AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- HEAR HERE!! Audiobooks in review SPRING, 2008 ============================================= By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com All sets are Compact Discs, except as noted. All prices are in Canadian dollars, except as noted. WARNING -- PRICE ALERT: All prices are as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. Part One: Non-Fiction -- 1. IN DEFENSE OF FOOD; an eater’s manifesto (Penguin Audio, 2008, unabridged, 6.5 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-14-314274-4, $38.50 CDN set) is by Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, which was the top-rated non-fiction book of 2006. The picture of leaf lettuce on the cover pretty well tells it all; it is accompanied by the text: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Some of this material was previously published last year in the New York Times’ magazine; that article was meant as a follow-up to his 2006 book. As he plainly makes clear, the real evil in food is the ideology that controls everyday eating. Pollan calls it “nutritionism”; it promotes nutrients above the food itself. In many ways, it is a lot like the movement of the late 19th century with Kellogg and Graham and their flours and foods. When you diet, you end up changing your balance of nutrients in your foods. Thus, a low-fat diet becomes a high-carb diet. When “additives” and “supplements” provide nutrients, you really don’t know if they will work in the same way as in “food”. Another argument against nutritionism is that new discoveries and new research methods have overturned the past: butter is better than its trans-fat replacement, free-range food is better that battery food, no fresh eggs were used in the 1960s cholesterol trials (frozen and powdered eggs were used, and that skewed the results), fat is a carrier in our bodies for natural nutrients and thus must be present in our diet. He goes on to show that many studies were flawed. For example, a half billion dollar eight year study of low-fat diets for women showed that the target range of 20% of total calories from fat intake was never achieved. The lowest it got was 29%. Because food corporations make their money on both novelties and long shelf lives, then all processed foods should be avoided. He produces what we can call the “The Michael Rules”. Some don’t rules: don’t eat food incapable of rotting; don’t eat food with unfamiliar ingredients and/or HFCS (high fructose corn syrup); don’t eat food that make health claims or are dietary supplements. Some do rules: do eat mostly plants (especially leaves); do eat wild foods; do pay more to eat less; do have a glass of wine with dinner. This book has been read by actor and writer Scott Brick, who also narrated the 2006 “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”. Audience and level of use: For retrovores (those who eat food that was raised the way they used to be raised) -- anyone concerned about what they eat, or looking for guidance on how to eat wisely. Some interesting or unusual facts: “I’m hoping this book will give people tools so they don’t have to be dependent on people like me” The downside to this book: while he has good material on fructose corn syrup, he has nothing on the other devil, MSG, or on preservatives in general. While all the text is here in unabridged format, there is no listing of the reading sources nor of the index and websites, which is a shame. Quality/Price Rating: 94. 2. SAGE-ING WHILE AGE-ING (Simon & Schuster Audio, 2007, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7435-7170-8, $29.95US set) is by Shirley MacLaine, no stranger to moviegoers. This Academy-Award winning actress, who sprouts all manner of New Age thoughts, here moves into a new house and immediately begins to confront the realities and rewards of growing older. She reflects on the past and tries to pinpoint her position in the universe with candor. She’s concerned about the problems with modern medicine, and presents her own thoughts on nutrition, alternative medicine, homeopathy. She goes on to question death and what happens afterwards. She had previously written some ten best-selling books. This title has been abridged by Sarah Ginsberg; Shirley MacLaine does her own narrating. Audience and level of use: as her blurb says, “fellow travelers” everywhere. The downside to this CD set: no topical index or contents to go directly to a relevant section. The upside to this CD set: pleasant listening. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 3. BORN STANDING UP (Simon & Schuster, 2007, unabridged, 4.5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-7435-6972-9, $29.95US set) is the autobiography of Steve Martin, well-known comic, author, and movie actor (Roxanne, Bowfinger, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, et al). This has been described as an amusing memoir of his years in stand-up comedy. But in 1981 he quit forever, and this is the story of why he did stand-up and why he walked away. To understand why loved stand-up comedy, you must understand the influences on his life – his entertainment jobs from the age of 10, his work at magic tricks, his discipline, his estrangement from his parents and sister, and the times in which he grew up (Vietnam, the free speech movement, Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Saturday Night Live, and the like).Revealing. This is unabridged, and read by Martin himself. Audience and level of use: comedy lovers, biographiles. Some interesting or unusual facts: Martin’s work appears quite often in the New Yorker and the New York Times. The downside to this CD set: there are no topic indications in the chronology of his life, no index markings. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 4. FRENCH WOMEN DON’T GET FAT (Random House Audio, 2005, RHCD 620, abridged, 3 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-5872-6, $14.99US set) is a 2007 reissue of the 2005 presentation, now selling at a much lower price. Its subtitle is “the secret of eating for pleasure”. Yes, I’ll drink to that, perhaps with some Veuve Clicquot...As a slender French gamine, Mireille Guiliano came to the United States as an exchange student. When she returned, she was “fat”. She began to explore why this happened, and she studied French gastronomy to understand food and drink. She emphasizes the virtues of freshness, variety, balance, and good solid foods. She tries to show how anyone can learn to eat, drink and be merry like a French woman. Here are her strategies. The abridgement is by David Smith, and Guiliano does her own narration. The CD reissues concludes with a bonus author interview. Try also www.mireilleguiliano.com. Audience and level of use: those trying to lose weight and needing encouragement. Some interesting or unusual facts: avoid junk food. The downside to this CD set: difficult to talk about food and recipes without a reference point or topical marker for indexing. The upside to this CD set: good price and the interview is fascinating. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 5. BILL OF WRONGS (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2203, unabridged, 7 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-1387-9, $29.95US set) is the last book by Molly Ivins who passed away in January 2007. Her longtime collaborator is here, Lou Dubose, a political editor. Their subtitle is “the Executive’s Branch’s assault on America’s fundamental rights”. Originally, the book was to be about celebrating the freedoms and rights of the individual, taken from personal experiences across America. But during the Bush years, the project’s focus changed because the freedoms had changed. There are a huge number of curtailments of personal liberties in the US: illegal wiretaps, unlawful imprisonment, undermining of freedom of the press, continual influences of religious extremism at the national level, the erosion of checks and balances in government, etc. Ivins and Dubose clearly describe the assault on US constitutional guarantees. Political columnist Liz Smith (New York Daily News, Mike Wallace, book author) does the narration. Audience and level of use: lovers of politics, conspiracy fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: Americans need to be more vigilant and active in protecting the Bill of Rights. The downside to this CD set: no topical contents index for later retrieval of salient points, or even just dipping into the book at some relevant spot. The upside to this CD set: it is unabridged – every word and thought is here. Quality/Price Rating: 94. 6. CLAPTON (Random House, 2007, RHCD 2208, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-3433-1, $29.95US set) is by rock superstar Eric Clapton (Derek and the Dominoes, Cream). This is his autobiography. He was born illegitimate in 1945 and raised by his grandparents. Until the age of nine, he believed his actual mother to be his sister. The guitar was his solace. He later experimented with drugs and alcohol, but he overcame all of it (including the death of his four year old son). This is the story of a survivor. John McElroy did the abridgement. Narrator Bill Nighy is a well-known British actor (Notes on a Scandal, Girl in the Cafe, He Knew He Was Right) in movies, television and stage. Audience and level of use: fans of Clapton. The downside to this CD set: while I admire Bill Nighy, I still feel that Clapton himself – who is quite literate and a good talker – could have narrated the set. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 7. FAIR GAME (Simon & Schuster, 2007, abridged, 7 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7435-7122-7, $29.95US) is by Valerie Plame Wilson. It is the story of her outing as a covert CIA agent. The subtitle is: “my life as a spy, my betrayal by the White House”. In 2003, Wilson’s husband (a former US Ambassador) wrote an op-ed piece “What I Didn’t Find in Africa” for the New York Times. The article so incensed the White House that Scooter Libby, a chief of staff, leaked that Mrs. Wilson was a CIA agent. Robert Novak printed it, thus endangering the lives of the Wilsons and their twins. The public disclosure of that classified data led to suits and countersuits, convictions and dismissals, and then later a presidential pardon for Libby. It was a political nightmare and a disgrace...Valerie Wilson retired from the CIA in 2006, and wrote this book to set the record straight. Much of her story is still classified, but there is an afterword by Laura Rozen, a national security reporter, which draws on material from the public record, to provide context. The abridgement is by George Truett, and Mrs. Wilson herself does the narration. Audience and level of use: those who like conspiracy and also want to see the government get caught out. Some interesting or unusual facts: Mrs. Wilson’s CIA career included extensive work in counterproliferation operations (i.e., weapons of mass destruction). The downside to this CD set: yet again no topical markers or table of contents for retrieval. The upside to this CD set: personal narration – and a good story. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 8. JUGGLING ELEPHANTS (Penguin Audio, 2007, unabridged, 2 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 978-0-14-314271-3, $19.95US set) is by Jones Loflin and Todd Musig. Jones is a corporate trainer specializing in introducing change to businesses. Todd is a CEO with two decades of experience in training, marketing, and consulting. Together, they present a lighthearted attempt at explaining the easier ways to get your most important work done now. If you have too much to do, too many priorities, too much stress, and too little time, then your life will feel like a three-ring circus. You must acknowledge that trying to get everything done is like juggling elephants: impossible. So, to pursue the analogy to a circus, you must have quality activity in each of the three rings, and you must have an intermission. That way you can run the circus, and not have the circus run you...Narrator Oliver Wyman is a triple-threat man, appearing on stage, film and television. Audience and level of use: those seeking motivation, good listening for on the way home. Some interesting or unusual facts: Narrator Wyman had won an Audie Award for his reading of Lance Armstrong’s autobiography, “It’s Not About the Bike”. Quality/Price Rating: 90. Part Two: Fiction -- 9. HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER HOLIDAYS (BTC Audio Books, 2007; distr. Goose Lane Editions, abridged, 3 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-0-86492-475-9, $29.95 CDN set) is by W. O. Mitchell, a master storyteller and author of “Jake and the Kid”. He was a long time CBC radio performer. This title was first published in 1981. It is the story of Hugh, a 12-year- old in Saskatchewan, summer of 1924. A patient has escaped from a mental hospital, and Hugh and his friends stumble upon him. Add to the mix a former war hero now a rum-runner who is caring for the escapee. It turns into murder. And suddenly, just like that, innocence is lost...It was first broadcast on CBC Radio’s Booktime in 1982, and this spoken word set is that version as abridged and narrated by Mitchell himself. Audience and level of use: Mitchell fans and lovers of Canadiana. Some interesting or unusual facts: the original presentation has lain fallow at the CBC for a quarter century. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 10. GEORGE’S SECRET KEY TO THE UNIVERSE (Simon & Schuster, 2007, unabridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7435-7161-6, $29.95US set) is by Lucy and Stephen Hawking. It is a fun novel with plenty of scientific backing. Steven Hawking is, of course, the well-known Cambridge mathematician and best-selling author of “A History of Time”. Lucy has written two novels and for many British newspapers. This is their first collaboration. The blurb says: “When George’s pet pig breaks through the fence into the yard next door George meets his new neighbors – Annie and her scientist father, Eric – and discovers a secret key that opens up a whole new way of looking at the world.” The work is all about supercomputers, space travel, and the danger of black holes. Scientific facts are contributed by Stephen, including the latest ideas about black holes. Narrator Hugh Dancy is a British film, television and stage actor, and he adds just the right amount of whimsicality to the proceedings. The scientific notes are read by Stephen Hawking himself. Audience and level of use: Hawking lovers, and those interested in a young adult story line. Some interesting or unusual facts: there is an enhanced CD for fun. The upside to this CD set: Hawking’s presence. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 11. THE ENGLISHMAN’S BOY (BTC Audio books, 2007; distr. Goose Lane Editions, 4 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-0-86492-476-6, $29.95 CDN set) is by Guy Vanderhaeghe. It tells some interwoven stories of a struggling Hollywood screenwriter and a drifter known as “the Englishman’s boy”. The book links the Hollywood movie culture of the silent screen era with its excesses to the Cypress Hill Massacre, a brutal raid in the stark Canadian west. The author is noted for combining prairie realism with Canadian history. “The Englishman’s Boy” won the Governor- General’s Award for fiction in 1996, and was shortlisted for the Giller and the Dublin. It was first broadcast on CBC’s Between the Covers in 1997. Wayne Schmalz did the abridgement, and playwright Ken Kramer (who is also a director and actor) does the narration. Audience and level of use: Canadian lovers, those with an ear for detail. Some interesting or unusual facts: here is adventure, suspense, avarice, and dreams all rolled together. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 12. DAKOTA (Penguin Audio, 2008, unabridged, 14 hours on 11 CDs, ISBN 978-0-14-314301-7, $39.95US set) is by Martha Grimes, bestselling author of some 21 Richard Jury mysteries plus other novels. This current title is a sequel to a decades-old earlier work with Andi Oliver as the protagonist (book title is Biting the Moon). Andi is an amnesiac and drifter, running from an incident at a Santa Fe B & B. She moves from one small town to another, through Idaho, Montana and into North Dakota. She finds work at a pig farm, and manages to uncover unscrupulous activity. Narrator Renee Raudman works in theatre, film, television, radio and voiceovers. More details are at www.marthagrimes.com. Audience and level of use: mystery and western literature fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: while a mystery and suspenser, this novel uses the western landscape as a back drop. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 13. DARK OF THE MOON (Penguin Audio, 2007, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-12-314281-2, $29.95US set) is another violent suspenser- thriller by John Sandford, the bestselling author of seventeen Prey novels and six other books (www.johnsandford.org). The new op is Virgil Flowers, a military policeman now working in the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, doing all the hard stuff. While investigating a double murder in a small town, a house explodes into flames with its owner inside. Another murder to solve, and he must also watch his back. Ah, life in the small town...Producer John McElroy has done the abridgement. Eric Conger does the reading; he has won many reading awards including the Golden Earphones Award and the Listen Up Award. Audience and level of use: thriller lovers, fans of John Sandford. Some interesting or unusual facts: Narrator Conger has read many of Sandford’s books for audio release. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 14. STRANGER IN PARADISE (Random House Audio, 2008, RHCD 2252, ISBN 978-0-7393-4001-1, $29.95US) is by Robert B. Parker, who has written more than 50 books, mainly about private op Spencer (www.robertbparker.net). This time, his op is Jesse Stone, police chief of Paradise, MA. An Apache hit man has turned up some 10 years after leaving town with a boatful of money. He needs to bring back a daughter to her father. But she’s under the protection of a Latino gang, and the Apache must murder her mother. For Jesse, there is also a sub-plot involving his off and on relationship with a TV reporter investigating that same Latino gang. Sounds like a plot to me...Narrator James Naughton is a stage, TV, and film actor, with two Tony Awards under his belt. Audience and level of use: Parker fans and mystery lovers who like a good listen. Some interesting or unusual facts: Narrator Naughton is also a director, responsible for the revival of “Our Town” on Broadway and PBS. Quality/Price Rating: 93. 15. ON THE ROAD (Penguin Audio, 2007, unabridged, 11 hours on 9 CDs, ISBN 978-0-14-314273-7, $29.95US set) is the novel by Jack Kerouac. This set is being touted as the “50th Anniversary Edition”, which I guess it is for the print version published in 1957 (and now reprinted). It is the first audio appearance on CD. This is a classic novel of freedom, defining what it meant to be “beat”. It has inspired many writers throughout the years. The novel is based on Kerouac’s on the road adventures with Neal Cassady. This fictionalized account of two friends who make four cross-country road trips has been a book that changed American literature, dealing with jazz, sex, illicit drugs, life on the road, and the buddy syndrome. Actor Will Patton is the reader; he has strong film credits. Audience and level of use: great material to listen to on your car radio as you go “on the road”. Some interesting or unusual facts: Kerouac’s immediate ancestry was French-Canadian Catholic. Quality/Price Rating: 95. 16. CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT (Penguin Audio, 2007, unabridged, 7 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 978-0-14-314241-6, $39.95US set) is by Laura Viera Rigler, a freelance book editor who teaches writing workshops (www.janeaustenaddict.com). This comedy promotes the fantasy of a modern Los Angeles woman awakening as an Englishwoman in Jane Austen’s time (Regency England). She must pretend that she is this woman. Luckily, through her Janeite readings, she knows about early 19th century life and is able to fool everyone. But, of course, sanitation and Dirty Old Men are problems that she must resolve...Sorry, but I’m not going to tell you what happens. The narrator is Orlagh Cassidy; she’s a stage, film and TV actor, nominated for a few awards. Audience and level of use: chick lit fans, good potential for a dreamy ride home. Some interesting or unusual facts: as of this writing, narrator Cassidy appears on the soap “Guiding Light”. Quality/Price Rating: 89. AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- HEAR HERE!! Audiobooks in review WINTER 2008 ============================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com All sets are Compact Discs, except as noted. All prices are in Canadian dollars, except as noted. WARNING -- PRICE ALERT: All prices are as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. Part One: Non-fiction – 1. MUSICOPHILIA; tales of music and the brain (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2219, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-5739-2, $37.95 set) is by Oliver Sacks, a well-known Professor of Clinical Neurology and Psychiatry at Columbia. He is the author of nine previous books, including the stunning “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat”. Here, he explores the power of music to move people. These are stories, based on his extensive files and research, of people trying to adapt to different neurological conditions. These episodes involve musicians and everyday people. Even the simple repetition of a melody from a jingle or pop song that we replay in our minds (this happens to everyone) can escalate into a full-blown nonstop hallucination that some of us have both night and day. Music can be helpful: music can animate people with Parkinson’s disease, encourage stroke victims who otherwise cannot speak to acquire a voice, and even calm and organize people with amnesia or Alzheimer’s. The abridgement is by the ubiquitous Lynn Lauber. The narrator is Simon Prebble, who is British and has a long list of stage and TV credits. He is a veteran reader, with more than 20 “Earphone” awards for his readings. In 2006, Publishers Weekly named him Narrator of the Year. Well-worth a listen. Audience and level of use: music lovers, those who like hearing about medicine and psychiatry. Some interesting or unusual facts: there are much more details at www.oliversacks.com. The downside to this CD set: there is no index, nor table of contents to the five CDs, which is unfortunate for a non-fiction work. The upside to this CD set: a great piece of work to listen to at home, at bed time. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 2. BIRD SONGS FROM AROUND THE WORLD (Chronicle Books, 2007; distr. Raincoast, 368 pages, ISBN 978-1-932855-61-6, $56 hard covers) is a BOOK with an AUDIO attachment. Here are 200 individual birds from other countries, all in song, featuring audio from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Les Beletsky, a bird biologist and natural history writer, contributes the text. Birds are arranged by continent, and then by their habitat, and this begins with waterbirds and seabirds, progressing through forest birds, woodland birds, and then open-country birds. For each, there is a common name (e.g. Horned Screamer), a species name (here, anhima cornuta), a reference number, a drawing, and a textual description which goes into great detail on the nature of their song. There are, then, about 30 to 35 species from each continent. Two artists were involved, David Nurney and Mike Langman. The built-in digital audio player plays songs and calls, each running 20 seconds. There are full instructions on how to use the audio player, as well as three AAA batteries. In 2006, the first book (Bird Songs) covered 250 North American birds, and was a runaway bestseller in Canada with over 4,000 copies being sold. Audience and level of use: bird lovers, aural listeners. Some interesting or unusual facts: the collection includes the newly rediscovered species. The downside to this audio set: three AAA batteries are needed – what about rechargeable batteries, with a plug? Plus, it is slightly awkward to store because of its 8.5” by 11” size – plus an outcropping for the audio player. The upside to this audio set: a great collection, with an index to all of the birds. But to fully appreciate the non-American birds, you must have heard them in an exotic location. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 3. NPR DRIVEWAY MOMENTS: all about animals (HighBridge, 2007; distr. T. Allen, unabridged, 1.5 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 978-1-59887-511-9, $29 set) is a collection of 21 real life incidents (about five minutes each) collated from various programs on American NPR. Topics include prairie dogs, petting zoos, parrots, boar semen, and deer. These are stories of unique and unusual encounters, featuring the original interview (interviewer and interviewee) from “All Things Considered”, “Weekend Edition”, “Morning Edition”, and the like. Great fun! Audience and level of use: animal lovers, short episode lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: a Driveway Moment is apparently that time when you have reached your destination and do not want to turn the radio off – because the story is captivating. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 4. HOW TO YODEL; lessons to tickle your tongue (Gibbs Smith, 2007; distr. Raincoast, 96 page book plus one CD, ISBN 978-1-4236-0213-2, $10.95 set) is by Wylie Gustafson, a yodeler, songwriter, rancher. His group is Wylie & the Wild West; he’s been at the Grand Ole Opry almost 50 times. And he’s appeared at the National Folk Festival. This 6 x 6 book, small and compact, is really nifty since it includes a CD with all the basics on breathing, voice warm-ups, natural ranges, and various yodeling styles. There is a lot of written material here that tries to persuade you to yodel, and it smacks of fodder. Why would I want to read this book unless to yodel? But the CD wins me over. There are some tips in the book that are useful. There is a concluding glossary, and a resources list of books, CDs by performers, and websites. Audience and level of use: potential yodelers, music lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: the Guinness Book of World Records lists the fastest yodel at 22 tones in less than one second. The downside to this set: too much trivia and history. The upside to this set: good CD Quality/Price Rating: 95. 5. THE PRINCE (HighBridge, 1994, 2006; distr. T. Allen, unabridged, 3.75 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-1-59887-081-7, $24.95 set) is by Niccolo Machiavelli. Using as his model the ruthless Cesare Borgia, Machiavelli writes about what governments do to keep people in check. Leaders are natural despots (or is it the other way around?), and the Machiavellian principles espouse here are for such as to be magnanimous for power, to create fear rather than love, and to pretend that cruelty is mercy in disguise. “Realpolitik” before the term was invented. The book is a masterpiece of psychological insight. This translation is by George Bull. It is read by actor Fritz Weaver who has stunned us on the “X Files” and various other TV shows and films. He has just that right touch of fascist authority in his voice. This is this audiobook’s first appearance on CD. Audience and level of use: politicians, lovers of classics. Some interesting or unusual facts: This classic treatise was first published in 1517 Quality/Price Rating: 90. Part Two: Fiction – 6. BAGOMBO SNUFF BOX; short fiction (HighBridge, 2007; distr. T. Allen, unabridged, 5.75 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-1-59887-554-6, $31.50 set) is by Kurt Vonnegut. It is a collection of 13 complete stories, read by Alexander Marshall, who is not otherwise identified. Vonnegut himself reads an Introduction and an Afterword (titled: “Coda to My Career as a Writer for Periodicals”). These stories come from the 1950s, for the most part, and were originally published in long forgotten magazines such as Collier’s, Argosy, and The Saturday Evening Post. Then, they were put together as a book in 1999, and here they are given a CD treatment. The stories are arranged differently from the book order on the audio presentation; the sequence is identified on the CD labels. Most of the stories are humourous, certainly satirical. Typical titles include “Thanasphere”, “The Boy Who Hated Girls” and “Lovers Anonymous”. Audience and level of use: short story lovers, Vonnegut fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: this is the period of Vonnegut’s life when he needed to make money quickly, in order to survive as a writer. The downside to this CD set: who is the narrator? The upside to this CD set: all of the stories are identified on the CD label. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 7. PONTOON; a novel of Lake Wobegon (HighBridge, 2007; distr. T. Allen, unabridged, 8 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 978-1-59887-522-5, $45 set) is by Garrison Keillor. What can I say? It is typical Lake Wobegon, with Keillor doing his own narration (of course). There is also some original music by Rich Dworsky. If you needed a plotline, here is it, ripped right off the box: “A wedding is planned down to the last detail, from the cheese and pate to the flying Elvis to the pontoon boat. Meanwhile, a good Lutheran lady prepares to die, her daughter meets a lover at the Romeo Motel, and a delegation of renegade Lutheran pastors from Denmark comes to town.” All of the humourous conflicts come to life as only Keillor can write and tell it. A master storyteller, “Sumus Quod Sumus”. Audience and level of use: Prairie Home Companion fans, humour fans. Quality/Price Rating: 94. 8. BLACK LIGHT (Random House Audio, 1996, RHCD 2228, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-5737-8, $21 set) is a re-priced reissue of a minor classic by Stephen Hunter, an award-winning film critic for the Washington Post who also writes novels. This plot concerns Bob Lee Swagger whose state-trooper father was murdered as he investigated the slaying of a young woman. Bob Lee wants answers. And that’s the start of this thriller. Dramatic actor Beau Bridges is the narrator; he’s very well-known for his television and movie work. Audience and level of use: fans of suspense stories. Some interesting or unusual facts: Hunter won a 2003 Pulitzer Prize for film criticism. The downside to this CD set: there is no credit for the author of the abridgement. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 9. FLAWLESS (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2180, abridged, 6.5 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-2436-3, $37.95 set) is by medical student Joshua Spanogle. This is his second thriller: the first – “Isolation Ward” – was hailed by many reviewers. The plot concerns a medical detective just retired from the Centers for Disease Control. An old friend has been murdered, and the detective feels he must apply himself once again. Apparently, the friend was working on a billion-dollar breakthrough at a high-tech lab, and he might have been killed because he threatened to blow the whistle on a technique that has harmed many women. Yes, it is the old cosmetic agency scam whereby science, crime and the good-lookin’ industry have combined to ripoff women throughout the world. The abridgement has been created by Peter Michalos. Actor and writer Scott Brick is a quad threat narrator: he has done stage, film, radio and television. Audience and level of use: thriller revelers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Spanogle has also been a senior researcher at a bioethics centre. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 10. THE CHICAGO WAY (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2176, 6.5 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-5466-7, $37.95 set) is by Michael Harvey, a journalist and documentary maker. He is also co-creator and executive producer of the television series “Cold Case Files”. The plot concerns the op Michael Kelly, a tough Irish policeman who retires to be a private investigator. He is hired by his former partner to help solve an old rape and battery case. But then the partner is killed, and Kelly needs to call on friends such as a TV journalist, a forensic DNA expert, and assorted police officers and DAs. It is a good debut novel, but of course it comes directly from his experience with cold case files (his day job)...Harold Schmidt did the abridgement; British actor Stephen Hoye is the narrator. Audience and level of use: mystery fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: in addition to law and journalism degrees, Harvey has a degree in classical languages. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 11. BLIND SPOT (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2040, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4061-5, $37.95 set) is by Terri Persons, a former reporter and freelance writer. Her op is FBI Agent Bernadette Saint Clare, who apparently has a clairvoyant’s psychic eye when she touches personal effects. Wasn’t there a US TV series many years back on this theme? Certainly there was one in Canada with Louis Del Grande called “Seeing Things”. Anyway, the action here takes place in St. Paul Minnesota, and concerns deaths along the Mississippi River. The agent who runs her has doubts, as does her new neighbour. The abridgement is by Virginia Noonan; the narrator is Coleen Marlo, now a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. Audience and level of use: mystery lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Marlo taught acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute for 10 years. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 12. KILLER DREAMS (Random House Audio, 2006, RHCD 949, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-6576-2, $19.95 set) has been re- packaged at a lower price (about half). It is by Iris Johansen who specializes in shock novels (she’s got more than 27 million copies in print). This latest is (I have to quote this): “an adrenaline-laced shocker that pits a mother and son against a killer who’s the stuff of nightmares”. Apparently, he has tried to kill Sophie (the mother) before, but did not succeed. The abridger is Lynn Lauber; the narrator is actor Jennifer Van Dyck, who does film, television, and live drama work. One to stay up all night for, playing at six hours... Audience and level of use: suspense lovers, people with calm hearts. Some interesting or unusual facts: Johansen’s other novels have splendid titles, such as “No One to Trust”, “Blind Alley”, “Dead Aim, and “Final Target”. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 13. WHITETHORN WOODS (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2030, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4225-1, $37.95 set) is by Maeve Binchy, author of “Tara Road” among other fiction books. It was published in print form in 2006, and here it has been abridged by Lynn Lauber. When a new highway cuts through Whitehorn Woods (and bypasses the town), everyone has a definite opinion on its value, either positive or negative. But St. Ann’s Well, a pilgrim magnet, is slated for destruction. This is the story of pros and cons of whether the Well is a good thing or a bad thing. Binchy is a master storyteller, laying out a discussion of people defending the traditions of the past and people defending the promises of the future. Jenny Sterlin is a British actress, now on Broadway and television. Audience and level of use: Binchy fans, those who love storytelling. Some interesting or unusual facts: One of Maeve Binchy’s books was an Oprah’s Book Club selection. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 14. A FAR COUNTRY (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2042, 6 hours on 5 CDs, $37.95 set) is by Daniel Mason, author of the best-selling “The Piano Tuner”. A brother and younger sister are raised on a sugarcane plantation. With drought and war, the brother slips away to the big city in the south to earn a living. Soon the sister, a partial clairvoyant who can see trouble, goes to find him. But he has disappeared. This is the story of her search. David Rosaler did the abridgement; actress Anne Twomey is the narrator – she has appeared on Broadway, in the movies, and on television. Audience and level of use: a good story well-told, should appeal to all. Some interesting or unusual facts: Twomey has been nominated for a Tony. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 15. SISTER MINE (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2034, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4201-5, $37.95 set) is by Tawni O’Dell, author of “Coal Run”. The plot: Shae-Lynn drives a cab in the Pennsylvania coal-mining town where she grew up. Two years ago, five of her miner friends were trapped in a mine, and they still have not adjusted. It all awakened thoughts of her brutal father, a passion for one of the men, and another man who had fathered her son. Still with me? From the jacket: “When the younger sister she thought was dead arrives on her doorstep, followed closely by a gun-wielding Russian gangster, a shady New York lawyer, and a desperate Connecticut housewife, Shae-Lynn is forced to grapple with the horrible truth she discovers about her sister’s life.” I’m exhausted...But Lynn Lauber did a nice job in abridging, and television actress Renee Raudman (The Simpsons, et al) does the reading. Audience and level of use: suspense lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Author O’Dell’s “Back Roads” was an Oprah’s Book Club selection. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 16. SHOPAHOLIC & BABY (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2032, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4235-0, $37.95 set) is by the British writer, Sophie Kinsella, who has written other Shopaholic books. The plot: Becky Bloomwood is preggers. She discovers that shopping cures morning sickness, so off she goes to furnish the nursery and to get clothes and pram. However, the obstetrician turns out to be her husband’s ex-girl friend. It’s all a bit twee, but pleasant enough for listening. John McElroy did the abridgement, while Katherine Kellgren (drama, film, television roles) does the inspired reading. Audience and level of use: something to enjoy on the long route home. Some interesting or unusual facts: Seven million Shopaholic books are in print. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 17. FAMILY TREE (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2029, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-3348-8, $37.95 set) is by Barbara Delinsky, a bestselling author. The novel asks questions about race, family, and choices that people make – and some results can last for generations. Dana has given birth, but there are African American traits in the baby. There’s nothing on her husband’s side, and she didn’t have an affair. She needs to track down the father “she never knew”...Garet Scott did the abridgement, and actress Becket Royce (film, stage, and television) does the narration. Audience and level of use: Delinsky fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: Delinsky has 30 million copies of her books in print. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 18. YOU DON’T LOVE ME YET (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2044, unabridged, 6.5 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-1494-4, $37.95 set) is by Jonathan Lethem, the author of six good selling novels (The Fortress of Solitude) and collections of short stories and essays. This romantic farce explores the paradoxes of love and art in Los Angeles. It is a send up of the alternative music scene. Briefly, the heroine works on a complaint line. She talks to a guy who only wants to hear her voice. They eventually meet, fall in love, and she (who plays bass in an alternative band) takes his complaints to the band’s lyricist. The resulting pop songs put the group on the map. But the complaining guy wants to join the band...Lethem does his own narration, and this set is unabridged. Audience and level of use: comedy and satire lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Lethem won a National Book Critics Circle Award for “Motherless Brooklyn”, and was named a MacArthur fellow in 2005. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 19. THE EDGE OF WINTER (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2031, abridged, 5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-3196-5, $34.95 set) is by Luanne Rice, who has written 21 novels. The plot deals with Neve and her teenaged daughter Mickey who are now living in Rhode Island’s South Country. Both are trying to make a new life together after Mickey’s unstable father has gone. But of course, there is a deep secret in the community that must be explored. The abridgement is by Virginia Noonan; the reading is by Blair Brown, best known for cable TV’s “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd”. Audience and level of use: suspense fans, readers of Luanne Rice. Some interesting or unusual facts: Blair Brown won a Tony Award for her Broadway performance in “Copenhagen”. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 20. THE DOUBLE BIND (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2035, abridged, 6.5 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4132-2, $37.95 set) is by Chris Bohjalian, author of 10 novels including “Before You Know Kindness”. Hailed as a “literary thriller”, this book deals with Laurel who was attacked while riding her bike through Vermont’s back roads. She begins to withdraw into her photography and begins work at a shelter. She meets Bobby, a homeless person with a box of photographs. He dies suddenly, and Laurel finds out that he had been a successful photographer. She locates the box, and begins to sift through the family secrets. The book spans from the Roaring Twenties to the present day. The abridgement is by Lynn Lauber; the reader is Susan Denaker, a film-TV-stage actor with credits in the BBC series “As Time Goes By”. Audience and level of use: those who like a good read. Some interesting or unusual facts: Bohjalian’s book “Midwives” was an Oprah’s Book Club selection. Quality/Price Rating: 90. AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- HEAR HERE!! Audiobooks in review HOLIDAY 2007 =============================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com All sets are Compact Discs, except as noted. All prices are in Canadian dollars, except as noted. WARNING -- PRICE ALERT: All prices are as printed on the cover. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. Here we look at some mysteries, humour, and classics suitable for Holiday gifting. Have a great season! Part One: the mysteries -- 1. NOW & THEN (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2162, unabridged, 5.5 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-3995-4, $37.95 set) is by Robert B. Parker, taken from his 2304th book (actually, just 50). Once again it involves Spenser. This time he’s spying on someone’s unfaithful wife, and reports on it. And within three days, three people are dead. There’s more: terrorists are involved with the wife’s lover. Both Hawk and Vinnie Morris are called in to protect Spenser. The terrorists then go after Susan – listen to the rest, as read by the indefatigable Joe Mantegna who has been “reading” a lot of Parker lately. Joe is an award-winning triple threat actor in films, TV, and stage. Audience and level of use: mystery lovers, Spenser addicts. Quality/Price Rating: 93. 2. EXIT MUSIC (Orion Audiobooks, 2007; distr. McArthur, abridged, 7 2/3 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7528-8550-6, $34.95 set) is the latest book by Ian Rankin, whose op is Detective Inspector John Rebus of Edinburgh. Rebus is about to retire, and feels that he has to tie up some loose ends. Meanwhile, a Russian dissident has been supposedly mugged to death. But we the listeners know better, of course. Russian businessmen are involved, as are local gangsters. One even manages to frame Rebus. This is a good suspenser, narrated by James MacPherson from Glasgow; he has played detectives before, as well as stage plays. He has a Radio Scotland show on which he presents books, and he has won the major narration award at the Spoken Word Awards in 2004. Audience and level of use: Rankin and Rebus fans, mystery lovers. The downside to this CD set: a six-pack plastic hard shell is awkward to load and unload. The American cardboard inserts are lighter, especially if you drop the package. The upside to this CD set: there is a booklet with credits, and timings and titles for all of the separate tracks. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 3. A PLACE OF HIDING (Random House Audio, 2003, 2007, RHCD 325, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4376-0, $19.95 set) And 4. A TRAITOR TO MEMORY (Random House Audio, 2001, 2007, PLCD 294, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4992-2, $19.95 set) are both classic mysteries by Elizabeth George. They have been reduced in price, and reissued in time for the Holidays. They are bargains. “Place” has a forensic scientist (Simon St. James) as the hero. An old friend of his wife has been charged with the murder of an English Channel island’s benefactor. But during the reading of the will, it turns out that everybody has some secret motive for offing the man. The St. Jameses explore the depths of Guernsey history, also providing for us a look at that Channel Island. David Rosaler did the abridgement, tightening up some of the long passages. “Traitor” is Lynley at his best, in a conflict between personal loyalty and professional honour. A woman is killed by a driver, and then deliberately run over. She is connected to a brilliant violin virtuoso, but why is she in rainy London? Lynley’s superior knows something since he was involved with the woman over two decades before. A compelling plot, made very enjoyable by Peter Michalos taut abridgement. Simon Jones does both readings: he’s a New York stage and film actor (“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”). Audience and level of use: Lynley lovers, mystery fans. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 5. T IS FOR TRESPASS (Random House Audio, 2007, unabridged, 13 hours on 10 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-2315-1, $57 set) is by Sue Grafton. This unabridged reading is by Judy Kaye, who has done all of the other Grafton books, and has surely been identified as the voice of op Kinsey Millhone by now. As a performer (Tony award winner and two other Tony nominations), she could probably assume the movie or TV starring role, should the series ever get visual. “T” moves along the path of sociopaths. Solana Rojas is a dangerous gal: her name is actually from an identity theft. With this name, she is able to get private care giving jobs. Thus, the book is about elder abuse, identity theft, and corruption in non-profit health institutions. Cutting edge stuff, despite the setting of a decade or more ago. Audience and level of use: mystery lovers, fans of Grafton and Millhone. Some interesting or unusual facts: the abridged reading, only a few dollars less, is on 5 CDs and covers half the time. The downside to this CD set: this is one of the scariest Grafton novels, so be prepared. The upside to this CD set: it is a treat to hear an unabridged performance. Quality/Price Rating: 90. Part Two: the humour -- 6. A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION PLENTY OF PRETTY GOOD JOKES (HighBridge, 2004; distr. T. Allen, unabridged radio broadcasts, 4.5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-917-8, $49.95 set) PLUS 7. A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION PRETTY GOOD JOKE BOOK. 4th ed. (HighBridge, 2005; distr. T. Allen, 320 pages, ISBN 978-1-56511-979-6, $13.50 paper covers) ...are both derived from the popular US radio program, “A Prairie Home Companion”. Every year, there is a joke show wherein the performers read jokes submitted by the radio audience. This tradition has been going on since April 1996, and usually runs for more than half an hour each spring. 2001 was skipped. The CDs are in show and time order, about two years to a disc. Readers from the actual broadcast include Paula Poundstone, Chet Atkins, Garrison Keillor, Allison Janney, and others. The eight shows here cover jokes grouped by topics such as “yo’ mama”, lawyers, light bulbs, musicians, knock-knocks, ethnic, puns, one liners, blondes, bar jokes, mothers, and the like, in chronological order. The book has the same jokes, but the jokes from all of the shows have been re-sorted by categories. The nine major ones include the professions, regional jokes, bar jokes, insults. Sub-categories expand the fields, and there are 34 of these. Audience and level of use: PHC fans, comedy lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: there is a small category here, “In Bad Taste”. The upside to this CD set: the tracks are all identified as to what kinds of jokes they are. The jokes move along faster with a studio audience; we all need to be cued on when to laugh. Quality/Price Rating: 93. 8. A CHRISTMAS CAROL (HighBridge, 2007; distr. T.Allen, unabridged radio broadcast, 1 hour on 1 CD, ISBN 978-1-59887-532-4, $14.95US) is, of course, by Charles Dickens. I placed it here because of the stunning delivery by the reader, comedian Jonathan Winters, who is always good for a snide giggle or two, even when he is serious. This performance was originally broadcast by NPR in the US in December 1990, and it is issued here for the first time on CD. As the notes say, Winters does a great job in “channelling” all of the characters. Mimi Kennedy reflects some of the female voices, but otherwise, it is all Winters’ show. The script is Dickens’ own: it was a special version he had prepared for his public reading tours, and every now and then he would make small tweaks to it. This makes for an interesting comparison with the printed text, should you want to read along with Winters. Audience and level of use: Dickens and Christmas lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Charles Dickens took six weeks to write A Christmas Carol. The upside to this CD set: some accompanying music makes this a treat. And there are some extensive notes to read. Quality/Price Rating: 95. 9. NEVER BETTER; stories from Lake Wobegon (HighBridge, 2007; dist. T. Allen, unabridged radio broadcasts, 2.25 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 978-1- 59887-094-7, $31.50 set) is from the pen of Garrison Keillor. They were originally broadcast on ten shows in 2005 and 2006. They vary in length, from 10 minutes to 18 minutes, and deal with whatever he wants to talk about. There is a selection from the Christmas 2006 show (beamed in from Town Hall in New York), The Flying Elvises on the 4th of July (Tanglewood Music Center), March of the Turtles (Ravinia Festival), girls’ volleyball, ushering trophies, underwear, and other topics. Good fun, and a perfect gift for the PHC lover. Audience and level of use: PHC listeners. Some interesting or unusual facts: Recordings of live broadcasts are really doing well in US sales of audiobooks. Quality/Price Rating: 93. 10. LAKE WOBEGON SUMMER 1956 (HighBridge, 2001; distr. T. Allen, abridged, 6.5 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-501-9, $45.95 set) is by Garrison Keillor. This is a reading from his book; he did the abridgement. He does the reading too. Unlike the Lake Wobegon stories on A Prairie Home Companion, this book is a novel with a plot – it goes on for some time. The storyline is a coming of age theme, for a young 14-year old lad who in 1956 has never been kissed, has a bully of a sister, a dictator for a teacher, a born-again Grandpa, and a rebellious girl cousin whom he admires. Autobiographical and memoirish in shape, the book provides some insights in growing up in the American Midwest. Audience and level of use: Keillor fans, PHC listeners. Some interesting or unusual facts: His cousin Kate is a sophisticated 17 who reads the New Yorker and smokes, losing herself in a left-handed baseball pitcher. The downside to this CD set: given Keillor’s radio voice, it would have been nice to have had the whole book on disc. The upside to this CD set: it is now finally available in Canada. Quality/Price Rating: 95. Part Three: the classics (many of these have been reissued in time for Christmas, and at reduced prices) -- 11. LE MORTE D’ARTHUR (HighBridge, 1997, 2004; distr. T. Allen, abridged, 9 hours on 8 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-938-3, $43.95 set) is by Sir Thomas Malory. This is the famous narration that we all know and love, as it was originally told: stories of love, honour and betrayal. It was originally published in 1485. The familiar story of the once and future king is told by Derek Jacobi, the noted British actor (“I, Claudius”, “Brother Cadfael”), and the set comes with some extensive background information. This is its first CD release. Audience and level of use: young listeners, those who enjoy good storytelling. Some interesting or unusual facts: there is an introductory booklet by Ruth Morse, which helps to set the themes. She also provides genealogical tables to show relationships amongst the characters. Quality/Price Rating: 94. 12. ANNA KARENINA (HighBridge, 1997, 2006; distr. T. Allen, abridged, 3 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-1-59887-080-0, $24.95 set) is by Leo Tolstoy. This is the audiobook’s first appearance on CD. This is a tragic epic about love, betrayal and vengeance; it was first published in 1877. The book is rich in social history, but unfortunately some of this had to be removed in order to make the abridgement. Nevertheless, the rich plot remains. The reader is actor Alfred Molina who actually played the role of Levin in the 1977 film of Anna Karenina. Audience and level of use: classics lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Molina has twice been nominated for the Broadway Tony Award. The downside to this CD set: unfortunately, there is no credit for the translator, nor is there a credit for the abridger. The upside to this CD set: a spirited, informative reading. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 13. LES MISERABLES (HighBridge Audio, 1987, 1992; distr. T. Allen, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-453-00966-9, $43.95 set) is the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo. In some wild marketing ploy, HighBridge got the rights to the 1985 Cossette artwork that dominates the musical – even though there is no connection except for the primary material and the reader. The book, of course, deals with the heroic Jean Valjean, a peasant sent to jail for stealing a loaf of bread, and the chase by Inspector Javert. It was a good model for a musical and for The Fugitive TV series. Here, the abridgement is by Jeffrey Gorney, and it is based on the 1987 translation by Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee. The narrator is Mark McKerracher, who has been in Sweeney Todd and Evita. Most recently, he had starred as Jean Valjean in both the Broadway and the first US touring company production of Les Miserables. Audience and level of use: fans of the classics, and of Les Miz. The downside to this CD set: no real notes. The upside to this CD set: McKerracher is a near-perfect narrator for this set. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 14. OF MICE AND MEN (HighBridge Audio, 1992, 2002; distr. T. Allen, unabridged, 3 hours on n3 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-770-0, $31.50 set) is by John Steinbeck, originally published in 1937 amidst the US depression and ensuing dust bowls. George and his simple-minded friend Lenny want a place of their own, but their hopes disappear like “the best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men”. Gary Sinise narrated this story 15 years ago, before his CSI New York days, and just as he directed and starred in the 1992 film version of the book. Audience and level of use: Steinbeck lovers, Sinise fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: Gary Sinise got two Broadway nominations for his performance in the 1988 adaptation of Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 15. THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY (HighBridge Audio, 1997, 2004; distr. T. Allen, unabridged, 3.5 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-937-1, $31.50 set) is by Thornton Wilder, and was originally published in 1927. The book deals with the lives of five people who fall to their deaths on July 20, 1714, when a rope bridge breaks on a road near Lima, Peru. Brother Juniper witnessed the deaths, and determines to learn more about the five in order to find out whether this accident happened by accident or by design. This was Wilder’s first major work in the area of human experience. Sam Waterson is the narrator; he is the award- winning dramatic actor best known for the Law and Order television series. Audience and level of use: Wilder fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: This book, translated into more than 30 languages, won Wilder the first of his three Pulitzer Prizes. Quality/Price Rating: 93. 16. THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN (HighBridge Audio, 1996; distr. T. Allen, abridged, 3 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-813-8, $31.50 set) is by Mark Twain, one of the most legendary storytellers of Americana. And who better to tell it than Garrison Keillor, another legendary storyteller but from the twentieth century. The comic tale of a runaway slave and a small-town boy on a raft and down the Mississippi is custom tailored for Keillor. Indeed, he did the abridgement. Keillor has also written a short essay, “A Note from Huck Finn’s Father”, that places everything in context. This is an engaging reading. Warning: Keillor says that this abridgement keeps the parts he loved as a boy, and lopped off the last third of the book. He has Huck free Jim rather than Tom Sawyer. Audience and level of use: humour and Twain lovers, Keillor fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: there is some incidental music from Andy Stein from A Prairie Home Companion. Quality/Price Rating: 95. 17. SOPHIE’S CHOICE (Random House Audio, 1989, 2007, RHCD 2307, abridged, 3 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-5445-2, $21 set) is by William Styron, and it was originally published in 1976. This gripping story deals with a US Southerner journeying North in 1947, and encountering gloomy secrets from Sophie and her lover Nathan. Norman Snow is the narrator; he has been principally a television actor. Audience and level of use: Styron fns. Some interesting or unusual facts: Styron has been awarded several prizes and medals, including the Pulitzer Prize. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 18. ATLAS SHRUGGED (HighBridge Audio, 1995, 2000; distr. T. Allen, abridged, 11.5 hours on 10 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-417-3, $43.95 set) And 19. THE FOUNTAINHEAD (HighBridge Audio, 1994, distr. T. Allen, abridged, 8.5 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-787-5, $43.95 set) were both written by Ayn Rand, in 1957 and 1943 respectively. Rand deals with Objectivism, and idealistic philosophy with modern day adherents. The Fountainhead introduces us to architect Howard Roark who wants to promote his revolutionary building designs. He refuses to compromise, and instead develops a selfish moral philosophy. John Galt is the hero of Atlas Shrugged, and he has similar circumstances and a similar moral philosophy. You have these two protagonists fighting their friends AND enemies, and even the women who love them. It might have been interesting to have another book entitled Roark vs. Galt, to see who the ultimate winner would be. Just to complete the similarities, the narrator for both sets is the noted award-winning actor Edward Herrmann who seems to deliver just the right tone. Unfortunately, no credit was listed for the abridger. Audience and level of use: Ayn Rand fans, Objectivists the world over. Some interesting or unusual facts: Herrmann has won awards, such as the Tony, in three areas: drama, television, and films. The downside to this CD set: the filing system for The Fountainhead’s CDs in the box is not too good. The packaging is hard to replace. The CDs for Atlas Shrugged only have one track per side, making it difficult to maneuver through each hour-long CD. The pause control on any CD player only works so long as the CD remains in the player. This means the listener would probably have to hear the whole side at one shot. The upside to this CD set: the abridgements works by cutting through the length of the moralizing and stressing more of the plot. Quality/Price Rating: 88. AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- HEAR HERE!! Audiobooks in review for FALL 2007 ============================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com All sets are Compact Discs, except as noted. WARNING -- PRICE ALERT: All prices are as printed on the box. In these times of US-Canadian currency fluctuations AND online discounts, plus the addition of GST, prices will vary upwards or downwards. Part One: Great Canadian Novels -- 1. THE MANY LIVES AND SECRET SORROWS OF JOSEPHINE B. (BTC, 2007; distr. Goose Lane, abridged, 4 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-0-86492-472-8, $24.95 set) is by Sandra Gulland. It was published in 1995, and quickly followed by the rest of the trilogy (“Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe” in 1998, “The Last Great Dance on Earth” in 2000). The trilogy has been published in seven languages. This reading, by the noted Canadian actress-singer Louise Pitre, was recorded by the CBC and broadcast April 28 – May 16 1997 on Between the Covers. It was abridged by Sasha Hastings. This is its first commercial audiobook release. This creative non-fiction work begins when Josephine is 14, and ends with her marriage to Napoleon at 32. This tale of romance is set against the French Revolution period, and includes the birth of her two children, her imprisonment during the Revolution, and her meeting with Bonaparte. Gulland uses fictionalized diary entries to reveal Josephine B.’s innermost thoughts. Pitre lends just the right amount of compassion with her slight accent. Some interesting or unusual facts: Pitre has won three Doras, a Tony nomination, and a slew of other New York and San Francisco awards. The downside to this CD set: it is unabridged. The upside to this CD set: great production, sympathetically handled. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 2. FALL ON YOUR KNEES (HighBridge Audio, 2002; distr. T. Allen, abridged, 10 hours on 8 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-692-4, $45.95 set) is by quadruple- threat actress-performer-composer-author Ann-Marie MacDonald; it is the winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book. It is also a member of Oprah’s Book Club. Leslie Thomas did the abridgement of this 1996 book, and reader Nikki James has done many voice over works and audio novel recordings. This acclaimed novel is set on stormy Cape Breton: it is a multigenerational saga that chronicles the lives of four sisters. Five generations are involved in this story of dark humour. A bold book. Some interesting or unusual facts: the cover says that Cape Breton Island is off Nova Scotia. Really? The downside to this CD set: it is abridged. The upside to this CD set: the reader does a good job of conveying textures in the book. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 3. LIFE OF PI (HighBridge Audio, 2002; distr. T. Allen, unabridged, 11.5 hours on 9 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-780-8, $45.95 set) is by Yann Martel. It won a Man Booker Prize. The book was originally published in 2001. The readers here are Jeff Woodman and Alexander Marshall. Woodman was named one of AudioFile Magazine’s “Best Voices of the Century”. A cargo ship sinks in the Pacific, leaving one lifeboat containing a hyena, a zebra, a female orangutan, a Bengal tiger, and a 16-year old Indian boy named Pi. Everybody knows the story... Some interesting or unusual facts: this rendition is a terrific model for storytelling. Martel’s writings are perfectly adaptable to the oral tradition. The downside to this CD set: we need more identification of the two readers. The upside to this CD set: it is unabridged and totally enjoyable. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 4. THE TIME IN BETWEEN (BTC 2007; distr. Goose Lane, abridged, 4 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-0-86492-471-1, $24.95 set) is by David Bergen, the author of four books of fiction. He has won or been shortlisted for many awards, including the GG and the Dublin Literary Award. This book was originally published in 2005; the audio version was originally broadcast on the CBC Sept 18 – Oct 6, 2006, using the abridgement created by William Lane. It is narrated by well-known Canadian actors Michael Hogan and Tricia Collins (she’s also a writer). Charles Boatman leaves the Fraser Valley and returns to Vietnam after almost 30 years. He disappears and his children (Ada and Jon) travel to Da Nang to find him. The dual narration is stunningly effective. Some interesting or unusual facts: this book won the 2005 Scotiabank Giller prize. The downside to this CD set: it is an abridgement. The upside to this CD set: vivid writing, and the dual narration. Quality/Price Rating: 91. Part Two: Continuing our fine run of mysteries... 5. CLASSIC TALES OF HORROR AND SUSPENSE (HighBridge, 2003, HBP 89230; distr. T. Allen, dramatized abridgements, 4.5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978- 1-56511-776-1, $29 set) contains six fully dramatized versions of mystery classics: Conan Doyle’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine”, R.L. Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” , and three shorties from Edgar Allan Poe (“The Gold Bug”, “The Cask of Amontillado”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”). These tales of mystery, monsters, murder and revenge will delight everybody in the family – especially if they are played on Hallowe’en. There’s not much info on the jacket about who does what, but the novel dramatizations are over an hour and the Poes are 20 minutes or so apiece. In very teeny, tiny print there are grudging credits for the Sherlock Holmes and the Wells material, as if they were forced to do it. There is eerie music and creepy sound effects – all well done – but no credits for who do what. Still, an enjoyable set of shows. It is very rare to find dramas on CDs. Most spoken word is just a reading by a narrator. Audience and level of use: families, play listeners. The downside to this CD set: no real credits for who do what. The upside to this CD set: dramas for the whole family to enjoy. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 6. CAPE COD RADIO MYSTERY THEATER: Captain Underhill Uncoils the Mystery (HighBridge, 2005, HBP 89435, distr. T. Allen, 1.75 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-961-1, $25 set) And 7. CAPE COD RADIO MYSTERY THEATER: Captain Underhill Unlocks the Enigma (HighBridge, 2005, HBP 89434, distr. T. Allen, 1.75 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-960-4, $25 set) And 8. CAPE COD RADIO MYSTERY THEATER: Captain Underhill Unmasks the Murderer (HighBridge, 2005, HBP 89433, distr. T. Allen, 2 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-959-8, $25 set) And 9. CAPE COD RADIO MYSTERY THEATER: Captain Underhill Uncovers the Truth (HighBridge, 2005, HBP 89436, distr. T. Allen, 1.5 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 978-1-56511-962-8, $25 set) ...are all nifty series worth collecting. These are fully dramatized mysteries, written and directed by Steven Thomas Oney, from 1983, 1998- 2001, and 2003. As the bumpf says, “It’s a foggy night on old Cape Cod – a perfect night for a mystery...” There are seven dramas here, from US public radio, featuring retired police Captain Waverly Underhill and his sidekick, Doctor Scofield. These are contemporary tales in the tradition of the old time radio show “The Shadow”, with eerie sound effects and music. The “Uncovers the Truth” set, from 2003, only has one story for 90 minutes or so: “Edgar Allan Crow and the Purloined, Purloined Letter”. And it is a hoot, as Underhill tries to deal with “The Antiques Roadshow”. The other six shows, about an hour each, deal with Boston Red Sox players, being trapped in a safe, park rangers, cobras, bizarre wills, and crypts. There is a short bio about author- director Oney, and full cast listings, along with credits for the music and the sound effects. The recordings were done in Portland, Maine. Well done! Audience and level of use: drama listeners, families gathered around the radio. Some interesting or unusual facts: “The Cobra in the Kindergarten” is based on a true incident from 1996 in Massachusetts. The downside to this CD set: there should be more of these CDs around somewhere. Also, there should be a special price for buying the whole set of 8 CDs. The upside to this CD set: good dramas, good credits. Several of the actors have been with Oney for quite some time. Quality/Price Rating: 94. 10. DEAL BREAKER (Random House Audio, 1999, 2007, RHCD 1006, unabridged, 9 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4094-8, $27 set) And 11. DROP SHOT (Random House Audio, 1999, 2007, RHCD 988, unabridged, 8 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4096-4, $27 set) And 12. GONE FOR GOOD (Random House Audio, 2002, PLCD 183, abridged, 5 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-2212-5, $21 set) And 13. TELL NO ONE (Random House Audio, 2001, RHCD 753, abridged, 5.25 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-2211-6, $21 set) ...are by Harlan Cobden. The first two are narrations of his op, Myron Bolitar, a sports agent who gets involved in many troubles. “Deal Breaker” is the first book in his Myron series, written in 1995. The second book, from 1996, is “Drop Shot”. Both were recorded in 1999, and now reissued as budget sets. The first set sees Myron deal with sex and blackmail in the realm of professional football. The second set involves the murder of a female tennis star. Jonathan Marosz is the reader for both tales; he’s vaguely identified as having regional and national stage credits ranging from Shakespeare to modern day productions. “Gone for Good” has no op; instead, it is a suspenser of one man’s search for is missing sibling that then becomes a hunt for a killer, a victim, and revenge elements. It is tautly narrated by Dylan Baker, a triple threat actor (stage, film and TV) with a Tony nomination. The abridgement by Pamela Wilkinson helps move the plot along. “Tell No One” is a suspenser dealing with computer messages: is his wife still alive? Find out, with notable Steve Weber’s intimate reading (he’s another triple threat narrator from TV, film and theatre). Again, the abridgement by Pamela Wilkinson – again – helps move the action along. Audience and level of use: Harlan Coben fans, lovers of mysteries and suspense novels. Some interesting or unusual facts: Coben’s books are all best-sellers, and lend themselves to audio adaptations. He has a good ear in writing. The upside to this CD set: the reissues represent strong values. Quality/Price Rating: 93. 14. R IS FOR RICOCHET (Random House Audio, 2004, RHCD 549, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-2086-0, $21 set) And 15. S IS FOR SILENCE (Random House Audio, 2005, PLCD 279, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4185-5, $21 set) ...are by Sue Grafton. They are the latest in the alphabet series featuring Kinsey Milhone who is the op; she’s a former police officer. There are the usual bodies, with twists and turns. The reader is Judy Kaye, who has done all of the Grafton mysteries. It is good to have this consistency in the series, a familiar voice. Kaye is a Broadway actress, grabbing a Tony for her role in “Phantom of the Opera” and a Tony nomination for “Mamma Mia”. She created the role of Emma Goldman in “Ragtime”. In “R is for Ricochet”, Kinsey must baby-sit a parolee, to keep her out of trouble. Well, of course, the unexpected happens. In “S is for Silence”, Kinsey must solve a 34 year old disappearance, being engaged by the woman’s daughter who was seven at the time. Lynn Lauber did the abridgements which tightens the action. The upside to this CD set: a great collection of stories, all at once. Audience and level of use: mystery lovers, Grafton fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: these books are available in both abridged and unabridged formats on both cassettes and compact discs, as well as in print in both hardback and paperback versions. The downside to this CD set: as is common with most audio recordings, a bit more detail would have been useful. The upside to this CD set: great story telling. Judy Kaye has a fab voice. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 16. SKINNY DIP (Random House Audio, 2004, PLCD 213, abridged, 5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-2087-7, $21 set) is by Carl Hiaasen. This Florida journalist excels in writing off-the-wall spoofs of nasties on the Florida scene, whether they are politicians or tourists or businesspeople. It doesn’t matter: he nails them perfectly, letting us see their foibles. Most of his stories deal with environment issues in Florida. Here he exposes a marine scientist who doctors water samples so that a ruthless agribusiness owner can continue illegally dumping fertilizer into the Everglades. Listen to it, as narrated by Barry Bostwick, a triple threat guy with a Tony and a Golden Globe. Lynn Lauber did the abridgement. Audience and level of use: those who like comedic mysteries. Some interesting or unusual facts: Hiaasen sued to be a reporter in Florida. In fact, there are several authors who used to be reporters in Florida, such as Edna Buchanan and Tim Dorsey. I guess it pays more... The downside to this CD set: an abridgement is useful, but Hiaasen writes well enough and says enough things that the unabridged version might be useful too. The upside to this CD set: nice to have skewering in Florida politics. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 17. BAD BUSINESS (Random House Audio, 2004, PLCD 194, unabridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, $21 set) is by Robert B. Parker, not the wine writer but the mystery writer. It is Spenser again: what more can I say? You either love him or you hate him. This time he is doing surveillance involving a radio talk-show host. The narrator is the one and only Joe Mantegna, who has done al least four other Parker readings in the past for Random House. He’s the well-known actor, principally associated with David Mamet both in films and on Broadway (he got a Tony); he even portrayed Spenser in TV movies for A & E cable. ‘Nuff said. Audience and level of use: Parker fans, mystery lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Parker has a number of successful ops on the go, but he cannot seem to land a movie deal. The downside to this CD set: as an unabridged version in six hours, it makes you realize how short most Parker mysteries are. The upside to this CD set: great reading. Quality/Price Rating: 92. Part Three: Here’s some useful non-fiction... 18. AT KNIT’S END; meditations for women who knit too much (HighBridge Audio, 2007; distr. T. Allen, unabridged, 3.75 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-1-59887, $24.95 set) is by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot. AND 19. CASTS OFF; the yarn harlot’s guide to the land of knitting (HighBridge Audio, 2007; distr. T. Allen, unabridged, 4.5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978- 1-59887-519-5, $31.50 set) is also by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee who may be found at www.yarnharlot.ca. “At Knit’s End” was originally published in 2003; here, it gets its first audio outing, being read by the author herself. If you are an obsessive knitter (and who isn’t?), these thoughts on the knitter’s life will reduce tension while providing a dollop of humour. They form the basis for her popular online blog. Unfortunately, there is no index or guide to the material. “Casts Off”, also read by McPhee, is a lot like a second helping of irreverence in yarnland. This time, though, there is a guide on the CD itself, with CD 3 covering culture and the arts, CD 4 beliefs and customs, and CD 2 on “environmental issues” – all whimsy, of course, but perfectly adaptable to the harried yarn person. I know, because I married one. Diseases include “yarnesia”, “finish-it-upitis”, and “second sock syndrome”. Good solid clean fun. Audience and level of use: knitters, humour lovers, memoirists. Some interesting or unusual facts: her blog is www.yarnharlot.ca; she lives in Toronto, Canada. The downside to this CD set: most audiobooks of this sort do not have any guide or index, which is a shame. “Casts Off” has some of it stamped on the CD label, but you’ve got to catch it before it starts spinning The upside to this CD set: great listening. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 20. JAZZ; a history of America’s music (Random House Audio, 2000, RHCD 91, abridged, 9 hours on 8 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-5732-3, $32 set) is by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns, and read by LeVar Burton (Star Trek; The Next Generation). This is a budget reissue. The source material comes from the book that accompanied the PBS documentary series “Jazz”. The abridgement is by Trebbe Johnson. These are basically stories about the men and women who shaped the music (Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Bix Beiderbecke, Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and others). The period covered is pretty much the same as for the “Baseball” documentary, post-World War One, through the Roaring Twenties, the Depression, the Big Band Era, World War II, Bebop and Cool. This CD set is the text of the book; there is no music. Audience and level of use: jazz lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Good material here on the Jazz Age (F.Scott Fitzgerald). The downside to this CD set: no index cards or other markers make it hard to retrieve data. The upside to this CD set: Louis Armstrong gets a great recognition for his contributions to jazz; he had always been underappreciated. Quality/Price Rating: 86. 21. ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MIRACLE; a year of food life (HarperCollins, 2007, unabridged, 14.5 hours on 12 CDs, ISBN 978-0-06-085357-0, $49.95 set) is by Barbara Kingsolver, an American poet, novelist and creative non- fictionist. This is the audiobook version of the printed book released in the Spring of 2007. Academic parts of this book have been written by Steven Hopp, an environmental studies teacher, who is Kingsolver’s partner. Personal, diary-like entries come from Camille Kingsolver, her teenaged daughter. All three of them read their own writings on this audiobook. The basic premise of the book is: you are what you eat, and you need to put the kitchen back at the centre of family life. The family has moved back to Hopp’s Kentucky farm full-time. Previously, they were there just during the summers, and rented it out for the other months. Now, they will be raising their own food on their mixed farm, doing without the civilities of convenience foods, junk foods, etc. etc. This work has been described as part memoir and part journalistic investigation, with diversified farms at the centre of the American diet. It goes the 100-mile diet one better: this is the 100- yard diet. The recipes are part of CD number 12, and you can print them out. Audience and level of use: environmentalists, foodies, farmers. Some interesting or unusual facts: there is an author interview not found in the book. The downside to this book: the book itself lacked an index, which I found extremely annoying since I wanted to refer back to some points and to Hopp’s notes. The audiobook also has no index. There is also a list of resources (organizations, bibliographies) which is not on the audiobook. The upside to this book: glory be, there ARE chapter designations and descriptions and timings on the CD labels, so the listener can get his bearings. Quality/Price Rating: 92. AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- HEAR HERE!! Audiobooks in review MID-SUMMER 2007 ================================================= By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com All sets are Compact Discs, except as noted. All prices are in Canadian dollars, except as noted. 1. WOMEN & MONEY; owning the power to control your destiny (Random House Audio, RHCD 2060, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-07393- 4205-3, $37.95 set) is by the ultra-successful writer Suze Orman, the author of five consecutive bestsellers. She’s a public speaker and has her own show on CNBC-TV. As such, she did her own reading (and presumably her own abridgement, since the abridger was not identified in the packaging). Personal finance wizard Orman posits that although women have come a long way over the past 50 years in America, they are still mired in dealing with money. She summarizes the past and says that change must come. Then, she presents a plan – the “Save Yourself Plan”. This is a five month program to deliver steady long-term financial security. And it has applications to Canada as well. There is even a coupon worth $100 a year from now via an online savings program (must be started by March 31, 2008). That will at least pay for this set! Audience and level of use: women and savers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Orman also contributes to the Oprah Magazine and to Yahoo! Personal Finance. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 2. FADE AWAY (Random House Audio, 2000, 2007, RHCD 2070, unabridged, 8 hours 45 minutes on 7 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4098-1, $24.95 set) And 3. BACK SPIN (Random House Audio, 2000, 2007, RHCD 2071, unabridged, 8 hours 30 minutes on 7 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4100-1, $24.95 set) are both by the reliable Harlan Coben and feature his op, Myron Bolitar. Both are reissues in a uniform and cheaper format. “Fade Away” was originally published in print in 1996 (it won an Edgar), and “Back Spin” comes from 1997. Bolitar is a hot headed but engaging sports agent who becomes involved with his friends and clients. “Fade Way” deals with the disappearance of a man Bolitar once competed against, framed by the New Jersey suburbs. “Back Spin” deals with the kidnapping of the teenaged son of a golfer at the height of the US Open. Multiple mystery award winner Cobden reads well in print, and scans well in audio. The reading here is by Jonathan Marosz, who has done Shakespeare and modern theatre all over America. A special price on the reissue. Audience and level of use: mystery lovers, and lovers of sports fiction. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 4. STANLEY PARK (BTC Audiobooks, Goose Lane Editions, 2004, dramatization, 2 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 978-0-86492-389-9, $24.95 set) is a first novel by Timothy Taylor. It was first published in 2001 and dramatized by the CBC on Sunday Showcase Sept 7 and 14 2003 as part of a series on life in Canadian cities. Betty Quan did the dramatization of life in this high-end Vancouver restaurant. The chef, who believes in using fresh and local ingredients, has some cash flow problems. To stay afloat, he must work with a coffee-shop magnate who changes the restaurant from a charming bistro to a food palace. Other elements here include a decades-old mystery of two children murdered in Stanley Park, some eccentric relatives, and some homeless people. Michael Hogan and Glen Gould are in the cast, as well as 13 others. Music is by Bernard Boulanger, and performed by The Colorifics. Satire meets suspense (or, as the BTC PR people put it, “Kitchen Confidential” meets “The Edible Woman”). Unfortunately, there is just one track on each CD which makes it rather difficult to access except at the beginning. Once you start listening, you’ll probably have to stay with it for the full 55 minutes. You can always use the pause control, but you cannot take the CD out of the player and expect to return to it easily. Of course, you can always transfer it to a sound software program which will enable you to create your own multiple tracks... Audience and level of use: drama lovers, humour seekers, food lovers too. Some interesting or unusual facts: This was a 2007 Canada Reads contender. Quality/Price Rating: 95 (despite the one track mode). 5. BELOVED (Random House Audio, 1998, 2007, RHCD 2045, unabridged, 12 hours on 10 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4227-5, $37.95 set) And 6. LOVE (Random House Audio, PLCD 299, unabridged, 8 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4228-2, $37.95 set) are both by Toni Morrison, who also does here own reading. It is always a plus when the author does her own reading, and when the material is “unabridged”. Both reissues are specially priced for summer. “Beloved”, originally published in print in 1987, won a Pulitzer Prize. It is the story of Sethe who was born a slave and escaped to Ohio. But she has been held captive by her memories and the ghosts of the past. Her baby had died without a name, and the tombstone merely says “Beloved”. “Love” is an exploration into the nature of love’s appetites. At least six women were obsessed with Bill Cosey, the wealthy owner of Cosey’s Hotel and Resort. But obsessed in different ways, such as family, safety, lover, husband, father... Audience and level of use: Toni Morrison fans, plus anyone who wants a great listening experience. Some interesting or unusual facts: Toni Morrison has won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and in 1993, the Nobel Prize in Literature. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 7. FAIRIES 101 (Hay House Audio, 2006, abridged, 1 hour on 1 CD, ISBN 978-1-4019-0762-4, $12.95) is by Doreen Virtue, a metaphysician author of several books on healing with the angels and oracles. She appears on television and radio programs, as well as creating workshops. Check out www.angeltherapy.com for details. She wrote the bestseller “Healing with the Fairies”, and this CD comes from that book. It is an introduction to connecting, working, and healing with the fairies and other elementals. The basics include an explanation of who the fairies are, how and why they are assisting mere mortals, and how to tap into their energy. She enlarges these ideas with stories from people who’ve encountered fairies. She does her own reading. Audience and level of use: New Agers, those who deal with mind-body- spirit. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 8. ICEBOUND (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2074, unabridged, 9 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4141-4, $37.95 set) And 9. BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON (Random House Audio, 2002, 2007, RHCD 2073, unabridged, 12 hours on 10 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4139-1, $37.95 set) are both by Dean Koontz, who is described as “the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers”. His suspenseful novels have won him accolades. His “Icebound” was published in 1995. A group of scientists have set up sixty bombs to detonate at midnight on an Arctic ice field. But a tidal wave breaks forth before the team can retire to their home base. The ice field then becomes an iceberg, with the men on it, and the bombs set to detonate during a winter storm. They are marooned... Paul Michael, veteran of British sitcoms and the theatre, does the reading. In the reissue of a 2002 book (“By the Light of the Moon”), Dylan O’Connor is an artist who has been injected with a poison of sorts, one that will either kill him or transform him. He must flee from the enemies of the person who injected him. So for the next 24 hours he is a fugitive and Koontz tells his story. Stephen Lang is the reader; he has acted on Broadway and in films. Audience and level of use: suspense lovers (don’t listen before going to bed!) Quality/Price Rating: 88. 10. BURN MARKS (Random House Audio, 1990, 2007, RHCD 2099, abridged, 3 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4249-7, $19.95 set) is by Sara Paretsky, the Chicago author of about 20 books. Her op is V.I. Warshawski, a woman who was a former police officer. This reissue of the 1990 book is an abridgement by Scott Matthews. V.I.’s Aunt Elena has just been burned out of her rundown hotel, and V.I. takes on an arsonist and the homeless. Welcome to the cronyism and the backroom deals of the Windy City. The Oscar winner (and Tony nominated) Kathy Bates does a sterling reading, with just the right amount of sardonic accents. Great price. Audience and level of use: mystery lovers. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 11. BLOODLETTING & MIRACULOUS CURES (BTC Audio Books, 2007; distr. by Goose Lane Editions, selected and abridged, 2.5 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 978-0-86492-474-2, $24.95 set) is by the remarkable new writer, Dr. Vincent Lam. It won a Giller Prize after being published in 2006. This version of four stories was first broadcast on the CBC March 20 - 31, 2006; it was narrated by William Johnston and Michael Scholar Jr. Johnston read “Take All of Murphy”, “A Long Migration”, and “Available Light”. Scholar was responsible for “Contact Tracing”. The book is a collection of episodes dealing with medical professions and emergencies, beginning with the challenges of medical school. Scholar is a film, television, and theatre performer. Johnston has been recording since 1972; he has appeared on stages across Canada and in many CBC radio dramas. He also specializes in British and Asian accents. 12. PRIOR BAD FACTS (Random House Audio, 2006, PLCD 284, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4160-5, $19.95 set) And 13. ALIBI MAN (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 2026, unabridged, 10 hours on 8 CDs, ISBN 978-0-553-50286-2, $49.95 set) are by Tami Hoag, who has crafted bestselling suspense novels since 1988. In “Prior Bad Facts”, the Haas family has been brutally murdered. The judge in the trial of the killer has been attacked. Two Minneapolis detectives try to keep the judge from further harm. Then the killer escapes, and we head into a terrifying denouement. Peter Michalos has done the abridgement on this inexpensive reissue of a 2006 book/CD set. Erik Bergmann is currently doing voice-over work in NYC. In “Alibi Man”, a former society girl from Palm Beach (she later became an undercover cop, but that career ended) delves into a dead friend’s secret life. She peels back the layers to reveal a group of secret Palm Beach bad boys. As in all of Hoag’s books, the protagonist is always threatened – even more so when it’s a heroine. This unabridged version is read by Beth McDonald, a Broadway and TV actress. Audience and level of use: suspense lovers, but don’t listen before bedtime... Some interesting or unusual facts: You can begin with the modestly priced reissue, to see if you like Hoag. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 14. THE NANNY DIARIES (Random House Audio, 2002, 2007, RHCD 2155, abridged, 4.5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-1773-0, $19.95 set) is by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, who have eight combined years of experience as nannies in Manhattan. Here, in this work of thinly disguised fiction, the nanny (a college student who needs the money to stay in school) looks after the only son of a wealthy family (Park Avenue). And then the wealthy marriage disintegrates...Surprise, surprise: Julia Roberts (multiple award winning actress) does the reading. Audience and level of use: socialite followers, eavesdroppers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Scarlett Johansen and Laura Linney starred in the film version. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 15. BURNING BRIGHT (Penguin Audio, 2007, unabridged, 11 hours on 10 CDs, ISBN 978-0-14-305939-4, $43.50 set) is by Tracy Chevalier, the bestselling author of “Girl With a Pearl Earring” and three other novels. Her historical novel concerns William Blake, with characters that supposedly could have influenced his “Songs of Innocence and of Experience”. This is Georgian London, with its pubs and drinking, frivolities, circuses, factories. As in all her books, Chevalier deals nicely with a sense of place and the unpredictable. Jill Tanner is the reader. She has appeared on the stage in New York (Broadway) and other places. As well, she has recorded over 100 books for the Library of Congress. Audience and level of use: history lovers, romanticists. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 16. THE SPELLMAN FILES (Simon & Schuster Audio, 2007, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7435-6434-2, $34.99 set) is by Lisa Lutz, a former screenwriter and self-described journeyperson. Isabel Spellman is a young private investigator in her family firm (Spellman Investigations). The humour – for this is supposed to be a comedy – comes from the situation whereby she is both a family member and an employee. She is also desperate to leave the firm, but can only do so if she can solve a 15 year old cold case. There’s chaos here, with a chronically perfect lawyer brother, a 14 year old sister who loves to eavesdrop, plus Mom and Pop. Give it a listen. The abridgement was by Peter Michalos. Ari Graynor is the reader; she’s an actress who has appeared on stage, film and television. Audience and level of use: mystery and humour lovers. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 17. DONT’T MAKE A BLACK WOMAN TAKE OFF HER EARRINGS: MADEA’S UNINHIBITED COMMENTARIES ON LOVE AND LIFE (Penguin Audio, 2007, unabridged, 4.5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-0-14-305872-4, $25 set) is by Tyler Perry, author of the bestseller which deals with a black woman’s humour. These are her memoirs, based on the movies “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” and “Madea’s Family Reunion”, a sort of Moms Mabley for the 21st century. Perry is a quintal threat, being a playwright, director, producer, composer, and actor. He has produced, written and starred in film hits such as “Diary of a Mad Black Woman”, and others. Needless to say, he does his own reading here. Madea covers every topic in this long program, so settle back to hear about love, marriage, raising kids, religion, beauty tips, food. A good healthy dose of black humour. Audience and level of use: humour lovers. The upside to this CD set: Quality/Price Rating: 90. 18. MINDLESS EATING; why we eat more than we think (Random House Audio, 2007, RHCD 1048, abridged, 5.5 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4037-9, $39.95 set) is by Brian Wansink, a food psychologist who is director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab. He’s a marketing and nutritional science prof. It’s a bit of a screed, read by the author himself, about why we may not realize how much we are eating, what we are eating, or – as he puts it – “why we are even eating at all”. After all, eating is a basic function, but sometimes it becomes all obsessive. His audiobook gives us the facts and lore that we’ll need in order to make healthier decisions and choices at the table, in the restaurant, out in the supermarket, and at the office. Wansink even says that we can lose ten to 20 pounds over a year, just by paying attention to details and not denying ourselves. The book has been abridged by Lynn Lauper, and the abridgement possibly improves on the original book by cutting to the chase. Audience and level of use: those who want a slow but steady weight loss. Some interesting or unusual facts: He’s written three professional books on food and consumer behaviour. The downside to this book: there is neither index nor table of contents to figure out where you are in the audiobook. The upside to this book: Quality/Price Rating: 88. 19. THE GOD OF ANIMALS (Simon and Schuster Audio, 2007, unabridged, 12.5 hours on 11 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7435-6154-9, $48 set) is by Aryn Kyle, a Colorado-Montana writer. It’s a first novel about a young girl whose older sister runs off to marry a rodeo cowboy. Alice Winston, left behind, gets to carry the burden of her family: a bed-ridden mother and an overworked father running a failing horse ranch. To make ends meet, the family starts to board horses of rich neighbours. Alice thus becomes introduced to this world of high society, with all the back biting that goes on. Although episodic, the novel does come to grips with human failings, betrayals, secrets, and the like. Lily Rabe dos the reading; she has many credits from Broadway, television, and film work. Audience and level of use: animal lovers, storytellers, western fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: The first chapter of this book was originally a short story “Foaling Season” which won a National Magazine Award for Fiction for The Atlantic Monthly. Quality/Price Rating: 88. AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- HEAR HERE!! Audiobooks in review SUMMER 2007 ============================================ By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com All sets are Compact Discs, except as noted. All prices are in Canadian dollars, except as noted. NOTE: Summer seems to be the perfect time to revisit the classics and also to listen to a good mystery. These are the topics of this issue – 1. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Caedmon, 2006, unabridged, 12 hours on 11 CDs, ISBN 978-0-06-088869-5, $62.95 set) is the audiotext of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, written by Harper Lee: a lawyer in the US south defends in court a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. US librarians have voted it the best novel of the twentieth century. Actress Sissy Spacek, a multiple award winner, does the narration in her southern accented tone (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Crimes of the Heart). Audience and level of use: classic novel fans, not quite a mystery but should also appeal to courtroom fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: the book has been translated into 40 languages, and has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, The upside to this CD set: there are natural breaks on each of the CDs, and these have all been itemized and listed. Quality/Price Rating: 94. 2. THE PROPHET (Random House Audio, 1985, 2006, RHCD 1053, unabridged, 90 minutes on 2 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-3328-0, $26.95 set) is the oral version of the 1923 inspirational classic. It has been translated into 20 languages. This is its first CD release; it had previously been available only on cassette (from 1985). The reading is done by the late Paul Sparer, a theatre (Tony nomination), film and television actor. Audience and level of use: those wishing to hear more about spirituality. Now this cat IS actually a mystery... Some interesting or unusual facts: this is actually a good book to read aloud. The downside to this CD set: no title indications for the stops. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 3. THE DOROTHY PARKER AUDIO COLLECTION (Caedmon, 1962, 2004, UACD 5291(6), unabridged, 5.5 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 978-0-06-059789-5, $45.95 set) is a collection of her short stories, augmented with some reviews from her “Constant Reader” columns. Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) narrates Parker’s O. Henry Award winner “Big Blonde” (also done as a TV drama) and other stories, Christine Baranski, an often nominated (and winner) of Emmys, Tonys, Golden Globes and other awards, narrates stories such as “The Game”, “Horsie”, and “Mrs. Post Enlarges on Etiquette”. Four-time Emmy award winner Alfre Woodard does “Dusk Before Fireworks”, “But the One on the Right”, and “The Bolt Behind the Blue”. Well-known actress Shirley Booth, from a 1962 session, tells the stories of “Lady with a Lamp”, “The Waltz”, “Cousin Larry”, and “A Telephone Call”. Audience and level of use: it helps to be a cynic when listening to these classic stories. The mystery here is why Parker has been underappreciated over the years... Some interesting or unusual facts: when she died, Dorothy Parker’s estate passed on to the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People. The upside to this CD set: I like the idea of multiple readers. There are title stops listed and indexed. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 4. PROVENCE A-Z (Random House Audiobooks, 2006, “unabridged selections”, 3.5 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-4025-5, $26.95 set) is a reference set by Peter Mayle. Organized from A – Z, it covers a wealth of material about Provence, material that has been collected for the past 20 years by the King of Provence Life Style. His subjects are diverse: architecture, expats, local Provencal characters, lavender, legends, linguistic oddities, wild boars, winds (think Mistral), and food and wine. A reasonably good guidebook although there is no index. Nor is there a list of contents, so I really cannot say what was omitted from the book. At least the selections are supposed to be “unabridged”. And Peter Mayle does his own reading. Audience and level of use: lovers of Mayle’s humour. That’s no mystery... Some interesting or unusual facts: Mayle has now written 11 books on Provence, and was recently awarded the Legion d’Honneur. The downside to this CD set: no reference points The upside to this CD set: a good selection of humour. Quality/Price Rating: bargain price, 90. 5. ESSENTIAL FITZGERALD (Caedmon, 2001, 2006, unabridged, 1 hour on 1 CD, ISBN 978-0-06-115354-9, $16.95) is a misnomer. It is actually a reading of only the short story “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” by Blythe Danner, from 2001. Hopefully it will kick off a F. Scott Fitzgerald run of audiobooks, somewhat like the Hemingway set on Simon and Schuster. Marjorie, Bernice’s cousin, does a makeover of her. With the new hair style, Bernice is all the rage with the boys, including Marjorie’s boy friend. The plot thickens here... Audience and level of use: Fitzgerald lovers. The mystery here is why there is just the one story. Some interesting or unusual facts: Tony winner Danner played Zelda Fitzgerald in a telefilm biography of F. Scott. The downside to this CD set: I wouldn’t call this set “Essential”: it is too short for that! There is only one title here... The upside to this CD set: Apparently, Caedmon is the only talking book producer which goes out of its way to list contents. Quality/Price Rating: 94. Some mysteries of note... 6. THE SUE GRAFTON GIFT COLLECTION: A B C D E F G H I (Random House Audio, 2006, abridged, 27 hours on 27 CDs, $126 set) is a set of three separately issued CD packages, each package presenting a trio of mysteries in the alphabet series featuring PI Kinsey Milhone. There are 9 books here, all abridged to fit three hours for each title. The first set is RHCD 911 (ISBN 978-0-7393-3224-5, $42) with “A is for Alibi”, “B is for Burglar” and “C is for Corpse”. Milhone is the op; she’s a former police officer. There are the usual bodies, with twists and turns. The reader is Judy Kaye, who has done all of the Grafton mysteries. It is good to have this consistency in the series, a familiar voice. The second set has “D is for Deadbeat”, “E is for Evidence”, and “F is for Fugitive (RHCD 912, ISBN 978-0-7393-3226-9, $42). Judy Kaye is a Broadway actress, grabbing a Tony for her role in “Phantom of the Opera”. She created the role of Emma Goldman in “Ragtime”. The third set is RHCD 913 (ISBN 978-0-7393-3228-3, $42) with “G is for Gumshoe”, “H is for Homicide”, and “I is for Innocent”. All of these readings were originally issued on audiocassettes. Here they are being issued together for the first time on CD. I can guarantee hours of enjoyment – at least 27 hours worth! Find two friends and buy one apiece, and then exchange... Audience and level of use: mystery lovers, summer beach freaks. Some interesting or unusual facts: The first book recorded was actually “E is for Evidence”, in 1988, followed by “F is for Fugitive” in 1989. Grafton began writing the Milhone series in 1982, but had to wait six years for the audio version to find itself. Then the publisher went back to do the rest. The recording time frame here is 1988-1998. The downside to this CD set: as is common with most audio recordings, a bit more detail would have been useful. The upside to this CD set: a great collection of stories, all at once. Quality/Price Rating: less expensive than the original issue, 94. 7. THE WOMAN IN WHITE (BTC Audio Books, 2006; distr. Goose Lane Editions, dramatization, 2.5 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-0-86492-397-X, $29.95 set) is by Wilkie Collins. It has been dramatized by Beverley Cooper, who has written extensively for the CBC (Street Legal) and the boards (the multiple award-winning Thin Ice). This drama was originally broadcast by the CBC in May, 1997. Wilkie was a master mystery writer (The Moonstone) from Victorian England, and hailed as the father of the modern mystery novel. So this review could have been placed above, with the classics. But then it’s summer, and the living is easy, especially when you want to be caught up in a psychological thriller of love, greed, and insanity. This gothic work opens in a London courtroom, where an enquiry into Laura Fairlie’s death has begun. We learn of her early life, marriage, and subsequent death. Douglas Campbell plays the “diabolical” Count Fosco and Elizabeth Shepard his wife. Others in the cast of 16 include Gillie Fenwick, William Hope, and Gina Wilkinson. Audience and level of use: great listening, with great stage voices. Dramatizations, while expensive to produce, bring new life to audio books, with their multiple voicings. Some interesting or unusual facts: “The Woman in White” is also a successful musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and this dramatization may appeal to listeners. Quality/Price Rating: 96. 8. COLD SERVICE (Random House Audio, 2005, RHCD 650, unabridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-1859-4, $42 set) is by Robert B. Parker. The ops Spenser and Hawk are at it again in Boston. This time Hawk has been brutally beaten and left for dead; Spenser must come to the rescue. The Ukrainian mob is responsible, and Parker must infiltrate. There is a high body count. As usual, the effusively staccato Tony winner Joe Mantegna (one of David Mamet’s favourite actors) does the reading. Mantegna has portrayed Spenser in a few telefilms. Audience and level of use: Parker lovers, Spenser fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: It is hard to believe that an unabridged version can actually be as long as six hours in length, since Parker’s books have lots of blank pages, spaces and leadings. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 9. BLUE SCREEN (Random House Audio, 2005, RHCD 955, unabridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-07393-2460-8, $39.95 set) is by Robert B. Parker. His op is Sunny Randall, a Boston PI with a dysfunctional personal life. A movie producer hires Sunny to protect his starlet Erin Flint. Soon, Erin’s sister Misty is found dead. Here is the seedy world of the film entertainment business. It is all laid out for you, the listener by reader Kate Burton, an accomplished and Tony-nominated film, Broadway and TV actress. Audience and level of use: Parker lovers, Randall fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: Parker has written over 50 books, with different ops. He even writes westerns. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 10. HUNTER’S MOON (Penguin Audio, 2007, unabridged, 8.5 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 978-0-14-314191-4, $43.50 set) is by Randy Wayne White. This is the fourteenth in an award-winning series of Doc Ford novels (www.docford.com). When Ford saves from assassination a former US president who is staying in Florida, he – according to White – has no idea what he’s let himself in for. The ex-Prez had just lost his wife in a plane crash while she was assisting on a mercy mission to Nicaragua, sending medical supplies. It was an accident – maybe. The ex-Prez fears for his own life now, and needs someone like Ford to free him from his own security staff so that he can do his life’s mission, which is...I’d better not give too much away. The narrator is Obie winner George Guidall, who has spoken for many mystery and suspense novels, including Parker’s Spenser. Audience and level of use: suspense lovers Some interesting or unusual facts: George Guidall has recorded over 800 unabridged novels over his 40 year acting career; his is a familiar voice. The upside to this CD set: good packaging, fine suspenser. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 11. THE DOOR TO DECEMBER (Penguin Audio, 1985, 1994, 2007, unabridged, 13 hours on 11 CDs, ISBN 978-0-14-314229-4, $50 set) is by Dean Koontz, a best-selling author with more than 200 million copies of his books in print. This one was first published in 1985, and here is on audio for the first time. In print, it is currently available as a paperback from Signet. It is another storytelling suspenser: when Melanie was three years old she was kidnapped by her father. Six years later the LAPD found her wandering around the streets, her mind a blank. Her mother and the police begin probing, and in that time they find a connection to mass murder. The narrator is Obie winner George Guidall, who has spoken for many mystery and suspense novels, including Parker’s Spenser and the one above (no. 10). Audience and level of use: suspense lovers Some interesting or unusual facts: George Guidall has recorded over 800 unabridged novels over his 40 year acting career; his is a familiar voice. The upside to this CD set: good packaging, fine suspenser. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 12. THE LAST DANCE (Simon and Schuster, 1999, 2007, abridged, 4.5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7435-6098-6, $18.99 set) is by Ed McBain. It is his fiftieth novel of the 87th Precinct series; his books have sold over 100 million copies. It was originally issued in 1999, and has been reissued in S & S’s new Encore series. Carella and Meyer find an old man hanging, presumably caused by his own hand. But money was involved and the story becomes convoluted with tours of strip joints, the theatre district, the musicals on Broadway, and drugs. Ed McBain does his own narration, and that is a special treat. Audience and level of use: those who love big-city cop dramas will appreciate this one. Some interesting or unusual facts: McBain was the first American to win the Diamond Dagger Award in Britain. The upside to this CD set: it was Ed McBain who pretty well invented the police procedural. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 13. NATURE GIRL (Random House Audio, 2006, abridged, 5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-07393-3230-6, $36.95 set) is the latest Floridian comic mystery from journalist Carl Hiaasen. Most of his work involved environmental screw ups. Here, his protagonist is Honey Santana, a bipolar queen of lost causes. She’s taken on telemarketers, and wants to teach them manners. Another sub-plot involves Seminoles and the environment. Obsessed males chase after Honey, while obsessed females chase after Sammy Tigertail, the half-Seminole who is an ex-alligator wrestler. Great fun as a read (it was hard to put the book down when I got it), and even greater fun as an audiobook because Jane Curtin (SNL, Kate and Allie, 3rd Rock) is the vivacious reader. The abridgement is by Lynn Lauber. Audience and level of use: those who like sparkling and comic mysteries. Some interesting or unusual facts: Hiaasen had written ten previous novels all dealing with the wacky people in Florida. Quality/Price Rating: 94. 14. LAST CAR TO ELYSIAN FIELDS (Simon and Schuster, 2003, 2007, abridged, 7 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7435-6106-8, $17.99 set) is by James Lee Burke, a mystery writer who has won two Edgar Awards. This abridgement is in the S & S Encore series, a reissue at a swell price. Dave Robicheaux is the op, a police officer in New Iberia Louisiana, where Burke spends part of his year. An old friend has been brutalized in New Orleans, and Robicheaux unofficially investigates. At home in New Iberia, three teenage girls are killed in a drunk driving accident. The owner of the liquor store is then murdered, and red herrings begin to be placed (e.g., did one of the girls’ fathers do it?). The link becomes Max Coll, a hit man sent to New Orleans to finish off Robicheaux’s friend. Seamy and steamy. Will Patton is the reader, but the CD set does not tell us who he is. Audience and level of use: not for the faint of heart this summer. Some interesting or unusual facts: Burke has written some two dozen or more novels. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 15. THE SHAPE SHIFTER (Harper Audio, 2006, unabridged, 7 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 978-0-06-057899-2, $37.95 set) is by Tony Hillerman, author of the successful Joe Leaphorn series of mysteries. Hillerman has received all kinds of honours for his writings; he is a former journalist (and journalism instructor). In his latest book, he follows Leaphorn through his post-retirement period. Occasionally, the Navajo Tribal Police need him back on a consultation basis. This time it is a priceless Navajo rug supposedly lost in a fire. A pix of that rug appears in a magazine, and the guy who showed it (the pix) to Leaphorn has gone missing. There is also a murderer on the loose. This is another engaging Native American mystery from a master craftsperson. And wouldn’t you know it, George Guidall does the narration. Guidall must be so well-known that Harper Audio does not bother to give him any bio. Audience and level of use: mystery lovers, especially of original culture ops. Some interesting or unusual facts: Tony Hillerman lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has easy access to the settings of all his mysteries. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 16. THE ECHELON VENDETTA (Penguin Audio, 2007, unabridged, 15 hours on 13 CDs, ISBN 978-0-14-314190-7, $50 set) is by David Stone, described as “the cover name for a man born into a military family with a long history of honorable service”. As an intelligence officer, “Stone” has lived all over the world. This is an out-and-out international thriller of espionage, roaming from Venice to London to Washington, DC. Micah Dalton is the protagonist; his job is to mop up messes when the CIA fails to accomplish its mission. A friend has committed suicide in Tuscany – but it is not so when Dalton investigates. It is simply murder, by knife and Native American mysticism. Apparently, many ex-CIA agents are being offed. But why? The answers will come as you listen. Actor Firdous Bamji does the reading; he has a reputation for working with off-beat productions. Audience and level of use: thriller level. Some interesting or unusual facts: sure to be a major motion picture. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 17. WHAT CAME BEFORE HE SHOT HER (Harper Audio, 2006, abridged, 10 hours on 9 CDs, ISBN 978-0-06-056332-5, $49.95 set) is by the sparkling Elizabeth George, creator of the Inspector Lynley novels. She has written 13 novels of psychological suspense. This abridgment is still oversized, even when you consider her original book length epics of several hundred pages. John Brehm has done the abridgement; actor Charles Keating is the reader. The plot involves the strange death of Lynley’s wife, in which the trigger was pulled by a 12 year old boy. Why? That forms the bulk of the suspenser. “The anatomy of a murder” involves exactly what came before he shot her, the dysfunctional family and the assorted reasons. Audience and level of use: legions of George fans, suspense and Brit lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: George also writes non-fiction and short stories. Quality/Price Rating: 94. HEAR HERE!! Audiobooks in review SPRING 2007 ============================================= By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com All sets are Compact Discs, except as noted. All prices are in Canadian dollars, except as noted. If you enjoy audiobooks, you may be an auditory learner -- that is, someone who learns best by hearing information. Thirty percent of people are auditory learners. Auditory learners often: -Can remember quite accurately details of information they hear during conversations or lectures. -Write lightly and not always legibly. -Notice sound effects in movies. -Enjoy music. -Are often good at grammar and foreign language. -Follow spoken directions well, but can have trouble with written instructions. -Talk to themselves while learning something new. (reprinted from HarperCollins Audio newsletter) 1. MEMORY BOOK; a Benny Cooperman mystery (BTC Audio Books, 2006; distr. Goose Lane Editions, abridged, 3.5 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 0-86492- 470-4, $29.95 set) is by Howard Engel. It is the latest in the Benny Cooperman mystery series, published in 2005 and then broadcast in Dec 2005/Jan 2006 on the CBC as this abridgement. The readers are Ron Halder and Donna White, and I like this two person format for vocal variety. Halder does the narration and the male voices, while White steps in with the women and molls. Cooperman has been struck on the head. He awakes in a hospital and has lost his ability to read but not write (shared, in real life, by author Engel). With the help of his long-time girl friend Anna, he solves the case. A splendid book, a terrific reading. Audience and level of use: mystery lovers, those who like details. Some interesting or unusual facts: Howard Engel was at one time husband to the late Marian Engel, also a noted Canadian author. The downside to this CD set: nothing I can think of – more of the series is needed. The upside to this CD set: a terrific reading, with laconic cynical voicings. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 2. A YEAR IN THE WORLD (Random House Audio, 2006, RHCD 874, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-9393-2462-2, $42 set) is by Frances Mayes. She previously authored the successful “Under the Tuscan Sun” which was later made into a major movie. And she has written many other books about Tuscany and poetry. Here she tackles the rest of the world. She travels to Spain, Portugal, France, UK, Turkey, Greece, and North Africa. So it is not really that much of the world, but it does seem to cover most of the Mediterranean basin. This travelogue embraces personal feelings, commentary on art and architecture, cultural history and culinary traditions. The abridgement is by Virginia Noonan, and Mayes does her own reading. Audience and level of use: travelers, fans of Mayes. Some interesting or unusual facts: The title is a bit misleading. The downside to this CD set: You have to look hard for the narration credit to Frances Mayes. The upside to this CD set: a nice little travel book. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 3. THE RED POWER MURDERS (BTC Audio Books, 2006; distr. Goode Lane Editions, abridged, 4 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 0-86492-285-X, $29.95 set) is by Thomas King writing as Hartley GoodWeather. The book was written in 2006 and given the audio treatment by the CBC in July 2006. It was written in a comedic vein (King specializes in comedy such as “Dead Dog Cafe” and “Dead Dog in the City”) but it also sits in the same class as the Tony Hillerman series set in New Mexico. Here, Thumps DreadfulWater must solve a mystery when a retired FBI agent is killed, and maybe the leader (Noah Ridge) of the Red Power Indian rights movement is involved since he has arrived in the town of Chinook just before the death. To regular CBC listeners, Thumps of course is an ex-LAPD cop turned photographer, and is well-qualified to solve native mysteries. Graham Greene, the well-known native actor, is the narrator. Audience and level of use: comedy listeners, mystery lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Thomas King had a Cherokee father and a Greek-German mother. He moved to Canada with a Ph.D. and currently teaches at Guelph. He has written novels, short stories, children’s books, screenplays, plus non-fiction. The downside to this CD set: the wry Greene is so laid back that his occasional mumbles and other voicings lack enunciation at times – you’ll have to turn up the volume or pay more attention. The upside to this CD set: as with Engel, we need more commercial releases of King audio, and this is a good start. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 4. THE FAST TRACK ONE-DAY DETOX DIET (Random House Audio, 2005, RHCD 703, 3 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-2020-4, $29.95 set) is by Ann Louise Gittleman, author of the “Fat Flush Plan”. It has was published in hard cover in 2005, issued also as an audio book (this one), and is out again now in 2007 as a trade paperback reprint, re-titled “The Fast Track Detox Diet”. The words ONE-DAY have been dropped, presumably for some reason of legality or whatever. But the ONE-DAY remains on the audio book, because it is still the original release. The idea, from the audio book’s blurb, is to “boost metabolism, get rid of fattening toxins, safely lose up to 8 pounds overnight, and keep them off for good”. But the paperback reissue drops the word “overnight”. So presumably there is SOME reason why this may not be good for you on a one day basis. The system is this: spend seven days adding healthy foods to your diet to prepare your body, then spend one day sipping a mixture of herbs and spices designed to stave off hunger and release toxins, and then three days reintroducing healthy foods. There are testimonials, recipes and tips – to show that it really works. It must be a terrific diet certainly for one-day events such as a reunion, a party, a wedding, and so forth. One week before, just begin the activity. To make it easier, there is a recipe booklet included. Gittleman does her own reading. Audience and level of use: dieters who like the comfort and rigour of someone talking at them. Some interesting or unusual facts: it would be nice to know why the title changed. The downside to this CD set: we’ve seen it before. I use a 36 hour fast, augmented by a miracle drink of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup. I’ve lost weight, but I think it is all water since I seem to pee a lot in 36 hours. Also, there is no index to the audio book set. The upside to this CD set: it is comforting to have the author herself talk to you and give you re-assurances. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 5. END IN TEARS (Random House Audio, 2006, RHCD 980, abridged, 5.5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-3203-1, $39.95 set) is by Ruth Rendell. This latest entry in the Inspector Wexford series was published in print in 2005. Someone wanted a teenager dead badly enough to kill twice to get the job done. Wexford must unravel the complexities to connect these murders so that others won’t die. Or is he losing his touch and, sadly, aging? Rendell touches on a variety of British issues, such as class, race, parenthood, aging, and the role of genders. Is it a mystery or a didactic commentary on the 21st century UK mores? Give a listen to the reading by Obie winner Daniel Gerroll, an accomplished TV, Broadway, and theater actor. Rendell always does a great job of characterization, humour, social commentary and plotting: this author-approved abridged version tightens things up a bit, to make it all seem more deft. Audience and level of use: mystery lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Rendell is a very popular spoken word author. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 6. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID; a memoir (Random House Audio, 2006, RHCD 1012, unabridged, 7.5 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 0-7393- 1523-4, $39.95 set) is by Bill Bryson (who does his own reading here), a best selling author in the humour vein. He had previously authored “A Short History of Nearly Everything” and “A Walk in the Woods”. Here he tackles growing up in the 1950s of America, specifically, from his birth in 1951 in Des Moines, Iowa. He became known as “The Thunderbolt Kid” when he began running around the neighbourhood in an old football jersey with a lightning bolt on the front. A towel around his neck served as a cape. In his fantasy land, he leapt tall buildings and eradicated fools (evil and otherwise). But when talking about himself, he also doesn’t seem as funny as when he is talking about other matters, as if he is a little more serious about his life. His voice has a sort of clipped British accent, derived from many years spent in the UK. This seems to lend a measure of seriousness. A great book of observations, with a childhood brought to life through the magic of oral storytelling. Audience and level of use: any Midwesterner in the USA, and this is also one for the kids. Some interesting or unusual facts: Bryson has lived in the UK, but is now living in New Hampshire. Or maybe he’s back in the UK again...Peripatetic was another nickname he should have. The downside to this CD set: no index of any kind. The upside to this CD set: very approachable, especially since he does his own reading. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 7. TRUE AT FIRST LIGHT; a fictional memoir (Simon & Schuster, 2007, unabridged, 10.5 hours on 9 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7535-6446-5, $48 set) is by Ernest Hemingway. It is the last in the sterling audiobook series released by Simon & Schuster over the past six months. “Creative non- fiction” is the genre. It opens when a hunter friend (Pop) leaves him in charge of the camp set up by the safari. News comes of a pending attack by a hostile tribe. Mary, Hemingway’s wife, has become obsessed with a black-maned lion which she is hunting. Two stories are here: the danger of pursuit and the relationships in married life. This was Hemingway’s last unpublished work, finally seeing print in 1999. The narration is by Brian Dennehy who has won multiple Tony awards for his work on Broadway; he is also celebrated as a movie and TV actor. He’s a great choice for a reader. Audience and level of use: Hemingway lovers and completists. Some interesting or unusual facts: Hemingway loved big-game hunting. The downside to this CD set: even though it is a cross between fiction and memoir, I’d appreciate a bit more detail on the contents, such as an index contents card. The upside to this CD set: It is good to have it available, along with all the other Hemingway works in audio form. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 8. WEB OF EVIL (Simon & Schuster, 2007, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7435-6159-4, $37.99 set) is by J.A. Jance. This is the second in her new series with Ali Reynolds as the op. Ali is an ex- television journalist. The new series may also have the word “Evil” in all of them. The first was “Edge of Evil”. (“Touch of Evil” has already been used by an Orson Welles film). Anyway, Ali has been fired and has gone home to recover. Home is Arizona. She no longer has a job nor a husband. As with everybody else who no longer has a job nor a spouse, she starts blogging (just kidding). BUT the day before the final divorce decree, Ale’s husband is found dead in Palm Springs. He leaves behind a rich estate, and Ali becomes a prime suspect. After creating the Joanna Brady and J.P. Beaumont ops, Vance veers into the dark and unknown with a sharper twist of pure evil. Scary, especially on audio discs. Multiple award-winning actress Karen Ziemba (Broadway and TV) does a sterling reading, with just the right amount of emphasis. Audience and level of use: fans of stalker novels. Some interesting or unusual facts: The unabridged version is 11 hours (almost twice as long) over 10 CDs and only ten dollars more ($49.99, ISBN 978-0-7435-6162-4). Broadbanders may even want to explore downloading this book: check SimonSays.com. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 9. SPEAKING EFFECTIVE ENGLISH! Your guide to acquiring new confidence in personal and professional communication (Simon & Schuster, 2007, 1999, abridged, 2 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7435-6412-0, $23.99 set) is by Betty Pierce Zoller, John Arthur Watkins, and Hugh Lampman. It was first issued on tape in 1999; this is its CD debut. One of the most popular audio book categories is “listen and learn”. What could be better fodder for the category than communications and language? Three top voice coaches take turns in narrating material: how to make a good first impression; how to minimize accents and dialects; how to overcome petrified stage frights; how to strategize for public speaking; how to strategize for job interviews; how to create an effective voicemail; and the top ten vocal sins. Audience and level of use: those wishing to improve their communication skills. Some interesting or unusual facts: I think the audio version is more effective than the print version. The downside to this CD set: there is no index or table of contents, so you’ll have to play around or browse. Be sure to mark where you are. The upside to this CD set: effective. Quality/Price Rating: 93. 10. LARRY’S PARTY (BTC Audio Books, 2006; distr. by Goose Lane Editions, abridged, 5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-0-86492-467-4, $35 set) is by Carol Shields. Published four years after “The Stone Diaries” (in 1997), this book took the Orange Prize for fiction in Britain. It has bestseller status, with over 100,000 copies being vended in the USA alone. The audiotext was abridged by Emil Sher, and broadcast on the CBC in 1998. It was then released on cassette. Well-known Canadian actor R.H.Thomson is the reader, and he has been already commended by Quill and Quire for his cool reading. Larry’s Party “explores the male condition at the end of the twentieth century”. Larry has had an easy life, living at home, and having a useful girl friend. But she becomes pregnant, they marry, they honeymoon in the UK, and Larry then takes up the construction of garden mazes. Life, though, is never straightforward, as Shields clearly shows in this inspired reading. Audience and level of use: Canadiana lovers, fans of R.H.Thomson. Some interesting or unusual facts: Thomson is an enormous giant in the stage and screen area of Canadian theatre. He has played every significant title role in every major theatre, and has won many Gemini and Doras. Quality/Price Rating: 95. 11. LOVE AND LOUIS XIV; the women in the life of the Sun King (Random House Audio, 2006, RHCD 1061, abridged, 9 hours on 8 CDs, ISBN 978-0- 7393-3957-2, $49.99 set) is by Antonia Fraser, who has been writing historical works in the UK since 1969. She has won multiple awards for many of her books. She also seems to have specialized in the seventeenth century. Sex and power were intertwined in the Sun Kin’s court. “The stability of the French monarchy was based on the King’s health and fertility. A sexual connection with the king could become an affair of state.” (TLS) For example, high ranking officials supervised births of illegitimate children. Two of the mistresses became of Duchess rank, while two illegitimate sons were temporarily inserted into the order of succession. Hear it all through Fraser’s account of the years 1643 to 1715. All of the mistresses get looked at, as well other ladies of the court. Gallantry, friendship, wordplay, courtship, flirtations, sexual encounters: hear all about it! It sounds better than just reading about it. Justine Eyre is the classically trained actress-reader. The abridgement is by Trebbe Johnson Audience and level of use: biography and history lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Religion pays a critical role, particularly in matters of marriage and succession. The downside to this CD set: some table of contents sheet or index would have been useful. The upside to this CD set: it really works well with a woman narrator. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 12. I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY NECK and other thoughts on being a woman (Random House Audio, RHCD 2083, unabridged, 4 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978- 0-7393-4292-3, $39.95 set) is by Nora Ephron. She is a multiple threat, having written screenplays such as “When Harry Met Sally”, “Silkwood” and “Sleepless in Seattle”. The whole book is here, turkey neck and all, and read by the author. It is a book about women who are getting older and dealing with body maintenance, empty nests, and loneliness. This is “creative non-fiction” at its best. And unexpectedly funny at the same time, with vocal inflections and tones that are missing from the printed page. Audience and level of use: any woman over 30. Some interesting or unusual facts: The book is accessible. The downside to this CD set: a contents page would have been appreciated. The upside to this CD set: it really helps to have the author communicate with us on this level, and not just by the page. When you listen to her, you get the feeling that she is in the same room as your are. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 13. ABOUT ALICE (Random House Audio, 2006, RHCD 2013, unabridged, 1.25 hours on 1 CD, ISBN 978-0-7393-4216-9, $24.95) is by Calvin Trillin, who has been a staff writer at the New Yorker since 1963. He is a specialist in writing about eating, and also poetry (in The Nation). We have met his wife Alice many times in his books: he once complained that she was weird for limiting the family to three meals a day. He dedicated a book to Alice: “I wrote everything for Alice”. But we have never heard nor read much else about her until now. The romance began at a Manhattan party in December of 1963. She died on September 11, 2001. This reading of his 80 page memoir is poignant, and it deals with about 40 years of romancing, family, dancing and eating. Trillin himself does the reading, making the audio book all the more bitter sweet. Audience and level of use: memoir lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: For some reason, the retail price seems high for a single CD. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 14. THE STONE DIARIES (BTC Audio Books, 2006; distr. Goose Lane Editions, abridged, 5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-0-86492-468-1, $35 set) is by the late Carol Shields. Her book was originally published in 1993 and adapted for radio by Emil Sher. It was subsequently broadcast by the CBC in January, 1994. This is its first CD release. Sara Botsford, the narrator, is a Canadian actor, notably on Canadian television series such as Street Legal, E.N.G., and American series such as Num3ers. “The Stone Diaries” is a fictional autobiography of an ordinary woman (Daisy Goodwill), from a Manitoba kitchen at the turn of the 20th century to a Florida hospital in the 1990s. Everything is here: the successes, the disappointments, the highs, the lows, marriage- death-children. “The beauty of this work lies in the details, the tiny brushstrokes of character and setting”. Audience and level of use: lovers of creative non-fiction and biographies, Canadiana fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: The book had won multiple awards: Pulitzer Prize, Governor-General’s Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Quality/Price Rating: 94. 15. THE MARTHA RULES (Random House Audio, 2005, RHCD 852, unabridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-3233-7, $42 set) is by the influential Martha Stewart. The subtitle is “10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build, or manage a business”. On the inside of the audio package there is a summary of the rules (e.g., No. 9: Takes risks, not chances). The audio book is all about strategies and advice to pursue dreams. This book is definitely for entrepreneurs instead of housewives (unless they wanted to start up a business). But it does say something that the description of Martha Stewart on the back of the audio book box is longer and bigger than the description of the book’s contents. You’d think by now that we all know who Martha is, but apparently not. Martha, as a TV and radio personality of long standing, does her own reading. Audience and level of use: business people. Some interesting or unusual facts: There is some good detail on her success approach to her best-selling product lines. Quality/Price Rating: 89. AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- HEAR HERE!! Audiobooks in review WINTER 2007 ============================================= By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com All sets are Compact Discs, except as noted. All prices are in Canadian dollars, except as noted. 1. INVISIBLE MAN (Random House Audio, 1999, RHCD 758, unabridged, 18.5 hours on 16 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-2207-9, $49.95 set) is the classic by Ralph Ellison, originally written in 1947 and first published in 1952. It has become a definitive American novel of the twentieth century. In essence, it details a black nameless narrator’s journey from the Deep US South to the tenements of Harlem, to a Communist rally “where blacks are elevated to the status of trophies”. Because most of the book is a narration it lends itself to the audible mode. Actor Joe Morton (Broadway, West End, movies) seems perfect, casting his modulated voice into both black and white accents. “He considers recording ‘Invisible Man’ one of his most humbling assignments.” Audience and level of use: perfect for the longer car journey. Some interesting or unusual facts: Ralph Ellison was awarded both the National Book Award and the Russwurm Award for his book. The downside to this CD set: a bit more commentary on the book’s impact would have been appreciated, especially as a card insert. The upside to this CD set: Morton has a good ear. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 2. THE GARDEN OF EDEN (Simon & Schuster Audio, 2006, unabridged, 7 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 0-7435-6448-0, $37.99 set) is by Ernest Hemingway, and it is the latest installment in S & S’s Hemingway project. This is his last novel, which he worked on intermittently from 1946 until his death in 1961. It is an uncompleted novel, but still became a bestseller when released in 1986 (twenty-five years after his death). Essentially, it is the story of David Bourne (American writer) and his wife Catherine, who live on the Cote d’Azur in the 1920s. They both fall in love with the same woman. Sexual tensions and a sense of place both emerge. The material is read by Patrick Wilson, who has been nominated for Tonys on Broadway and both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for his work in the HBO series “Angels in America”. Audience and level of use: Hemingway lovers Some interesting or unusual facts: nobody seems to do this kind of material better than Hemingway, especially when read out loud. The downside to this CD set: some more details on the why Hemingway took his time in writing this book would have been appreciated. The upside to this CD set: first unabridged recording. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 3. THE BLIND ASSASSIN (BTC Audiobooks, 2005; distr. Goose Lane Editions, dramatization, 3 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 0-86492-401-1, $29.95 set) is by Margaret Atwood. The book was first published in 2000, and later awarded the Booker Prize. Essentially, it is a mystery, leading up to a car crash in 1945. In 2003, the CBC presented this dramatization over three hours. Michael O’Brien did the adaptation, and there is a cast of 20, including Canadian actors Patricia Hamilton, Deborah Pollitt, Tom McCamus and Fiona Reid, all skilled radio actors. This CBC work eventually was a finalist for the Best Drama Special at the New York Festivals Radio Awards. Michael O’Brien also dramatized Atwood’s “The Handmaid Tale” (on BTC), a finalist for the 2005 Audie Awards. This is certainly a spirited production, with occasional music and sound effects, like the older radio plays on CBC Wednesday Night in the 1950s. Audience and level of use: very useful for car journeys, or when you feel that you need some variety in voices. Some interesting or unusual facts: actually, it is a classic mystery tale. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 4. KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL; adventures in the culinary underbelly (Random House Audio, 2000, RHCD 851, unabridged, 8 hours and 20 minutes on 7 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-3235-X, $27.95 special price for the set) is by Anthony Bourdain, the bad boy of American chefdom. It has been reissued at a lower price; hence, this mini-review. The book and audio reveal what Bourdain calls “twenty-five years of sex, drugs, bad behaviour and haute cuisine.” In 1999, he wrote for the New Yorker “Don’t Eat Before Reading This”. He expanded that feature into the current book. On the audio, he reads his own material. And of course, since then, he has gone into to bigger and better things on the Food Network. Audience and level of use: food lovers Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: one can learn about drug dealers in the East Village. The downside to this audio: no index or thematic guide or contents are listed. The upside to this audio: all made more graphic by actually hearing about it. Quality/Price Rating: good price, 90. 5. THE PIANO MAN’S DAUGHTER (BTC Audiobooks, 1999; distr. Goose Lane Editions, abridged, 5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 0-86492-257-4, $24.95 set) is by Timothy Findlay. It was originally published in 1996, but some of it had been read at the CBC beginning in 1994. The abridgement is by well-known writer and editor Mary Adachi. Acclaimed actor Colm Feore does the narration; we all welcome his Shakespearian voice. Findlay’s main character is a piano tuner, who in 1939 wonders who his father was. In his exploration, he learns about his mother Lily’s love affairs and madness. Audience and level of use: Canadian literature lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: Findlay was an actor before he became a writer, once sharing the stage with Ruth Gordon and Alec Guinness. The downside to this CD set: I always prefer unabridged readings, but... The upside to this CD set: the abridgement is deft. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 6. SCHOOL DAYS (Random house Audio, 2005, RHCD 769, unabridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-1862-4, $42 set) is another Spenser crime story by Robert B. Parker. It is read by the best known narrator of Spenser stories, actor Joe Mantegna, with his sleepy laconic voice. Here, Spenser investigates a teenager’s alleged involvement in a schoolyard shooting. His client is the blue-blooded society grandmother of the boy. Seven people were killed. There’s a probe, there’s blackmail, and the usual suspects are detailed. Another stunning tour-de-force. Audience and level of use: fans of mysteries and Spenser. Some interesting or unusual facts: Robert B. Parker has written over 50 books. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 7. WILD DUCKS FLYING BACKWARD (Random House Audio, 2005, RHCD 777, unabridged, 7 hours 35 minutes on 7 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-2175-7, $42 set) is a collection of journalism and short stories released in print under that same collective title. These are Tom Robbins’ stories, and he is also along for the narration. He has written eight “seriocomic” novels, which have been praised for both a lowbrow and highbrow approach. Over the years, he has published short fiction and non-fiction, mainly travel articles, essays, tributes to his favourite people, art criticism, and other eclectic themes. His thoughts have appeared in Esquire, Harper’s, Playboy, New York Times, High Times, and Life. As a keen observer of nature, he details life with tomato sandwiches, genius waitresses, the Doors, Picasso’s “Guernica”, and so forth. His short stories here are complemented a collection of largely unpublished poems. He is introduced by award-winning actress Debra Winger. Audience and level of use: those who like variety in their audiobooks. Some interesting or unusual facts: Tom Robbins actually lives in the Seattle area. The downside to this CD set: there is no table of contents, so you don’t know where anything is, nor do you know the original source of publication. The upside to this CD set: good variety. It is also always nice to have the author read his own work. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 8. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (Random House Audio, 2005, RHCD 754, unabridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-2220-6, $39.95 set) is by Douglas Adams. It was originally published in 1980, and took the world by storm. The 2005 movie was the tie-in prod that provoked this audiobook. The story is well-known: Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect begin a journey through space aided by scores of weird fellow travelers. Stephen Fry, the narrator, makes it all the more enjoyable: he’s been Jeeves and Wilde on British TV, as well as acting in the movies, on the stage, writing books, and directing films. Fry voice is terrific as he acts out all the parts, giving it that proper amount of British accented relish. Audience and level of use: fans of the hitchhiker, those who have seen the movie. Some interesting or unusual facts: Douglas Adams died in 2001, at the tender age of 49. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 9. RUNNING IN THE FAMILY (BTC Audio Books, 2006; distr. Goose Lane Editions, abridged, 2 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 0-86492-469-0, $24.95 set) is a memoir by Michael Ondaatje. It was written in 1982 and made into an audio adaptation for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1984, with a then-41-year old Ondaatje doing his own reading. It is, of course, a return home for him, since he had left his homeland 25 years before, moving to England. When he left, it was Ceylon, and when he returned, it was Sri Lanka. It was a colonial time then, and he paints a picture of a decadent society “consumed by gambling and gin” with all of the morality which goes along with that. It is a multi-layered work by a multi-award winning author (Anil’s Ghost, In the Skin of a Lion, The English Patient) who was educated in England and moved to Canada in 1962. Audience and level of use: biography and memoir lovers, fans of Ondaatje. Some interesting or unusual facts: although recorded 23 years ago, it is good to have this audio version available to the public. The downside to this CD set: no index or table of contents or theme guide to his life, in print, so that we can get to the spot on the CD without any fuss. The upside to this CD set: more memoirs of Canadian authors need to be made available through CBC resources. This is a good beginning. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 10. THE CAT WHO BLEW THE WHISTLE (Phoenix Audio, 2005; distr. Canadian Manda Group, unabridged, 6.5 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 1-59777-082-5, $41.95 set) and 11. THE CAT WHO CAME TO BREAKFAST (Phoenix Audio, 2005; distr. Canadian Manda Group, unabridged, 7 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 1-59777-084-1, $41.95 set) and 12. THE CAT WHO HAD 60 WHISKERS (Penguin Audio, 2007, unabridged, 3.5 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 978-0-14-305911-0, $30 set) are all by Lilian Jackson Braun who has established a cat-and-mouse mystery franchise with “The Cat Who...” series. She has written some twenty-eight cat books – and it has even evolved into both a cookbook and a parody (by others). All feature Koko and Yum Yum as Siamese cats with a flair for detection. The human “owner” is journalist-detective Jim Qwilleran (also known as Qwill). “Whistle”, originally published in 1994, and concerns an affluent railcar owner who disappears after allegedly embezzling millions of dollars. But who blew the whistle on the embezzler? “Breakfast”, originally published in 1993, deals with a series of deadly accidents (or were they sabotage?) on Breakfast Island – why are people suddenly being killed? The third book is brand new, and deals with a new senior center in the town of Pickax. There is to be a new museum as well, but a mysterious death from a bee sting adds drama...how do Koko’s sixty whiskers affect the outcome? Find the answers to these three questions – and more – through these three crafted mystery stories. They are sure to entertain. George Guidall is the narrator; he is a movie and theatre actor (an Obie winner) who also has made repeated appearances on “Law & Order”. His baritone voice is nicely non-wearing, just perfect for a spoken word ride. Audience and level of use: Braun fans, mystery lovers in general. Some interesting or unusual facts: Braun started writing her cat series when one of her own Siamese cats mysteriously fell to its death from her apartment. Guidall has recorded more than 800 unabridged novels. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 13. HEALTHY AGING (Random House Audio, 2005, RHCD 607, unabridged, 8.5 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-1599-4, $55 set) is by Dr. Andrew Weil, the originator of “Spontaneous Healing” with his books Spontaneous Healing, Eight Weeks to Optimum Health, Eating Well for Optimum Health, and The Healthy Kitchen. This audiobook is a lifelong guide to physical and spiritual well-being. It is read by Weil himself. Aging is irreversible but we can live with it and deal with it by keeping our bodies in good working order. That’s it. Oh, yes, and don’t dwell morosely on death, etc. Good diet, activity, and positive attitude can be learned from other cultures in the world. Part One here explores how the body ages, with the impacts of gender, genes, environment and lifestyle. Part Two is an easy anti-inflammatory diet that should protect the immune system. More of his work on aging can be found at www.healthyaging.com. Audience and level of use: those who need to accept aging or who are aging. Some interesting or unusual facts: Weil is the author of ten previous books, and produces a newsletter “Self Healing” and a website drweil.com. The downside to this CD set: needs markers and an index insert card. The upside to this CD set: great to have this CD set out there, with Weil himself reading. Quality/Price Rating: 93. 14. DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON (Simon & Shuster, 2007, unabridged, 10 hours on 8 CDs, ISBN 0-7435-6445-6. $49.99 set) is by Ernest Hemingway. And 15. GREEN HILLS OF AFRICA (Simon & Schuster, 2006, unabridged, 7 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 0-7435-6444-8, $37.99 set) is by Ernest Hemingway. Both of these Hemingway audiobooks are non-fiction. The first (written in 1932) deals with the history of bullfighting, to which he compares it to a ballet. As the notes say, it is “a deeper contemplation of the nature of cowardice and bravery, sport and tragedy, and is enlivened throughout by Hemingway’s sharp commentary on life and literature”. The reader is Boyd Gaines, a Broadway actor with a number of Tony awards (Heidi Chronicles, Contact), a film actor, and even a soaper on One Day at a Time. His is a familiar voice. CD number 8 here is an “Enhanced CD” which includes a printable PDF file. This contains a long glossary of words, phrases, terms and so forth used in bullfighting (most of the terms are in Spanish), some notes on matadors and people who watch bullfights, where to find more material on bullfights (principally in Spanish), and a listing of dates or months when bullfights appear around the world...just so you can plan your trip! Green Hills of Africa is Hemingway’s second major piece of non-fiction. It is a month’s journal of an East African safari (December, 1933). His wife Pauline accompanied him. His text revels in the delights of the big- game hunt, the introspection of why men hunt, the African landscape, and the changes made by man. Josh Lucas is the reader; his film credits and theatre credits reflect significant experience. Audience and level of use: Hemingway fans plus travelers, and lovers of non-fiction audiobooks. Some interesting or unusual facts: Avoid bullfights in France, Central and Latin America – they are not serious (except, possibly, Lima in Peru). The downside to this CD set: as with many audiobooks of non-fiction, there is no index or card inserts, or an indication of the topics for the stops. The upside to this CD set: good to see Hemingway’s non-fiction included in the mix of his novels and stories. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 16. HOW TO SEE YOURSELF AS YOU REALLY ARE (Simon & Schuster, 2006, unabridged, 6.5 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7435-6464-9, $37.99 set) and 17. THE UNIVERSE IN A SINGLE ATOM; the convergence of science and spirituality (Random House Audio, 2005, RHCD 792, 6.25 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-2265-9, $42 set) are both by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. “See Yourself” was translated AND read by Jeffrey Hopkins, who has served as an interpreter for the Dalai Lama for 10 years. He has written more than three dozen books and translations; now he is emeritus professor of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia where he founded the largest academic program of Tibetan Buddhist studies in the west. Here, the Dalai Lama gives us some step- by-step exercises to see the world as it really is, form discovering the reality behind the appearance. Along the way, he teaches how to concentrate on meditation to promote altruism. In the “Universe” set, the Dalai Lama analyzes the avenues of inquiry, stating that all must be pursued in order to arrive at a complete picture of the truth. He examines Darwinism, karma, quantum mechanics, neurobiology, and the like, in order to show the similarities of contemplative and scientific examinations of realities. Reader Richard Gere, the noted actor, has been a follower of Buddhism for many years; he first met the Dalai Lama in 1981, a quarter century ago. As a bonus, this set also has a short conversation with Richard Gere. Both sets were released at different Canadian pricepoints, based on the exchange rate. The US price for either set is $29.95. Audience and level of use: those who love something to think about Some interesting or unusual facts: Personal anecdotes and stories about the Dalai Lama and his lifestyle enliven the discs. The downside to this CD set: as is common with most non-fiction, there are few aids to help in indexing or revealing contents. The upside to this CD set: there is an awfully lot to contemplate here, great value for the dollar. Quality/Price Rating: 95. 18. DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY; everything you need to know about American history but never learned (Random House Audio, 2003, RHCD 673, unabridged, 24 hours on 19 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-1771-6, $69.95 set) and 19. DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT MYTHOLOGY; everything you need to know about the greatest stories in human history but never learned. (Random House Audio, 2005, RHCD 671, unabridged, 20 hours, 20 minutes on 17 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-1747-1, $69.95) are both by Kenneth C. Davis, a commentator with both USA Weekend and NPR. He has a series entitled Don’t Know Much About, including a Don’t Know Much About Children’s series. His History book first came out in 1990 (selling 1.3 million copies), and the print version has been completely revised, update and expanded. The audio version follows this pattern, and this is its first recording on compact disc. Davis’ style is basically Q and A, with some irreverence. He delves into Alger Hiss, Rosenberg spy case, the death penalty, gun control and school prayer. All those nice controversial issues...The material is read by Jeff Woodman and Jonathan Davis. The Mythology book is more interesting, for those of us who do not live in the USA. In fact, it serves as a good introduction to the pre-literate history of the world. Employing his familiar Q and A style, the great myths are covered, the early gods and goddesses, heroes from the past, and the like. He shows their impact on contemporary culture of art, film, language, and music. And there is a bonus: two additional myths not found in the book. These are Kevin Crossley-Holland’s “Building of Asgard’s Wall” and Roger D. Abrahams’ “Friends of a Time” (African folktale). John Lee, the reader, is a film, TV and stage actor with many credits. His reading is a bit clipped, but then you’d probably not want to listen for more than an hour at a time anyway. Audience and level of use: anybody who’d like to literally spend a whole day with Davis. Some interesting or unusual facts: the series seems to be a co-effort between HarperCollins (audio abridgements and print version) and Random House (unabridged audiobooks). The downside to this CD set: well, the History effort is all about American history – you don’t get to realize that part until your read the subtitle or open the book. Another example of American myopia – why couldn’t he just call the book “Don’t Know Much About American History”? Both sets need tables of contents so that you the listener know where you are, especially if you want to go back. The upside to this CD set: both sets are perfect for that long drive home. If you are a runner, Mythology chimes in at 1.08 GB. Quality/Price Rating: 90 for History; 93 for Mythology. 20. APPALOOSA (Random House Audio, 2005, RHCD 720, unabridged, 5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-1874-4, $39.95 set) is by Robert B. Parker of Spencer mystery fame. But here he ventures into the wild west of the 1800s. Plot: Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, itinerant lawmen, arrive in the small town of Appaloosa, which is under the control of renegade rancher Randall Bragg. The obvious happens, and we have a story...Titus Welliver, who was on “Deadwood” (HBO’s western which also takes place in a small town) is the reader; he’s a TV and film actor. Audience and level of use: fans of westerns (there are lots of them, judging by the number of audio books released), listeners who appreciate a good story or yarn. Some interesting or unusual facts: Parker has a lot of series running: the Spenser detective series, the Sunny Randall novels, the Jesse Stone novels, and historical novels such as “Double Play”. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 21. BUSHWHACKED (Random House Audio, 2004, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-1775-4, $21 set) is a collection of columns by Mollie Ivins, with new material from both her and Lou Dubose. It was intended to warn Americans about George W. Bush, but he got re-elected in 2004 anyway. It’s been reissued in time for the 2006 mid term elections – at a half-price point (it was originally $44.95 in Canada). Molly Ivins does her own reading...The book is still worth a listen despite no listing of contents, nor markers or index. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 22. MARYJANE’S IDEABOOK – COOKBOOK – LIFEBOOK (Random House Audio, 2006, RHCD 765, abridged, 4 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-2345-8, $35 set) is by MaryJane Butters. She has spent her last 20 years on her own five acres, where she and her family raised sustainable production for food and clothing. She has also created the Farmgirl Collection (www.maryjanesfarm.org), which brings together women who have always wanted to be (or are) farmgirls. Her book is about the organic lifestyle of an Idaho farmer, with material on how to do things, such as chopping firewood, hosting a local event, growing salad greens, raising poultry, etc. An added bonus here are the five recipes cards which were not with the book. MaryJane, who approved the abridgement, does her own reading. Audience and level of use: the farmgirl in all of us, rural living. Some interesting or unusual facts: MaryJane has been a carpenter, a waitress, janitor, upholsterer, secretary, wilderness ranger, and entrepreneur. The downside to this CD set: no listing or contents. The upside to this CD set: recipes Quality/Price Rating: 90. 23. ELEMENTS OF STYLE (Random House Audio, RHCD 930, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-07393-3366-2, $39.95 set) is by Wendy Wasserstein, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (The Heidi Chronicles). It was her first novel, and it’s about the upper classes in New York, post 9/11: the fashionistas, the charity balls, and the moneyed. This is a novel about the social lives and mores of the fabulously wealthy in 21st century Manhattan, with characters such as the number one pediatrician on the island, old money descendants and party throwers, foreign heiresses, moviemakers, Republicans (of course), and more offbeat people. The abridgement is by Garet Scott. The crisp, satirical reading is by Cynthia Nixon, the “Sex and the City” actress and Broadway actor who is in great form with her voice. Audience and level of use: feminist, lovers of satire, great for on the ride home. Some interesting or unusual facts: Wendy Wasserstein died in 2005 at the age of 55. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 24. THE BIG BAM; the life and times of Babe Ruth (Random House Audio, 2006, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 978-0-7393-3273-2, $39.95 set) is by Leigh Montville, a former columnist with the Boston Globe and author of a biography on Ted Williams. It has been abridged by David Rosaler, and read by Adam Grupper, a Broadway actor with film and TV credits. Montville gives us a portrait of the private Bambino, beginning with his deprived childhood in Baltimore. Sources include the usual “newly uncovered” documents, plus interviews, and pages from Ruth’s personal scrapbooks. Well worth a read or listen to. Audience and level of use: baseball fans, sports lovers. The downside to this CD set: no real listing of contents or index. The upside to this CD set: a great reading, vivid writing, and abridged biographies make for good gripping material to listen to. Quality/Price Rating: 92. AN ADDED VALUE FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS --- HEAR HERE!! audiobooks in review Christmas 2006 =============================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com All sets are Compact Discs, except as noted. All prices are in Canadian dollars, except as noted. My Christmas reviews are of the “classics”, and are perfect for gifting at this time of the year – they make perfect host gifts and stocking stuffers! 1. A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Penguin Classics Audiobooks, 2003, unabridged, 3.25 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 0-14-180524-2, $30 set) is by Charles Dickens, of course. It was recorded for cassettes in 1995 with Geoffrey Palmer, dramatic actor star of “As Time Goes By” and “Butterflies”. His is a familiar voice with familiar material; the book is given a clear and concise reading. There is an insert, but with no real notes. This is its first digital release. Audience and level of use: great for Christmas giving. Some interesting or unusual facts: in the English speaking world, it is the Victorian elements of Christmas that have presided. The downside to this CD set: no real notes. The upside to this CD set: this is the unabridged version. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 2. BEST OF DOREEN VIRTUE (Hay House Audio, 2006, unabridged, 5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 1-4019-0713-X, $28.95 set) is a reissue of four popular CDs that dealt with the mind-body-spirit complex. Virtue is a clairvoyant doctor of psychology who has appeared on Oprah, The View, CNN and other American TV programs. She also gives workshops internationally. She serves as a guide on these CDs, reading her own material. One CD is “Manifesting With the Angels”, to find the soul’s highest destiny. Another is “Past-Life Regression” which recalls life’s purpose and answers other key questions, the third is “Karma Releasing” dealing with healing the painful memories from the past, and “Healing with the Angels”, a guided meditation also based on self-esteem. These have all been previously released, and here are collected at a bargain price. Check out her website at www.angeltherapy.com. Audience and level of use: New Agers Some interesting or unusual facts: The Angel experience is one based on self-belief. Quality/Price Rating: 87. 3. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA (HarperCollins, 2000-2004, unabridged, 31 hours on 31 CDs, ISBN 0-694-52475-1, $106.50 set) is the complete Narnia stories as written by C.S. Lewis. The unabridged readings were made over five years, with different readers, and finally collated into a set retailing for more than a third of the price of separate purchases ($275). No doubt it has been spurred on by the Disney movie…The plot concerns journeys to the end of the world, fabulous creatures, and the continuing war between Good and Evil. It began with “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in 1949, and moved on for six more books (including a prequel, “The Magician’s Nephew”). The final book “The Last Battle” won the prestigious Carnegie Medal. This is all classic literature for young readers, and now it is being presented as classic audio for young listeners. It has been augmented by some of the original black and white artwork by Pauline Baynes, who in 1998 colorized them. These coloured works appear here and there throughout the package, including on the CD labels themselves. Each reader – a different one for each book -- brings a different voice to the Chronicles. Kenneth Branagh brings youthful enthusiasm to “The Magician’s Nephew”, Michael York brings enormous sincerity to “The Lion, etc.”, and Lynn Redgrave tempers “Prince Caspian” with her femininity. Derek Jacobi is wistful on “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”, while Patrick Stewart is authoritative on the important “The Last Battle”. Shakespearean actors Jeremy Northam and Alex Jennings round out the readers. There are the occasional, useful musical stings to speed things along. If you are playing the CDs through a computer, you’ll get a popup that will direct you to interactivity at www.narnia.com. As well, there are games and more pictures on the CDs. Audience and level of use: young children everywhere. Some interesting or unusual facts: Lewis and his friend J.R.R. (LOTR) Tolkien were part of the Inklings, an informal writers’ club that met at a local pub to discuss story ideas. The downside to this CD set: while I appreciated the colourized CD labels, I hope that this action would not encourage young people to fondle the CDs to the extent that they would scratch or otherwise damage their audio quality. That would be a shame. The upside to this CD set: Each book has its own package, uniform with the series, and there is a table of contents for each CD, with timings (usually about 15 minutes each, perfect for a nightly listen before bedtime). In one respect, I am saddened by the loss of bedtime reading by a parent, but it can certainly augment parental readings. You do 15 minutes of non-Narnia, and then let the CD do 15 minutes of Narnia for a win-win situation. Quality/Price Rating: 96. 4. FAIRY TALES (Penguin Audio, 2005, unabridged, 14 hours on 11 CDs, ISBN 0-14-305724-3, $44 set) is by Hans Christian Anderson, in a new translation by Tiina Nunnally (published by Penguin Books in 2004). It has been read by Kate Reading (great name), a reader with a theatre background who has also read Patricia Cornwell’s novels. Richard Matthews is also a reader; he is a multiple award winner from the Audio Publishers Association, as well as an Earphone award from AudioFile magazine. There are 30 tales here, including “The Tinderbox”, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, “The Little Mermaid”, and “The Ugly Duckling”. Ms. Reading gives a very active, very British reading, while Matthews is more cool and mid-Atlantic in accent. Audience and level of use: adults and kids, families. Some interesting or unusual facts: Andersen wrote more than 150 tales as well as several novels and three autobiographies. The downside to this CD set: there is no listing of the tales. In fact, there is no insert card at all. You’ll have to borrow the book from the public library and then make a photocopy of the contents page. The upside to this CD set: extremely friendly pricing. Quality/Price Rating: 94. 5. ESSENTIAL CHEEVER (Caedmon, 2006; distr. by HarperCollins Canada, unabridged, 1 hour on 1 CD, ISBN 0-06-112646-2, $16.95) includes two great short stories by John Cheever who died in 1982. “The Enormous Radio” is read by the well-known actress Meryl Streep. It was originally published in 1953. John Cheever himself reads “The Swimmer” (published in 1964). These are excellent readings, and it is a pleasure to hear Cheever again. Audience and level of use: a great Christmas gift for the literate; there are very few audiobooks that are only one disc in length. Some interesting or unusual facts: This is the beginning of an Essentials line from Caedmon. Quality/Price Rating: 93. 6. BACK WHEN WE WERE GROWNUPS (Random House Audio, 2002, 2006, unabridged, 9 hours on 8 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-3342-9, $19.99 US set) is a reissue of the 2001 recording, at a special price. It is another Baltimore novel by Anne Tyler, this time about 53 year old grandmother Rebecca Davitch, who has just discovered that she had turned into the wrong person. This is Tyler’s 15th novel, and it is strongly performed by the throaty actress Blair Brown, a major Broadway, movie and TV actress (“The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd”) Audience and level of use: those who like a good story The downside to this CD set: little descriptive material about the book or Anne Tyler. The upside to this CD set: great price. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 7. THE SPENSER COLLECTION, v1: HUGGER MUGGER/POTSHOT (Random House Audio, 2006 reissue, unabridged, 12.5 hours on 10 CDs, ISBN 0-7393- 4019, $39.95 set) And 8. THE SPENSER COLLECTION, v2; BACK STORY/WIDOW’S WALK (Random House Audio, 2006 reissue, unabridged, 12 hours on 10 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-4021- 2, $39.95 set) are both reissues of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser op readings by well-known actor Joe Mantegna, who does a lot of films and plays for David Mamet (House of Games, Speed the Plow, Glengarry Glen Ross) and wins awards. His voice is perfectly pitched for Spenser, and adds to the suspense. Volume one was written and recorded in 2000 and 2001; volume two comes from 2002 and 2003. These are the first in a series of reissues, bringing Spenser out to the masses of audiobook lovers at affordable prices. Audience and level of use: can you stand the suspense? Some interesting or unusual facts: Joe Mantegna even appeared in a few Spenser movies for A & E on cable TV. The downside to this CD set: nothing – they exist quite nicely for the acute listening ear. The upside to this CD set: priced to go. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 9. CARL HIAASEN COLLECTION: Sick Puppy & Lucky You (Random House Audio, 2006 reissue, abridged, 8.5 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-4082-4, $39.95 set) is a reissued abridgement of two mysteries written by Carl Hiaasen. “Sick Puppy” comes from 1999, abridged by Sharon Martin. “Lucky You” is from 1997, abridged by Trebbe Johnson. Both novels express that totally off-the-wall sarcastic humour of a Floridian, dealing with the insane politics of Florida. Muckraking in style? Both abridgements had been approved by the author—-and both are read by the gruff, non-nonsense Ed “Lou Grant” Asner, who seems almost perfect for the role. Audience and level of use: those looking for a weird storyline. I think the performance comes across even better than the actual reading of the book. Some interesting facts: This is the first in a series of reissues from Carl Hiaasen’s books. Quality/Price Rating: 91, Good price. 10. DUBLINERS (Caedmon, 2005, unabridged, 8 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 0-06- 078956-5, $51.50 set) is a reading of the 15 stories first published in 1914, written by James Joyce. Different, well-known Irish actors take turns. There is Colm Meaney (movies, Star Trek) performing “Araby”, Dan O’Herlihy for “After the Race”, Ciaran Hinds for “A Painful Case”, Fionnula Flanagan for “A Mother”, Stephen Rea for “The Dead” (which was made into a movie by John Huston, with daughter Anjelica). Each story is about 15 minutes long; some others are longer. Joyce had a keen ear for the voice, and this comes across here in the various readings, especially in the “stream of consciousness” mode. Audience and level of use: One reviewer said, “Even better than reading Joyce is having Joyce read to you” Some interesting or unusual facts: This set was recorded in London, Dublin, New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Wallingford Connecticut. The downside to this CD set: more, I want more… The upside to this CD set: it is great to hear the speakers with their pronunciations. Quality/Price Rating: 93. 11. BIRD SONGS (Chronicle Books, 2006; distr. Raincoast, 368 pages, ISBN 1-932855-41-6, $56 hard covers) is a BOOK with an AUDIO attachment. Here are 250 North American birds in song, featuring audio from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Les Beletsky, a bird biologist and natural history writer, contributes the text. Birds are arranged by their habitat, and this begins with waterbirds and seabirds, progressing through forest birds, woodland birds, and then open-country birds. For each, there is a common name (e.g. Pacific loon), a species name (here, gavia pacifica), a number, a drawing, and a textual description which goes into great detail on the nature of their song. Four artists were involved (David Nurney, Diane Pierce, H. Douglas Pratt, and John Sill). The built-in digital audio player plays songs and calls, each running 10 to 15 seconds. Audience and level of use: bird lovers, aural listeners. Some interesting or unusual facts: the collection includes the newly rediscovered Ivory-billed Woodpecker. The downside to this audio set: three AAA batteries are needed – what about rechargeable batteries, with a plug? Plus, it is slightly awkward to store. The upside to this audio set: a great collection, with an index to all of the birds. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 12. THE ILIAD (Penguin Highbridge Audio, 2006, abridged, 9 hours on 8 CDs, ISBN 0-14-305928-9, $48.50 set) is by Homer. Here, The Iliad has been given a fresh translation by Robert Fagles, a classical scholar now emeritus from Princeton University. On the back of the package, it says “An abridgement approved by the author”, by which I think they mean the translator Fagles, and not Homer. This is the 2700 year old story of the Trojan War, with Fagles emphasizing the musicality of Homer’s poetry. It is, to my mind, a stunning translation, done in 1990. Sir Derek Jacobi did this reading in 1991 for cassettes, and it now appears on CDs for the first time. Jacobi is the distinguished UK actor (“I, Claudius” and Cadfael mysteries) who was knighted in 1992 – he has spoken the definitive version. I don’t see a credit for who the abridger was. In fact, there is also a considerable amount of material spoken by Maria Tucci who is only acknowledged on the CD label in small print as a narrator. She does a commendable job in lending a sense of urgency to the narrative as she fills in the gaps between the lines of poetry with needed plot information. There is a very informative 64-page booklet by Bernard Knox, a Hellenic studies scholar from Harvard. The booklet gives a great commentary on the translation and its poetic rhythms, with numbered lines. At the front of this insert, there is a contents listing to all of the 80 or so tracks, Books 1 through 24, with line counts – this can serve as an index. Audience and level of use: Trojan War and Homer enthusiasts, poetry lovers, classicists. Some interesting or unusual facts: “Iliad” means a poem about Ilium, the word for Troy. The original Greek poem had 15,693 lines of hexameter verse. The downside to this CD set: nothing really, except it could have been an unabridged version. But then how many CDs would that have been? Maybe an mp3 set could be released later. The upside to this CD set: fairly priced, good value for classicists. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 13. SINGING COWBOYS (Gibbs Smith, 2006; distr. Raincoast, 144 pages plus CD, ISBN 1-58685-808-4, $49.95 hard covers) is by Douglas B. Green, author of many country music books, a one-time curator at the Country Music Hall of Fame, and moonlighter as “Ranger Doug” in the group Rides in the Sky. The emphasis in the book, as in his own musical career, is on the cowboy part of western music, not on western swing. The book is alphabetically arranged by performer, from Rex Allen (cowboy) through to Bob Wills (western swing). It includes Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Bill Boyd, groups like Riders of the Purple Sage and Sons of the Pioneers, as well as girls: Dale Evans, Penny Singleton, but not Patsy Montana (no movies). For each, there is a thumbnail sketch plus plenty of pictures, usually drawn from their movies or publicity stills. Sixty artists in all are dealt with, and the CD has ten top songs drawn from the Columbia and RCA catalogues (and this does include Patsy Montana)…Hear “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart”, “The Last Roundup”, “Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds”, and “Back in the Saddle Again”. Audience and level of use: lovers of cowboy music and movies. A Christmas gift for that kid at heart. Some interesting or unusual facts: the range is from Gene Autry’s first films in 1935 to Mart Robbins’ drive-in quickie movies in 1959. The downside to this CD set: while there is an overall listing of books of sources, there are no references (or discographies) for the artists themselves. But then, that keeps it all simple. The upside to this CD set: a great account, nice songs on the CD, Quality/Price Rating: 88. 14. THE GLACE BAY MINERS’ MUSEUM (BTC Audio Books, 1999; distr. Goose Lane Books, 75 minutes on 1 CD, ISBN 0-86492-261-2, $12.95) is by Sheldon Currie. It was also turned into a movie (“Margaret’s Museum”), with Helena Bonham Carter in the role of Margaret. It had been previously staged, with the role of Margaret played by Mary Colin Chisholm – who sort of recreates her role by narrating this CD. This version of the tragedy originally appeared on CBC in the 1990s. Audience and level of use: Canadiana lovers, Maritime province ex-pats. Some interesting or unusual facts: it seems a shame that in this country at least four different funding bodies had to support this material. Quality/Price Rating: for the price, 94. 15. THE ODYSSEY (Penguin Audio, 2005, unabridged, 13 hours on 11 CDs, ISBN 0-14-305824-X, $56 set) is also by Homer. Here, The Odyssey has been given a fresh translation by Robert Fagles, a classical scholar now emeritus from Princeton University. The material was published in 1996. Unlike The Iliad (above), this is an unabridged set, covering (as the notes suggest) an Everyman journey through life with constant testing of moral endurance. After 10 years of Trojan War, Ulysses spends 10 years trying to get home to Ithaca. This is the account of that legend and myth, retold by the distinguished actor, Sir Ian McKellen (LOTR) from Fagles’ text. The CD set is arranged in line with the Penguin paperback, should you want to follow along. Some incidental music, to accent the drama, was composed by Julia Wolfe. There is a very informative 112-page booklet by Bernard Knox, a Hellenic studies scholar from Harvard. It is from the Penguin paperback. The booklet gives a great commentary on the translation and its poetic rhythms, with numbered lines. At the front of this insert, there is a contents listing to all of the 165 or so tracks, Books 1 through 24, with line counts – this can serve as an index. Audience and level of use: Homer and epic poetry enthusiasts. Some interesting or unusual facts: the original Greek poem had 12,109 lines of hexameter verse, composed on the cusp of the 7th – 8th centuries BC. The downside to this CD set: for consumers, maybe a little more detail about the translator and other credits. The upside to this CD set: extremely well-priced, good value for classicists, and rewarding to play in your auto while stuck in traffic! Quality/Price Rating: 93. 16. MARGARET ATWOOD PRESENTS; stories by Canada’s best new women writers (BTC Audio Books, 2004, unabridged, 2 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 0- 86492-388-0, $24.95 set) comes from the CBC series, originally broadcast April 6 – May 11, 2003, although the stories themselves go back to 1993. Each of the seven stories has been chosen and then introduced by Atwood, although they were read by readers and actors, not the original writer. Thus, we have “Sally, In Paris” by Nancy Lee, and read by actor Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy, movies), “Every Little Thing” by Annabel Lyon has been read by actor Liisa Repo-Martell. “The Princess and the Plumber” by Sheila Heti was narrated by Mag Ruffman. Great entertainment for your listening pleasure, at home or on the road. Audience and level of use: short story lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: superb production values through the CBC, Quality/Price Rating: 89. 17. THE CHRISTMAS BOX (Simon & Schuster, 2006 reissue, abridged, 1.5 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 0-7435-6504-5, $12.99 set) is by Richard Paul Evans. In print form, it became a million seller, and almost instant Christmas classic. It is the story of a widow and the young family who moves in with her – together they learn about the meaning of Christmas. This abridgement has been read by actor Richard Thomas, and was originally released in 1996. Here it is in Simon & Schuster’s new Encore series, akin to paperback reprints. A useful stocking stuffer. Audience and level of use: Christmas lovers. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 18. AN INTERNATIONAL CHRISTMAS; seasonal stories and poems from Canada and around the world (BTC Audio Books, 2004; distr. Goose Lane Editions, unabridged, 2.5 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 0-86492-343-0, $24.95 set) comes from a wide range of sources and time periods. These items were originally broadcast on the CBC, 1996-2003. Characterized as “heart-warming and amusing”, most of these stories and poems are Canadian. There are 7 stories and 6 poems from Canada, USA, Britain and Germany, with something for all members of the family. Most of the fiction is memoirish, with material from Margaret Laurence (narrated by Donna White) – “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” – and Grace Paley (“The Loudest Voice”). “Christmas with Auntie Annie Ping-Pong” is by the ever cheerful Tim Wynne-Jones. Actor Michael Hogan narrates Roy MacGregor’s “The Christmas Spoon”, derived from northern Cree legends. Poetry includes “Sky’s Poem for Christmas” (Milton Acorn) and “Christmas Eve, Market Square” (P.K.Page). Time to cuddle up by the fireplace and give a listen… Audience and level of use: Christmas lovers. Quality/Price Rating: 95. 19. NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND (Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, 1998, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 0=553-45593-1, $39.95) is by Bill Bryson, one of my all time fave humourists. This abridgement is by Bryson, and he narrates it too. For 20 years, he lived in England and worked for The Times and The Independent, plus articles for major British and American publications. His book s have been mostly travel memoirs (A Walk in the Woods, Mother Tongue). After his two decades in the UK, Bryson decided to pack up his family and head home to the American Experience. But before doing that, he had to travel around Britain one last time. “His aim was to take stock of modern-day Britain, and to analyze what he loved so much about a country that had produced Marmite and zebra crossings”. Bryson speaks in a clear tenor voice with some mid-Atlantic accent. He certainly rings true. Audience and level of use: those who love humour and wit, with a bit of Brit bashing. Some interesting or unusual facts: he relocated to New Hampshire with his wife and four children. The downside to this CD set: a lot of these memoirs need some kind of tray card or insert to act as a table of contents or index. The upside to this CD set: great humour, made me laugh. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 20. CLOSE RANGE; Wyoming stories (Simon & Schuster, 1999 reissued in 2006, unabridged, 5.5 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 0-7435-6533-9, $18.99) is another entry in the Encore reissue series of Simon & Schuster – at a bargain price for five compact discs. Annie Proulx, the author, has won a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for The Shipping News. Here, in this set, she has a series of stories narrated by Francis Fisher (Six Feet Under), Bruce Greenwood and Campbell Scott, all professional readers and actors. One of the stories is “Brokeback Mountain” – the hook behind this reissue which deals with life on the open plains (loneliness, violence, love). Not to be missed at this price. All narrations were clear and closely modulated, with western accents of sorts, especially Francis Fisher who just drips with tension – what a voice. Audience and level of use: fans of short stories, people who enjoyed “Brokeback Mountain”. Some interesting or unusual facts: as E. Annie Proulx, she also wrote a great book on apple cider, with recipes, The downside to this CD set: needs an insert or card to tell us who is reading what story, although that is given as auditory information on the CD. The stories also carry over from one disc to another, and I suppose it was hard to cram it in. The upside to this CD set: did I say a great price for stuffing a Christmas sox? Quality/Price Rating: 94. 21. THE AENEID (Penguin Audio, 2006, unabridged, 12.5 hours on 10 CDs, ISBN 0-14-305-902-5, $62.50) is the classic by Virgil. Here it is read in its brand new translation by Robert Fagles, which was just released to high critical acclaim. Indeed, this is just about a simultaneous release of both the hardback book and the audiobook. The reading is by the well-known actor, author and director Simon Callow, CBE (Phantom of the Opera, Shakespeare in Love, Amadeus). He has a strong and passionate acting voice. As the PR says, “Fagles introduces Virgil’s Aeneid to a whole new generation of readers and completes the classic triptych at the heart of Western civilization” (the other two are the Iliad and the Odyssey, reviewed above. Aeneas crosses the stormy seas, has a tragic love affair with Dido in Carthage (thus ensuring bitter enmity between the Carthusians and the later Romans), descends into Hades, ands then reaches Italy to create the Roman state. There is a very informative 78-page booklet by Bernard Knox, a Hellenic studies scholar from Harvard. It is from the Penguin hardback. The booklet gives a great commentary on the translation and its poetic rhythms, with numbered lines. At the front of this insert, there is a contents listing to all of the 130 or so tracks, Books 1 through 12, with line counts – this can serve as an index. Some incidental music completes the picture. Audience and level of use: Virgil and epic poetry enthusiasts. Some interesting or unusual facts: we know so little about Virgil’s life, and most of what we know is unreliable. However, it is safe to say that Virgil was an Italian first and a Roman later. The downside to this CD set: for consumers, maybe a little more detail about the translator and other credits. The upside to this CD set: extremely well-priced, good value for classicists, and rewarding to play in your auto while stuck in traffic! Quality/Price Rating: 95. HEAR HERE!! audiobooks in review for FALL 2006 ============================================== By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com All sets are Compact Discs, except as noted. All prices are in Canadian dollars, except as noted. From the HarperCollins newsletter, “If you enjoy audiobooks, you may be an auditory learner: someone who learns best by hearing information. 30% of people are auditory learners”. They can remember details of conversations and lectures, they write lightly, they notice sound effects in movies, they enjoy music, they are good at grammar and at foreign languages, they follow spoken directions well. 1. ACROSS THE RIVER AND INTO THE TREES (Simon and Schuster, 2006, unabridged, 7 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 0-7435-6443-X, $37.99 set) and 2. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (Simon and Schuster, 2006, unabridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 0-7435-6442-1, $37.99 set) and 3. THE SUN ALSO RISES (Simon and Schuster, 2006, unabridged, 7 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 0-7435-6441-3, $43 set) are all by Ernest Hemingway. They continue the gorgeous release program from Simon Schuster. All the Hemingway novels and stories are being released as unabridged audiobooks, while all the print materials will be collated by sister publisher Scribners. “Across the River and into the Trees” was published in 1950; it is probably the least well-known work by Hemingway. It has been set in Venice, at the end of WWII. A frail middle-aged US colonel falls in love with a young Italian countess, and this revitalizes him – even though there is no hope. It could have been a potboiler in the hands of another author (“A love found too late!!”), but here it has a certain grace and elegance. The entire novel spans only a short period of time. Boyd Gaines is the reader; his voice is a pretty good baritone. He is a Broadway actor with multiple Tony awards (Contact, Heidi Chronicles); he also does television and movies. “To Have and Have Not” is a well-known story (from a magazine story in 1934, then a 1937 novel), principally because of the Bogart-Bacall film which steamed up the movie screens in the 1940s. It deals with running contraband between Cuba and Key West, and all the dangers that entails. It has also been well-anthologized through radio programs such as Lux Hollywood Radio Theater, Screen Directors’ Theater, and others. But this is its first definitive unabridged reading of the novel. Will Patton is the reader, with a slightly tubby voice (recording problems?). He is a film and TV actor and a multiple Obie Award winner for his Broadway performances. “The Sun Also Rises” has been described as the “quintessential narrative of the lost generation”, a classic example of his spare style. First published in 1926 (this is its 80th anniversary), it is a look at the post-WWI disillusionment of those morally bankrupt people in Paris. Ah, yes – to be in Paris. It was his first big novel. Academy Award-winning Actor William Hurt is the reader; he also has many stage credits. His voice is a familiar one, slow, colloquial, maybe even with a bit of dissolution in the tone (world-weary?), slightly husky and worn. Audience and level of use: Hemingway fans, those who love danger and living on the edge. Some interesting or unusual facts: the series continues apace, with two a month. Quality/Price Rating: 92 4. TRUE STORY; a comedy novel (Phoenix Audio Books, 2005; distr. Canadian Manda Group, unabridged, 2.25 hours on 2 CDs, ISBN 1-59777- 067-1, $26.95 set) is a very funny comedic novel by Bill Maher. He makes it even more funny by reading it – unabridged – himself. The plot is about a stand-up comedian, which we would almost all like to be at one time or another. Here, it is a devilish career. And it is semi- autobiographical, which makes it creative non-fiction too. Maher’s reading is, of course, typically sardonic, which makes the 1994 novel really spring to life. Audience and level of use: comedy lovers, Bill Maher fans. Some interesting or unusual facts: the book had great endorsements from Jerry Seinfeld, Roseanne Barr and Steve Allen. The downside to this CD set: no notes. The upside to this CD set: great humour for the auto trip. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 5. A WRITER’S LIFE (Random House Audiobooks, 2006, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-2528-0, $42 set) is a memoir by Gay Talese, who was a reporter for the New York Times from 1956 to 1965. Since then, he’s gone free-lance, publishing nationally for Esquire, New Yorker, Harper’s, and authoring eleven books (dealing with the Mafia, the sex industry, American immigrants). This audiobook has been abridged (I don’t know why) by Lynn Lauber, and it has been approved by Talese. It had better be approved, since he does the reading! The book has been written in terms of what a writer does, and we follow his career from college newspaper through the New York Times, Esquire, and his book writing. Through it all, budding writers will find out what makes a story a good story, how to pursue it, and how to get it right. Audience and level of use: for writers everywhere, load it up on your iPod, etc. Some interesting or unusual facts: I’m not quite sure why he didn’t do his own abridgement, but it is certainly useful to have another writer take a crack at a writer’s style. The downside to this CD set: needs some kind of index or insert to tell us where we are in the CD. The upside to this CD set: fascinating to learn more about the writing process. Quality/Price Rating: 93. 6. FIELD NOTES FROM A CATASTROPHE: man, nature, and climate change (Simon & Schuster, 2006, unabridged, 4.5 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 0-7435- 5564-3, $41 set) is by Elizabeth Kolbert, a staff writer for the New Yorker since 1999. Before that, she was a reporter for the New York Times. Her book comes from a three-part 2005 series of award-winning articles which she did for the New Yorker. She has tried to approach global warming from every angle, principally American, moving from a melting Alaskan permafrost to a hurricane and waterlogged New Orleans. She has interviewed researchers, environmentalists, and those whose lives are affected right now. Irreversible climate change will be here by the year 2100. The CD has been visually enhanced to show climate damage. While Kolbert provides an introduction, the actual reading has been done by the noted film and Broadway actress Hope Davis, a definite plus for a calm portrayal. Audience and level of use: environmentalists, those already converted. Some interesting or unusual facts: while the book has been described as “a model for writing about an urgent environmental crisis”, I fear that perhaps an audiobook preaches to the converted. The downside to this CD set: needs an insert or some table of contents or index, for better retrieval of data. The upside to this CD set: a calm, reasoned approach. Quality/Price Rating: 91. 7. NEW RULES; polite musings from a timid observer (Phoenix Audio Books, 2005; distr. Canadian Manda Group, unabridged, 3 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 1-59777-029-9, $33.95 set) is by comedian Bill Maher. It has been drawn from the segment “New Rules” on the HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher”, which was later made into a book. This unabridged sardonic reading is this book. He rails against popular misconceptions and devices, such as “I don’t need my cell phone to take pictures or access the Internet. I just need it to make a phone call”. These short riffs are better than most editorials, and sting more than George Carlin or Andy Rooney. Audience and level of use: Bill Maher fans of political comedy. Some interesting or unusual facts: NEW RULE: You can stop releasing “Star Wars” now. We’ve seen it. I don’t care if it’s in the boxed set, if it’s re-mastered or re-digitized, if there’s bonus scenes or director’s commentary, it’s still a space movie for guys who can’t get laid. The downside to this CD set: more, I want more...is there a sequel? The upside to this CD set: unflinching honesty. Quality/Price Rating: 94. 8. LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING (Random House Audio, 2006, unabridged, 5 hours 45 minutes on 5 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-3209-0, $39.95 set) and 9. THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE (Random House Audio, 2006, unabridged, 5 hours 46 minutes on 5 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-3207-4, $39.95 set) are both by Douglas Adams, the satirist behind the “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. He wrote five books in the Hitchhiker Trilogy, all of them bestsellers, as well as many other books. I reviewed his “The Salmon of Doubt” audiobook last month – he died in 2001 at the age of 49. In “Life…”, the killer robots of Krikkit want to destroy the universe. Only five people can save us all, led by time traveler Arthur Dent. In “The Restaurant..”, Arthur Dent and his friends are merely searching for a place to eat when they meet the annihilating Vogons. This is all very good amusing fun, with the print version of “The Restaurant…” coming out in print in 1980, followed by “Life…” in 1982. The reading is done by the well-known actor Martin Freeman, who played Arthur Dent in the recent movie. He was also Tim in the BBC comedy “The Office”. His is a mid-Atlantic voicing, with the proper expressions of comedy. Audience and level of use: those who love well-known comedy, something familiar to pop into the car audio system. Some interesting or unusual facts: the movie seems to have spurred interest in audiobooks of Adam’s material – more are on the way. Quality/Price Rating: 94. 10. MORAL DISORDER and other stories (Random House Audio, 2006, unabridged, 7.5 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-4051-4, $44.95 set) is by Margaret Atwood. It has been released simultaneously with the print version (McClelland & Stewart, partially owned by Random House). The text deals with what is known as “creative non-fiction”, a sort of fictional memoirish set of stories based on actual events in Atwood’s life. The interconnected stories deal with intertwined lives of parents, siblings, children, friends, enemies, teachers and animals – told largely from the fully-formed character called Nell. As always, Atwood’s storytelling qualities are superb. The reading here is by Susan Denaker, an actress with extensive movie, theatre and television experience. She works throughout the English-speaking world, and hence has a fluid speaking voice, somewhat neutral, letting the words speak for themselves. Her low voice has been well-paced, with a mid-Atlantic accent. Audience and level of use: Can lit fans, those looking for a great story on CD, Atwood followers. Quality/Price Rating: 96. 