Audiobooks - you can learn a new language or listen to the latest novel - all while you work or travel! To find the latest audiobooks of note check out Jonathan Lowe's Audiobooks Review (below). You can find more than 5,000 audiobooks at Amazon.com and over 18,000 audio titles available for download at Audible.com!

Books to Read While Working - October 2004 - Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe

THE EGYPTOLOGIST

PLENTY OF PRETTY GOOD JOKES is performed by the cast of the Prairie Home Companion radio show for Highbridge Audio. It's a four and a half hour production taken from Garrison Keillor's annual joke shows over a number of years, and includes corny knock-knock jokes, chicken jokes, lightbulb jokes, lawyer jokes, blonde jokes, bar jokes, and even risque jokes...although nothing dirty, as this is for Minnesota Public radio. Guests include Paula Poundstone, Calvin Trillin, Roy Blount and many others. So if you're tired of all the depressing news you hear these days, I recommend a laugh or ten to restore sanity. By the way, did you hear Wal Mart is going into Iraq? They hope to fare better than Target Stores.

Barrett Whitener reads RINGWORLD'S CHILDREN by Larry Niven for Blackstone Audio. It's a science fiction novel by the Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of the Ringworld series about an alien planet completely encircling a distant star, with three million times the surface area of Earth. That's an engineered world, of course, and there are strange goings-on there, including a Fringe war that the first human explorer, Louie Wu, encounters. The complex plot would be confusing were it not for a glossary of terms, which comes first, while Whitener's reading is measured and clear so as not to lose his audience. So if you haven't ventured beyond Star Wars in the science fiction genre, you're in for a more intelligent treat.

Next, Paul Michael reads THE TRISTAN BETRAYAL, completed by Gayle Lynds from an uncompleted Robert Ludlum manuscript, for Audio Renaissance. It's a suspense novel set in 1940 in Russia, as the Nazis rise in power and are considering invasion. Ludlum (and Lynds) postulate that an American businessman can aid a covert plan to convince Germany to invade by tricking them into underestimating Russia's strength. The complex plot also involves Stephen Metcalfe's romantic relationship with a beautiful Russian ballerina, whom he conspires to use in the deception, but who is smarter than she looks. A jump back to the present reveals a final twist that wraps up loose ends with a not unsatisfying interpretation by narrator Michael, who is deft at maintaining tension, although this is not as good a book as the previous Ludlum/Lynds collaboration, "The Janson Directive." Luckily, this novel is abridged, however, so you'll miss much of the uninspired dialogue evident in the hardcover.

Finally, the Audie award-winning Davina Porter reads WORMWOOD by G. P. Taylor for Penguin Audio. It's a historical fantasy novel set in London in 1756, about an approaching comet and the panic it incites among the residents. Is this the end of the world? A scientist's housemaid begins to suspect it could be when she overhears a prophesy written in one of her employer's ancient and evil books. And sure enough, the influence of that book soon starts drawing demons out of the woodwork. It's an unusual novel by the author of "Shadowmancer," drawing inspiration from the Bible and transporting part of Revelations into a past time of heightened superstition. With Porter as narrator, it definitely makes for an intriguing listening experience. (These audiobooks may be rented from Audio Adventures by calling 1-800-551-6692.)

Books to Read While Working - September 2004 - Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe

The prolific Grover Gardner narrates BURY THE LEAD by David Rosenfelt for Listen & Live Audio. It's a legal thriller about a half baked criminal defense attorney in New Jersey who must come to the aid of a local newspaper editor when one of their star reporters starts getting messages from a brutal serial killer. Oh sure, I know there's enough serial killer books on the market as it is, but the saving grace to this audiobook is that the protagonist doesn't take himself too seriously, and Rosenfelt is good at snappy, funny dialogue and unexpected plot twists, too. Kinda like real life. Having Grover Gardner narrate is another big plus. Gardner's golden voice can be heard on over 500 audiobooks so far, including the 9/11 Commission report, as he's probably the most listenable voice in the business. . . now that's one smooth talker.

