Audiobooks

Baldacci, David. The Christmas Train. Time Warner AudioBooks, 2002. Unabridged on 5 cassettes (7 1/2 hr.) Read by Tim Matheson. Banned from flying after an altercation with airport security, journalist Tom Langdon is forced to take an alternate route from New York to Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his girlfriend, a Hollywood star. He decides to take the train and write about riding the rails over the holidays. The long trip takes on the flavor of an adventure as he experiences a heartwarming and entertaining journey across the USA. Tom encounters colorful passengers , an ex-girl friend and rambunctious train personnel as the train encounters mechanical failures, derailments, and bad weather. Aboard the Capitol Limited, running from D.C. to Chicago, and the Southwest Chief, running from Chicago to L.A., matters complicate further as love works into the plot. The narrative is loaded with cool train lore and plenty of romance and good cheer and is just a fun and enjoyable story. Baldacci dedicates the book to "everyone who loves trains and holidays", and I recommend it to that group and everyone else.

Begley, Louis. About Schmidt. Random House, 1996. Recorded Books, 1997, narrated by George Guidall. Proud, traditional and impeccably organized, Albert Schmidt is a button-down lawyer of the old school. He is a man of privilege and position, but not without his problems. Recently widowed and reluctantly retired as a partner in a top New York law firm, he endures the snakebite of filial ingratitude and the slide toward old age with grumpy stoicism.

Set in the Hamptons and New York, infused with black humor and startling eroticism, About Schmidt is a meditation on loneliness and the power of romance to reach into the most impenetrable recesses of the heart. Just released as a movie starring Jack Nicholson as Schmidt, with major changes in the setting and other important details.

Brooks, Geraldine. Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague. Books on Tape, 2000. Brooks' title is based on the actual lead-mining village of Eyam, Derbyshire, whose inhabitants voluntarily quarantined themselves for a year when stricken with Bubonic Plague in 1665-1666. Anna Frith is widowed at 18 by a mining accident and is the mother of two young boys. Through her recollections, readers live through the year as her endurance and abilities are sorely tested. Anna works for the new young minister's wife, who teaches her to read and becomes more of a companion than a mistress. At her employers' suggestion, Anna takes in a boarder to help meet expenses. The man is a tailor and when a shipment of fabrics, apparently flea infested, is delivered from London-the plague is suddenly upon them. The minister convinces his flock to make the supreme sacrifice and arranges for food and supplies to be delivered to the outskirts of the hamlet. The story is a portrait of the best and worst in people faced with sorrow, terror, and death. Some succumb to madness, others display cowardice and hysteria, and a few look for solutions in murder or self-mutilation. Through it all, however, Anna grows in strength, abilities, and understanding as she faces the loss of her children, her friends, and her innocence, and takes on the tasks of an ever-dwindling populace. This is an excellently portrayed study of the wonder of human courage.

Canfield, Jack. Chicken Soup for the Christian Family Soul. Health Communications Audio, 2002. A warm and inspiring collection of true stories that will cause one to rethink the important things in life: family, love, happiness, peace, generosity and kindness. Each heartwarming story expresses the end result of letting Christ be the center of your life. Miraculous moments of divine insight are discovered in each story once the attributes of Jesus are applied to real life situations. This collection of stories will build your faith and cause one to want to walk in the ways of Jesus on a daily basis.

Chevalier, Tracy. Falling Angels. Recorded Books, 2002. January 1901, the day after Queen Victoria’s death: Two families visit neighboring graves in a fashionable London cemetery. One is decorated with a sentimental angel, the other an elaborate urn. The Waterhouses revere the late Queen and cling to Victorian traditions; the Colemans look forward to a more modern society. To their mutual distaste, the families are inextricably linked when their daughters become friends behind the tombstones. And worse, befriend the gravedigger’s son. As the girls grow up and the new century finds its feet, as cars replace horses and electricity outshines gas lighting, Britain emerges from the shadows of oppressive Victorian values to a golden Edwardian summer. It is then that the beautiful, frustrated Mrs. Coleman makes a bid for greater personal freedom, with disastrous consequences, and the lives of the Colemans and the Waterhouses are changed forever. A poignant tale of two families brought reluctantly together, Falling Angels is an intimate story of childhood friendships, sexual awakening and human frailty. Yet its epic sweep takes in the changing of a nation, the fight for women’s suffrage and the questioning of steadfast beliefs. Multiple narrators do a wonderful job of helping us keeping the story well paced.

