Audio

Fiction

Internationally best-selling author Archer (www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk) follows up his "compulsively readable" A Prisoner of Birth (LJ 1/08)—also a Macmillan Audio from Sound Library title—with this skillful imagining of the life of legendary British mountaineer George Mallory, who disappeared on his 1924 quest to summit Mt. Everest. Listeners will savor the tonality of British stage actor Roger Allam's (www.rogerallam.co.uk) voice. One need not be a fan of adventure stories or historical fiction to appreciate; for all audiences. [Audio clip available through us.macmillan.com; see Major Audio Releases, LJ 2/1/09; the St. Martin's hc was recommended "for general readers who enjoy popular fiction," LJ 1/09.—Ed.]—Theresa Stoner, St. Joseph Cty. P.L., South Bend, IN

Edgar Award winner Berenson's third John Wells thriller—following The Faithful Spy (2007) and The Ghost War (2008), both also available from Recorded Books and Penguin Audio—finds the tormented CIA agent continuing his pursuit of his elusive enemy, arms dealer Pierre Kowalski, at the same time that two atomic bombs are stolen by jihadists. While Audie Award winner George Guidall (I Know This Much Is True) is one of the giants of the audiobook narrating industry, his folksy modulations might be more appropriate for less hectically paced material. The differences among his various accents are also less pronounced than they perhaps ought to be. Nevertheless, this one's engrossing. [Audio clip available through us.penguingroup.com; the Putnam hc was described as a "swift and gripping read," LJ Xpress review 2/3/09.—Ed.]—Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Lib.

With a difficult election looming, Cook County sheriff O'Hara assembles a politically correct team headed by Sgt. Frank Leal to investigate a high-visibility murder already months old. But politics infect the case at every level—the team itself is riddled with treacherous relationships—and Leal must tread carefully. This novel by police sergeant Black, whose Windy City Nights is also available on audio from Books in Motion, is filled with strong characters and realistically depicts detectives relying on old-fashioned hard work instead of on forensic miracles. Narrator Gene Engene's raspy performance enhances the squad-room atmosphere. A solid production recommended for all mystery listeners. [Audio clip available through www.booksinmotion.com.—Ed.]—Janet Martin, Southern Pines P.L., NC

In his trademark style, Boyle (www.tcboyle.com) uses a fictional narrator to tell the story of an American original: Frank Lloyd Wright, that flamboyant genius of 20th-century architecture. The tale unfolds through the experiences of four women who loved Wright: the Montenegrin beauty Olgivanna Milanoff, the passionate Maude Miriam Noel, the spirited Mamah Borthwick Cheney, and Wright's devoted first wife, Catherine "Kitty" Tobin. Narrator Grover Gardner, a Publishers Weekly Narrator of the Year (2005), navigates the complicated story line with ease, reading with a distinctive clipped accent that could almost be Japanese (the novel's narrator is Wright apprentice Tadashi Sato, newly arrived from Japan). An excellent choice for fans of popular and literary fiction. [Audio clip available through www.blackstoneaudio.com; the Viking hc was recommended "for most fiction collections," LJ 12/08.—Ed.]—Nann Blaine Hilyard, Zion-Benton P.L., IL

In Golden Dagger Award winner Mankell's (www.henningmankell.com) eighth entry in the Kurt Wallander series—all previous entries are also available from Blackstone Audio—meaningless crimes underscore the vulnerability of society in the electronic age. Mankell contrasts themes of international intrigue involving a global financial network collapse with situations listeners might view on the local news. The multitude of characters challenges award-winning narrator Dick Hill (www.dickhill.com) to distinguish clearly among them all, but textual attributions mitigate confusion. The Wallander novels have recently been adapted for television (BBC, 2008), with Kenneth Branagh playing the eponymous police inspector. Highly recommended. [Audio clip available through www.blackstoneaudio.com.—Ed.]—Sandy Glover, Camas P.L., WA

The end of the world is near, and only three teenagers can save it from destruction: Zillah, survivor of a cult mass suicide; Adam, ward of a sinister religious order; and street kid Kris. Guiding them is the strange notebook of Brice Ambrose Stone, whose early 20th-century explorations of the American West provide necessary clues to travel back in time and prevent contemporary disaster. Though this book was written for a YA audience, Rees's (www.celiarees.com) complex blend of nasty villains, occult mythology, archaeology, and adventure will hold the interest of older listeners as well. Actor Colin Moody's skillful performance clarifies multiple viewpoints and settings. Recommended. [Audio clip available through www.bolinda.com; four of Rees's previous titles are also available from Bolinda.—Ed.]—Janet Martin, Southern Pines P.L., NC

