God knows
there's not enough room out there for two territorial-obsessed
civilizations to coexist, right? Narrator Paul Michael Garcia has
the honor of interpreting the well drawn characters in this
entertaining 1997 novel just now released on audio. And as long as
you don't ask any deep questions (like I'm doing here), it's solid
escapism. Even if your typical alternative is not actually
watching John Madden rant between truck and fast food
commercials. (Blackstone Audio; 12 1/2 hours unabridged)
Speaking of
commercials, Americans are getting sick and tired of being
interrupted by them. So they're just ignoring advertising. Today
it's all about interaction, blogs, comments, trends, word-of-mouth,
coffee shops, video games, on-demand programming. Attention spans
are ever shorter, and with so many options available now, the big
old corporations with their bloated warehouses full of mass produced
products can just go to hell, for all we care! Well, that's
according to Seth Godin in his new book MEATBALL SUNDAE, anyway,
which is about marketing to the new consumer with the new media.
(Merry Christmas, retailers). Stressing being in sync with the right
product married to the right marketing strategy, Godin says you
can't just add the internet (YouTube, MySpace, Google AdWords, etc)
onto things which have no buzz without them, anymore than you can
add meatballs on top of ice cream and call it "nouveau cuisine." In
the meantime, traditional industries like travel agencies and middle
class grocers are disappearing, too, as everyone retreats from the
middle toward either the high end or the bargain basement. A
revolutionary little tome, this, and read by the author. (Highbridge
Audio; 4 3/4 hours unabridged)
Getting back to
sheer mayhem, for most of his career as a mystery writer James Lee
Burke has been turning over rocks to expose certain creatures of the
night whose cruelty is unbounded. These animals are not separate
from us, however. They share our DNA, and even Burke's main
character--the complex alcoholic detective Dave Robicheaux--almost
crawls under a rock with them before emerging with new knowledge of
himself and the world each time. In THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN, New
Orleans is the setting for Dave's search under Katrina's sodden
rocks for a serial rapist and a vigilante. Although stark and
depressing, we listen to all this for several reasons. One, we're
riveted by Burke's descriptions of place and character, his original
use of metaphor, his regional expertise, his brilliant insights into
the human dilemma. Two, like true rubber-neckers, we want to see
what train wreck has happened now, and what corpses may litter the
highway next. Finally, there is Will Patton, the perfect narrator
to render Robicheaux, right down to his exhalations of breath, while
nailing the Louisiana accents with masterful elan. Who could ask
for more? Well, actually, I could. I want Burke to write the Great
American Novel. One on par with The Great Gatsby or the best of
Faulkner. I say this because he's one of the few who could do it.
Another who did it follows. (Simon & Schuster Audio; 16 1/2 hours
unabridged)
Several years
ago, when I interviewed actor Richard Poe, he told me about the
novel INDEPENDENCE DAY, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Richard
Ford that he once narrated. Only recently have I gotten around to
hearing it, and I have to say, I was bowled over like a final pin
for a final spare. Not just by the story of Frank Bascombe, a self
absorbed part time real estate agent trying to connect with his son,
but by how well Poe's own acting talents and voice meld into
creating that character. This is such a rich and deeply realized
book that I hereby ascribe the words "Great American Novel" to it
without more than a wink's hesitation. The bonus of hearing it read
by Poe, a longtime Broadway and feature film actor, makes it a
keeper. Poe becomes Bascombe as naturally as Will Patton
becomes Dave Robicheaux. Published in 1995, the novel is a 1998
Recorded Books title, still available on CD. Also winner of the
PEN/Faulkner award, it's a must-hear for anyone buying or selling a
house, too, since it wryly delves into the real reasons behind
various purchases. And no, it's not just about price and location.