Rene Auberjonois reads BRIMSTONE by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child for Time Warner Audio. It's a suspense novel about an investigation in the Hamptons of the grisly murder of an art critic. Found in a barricaded room, with a melting cross branding his chest, Jeremy Grove is suspected to have been killed by the devil, after breaking a pact with him. FBI Special Agent Pendergast's investigation leads him to New York and then to a castle in Italy for a final twist. It's an enjoyable romp featuring both the supernatural and the evils which lurk in the hearts of men, as narrated by a Hollywood actor who is best known for his role on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Auberjonois nails the accents while Preston and Child, who also co-wrote "Relic" and "Riptide," nail shut yet another coffin lid, this time on the smell of burning sulfur.

Next, Jim Bond endures the STONE OF TEARS by Terry Goodkind for Brilliance Audio. It's an epic fantasy novel, sequel to "Wizard's First Rule," about a simple woods guide turned "Seeker of Truth" in a world where the evil Darken Rahl has summoned sinister powers from the underworld to wreak havoc on the world above. Can Richard Cypher, Kahlan, and Zedd prevent Rahl from releasing the Keeper itself from entombment? The very listenable Mr. Bond (not 007) reveals the answer in this 35 hour unabridged production, and although I'm not sure where and when this created world is suppose to have existed, escape from our own is the whole point here, isn't it? More imaginative than watching reality TV or game shows, anyway.

For laughs, Dennis Miller reads his new audiobook STILL RANTING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS for Harper Audio. What can you say about the Emmy winning comic and producer of his own show on CNBC, except maybe "come again?" The allusions accumulate so fast and furiously here that, unless you're as quick witted as Dennis himself, you may want to rewind. Once more the intellectual funnyman covers all the bases, from political terrorism to Enron to obsessed parents in a scattershot blast of opinionated angst so intent on release that he makes a Starbucks addict look like a Bobby Fischer fan. The second CD on this 2-CD set is so good that whatever your politics, you have to admire his offbeat but no-nonsense logic. Now if only Dennis could be installed as White House press secretary for life, we'd ALL think twice about looking to Washington to solve our problems.

Finally, Scott Brick reading the Dune prequel THE BATTLE OF CORRIN by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson for Audio Renaissance. It's the final epic in a trilogy of science fiction novels leading up to the time of Frank Herbert's classic, about the war against the thinking machines following the death of freedom fighter Serena Butler. Here, the last great computer leader has unleashed a virus against humanity which only the spice of Arrakis has a hope of defeating. Narrator Brick shared an Audie award for his reading of the first Dune prequel, and can also be heard narrating I, ROBOT. It's an involving story based on the novel which also inspired "Star Wars," and an interview with the authors can be heard at the end of the production.

(These audiobooks may be rented from Audio Adventures by calling 1-800-551-6692.)

Books to Read While Working - August 2004 - Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe

Actor Campbell Scott reads SHADOW DIVERS by Robert Kurson for Random House Audio. It's the true story of two men who discovered a German U-Boat sunken in deep water off the coast of New Jersey, and their many obstacles in exploring and later identifying it. Who could have guessed how difficult this challenge was for divers Chatterton and Kohler, or how this mysterious U-Boat got there in the first place. Campbell Scott, son of the late George C. Scott, is as appropriate a narrator here as he was reading "Seabiscuit." The story is almost as complex, and is also part tragedy in that, had the U-Boat not been discovered, three men on the dive team would be alive today. While several incidents may seem overly dramatized in print, Scott, seen in the movies "Roger Dodger" and "The Spanish Prisoner," maintains an understated tone throughout this fascinating account.

Will Patton reads IN THE MOON OF RED PONIES by James Lee Burke for Simon & Schuster Audio. It's a mystery novel set in Montana about the murder of two mysterious men by a young activist for the rights of Native Americans. Johnny American Horse has been arrested, and it's up to Billy Bob Holland to uncover the shadowy circumstances behind it, and why an enigmatic government agent hovers nearby while recently-released criminals target his own life and family. Burke is a master writer, winner of two Edgar awards, and the paring of his regionally flavored fiction with reader Will Patton--someone so adept at these accents--is a stroke of genius. After hearing this, you'll want to pick up other Burke/Patton titles, set in Louisiana, like "Jolie Blon's Bounce" and "Purple Cane Road."

Actor John Peakes reads JUSTICE FOR NONE by Gene Hackman and Daniel Lenihan for Brilliance Audio. It's the second novel for the famed actor and his co-writer, the first being "Wake of the Perdido Star." This one is set in Vermilion, Illinois on the brink of the Great Depression, and follows Boyd Carter, a troubled WW I veteran, on the run after being suspected of murdering his estranged wife. Is he guilty? Carter joins forces with another wrongly accused man to see if they have a shot at justice. Narrator Peakes has about as much talent for audio narration as Hackman has for screen acting, and that alone makes this slice of life historical novel worth a listen.

Mark Bramhall reads THE TARNISHED EYE by Judith Guest for Blackstone Audio. It's one of those books you may want to listen to twice, as it's an unusual combination of literary novel and serial killer thriller, about a Sheriff who, while grieving for the loss of his infant son, is called on to investigate a neighbor family's murder in a small town in northern Michigan. The author of "Ordinary People" and "Second Heaven," Guest is known for creating well developed characters who seem alive, quirks and all, but since the public seems to be buying gruesome storylines, she's decided to try one with her own special attention to detail. Bramhall is an accomplished narrator and actor with a style befitting this less than cosy mystery that, oddly, will appeal to women especially.

Scott Brick reads I, ROBOT by Isaac Asimov for Random House Audio. It's the classic story about a future world where robots not only assist us, but begin to compete with us, while following the rule that they must not harm us in any way. But rules are made to be broken--or at least sidestepped--in this science fiction adventure of robotics and semantics, where the question soon becomes "what makes us human?" Scott Brick tells me that he enjoys the SF genre, and can also be heard on the latest Dune prequel "The Battle of Corrin." Don't expect I, ROBOT the book to match the movie scene for scene, and you're in for an entertaining and well narrated look at what we may be facing soon, although not as soon as Asimov predicted.

The inimitable Martin Jarvis reads AS THE CROW FLIES by Jeffrey Archer for Audio Renaissance. It's the story of the enterprising Charlie Trumper, a kid who grows up in London's East End slums just before WW I takes him away. A budding shopkeeper, Charlie returns from war to find that his prospects have changed, while an enemy dogs his every move. It's a generational story, typical of the talented English novelist Archer, now recorded for the first time on audio by one of the most lively narrators in the business. Written in 1991, "As the Crow Flies" is an endearing story about an honest trader seeking his fortune. An interview with the author follows the production as a bonus track.

Finally, actor Barry Bostwick reads SKINNY DIP by Carl Hiaasen for Random House Audio. It's an offbeat mystery novel about a lazy and corrupt marine scientist who pushes his wife off the railing of a cruise liner when he discovers that she's figured out his scams. Unfortunately for Chaz Perrone, Joey survives by clinging to a bale of Jamaican pot, and plots revenge. Soon thereafter his life begins to unravel, with her unseen assistance, until what we end up with is a clever indictment of south Florida politics while being entertained by a writer who reads like a tipsy Dennis LeHane in a clown suit. Bostwick is ideal in tone for the mostly deadpan read, fresh off his role on TV's "Spin City," and gives life to the unscrupulous characters with his talent for understated irony. (These audiobooks may be rented from Audio Adventures by calling 1-800-551-6692.)