Stockett's (www.kathrynstockett.com) deep and complex debut novel, set in early 1960s Jackson, MS, is about three women drawn together to make a difference. In an unlikely, even dangerous, alliance, an upper-class white woman and two black maids collaborate to write a book about what it's like to be a black maid working for white families, raising white babies. Actresses Octavia Spencer, Bahni Turpin, Jenna Lamia, and Cassandra Campbell immediately pull listeners in, breathing life into this touching novel. Certain to become a book group classic and to be popular among fans of Sue Monk Kidd and Jodi Picoult. [Audio clip available through library.booksontape.com; the Putnam hc received a starred review, LJ 1/09.—Ed.]—Donna Bachowski, Orange Cty. Lib. Syst., Orlando, FL

Winner of the 2008 Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, this latest book by Tremain (The Colour) is the story of widower Lev, an economic migrant who travels from the Eastern Bloc to London to find work to support his child back home. Actress/narrator Juliet Stevenson's (To the Lighthouse) distinct rendering of each character gives this recording the feel of a full-cast production. Listeners who enjoy Anita Brookner and literary fiction will be moved by this realistic portrait. Highly recommended. [Audio clip available through www.naxosaudiobooks.com; the Little, Brown hc was recommended as "a worthy addition to the growing body of work centered on the loneliness and frustration of the immigrant experience," LJ 5/1/08.—Ed.]—Carly Wiggins, Allen Cty. P.L., Fort Wayne, IN

Originally published in 1971, this book was rereleased in 2009 after a YouTube clip featuring the titular lion became an international sensation. The book has been revised and updated but remains the short, resonant story of two Aussies who purchased a lion cub from a department store, raised him in London, and eventually returned him to Africa. Actor/producer/narrator John Lee, who's read over 100 audiobooks, believably narrates this first-person tale. Though accompanying photographs would have been nice, animal lovers will enjoy this audio. [Embeddable audio clip available through library.booksontape.com; the Broadway hc, published in March, was a New York Times best seller.—Ed.]—Johannah Genett, Hennepin Cty. Lib., Minneapolis

New York Times best-selling author Denby (Great Books), a staff writer for The New Yorker, here presents a detailed and enjoyable argument regarding snark, today's ever-prevalent combination of snide and sarcasm. He traces the history of snark through the ages, defines it into subcategories (e.g., literary snark equals satire), and divides contemporary snark into acceptable and unacceptable categories based on his personal assessments. Six-time Audie Award nominee William Dufris (The Futurist) gives a terrific read, his tone and pacing bordering on the snark-astic. Highly recommended for adult audiences. [Audio clip available through www.tantor.com; the S. & S. hc was "highly recommended," LJ 2/1/09.—Ed.]—Cliff Glaviano, Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH

Fox (www.michaeljfox.org), whose 2002 memoir, Lucky Man, was a No. 1 New York Times best seller, here continues his story, sharing the personal philosophy that has carried him through life and presenting touching accounts of, e.g., his sister's death, a cross-country car trip with his youngest son, and his struggle with Parkinson's disease and its effect on his family. Through all the pain and joy, Fox stays positive, never slipping into self-pity. This successful abridgment will appeal to fans of Fox and people dealing with Parkinson's disease. [Audio clip available through www.hyperionbooks.com; see Major Audio Releases, LJ 3/15/09; the Hyperion hc, published in March, was a New York Times best seller.—Ed.]—Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Lib., Parkersburg

Science reporter Holmes (Suburban Safari) here reports on a most interesting scientific specimen—herself—and the species to which she belongs, Homo sapiens, drawing on her own observations as well as on the latest scientific theories and research. Unfortunately, despite the author's wit and made-for-audio writing style, some of the information she provides is questionable, out-of-date, or just plain incorrect. Audie Award winner Joyce Bean (Kiss Me While I Sleep) reads in a manner that conveys her enjoyment of the subject matter. Owing to the occasional factual errors, this excellent audio production of an otherwise charming and well-written book is not suitable for library patrons. [Audio clip available through brillianceaudio.com.—Ed.]—I. Pour-El, Des Moines Area Community Coll., Boone, IA

Join Lawrence (1888–1935) in his 1917–18 campaigns against the forces of the Ottoman Empire. This abridgment, skillfully narrated by British actor James Wilby, derives from the 1926 print edition of a work Winston Churchill called "one of the greatest books ever written in the English language." Wilby draws the listener into Lawrence's desert adventures and personal observations, managing to avoid melodrama when reading his descriptions of torture, battle, and death. Strongly recommended for listeners of military history, autobiography, travel narrative, or Arab history. [More info at www.csaword.co.uk.—Ed.]—J. Sara Paulk, Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Cty. Lib., GA