(Recorded Books; 20 hours unabridged)
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BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
November 2007 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 Among
Garrison Keillor's gifts is creating--spontaneously--characters who
possess all the eccentricities inherent in Scandinavian immigrants
and depressed, old school Lutherans. His latest,
PONTOON, is a novel of just such inventions, born of rigorous
observation and a nostalgia for small town America. But you need a
framework for such rambling humor, so here the town of Lake Wobegon
is planning a wedding that includes a flying Elvis and a pontoon
boat (symbolic for newlyweds "about to take a journey.") To spice
up the proceedings, a delegation of "renegade Lutheran pastors" have
arrived from Denmark. and while one old biddy is preparing to die,
her daughter is more interested in having a dalliance at the Romero
Motel. The Mark Twain of Minnesota, Keillor also reads the novel,
which is more like a series of vignettes--wry, ironic, and full of
calculated surprise. His familiar voice drifts, sometimes wearily,
among all these shipwrecked souls like a pilot out of life
preservers. Still, there is empathy and identity here, rather than
pity, and so in his own way he points out that any victims among the
residents are floating in a pond, not an ocean. Chronicling their
innocent insanity with long practiced timing, Keillor ultimately
reveals how invisible we can be to each other--and to ourselves. (Highbridge
Audio; 8 hours unabridged)
Lorna Landvik
is author of a bestseller with the offbeat title "Angry Housewives
Eating Bon Bons." Her new novel THE VIEW FROM MOUNT JOY is not
quite as eccentric, but as read by the ideally matched Robertson
Dean, is more universal and therefore endearing. The story follows
Joe Anderson, a teen hockey player who grows up to be a town grocer,
while the girl he lusted for in high school moves on to become rich
and famous. Joe has settled down and settled in, yet he still
yearns for what might have been with the seductive Kristi Casey. . .
until Kristi returns to town one day, and Joe realizes that his own
life is the more meaningful. It's an old story with a modern
retelling, and yet somehow, either by chance (or by what I hope is
deliberate choice), the teller of the tale has been picked for his
ability to elevate and enliven the text with his unusually sensitive
yet self-assured delivery. (Random House Audio; 5 hours abridged)
Next, Dick
Francis is up for yet another horse racing linked mystery titled
DEAD HEAT, about a restauranteur named Max Moreton, whose latest
catering job goes awry when undercooked kidney beans cause illness,
and threaten his next job--an exclusive luncheon for guests at a
high stakes horse race. When that race is terrorized by a bombing,
Max's complications multiply, and lead to an investigation involving
the transport of drugs inside the wombs of mares. The story moves
slowly, as most "cosy" English mysteries do, but the benefit of
moving slowly is that one has time to notice the scenery. Helping
with that is narrator Martin Jarvis, whose inimitable poise and
inflection give the tale a stately and refined aura. Jarvis is not
only a character actor in Hollywood, after all, but is also invested
with the Order of the British Empire for his services to drama.
(Penguin Audio; 10 hours unabridged)
Can anyone
fault DUNE, one of the most beloved classics of science fiction?
True, there have been other performances than the current 2007
release from Audio Renaissance. Imitators of the original story
have been many as well--both in film and on TV. So is there
anything to criticize in this latest production, whose audio values
include the talents of narrators Simon Vance, Scott Brick, Euan
Morton and Orlagh Cassidy, among others? Not really. Although I
still puzzle on Frank Herbert's choice of the names "Paul" and
"Jessica" and "Duncan," and his borrowing of Shakespearean
entanglements and ambience. Yet if you're going to borrow from
anyone for a epic story, who better than the Immortal Bard of Avon?
Certainly Star Wars borrowed from Dune, as its more modern
influence. As you may know, the continuing saga of Dune neither
starts nor ends with Paul Atreides as the Muad'Dib duke who commands
the sand worms of Arrakis, and although the star of the movie
version is now acting on "Desperate Housewives," the award winning
original novel--if not the entire series on audio--will outlive any
shallow television series. As true literature usually does. (Audio
Renaissance; 22 hours unabridged)
Finally, C. J.
Box has penned an unusual mystery in FREE FIRE, about a lawyer who
kills four environmental activists in Yellowstone National Park,
then walks away on a technicality involving a slice of land where
the murders occurred--a "free fire zone" of overlapping
jurisdictions, where a jury cannot be found since no one lives
there. When public outcry begins to burn his ears, the governor
hires former game warden Joe Pickett to investigate, and the
solution to the how and why of the crime involves investigating
Yellowstone itself. Narrator here is actor David Chandler, whose
straightforward approach rings true as a documentary-like unfolding
of the story. At times you feel like John Wayne is narrating,
without the accent. Luckily, the tale is not unbefitting for John
Wayne, so a reader the likes of Richard Ferrone isn't required.
(Recorded Books; 10 3/4 hours unabridged)
(These audiobooks may be rented from
AudioAdventures.com.)
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BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
October 2007 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
On the day before
Halloween, 1938, millions of Americans tuned in to a popular radio
drama program hosted by Orson Welles. Unfortunately for listeners
that day, Welles' adaptation of "The
War of the Worlds" presented the radio drama as if it were an
actual news broadcast. Fake updates described a "huge flaming
object" dropping from the sky near Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Actors
read lines like "Good heavens, something's wriggling out of the
shadow like a gray snake. They look like tentacles to me!"
While the beginning of the broadcast indicated its fictional nature,
the explanation wasn't repeated until more than half an hour later.
In the meantime, the panic that ensued soon made legitimate news
headlines, with stories of people hiding in cellars with loaded
guns, or wrapping their heads in wet towels for protection from
Martian poison gas. It all prompted New York Tribune columnist
Dorothy Thompson to declare that, "All unwittingly, Mr. Orson Welles
and the Mercury Theater of the Air have made one of the most
fascinating and important demonstrations of all time. They have
proved that a few effective voices, accompanied by sound effects,
can convince masses of people of a totally unreasonable, completely
fantastic proposition."
This was the Golden Age of Radio, which didn't fade until the newer
technology of television took over in the 1950s. Oddly, the
effectiveness of radio wasn't diminished even by World War II, since
news broadcasts spurred a need for escapist evening drama,
particularly thriller drama. During a typical wartime season, then,
radio networks offered 25 programmed hours each week of shows like
"Suspense" and "The Shadow." Even later, when television was young,
many successful radio series were adapted for the small screen, like
"Gunsmoke," which could then be heard on radio and seen on TV
simultaneously. In fact, only when the number of TV sets began to
near the number of radio sets in American homes did the medium die
as a popular addiction.
But has it died
completely? For a look at those the state of radio and audio drama
production today, I interviewed Sue Zizza, Executive Director of
what has become the National Audio Theatre Festivals. Zizza also
teaches a course on the subject of audio drama at New York
University.
"Back in 1979," Zizza recalled, "when I was on staff at a community
radio station in Missouri, we put feelers out across the country to
other dramatists in the field. The intent was to see who was still
doing what, and to form a new group of professionals, utilizing
funds provided at the time by public radio, the NEA and CPB. The
suggestion was made to form a training event, the Midwest Radio
Drama Workshop was born. Now, our week long workshops in Missouri
introduce people at all skill levels to audio drama production." As
Zizza further explains it, "We believe that if you learn how to
produce an audio play, where you're blending voice and music and
sound effects and silence, then you can take those skills and become
a better documentary, film or music producer, because what you learn
through telling your story as audio drama really hones your
storytelling craft."
In addition to week long workshops, the NATF also sponsors weekend
events around the country, focused on one particular skill, and at
the end an actual performance is staged so that these learned skills
can be practiced. "Take Lindsay Ellison, for example," Zizza points
out, "who added audio production and direction to her stage
direction and acting skills. Now she's working with Tom Lopez on
the post production of her play. Others take classes in voice
acting, writing, producing, directing and technology. After
learning the fundamentals, they mount a live show as an effects
artist or technical assistant."
In describing the unique challenges of audio drama, Zizza cites
knowing how to make voices unique “because obviously there are no
body types or hair colors as in stage acting.” Also, knowing when
and how often to utilize sound effects is important, “because too
much sound design only confuses the listener, and should only be
used to support the action, identify locales, or move characters
around a space.” In short, the listener must be clear at all
moments about what is going on. And that rule has never changed.
But hasn’t the equipment changed since radio's Golden Age? "Not
really," claims Zizza. "Many of the props I use today were
inherited from my mentor Al Shaffer, who did sound effects for Bob &
Ray, among others. He taught me how to do horses, walk down stairs,
etc. The only thing that's really changed is that the microphones
are more sensitive now, so you can't get away with using an old-time
prop like cellophane to make fire. Although corn starch is still
used for walking through snow." She's adamant that sound effects
taken from CDs don't work for the most part, even in our modern,
high-tech era. "The acoustic space is not the same as the space
where the actors record, and you can tell. With animals in a zoo,
for example, there's a reverb which can't be corrected. So getting
a sound effects artist to listen and add effects in real time
actually saves time. Where the science has advanced is really in
post production, with digital recording and editing. But if you
don't understand how the elements of writing and acting and sound
design combine in the final product, it won't matter if you're
producing it digitally, and Pro Tools won't save you."
