Audiobooks Today

BOND GIRL by Erin Duffy

2012-01-27T10:23:00.002-05:00

In BOND GIRL by Erin Duffy a female Wall Street bond trader goes to work at Cromwell Pierce, with a dreaded boss similar to the one in The Devil Wears Prada. The theme of this chick-lit novel is 'men are jerks,' or 'can't live with'em, can't live without'em.' The theme is softened a bit, later on, but despite the author's claim that she wanted to portray the industry as something other than one populated by greedy pricks, she sets off by establishing that from the beginning. There is much humor here, though, and it's filled with quirky characters, most of whom are one-and-a-half dimensional. Narrator Robin Gwyne gives an exuberant performance, sounding much like a twenty-ish college student with juicy gossip to share. The first person confessional tone to it rings true, just remember to bring your bubble gum while listening on your shopping trip to Macy's.

THE SECRET OF CHANEL NO. 5

2012-01-26T11:10:00.001-05:00

Saw an enthralling movie recently titled COCO CHANEL and IGOR STRAVINSKY. It's based on a book by an English poet named Greenhaigh, and is set in 1913 when the famous designer becomes enthralled by the Russian composer's music, and invites him to stay at her country estate outside Paris. Stravinsky, composer of The Rite of Spring (one of the most influential pieces of music ever written, and a turning point in music itself) frames the musical backdrop of the film as Coco seduces Igor despite his children and wife being present. There's not a lot of dialogue in the movie, and we don't learn many specifics about the characters, so it's rather a case of style over substance, but it is quite unusual nonetheless and very well acted and directed (similar to the romance about Chopin and George Sand titled "Impromptu.") I can't recommend the book as much as the film Coco & Igor, however an excellent book about the creation of Coco's famous perfume is THE SECRET OF CHANEL NO. 5: The Intimate History of the World's Most Famous Perfume. It's by Tilar J. Mazzeo and narrated by Liz de Nesnera, available at Audible. It reveals the history of the perfume, and perfumes in general, along with much intriguing backstory related to Coco. In the movie we see Coco, played by French actress Anna Mouglalis, actually choosing the scent from among hundreds presented to her. "There are over eighty ingredients," says the perfumer. "I want to smell like a woman, not a rose," Coco had instructed him.

NATIONAL SLOW MOTION DAY

2012-01-26T10:49:00.000-05:00

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the speed at which society moves today? Coffee is our national addiction, and we drink more soda and energy drinks than anyone. Fast food is ubiquitous. The Fast & Furious movies are part of sequel-mania. We spend more on our military than every other country in the world combined. Yet we can't afford to fix potholes in our own streets. And, of course, countries like South Korea out-produce us, with the largest shipbuilding plant and car manufacturing plant and oil drilling platform plant in the world. They also supply Boeing with its wings, while they don't import anything from us to do any of this, although we protect them militarily for free. Instead, what we export is mainly bullets, cigarettes, and Coca-Cola. Is something wrong with this picture? Introducing National Slow Motion Day, Feb. 26, a day in which we all need to slow down, rethink, and retool. On Oscar Sunday, even if you are going to watch the show, turn off all the junk ads and soundbites on TV for the rest of the day, take a walk, listen to a book, and share James Cameron's social conscience--whether with 3D special effects or not. As The Beatles put it, "Peace, brother." Of course to achieve peace and prosperity, we all need to regulate Goldman Sachs at the cookie jar, and actually make time to look at our neighbor and say, "I see you."

Scott Brick Named Reader of the Year

2012-01-24T16:18:00.000-05:00

Scott Brick has been named 2011 Reader of the Year by Publishers Weekly. About Moneyball, PW said: “Brick skillfully navigates an unsteady sea of information to produce a flawless reading that will keep listeners enthralled for hours." About Mayday: “Scott Brick provides sizzling narration." About Washington: A Life, “Brick provides compelling vocal inflection in portraying the narrative’s many personal and political dramas. Some of the most emotionally powerful renderings include the passages related to Washington’s struggles with the issue of slavery and the experiences of daily life in the slave community on his plantations and in the family household.” Says Brick: "Very grateful for the nod, as they honored a few of my favorite books. Yes, I'm blushing." Full interview with Scott at this blog. About Washington: A Life:

Audiobooks Today: At 33 hours, is Washington--A Life by Ron Chernow the longest you've recorded as narrator?

Scott Brick: Well, it's definitely long, but maybe only the second or third longest yet. The longest was Atlas Shrugged at 62 hours. The Everest of audiobooks!

AT: What did you think of the book?
SB: I'd been looking forward to another Ron Chernow title from the moment I turned the last page while working on Alexander Hamilton. It didn't matter to me what the book was, or who it was about. Hamilton was that rare biography that read like fiction. When I heard Washington was on its way, I was ecstatic. I immediately cleared my schedule and dove in.

AT: You'd been waiting for it a while?

SB: I've found that when you look forward to something for five years or more, it's extremely hard to live up to expectations, which made this experience amazing as it exceeded those expectations and then some. I learned so many fascinating little facts about the life of Washington, things that I shared freely in the studio lunchroom to great effect. So many myths debunked, so many more tales of bravery and heroism that were deserving of myth-making. I didn't think it was possible to be a bigger fan of Ron Chernow than I was before, but I am. He's an extraordinary writer.

KATHY FRESTON Interview

2012-01-19T19:49:00.000-05:00

Kathy Freston is author of Quantum Wellness, Expect a Miracle, and The One, but is perhaps best known for VEGANIST, which is not so much a cookbook as a motivational treatise on lifestyle medicine, and is recommended for anyone who is overweight or suffering from ill health due to diabetes and heart disease, as well as those whose diet is ushering them into becoming victims of the junk food industry. Narrated by Karen White, it provides the latest background research arguing the case for a plant based diet while inspiring listeners to gradually make the changeover. Dr. Oz and Dr. Dean Ornish have written introductions to her books, which have also been recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Neal Barnard and others. She has appeared on Oprah, Ellen, Dr. Oz, The View, Good Morning America, and The Early Show, and is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post. What follows is my recent interview with her.

Q) What are the benefits to eating a vegetarian diet, and how soon are those benefits noticed by those who make the switch?

A) The benefits are many! The ADA says that “Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass, lower rates of death from heart disease, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, lower Type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.” And for vegans, it’s even better. Within the first week of eating vegan, weight begins to drop off. Within 2 weeks blood pressure and blood sugar drop, and within 3 weeks, cholesterol drops significantly. Plus, you just feel lighter, cleaner!

Q) Health care costs are rising, with people unprepared for the expenses of retirement. Then there is the recent report linking sausage to pancreatic cancer. How urgent do you believe the need for slower, unprocessed foods is, and how can America wean itself off of animal protein, given nearly constant fast food advertising on TV?

A) The goal is progress, not perfection. It’s too hard to change everything overnight, and the confusion or frustration will just have us returning to our old ways. The best thing to do is map out what your favorite meals are for the week, and then veganize them. It’s actually quite easy: instead of having a chicken burrito, have a black bean one. Homemade pizza can be made with a whole grain crust and nondairy cheese, along with veggie sausage or mushrooms. Dairy milk is easily swapped out for almond, rice, hemp our soy… same for ice creams. Gradually, you find that it’s quite easy to enjoy the traditional meals you grew up loving, only healthier versions of them.

 Q) The Food Network and The Cooking Channel, together with Man vs. Food and Diners, Driveins & Dives, plus Iron Chef and Top Chef. . .they all seem to feature meat as the main ingredient. On some shows, the object is to consume as much meat as possible. Anthony Bourdain has said critical things about vegetarians, saying they're not really living. Should the person concerned about moving to a healthier vegetarian diet stop watching all this food porn on TV? What shows are out there to help?

A) Dr. Oz has had some terrific shows about the benefits of eating vegan/plant-based. So has Ellen and Martha and even Charlie Rose had it as a topic. The more networks receive requests from viewers for different fare, the more likely you will see new and different content.

 Q) What do you recommend that people do to start? I know an incredible vegan buffet restaurant here in Tucson called "Govindas," and I love what they do with sauces and meat substitutes. How easy is it, though, for non-cooks like myself to utilize your recipes and tips?

A) A good place to start is to do Meatless Mondays, and they have great recipes on their website. You can also go to HappyCow.net to find great food in whatever town you live in or are visiting; just enter the zipcode and they will clue you in. By the way, I’m not a big cook either. I keep things super simple: soups, chili, burritos, etc. I always make twice as much as I need and freeze the rest so that I can use it the following week without bothering to cook afresh. Really though, just ease yourself into it and you’ll find your way. There is no right or wrong, only progress.

 Q) If someone can't do this cold turkey, so to speak, should they move from grain fed to grass fed beef as a start? It is healthier and more humane, right? And what kinds of fish?

A) Hard for me to comment on what meat to eat, because it all kind of breaks my heart! But in terms of ethics, if you opt for grass fed beef, that cow had a nicer life than a regular chicken to be sure. As well, one cow can feed many, many more people than one chicken, so there are less “units of suffering” in eating beef.

Q) What are your favorite vegetarian dishes, and why?

A) I love pasta because it’s easy to make or get in a restaurant, it’s comforting and filling, and… healthy (especially if it’s made from quinoa or brown rice.) Did you know that pasta gives you less of an insulin response than meat or fish? Most people would think the opposite, but it’s actually a low glycemic food. Primavera, veggie sausage, or cashew cream. Almost any kind is great! I always have a giant salad with it, too. I throw everything in my kitchen in the salad: lettuces, chickpeas, avocados, radishes, pears… you get the drift.

Q) What did you think of your narrator Karen White?

A) I think Karen did a great job!

 Q) How do you see moving to a plant based diet changing the world, and what's next for you in spreading this message?

A) We can change the world by moving toward more plant based food: healthier people, lower health care costs, cleaner environment, food for the poor, and more than anything a kinder, gentler culture. I have a new book coming out in April about weight loss, and I imagine I will be doing more TV and radio to promote both that and The Veganist. In only the last 5 years, meat consumption has gone down by 12%, so things are changing. Hallelujah!

From Enron to Goldman Sachs

2012-01-17T23:40:00.001-05:00

What can you say about one of the biggest (and first) big business scandals of the new Century. Deregulation from Clinton to George Bush, and now to Obama has led America to the brink of financial ruin. It was a license to steal, and the big banks did so by paying off politicians and ratings agencies and even professors of economics at Harvard. These CEOs stole from taxpayers and then awarded themselves huge bonuses because they could. Listen to financial chronicles or watch the documentary "Inside Job" and you'll learn that institutions "too big to fail" were being rated AAA right up to within days of those institutions declaring bankruptcy and demanding to be bailed out at public expense. Meanwhile they were selling securities to their customers which they themselves had bet against, and would profit from even as their investors tanked. Then they had the audacity to snub their own employees as they climbed into their luxury yachts and jets. ENRON by Lucy Prebble was a stage play, and is now an audiobook from L.A. Theatre Works, with Rosalyn Ayres directing a full cast. Call it an immorality tale showing how greed can blind people to everything but the bottom line--like a poker game gone wrong--and from which no one emerges unscathed. Stars are Steven Weber, Gregory Itzin and Amy Pietz with Chris Butler, Jackie Emerson, Greg Germann, Pamela J. Gray, Kasey Mahaffy, Jon Matthews, Julia McIlvaine, Russell Soder, Kenneth Alan Williams and Matthew Wolf.

Healthcare Shocker

2012-01-16T12:47:00.000-05:00

U.S. News & World Report says that, "A typical married couple age 65 can expect uninsured healthcare and nursing home costs of $260,000. There is a five-percent risk that costs will exceed $570,000. At a time when half of middle-income boomers have saved less than $100,000 for their entire retirement, it is easy to understand why middle-income Americans are concerned." Not only don't Americans realize that Medicare is not free, and that cuts are coming, but they fail to plan ahead, and instead continue to make unhealthy junk food choices while failing to exercise. Coca-Cola sales are up, despite warnings that addiction to high fructose corn syrup can lead to diabetes. PepsiCo and Conagra push corn and denuded white wheat or rice related products, since they are cheap to produce, but do not contain the nutrients present in buckwheat, millet, quinoa, barley, rye, and amaranth. Add an increase in television viewing, with hoards of out-of-work coach potatoes hanging on every word uttered by their favorite stars on the Golden Globes, or following the Kardashians while pigging out on KFC or Western Bacon Cheeseburgers, and an epidemic of obesity related diseases, including cancers, are on the horizon for many naive (and soon to be bankrupted) Americans. Looking to the government to come to the rescue is insane, given its black hole debt, (thanks to spending more on the military than all other countries in the world combined.) We have decided that terrorists pose a bigger threat to us than the health (or education) of our own citizens, and so we have written a blank check to the Pentagon to be paid by our obese, malnourished children. We protect other countries with foreign bases brimming with weapons, yet we still allow junk food into our schools, and watch endless commercials that jade us to the truth of what's happening. It's time to wake up. Listen to FOOD POLITICS by Marion Nestle, narrated by Kate Reading.

LUNATICS by Dave Barry

2012-01-13T19:21:00.001-05:00

If "absurd" and "zany" are adjectives you want to describe a comic novel, LUNATICS by Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel may be just the ticket. They also read the novel on audio, along with Mark Thompson, Sean Kenin, and Orlagh Cassidy. The plot concerns a pet shop owner and "forensic plumber" whose crossed paths and silly misadventures led to them becoming international criminals being sought by police. Into the soup are thrown a kidnapped lemur, arguments over politics and fashion, Donald Trump's hair, and just about every etiquette malfunction and bathroom joke you can imagine. The story is lobbed back and forth between the two like an explosive tennis ball you can't take your eyes from, utilizing short chapters alternately delivered. Everyone knows Barry as a longtime newspaper humor columnist, while Zweibel is an Emmy winning TV comedy writer (SNL to Curb Your Enthusiasm.) They play opposites here, for effect, but are essentially equal in their wish to tickle the same targeted funny bone.

We Need To Talk About Kevin

2012-01-10T13:17:00.000-05:00

When a school shooting happens, the public shakes their heads and inevitably asks the question, "What kind of parents let this happen?" Certainly parents have a decisive role in how children turn out, but in some cases the child may have been born with latent tendencies toward anti-social behavior. In WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN author Lionel Shriver explores the character of a woman named Eva, whose child murdered nine people just before his 16th birthday. Eva never bonded with Kevin, and now, two years after the murders (as Kevin faces adult prison), writes letters to her estranged husband trying to understand what happened, and how much of the blame she holds. Coleen Marlo narrates the novel, which was made into a movie in England starring Tilda Swinton. Thought provoking and deeply engaging, the story is well told by Marlo, whose precise and listenable voice is augmented by a sensitivity to tone, making the letters come alive. The writing is intelligent and well crafted, evoking consideration of how one parent can be blinded by optimism while the other is left to forge an understanding of cause and effect, leading to forgiveness. The 2003 novel has just been released on audio, since the movie is getting a wider release in America. The listener is left to think, if not to talk, about Kevin long afterward, given the honesty of the narrative and the twists of plot. Companion books I recommend to this include "The Sociopath Next Door,"by Martha Stout, read by Shelly Frasier; "The Psychopath Test" by Jon Ronson; and "Columbine" by Dave Cullen, read by Don Leslie.

UNDER THE SKIN by Michel Faber

2012-01-05T11:48:00.001-05:00

UNDER THE SKIN is an offbeat horror story by Michel Faber about an alien temptress who picks up muscular hitchhikers in order to have them processed as food by her superiors. The writing is superb, slowly revealing more about the character and her emotions about her situation. Two things are fascinating here, the one building to the other. First, we are forced to see a view of humanity from an intelligence outside our own, with a cold calculation imposed on it from a source without sympathy or empathy. (She has more empathy with a dog, and this fact leads us to consider the mystery of why societies dehumanize people outside their group or clan.) Then, nearer the end, we are forced to toy with empathy for this alien, since she is an outcast, being used by a system within her own species. It will be interesting to see how the movie version turns out, with Scarlett Johansson in the lead. As for the audiobook, narrator Gerri Halligan could hardly have been better chosen. She has all the Scottish and English accents down perfectly, and lends the production with a precise and affecting experience that leads to a subtle yet gripping pathos. In the upcoming movie THE WORDS, an aspiring writer claims another man's lost work, and pays the consequences. The movie stars Olivia Wilde, Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid, and Zoe Saldana. Question: are you really a writer if you steal another's writing? That's like wanting to be a baker by entering Cake Boss with a cake you just got from a caterer. Of course styles are mimicked by all aspiring writers, at first, until they come into their own. Certainly ideas are acquired from other sources through osmosis, too. But actual theft is again primarily the domain of Hollywood, since writers usually inhabit the bottom of the food chain there, and can include the director's out of work brother, or the director himself (which is usually the case, as here.) Since there is no full description of this movie as yet, we can only hope that it's as good as the movie it appears to mimic: Deathtrap.