Books to Read While Working - July 2004 - Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe

THE BREATHTAKER by Alice Blanchard is a suspense novel about a serial killer who chases tornados in Oklahoma and Texas because it provides him with the perfect cover to commit murder.  Unafraid of the horrific chaos, the killer is tracked by a police chief who soon has his own personal reason to discover the truth.  As read with controlled power by actor Peter Coyote, and with gripping yet unobtrusive sound effects throughout, this Time Warner audiobook possesses a narrative drive which never slows enough to lose listener interest, nor does an obligatory romance or tangential back story interfere with the force of the telling.  On track like a tornado, the audiobook moves with relentless pacing toward a breathtaking conclusion, aided by fine writing and rare originality.  If you liked the movie "Twister," here is that movie on steroids, with better research.  It is among the two or three best audiobooks I've heard so far this year.

Norman Dietz reads DARK STAR SAFARI by Paul Theroux for Recorded Books.  In this case "safari" means journey, as the veteran travel writer endures heat, mosquitoes, unexpected interruptions, and even bullets on his way from Cairo to Cape Town via car, train, boat and cattle truck. But this is no reality show, and Theroux is no empty-headed TV contestant on a race.  He's a philosophical observer in no hurry to discover modern Africa, where he also once lived and taught.  And what's the most surprising truth repeated throughout this 23 hour production?  That despite all the charity work done over decades, almost nothing has changed for the better because Africans themselves are left out of participating in any so-called "solutions."  It's an interesting and yet sobering travelogue, and an indictment of corruption on all levels.

Next, Dick Hill reads PEACE KILLS by P.J. O'Rourke for Brilliance Audio.  The political essayist and humorist has turned foreign correspondent here in an examination of several American wars, and as a followup to his bestseller "Give War a Chance."  Visiting countries on the brink of conflict, O'Rourke ruminates on the injustice and absurdity of our forcing democracy on people with completely different values, and then he too observes all our well-meaning aid workers with a satirical eye.  True, you can't move without friction, but whoever said rebuilding Iraq wouldn't be easy sure had a gift for understatement!  P.J. has a gift, too, although the book's talented narrator doesn't have quite the same unambiguous material he had to work with in "Boogers Are my Beat" by Dave Barry.

Barbara Rosenblat reads DIVORCED FROM THE MOB by Andrea Giovino for Blackstone Audio.  It's a memoir by the former wife of a mob drug runner, a woman who tried to raise a family while FBI wiretaps and sting operations were going down in her Staten Island neighborhood.  Sound like "The Sopranos"?  You bet.  Written with Gary Brozek, this true story details Giovino's life both in and outside the mob, following her divorce and courageous refusal to disappear under the Witness Protection Program.  And Rosenblat, who once again won best female narrator at the Audie awards this year, here delivers the goods in a criminally consistent manner dictated by the material.

Finally, on a sweeter note, Oliver Wyman reads CANDY FREAK by Steve Almond for Highbridge Audio.  You heard me right, the author of this fascinating book about candy is named Almond, and his joy is to describe the subtle textures and flavors of all the candies he has ever fixated on since childhood.  Not only does he enumerate all the bars he's encountered, but Almond also takes listeners on a tour of chocolate factories, and practically sings his love of Oompahs, Twin Bings, Goo Goo Clusters and the Caravelle bar.  Narrator Wyman gives an enthusiastic read, almost as though he's an obsessed freak, too.  Of course if this was sports, you'd say "oh, well, that's normal," but I wonder how much the author weighs, because he's certainly not playing tennis or following the Atkins plan.
 
(These audiobooks may be rented from Audio Adventures by calling 1-800-551-6692.  While you're at it. Be sure to rent Jonathan's "Awakening Storm," which Audiobook Cafe calls "an engaging, compelling story with a great narrator and unexpected ending.")

