AUDIO BOOK REVIEWS
by Jonathan Lowe
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"The
feeling of betrayal and alienation suffuses public life,"
says Christopher Hayes in TWILIGHT
OF THE ELITES. Just as the debasing of metals
used in coins pushed out gold and silver from our money, so
too has steroid use pushed out non-"B12" usage in
sports, and "getting the joke" (ie. accepting that
Washington runs on bribes) has pushed out honesty from politics.
"Meritocracy becomes oligarchy," argues Hayes, showing
how even middle class America has accepted the goal of "escape"
from the fate of poor social underlings. Yet those who succeed
soon attempt to prevent those beneath them from succeeding,
"pulling the ladder up that they just climbed."
He compares the economic collapse to the Titanic. Those uber-rich
in the upper suites didn't believe that the flooding of the
servants quarters way down below could sink the whole ship,
and when they did realize it they took to the lifeboats of
bailouts and bonuses, paddling away from the cries of the
doomed as fast as possible (engineering their escape before
the regulators knew what was happening.) While the Tea Party
wrangles with Democrats and Republicans, it becomes clear
to Hayes that the real problem is income disparity maintained
by elites who hold tight to the status quo. Read by
the author, the audiobook is an ear-opener. |
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Next, actress Elizabeth McGovern reads
THE
CHAPERONE by Laura Moriarty,
about a fifteen year old girl (destined to become a silent
film star) who is accompanied by a prim and proper older
woman of thirty-six to New York in 1922. While Louise Brooks
is rather bratty, her effect on Cora Carlisle, her chaperone,
is ultimately liberating. The historical novel unfolds during
a time of Prohibition, the Great Depression, and sweeping
changes in fashion and attitudes. McGovern doesn't attempt
to over-dramatize the novel, preferring subtle deviations
in tone and accent to delineate the characters. This makes
the exposition more believable and interesting than the
typical chick-lit offering, with its exaggerated emotions.
As such, it will appeal to women of all ages as not just
a coming-of-age novel (Louise) but coming-to-life (Cora.)
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Alton
Brown of Good Eats loves to talk about
the science behind cooking. Alas, none of his books are
available on audio. But even better, we have a real scientist
in Robert L. Wolke, whose book "What
Einstein Told His Cook" was a bestseller, and
now his latest WHAT
EINSTEIN KEPT UNDER HIS HAT is also narrated
by Sean Runnette, and goes into depth on the science
of foods using layman's language, and with humor that spices
the discussion. Wolke holds a doctorate in chemistry, but
it not just the chemical reactions involved in cooking on
which he focuses, (with the subtitle of "Secrets of
Science in the Kitchen.") Physics, microbiology, anatomy,
engineering and technology also figure into it. His wife
Marlene Parrish is a food writer, and includes recipes in
an included PDF file. (One is for "Pillow Sheets,"
cocoa-covered caramels by American painter Mary Cassatt,
1844-1926, which she made for Edgar Degas.) Wolke offers
up a full course of surprises here, revealing many things
listeners may not know about fruits, vegetables, meats,
grains, and how the cooking process changes the complex
structure of foods. Also dispelled are myths which cooks
have about the process, which he then explains. Can you
prevent an eggshell from cracking while you hard boil? Why
do you cry when you cut an onion, and what's the simplest
way to prevent this? Are those vegetable cleaning products
effective, or is the only real cleaning that of your wallet?
Is rhubarb poisonous? (Yes, but it doesn't really matter.)
What foods are best for your health, and why don't those
foods taste better? What's so special about butter? The
audiobook holds listener attention due to its editing and
pacing, as the author knows the science behind attention
span too. He mixes it up, and the souffle rarely falls flat.
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Kirk Douglas at age 95 resurrects memories
of 1959 when blacklists circulated in Hollywood. His experience
on the movie Spartacus is chronicled in
the memoir
I AM SPARTACUS:
Making a Film, Breaking a Blacklist. The man he
helped by crediting on the movie was Dalton Trumbo, but
there are many other writers and actors who benefited from
Douglas' bravery. With a forward by George Clooney, the
book is read by Kirk's famous son Michael,
who rarely fails in maintaining listener interest in this
remarkable actor...as the itself book offers a peek behind
the cameras into a controversial and difficult time in Hollywood.
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Finally, an unusual fantasy set in Lausanne, Switzerland,
THE
WATCHERS by Jon Steele features three people
brought together to unravel an ancient mystery. A hooker,
a P.I., and a bell tower boy with the task of waiting to
save an angel figure into the plot of an engrossing and
layered epic which builds its foundation slowly with atmospheric
prose and an eye for detail. If you're used to serial killer
slashers, you need to realize that this is not the same
kind of book. Steele is more like an evocative and historically
literate version of Dean Koontz, (who once wrote a horror
book called Watchers.) Narrator here is one of my
favorites, Jonathan Davis, who again brings to
bear his considerable talents in animating these characters
right off the page. You owe it to yourself, even if you've
already read this book, to hear it on audio, because you
won't be disappointed. JD's acting chops are formidable,
as he's able to inhabit each character believably, switching
between them seamlessly. Few--famous screen actors included--could
do this better, because if all you have is your voice to
act with, such skills are honed over time, as when a blind
person's hearing becomes more acute than someone with 20/20.
Accents, timing, and subtle variations in tone and timbre
all combine to make for an audio movie that is never melodramatic
or showy, and so becomes utterly convincing and effective.
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