GABBY by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly

2012-01-02T13:06:00.001-05:00

On January 8, 2011 Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot at a strip shopping mall on the corner of Ina and Oracle, about two miles from where I was living at the time. I'd shopped at the Safeway store there only a week prior, and so it was a double shock when six people were killed by a lone gunman (and thirteen wounded), placing Tucson in world headlines. Ironically, among Giffords legislative efforts were bills related to mental health, and she was named Legislator of the Year by the Mental Health Association of Arizona in 2004. The shooter was the mentally disturbed conspiracy theorist Jared Lee Loughner, a high school dropout who abused drugs and alcohol, and targeted Giffords after his 2007 question to her, "What is government if words have no meaning?" was not answered to his satisfaction. He bought his ammunition from Wal Mart, similar to the bomber and conspiracy nut in my own first novel. Obama spoke movingly at the University of Arizona following the shooting last year, in attendance with Gabrielle's husband Mark Kelly, an astronaut. Area TV stations are planning a remembrance on January 8. The audiobook biography of Gabrielle's (and Mark's) life is GABBY--A Story of Courage and Hope. Mark reads the book himself, along with Jeffrey Zaslow, and there is a final chapter read by Gabrielle herself that everyone should hear.

Will GABBY be made into a movie? Time will tell, but I would guess that plans are already in the works. Their story of recovery is certainly dramatic, and their lives in Congress and at NASA more fascinating than many fictional movies. Of course Hollywood is known for getting things wrong, and a potential director would clearly need to be careful about tone. But with Hollywood hurting for original scripts, no doubt someone will make the attempt at some point. Let's just hope they get a real writer, and not some producer's cousin whose last effort was a vampire flick. In the meantime, try to remember this formula for judging a film. I call it the Gun Quotient: The ratio of the time that someone in a movie is holding a gun relative to the total run time of the movie. The higher the ratio, the less likely the scriptwriter has any imagination.

It's a Wonderful Life, the Sequel

2011-12-27T11:48:00.001-05:00

Jimmy Stewart didn’t know at the time that this 1946 Frank Capra film would become the most played of his career, and a tradition for Christmas. It’s appropriate this New Year for two new reasons–we’re also coming out of a war (at least one of them), and trying to get over a greedy banker (or twelve.) One wonders if Bedford Falls existed today, would its park be occupied by protesters? The fictional town included 75 stores and buildings, one of the largest movie sets ever constructed. The original story was rejected multiple times, then eventually optioned by Cary Grant’s agent (although Grant never pursued it). Later, Dorothy Parker did an uncredited rewrite of the script. Product placement in the film included several brands of cigarette, and Coca-Cola. Potter, the greedy banker, originally sent attack dogs after George’s brother. The film didn’t make any money in its original run at theaters, either (in fact, it lost money.) And an FBI memo tried to link the film with communist sympathizers for “discrediting bankers.” Now, since Hollywood is enamored of sequels, it’s surprising in one way that it hasn’t happened (although a guy who did commercials for Coke and Budweiser tried.) The daunting thing about a sequel is not merely coming up with a script, but finding an actor who could create enough magic on screen to avoid being laughed at in comparison with Stewart. A few actors that might pull it off are Daniel Day-Lewis, Jeff Bridges, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Sean Penn. I suggest making it a comedy with a heart of gold, like Planes, Trains and Automobiles. George’s son is sitting in Zuccotti park on Christmas eve, homeless since losing his job and his house foreclosure. He meets a lady who just quit her job as a broker, leaving with inside information about shady dealings at Goldman Sachs. She’d signed a confidentiality agreement, and now someone is following her. Distrustful of the NY Times, she is looking for an editor at Adbusters at the rally, and mistook George Jr. for her contact to publish what she has. Then she is grabbed by two men and taken toward a black van. George Jr. intervenes to rescue her, and they go on the run. When they go to Kinkos to digitize the files she has, the black van appears. She calls Adbusters, but neither the magazine which began OWS nor WikiLeaks can afford to supply them with hot dogs, much less hotel rooms. . . although there’s a safe house in eastern Long Island, if they can make it. A road trip unfolds, through suburban neighborhoods festooned with For Sale signs. They get lost and can’t find the house, and end up being chased to the beach house of a Hollywood producer in Montauk, who is looking for actors to star in his It’s a Wonderful Life sequel under the working title Occupy Bedford Falls. With new material, the producer is now torn between movie and documentary.

What Every BODY Is Saying

2011-12-23T21:17:00.001-05:00

Short of using a lie detector, it's hard to take people at their word, these days. Especially politicians and used car salesmen. If you've wondered how to tell what someone is really thinking, WHAT EVERY BODY IS SAYING by Joe Navarro will teach you how to read body language: what to look for, and what gestures and postures really mean. In addition to a discussion of brain science and nonverbal cues (not just facial expressions, but also arm, leg, torso and hand positioning), a PDF file included in the audiobook illustrates the concepts discussed. Paul Costanzo reads this insightful book co-written by an ex FBI man and a PH.D.

Halo Grasslands by Karen Traviss

2011-12-21T11:25:00.000-05:00

Once again, loyalties are tested in a blasted future of brutal war which yawns between episodes of peace. In HALO: Grasslands by Karen Traviss, the franchise of novels based on the video game continues as Kilo-Five is recruited to accelerate the Sangheili insurrection. A shield world guards a treasure of Forerunner technology which may change the game, but does the game ever really change in the end? Euan Morton narrates this latest episode, which develops its own side stories at its own pace. The writing is good, regardless of how much new is learned about the Spartans and others, as the experience Traviss has in writing screenplays and other gaming franchises such as Star Wars and Gears of War comes to bear here. Scottish actor Morton, as narrator, has a sharp yet versatile English voice, lending dimension to both male and female characters. Now if only someone would imagine a universe where the basest of primitive brainstem urges doesn't propel everybody to bloodlust and power over others. But I suppose that's asking too much. What would you do with the video game controllers and fire buttons?

The Devil's Elixir by Raymond Khoury

2011-12-20T18:28:00.001-05:00

Richard Ferrone is an ideal narrator for THE DEVIL'S ELIXIR by Raymond Khoury, about a lost Central American drug capable of inducing a very unique experience, with FBI agent Sean Reilly and his archaeologist girlfriend Tess Chaykin facing brutal drug kingpins to uncover the truth and protect their son. Ferrone excels at crime thrillers, and his deep voice here leads intriguingly down jungle paths in a formula suspense reminiscent of Clive Cussler, beginning back in 1700s Mexico and moving to the present day to establish character relationships. Khoury previously penned The Last Templar, The Sanctuary, The Sign, and The Templar Salvation, also narrated by Ferrone.

Driving to the End of the World

2011-12-18T22:55:00.000-05:00

Met Mark McMahon at the Tucson street fair, and he gave me his book Driving to the End of the World on audio, which he also narrates. He's a former dentist, and one day about ten years ago took off from Tucson to drive all the way to the bottom of South America, encountering difficult terrain, insects, engine problems, relationship problems, and thieves. In the end, the experience changed his life (as travel is wont to do). So he became something of a Buddhist, at least in philosophy. (Nothing wrong with that... when is the last time a Buddhist strapped on a bomb to force others to accept their views?) It's an interesting book, well told, about finding purpose in life, which in this case isn't more money, fame, and "success" as defined by pop culture, but rather getting in touch with who you are, and slowing down to notice nature and other people around you. Since he's self published, you'll need to contact Mark here to get the audiobook, although the paperback is on Amazon. His story reminded me of another adventurer I once interviewed, a former social worker named John Caldwell, who took off one day with his family from Los Angeles to sail around the world, ending up at Prune Island in the Grenadines. John spent 20 years developing Prune in a paradise he renamed Palm, after getting a 99 year lease to develop it (for a song, the place was a mosquito infested hell hole at the time.) His story inspired my own embellished version, and since John's death I see the place is now a tourist hot spot visited by upscale yachting types. I added some of the same philosophy to my novel, with the main character wondering just what really matters in this life. We think we want wealth and fame, but all we really own is the present moment, and the friends we make in those moments.

Tom Cruise, Stealth Drones, and a Scary Tower

2011-12-14T00:21:00.001-05:00

Koreans didn't see the controversy in their new architectural design. It's not the first plan for the construction due to begin in 2013. It wasn't meant to resemble the World Trade Center attack. Designer is a Dutch firm, with the Yongsan Development Company overseeing the project in central Seoul. A director was "totally surprised and bewildered" by the accusation and criticism. Said Seo Hee-seok, "It felt something like a novel." If so, perhaps this is that novel, which involves quantum entanglement, developers, and also postulates a captured stealth drone attacking buildings like the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (resembling another story making news involving the capture by Iran of an unmanned recon drone.) Then there's the new Tom Cruise movie Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol, in which Tom repels down the side of Burj Khalifa (and without a stunt double, no less.) Did you note the last lines of Ghost Protocol where Ethan receives his next assignment with the line "they've taken control of our drone fleet"? Is quantum entanglement involved here? Read and decide, because time will tell what happens in the news. The novel is an ebook on KINDLE, NOOK, and iBOOKS, and now an audiobook narrated by Paul Heitsch.

The Layover with Anthony Bourdain

2011-12-13T13:11:00.002-05:00

Generally speaking, TV is evil. Granted, this is a minority view, given that crowds are (this very moment) either "flocking" or waddling to Best Buy for wide-screen high-def cable-ready even 3D monstrosities, while X Box is reaping bonuses for their Microsoft managers in the multi-millions. But I say it anyway. Why? Consider all the wasted time involved in watching junk game shows and naval picking talk shows and truck commercials. America could balance the budget in one year, without TV. Still, there are a few rare moments when I'm not listening to books, and many of those moments include watching (besides 60 Minutes or NOVA or Frontline) No Reservations and The Layover. I think they should just broadcast Anthony Bourdain continuously: all Tony all the time, so on those rare occasions whenever we do need a diversion, there he is. Do we really need Top Chef, Iron Chef, Cake Boss, and a zillion other cooking shows on The Food Network or the Cooking Channel? No, we do not. . . not anymore than we need endless documentaries on Hitler’s bodyguards or Ancient Aliens or Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Kick the Kardashians out. Tony can stay. Why? You don’t get pretense with Bourdain. You’re not stuck in the kitchen with perfectionists who care more about winning than enjoying anything. You don’t get egomaniacs or gotta-be-famous zero-self-esteem lemmings vying for workaholic Gordon Ramsay to crown them with some title other than “Loser,” (or flaky History Channel pseudoscience UFO nutjobs yammering about the latest evidence they never get around to produce.) With Tony you get reflection, opinion, and a humorous spin. He’s not a rabid sports jarhead, either. True, he eats a lot of meat, and so is not a friend of any animal with tasty flesh. But he’s not fat, either. (Which is a mystery, given his age, and how much beer he consumes. Tony, if you’re reading this, please leave a comment including your secret.) Anyway, although I’m not a foodie who sees the world through the lens of a white wine bottle, I say bravo, but not to Bravo or even Direct TV. Those guys want you to see your friends as $100 bills (or Benjamins, as a bonus to sign them up) so they can add more infomercials and televangelists. What I recommend is you buy Tony’s audiobooks (like Medium Raw), and turn the damn TV off after Tony signs off. Otherwise you’ll start gaining water on the brain while watching ESPN and Neil Cavuto. In short, Tony is a real writer, not just a chef, and would probably agree with me as I now say, “Better dead than Unread.”

SHOCKING CHILLS

2011-12-13T11:56:00.001-05:00

Why is it that readers want to have the same experience in reading a book (or listening to it)? Many complain when a book is different than what they expected, or when a movie doesn't deliver according to Hollywood formula. I recall going to see Blair Witch Project, and at the end a guy on the front row stands up and yells, "That was the biggest waste of time ever!" He was so certain, so secure in his assessment that he imagined not one person in the audience could possibly disagree. Now, true, the movie was not a masterpiece, but it was different and original. And it also gave me a creepy feeling at the end, when someone supposedly dead is standing there in that cabin in the woods, staring at the corner. This idiot yelling his opinion wasted some of that effect for me. Maybe he eats at McDonalds every day too, and (like someone I know) prides himself on what he won't do, including travel outside his home state. All of us, to some degree or another, think our view of things is the correct one, and nothing new is worth exploring. So we go to movies or read books that our closest friends tell us are worthy of our time. Alas, these "friends," while well meaning, are usually chosen by us because they think like we do. They're also likely to be influenced by Top 10 lists and Entertainment Tonight, and peer pressure to be "cool" (meaning conformist rather than what it should mean--original.) You need to remind yourself to think outside the box once in a while. (Even Lady Gaga does that.) Otherwise Lloyd Blankfein and Coca-Cola will own you. (Bankrupted by Goldman Sachs CEO and his ilk, and a diabetic also hooked on that "always satisfying" McFat burger.) Where's the beef? It's being huddled into dirt pens, fed grain it wasn't meant to eat, and just when the animals are about to die--bloated--they're slaughtered for McPatties. There's some horror you never see, either. Okay, now for a couple offbeat horror novels for you. Chris Patton reads DEEP BLUE by the award winning David Niall Wilson, about a poor musician who stumbles into range of an old blues harmonica player, who teaches him the secret of playing from the soul. Only there's a price to pay on the road to recovery and redemption, which may include ghosts and demons. So be careful if you're looking for fame and fortune. In CREATURES OF THE POOL by Ramsey Campbell a walking tour guide in search of his missing father in Liverpool (Campbell's home town) discovers a race of misfits living among--and below--the "normal" people. Andy Rowe narrates this atmospheric fictional memoir. Neither of these books resemble the fast page-turning thrillers of, say, James Patterson, of course. But they are not meant to do so. There is no formula here. There's no buckets of blood being splashed around. A few drops will do, as less is more. You don't come away empty handed, either. If you look close, there might be a drop on the line in your palm known as the "life line." Do you want chills or shocks? Sometimes shocks are boring, while chills can be shocking in their rarity, these days. All you need is a little patience. Wait for it. Wait... Ahhh, there it is. Worth the wait?

ONE FOR THE MONEY by Janet Evanovich

2011-12-10T12:05:00.001-05:00

Janet Evanovich's latest novel is EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN, but somehow it just doesn't have the magic of her earlier novels, particularly the first, ONE FOR THE MONEY, which has recently been made into a Tri-Star film starring Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum, and showing how Plum became a bond hunter after losing her job as a lingerie buyer. Vinnie, Morelli, and all the offbeat characters are spot-on in the book (and now the movie), so delightfully real and quirky that Evanovich had women lining up by the thousand for years in book signings. Hundreds still do, but, alas, more than just one book a year since 2002 tends to overwork a character, and jade readers as romance fades. If only she was up to seven now instead of eighteen, we might not now be witnessing the end of Stephanie Plum in the hearts of readers, although the film will certainly revive interest in those unfamiliar. Just don't expect the movie sequels to reach eighteen. Costly movies are far more relentlessly focused on box office than books. My own interview with Evanovich is here, where you'll discover which narrator Janet prefers to read her books on audio.

SHATNER RULES by William Shatner

2011-12-07T13:05:00.001-05:00

Your beloved Captain of the Enterprise has moved on, and says "others have not." Most notably, the cast members who regularly appear at Star Trek conventions. Is William Shatner an egomaniac? He confesses to it, saying all Hollywood stars are egomaniacs. SHATNER RULES is a funny autobiography, full of wit, wisdom, and not a few puns at the expense of those who take themselves too seriously. Written with Chris Regan, it is narrated throughout by Shatner himself. Star Trek fan or not, it's a tour guide of Hollywood (and one of the biggest and most amusing) egos in it. . .

THE MASK OF ZORRO with Val Kilmer

2011-12-06T17:59:00.001-05:00

Congrats to Blackstone Audio, and producer/director Yuri Rasovsky, for being nominated for a Grammy Award for THE MASK OF ZORRO, which stars Val Kilmer as the voice of Zorro, plus a full cast. The audiobook is based on Johnston McCulley’s The Curse of Capistrano, first published in 1919 by the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly. The production is a 2012 Grammy Nominee for Best Spoken Word Album, and is available for download from Audible. Kilmer gives the same kind of nuanced performance he did in the movie Tombstone, and, by the way, is set to play Wyatt Earp in 2012 in "The First Ride of Wyatt Earp," plus a lead in "The Goats," based on the young adult novel by Brock Cole about two kids left on an island at a summer camp lake.