Zizza says that part of her funding today comes from the National
Endowment for the Arts, and part from the local arts councils where
the festivals are held, and from individual contributors. The audio
drama community as it exists today consists of "about two hundred
independent companies or individuals producing mostly new material,
although maybe half will produce both old time and new scripts."
For her own part, she produces The Radio Works, a sampler series
which is heard on 70 public radio stations, and features a different
producer each time, with all new work. Other audio drama companies
currently active include the Full Cast Audio company, the Atlanta
Radio Theater, Great Northern Audio Theatre, ZBS Foundation,
Firesign Theatre, Shoestring Radio Theater, and the Radio Repertory
Company of America. Seeing Ear Theatre, associated with the Scifi
channel, produces original plays for publishers like Harper Audio,
like the excellent "Two Plays for Voices," featuring actors Bebe
Neuwirth and Brian Dennehy performing Neil Gaiman's "Snow Glass
Apples" and "Murder Mysteries." And of course L.A. Theatre Works,
perhaps the most highly regarded audio theatre company, employs
talented professionals like Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason to
record classic plays as audio dramas for distribution in bookstores,
like Neil Simon's "The Prisoner of Second Avenue."
What does the future hold? Zizza is cautious, but optimistic.
"Full cast audio is costly to produce, and so there are not as many
titles available. This is also true for public radio stations, who
find it more economical to produce news or talk shows. But I think
the situation is improving over what it was just three years
ago. With all the webcasting and iPod downloading going on, I think
people will seek out audio drama, and already a new crop of
directors and producers are studying the craft the same way as those
who study stage acting. Our challenge is to produce better quality
material, and take those interested to the next level of skills so
that audio theater looks forward instead of backward."
For a befitting sampling of full cast stories this month, give a
listen to A GROWN-UP'S HALLOWEEN, directed by radio drama pioneer
Yuri Rasovsky for Blackstone Audio. "Dedicated to the thinking
paranoiac," the collection includes stories by Kafka, Dostoevsky,
Bierce, Twain, Shaw, and "A. Fiend." (Probably Yuri himself).
Eclectic and unusual, the audiobook was nominated for an Audie in
2007. http://www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?ID=4096
Having directed my own audiobook "Fame Island," Yuri also directs
and reads a just-released collection of horror stories by Richard
Matheson titled I AM LEGEND, with narrator Robertson Dean. The
title story is about a man who might be the last human in a world of
vampires, and his survival amid the ruins of what we imagine to be
"civilization" is chilling, and also ironic--even comic--as
Rasovsky's choices usually are.
(These audiobooks may be rented from AudioAdventures.com)
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BOOKS TO READ WHILE WORKING
September 2007 - Audiobooks reviewed by Jonathan Lowe |
 The mechanics of science rarely invade the media of mass culture, and
the reason is obvious. Ignorant of little more than sound bites and
so called "reality" shows, the typical American consumer is not only
near-sighted, but insular. While he may own a cell phone, a WiFi
accessible computer, a plasma TV and an iPod, he doesn't really
understand how they work--or care. To interest such a person, one
must be both entertaining and provocative, which is just what
astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson does in
DEATH BY BLACK HOLE, a
collection of carefully arranged essays written for Natural History
magazine. Read by actor Dion Graham, the book is a patient,
simplified cosmic guide that puts in perspective what is knowable
about the biggest questions of all--where we come from, are we alone
in the universe, and does religion fit in. While it can't answer
these questions, it does reveal their depth, dispelling widely held
myths. The title refers to what may be the most bizarre way to die,
(and one which CSI will never be able to investigate.) Seen on the
PBS program NOVA, and possessing innate communications skills
himself, Tyson could have narrated this audiobook version, had he
time. But what exactly is time, or gravity? And why can't he--or
anyone--move faster than the speed of light? Tyson patiently
explains, wielding the voice of an equally entertaining professional
reader, who seems to have grasped the essence of Tyson's persona. In
the process, the listener begins to imagine the Earth as a grain of
sand on the cosmic beach. So much for thinking celebrity awards
shows are all that important! True to ironic form, the production is
also available in Mp3 format for direct download to the now
astronomical number of iPods out there. (Blackstone Audio; 12 hours
unabridged)
Moving from science to science fiction, there's the intriguing
EIFELHEIM, from the award winning Michael Flynn. It's about a
historian and his theoretical physicist girlfriend, who investigate
the history of a German town that mysteriously disappeared in 1349.