Chevalier, Tracy. Girl With A Pearl Earring. Recorded Books, 2000. Set in 17th-century Delft, this historical novel intertwines the art of Johannes Vermeer with his life and that of a maiden servant in his household. From the few facts known about the artist, Chevalier creates the reality of the Netherlands. The parallel themes of tradesman/artist, Protestant/Catholic, and master/servant are intricately woven into the fabric of the tale. The painters of the day spent long hours in the studio, devising and painting re-creations of everyday life. The thrust of the story is seen through the eyes of Griet, the daughter of a Delft tile maker who lost his sight and, with it, the ability to support his family. Griet's fate is to be hired out as a servant to the Vermeer household. She has a wonderful sense of color, composition, and orderliness that the painter Vermeer recognizes. And, slowly, Vermeer entrusts much of the labor of creating the colored paints to Griet. Throughout, narrator Ruth Ann Phimister gives a strong performance as the enchanting voice of Griet.

Crenshaw, Theresa L. The Alchemy of Love and Lust: How Our Sex Hormones Influence Our Relationships (abridged). Is falling in love or lust just a matter of chemistry? We may think emotions rule our sex lives, but our hormones largely determine our physical attractions, drives and behaviors. By understanding these hidden hormonal agendas, we can influence them in return and enjoy happier, more fulfilling lives and relationships, while appreciating the characteristics and differences between the sexes. Dr. Theresa Crenshaw, a renowned sex therapist, explains how body chemicals dictate our sexual peaks and cycles from adolescents to old age. The results of three decades of research that incorporates the most up to date findings, including the latest information on DHEA’s potential health benefits. The Alchemy of Love and Lust Is an eye-opening tour of hormones and their link to moods, desires, and feelings in both men and women. Where else can you find out that “love at first sight” is really a hormonal reaction, or about how couples can become addicted to each other by scent and touch?

Evanovitch, Janet. Seven Up. Brilliance Audio, 2001. It's always a treat to go out on a case with Stephanie Plum, the sassy, adventurous, but not always successful Trenton, N.J., bounty hunter. In her seventh outing, Stephanie's employer, her bail-bondsman cousin, Vinnie, gives her an easy job: pick up vicious senior citizen Eddie DeChooch, who is constantly sighted racing around Trenton in a borrowed white Cadillac, but whom no one can grab. The usual characters inhabit the novel: Steph's former high school buddies, the zonked-out Dougie and Mooner; and Evanovich's best creation, feisty Grandma Mazur. Stephanie's much-resented sister Valerie returns from California with her two daughters, her “perfect" marriage ended, and moves in with her parents, to their dismay. At times, the plot meanders. The biggest problem is narrator Tanya Eby's performance. Eby, as Plum, often sounds like Popeye's Olive Oyl, screeching out a Jersey accent, with little differentiation between characters. Hopefully since Brilliance released this tape ahead of schedule, much to Evanovitch’s dismay, Recorded Books will pick up the rest of the series with the much superior C.J. Critt as Plum narrator. Great series…this one has a narrator that will make you want to pull your hair out!

Evanovitch, Janet. Hard Eight. Recorded Books, 2002. Thank god Recorded Books is back with the latest Stephanie Plum mystery! C.J. Critt does her usual superb job narrating as Stephanie. In Hard Eight, Stephanie Plum picks up a case a little nastier than anything the wisecracking bounty hunter's seen before. Evelyn Soder and her young daughter have gone on the run, leaving an angry ex-husband who's planning to collect on a child custody bond that will leave Evelyn's grandmother homeless. Stephanie's first clue that there's more to it than that comes in the form of Eddie Abruzzi, a shady local businessman who warns her to butt out of the case. Stephanie doesn't scare easily, but when Abruzzi's henchmen leave a bag of snakes on her doorknob and tarantulas in her car, she has no choice but to call Ranger, the hunky man of mystery whom she already owes too many favors. Steph knows that Ranger will soon be calling in his marker, but with her ex- fiancé Joe Morelli out of the picture, that should be OK--shouldn't it? In the meantime, she's got other fugitives to catch, aided by the usual band of misfits, plus a bumbling correspondence-school lawyer who's developed the hots for Stephanie's sister, Valerie. And Steph's in for a surprise from her mother, who proves she's not above wielding a dangerous weapon to save her daughter's life. Evanovich has made a bold move in using a case of child jeopardy to pull this series out of the comfortable but formulaic pattern it was threatening to fall into. It's still funny, and yes, some cars are destroyed, but now there's a real edge of darkness under the humor. Fan needn't fear, though: Jersey girl Stephanie is still full of sass and Tastykakes.