The Dirty Parts of the Bible

2011-12-05T18:51:00.001-05:00

Bruce Miles achieves a remarkable symbiosis with the main character of THE DIRTY PARTS OF THE BIBLE by Sam Torode, performing this most unusual love fantasy, which features Tobias Henry--son of a Baptist preacher--who sets off on a road trip to Texas (in 1936) yielding many offbeat delights. Imagine a young Garrison Keillor, minus any inhibitions, who jumps on a rail car in search of adventure, girls, and lost treasure. Tobias has been repressed, distressed, and obsessed, and now he'll discover just what those passages in the Bible really mean--and in real life--before it's too late (or he turns into his father.) The text is funny and quirky, with plenty of odd "Lake Wobegon" types raised on hell fire preaching, afraid to dance or drink or look at a woman's ankles. Can Tobias find life and love before he dies? Narrator Miles is on track, consistently prepared to deliver the proper tone, steering the story's arc with a wide range of emotional identities, from singing to weeping. Always believable, the audio version is a must hear. Highly recommended.

The Patrick Scott Smokin' Mysteries

2011-12-03T19:01:00.001-05:00

Patrick Scott is actually two people. Patrick refers to Pat Fraley, a voice talent and voice talent teacher. Scott is Scott Brick, a narrator of some renown interviewed at this blog. Their reverse split personality is a creation for the audiobook THE PATRICK SCOTT SMOKIN' MYSTERIES, a compilation of audio whodunitism (is that a word?) featuring a bevy of talented students acting out these short scenarios of crime for the benefit of Vous (which is definitely a word, albeit in French.) Noir is another word which may apply, however tangentially. Suffice it to say the stories (written by Fraley and hosted by Brick) also include their acting talents, and feature plays on words. So pay attention. The three hour production includes a live interview with the late Frank Muller (also interviewed at this blog), who was (and remains) one of the most revered performers in the audiobook world. Frank talks about how he worked, and prepared to read the classics and mysteries he did, plus anecdotes about reading the work of his friend, Stephen King. Proceeds from the audiobook benefit the Frank Muller family, as a tribute. So kick back, close your eyes, and try to solve these entertaining mysteries before Patrick Scott clicks his stopwatch to stop time--and your beating heart--forever. (Brick by Brick Audio/Blackstone; produced by Patrick Fraley)

THE DESCENDANTS by Kaui Hart Hemmings

2011-12-02T00:50:00.001-05:00

Our friend narrator Jonathan Davis reads THE DESCENDANTS by Kaui Hart Hemmings on audio, which became the movie starring George Clooney. It concerns the trustee and part owner of a pristine parcel of Hawaiian beachfront property whose wife is in a coma, and who then learns she's been having an affair (with whom is yet another kicker.) Now Mr. King must attend to his family in a way he's neglected up to now, particularly his daughters. Hawaiian cousins there are many, and most of them hope to be rich soon, which puts this decision maker in a pickle in deciding whether to sell, and to whom. As a debut novel, it's a believable and quirky work, and Hemmings is particularly adept at framing dialogue which sounds authentic, while ringing truth from a man's mid life crisis. Davis too is excellently matched at rendering the text even more believable on audio, as his skills at character creation and balance of tone are amplified by his consistent and unerring sense of development or evolution. Having seen the film, I can recommend it, too. Clooney has a gift for inhabiting a character's persona, and he is comfortable at being uncomfortable in King's skin. Both seriously sad and funny at the same time, the film and book are reminiscent of the book and movie "Sideways," and indeed both movies have the same director. Which movie is better is a matter of taste, and although it is perhaps unfair to compare films, they are both similar in tone as well, (as was "About Schmidt," another incredible--albeit small--film directed by Alexander Payne, the source book of which was narrated by George Guidall.) I suppose I'll not see "The Descendants" again, although I'm glad I did see it. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind seeing "Sideways" again (or "About Schmidt" just for its uniquely emotional ending), since the self destructive hilarity of these films, together with their touching self revelations, are truly memorable. (The audio version for "Sideways" was narrated by Scott Brick.) Director Payne is certainly someone to watch, and despite his comments on Charlie Rose that he's just making nice films he doesn't think are particularly important ("$$$"), these are just the kind of films that Hollywood needs to make more of---as opposed to big, loud, and trashy 3D special effects blockbusters with 1D characters. These three movies are certainly among my own favorites.

MICRO by Michael Crichton

2011-12-01T13:28:00.001-05:00

John Bedford Lloyd narrates Crichton's last and unfinished story, MICRO, written by Richard "The Hot Zone" Preston in a similar tone and (slow buildup of) style. Set in Hawaii, the novel explores nanotechnology, with murderous tiny robots and bugs terrorizing the principals. Beware, arachnophobes! The book is perhaps a bit padded with simplistic dialogue and characterization, plus a credibility-stretching Fantastic Voyage subplot, but none of that will trouble Michael Crichton fans who will never get another novel. The science, though fictional, is mostly plausible, and the action does have its payoff in the end, and without the relentless (and less reasoned) approach taken by most slasher serial killer novels.
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For a new collection of lost stories by Daphne du Maurier (author of Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, and the superbly narrated Frenchman's Creek) try THE DOLL. These lost (and also last) stories are narrated by Wanda McCaddon, and contain O. Henry type tales ranging from gothic horror to romance, and are well told with an innate sensitivity. The stories were originally published in magazines in the 1930s, and are just now available on audio.

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

2011-11-28T12:40:00.001-05:00

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins is narrated by Carolyn McCormick, and is set in a future when the United States has collapsed due to debt, war, famine, and reality TV. (In other words, we're pretty much on this path now.) Take American Gladiator, Survivor, and Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, and imagine that twelve defeated "districts" (ie. States) must now send two representatives to compete in win-or-die matches by the government (ie. the Super Rich.) Naturally, everyone has to watch, pretty much like you have to watch the Superbowl or be considered an outcast by society (or the 2012 Election Debates to see the hunger coming). This first book of the young adult trilogy was written in 2008, and is getting renewed attention due to the blockbuster movie being released in March, 2012, with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. Also starring is Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Willow Shields, Stanley Tucci, Alexander Ludwig, Isabella Fuhrman, Amandla Stenberg, Wes Bentley, Donald Sutherland, Tody Jones, Lenny Kravitz, and Leven Rambin. (The other two books in the trilogy are Catching Fire and Mockingjay.) Other movies based on books are THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Stellan Skarsgård, and Robin Wright. JOHN CARTER, an SF adventure based on Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, starring Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins. A remake of TOTAL RECALL, based on the Philip K. Dick story, will star Kate Beckinsale, Colin Farrell, and Jessica Biel (due August 2012). Before these, look for CARNAGE, starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet and John C. Reilly, based on Yasmina Reza's play "God of Carnage." She also wrote ART, which is on audio from L.A. Theatre Works, starring Brian Cox, Jeff Perry, and Bob Balaban.

MY LITTLE TOWN by Garrison Keillor

2011-11-27T12:30:00.001-05:00

MY LITTLE TOWN refers to Lake Wobegon, location for Garrison's many quirky and imaginative ruminations on family life separated from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Nostalgic and tender, as well as fiercely independent (stubborn) in defending their right to be odd, he weaves stories of individuals we've met or would like to meet--funny on purpose or funny by accident. Here are 18 more taken from his live show. Interview with Garrison here.

WASHINGTON RULES by Andrew Bacevich

2011-11-25T13:25:00.001-05:00

In WASHINGTON RULES, Andrew Bacevich shows why change in American foreign policy is inevitable, and should be approached with courage instead of a blind refusal to face the new socio-economic realities of the 21st Century. Sean Runnette narrates this education of a "thinking military man," a phrase which should no longer be an oxymoron. in WIRED FOR WAR author P.W. Singer outlines the future of war, if we continue to go into debt with military spending, and if Moore's Law also continues apace. What will happen is anyone's guess, but as an ancient Chinese curse put it, "may you live in interesting times." Thoughts?

TOMB OF THE GOLDEN BIRD by Elizabeth Peters

2011-11-22T20:49:00.001-05:00

Looking back in time instead of forward, Elizabeth Peters has her own Tomb Raider-style franchise going, with a collection of historical mysteries featuring the eccentric Emersons. In TOMB OF THE GOLDEN BIRD Radcliffe and Amelia go in search of a treasure in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, while their rivals--Lord Carnarvon and Carter--discover King Tut's tomb. But of course all such discoveries are said to have curses, and so when an odd group of villains begin to demand the location of a mysterious "someone" who has been lost, Amelia must think beyond her own predicament to avoid a regional war. Best thing about this audiobook, though, is narrator Barbara Rosenblat, the most talented female reader in the business. She could breathe life into a rusty nail, if she had too. Not that there's anything rusty in this series, just adventure, wit, and wisdom from an author boasting a Ph.D. in Egyptology, and a Grand Master award from the Mystery Writers of America.

Movies Based On Books

2011-11-21T16:49:00.001-05:00

There are literally hundreds of movies based on books. For a list of most, download the PDF here. TV shows also cannibalize books, especially series. PRETTY LITTLE LIARS is based on the novels by Sara Shepard. GOSSIP GIRL is based on novels by Cecily von Ziegesar. BONES is based on novels by Kathy Reichs. DEXTER is based on Jeff Lindsay's novels. VAMPIRE DIARIES is based on L.J. Smith's books. RIZZOLI & ISLES are characters by Tess Gerritsen. TRUE BLOOD is from novels by Charlaine Harris. These can be downloaded as ebooks from iTunes, or better yet download the audiobook and enjoy a professional actor performing the book for you. Not just what some Hollywood screenwriter decides should be included, but every word!

Hackers Attack Utilities (Explained)

2011-11-21T11:44:00.001-05:00

In 2001 America came under attack in the most visible way possible, but now, a decade later, we are learning that America is vulnerable to attack by hackers, who target water utilities and other government services. The internet is the latest battlefield, where cyber attacks and spyware successfully plunder secrets from corporate and military targets in the U.S.. According to Joel Brenner, a global risk management consultant and former National Security adviser, human spies are becoming obsolete due to increasingly sophisticated malware and executable programs that invade computer systems to do the bidding of unseen enemies. Little is safe anymore, since professional, state-sponsored hackers exploit not just code flaws but also human naivety to steal and mine data. In his new book AMERICA THE VULNERABLE--Inside the New Threat Matrix of Digital Espionage, Crime, and Warfare, the author reveals startling gaps in the security of the banking industry, the Pentagon, and the research and development arms of technology companies. Not only is the credit card information of millions up for grabs, but trade secrets and source code valued in the billions, as when China stole a Navy radar system which took years to develop. In one case, Russia distributed thousands of secretly corrupted thumb drives until one was used by a covert military worker who uploaded a picture of his baby on a "secure" computer, and unknowingly installed an executable file that relayed classified information back to Russia via the internet. In another case, Iran hacked into Predator drone aircraft systems, and saw the same images the controllers saw in real time, relaying the feed so that insurgents could avoid detection. Every time we use our credit cards, or our cell phones, or visit a website which may or may not be phishing for data, we leave a trail that can be traced and exploited. Companies are fighting back, but according to Brenner, nothing is 100% safe from criminals with ingenious methods and cutting-edge technology. His book is a must read for security personnel hoping to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons or attacking our power grids, or for anyone else wishing to protect themselves or their companies from attack. Available also is GHOST IN THE WIRES, Kevin Mitnick's memoir about how he hacked phone companies nationwide for years, creating false identities while conning security employees into helping him mine their data by pretending to be an employee himself.

THE HISTORY OF WESTERN ART

2011-11-20T17:50:00.001-05:00

THE HISTORY OF WESTERN ART is a broad view of art history by Renaissance man Peter Whitfield, who covers the subject from ancient times to the modern dilemma of defining what art is. An intriguing connection between past ideals & beliefs, and our current estrangement from the natural world is discussed, as modern deconstruction has led us into a box canyon of perpetual revolution without agreed upon parameters. It's all covered in four CDs, from Greek & Roman & Christian art to Baroque, Romantic, Impressionism and Avant-Garde (and including commentary on architecture, architects, and artists), and is read by Sebastian Comberti, with classical music accompaniment.

HEAT featuring Mario Batali

2011-11-17T19:28:00.001-05:00

Mario Batali made news recently, siding with the Occupy Wall Street movement, and angering the rich--who are about the only ones who can afford to eat at some of his restaurants. In his memoir HEAT, New Yorker staff writer Bill Buford detailed his experience working in the kitchen of Babbo, a famous New York restaurant run by Batali. Batali is not quite as bullying as Gordon Ramsay on the TV show "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares," but one wonders what he thinks of the subtitle: "An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany." The memoir is different than "Kitchen Confidential" too. And Buford is not without humor as well. He's a sharp observer--not just of slicing and dicing. He actually tells a story, instead of just being offered a job as prize while we watch other fumbling wanna-be chefs get insulted and yelled at for being amateurs. My advice? Skip the TV, and get this audiobook, which Buford narrates himself with an enthusiastic mastery of timing.
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Another older memoir suitable for the present moment was penned by Willie Nelson as his own short inspirational book titled THE TAO OF WILLIE, and subtitled "A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart." Texas Monthly writer and friend Turk Pipkin helped him write it, and both authors read it with the help of veteran narrator Tom Stechschulte. Willie's 250 albums have sold 50 million copies, and this was his third semi-biographical book, just sharing lessons learned, plus jokes and wisdom. So if you don't know Willie's story, or need some friendly advice on life from a man who's been around the block a few times, this is a refreshing bit of common sense. Stuff that often gets left behind in an age of gangster rap and insane grifter politics.

Killer Instinct by Joseph Finder

2011-11-17T12:46:00.001-05:00

In KILLER INSTINCT by Joseph Finder a young executive named Jason Steadman is trying to cope with his wife's urging that he climb the corporate ladder at an electronics firm so that they can enjoy a better life. But Jason doesn't really have the killer instinct that his rival, a consistent top salesman, does. Then Jason meets an ex Special Forces officer who was dishonorably discharged in Iraq. Kurt Semko was once drafted by a major baseball team, and so Jason gives him a chance by hiring him as a security officer--primarily because the company team needs a pitcher. Soon, Jason is moving up the ladder quickly, thanks to some "accidents" his rivals seem to be having. Can you see where this is going? The suspense is narrated by Scott Brick, who slowly builds the tension into a believable predicament that anyone might find themselves in once they become friends with a sociopath. As a bonus, there follows an interview between author Joseph Finder and Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote "Blink" and "The Tipping Point," on the nature of interoffice politics.

BOOK OF DAYS by Steve Rasnic Tem

2011-11-14T19:47:00.001-05:00

Fear can make a man do strange things, have odd dreams and recollections. . . especially when that fear has led him to abandon his children. Yet Cal has not forgotten them, nor does he want to shirk his responsibilities. Rather, he attempts to understand himself and the monumental task of parenthood in an age when trucks roar through school crossings and pedophiles lurk online, seeking prey. BOOK OF DAYS by Steve Rasnic Tem has elements of horror, fantasy, and even romance to it, but it's really a poetic homage to childhood itself, when we conjured entire worlds out of sticks in mud, and the future held limitless promise. Cal, returning to his own childhood memories, chronicles his own personal calendar, making spontaneous, visceral connections between past events in aid of present understanding. People, particularly dead writers, inform his awareness of his fear. You will not be shocked by any of it. Rather, you will nod acknowledgment of the empires in the clouds which were once your own, and are now your child's gift. Prepare for an unusual experience that is also, in a magical way, familiar. Narrator Nathan Lowell is ideal to voice the character, as he possesses the right sense of timing and tone, knowing just when the sentences need to flow together like a poem. CrossRoad Press.

The New New Rules by Bill Maher

2011-11-14T09:12:00.001-05:00

Bill Maher is up to his old tricks with THE NEW NEW RULES, which he also reads on audio. Satirical and funny, these observations are taken from his show from 2005 to 2011, and demonstrate his outrage (or rather disgust) at the stupidity of politicians and the great unwashed which they've duped. A perfect companion to Griftopia or How the West Was Lost (see the business category), it may help you vent your frustrations and thereby keep you from driving while texting and eating (while trying to put on a sweater over your head) as you make a left turn through a busy intersection.

DEVIL'S GATE by Clive Cussler

2011-11-14T09:02:00.001-05:00

Cussler teams with Graham Brown for another NUMA adventure, DEVIL'S GATE, featuring an extortion plot against world cities, beginning with Washington DC. Longtime narrator Scott Brick takes the helm again, steering characters Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala into multiple dangers from the sea floor to darkest Africa. Cussler's disparate plot threads gather like a fishing net bearing surprise treasures in a trademark blockbuster formula that rarely disappoints. Be sure to download our interview with Cussler via the banner below, and also see my interview with narrator Scott Brick on this blog.

AMERICAN DESPERADO by Evan Wright

2011-11-12T00:07:00.001-05:00

AMERICAN DESPERADO by journalist Evan Wright is the chronicle of "Cocaine Cowboy" Jon Roberts, the man most responsible for the transport of the drug into America during the Medellin Cartel's heydays in the 1980s. Besides being a smuggler, Roberts was also an assassin during the Vietnam War, and was then recruited by a Republican Congressman and the CIA to fly guns to rebels into Nicaragua. Roberts, an admitted sociopath without feelings, also displays classic signs of the psychopath, including a need to brag about and exaggerate his exploits. Wright attempts to verify the conversations he had with Roberts, with only partial success. So we are left to believe the account or not. Certainly Roberts is evil, repeatedly saying how evil is "stronger than good"(a motto learned from his father, who coldly killed a man in front of him as a child to show him "the way.") But oddly, while trying to convince us he's one of the worst human beings to ever live, (witness his murder of children, skinning people alive, firebombing houses, not to mention the relish he takes in describing how best to disable a victim quickly by cracking a knee and stabbing an eye), he occasionally claims to regret his choices, hoping his son doesn't become like him. This is certainly one of the most disturbing books ever written. Tour guides into Roberts' heart of darkness include Erik Davies, Mark Deakins, and Christina Rooney, among others, all of whom enhance the text with appropriate seriousness or flippancy of tone, showing how morally clueless a sociopath is, and also how dangerous to those who underestimate him for his charm.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

2011-11-09T12:38:00.002-05:00

Lots of new biographies out this month, including THEN AGAIN by Diane Keaton, which she also reads. The actress talks about life with her mother, Dorothy Hall. NO HIGHER HONOR by Condoleezza Rice is an extensive memoir of her life in Washington, also read by the author. THE TIMES OF OUR LIVES by Tom Brokaw is a conversation about America, from the Greatest Generation to our current malaise of debt and stalemate, along with his hopes for a return to can-do pride. He also reads. ENJOY EVERY SANDWICH, written and read by Dr. Lee Lipsenthal, is the inspiring chronicle of a preventive medicine research institute director who not only survived cancer, but came to enjoy life more in the process. Dr. Dean Ornish reads the introduction. BLUE NIGHTS by Joan Didion is a sensitive portrayal about the writer's losing her daughter, read by Kimberly Farr. Then there's IS EVERYONE HANGING OUT WITHOUT ME? by Mindy Kaling, an actress and comedy writer for The Office. Her humorous observations about dating, shopping, and friendship in Hollywood as a fight starter from India is voiced by the author, plus BJ Novak, Mike Schur, and Brenda Withers. Moving completely over to the fictional side, I AM HALF SICK OF SHADOWS by Alan Bradley is a Christmas murder mystery set in England, narrated by Jayne Entwistle; and REVAN by Drew Karpyshyn is an Old Republic Star Wars novel about a terrible secret half-remembered by a returning and disgraced Jedi whose memory is erased (about what went down on the Outer Rim). Reader is veteran Star Wars performer Marc Thompson, and the novel is based on the video game from Bioware and LucasArts.

BACK TO WORK by Bill Clinton

2011-11-08T11:39:00.000-05:00

BACK TO WORK is Bill Clinton's version of Obama's THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, with solid economic advice and an appeal for national cooperation. Although Clinton's one big economic blunder was to sign into law a Republican repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999, which allowed investment banks to trade in mortgage backed securities (and led to the 2008 collapse on Wall Street), he admits to this mistake, and now urges us to learn from our mistakes and move together toward a solvent economic future, as was the case during his administration (until it was derailed by Bush's war and Greenspan's spendthrift ways). As usual, and particularly now, Clinton sounds honest and smart, despite the fact that history has shown him to have the heart and soul of a politician (meaning he will say and do whatever it takes to look good.) Given our current disastrous economy, in fact, most people today would care not a wit about his personal life, and would vote him into office again in a heartbeat over all contenders--Democratic, Republican, or Tea Party.

The Greatest Video Game Music

2011-11-08T10:03:00.000-05:00

One of the most unique ideas for a classical album in years, the London Philharmonic has recorded THE GREATEST VIDEO GAME MUSIC for Naxos, including twenty-one themes from current and classic games, as composed by the original artists (from Hans Zimmer and Stephen Barton to Mahito Yokota and Michael Hunter).

ZERO DAY by David Baldacci

2011-11-04T13:57:00.000-04:00

It's a slice of America for an Army CID Warrant Officer: an impoverished coal mining town full of squatters and jobless folk, an abandoned government project no one knows much about, and the murder of a military family in rural West Virginia. In ZERO DAY by David Baldacci main character John Puller is sent to investigate, but runs into roadblocks, first with civilian detective Samantha Cole, created on audio by narrator Orlagh Cassidy, (who plays off the main narrator, veteran Baldacci pro Ron McLarty). Cassidy sounds a little like Chief Johnson on The Closer, and her character ultimately flirts with Puller in banter and dialogue-exchange that's an efficient way of advancing the plot. Cassidy also voices other female characters, changing her inflection and tone to suit the occasion, thereby keeping any confusion from arising about who is speaking. With a dialogue-heavy text, it was a good choice to have two narrators, regardless of McLarty's skills, since it aids the book's "suspension of disbelief." On rare occasions sound effects are added for color, as when Puller is almost killed in an explosion. Is this a police procedural or a National Security related thriller? Well, both. The plot twists coming are not telegraphed, and a backstory involving Puller's Army hero father and convicted scientist brother round out an intriguing new addition to Baldacci's treasury.

Train to Romance

2011-10-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

As a genre, romance has tended to fluctuate between the sappy and steamy, taking stock characters on a predictable roller coaster ride that ends with either a wedding or some twist on revenge. In recent years, romance has strayed into mystery and suspense in a crossover attempt to win a wider audience. Working mothers or career women whose hopes for advancement included snagging the resident Adonis are no longer typical of this new wave of novels populated by serial killer investigators, ghost busters, and even vampires. The boring has turned into the ridiculous. So it was with pleasant surprise that, having ejected the first disk of a vapid Danielle Steel novel, I next inserted TRAIN TO TRIESTE by first time novelist Domnica Radulescu, a literate romance that breathes spontaneous life from its opening paragraphs. In the memoir-clarity of first person, the story of Mona Manoliu is told, circa 1977 in Ceausescu's Romania, as she falls in love with a young man who is later seen in the uniform of the secret police. Fleeing the country for Chicago, Mona goes on to live a quite different life with another man, but can never forget her one great love. Indeed, twenty years later, when she finally returns to Romania to learn the truth, the moment is rendered with exquisite detail, something that is simply absent in most of today's less believable manipulations. This audiobook kept me through all nine disks, thanks to the well drawn character of Mona, whose hauntingly original voice is honest, brave, witty, and most of all passionate and alive. Thanks also to narrator Yelena Shmulenson, whose ability to empathically inhabit the character is matched by her masterful delivery and authentic accent.

Brainwashed and BRANDWASHED

2011-10-29T11:55:00.000-04:00

Have you been BRANDWASHED? Indubitably, says marketing expert Martin Lindstrom. Not only are you being influenced to remember product names, but you're being manipulated to purchase products based on carefully scripted commercials and visuals linked to psychological tests. Your own biases and perceptions are being used against you, regardless of whether those perceptions reflect reality. Multinational corporations spend millions to discover what influences your choices, and then they bring to bear tools of deception based on that data. What's most surprising here is the depth and extent of the con, even among those who think they've chosen freely. Narrated by Dan Woren, Brandwashed shows that we are all just like the child screaming for that box of Sugar Pops set at his eye level for a reason.

George Bush Book Listed as HORROR

2011-10-28T12:31:00.003-04:00

Horror audiobooks. What are your favorites? Whether you like Stephen King's Salem's Lot, The Mist, It, Pet Cemetery (and a zillion other King titles), or Dean Koontz or Peter Straub or even George Bush (yes, his book Decision Points is listed as a "horror book" by audiobook retailer Simply Audiobooks...at the moment, anyway, but not long after this post), horror is BIG, and not just on Halloween. My own personal favorite horror authors are Ramsey Campbell (The House on Nazareth Hill, Told By the Dead) and Richard Matheson (Hell House, Duel, A Stir of Echoes). But there are many worthy authors out there not yet discovered by Hollywood (or The Mangler). Take The Watching by Paul Melniczek or The Book of Days by Steve Rasnic Tem. In my own case, I wrote a novel narrated by Barrett Whitener which is horror about the Rapture, (also listed with errors by Simply Audiobooks) and wrote this bizarre SF Horror tale on a dare. Then there are some horror radio dramas, including Little Dreams, A Helping Hand, and Mystery Guest.

REAL STEEL based on a Richard Matheson story

2011-10-25T21:31:00.001-04:00

STEEL AND OTHER STORIES is a terrific collection of classic and new tales, including the one which inspired the movie Real Steel. Scott Brick is on target yet again with a nuanced interpretation of characters by one of our most imaginative and versatile writers: Richard Matheson. A must hear.

STEVE JOBS by Walter Isaacson

2011-10-24T11:53:00.001-04:00

Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson is a surprising and candid look at an iconoclast who, more than anyone else, transformed how people interact with media content such as music, movies, books, and newspapers. His vision has yet to be fully realized, although we can already foresee a world to come in which records, CDs, printed books, and periodicals are all obsolete. Jobs achieved many of his dreams during his lifetime by conceiving products that included the masses (not just computer geeks) using a blueprint of simplicity and style. Nonetheless, his road to success has come at a cost. Not just for himself, but to others who he mentally abused in his quest for perfection. Most of those people now say they were inspired by him. Few CEOs possessed his drive and ambition, but surprisingly, Jobs himself was not enamored of his fame and money, nor was it his motivation. In our age of fame at any cost, that perhaps is the most surprising thing. He says simply, "I don't think that way." His sights were even higher: to change the world. This audiobook, read by Dylan Baker, (who also narrates Boomerang by Michael Lewis, among others), is a must-hear not only for those who love Jobs, but for those who hate him. It will certainly change one's perception of the man, in either event, and reveal a true visionary who saw the future and determined to mark his place in it, and on history itself.

Seriously, I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres

2011-10-23T20:16:00.000-04:00

Seriously, I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres

Jerusalem, Jerusalem

2011-10-19T13:18:00.001-04:00

If you're flummoxed about how the state of affairs in the Middle East came about, with religious wars threatening to erupt (again) over Israel's very existence, (and with America mired in unwinnable battles in the region costing $300 Million per day), you might step back in time with James Carroll as he explains the big picture, tracing the history of religion and violence, including how it has polarized everyone to take sides. Carroll's broad thesis is that religion and violence have always been closely tied together, with the implication that faith which rejects the material world encourages an unfortunate interpretation of scriptures. Columbus carried a Catholic worldview to America, and that worldview all began with the struggle of Israel for survival, and its identification with the most important city in the world: JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM is read by Mel Foster, but rather than focusing on the city itself the book approaches the subject of religion's focus on violence from all angles in a comprehensive, analytical, and intriguing look at why blood-based sacrifices offered to God create meaning for believers, and how resistance to Roman violence influenced Biblical texts and formulated Jewish attitudes toward the world, (which in turn influences us as well). A perfect storm continues to brew around the Temple mount in Jerusalem, which is perceived by both Jews and Arabs as ground zero (despite our fixation on the less important one in New York City.) It is from this point that the world has turned since ancient times, and which also turned more recently to the brink of nuclear holocaust during the Nixon debacle. Will it happen again, (since Islam also views Jews the way Hitler did), once Iran gets the bomb? The author expresses a hope that believers of all monotheistic religions view "one God" not as a numeral 1 in opposition to perceived infidels, but as "God is one," meaning "in harmony with" rather than "at war with." Otherwise, says Carroll, the human race is doomed.

Why Read Moby Dick?

2011-10-13T15:12:00.000-04:00

Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea, has a new short book (which he reads on audio) titled WHY READ MOBY-DICK? Cited by many as the greatest novel ever written, Melville's classic is a daunting literary masterpiece that follows no formula, as do the bestselling slasher McNovels of today. It's a quintessential American tale told on a large canvas, and in no hurry to be resolved. Why read it? Because after you do you will realize that accepting death while still alive is the key to appreciating life in all its unordered, unanticipated quirkiness and beauty. You might even forego turning up the thermostat on a cold night--a small choice toward reconnecting with the natural world. . . and then realizing that you don't need everything they say you need. Penguin Audio; 2 1/2 hours The novel Moby Dick can be heard on audio read by Frank Muller.

Sweet Judy Blue Eyes

2011-10-12T13:53:00.002-04:00

Several more new biographies out this week are EISENHOWER--The White House Years by Jim Newton, read by John H. Mayer; HARRY BELAFONTE by Belafonte and Michael Shnayerson, read by Belafonte and Mirron Willis; and JUDY COLLINS--Sweet Judy Blue Eyes written and read by Judy Collins, and including five original songs, which she performs for the audiobook. Collins talks about her loves and friendships with Stephen Stills, Joan Baez, David Crosby, Leonard Cohen, and others. Mostly it's about the music of the time, while a good movie to see after hearing this is Laurel Canyon.

Boomerang by Michael Lewis

2011-10-08T13:32:00.001-04:00

Simon & Schuster Audio has produced another meltdown economy book by bestselling author Michael Lewis (Moneyball), read by Dylan Baker. BOOMERANG takes Michael to places like Iceland, Greece, Italy and Germany to see how Wall Street's cancer has spread around the world. Wow. Is everyone insane? Well, they were. Not sure about now, though. Eyes have finally opened to the truth, too late. For decades Greece was corrupt, full of tax evaders and freeloaders. Everyone knew it, and didn't care. Today they are picketing because the bills are finally coming due. Massive, overwhelming bills no one wants to pay. Lewis explores the ironies, while Baker chronicles the insanity like a fairy tale told at bedtime (only to an insomniac adult). Talk about hindsight being 20/20! Of course many hedge fund managers and advisers were saying this would happen, and no one listened. Where's the wisdom of crowds when we need it? Probably a myth, considering how many people watch song and dance contests on TV, to say nothing of sound-bite evening news. What's most interesting about this is how Lewis ends the book, with a visit to California and an interview of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Did he really become governor just for the kicks of feeling alive at the engaging battles? That's what he seems to say, after a bizarre bike ride to Venice beach, where it all began. Of course California is doomed now, and headed for inevitable default, just as Greece. Greece is the word, as they say. Greece your local politician, and expect to be Greeced. Meanwhile, the taxpayers are fleeced by runaway costs for all services needing to be cut, due to employee pensions that threaten to break every bank.

ABOUT TIME by Adam Frank

2011-10-07T11:15:00.005-04:00

ABOUT TIME by Adam Frank re-asks the big questions about the origins of the universe from the perspective of time, and how our perceptions of time change along with technology. With the subtitle "Cosmology and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang," the book shows how differently our lives are ordered when compared to the past, and what the future may hold. Is time real? Are there multiple universes out there? Why are we stuck in our understanding of time, just as Einstein was stuck melding forces with gravity? And if there is a breakthrough, what will it tell us about what happened before the Big Bang? Read by David Drummond, the book will get you thinking about time in a new way. Because, unlike a rock, time is not solid, and is all in the point of view. Next, one of Steve Jobs precepts was to change the way you think, and with THINKING, FAST AND SLOW author Daniel Kahneman explores the two most obvious ways we think: fast, intuitive and emotional, or slow, deliberate and logical. How we think affects our decisions on every level, and therefore our fate (or rather future.) Kahneman is a professor of psychology at Princeton, and the audiobook, read by Patrick Egan, includes illustrations and graphs on an included enhanced CD, or as download.

Occupy Wall Street and Main Street

2011-10-06T11:59:00.001-04:00

There's a lot of anger out there regarding Wall Street greed, and the overall lack of morality, with corporations focused solely on profits at the expense of other people and the environment. With laid off workers picketing the dissolution of the middle class, the iconic play DEATH OF A SALESMAN by Arthur Miller has been given a new audio rendering, with Stacy Keach at the helm as Willy Loman, a disillusioned man who can only give his sons the American Dream by committing suicide so they'll collect the insurance. Keach has a long career on stage and screen, and is also the host of American Greed on CNBC. This powerful play is as befitting today as when it was written in 1949, from L.A. Theatre Works.

Steve Jobs, the Elvis of Tech, Dies

2011-10-05T22:04:00.000-04:00

Here are the Seven Principles of Innovation by Steve Jobs:

Do What You Love.
Think differently about your career.
Put a Dent in the Universe.
Think differently about your vision.
Kick Start Your Brain.
Think differently about how you think.
Sell Dreams, Not Products.
Think differently about your customers.
Say No to 1,000 Things.
Think differently about design.
Create Insanely Great Experiences.
Think differently about your brand experience.
Master the Message.
Think differently about your story.

Second Chance to Last Man in Tower

2011-10-01T16:38:00.000-04:00

SECOND CHANCE, written and read by Chet Williamson, is a literate cross genre suspense involving time travel, eco-terrorism, and nostalgic 60s romance. Atmospheric and different, it moves at a measured pace, an unusual mix of genres that renders a fantastical plot more believable by avoiding cliches. WE THE ANIMALS by Justin Torres is a short yet magical novel about a Brooklyn family featuring three brothers who grow up in intensely alive relationships full of conflict, hopes, and off-the-charts imagination. Narrator to this poetic, well-written story is Frankie J. Alvarez. THE GALTON CASE by Ross Macdonald, like "The Ivory Grin," is another classic mystery story read by Grover Gardner. MEETING EVIL is an early novel by master mystery novelist Thomas Berger, read by Bronson Pinchot. Another missed classic, RED HARVEST by Dashiell Hammett is read by Richard Ferrone. LAST MAN IN TOWER by Aravind Adiga is a novel set in Mumbai about a real estate developer whose plans for a crumbling apartment building's space is thwarted by a schoolteacher who refuses to leave and generates resistance among the building's residents. Winning of a major prize for his novel "The White Tiger," Adiga here finds voice for his characters through actor Sam Dastor.

From MONEYBALL to Powerball

2011-10-01T13:01:00.000-04:00

Michael Lewis is one very lucky man, yet again, in having his 2003 book MONEYBALL just produced by Columbia Pictures, starring Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The new packaging and audiobook edition is read by audio superstar Scott Brick. (See our interview of Scott at this site.) TENSION CITY by Jim Lehrer is a new Presidential Debate retrospective, with actual excerpts of debates and interviews of candidates, from Kennedy/Nixon to Obama/McCain. Called the "dean of moderators," Lehrer (of PBS Newshour) also reads the book. THE APOTHECARY by Maile Meloy is a young adult adventure involving Russian spies and secrets linked to a famous book, read by Cristin Milioti. John Sandford's latest is SHOCK WAVE, read by Eric Conger, about a bomber attacking a superstore chain trying to enter a Minnesota river town. Erin Morgenstern gets lucky having Jim Dale read her book THE NIGHT CIRCUS, which is reminiscent of Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes." L.A. Theatre Works offers up THE GRADUATE, adapted as an audio drama by Terry Johnson, and starring Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys. Linda Howard's PREY is read by Abby Craden, and involves rival hunting businesses, with a bear on their trail. The latest Star Wars new republic book is HEIR TO THE EMPIRE by Timothy Zahn, read by Marc Thompson (both are veterans at this.) It is set five years after the Death Star was destroyed, when Princess Leia and Hans Solo are married and expecting twins. ON BORROWED TIME is a stand-alone novel by David Rosenfelt, with an intriguing plot involving a man whose car accident has somehow erased his fiancé's existence. Unfortunately, the narrator here isn't as good as in previous Rosenfelt books. Tony Roberts reads Stuart Woods' latest, SON OF STONE, about an interruption in the life of Stone Barrington in the form of a former love. The BLACK MASK mystery stories from the early 20th Century get some Black Lizard collections on audio for the first time in DEAD END and DOORS IN THE DARK, edited by Otto Penzler, and featuring writers like Erle Stanley Gardner, Lester Dent, and Dashiell Hammett read by Oliver Wyman, Pete Larkin and others. For Dexter fans, there's DOUBLE DEXTER by Jeff Lindsay, the author who inspired the series. He also reads the audiobook, which is about Dexter dealing with a witness to his dark side. THE STRANGER'S CHILD by the award winning Alan Hollinghurst is an historical literary novel set in England in 1913, and is read by English actor James Daniel Wilson. Susan Denaker reads A PLAIN AND FANCY CHRISTMAS by Cynthia Keller, about two women, one a public relations executive in New York, the other raised Amish in Pennsylvania, who discover they were switched at birth. Christmas is approaching. What to do? On the fun side is a collection of lost Dr. Seuss stories titled THE BIPPOLO SEED, read by a dream team of narrators including Neil Patrick Harris, Anjelica Huston, Jason Lee, Peter Dinklage, William H. Macy, Joan Cusack, and Edward Herrmann. Jeffrey Sachs explores how America--both in Washington and as a culture--has failed to recognize and adapt to global economic changes. Can we ever get out of this mess and compete again on the world stage? What will it take for individuals and political parties to do? THE PRICE OF CIVILIZATION is read by Richard McGonagle. The hidden history of the White House and Wall Street is revealed by Pulitzer Prize winning author Ron Suskind in CONFIDENCE MEN, read by James Lurie. WAR OF THE WORLDVIEWS is an interesting dialogue (ie. argument) between a major new age spiritualist and a theoretical physicist. Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow discuss cosmology, evolution, the brain, and God. Decide for yourself who is right, or if they both are (or aren't.) And DEAD END IN NORVELT, written and read by Jack Gantos, is the offbeat story of a kid by the same name (this is both non-fiction and fiction) who's given the assignment of helping a eccentric neighbor compile a history of their town by typing resident obituaries. Very unusual and quirky stuff, indeed. And finally, my own novel about the Powerball lotto (and fame itself) is now out in both audio and ebook formats. Check here for details.

Anthony Bourdain in Dubai

2011-09-28T09:21:00.000-04:00

In the past decade the world has seen a vertical rise in the number of skyscrapers being built or planned. This is due, not just to the migration of people from rural areas into cities, but also because countries are sensitive to how their major metropolises are perceived by the rest of the world. Curbside appeal in the case of cities equals skyline appeal. Investments rise alongside skyscrapers, as competition for business is fierce. Bottom line ego, religion, and philosophy combine to push ever skyward since the building of the Tower of Babel, and which more recently made the twin towers a symbolic target for attack. Expect even more dramatic towers to rise in the future, despite their marginal self sufficiency, because it is simply the cost of doing business. And impressive to boot. For more on this subject, listen to WHY ARCHITECTURE MATTERS.

AGE OF WONDER

2011-09-28T08:58:00.000-04:00

Gildart Jackson reads THE AGE OF WONDER by Richard Holmes, an intriguing biography of Joseph Banks and William Herschel, but more importantly establishing what the world was like at the dawn of modern science and world exploration. Subtitle is "How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science." Step back to the 1770s and see what happened on Cook's expedition to Tahiti, where the very first surfers were witnessed by Europeans, hear how Uranus was discovered, and imagine not knowing what we know today. (Of course many people today know so little about science, they might as well be living in 1770.) Another biography, this of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, by Hal Vaughn, is read by Susan Denaker and Mark Deakens. From the 1920s on, Chanel directed fashion and was the talk of Paris. The title of the book, SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY, reflects the suspicion that Chanel cooperated with the Nazis during the years of occupied France. And THE DEVIL'S HIGHWAY, written and read by Luis A. Urrea, is the story of 21 Mexicans who crossed the border in 2001 into Arizona, and 12 died. This is the story of the border fence south of Tucson, the gangsters who shuttle people to agricultural jobs for a fee, and the ironies and waste linked to the war on drugs and illegal immigrants. The book reflects the author's rage, but his reading of it is mostly understated. It offers a poignant view of life on the other side of the fence, as desperate people from southern Mexico are recruited by traffickers flashing American bling and promising easy passage. Much of what is heard has never been told by commercial media, and illuminates the games played on both sides of the border.

Rudy Maxa about PARIS

2011-09-25T17:08:00.001-04:00

Rudy Maxa is best known for his PBS travel series RUDY MAXA’S WORLD, and videos like HAWAII TO THE MAX. He also knows Paul Theroux, and so, since I’ve reviewed an interesting audiobook titled “What French Women Know,” and my favorite episode of No Reservations is Paris, I wanted to ask him some questions related to books in general, and to travel in France in particular.

Jonathan Lowe: You once wrote an unauthorized biography of a con man titled “Dare To Be Great.” Then you did some reporting for The Washington Post that was nominated for a Pulitzer, also unrelated to travel. What, then, are your own favorite books?

Rudy Maxa: Love “Slouching Toward Bethlehem” by Joan Didion, “The Professor and the Madman” by Simon Winchester. Anything by Simon Winchester, in fact. “Memoir From Antproof Case” by Mark Helprin, “Up In the Air” by Walter Kirn, a movie starring George Clooney. “My Secret History” by Paul Theroux, and “Snow Blind” by Robert Sabbag.

Q: What did you most enjoy exploring France, and what itinerary stops shouldn’t be missed by those wanting a mix of chateaux, Paris, and wine country visits?

A: In Paris, I enjoy walking. For hours. Almost every residential block offers architectural marvels, and commercial neighborhoods are filled with fascinating shops, cafes, bistros, and restaurants. Outside of Paris, I like Burgundy and the Loire Valley for a great mix of restaurants, pastoral beauty, and chateaux.

Q: Any thoughts on package tours as opposed to just hoofing with the aid of a rental car?

A: I think there are some folks who enjoy the predictability, organization, and simplicity of a package tour that stipulates an itinerary and includes a guide. But my guess is on a second or third visit, many travelers would prefer to roam about and make some discoveries on their own. I’m in the latter camp.

Q: What’s the best time to visit France, and are there any tips on customs or culture that American tourists generally overlook?

A: I think the last half of May, all of June, and July through Bastille Day are the best times to visit places in France that are especially popular with visitors. The weather is more likely to be good, and the French are still at work. August, when the entire country takes off, is my least favorite time. Paris is empty, the south of France is traffic gridlock. Customs? Air kissing involves one time on both cheeks. Know the basic words in French, such as “please” and “thank you” and “hello” and “goodbye.” I know it sounds silly, but locals in every country appreciate Americans making an effort to speak a few words in their language. Don’t ever touch the fruit and vegetables in an outdoor market in Paris–just point for the shopkeeper. Only three passengers to a taxi, please.

Q: What about safety and economy? How does France stack up against the rest of Europe?

A: I consider France as safe as any other country in Western Europe. Probably a lot less theft in France than in parts of southern Italy. As for affordability, well, given that it takes $1.50 to buy a euro these days–and only $1.30 this time last year–the entire continent has become fairly pricey. I’d recommend getting out of the big cities to find less expensive hotels and restaurants.

Q: Paul Theroux recommends sticking to the ground when traveling, whenever possible. Have you ever shared a bottle of wine in some bistro with him, and what’s his best travel advice?

A: I’ve never been to France with Paul, though we did travel together for about ten days in India. I like sticking to the ground, as well. Paul often says it’s not the things that go right when you’re traveling you remember the best–it’s the things that go wrong. If you’re driving, you can always take the wrong road, which may well turn out to be a good idea.

Q: What fun for you lately, traveling?

A: I shot a Silk Road episode in Uzbekistan for “Rudy Maxa’s World” on public television. I had a great time in Central Asia, even though, two days before we were to depart, a camel threw me off its back while we were shooting a closing scene. Bottom line: Three stitches in the back of my head and a broken right clavicle. Tip: Avoid a camel named Catherine in the town of Khiva.

Here's my own cruise to southern France & Italy
(Liberty of the Seas) For cruise fiction go here.

The Filter Bubble

2011-09-12T11:40:00.000-04:00

What's wrong with Facebook and Google and Amazon? They have revolutionized search, and customized your experience on the web. But in his book THE FILTER BUBBLE researcher Eli Pariser has revealed a dark side to this personalization, in which every click you make is tracked and analyzed in order not just to provide you with targeted ads, but also to feed back to you news and views which coincide with your own. What are you missing? Everything else. If all you want is a feedback loop, devoid of learning, cultural interaction, and creative insight, this is a good thing. If, however, society is to advance and people to grow, it is not. Narrated by Kirby Heyborne, this is a rare and important book that examines how and why this focus has come to be, and what we can do to quell a pervasive new control on our thoughts and actions.

Tim Sanders on the Green Future

2011-09-05T10:39:00.000-04:00

Tim Sanders is a top speaker on the lecture circuit, former chief solutions officer at Yahoo! Inc, and author of "Love is the Killer App." He has been featured in Time, USA Today, and has appeared on CNN, Today, Fox & Friends, and national radio. His last book was SAVING THE WORLD AT WORK---WHAT COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS CAN DO TO GO BEYOND MAKING A PROFIT TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE (Doubleday and Random House Audio) His website is SavingTheWorld.net.

TOWER REVIEW: You talk about college students trending toward social responsibility in choosing companies for employment. Is this due to a shift in curriculum in schools, and are there careers more affected by this change in attitude toward salary than others?

TIM SANDERS: The shift comes from a combination of factors including current events, technology and culture influences. Several current events classify as teachable moments, that drill in the concept that we live in an interdependent world where everyone's success is connected to everyone else. 9/11, Enron/WorldCom collapse, Katrina, Inconvenient Truth movie and Wall Street/Home Bubble all confirm this belief. Once that happens, behavior changes as we begin to take and issue responsibility. Technology (I call it the Internet effect) also increases social awareness and activism. Finally culture icons from Bono to Clinton have convinced the new generation that pitching in is not an option, its a survival strategy.

Q: We've seen CEOs jump off the crumbling roofs of their corporations with golden parachutes, only to live lavish lifestyles at the expense of those who've bailed them out. Is this to become history, now? How much longer, do you think, will corporate salaries be the measure of esteem among executives, given this shift of values?

A: There's a growing backlash against CEO payouts that grossly exceed the value of the executives contribution. Expect that to influence future pay packages. However, there will always be start ups where founders make billions or millions due to their willingness to take on risk. That won't change.

Q: What about unions? Will they still more interested in salary and benefits for their members than in saving the environment? In the case of Detroit building SUVs, for example, weren't the unions hoping to preserve the status quo?

A: I'm not an expert on unions, but they are not at the forefront of environmental protection. That isn't their charter. They are all about wage/benefit for their members. Collective bargaining. It looks like Congress will require that the Big 3 submit to fuel efficiency standards as a condition of the bailout, and unions will likely lead the way in that negotiation.

Q: As you reveal in the book, consumers are now willing to actually pay more for products that are sustainable or recyclable. You even cite Wal Mart as getting into the game, although Costco fares better. How has the current financial crisis affected a changing of the rules there?

A: The current financial crisis is a pause in the pay-more-for-good revolution that's been building for over a decade. We saw this in 2002 and 2003, with 2004 and 2005 ushering in millions of new organic, fair trade and good company customers. Expect to see the movement blossom (again) in a few years. Smart companies are planning for it right now. Meanwhile, companies are figuring out how to be green, community focused or good employers without having to raise prices. This is very innovative and will be a tie-breaker even during these times.

Q: We keep hearing that bling is out. Does this mean green is finally "in"? No more Hummer-like vehicles with pimped out wheels?

A: Good is the new great. Prius, paperless communications and organic Ts are the new bling. Bling is all about social status, taste-making and confidence. Remember mink coats? That used to be hot.

Q: Now, at work, especially in government jobs, there's a lot of waste regarding overuse of reports, memos, lights left on, air conditioning running with no one there, that kind of thing. What is the best way for an employee to affect policy change in the office in the case where the supervisor's bonus is not tied to the supplies or utility bill?

A: Show everyone else the way. Change your behavior, then encourage/challenge others to do it to. Tell them that it's good for the planet, and saves money too. Remind them that saving money may save someones job in a few months. That will get them off the dime. One worker at a mortgage company decided to reduce document printing at work, so he posted Think Before You Print signs at common computers, along with a short explanation of the environmental hazards behind paper usage. Over a few months, his division cut printing on virgin paper by 30%. I also suggest that small businesses look into eco-profit sharing programs as a way to increase participation. Ive found that you can offer employers one third of the savings (keeping the rest for the bottom line) and still dramatically increase participation in eco-innovations.

Q: What are a few things people can do at home to be greener? Personally, I've switched out incandescent bulbs for CFCs, and gotten rid of my television. A radical act, some would say, but it saves me from about a million commercials for things I don't really need.

A: CFLs are a big start. Half of all electricity is devoted to lighting, so increase efficiency there makes a huge difference. Reducing your auto usage or emissions is big too. Combine less driving with high MPG and you move the needle. Besides your personal usage issues, influence is a big way to make a difference. Require green-ness from all your suppliers, from dry-cleaner to grocery. They will respond to customer requests. That way, you can go beyond being less bad.

Q: Any thoughts on cutting back on beef consumption, bottled water, soda, and its relationship to pollution and rising health care costs for companies? What can CEOs do to encourage more responsible habits at the workplace that may translate to people adopting those practices in their private lives?

A: Beef consumption is tied to pollution, global warming, water waste and heart disease. Bottled water is the new Hummer. With respect to companies, the magic bullet may be wellness programming. For a small fee, you can bring in trainers to teach your employees diet, exercise and smoking cessation. For every dollar you spend, you'll save three in health care claims and increased productivity. You'll also teach people how to take care of their bodies, which leads to an increased respect for the planet. That's what Adam Werbach (former Sierra Club president) found out when he was hired to teach eco-sensibility to Wal Mart employees.

Q: Efficiency is the watchword for tomorrow's cars, but this extends to appliances, homes, and buildings too. Thomas Friedman, in his book "Hot, Flat and Crowded," made the scary point that the world is about to add another six Americas in the sense of consumption of natural resources worldwide, due to rising standards of living. This is unsustainable without a radical shift, not just in values, but in innovation. Of course Dubai is now constructing buildings that are partially self sustaining, but they have the advantage of capital to finance their architects. Do you share Friedman's optimism that solutions will come, even for us, in this so-called "post-American world?"

A: We all need to dramatically reduce our requirements of the planet to create a sustainable world. We need to, as a global community, help struggling nations reduce their birth rate too. I'm an eternal optimist and believe that we can find new ways to increase the supply of resources and make this planet big enough for a few billion more people. Why? Because our next generation is wired for it. They consider it their legacy (as opposed to independence, which was the boomers Ayn Rand driven goal). In the meantime, here's the way to think about it all: The planet is like a start up company that is running out of money. The product team is working night and day to find a breakthrough product that reverses the trend and brings precious money in the door. Meanwhile the rest of the company needs to save money to cut the burn rate and give the product team some extra time. We are the rest of the company and the eco-innovators are the product team. We need to innovate, buckle down and buy them some time to come up with solutions that preserve the environment.

Q: One final question. You narrate your own book on audio. What was the experience like for you, and how is it different than getting up on the podium in your lecture circuit?

A: It's pretty hard. You have to read in a studio for several days, get it all absolutely correct and maintain energy and passion. On the lecture circuit, I'm not reading off a script or a teleprompter!

Jeff Davis, Producer

2011-08-31T20:04:00.004-04:00

With more than 30 years in the broadcast industry, Jeff Davis has voiced and produced more than 8,000 scripts. Aside from radio and television, his experience also includes long form narration, video training, software tutorials, telephone on-hold messages, and radio dramas.

Q: What do you find most technically difficult about producing audio drama, and what is most satisfying about the business of voice acting and sound engineering?

A: If it is a fully produced audiobook, of which there are few these days, finding the right piece of music to enhance a scene without becoming intrusive is probably the greatest challenge. The perfect music can really add to the drama or intensity and its quite gratifying when you can get the two to work well together. It raises the scene to a whole different level. Voice acting takes just as much skill as it does for stage or film acting. Its easy to spot someone who just doesn’t quite have the acting chops, even in audio form. I’ve acted in a few dramas but find my true talents lay on the other side of the microphone. As far as sound engineering goes, its quite exhilarating to use post production effects to make a dramatic scene sound like its taking place in a large warehouse, in a park or a tiled room. Though the recording was done in a studio proper use of effects can place the actors anywhere. That's quite satisfying!

Brad Thor & FULL BLACK

2011-08-31T17:33:00.000-04:00

Brad Thor is not averse to taking risks. He did so with his thriller THE LAST PATRIOT, about a Homeland Security operative named Scot Harvath, who goes on the hunt for a secret final revelation made by the Prophet Mohammed just before his assassination. Then he appeared on Glenn Beck. Is he still a target today himself, as a former Homeland Security operative?

TOWER REVIEW: Your Last Patriot novel was part covert ops political thriller and part DaVinci Code mystery. How did it click for you to combine the two?
BRAD THOR: My thrillers have always centered around covert/black ops and the domestic political landscape. They are subjects I love to write about. Through my writing, I have gotten to know lots of the players in these two arenas. The more time I spend shadowing them and seeing what their lives are like, the more I fall in love with this subject matter and the more I want to write about it.
Q: Do you have any fears of becoming the next exiled Salman Rushdie for postulating such a volatile story line?
A: What a lot of people don’t know about me is that I have spent the last 20 years of my life learning about Islam. It is a fascinating subject, especially in how it promotes violence. What’s also fascinating is that whenever early copies of the Quran are discovered in Muslim nations, they are quickly secreted away. Researchers who have attempted to study them have wound up dying in very mysterious accidents. Now I have come out with a thriller that suggests the Quran is missing a very key text and I am being threatened with death. My book is fiction, but it is based on a handful of fascinating facts and the death threats only seem to support my theory that Islam is hiding a very big secret. Am I afraid of becoming the next Salman Rushdie? Honestly, I don’t relish the idea. Rushdie at one point had a $5 million bounty on his head and supposedly hundreds of Muslim assassins had traveled to London to kill him. Will I change what I have written or somehow recant and beg forgiveness for what is contained within The Last Patriot? Absolutely not. In fact, I find the hypocrisy here fascinating: Islam is a religion of peace and if you say that it isn’t, we’ll kill you.
Q: What kind of research was involved in writing The Last Patriot?
A: The idea for this novel was born in part from an Atlantic Monthly cover article by Toby Lester entitled What is the Koran? I had discovered the piece, several years after its January 1999 publication, while doing research on another novel and had tucked it away for future use. Then I came across an article written by Gerard W. Gawalt, formerly of the Library of Congress, entitled America and the Barbary Pirates: An International Battle Against an Unconventional Foe. I started wondering if there was a way I could combine the historical relevance of the Quran and Thomas Jefferson’s experience with the Barbary pirates to create a thriller that would be relevant today.
Q: Jefferson and Islam. There’s a connection?
A: Yes. Thomas Jefferson was the first American president to go to war against radical Islam. The problems Jefferson and America faced over two hundred years ago are incredibly similar to what we as a nation face today and there is much to be learned from them.
Q: I wrote a short story whose fictional premise was that someone in the Bush administration suggested bombing Mecca. An absurd and wild idea for a story, I thought. Then I learned that someone actually had suggested it. Have you had any surprises in your research that affected plotting?
A: I have surprises like this happen to me all the time. There are certain suggestions and possibilities that just make sense. The key is in beating other writers to it. As I wrapped up the first draft of my manuscript, I received a call from my editor. She had just read a story in The Wall Street Journal about a mysterious archive of ancient Quranic texts in Germany that was believed to have been destroyed in 1944. It contained 450 rolls of films that supposedly chronicled the evolution of the Quran, the Muslim holy book which all Muslims believe was revealed complete, perfect, and inviolate to Islam’s founder Mohammed in the 7th century. The archive, and its subsequent study, had only been handled by three men. The first died in a strange climbing accident in 1933. The second died in a mysterious plane crash in 1941. The third man, wanting to be rid of the entire collection, pretended it had been destroyed and never spoke of it for over sixty years. He died recently at age 93. It seems there is much here worth investigating, and for which men are still willing, even in the case of The Last Patriot, to kill to keep secret.
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(Thor’s latest books are Foreign Influence and Full Black.)

Cold Vengeance and Tricky Dick Cheney

2011-08-30T14:21:00.002-04:00

COLD VENGEANCE is the latest novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Read by Rene Auberjonois, it reintroduces FBI agent Pendergast in an intriguing tale of revenge with a twist involving his supposedly dead wife. Was his marriage a lie? As always, narrator Auberjonois (seen on Deep Space Nine) is skilled at presenting each revelation as though it were new. For an interview with the authors, see our Interview page. THE MURDER OF JIM FISK FOR THE LOVE OF JOSIE MANSFIELD is the true story of "Jubilee" Jim, a New York financier who was shot dead in the Grand Central Hotel in 1872, after attempting to corner the gold market. His undoing? His attraction to a showgirl. Other characters in this tale of greed and graft include Boss Tweed, Jay Gould, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. The short book is first of an American Portraits series, and is read by Richard McGonagle. James Gleick's latest is CHAOS--Making a New Science, about the 21st Century's latest addition to relativity and quantum mechanics--chaos theory, including how it might be possible to control the weather. It's read by Rob Shapiro. CLEOPATRA'S MOON by Vicky Shecter is a romantic adventure set in ancient Egypt, read by Kristen Potter. Then there's Dick Cheney's attempt at revisionist history, IN MY TIME, which is just as biased as was Bush's and Clinton's books. (Ex politicians always want to be remembered as something other than who they really were. Unfortunately for them all, history has a way of getting to the truth, in the end.) Edward Herrmann narrates.

Ready Player One

2011-08-20T20:50:00.003-04:00

Americans are good at painting themselves into corners. We do it because we don't put any thought into an exit strategy. We don't know when to quit. Recall a line from the movie The Americanization of Emily in which James Garner says, "God save us from people who always do the right thing, it's the rest of us who get broken in half." We elect politicians who get us into unwinnable wars after they campaign on the American dream--peace, prosperity, growth, empire, freedom. Ideals we want to hear even as, once again, we get out our buckets of paint--red, white, and blue. And we play along, ever nostalgic for a past that can never be quite the same again, as we plunge into debt. In the futuristic adventure novel READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline, our near future is a dystopian world from which everyone wants to escape. Clues to these cyberspace alternatives exist today, but in Cline's imagined "Oasis" a myriad of very realistic but computer-generated planets exist which millions of players plug into, since we've lost hope in the real world. And in keeping with our obsession for game shows, the main character is on a treasure hunt for an inheritance left by an eccentric billionaire, and he must fight other players through various levels or gates, winning points by playing video games popular in the 80s, (which was the billionaire's obsession). Wil Wheaton narrates this cross genre adventure, which is a fable at heart. He tells Wade Watts' story as part confession, part travelogue, part social commentary. In the end, after an exhaustive quest for keys to the imagined kingdom (something our culture also relentlessly seeks online and on TV these days), the novel suggests that happiness can only be found by returning to reality, not believing in something for nothing. (A non-fiction companion to this novel might be "Reality Is Broken" by Jane McGonigal.)

Kudos to Random House for allowing something undefinable into print, and although Wade's intimate familiarity with every movie and book and game from the 80s is hard to believe, given his youth in 2044, (when does he have time to study in school?), the overall goal of the plot is simplistic enough to attract more than just those who remember the 80s fondly. While not as literary or deep as the prose of genius writers like Neal Stephenson and William Gibson, who inspired the book, if you add Willy Wonka into the matrix, as it does--along with an always believable narrator--this just might be the audio fiction pick of the summer.

Also recommended, Halo Cryptum by Greg Bear, Star Wars
Old Republic: Deceived; and Daniel X by James Patterson.

Jane Fonda Bio and Girls in White Dresses

2011-08-16T11:23:00.003-04:00

THE SECRETS OF THE FBI by Ronald Kessler (see my interview with him on this blog) is read by Michael Bybee, and covers many hot topics from Hoover to Marilyn Monroe to Osama bin Laden. Few journalists dig as deep (or write as well) as Kessler. THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Vanessa Diffenbaugh is a different kind of romance novel involving an orphan with a gift for choosing the right flower for people. It's read by Tara Sands. Carrington MacDuffie and Samantha Quan read Julie Otsuka's THE BUDDHA IN THE ATTIC, a literary novel by the author of "When the Emperor Was Devine," about Japanese mail order brides seeking the American Dream in San Francisco a century ago. George R.R. Martin's second installment in the "Game of Thrones" epic fantasy series is A CLASH OF KINGS, read by Roy Dotrice, released unabridged (at 37 hours!) due to the HBO series. Star Wars fans will enjoy ASCENSION--FATE OF THE JEDI by Christie Golden, the latest of a long series of novels extending the movies, read by Marc Thompson. Jennifer Close reads GIRLS IN WHITE DRESSES, about three friends who watch with envy everyone around them getting married. Emily Janice Card reads. SKYJACK by Geoffrey Gray is read by the author, and reopens the DB Cooper case files with new leads making the news. Finally, PRIME TIME is the new Jane Fonda memoir, examining what she calls "Act 3" of her life, and like her exercise videos, offers advice on aging as well. She also reads the audiobook.

The Keeper of Lost Causes

2011-08-15T19:42:00.001-04:00

Jussi Adler-Olsen is a Danish mystery novelist who has won the Glass Key award, and is being compared to the late Stieg Larsson with this--the first of a "Department Q" series, essentially introducing a detective who's been "kicked upstairs," ironically to the basement to work (alone) on cold cases. Luckily for one forgotten victim in dire need of fate to reopen her "lost cause," Carl begins to process the missing politician's records, and comes up with an electrifying twist in historic oversight. Eric Davies narrates with his usual aplomb in rendering with precise understatement an engaging narrative that fluctuates between dark and light, between cleverly personal character development and a sublimely evocative sense of personality and setting.

Ronald Kessler on Palm Beach

2011-08-13T11:19:00.001-04:00

Ronald Kessler is a former Washington Post and WSJ reporter with over 16 journalism awards to his credit. He is the author of INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE, THE FBI, THE C.I.A. AT WAR, THE SINS OF THE FATHERS, LAURA BUSH, A MATTER OF CHARACTER, THE TERRORIST WATCH, THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD, PHILISTINES AT THE HEDGEROW, and THE SEASON. George Plimpton narrates “The Season” for Harper Audio. The title refers to the social season in Palm Beach, Florida, where eccentric billionaires vie for attention among their peers. (His latest book is THE SECRETS OF THE FBI).

Jonathan Lowe: Palm Beach, as exposed by your book, sounds like one big social club from which we mere mortals are excluded. Is it really true that the police stop gawkers at the bridge? Why are the super rich so enamored with the place?

Ronald Kessler: They are their own social club. Why should they mix with gawkers and tourists? They prefer to be with their own kind. People who think, talk, and act the way they do. Palm Beach has the greatest concentration of rich people in the world. With vigilant police who can sense outsiders, Palm Beach offers the perfect setting for the rich to enjoy themselves. To give themselves a sense of achievement, they exclude outsiders and impose a caste system on the 3.75 square mile island paradise. Almost like laboratory rats fed growth hormones, the 9800 residents of Palm Beach exhibit the most outlandish and exaggerated forms of human behavior.

Lowe: Did you find their odd behavior and rituals were competitive in nature, meaning they don’t use balance sheets as a yardstick as much as we think they do?

Kessler: The super rich compete with balloon decorations and yacht lengths. Their net worths are always mysteries, either much higher or lower than what one is led to believe.

Lowe: If Palm Beach is Mount Olympus, who is Zeus?

Kessler: The Old Guard, with names like Hutton, Hilton, Pillsbury, Firestone, Dupont, Scripps, and Ford, preside over the social season. Their leader is Barton Gubelmann, a surprisingly candid and withy lady known as the Queen of Palm Beach. The new wealth is represented by Trump, Kluge, and Perelman.

Lowe: Has anyone yelled “Do the words KEEP OUT mean anything to you?” before releasing the Dobermans? Or did you gain access by reputation alone?

Kessler: I first came to Palm Beach to conduct research for my book “The Sins of the Father,” about Joe Kennedy. Sources who helped me then introduced me to others in Palm Beach. I was quickly able to refer to people I had interviewed, and that put people at ease. Very few refused to talk. Even though Palm Beach is a very closed society, people who move there are aware of its reputation–the place where Roxanne Pulitzer had her divorce, where William Kennedy Smith was tried for rape. Secretly, they love gossip and scandal. Otherwise they wouldn’t be there. If you give them the right reason to talk, if you know the right combination, you can get in.

Lowe: Can you give an example of someone lying to you?

Kessler: One man, a former chairman of the International Red Cross Ball, told me he graduated from Harvard and won the Silver Cross, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart while serving in the Marines. He wears the medals when he attends the black-tie event, the pinnacle of the social season. It turned out he obtained his college degree through a correspondence school, and while he served in the Marines won no medals of any kind.

Lowe: What most surprised you about Palm Beach society?

Kessler: I wasn’t prepared for the blatant anti-Semitism in the Old Guard. Then there was Gianna Lahainer, who told me her husband died during the middle of the season. Since she didn’t want to take the time to hold a funeral for him, she had him embalmed and stored for forty days so she could hold a funeral for him after the season ended. “I wanted to go to the parties,” Gianna said. “My new life was going on, why should I wait? I would miss the season.”

Lowe: Any anecdotes about someone excluded from a posh party who thought he or she might be “in?”

Kessler: Many people essentially lobby to get invited to key parties by pressuring friends to speak on their behalf. But the greatest pressure is brought to bear on bank trust officers, who control much of the wealth. Trust fund babies, who live on inherited wealth, wake up late, go to their clubs, have a few drinks, and try to outsmart trust fund officers so they’ll give them more money. Their walk in closets may be half the size of most people’s homes, and their diamond rings may be worth millions, but they want more. One heir to an industrial fortune has homes in Palm Beach, New York, France, and Italy. He had a yellow Rolls Royce Corniche convertible but wanted a Ferrari as well. The trust department of his bank kept turning him down, so he bought the Ferrari with his American Express platinum card.

Lowe: Any Trump stories to relate?

Kessler: A Palm Beach caterer told me what happened when she mentioned to an heir that Ivana Trump, who lived in a $4.4 million home, needed a butler. “Ivana needs a butler? How about me?” the man said. The caterer said, “My God, you don’t know how to be a butler.” To which the man said, “What do you mean, I’ve had one all my life.” The trust fund baby applied for the job and was hired. He donned a white jacket and white gloves for a party. Amongst the guests was his mother. He didn’t stay long.

Lowe: Any churches in Palm Beach? If so, wouldn’t it be nice to have a microphone in the confessional?

Kessler: There are churches, but no funeral parlors or cemeteries. No one wants to be reminded of his own mortality. Everyone is living a fantasy. As for confessions, I have to say that what amazes many readers of “The Season” is that it is based on recorded interviews. What one finds out is that the very rich are indeed very different from you and me.

Lowe: What did you think of George Plimpton’s recording of your book?

Kessler: After hearing his rendition of “The Season,” I feel I’m missing a lot of good audiobooks. His WASPish delivery was hysterical, and gave it another dimension.

Neuromancer by William Gibson (Hats off, a Genius)

2011-08-07T11:03:00.002-04:00

NEUROMANCER by William Gibson is a science fiction masterpiece and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick awards. In some ways it had an effect on how the internet was developed, as Gibson coined the word "cyberspace," and it described "the matrix" in detail. With a plot involving a hacker hired to steal a code allowing an artificial intelligence to merge with its twin identity, the book is light years beyond the cyberpunk genre that it created. Now, with a movie version in pre-production, a new recording on audio of this iconic and visionary 1984 novel is read by Robertson Dean. Below is an excerpt. The novel is available from Audible. Be sure also to pick up a great collection of Gibson stories, including one of the best sf stories ever written by anyone, "Hinterlands," titled BURNING CHROME.

American Plastic (Surgery & Credit Cards)

2011-08-06T07:40:00.001-04:00

AMERICAN PLASTIC by Laurie Essig is narrated by Natalie Gold, and attempts to define our American culture in terms of plastic. For decades we have been racking up debt while having liposuction to disguise our indulgences. Celebrities tell us we can "have it all"-- that we only need a tummy tuck or facelift, or to learn a "secret" or to take a pill to become younger, richer, more beautiful. Essig takes a full length mirror to these delusions, showing us true flaws and stretch marks before it's too late.

Kingdom Tower Announced

2011-08-04T00:05:00.009-04:00

Saudi Arabia is going to build the world's tallest tower, a mixed-use structure that will rise two-thirds of a mile high in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal says it will take just over five years to complete. The building is part of the planned Kingdom City development being built outside Jeddah. "Building this tower in Jeddah sends a financial and economic message that should not be ignored," Prince Alwaleed told reporters. "It has a political depth to it to tell the world that we Saudis invest in our country despite what is happening around us from events, turmoil and revolutions even." Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, a Chicago architectural firm, will design the tower, which will include a Four Seasons hotel, apartments, upscale office space, luxury condos, and the world's highest observatory. Projected at 1,000-meters (3,280-feet) the tower would replace Dubai's 828-meter Burj Khalifa as the tallest tower in the world in five years. (The Burj Khalifa was built by Emaar Properties for a total cost of $1.5 billion.) Kingdom Tower will cost about $1.2 billion to construct, while the cost of the entire Kingdom City project is anticipated to be $20 billion. Saudi Arabia has embarked on multibillion-dollar projects to improve its infrastructure, and will spend over $400 billion, with three consecutive record setting budgets on tap.

At the Devil's Table

2011-08-03T14:06:00.003-04:00

Forget TV, The Sopranos pales by comparison to the true life exploits reported by William Rempel in AT THE DEVIL'S TABLE. Read by Fred Sanders, this is the tale of Jorge Salcedo, who worked inside the infamous Cali cartel in Colombia in the 1990s, and whose ultimate outrage at a bombing he was asked to do as security chief forced him to cooperate with DEA agents, putting his life and the life of his family at risk. Now in hiding under the Witness Protection Program, Salcedo once saw firsthand the violence and corruption which kept men like Pablo Escobar in bloody power, awash in money from American crack addicts. And these are the men our gangster rappers look up to and try to emulate? It's a dead end, and here you'll see why in vivid detail. Next, for an ironic twist on America's Next Top Model, try Libba Bray's humorous novel BEAUTY QUEENS, wherein a bevy of Teen Dream contestants crash land on a desert island en route to what was meant to be another photo shoot and competition for broadcast. This pageant (turned into Survivor episode) is tongue-in-cheek fun narrated by the author. Cassandra Campbell reads JOY FOR BEGINNERS by Erica Bauermeister, a refreshingly different novel about a cancer survivor who decides to go white water rafting while daring her friends to face their fears (and live) as well. And for an offbeat and unusual fiction collection set in the Virgin Islands, HOW TO ESCAPE FROM A LEPER COLONY by Tiphanie Yanique is read by Robin Miles, Dion Graham, and Andrew Garman. It's a worthy debut look at Caribbean culture as revealed through post colonial storytelling.

How and Why To Buy Wine

2011-07-31T06:14:00.000-04:00

Julian Curry takes a light approach to what might be a stuffy subject. A GUIDE TO WINE has enough information contained on the four CDs to keep the most assiduous wine snob entertained, yet it is geared for the novice who wishes to understand how to judge and buy wine, along with all the requisite terminology needed. From understanding a wine label to learning what to ask for in restaurants when ordering fish or beef, it's all here. It's also an overview of the regions where the best wines are made, and how they are produced. Wine is one of the few pleasures anyone of sophistication can acquire, and in our culture of over-consumption and obesity, sipping and savoring is a welcome indulgence preferable to gulping and slurping.

The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth

2011-07-29T17:30:00.001-04:00

Narrow minded people are everywhere, from Capitol Hill down. One deeply ingrained facet of human nature, unfortunately, is our unwillingness to embrace the new or different, or anyone we perceive as coming from the outside. The pressure for conformity is universal, and nowhere is this pressure as great as in high school, when adolescents are becoming young adults and are expected to define themselves by their choices. In THE GEEKS SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH author Alexandra Robbins explores the foundations of an irony inherent in our prejudices: often those who are considered to be shunned "outsiders" in high school are the ones who achieve the most success later in life. If you want to work as a factory worker to retire as a Wal Mart greeter, "fitting in" with your group and maintaining the same opinions throughout life is reasonable, but if you want to excel and be an innovator like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, you should probably revel in breaking the rules and taking different paths. Kathleen McInerney reads this examination of the science (and consequences) behind popularity, showing that our culture might be a bad influence on individual members of that culture, (like you), if followed blindly. Even Lady Gaga, one of the most popular icons of our media obsessed times, would agree. Being popular is not as important as being yourself.

The Sorcerers & Their Apprentices

2011-07-29T17:23:00.001-04:00

THE SORCERERS & THEIR APPRENTICES by Frank Moss is read by Bruce Turk, and covers the history of MIT's Media Lab over the past 25 years, and what is coming next, including a device that turns any surface into a touch screen computer, a sociable robot that will be companion to aging baby boomers, and a tiny car that will be foldable and stackable. The audiobook takes a Facebook approach to its subject, coming at it from all angles and with anecdotes aplenty. Will robots take over the Earth? Maybe not, at least for a long time. But robots will become ubiquitous in the near future, as they take over many of the tasks we perform routinely now.

Also, don't miss WHAT TECHNOLOGY WANTS:

Jonah Lehrer on Neuroscience

2011-07-28T07:08:00.002-04:00

Jonah Lehrer is editor at Large for SEED Magazine and the author of HOW WE DECIDE and PROUST WAS A NEUROSCIENTIST. He graduated from Columbia University and studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. and has written for The New Yorker, Nature, Wired, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe. Also a Contributing Editor at Scientific American, he can be heard on National Public Radios Radio Lab.

TOWER REVIEW: What prompted you to pursue this intriguing subject?

JONAH LEHRER: The book was really a by-product of indecision. I had always loved literature and science and found myself increasingly torn when it came to choosing an undergraduate major. The brain was such an endlessly fascinating organ, but what about my favorite novels? Could I really choose between Jane Austen and kinase enzymes? So that is when I started thinking about ways to fuse these two interests. I wrote several terrible short stories stuffed full of synaptic acronyms. The particular epiphany that led to the book occurred in a lab. At the time, I was working in a lab that was studying the chemistry of memory. The manual labor of science can get pretty tedious, and so I started reading Proust while waiting for my experiments to finish. After a few hundred pages of melodrama, I began to realize that the novelist had these very modern ideas about how our memory worked. His fiction, in other words, anticipated the very facts I was trying to uncover by studying the isolated neurons of sea slugs. Once I had this idea about looking at art through the prism of science, I began to see connections everywhere. I would mutter about the visual cortex while looking at a Cezanne painting, or think about the somatosensory areas while reading Whitman on the body electric. Needless to say, my labmates mocked me mercilessly.

Q: The relationship between art and science is a long, if tenuous, one. What is the thread running through your choices for including people as divergent as Proust, Cezanne, Stravinsky, and Escoffier in exploring the relationships and discoveries of human consciousness, or that irreducible factor of human experience?

A: I'm afraid the thread is my own preferences and predilections. After I realized that Proust had anticipated these scientific theories, I suddenly started re-reading all my favorite novelists, poets and artists. What did Virginia Woolf intuit about consciousness? Why was Walt Whitman so obsessed with his body electric? Why did Cezanne paint in such an abstract style? Once I started asking these strange questions, I saw all sorts of connections. I realized that there was a whole group of artists that had discovered truths about the human mind--real, tangible truths that science is only now re-discovering. Of course, I don't intend my list to be exhaustive. These are not the only artists who were interested in the mind, or anticipated important facts about the mind. I hope that this book inspires other people to look at their favorite artists through the prism of neuroscience. The newfangled facts of science provide us with a whole new way to appreciate our fictions.

Q: The mind is a mysterious organ. You conclude that we may never know how or why a collection of neurons can become self aware, or be more than a sum of its parts. If we are essentially a fiction which we create by our attention and conscious awareness, can an understanding of this ever lead human evolution to diminish our obsession with the ego, and toward more compassion and creativity?

A: That would certainly be nice. But I wouldn't hold my breath. The ego is a tough thing to dislodge.

Q: I was both amused and amazed by your examples of split brain subjects, and how we are, in fact, two identities perceived as one. The example of the man whose brain hemisphere link was split, with only one half of his brain being in love with his wife, is classic. Is there some biological version of quantum entanglement going on in our perception of wholeness?

A: I don't think you need to invoke the quantum world to explain our sense of wholeness. The brain is great at confabulating, at subtly tweaking reality until it makes sense. That sense of confabulation is at the core of our identity. In this sense, we are a fiction that must be continually re-invented.

Q: In what way does science now need art to progress beyond its current stalemates, and how can this be accomplished?

A: In the book, I quote an E. O. Wilson line from his book Consilience where he talks about how the workings of social institutions are ultimately reducible, however long and tortuous the sequences, to the laws of physics. That is a perfectly reasonable and utterly ridiculous sentence. Of course, human consciousness (and thus human culture) is ultimately a side-effect of jiggling atoms and quantum mechanics. To believe in science is to believe in materialism all the way down. But I think that sentence also reveals the silliness of the uber-reductionist framework. Take the human brain. I'd argue that something is lost when human experience is seen as nothing but the electrical interactions of a 100 billion neurons. What science sometimes forgets is that this isn't how we experience the world. (We feel like the ghost, not like the machine.) Think of it this way: it's quite possible to take a soaring Mozart symphony and reduce it into a series of physical soundwaves. That's a nifty exercise, and you might even come up with some elegant physics equation that summarizes the sound of Mozart. But what happened to the music? The intangible beauty, the visceral emotion, the entire reason we listen in the first place. All is lost when the sound is reduced into its most elemental details. In other words, reductionism can leave out a lot of reality.

Q: Speaking of reducing things, what kind of recipes do you use personally to achieve this mysterious added flavor achieved by Escoffier, and what's your favorite?

A: My favorite thing to cook is embarrassingly simple: pasta with tomato sauce and parmesan. My secret is to add a tablespoon of ketchup (which is rich in umami) to the hot garlic oil, before I add my tomatoes. Of course, parmesan cheese is an umami bomb, so that's how I smuggle lots of umami into my pasta.

Dr. Mark Hyman on Fat, Sugar, Vitamins, and Drugs

2011-07-28T07:03:00.003-04:00

Dr. Mark Hyman is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book Ultraprevention--the Six Week Plan that Will Make You Healthy for Life, and winner of the Books for Better Life Award. He is also the author and creator of The Detox Box, A Program for Greater Health and Vitality (Sounds True, 2004). He is Editor in Chief of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, the most prestigious journal in the field of Integrative Medicine. Dr. Hyman is involved with the Tufts Center for Human Nutrition and Aging and the International Longevity Center with whom he collaborated in a workshop and position statement on the "Biomarkers of Aging." He has been heard on NPR, and is quoted regularly in popular magazines, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Ottawa in Canada with a degree in Medicine. He completed his postgraduate training at a Family Medicine Program of the University of California at San Francisco. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine, and has trained in Clinical Mind/Body Medicine with Herbert Benson at Harvard, and Integrative Medicine with Andrew Weil M.D., Dean Ornish M.D., Joan Borysenko Ph.D., and David Eisenberg, M.D.. He is currently on the Faculty and the Board of Directors of the Institute for Functional Medicine, and testified at the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and met with and advised the Surgeon General on a new diabetes prevention initiative. He is on the editorial board of Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal, and narrates his own books for Simon & Schuster Audio.

TOWER REVIEW: Your new book links mind to body, saying that many ailments of the mind, including depression, dementia, anxiety, and forgetfulness, are treatable through changes in diet and exercise. In many ways, your message is similar to that of Dr. Andrew Weil. As editor of a prestigious medical journal in integrative medicine, do you believe that alternative therapies and the role of nutrition in them will always be rejected by traditional medicine, due to its more profitable emphasis on prescription drugs?

DR. HYMAN: Medicine is a state of evolution. What was once alternative is now considered conventional. Orthopedic surgeons recommend glucosamine, cardiologists recommend omega 3 fats, urologists recommend saw palmetto for enlarged prostates, and I believe that the new generation of physicians will embrace a wide range of modalities as their normal part of medical practice. However, lifestyle medicine, including food and nutrition, nutritional pharmacology, and stress management are still a large part of medical care and should be at the epicenter because they are not only the best prevention for chronic disease, but the most effective treatment and cure. It is also important to note that medicine is now evolved from a purely reductionistic science to a more whole systems perspective. There has been an evolution of thinking from holistic health in the 70s to alternative medicine therapies in the 80s (such as acupuncture and Ayurveda and Chinese medicines, homeopathy, manual therapy, and energy medicine), to integrative medicine, which incorporates these alternative modalities into conventional care. And finally to a more comprehensive systems approach that identifies the underlying causes of chronic disease, approaches illness from a whole systems perspective. This goes beyond our conventional notion of diseases to finally understanding the underlying imbalances, and the basic systems in the body that lead to disease.

Q: That's good news. However, the general public may still be ignorant of certain things, like how statins prescribed for high cholesterol block the body's production of heart-vital coenzyme Q10. Or how certain headache pills block the B vitamins. How concerned should we be about the negative effects of common drugs on health, and what food additives should be avoided at all cost?

A: Many physicians are concerned about the interaction between supplements and medications and the adverse affects of supplements and nutritional therapies; however, a much neglected area is the medicine of understanding how many medications produce nutritional deficiencies. Yes, CoQ10 production is interfered with by statin drugs, oral contraceptives prevent absorption of B vitamins, and Tylenol block depletes glutathione, the major detoxifying compound in your body. It is important to use nutritional therapy for those on medications to minimize their side effects. In fact, there is an entire textbook on how drugs interfere with nutritional status. This should be part of medical practice. Food additives are unfortunately abundant in the food supply, and 3500 different food additives are added to our food to increase shelf life, palatability, etc. Unfortunately many of these have not been fully tested and have adverse effects. I think the three main categories of widely used substances that should be eliminated because of their adverse health effects are trans fats, large predatory fish that contain mercury, and high fructose corn syrup, which also contains mercury because of how the sugar is extracted from corn using caustic soda in the manufacturing process. Also, artificial sweeteners which confuse the body, leading to increased weight gain, and act as excito-toxins affecting our brain function.