Rhodes scholar Lehrer (Proust Was a Neuroscientist) takes listeners on a journey through how the human brain makes decisions, exploring factors that influence decision-making and combining medical diagnostic data with real-life examples. While Malcolm Gladwell's Blink discussed from afar how reason and intuition influence snap decisions, Lehrer's book digs more deeply into new research from the fields of psychology, sociology, and neuroscience to provide an erudite, scholarly view of the inner workings of the human brain as it makes decisions. Audie Award nominee David Colacci's (The Suspect) evenhanded delivery will help listeners of this often technical material stay focused. For interested lay readers as well as students and professors of psychology/psychiatry. [Audio clip available through brillianceaudio.com.—Ed.]—Dale Farris, Groves, TX

Renfrew (archaeology, Cambridge Univ.) here gives a broad overview of prehistory—human existence that predates the development of written records—outlining the development of the field of prehistory, or prehistoric archaeology, and discussing the revelations that have resulted from progressively more sophisticated analyses of archaeological remains. Actor/singer/narrator Robert Ian Mackenzie's (Freddy and Fredericka) sonorous and soothing voice, while delightful sounding, makes it difficult to concentrate on the closely reasoned text. Therefore, the print edition only is recommended as an excellent text for an introductory class in prehistory.—Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Libs., Providence

Radio/TV personality and No. 1 New York Times best-selling author Smiley (Covenant with Black America) takes aim at the Obama administration, demanding that promises made during the campaign be upheld, especially with regard to minorities. Smiley himself reads in a strong, often strident voice that deserves to be heard; it's doubtful that anyone else could adequately convey his mixture of outrage toward past treatments of minority Americans and his hope for the future now that a President is in power who finally understands that the government is accountable to all citizens. Public libraries will be doing their patrons a service by purchasing this title. [Audio clip available through audio.simonandschuster.com.—Ed.]—Joseph L. Carlson, Vandenberg Air Force Base Lib., CA

Here, Woods (www.thomasewoods.com) offers a decidedly free-market, conservative approach to the worldwide financial collapse of 2008–09. He explains his take on what led up to the current economic crisis, who's really to blame (namely, the Federal Reserve System), and why government bailouts won't work. Woods's views will appeal to listeners concerned about how the financial crisis impacts them as well as to business leaders and investors wishing to be more enlightened about the crisis. Two-time Audie Award nominee Alan Sklar's (see Behind the Mike, LJ 3/1/09) solid, steady reading helps sustain interest. [Audio clip available through www.tantor.com; the Regnery hc, published in February, spent ten weeks on the New York Times best sellers list.—Ed.]—Dale Farris, Groves, TX

When a young clerk mysteriously dies trying to pick up the sixth installment of Charles Dickens's The Mystery of Edwin Drood, publisher James Osgood travels to England searching for clues to how the recently deceased Dickens meant to end his unfinished novel. The ensuing intrigue as well as flashbacks to Dickens's 1867 American tour show off New York Times best-selling author Pearl's extensive research. Actor/narrator Paul Michael (The Alibi) deftly differentiates among the many characters, giving to his reading the zest this excellent novel deserves. The success of Pearl's The Dante Club (2003) and The Poe Shadow (2006) will spur interest; highly recommended for all. [Embeddable audio clip available through library.booksontape.com; the Random hc was "strongly recommended," LJ 3/15/09.—Ed.]—John Hiett, Iowa City P.L.

Simmons, Dan. Drood. 9 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 10½ hrs. Hachette Audio. 2009. ISBN 978-1-60024-463-6. $34.98; digital download. F

Based on the last five years of Charles Dickens's life, this thriller, narrated by friend/rival novelist Wilkie Collins, blends biography and fiction as it explores the complicated relationship between the two writers. New York Times best-selling novelist Simmons (The Terror) leads listeners into the shadowy world of Victorian London, while Audie Award nominee Simon Prebble (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell) convincingly brings Dickens and Collins to life. But though full of atmosphere and suspense, the book is overlong and includes too many subplots that distract from the main story line. With its many references to Dickens and his works, this title should especially appeal to bibliophiles and enthusiasts of Victorian literature. [Audio clip available through www.hachettebookgroup.com; the Little, Brown hc received a starred review, LJ 1/09.—Ed.]—Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo