Books to read with your eyes on the road
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“Violets
are Blue.” No kidding. But did you know that James
Patterson’s new suspense thriller is the seventh in
the Alex Cross series, coming after “Roses Are Red”?
Patterson told me in an interview his titles don’t
really fit the plots of his books. Meaning, I suppose, titles
are meaningless. Although John Grisham’s new book “Skipping
Christmas” should have been skipped this Christmas.
But I digress. “Violets are Blue” is true to form,
and is intuitively read by Daniel Whitner and Kevin O’Rourke.
The thriller will have Patterson fans, well, thrilled with
this story in which brutal murders on the East Coast and
in California suggest they are being committed by modern-day
vampires. Patterson’s trademark short sentences and
short chapters — more than 100 of them — create
tension within the simple framework of his storytelling.
And a bonus for fans — they’ll finally discover
the identity of the mastermind of previous books. (Time
Warner Audiobooks/ISBN 1-58621-198-6) |
Quincy Jones,
the maestro of pop music, has now joined the celebrity biography
mill with an autobiography titled “Q.” Jones talks
about his longtime relationship with Michael Jackson —
and the development of jazz, be-bop, and rap — while
over a dozen friends and family are tapped for guest comments
singing his praises. It is an interesting insight into the
transformation of music and musicians, and our obsession
with celebrity. (Simon & Schuster Audio/ISBN 0-7435-0037-7) |
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Willa Cather
once turned down $750 for a story, saying it was too much.
Of course this was in 1911 when money was worth more than
it is today. Cather is the author of one of my favorite
stories of all time, “Paul’s Case,” and her
classic first novel “O Pioneers!” is now on CD.
This masterpiece about settlers on the harsh Nebraska plain
is both poetic and moving. Cather’s characters do not
spout trendy one-liners. They are real and alive, not pretending
or posing. Stephanie Brush does an excellent job with the
narration of this examination. “O Pioneers!” is
available at many truckstops or by visiting www.booksinmotion.com.
(Books in Motion/ISBN 1-58116-146-8) |
Ken Follett
is nothing if not realistic and entertaining. A true storyteller,
equally believable in both back and front plot lines, Follett
also breathes life into all the characters who inhabit his
creations. Once again he has returned to the historical
era and locale where he feels most at home with “Jackdaws,”
about an all-female team of French resistance infiltrators
trying to sabotage the German’s telephone exchange
during World War II. Peril mounts as plans are thwarted
by the enemy as D-Day approaches. British actress Kate Reading
gives a sensitive and engaging narration, although Barbara
Rosenblat is even more dramatic with the help of Colin Stinton
on the abridged version. (Penguin Audiobooks/ISBN 0-14-280003-1) |
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Another unusual
war-related title is “Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern
Warfare” by Mark McNeilly. What makes this interesting
is Sun Tzu’s text, “The Art of War,” was
written 2,000 years ago, and McNeilly shows how the six
principles outlined have been used throughout history —
from medieval times to the Civil War to Norman Schwartzkopf’s
battles in the Gulf War. The first principle? If possible,
win without fighting. One of my favorite narrators, the
very listenable Grover Gardner, reads. (Books on Tape/ISBN
0-7366-8085-3) |
Finally, when
Dennis Miller isn’t hosting talk shows or doing color
commentary on Monday Night Football, he’s writing books,
and narrating them for audio. His latest, “The Rant
Zone,” includes some of the material used in his HBO
show, and covers just about everything the comedian has
a beef about, including making hamburger out of many of
society’s sacred cows. Is Dennis in the end zone this
time out, having scored a touchdown? Or is he just ranting
from his skybox? Maybe both. After all, no one’s habits
or opinions are ever changed by ranting about things. Laughing
sure beats crying, though! (Harper Audio/ISBN 0694526525) |
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To
find audio books, visit AudiobooksToday.com. Reviewer Jonathan
Lowe is author of three award-winning suspense novels on
audio: POSTAL (ISBN 1-57511-046-6), CARIBBEAN COUP (ISBN
1-55686-926-6) and DARK FIRE (ISBN 1-58116-173-5). |