Gerritsen, Tess. The Surgeon. BDD Audio,2001. Abridged on 3 cassettes (5 hr.) Performed by Dennis Boutsikaris. A female trauma surgeon, terrorized by a serial killer in Boston using the same MO (he rapes women, then surgically removes their wombs) as a killer who attacked her during her internship years in Savannah, works with a detective to solve current similar crimes while trying to stay alive. A satisfying thriller with a sequel, The Apprentice, published in 2002. Skillfully drawn surgical backdrops sizzling with ER intensity attests to Gerritsen's authentic medical expertise as a former physician.

Gleeson, Janet. The Arcanum: The Extraordinary True Story. Time Warner Audio, 1999. Read by David McCallum. When we take a porcelain plate out of our china cabinets, we are holding a substance that was once as precious as gold. The formula for its manufacture was a closely guarded secret, and the search for this formula, the "Arcanum" for porcelain, is the subject of Janet Gleeson's The Arcanum: The Extraordinary True Story. Beginning with the medieval preoccupation with alchemy and the search for the elusive substance called the Philosopher's Stone that would supposedly transmute base metals into gold, Gleeson gives a fascinating account of an 18th-century alchemist, Johann Frederick Bottger, who tried to discover the Philosopher's Stone. When he failed, he declared that he would continue his researches by discovering the Arcanum for porcelain, an almost equally valuable secret. To Bottger's credit, he did manage to discover the formula, thus saving his credit with his king and probably saving his life, since the king would have had him executed if he had failed in his efforts. After the story of Bottger, Gleeson gives the histories of other pioneers in the porcelain field such as Johan Gregor Herold, who became famous for the brilliant colors he developed for porcelain creations, and Johann Joachim Kaendler, a noted sculptor in porcelain. Read by David McCallum, The Arcanum sounds more like a suspense thriller or epic novel than a history, with its scenes of mysterious alchemists at work, avaricious kings going to war over porcelain, and artists held captive for their talents. You will never look at your plates the same way again.

Hart, Carolyn. Sugarplum Dead. Books on Tape, 2001. Unabridged (Compact Discs) Read by: Kate Reading. Carolyn Hart dishes up a holiday treat for mystery fans in her book, Sugarplum Dead: a Death on Demand Mystery. Christmas is approaching on the island of Broward’s Rock, South Carolina and former movie star, Marguerite Dumaney Ladson has summoned her relatives to a combined birthday and Christmas gathering at her enormous mansion, elaborately decorated for the occasion. Trouble is brewing, as Marguerite is preparing to announce that she plans to leave her fortune to the questionable Evermore Foundation for psychic research headed by the dashing Dr. Emory Swanson. Annie Laurence Darling, the owner of the local Death on Demand Mystery Bookstore and her fun-loving, devoted private investigator husband, Max Darling, will soon be caught up in more than holiday preparations. Annie’s long-lost father and the former husband of Marguerite’s sister, Happy, appears on the scene, thrusting Annie and Max into the events at the Dumaney mansion, where Annie is introduced to and befriends her young stepsister, Rachel.  In addition, Max’s mother, Laurel, a wealthy widow, appears to have fallen under the spell of Dr. Swanson.  Sinister events are unfolding, as a séance, and murders threaten more than the holiday mood.  It is up to Annie and Max to solve the mystery, clear the names of two recently discovered relatives, and restore harmony to the holidays.  Kate Reading does an admirable job of narration as she brings to life the many characters in Carolyn Hart’s book.  Sugarplum Dead: a Death on Demand Mystery is an enjoyable present for mystery readers to savor.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Every Tongue Got to Confess : Negro Folk-tales from the Gulf States. Recorded Books, 2002. Unabridged on 6 cassettes (9 hrs.) Performed by Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis; foreword by John Edgar Wideman ; introduction by Carla Kaplan. Folklorist Hurston, who died in 1960, collected these stories in the late 1920s from African Americans in the rural South. The tales range from one liners to more complex stories, divided by subject: God tales, neatest trick tales, preacher tales, devil tales, and so on. Hurston replicates the vernacular in which these were told. In this recorded version, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis perform and are able to include the often sly, often sparkling wit of the original tellers. A real treat for students of folklore, black culture, or anyone who likes hearing good stories well-told. Library Journal Reviews 2002 June #2;Nann Blaine Hilyard, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information. There is also a significant amount of biographical information about the author in the introduction to the tape.

Lord, Walter. The Night Lives On. Harper Audio, 1999. (abridged) The most awesome ocean-going vessel the world had ever seen, the mighty Titanic, struck an iceberg and sank on the night of April 14, 1912, carrying more than 1500 souls - and uncountable secrets - to the icy bottom of the mid-Atlantic. Why did the crew steam full speed ahead into dangerous waters despite 6 wireless warnings? How able was the doomed ship’s "superb seaman" Captain Smith? Why did the nearby ship Californian ignore Titanic's distress signals? How could such a disaster ever have occurred? Author Walter Lord's acclaimed classic A Night to Remember is considered the definitive written work on the Titanic tragedy. And now he returns to the scene of chaos and horror to explore - and answer - the untold mysteries behind the 20th century's greatest catastrophe at sea.