11. WHEN YOU RIDE ALONE YOU RIDE WITH BIN LADEN (Phoenix Audio Books, 2005; distr. Canadian Manda Group, unabridged, 3 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 1-59777-063-9, $35.95 set) is an unabridged reading from the New York Times bestseller in 2002, authored by Bill Maher. It has the subtitle: what the government SHOULD be telling us to help fight the war on terrorism. The book (and CD) is a result of an off-handed remark made on his nationally broadcasted over-the-air show “Politically Correct”. “After September 11th, when Bill Maher offended easily-offended people with a widely (and in many cases, deliberately) misunderstood remark…people needed to watch what they say and do…Bill prescribes what Americans can do to defend our nation” (Al Franken) – all in three hours. Maher has been described by Larry King as possessing attributes of Mark Twain and Jonathan Swift. Whether you are right, left or centre, there is plenty here to agree and disagree with, all done with sardonic humour. Audience and level of use: fans of Bill Maher. Some interesting or unusual facts: “I guessed that after 9/11, Americans would judge all matters “pc” to be indulgence herewith unaffordable. Boy, was I wrong.” (Maher) The downside to this CD set: more serious than his other material, and limited mainly to political correctness and the events of 9/ll. The upside to this CD set: it says something that it does exist. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 12. LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE (Random House Audio, 1994, abridged, 4.5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-3419, $21 set) and 13. MALINCHE (Simon & Schuster, 2006, unabridged, 6.5 hours on 6 CDs, ISBN 0-7435-5513-9, $41 set) are both by the Mexican writer, Laura Esquivel. Her first novel (translated in 1992) “Like Water...” was a best-seller and was made into a movie. The approved, abridged audio version was released in 1994. Here, it has been reissued at a modest price. The actress Yareli Arizmendi is the reader – she is best known for her role as Rosaura, the so-called “mean” sister in the film version of “Like Water…” Random House is in the process of reissuing many CDs from its backlist, at reduced prices, as well as transferring older digital cassettes to CDs. “Malinche” is a more serious novel. It deals with the love affair between Hernan Cortes and his interpreter, Malinalli. As creative non-fiction, the love affair is emphasized. Malinalli had been castigated in Mexican history for betraying the Indian nation. She had felt that it was her duty, as a person conquered by the Aztecs, to help Cortes destroy the Aztecs and thus free her people. Recent historical research has shown that she was the mediator between Hispanic and Native American cultures, and between the two languages of Spanish and Nahuatl. Maria Conchita Alonso is the reader; she has appeared in more than 50 films, as well as portraying Eva Longoria’s mother Lucia in “Desperate Housewives”. Audience and level of use: those seeking to learn a little history and who also enjoy a good story. Some interesting or unusual facts: a good mixture of historical and romantic writing. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 14. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (Random House Audio, 2003/2006, abridged, 6 hours on 5 CDs, Catalogue RHCD 992, ISBN 0-7393-3980-X, $21 set) is a reading of the novel by Lauren Weisberger. It was her first novel, and stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for half a year. And, of course, it was turned into a popular movie with Meryl Streep as the lead. Here, the reading has been abridged by Garet Scott (with the approval of the author). It is also available on cassette and in paperback from Doubleday – full details at www.randomhouse.com/audio. In this presentation, not only is the cover art from the Fox movie, but also there is a gratuitous listing (as will appear on the DVD) of all the major credits from the movie, which has nothing to do with the reading except to make it a blatant excuse to reissue the CD set. It originally appeared in 2003, and is now reissued to take advantage of the movie. Nothing wrong in that, especially since the price has been reduced (it only sells for $14.99 US, cheaper yet on Amazon.Com). Film and TV actress Rachel Leigh Cook is the reader, and she is young enough to actually have been in the film – or should have been. That would really have made it a great tie-in, having the reader in the movie. Both the book and the subsequent abridged reading are better than the movie since both say more about the sleazy and slimy New York fashion world. Audience and level of use: fashionistas on their way to work. Some interesting or unusual facts: Apparently there is a lot of truth in this gossipy book. The downside to this CD set: Cook’s reading is a bit rushed, or maybe she was trying for that breathlessness of the fashion world. I could not absorb a lot of it at once. Also, there was some whistling with the “s” sound which almost disappeared when I punched the MegaBass button. The upside to this CD set: its price. Quality/Price Rating: 90, even if it is a reissue. How many people bought it the first time around? 15. THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ (BTC Audio Books, 2005; distr. Goose Lane Books, abridged, 4.5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 0-86492-363-5, $35 set) is by Mordecai Richler. It was originally published in 1959; this is his own abridgement adaptation for CBC Radio, broadcasted in 1980. The well-known story involves Duddy scratching his way out of the Montreal Jewish ghetto, with his grandfather’s philosophy “a man without land is nobody”. And this was before condominiums… Obie award- winning actor Paul Hecht narrates, in splendid fashion with a voice verging on tense tenor. He has narrated over 40 audiobooks. Audience and level of use: a Canadian classic, good comedy. Some interesting or unusual facts: this book was the breakthrough novel for Richler. It is a shame that his pre-1959 books have been overlooked. The downside to this CD set: it is an abridgement, The upside to this CD set: it was originally put on the air in 1980 with high professional standards by the CBC. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 16. ISLAND: the collected stories (BTC Audio Books, 2004; distr. Goose Lane Books, unabridged but audio adaptations, 4.5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 0-86492-391-0, $35 set) is a rarity. In 2000 author Alistair MacLeod published his book of collected stories. The CBC had previously anthologized these stories – nine of them – as far back as 1974 (and up through 1999) for audio play. Thus, the material had a prior audio existence to the book. It is good to have them all collected, and narrated by different actors with local accents. “The Lost Salt Gift of Blood” is narrated by Gordon Pinsent, “The Golden Gift of Grey” has Frank Perry (he does three more), “The Closing Down of Summer” is spoken by Arch McDonnell. There are six readers in all. Most of the memoirish materials covers the people of his native Cape Breton island Audience and level of use: Nova Scotians especially, lovers of Canadiana, memoir collectors. Some interesting or unusual facts: “imbued with the melodious rhythms of Gaelic speech”. The downside to this CD set: nothing really, but some music might have set a background. The upside to this CD set: sterling acoustic work from the fine CBC production values. Quality/Price Rating: 93. HEAR HERE!! Audiobooks in review (SUMMER 2006) ================================ By Dean Tudor, Gothic Epicures Writing, dtudor@ryerson.ca Always available at www.deantudor.com 1. THE HEMINGWAY PROJECT (Simon and Schuster Audio, 2006, various CD sets and ISBNs, various pricings, ALL UNABRIDGED)… …all of Ernest Hemingway’s books have been consolidated in print by Scribner publishers, part of the Simon and Schuster corporation. And now, all of the Hemingway works are being freshly rendered into audiobooks by S & S. As the publicity says, “With their universal themes, dramatic stories, and characters that have entered the American imagination, Hemingway’s classic works are as vibrant as ever, and come alive from Simon & Schuster Audio”. - THE SHORT STORIES, unabridged, over 15 hours on 15 CDs, $93.95 total (three sets of five CDs each), ISBN 0-7435-3525-1) are usually the best place to start. His direct prose, spread over a short pace, with vivid, to-the-point writing, and character revelation seem to be ideal for an audio presentation. There’s a joke about Hemingway’s style, if he were a wine taster. According to Tim Fish, he would have written: "It is a wine. A good wine, not a great one. It is red. Wet. Its power is obvious, obvious and powerful the way men are, men who hunt and get into bar fights. Real men. Except for the smell. The wine smells better than the men." Stacy Keach is the reader here on all the stories; he is best known for his run of Mike Hammer films and TV shows. Who better to play the crisp and precise tough guy speaker? Looking at his picture on the cover, he even looks like a young Hemingway. There are 48 stories, all largely written before the novels and set in Spain, Africa, and the US Midwest. All are spare in pacing. The best titles are the more prominent ones, such as “Snows of Kilimanjaro” or “The Killers”. Each set has a table of contents, and each CD has a listing of contents. So you know where everything is. - THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, unabridged, 3 hours on 3 CDs, $27.50 set, ISBN 0-7435-6436-7) was a 1953 Pulitzer Prize winner. It was written in 1952, and also resulted in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature. The story is simple, of course: an old Cuban fisherman battles both the elements and a giant marlin in the Gulf Stream. It is actually a novella (so-called, based on its length). This new unabridged reading comes from Donald Sutherland, the noted actor. S & S have been signing up some big names to do the reading, and this is pleasant because most of us are familiar with Sutherland’s Canadian slight drawl. - FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, unabridged, 18 hours on 16 CDs, $69 set, ISBN 0-7435-6438-3) came out of the Spanish Civil War. It was written in 1940, on the themes of love, courage, defeat, and death. It has been acknowledged as one of the best war novels of all time. Here, the unabridged version is read by actor Campbell Scott who was also co- director of “Big Night”. He expresses a pleasant reading style, which probably is needed since the book clocks in at 18 hours over 15 CDs. - A FAREWELL TO ARMS, unabridged, 9.5 hours on 8 CDs, $54.95 set, ISBN 0-7435-6437-5) deals with an American ambulance driver on the Italian front of World War I, and his involvement with a British nurse. It is a gripping novel of war, written when Hemingway was a mere 30 years old. The reader is John Slattery who is principally a Broadway actor. He has a youthful voice. - ISLANDS IN THE STREAM, unabridged, 15 hours on 12 CDs, $69 set, ISBN 0-7435-6440-5) was a posthumous 1970 work, about nine years after Hemingway’s death in 1961. It is the story of an adventurer, from the 1930s through the Second World War. But most of the story takes place in a bar in Havana over that time frame. The reader is Bruce Greenwood, almost a house reader for S & S; he also read the Wyoming stories for Annie Proulx. Greenwood is well-noted for his deep resonance. Audience and level of use: almost anybody who enjoys taut fiction, read well. Some interesting or unusual facts: all of these sets are UNABRIDGED. More will be coming through to Spring 2007, until all the Hemingway works have been done. The downside to this CD: the price differential between US and Canada is out of whack, and should really be adjusted. $69 Canadian and $49.95 US are not equivalent. S & S may sell more sets if they adjusted their prices to reflect the currency rate of exchange. In general, the Canadian prices could be lower by about ten bucks. This is putting a price on literary genius, but nobody really wants to overpay. The upside to this CD: this is a great series, all lovingly presented. A MOVEABLE FEAST is reviewed below. Quality/Price Rating: 93 – 95. 2. THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA; a natural history of four meals (Penguin Audio, 2006, 13 Compact Discs, ISBN 0-14-305841-X, $56 set) is an audiobook of Michael Pollan’s important work, published earlier this year. Pollan is a longtime contributor to the New York Times Magazine, and author of bestsellers (more details at www.michaelpollan.com). His book is read by Scott Brick, and engaging actor with a great voice, who can also be heard on other audiobooks. His style is crisp and elegant, with good volume and enunciation. Pollan concerns himself with the inside workings of four meals, much like Margaret Visser’s writings of over a decade ago. But Pollan’s work is more of a polemic: the U.S., he believes, has a national eating disorder of the first magnitude, facing a blinding array of choices and deviously labeled products. All is not what it seems, and to maneuver your way through the system, you need to read all the labels and stay alert to what you are buying. Pollan believes that our eating choices dictate the sustainability of life on the planet. He traces a food chain for four meals (a fast food burger, a Whole Foods organic meal, a meal for which he had a hand in producing the food, and a meal he had total control over), from source to finished dish, moving from cornfields to food lots to labs to fast-food outlets to organic farms and to the wild. One of his main conclusions is that the organic food industry is still an agribusiness in that it supplies the larger unfeeling chains such as Wal-Mart or Whole Foods. Audience and level of use: listeners, car drivers, iPod types. Some interesting or unusual facts: “When it comes to food, doing the right thing often turns out to be the tastiest thing an eater can do”. The downside to this CD: not indexed, hard to locate specific passages without a table of contents or markers. The upside to this CD: a chance to hear about the food industry. Quality/Price Rating: for this format, 90. 3. THE SALMON OF DOUBT; hitchhiking the galaxy one last time (Phoenix Audio, 2006; distr. Canadian Manda Group, unabridged, 8 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 1-59777-006-X, $44.95 set) is by Douglas Adams, author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, a 14 million seller book. He died in 2001 but this book was found on his Mac and put out in book form in 2002. This is an unabridged reading performed by actor Simon Jones (he played Arthur Dent in the BBC Hitchhiker’s Guide series) with other friends of Adams (Christopher Cerf, Richard Dawkins, and Stephen Fry, the latter best-known as Jeeves) reading as need be. Fry provides the introduction. All have a crisp level of speaking with clear enunciation although Cerf is a bit hoarse. Audience and level of use: great entertainment, always easy to listen to. It will replay many times. Some interesting or unusual facts: this is the last bit of work from the late Douglas Adams. The downside to this CD: none really, but a topical insert might have been useful, s a guide to the contents. The upside to this CD: great humour that will entertain. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 4. HEAT; an amateur’s adventures as kitchen slave, line cook, pasta- maker, and apprentice to a Dante-quoting butcher in Tuscany (Random House Audio, 2006, 6 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-1545-5, $39.95 set) is an abridged audiobook of Bill Buford’s account of restaurant kitchen life in New York and Tuscany. It has been abridged by Ginny Noonan, but approved and read by Buford himself. One day, Buford (a writer for the New Yorker) asked himself – in a typical New York minute: what kind of a cook could I be if I worked in a professional kitchen? He sought the guidance of Mario Batali, well-known celebrity chef of TV fame, Iron Chefdom, etc., and started work at Babbo as an apprentice to Batali. He immediately found the heat of the kitchen. This is his hilarious account of him staying alive in a volatile environment, moving through the kitchen seniority, and ultimately going to Tuscany to work with a chef who Batali had studied with. The memoir (and audiobook) covers his time at Babbo, a description of the real business of cooking, the story of Batali’s career, a look at a famous restaurant, and Italian chefs in general. He promotes a rich description of the characters involved. Buford himself is the reader, and while he is enthusiastic, his voice is a bit high and reedy, almost raspy at points. Don’t listen to it all at once. Audience and level of use: car travelers, audiobook lovers, cooks and chefs everywhere. Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: One of the funniest sequences is Buford’s time in Italy – check it out. The downside to this book: There is no quick introduction – Buford just leaps in with his text. Also, there is no table of contents, which appears to be quite common in audiobooks of memoirs. I’d appreciate knowing on which CD I can find Babbo or Tuscany without flitting around. How much would it cost to do this? The upside to this book: engaging humour on the restaurant business. Quality/Price Rating: 88. 5. COD; a biography of the fish that changed the world (Phoenix Audio, 2006; distr. Canadian Manda Group, unabridged, 7.5 hours on 7 CDs, ISBN 1-59777-098-1, $43.95 set) is by Mark Kurlansky, author of “Salt” and other food articles in the New York Times and Harper’s. This spoken word set is an unabridged reading of the James Beard Award winning book (Excellence in Food Writing). What makes this 1997 book so readable also makes it so listenable: the flow of the prose. He covers the Basque fishers, Chef Taillevent of the 14th century, Hannah Glasse the 18th century writer, and Alexandre Dumas. Log rollers have included Jacques Pepin, no mean feat. The reader is Richard M. Davidson, a TV actor with numerous audiobooks to his credit. His rich and sonorous baritone conveys the importance of cod. Audience and level of use: food people, fishers, those who enjoy a good listen while on the road or jogging. Some interesting or unusual facts: The cod economy is famous in Canada, just think of the Grand Banks. Also, think of the spice trade into Northern Europe with returning boats full of stockfish. The downside to this CD: an insert card of topics would have been useful. Also, I found some variance in the sound levels. The upside to this CD: there are some recipes from the past, uses of all kinds for cod, and word origins. Quality/Price Rating: 92. 6. NATURAL CURES “THEY” DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT (Phoenix Audio, 2005; distr. Canadian Manda Group, unabridged, 12 hours on 12 CDs, ISBN 1-59777-105-8, $47.95) is by Kevin Trudeau, author of the bestselling print book (Phoenix says over 4.5 million sold) of the same name. The book dealt with losing weight and avoiding ill-health issues. His rants may satisfy most of us as he fulminates – with documentation – against the supermarkets which sell processed and genetically-modified food products. Food distribution is regulated by various government agencies, and he takes them on. He claims they lay the foundation for future disease and chronic ill-health for the consumer, and that they guarantee income for the big corporations and drug companies. So he is after “bad” food and drugs. In addition to alerting consumers to these nasty negatives, he also gets positive by alerting us to alternative therapies and philosophies, emphasizing natural cures (his book’s title) to lose weight and avoid ill-health. Only about a third of the material deals directly with food, but we can all profit by learning about the drug industry. After listening to this set, you’ll probably agree with me that one needs to pay attention and digest all the labels carefully, especially food labels. Be aware of your surroundings. It certainly helps to be a cynic. Trudeau reads his own stuff. I liked his voice, a bit high in tone but also passionate. My wife, an audio reader, did not like his style. C’est la vie… Audience and level of use: conspiracists, foodies, alternative health supporters, informed allopaths. Some interesting or unusual facts: The reading – and the book – are loaded with disclaimers about practicing medicine without a license. The information is presented for educational purposes only, etc. The lawyers have been busy. The downside to this CD: polemic, you may not want to hear it while stuck in traffic. An insert card would have been useful, for a list of topics by CD. The upside to this CD: Trudeau has taken the opportunity to add extra material and update some thoughts, even though he has a sequel coming out in the Fall of 2006. Quality/Price Rating: 85. 7. A MOVEABLE FEAST (Simon and Schuster Audio, 2006, about 5 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 0-7435-6439-1, $41 set) is an UNABRIDGED audiobook of the Ernest Hemingway classic, originally published posthumously by Scribner in 1964 – three years after Hemingway died. It was one of his few works of non-fiction. This classic memoir of Paris in the 1920s deals with his colleagues Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as his first wife Hadley. He recollects how and what he wrote, as well as food and drink in all of the best places in Paris. This was an extremely creative period in the lives of all. James Naughton is the reader: he’s a Tony Award winning actor (City of Angels, Chicago) who has also appeared in films and on television. His deep voice is reminiscent of Hemingway himself, and is punctuated with occasional music stings. Audience and level of use: Hemingway lovers, audiobook fans, car travelers. Some interesting or unusual facts: this is one of a great series being released monthly, and to cover the entire output of Hemingway’s works as unabridged audiobooks. The downside to this CD: five hours does not seem long enough. The upside to this CD: could be hard to retrieve specific items without an index or table of contents. If you have the text, it can be hit or miss. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 8. ROSIE & THE ANGELS (Molten Gold #04, 2006, 1 CD, 74 minutes, ISBN 0- 920003-05-2, $15 plus $2.50 s & h from www.anntudor.ca) is the fourth CD from Ann Tudor, a Toronto food writer who also specializes in spoken word creative non-fiction. DECLARATION OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Ann Tudor is my wife, so I’ll be brief with the basics, and no rating. This original spoken-word CD (there is no print version) offers seven tales of near-disaster, reminders that youth, strange circumstances, or a moment of stupidity can lead to catastrophe. Rosie evades the frightening consequences of her foolishness and continues, unscathed, on her journey, but her adventures do linger in your imagination. In every situation, Rosie has a close encounter with disaster. Some of the stories hinge on a faulty vehicle (“Midnight Breakdown”), some involve a faulty driver (“Young Drivers”), and some show Rosie using faulty judgment (“Hawaiian Angels”). In retrospect, even Rosie would have to admit that she had great luck—-or was it angelic intervention? May we all be as lucky as Rosie, or may our own angels be as competent and obliging as Rosie’s. “[Tudor] is a nimble story teller whose superb voice is rife with humour.”—Sharon Singer, of “The Moving Pen” writing classes 9. SALT; a world history (Phoenix Audio, 2006; distr. Canadian Manda Group, unabridged, 14 hours on 14 CDs, ISBN 1-59777-097-3, $59.95 set) is by Mark Kurlansky, author of “Cod” and other food articles in the New York Times and Harper’s. It was originally published in book form in 2002. It is also the definitive work of popular history, embracing the full scope of the panorama through the ages: economic, scientific, political, religious, and culinary materials. Salt is vital to humans, and salt has been a currency in many nations. It has been taxed, wars have been fought, and books written on the salt theme. Actor Scott Brick is the reader; his voice is a deep rumble, sometimes a mumble, very soothing and not rushed. Audience and level of use: food people, joggers and auto travelers. Some interesting or unusual facts: salt has been a terrifying necessity over the years. The downside to this CD: an insert card describing the topics would have been useful. The upside to this CD: fifteen recipes are included. Quality/Price Rating: 90. 10. MY LIFE IN FRANCE (Random House Audio, 2006, abridged, 5 hours on 4 CDs, ISBN 0-7393-2526-4, $39.95 set) is by the late Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme. She, of course, is the multiple award winning author of many cookbooks and TV personality (The French Chef). He’s a relative of her late husband Paul Child. The printed memoir deals with her years in France, where – as a young bride -- she became enraptured with French food (1948 onwards). It also deals with her early life with Paul. She documented her changes from a non-French speaking Californian to a conversant Francophile, dealing with local farmers and the Cordon Bleu cooking school. This is the world of food in the 1950s, especially France in the 1950s. She wrote most of it through her diaries and memoirs, and Prud’homme (who attended to her in her last months) pulled it all together, coupled with his talks with her. This is a warm, loving book, sure to be appreciated by any food lover. It has been abridged by Robert Hack (surely an unfortunate surname for this business) and read by Flo Salant Greenberg, who has done numerous theatre works in New York. Currently, she is also the director of the Actors Workshop, NYC. She has a sweet but low voice, with the occasional wobble at the end of a line – good for listening for an hour or so at a time. As is common with many audiobooks these days, there are stops every four minutes or so. And also there are no scene notes, table of contents, or indexes for easy retrieval. Most of this is not needed with a work of fiction (save for short stories). But they are extremely useful for non-fiction and for memoirs. How much would it cost to insert a card listing the progression of the tracks? If you want to take notes or repeat the hearing of a track, you’ll have to jot down the CD and track number in order to return to it. Audience and level of use: any lover of food and/or Julia Child. Some interesting or unusual facts: The descriptions of the French character are really extraordinary. The downside to this CD set: it is an abridgement – for a few dollars more they could have run the whole book. For one thing, they wouldn’t have to pay a fee to the abridger. The upside to this CD set: if sales are good, then maybe we’ll see more food and wine memoirs being released. There IS a market here. Quality/Price Rating: it is only $27.95 US, and you may be able to find it online at a cheaper price. $39.95 is a bit stiff for Canada. I’d give it a 90. 11. A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME; from the big bang to black holes (Phoenix Audio, 2005; distr. Canadian Manda Group, unabridged, 5.75 hours on 5 CDs, ISBN 1-59777-068-X, $39.95 set) is by Dr. Stephen W. Hawking. It was originally published in 1988 with revisions in 1996. Time, of course, is the cosmological time of the universe, Hawking does a great job in explaining the complexities of physics – with a sense of humour. The reader is Michael Jackson (not THE Michael Jackson, but the other Michael Jackson). Audience and level of use: travelers. Some interesting or unusual facts: The downside to this CD: there is no insert of topics or ideas with locations on the CD, which I always find frustrating for works of non- fiction. This is not a novel. The upside to this CD: you cannot beat this guy’s ideas and enthusiasm. Quality/Price Rating: 89. 12. THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING; the origin and fate of the universe (Phoenix Audio, 2005; distr. Canadian Manda Group, unabridged, 3.5 hours on 3 CDs, ISBN 1-59777-071-X, $35.95 set) is by Dr. Stephen W. Hawking. It was originally published in 1996 under the title “The Cambridge Lectures: Life Works”. Indeed, you can order the CD set with narration by Hawking, taken from his lectures, for the same price: just quote ISBN 1-59777-012-4, and not the one above. His work covered every complex theory indeed: time, space, energy, both past and present. Actor Michael York is the reader. Audience and level of use: science enthusiasts Some interesting or unusual facts: The downside to this CD: there is no insert of topics or ideas with locations on the CD, which I always find frustrating for works of non- fiction. This is not a novel. The upside to this CD: Hawking is clearly a natural teacher. Quality/Price Rating: 91.