Books to Read While Working - June 2004 - Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe

Okay, no more fooling around.  Let's talk action.  Because that's certainly what Sean Mangan does, reading SCARECROW by Matthew Reilly for Bolinda Audio.  Reilly's an Australian writer of action adventures, and this one is an all out don't-stop-to-breathe suspense about a enigmatic Marine named Shane Schofield, who's being hunted by bounty hunters who'll be paid $20 million if they return his head to a castle in France inside an organ delivery box.  There are others on the kill list too, but Schofield has other plans.  If you can overlook a few inordinately timely saves of our hero by his associates, you will be rewarded by remarkably few navel-picking pauses.  You know the first scene in any James Bond film, which is usually over the top?  Well, this book is like that for over 12 hours, non-stop.  There's a cool scene with a big rig, too.  Who could ask for anything more?

Carolyn McCormick reads JUST ONE LOOK by Harlan Coben for Penguin Audio.  It's a suspense novel about a suburban mother who finds a photo of four strange men together with her husband among the photos she retrieves from a developer.  That same night her husband Jack takes off in their minivan with the photo, leaving her to wonder where and why he left.  Now a killer is looking for Jack and the photo, and Grace must sort out the truth while placating her children.  Sounds to me a bit like an old TV show, "Nowhere Man."  With a built in mystery to keep you listening, reader McCormick maintains the tension in this novel by the author of "No Second Chance," and can also be heard reading "Blowfly" by Patricia Cornwell.

Next, David Colacci reads THE SHIFTING TIDE by Anne Perry for Brilliance Audio.  It's a historical mystery set on the London docks in the 1800s, about the theft of a cargo of African ivory and the murder of a shipman.  William Monk is up to the task, although his usual territory is London's back streets, not its wharf.  And the shipping magnate who hired him has some ulterior motives, it appears, which Monk might discover too late.  Novelist Perry is a historical mystery specialist, and narrator Colacci a good choice for interpreting the various accents required by the text in this enjoyable and involving tale.

Jamey Sheridan reads FUNNY CIDE by Sally Jenkins for Penguin Audio. It's about the race horse who almost won the Triple Crown in 2003, and the Sackatoga stable which acquired the horse after some hard-luck tries with other three year-olds.  These working class buddies went up against millionaires to take home the prize at the Kentucky Derby, while catapulting Funny Cide into what they call a "blue collar hero." As a true story, the book is certainly interesting, although it's not as inspiring as Seabiscuit's story, whose success the author attempts to emulate.  What's missing is that magical quality which animated Seabiscuit's history, as told by Laura Hillenbrand.  Not that these books are in a horse race, but a comparison is inevitable when you mimic some of the same selling points.

Okay, it's not Halloween yet, but summer storms are coming, and the perfect companion for that is TALES FOR A STORMY NIGHT by various authors like Henry James, Ambrose Bierce, and H.P. Lovecraft from Blackstone Audio.  This Earphones award-winning production includes several full cast radio dramas, like "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allen Poe, which alone is worth the price of admission.  Acting skill and sound effects here can only be described as "astonishing."  The 14 tales, plays, and poems are performed by a first rate crew including the deep voiced Robertson Dean, the infinitely expressive Kris Tabori, and the mesmerizing Ann Marie Lee.  Add the directing talent of Grammy and Audie winner Yuri Rasovsky, and you have a quirky, elegant, remarkable audiobook that's a definite keeper for those of you who tire of the ordinary and predictable.

Finally, the Car Talk guys are back with some of their classic calls in THE HATCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME from Highbridge Audio.  If you haven't heard of the Tappet Brothers, let this be your introduction--albeit a  short one--to their wisecracking brand of auto repair humor.  People call their NPR show with problems, or just to complain, as Morley Safer of 60 Minutes did.  Another call came from the Space Station.  And then there's a guy who changes his oil using a barbecue grill.  The brothers also have a new album of road songs titled "Born Not to Run," but the only song on it I truly loved was titled "SUV" and includes this:  "I'm sick of these SOBs, they drivin' these SUVs, and tryin' ta run over me when I'm in my beat-up car.  Now, if my old car let's me down or somebody tries to steal her...I ain't wastin' time, goin' straight to the top, I'm buyin' an 18 wheeler."

(These audiobooks can be rented from Audio Adventures by calling 1-800-551-6692.)