At first they think it had something to do with the Black Death,
which was infecting Europe at the time. But due to the multiple
viewpoints the listener knows that it was the site of first contact
with aliens, where a spaceship "crashed" in the nearby forest.
Although "crash" is not the right word, as the ship travelled through
from another dimension or alternate universe. Moving between the
past and present, the story is narrated by Anthony Heald, best known
for playing Hannibal Lecter's jail nemesis in "The Silence of the
Lambs." It's also the best thing about the audiobook, since Heald is
an incredible actor, with a quirky delivery that's particularly
chilling in his subdued voice portrayal of several of the aliens.
(Blackstone Audio; 17 hours unabrided)
Next, can you force someone to love you? Yes, according to author
Nicholas Boothman in HOW TO MAKE SOMEONE LOVE YOU FOREVER.
Ostensibly, such a task takes time, since you can't hurry love.
Hence, the subtitle here is "In 90 Minutes or Less," which is longer
than Boothman took last time out, when he penned "How to Make People
Like You in 90 Seconds or Less." Actually, the book takes a while to
listen to, and the author suits the narration, being a former fashion
photographer and ad man, now a non-verbal communications guru. In an
age when looks matter most, he schools listeners on how to dress, how
to act, and what to say. . . whether you want to be a Stepford wife
or not. While much of what's discussed seems obvious, the most
intriguing aspects are those we may overlook, as the author points
out our subconscious defensive postures, which take conscious effort
to overcome. Because just being yourself may not get you love,
unfortunately, if don't know how to hide your insecurities or a
suspicious nature. (Listen & Live Audio; 4 hours abridged)
Two more new books are also out, both of which reveal our changing
culture, and both of their authors went to Yale. First is SUPER
CRUNCHERS, by "econometrician" and lawyer Ian Ayres, about
statistical analysis in the new America. While you may have long
suspected you were only a "number in the system," here's proof that
you really are. Because not only are your demographics being
analyzed by advertisers, but your individual history of purchases is
being melded with reams of other data regarding how likely you are to
respond to sales pitches, charity drives, or direct mail and magazine
ads. All that information is crunched inside silicon chips before
you're ever targeted. If they know your age, your income, and where
you live, all they need is to trace your buying habits, and they'll
also know how you'll vote, what you'll likely to want next, and what
percentage rate you're apt to accept on a credit card--information
that's fully displayed on the computer screen of that company rep you
have on the phone. Sound scary? Welcome to the new information age,
where having an original thought is about as rare as an angel in the
infield. . .or minefield. Actor James Lurie narrates, lending his
controlled vocal skills to any defects in Ayres' own voice, making
this a engrossing account of the strange-but-true, like an episode of
the TV show "Numbers." Ayres even claims he arrived at the title by
analyzing the number of hits on a proposed website. Now if only
someone would crunch the numbers on Iraq, we'd finally demand term
limits before our economy collapses. (Random House Audio; 6 hours
abridged)
Finally, there is FLAWLESS, a medical thriller by Stanford med
student and Yale grad Joshua Spanogle, about a former CDC detective
who can't leave the profession because an old friend has been
murdered, and he's needed to investigate the dead man's medical
research papers involving a dangerous cosmetic drug. What makes the
story interesting is not so much the writing or plotting, which can
be simplistic or clichéd, but rather the learning process of the
protagonist, and the subject matter. Given that we're all numbers,
now, it follows that the more perfect your numbers, the more
desirable and "worthy" of love. One's "figure" should be flawless,
while the number of tiny lines and wrinkles should be few. Be
willing to pay any price for this, Spanogle seems to be saying, and
that price may be larger than the number pi. Scott Brick narrates,
and is always a pleasure to listen to, forever breathing life into a
host of characters, flawed or otherwise. (Random House Audio; 6.5
hours abridged)
(These audiobooks may be rented from AudioAdventures.com)
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Audiobooks are a great way to pass the time during those
long (and often boring) work hours at the postal service. To find the latest audiobooks
of note check out Jonathan Lowe's Audio Books Review (left). Lowe is a 15 year postal veteran
(Window Clerk).
Postal:
Postmarked for Death
Audiobook Links