MacIntyre, Ben. The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief. Farrar, Strass, & Giroux, 1996. Recorded Books, 1997, read by Simon Prebble. Straight from the archives of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, this biography will delight all those who love good stories about the scoundrels among us. Author Ben MacIntyre, bureau chief of the Paris office of the Times of London happened upon an article dated 1902 recording the life and death of Adam Worth, "Master Thief of Modern Times." Thus began MacIntyre's research into the man upon whom Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based his Moriarity character. Worth began his career in the Civil War as a bounty hunter. He would enlist in a company for the enlistment bounty, desert, and then enlist in another company, a profitable practice during the days of haphazard record keeping! His career progressed so that in 1876 he successfully stole the Gainsborough painting of the Duchess of Devonshire. During his glory years he maintained the facade of a gentleman, owning a mansion at a prestigious London address complete with tennis courts and a shooting gallery. Moving in the highest circles of Victorian society, he aimed to be a gentleman, and was by the standards of the day. This chronicle is a hilarious and highly readable account of a time when there was still a certain honor among thieves.

Puryear, Anne. Stephen Lives: My Son Stephen - His Life, Suicide and Afterlife (unabridged). On March 18, 1973, Anne Puryear's 15-year-old son Stephen committed suicide. She digs deep into her own guilt-ravaged emotions to draw meaning from his actions, and we are led into her spiritual awakenings as she learns of her spirit guides--three distinct voices inside her head. After his death Stephen frequently contacts his mother. To keep track of his thoughts, she sits in front of her typewriter and his words come through her--they "overshadow" her thoughts. It makes for eerie reading to learn from him how he actually died and how his soul left his body. And it was his idea to help write this book from the beyond. By discussing life after death with his mother, Stephen was convinced that he could save lives of other young people on the verge of suicide. While coping with her son's suicide in this rather unorthodox manner, Puryear, an ordained minister, therapist, psychic, and writer, may provide comfort and answers to others who have had a similar loss. Included are lists of self-help groups, warning signs that may indicate a suicidal crisis, and suggestions for helping a grieving survivor.

Rimbauer, Ellen, and Joyce Reardon (Editor), Ridley Pearson. The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red. Recorded Books, 2002. At the turn of the twentieth century, Ellen Rimbauer became the young bride of Seattle industrialist John Rimbauer, and began keeping a remarkable diary. This diary became the secret place where Ellen could confess her fears of the new marriage, her confusion over her emerging sexuality, and the nightmare that her life would become. The diary not only follows the development of a girl into womanhood, it follows the construction of the Rimbauer mansion -- called Rose Red -- an enormous home that would be the site of so many horrific and inexplicable tragedies in the years ahead. The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red is a rare document, one that gives us an unusual view of daily life among the aristocracy in the early 1900s, a window into one woman's hidden emotional torment, and a record of the mysterious events at Rose Red that scandalized Seattle society at the time -- events that can only be fully under- stood now that the diary has come to light. Written anonymously by suspense writer Ridley Pearson, the book is penned in such a way as to appear to be a diary written by Ellen Rimbauer and “edited” by Joyce Reardon, Ph.D.( both fictional characters) as part of her research. The diary is said to be being published as preparations are being made by Dr. Reardon to enter Rose Red and fully investigate its disturbing history. Highly entertaining & suspenseful “listen”….narrator Alexandra O’Karma is perfect!

Stein, Gertrude. Gertrude Stein Reads. Harper Audio/ Caedmon , 1956, 1996. Gertrude Stein was one of the most influential writers of her time – easily considered an icon of the twentieth century. Here she reads prose works including The Making of Americans, A Valentine to Sherwood Anderson, If I Told Him: A Complete Portrait of Picasso/ Matisse and Madame Recamier: An Opera. The radically experimental nature of her writing is clearly evident in this reading with its focus on sound, repetition, rhythm and texture, clearly ignoring the elements of traditional grammar and structure. Her writing is both more alive and more accessible when listened to rather than being read silently. Her voice is surprisingly soft and lilting given that it is coming from a staunch looking face that could rival that of Caesar Augustus for suitability on a roman coin. In an age when audiobooks are mainly popular as an entertainment useful in making commutes and road trips seem less long, or housework less dull, this tape reminds its listener of a purpose not lost on the early pioneers of audio technology – that of archiving what is considered to be truly great or classic.

December 11, 2002