Books to read
with your eyes on the road
by Jonathan
Lowe
Audio Book Reviewer
What
exactly is magic? Where do all those talking animals
come from? And the spells, the gnomes, the fairies and
castles … are they supposed to exist in alternate
universes, before past ice ages, or what? Terry Brooks’
“Magic Kingdom For Sale: Sold” contains many
unbelievable elements — gnomes, castles, a talking
dog, magic, myth and legend. But the presentation is
original, allowing for more of a “suspension of
disbelief.” So what we have in this book is a believable
fantasy for those who don’t enjoy fantasy. A crossover
fantasy that has elements of mystery and adventure.
The novel begins with an advertisement — a magic
kingdom is for sale in an ad, and the skeptical buyer
is brought in a step at a time to discover the magic
for himself. You will be under the unholy spell of reader
Dick Hill, so gifted in creating believable character
accents that he must have made a pact with the devil.
(6 hrs./Brilliance/Nova Audio/ISBN 1-58788-373-2) UUUU |
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Actor/singer
Jim Gough reads “Six Guns and Double Eagles” by
Ralph Compton, a western tale about a gunfighter’s
son hired to round up some counterfeiters in the 1880s.
Revenge and the Carson City mint figure into the plot, which
Gough narrates with a native Texas brogue. While Gough’s
voice comes across as natural and entertainingly appropriate,
his character voices are neither distinguished nor three-dimensional.
The book is fun to hear, much like a western bacon cheeseburger
is fun to eat. (6 hrs/Otis Audio/ISBN 1-890990-57-4) UUUU |
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Stuart
Woods is up to his old tricks with “Cold Paradise,”
a novel set in decadent Palm Beach, where Stuart himself
keeps an estate. This mystery has a lot of gunplay,
and it’s about divorce and extortion among all
those idle rich bitches and bastards. It’s well
read by the very listenable Tony Roberts. (6 hrs./Putnam
Berkley/ISBN 0-399-14759-4)UUU Another Woods release is “Palindrome,” about a battered wife who escapes to another island paradise only to find anything but peace. Read by Susan Ericksen for Brilliance Audio. (8 hrs./ISBN 1-58788-146-2)UUU |
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Jan
Karon is back with “A Common Life,” about
the wedding of Father Tim Kavanagh in Karon’s popular
setting of Mitford. Dana Ivey presents the story with
a careful but natural reading, appropriate to this sensitive
tale of small town life. (4 hrs./Viking Penguin Audio/ISBN
0-14-180274-X) |
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Probably the
best of the James Patterson books is “Along Came A
Spider,” his first Alex Cross novel, also a movie starring
Morgan Freeman. A new abridged release has Alton White and
Michael Cumpsty doing a skillful reading. (6 hrs./Time Warner
Audio/ISBN 1-58621-108-0) |
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Dick
Wilkinson has a versatile deep voice and talent for
reading Dalton Walker’s western “Shiloh —
Blood Rival,” about an old west tycoon who hires
a bounty hunter to bring back his daughter. (3 hrs/Otis
Audio/ISBN 1-890990-28-0) |
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Bold,
opinionated comic George Carlin is back with “Napalm
& Silly Putty.” Wow, is he irreverent. This
is shocking in-your-face stand-up humor. But if you’re
stressed out, listen to this, then have a good laugh
and truck on. (2.5 hrs./Highbridge Audio/ISBN 1-56511-450-7)
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Now,
after hearing Carlin rant, complete the healing process
with “Meditation As Medicine.” Author Dr. Dharma
Singh Khalsa describes how to activate the power of natural
healing and achieve perfect calm after a long haul on the
road. (4 hrs./Simon & Schuster/ISBN 0-7435-0490-9) |
Audio Book Rating System
U Honks from one to five
@Audio book
needs a tune-up
&Big
winner
For rent or sale of most audio books, visit Earful.com, or call 1-800-532-7385. Go postal yourself with reviewer Jonathan Lowe’s suspense novel “Postal,” an Earphones award-winning audio book, which bestselling author Clive Cussler calls “powerful and accomplished … mystery at its best.