Q: In the case of trans-fats, why did the FDA allow food companies to label items as "zero trans-fat" when in fact there are trans-fats present? Isn't this just another way to fool the consumer--like listing fat, sugar and sodium content for a small portion of any container, which the consumer is likely to eat entirely, not knowing they're just eaten three or more so-called servings?

A: Food lobbying has enormous power in controlling legislation and creating loop holes, which is exactly what occurred in the implementation of food labeling around trans fats, which have been known for decades to cause adverse effects on cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and more. Some studies account for an excess 50,000 deaths a year from trans fats, and there should be no place for it in our food supply. The FDA has ruled that a serving that has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat would be labeled no trans fats. However, most packaged food contained multiple servings. Since there are three to four servings in packaged foods they can easily contain 2 grams of trans fats, and yet say there are no trans fats on the label. Therefore, we need to be very aware of this and look for specific labeling for hydrogenated oils and fats, which is the scientific term for trans fats.

Q: Americans drink oceans of soft drinks these days. Watching the commercials on TV for these, you'd think drinking them was equivalent to spreading love around the world. What they are actually spreading, however, is diabetes, isn't it, because of high fructose corn syrup? We already know why food companies love this manmade substance--because it's cheaper than sugar, and so it raises their profits even as it raises our health care costs. But can you describe why it's so bad, and the mechanism for its digestion in the liver?

A: The consumption of sugar in this country has gone from about 10 pounds per person per year in the early 1800s to about 158 pounds per person per year. High fructose corn syrup has become the predominate sugar over the last 30 years, and is directly correlated with the epidemic of obesity and behavioral disorders. It may be coincidence but there have been some research findings where it came to light that during the manufacturing process mercury may end up in corn syrup in small amounts. While this may not seem significant, the average person consumes 66 pounds per person per year, and this may lead to serious health risks. In addition, high fructose corn syrup is regulated differently than regular glucose by the body, while fructose may contain impurities which may alter its effects on our body. It has been linked to fatty liver, high triglycerides and may increase appetite. Therefore, high fructose corn syrup in my view should not be used as a sweetener like regular sugar because it may promote obesity and may eventually lead to neuro degenerative diseases or developmental disorders like ADD and autism.

Q: We love your statement that depression is "not a Prozac deficiency." You also make the point that we wouldn't need supplements at all in a perfect world where we all ate organic whole foods in wide variety, and the soil wasn't depleted or the air tainted by mercury from coal burning power plants, What are we most deficient in, due to what you call our SAD diet (Standard American Diet)? Vitamin D? Magnesium?

A: Unfortunately our current diet is nutrient depleted because is varies dramatically from diet we evolved eating which is a wild diet. The omega 3 fats, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals and high fiber which were abundant in our food supply and been supplanted by a processed diet, grown with toxic chemicals and shipped across country and stored for long periods of time and ultimately are very nutrient depleted. Therefore, we have an epidemic of nutritional deficiency in this country. When we see someone who is obese, we think they are over nourished. The fact is we are over fed and under nourished. The most significant deficiencies related to cognitive disorders, in particular, are magnesium deficiency which comes from beans and greens, folate, B12, and B6 deficiencies, and vitamin D deficiency, which is from the lack of sunlight, and zinc deficiency and selenium deficiencies. These are critically important for different many hundreds of biochemical reactions in the body. Vitamin D alone regulates over 150 genes and controls your immune system, metabolic function, cancer risk, and much more. Therefore, unfortunately, we all need to be on basic nutritional supplementation. I recommend a multivitamin, fish oil, vitamin D, calcium and magnesium, essential B vitamins such as B6, folate, and B12--a probiotic to help normalize our gut function.

Q: Which foods and supplements do you take personally, and why?

A: Personally, I eat whole fresh foods. I usually eat nothing that comes out of a box, a package, or a can unless it is a whole food such as canned artichokes. I try to eat seasonally, locally, and organically as possible to support local agriculture. I also eat a diet that is rich in omega 3 fats and small fish like sardines and herring, as well as a diet that is low in glycemic load with very small amounts of sugar and refined flour of any kind. Regarding my supplement intake, because I once had chronic fatigue syndrome and live a very active life, I supplement with things that will boost my energy, as well as a regular multivitamin, fish oil, vitamin D, magnesium. For the mitochondria and energy I take variations of carnitine, CoQ10, phosolipids, as well as B6, B12, B6, and detoxifying support such as n-acetyl-cysteine and alpha lipoic acid.

Q: The UltraMind Solution presents a plan for getting rid of the bad stuff, and adding the good, including exercise or saying no to being a couch potato. How different will people feel after ridding themselves of toxins, and consuming the micro nutrients that you say work in conjunction with exercise to affect gene expression?

A: What is remarkable is that most people do not know how badly they feel until they start feeling well. It is like someone has been standing on your foot your whole life finally getting off it and recognizing that it hurt. Simply by cleaning up their diet, eating whole fresh foods, taking a few supplements, taking a walk 30 minutes a day, doing some stress reduction and relaxation techniques people should see extraordinary results in as little as a few days to two weeks by unloading their system from all the impediments to health and by providing all the ingredients for optimal thriving.

Q: I once overheard a woman buying wild salmon and telling the seller that since eating it her vision had improved dramatically. Any anecdote to share along that line, involving mood and mind?

A: There are many stories of people who do simple things with dramatic benefits such as the woman buying salmon and having her vision improve. Salmon actually contains carotenoids, which give it its orange color that come from antioxidants and pigments in algae that the salmon eats, so in the sense salmon provides a lot of the same benefits as carrots or dark orange vegetables, unless of course if it is farm raised salmon, which is injected with dyes to achieve that same color. I have seen patients who had panic attacks and headaches and anxiety improve simply taking magnesium and patients recover from fatigue, muscle aching and depression supplementing with vitamin D, or patients with chronic depression recover after taking B6 and folic acid, or patients with autism or ADD regain focus and are able to concentrate and look directly into the eyes of their parents by using high dose B12 shots. These stories are common and achievable by following the principles of functional medicine and looking at the underlying causes of disease.

Q: You suggest that the mind and body are more connected than we know, partly because the so-called blood/brain barrier is more permeable than we've been told. The brain is also more elastic than was believed. So the potential for harm, and also for change, exist side by side. What do you tell people who are addicted to overeating--a dilemma as bad these days as addiction to alcohol, cigarettes, or other mood altering drugs, given the devastating effects of toxins, sugar and saturated fats? Is there hope for our so-called "fast food nation"?

A: I am very concerned about the disconnect in our about how we think about our behaviors and our health. We feel poorly, we are sluggish, we are depressed, we have digestive issues, we are overweight, and we make very little connection between the symptoms and serious conditions like memory loss and dementia, depression, and ADD and we make little connection between those symptoms and the choices we make every day. I think most of us do not recognize the effects of overeating, or processed foods, or alcohol, and cigarettes, sugar, trans fats on our health. The hope that I bring is the potential to feel dramatically different in a very short time by simply altering the inputs and changing output by eating whole, healthy food. If you eat whole food you can feel whole and healthy. If you eat junk you will feel like junk. I believe there is hope because we have come to a crisis point and actions are required, and communities are rallying. Government is beginning to take action, medical practices are changing, and I see quite a different future for medicine around the corner.

Ultra-Prevention Collection

Rebecca Lowman reads RULES OF CIVILITY

2011-07-23T17:12:00.000-04:00

Rebecca Lowman reads RULES OF CIVILITY, a debut novel by Amor Towles, who is an investment banker with an MA in English from Stanford. His main character is Katey Kontent, a poor Wall Street secretary whose ambitions soon eye higher floors in late 1930s New York society. Suitors with money pursue her, while the compromises needed to ascend the marble staircases vex her, and at each step her unfolding life is a canvas for life-altering choices. Lowman is always believable as Katey, a character who will resonate with today's ambitious young women as well as anyone on American Idol. The new rage in music is jazz, though, and in tone there are only nods of the top hat to Dominick Dunne and Nicholas Sparks.

Economic Jawdropper: HOW THE WEST WAS LOST

2011-07-23T13:46:00.003-04:00

Anne Flosnik reads an ear-opening look at the follies of American finance, and the decline of the West in the face of a record breaking debt. Can America forestall catastrophe, or is it already too late? In HOW THE WEST WAS LOST Dambisa Moyo outlines the breathtaking ignorance of politicians and regulators in allowing industrial bases to erode while housing bubbles inflated and Americans moved from using cash to using credit cards to sustain their illusions. With pension funds facing collapse, is the dollar itself next? One thing is certain: America has been falling for over a decade in its rankings in science and engineering education compared to the rest of the world. While our culture encourages competition in sports and non-productive pursuits such as song and dance, and while we discourage any identification or progression of the best performing academic students, emerging countries like China do the exact opposite. There, students are in intense competition, spending more time in school, and with science and engineering related careers and education a more realistic goal than the far less likely chance of winning game show fame. So the future now favors emerging markets, while a relative lowering of living standards is inevitable for the Western world.

Cruise Ship Mishaps

2011-07-21T22:08:00.001-04:00

The Costa Concordia hit a rock, or so they say. What if it was something else besides just pilot error? An underwater UFO, perhaps? And what happens if the next cruise you take sails into the Bermuda Triangle, and you wake up alone, speeding into a storm? All alone on a huge ship, with your new bride on a honeymoon, and you can't get into the control room, so you climb around the front in the rain to look through the window to see who's there, and NO ONE is there. Then music starts playing by itself, meal service appears to continue, and your new wife is becoming increasingly distressed? Find out what happens next by downloading the PDF "Everybody Overboard" here.

Sex on the Moon?

2011-07-18T14:03:00.004-04:00

More tourists descend on France in August than any other European country, so what better time to release a new novel set there? Kathe Mazur reads FRENCH LESSONS by Ellen Sussman, a novel about three people emotionally lost in Paris, a city that inspires dreams and which leads them to separate truths about themselves. Actor Casey Affleck reads SEX ON THE MOON by Ben Mezrich, the guy whose book "The Accidental Billionaires" became the movie "The Social Network." His book "Bringing Down the House" also became the movie "21." Here the plot involves the heist of moon rocks from NASA by a college student looking to impress his girlfriend. As with his previous books, this one is based on a true story. . . and yes, the book has been optioned for film. A historical epic begun in 1844 is CONQUISTADORA by Esmeralda Santiago, about a Spanish girl who marries and goes to Puerto Rico to live on a sugar plantation. The author narrates. Mary Higgins Clark's latest is I'LL WALK ALONE, read by Jan Maxwell, with a plot involving identity theft. THE TRIPLE AGENT by Pulitzer Prize winner Joby Warrick is the true story of a once trusted informer with access to al-Qaeda who suddenly detonates a bomb he's wearing to kill seven CIA operatives. It's read by Sunil Malhotra. And if you're looking to escape our dangerous world entirely for a dangerous but magical one that's fully realized, (albeit fanciful), join George R.R. Martin for Book Five of The Song of Fire & Ice: A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. Read by actor Roy Dotrice, this is truly an epic fantasy saga of mammoth proportions, with 38 compact disks running 49 hours unabridged! (And yes, that's just for Book Five.) J.K. Rowling, eat your heart out.

The Future of Dogmatic Faith

2011-07-17T12:50:00.000-04:00

Is formal "fundamentalist"religion on the way out? Yes, says Dr. Harvey Cox in THE FUTURE OF FAITH, read by Don Hagen, an ear-opening treatise on orthodoxy that proposes we are leaving the Age of Belief for the Age of the Spirit, much like leaving the letter of the law for the spirit of it. Science plays a role in this, says Cox, exposing fallacies of belief such as the 6000 year age of the Earth. As such, the audiobook is a must-hear by anyone whose "orthodoxy" (unwillingness to listen or dialogue) prevents them from seeing the separate-and-subjugate intentions of religious institutions, which are run like multinational corporations.

Malcolm Hillgartner reads THE INTERROGATOR by Glenn Carle

2011-07-13T09:08:00.002-04:00

Could you torture a man? Under what circumstances might it be right? What is right? These are questions CIA officers are forced to confront from day one on the job. Now, for the first time, a former CIA operative named Glenn Carle tells the story of his involvement in the interrogation of a high profile Al-Queda captive at a secret black site overseas. As told by Malcolm Hillgartner, THE INTERROGATOR is a chilling but true tale, and the listener is ably carried along to witness events firsthand. Audio sample below.

Steven Hoye reads INSIDE SCIENTOLOGY

2011-07-11T20:34:00.003-04:00

Janet Reitman's audit Inside Scientology is as in-depth as is the cult's audits of members. Enter a strange and harrowing world of paranoid proselytizers who shun details in favor of generalities and dogmatism. Steven Hoye reads this odd history, begun by a man who began writing science fiction before editing his own resume. . .and soon after declaring that the easiest way to make money was to "start your own religion."

Tower Review's BEST EVER Winners

2011-07-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

You have the Audie awards, the Earphones awards, the Listen Up awards, and countless Top 10 and Top 20 and Top 100 lists. The following BEST EVER AUDIOBOOK Winners come after reviewing for over 15 years (for publications such as Truckers News, Land Line, Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, Audiobook Cafe, Audiofile, XM Satellite radio, and Postal Mag), and listening to literally thousands of titles. Yes, there are many not on this list which could be. But if cornered (at gunpoint), these are the ones I'd remember...and I wouldn't want to keep the gunman waiting too long, would I? He'd think I was stalling. Enjoy.

PS) For a list of narrators to these, go HERE. Some of those narrators are interviewed at this site.

Andrew Weil, Michael Pollan, and Eric Schlosser

2011-07-04T13:53:00.001-04:00

Andrew Weil is America's health guru, taking on the drug companies, who label him a quack when they don't ignore him (which is the more usual case). A respected advocate for integrative (rather than merely "alternative") medicine, he takes a whole system approach, and HEALTH and HEALING, (his textbook on medicine, prevention, and non-pharma modalities) is now available for the first time unabridged on audio, read by Jesse Boggs. Highly recommended.
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Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser in FOOD, INC.:

Mysteries about WHY WE BUY

2011-06-28T16:24:00.004-04:00

Mike Chamberlain reads an updated version of WHY WE BUY by Paco Underhill, whose company follows retail customers around to determine what motivates them and why. His conclusions are often surprising, yet understandable. Still, some retailers don't get it. For example, many people go into big stores with the idea of purchasing one or two items, but then see other things they want or need. Yet stores don't usually have carts or baskets further into the store. If you can't carry the extra items--and you don't want to walk back to the front--you'll decline the purchase. What's the real purpose of the Wal Mart greeter--the little old lady or retired veteran who says hello? It's to prevent theft. Studies show that having a respected person speak to entering customers lowers shoplifting. (And you thought they cared about you, with entire aisles of junk food and soda?) The book also talks about innovative stores in malls from South Africa to Dubai, and throws in a chapter on the internet. A companion book to this would be THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING by Eduardo Porter, narrated by Walter Dixon. It's about why we pay what we do for things, while other countries pay different prices (sometimes less, sometimes more.) It depends on culture, values, availability, and what is subsidized by the government (and so true costs are hidden, as in corn and beef.)

...In other news about re-releases, Penguin audio has repackaged the novels and stories of John Steinbeck, from CANNERY ROW read by Jerry Farden to EAST OF EDEN read by Richard Poe. Dylan Baker reads THE GRAPES OF WRATH, and actor Gary Sinise reads TRAVELS WITH CHARLIE IN SEARCH OF AMERICA. One I'm listening to now is THE RED PONY, read by my friend, the late, great Frank Muller. And if you're interested in learning how meditation can decrease--not just your stress level--but also depression, sleep disorders, eating disorders, and phobias, listen to a fascinating examination of how thoughts affect the mind, BUDDHA'S BRAIN--The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdom, by Dr. Rick Hanson and Dr. Richard Mendius, as read by Alan Jones. I definitely recommend it to anyone who stomps their gas pedal the instant the person in front of them moves into the passing lane.

Scary Caves: BLIND DESCENT

2011-06-28T10:27:00.001-04:00

Don Leslie reads BLIND DESCENT by James M. Tabor, a fascinating true story about a team of adventurers who race to find the deepest place on Earth, in a cave in the Republic of Georgia. The expedition took weeks and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the author. To read my interview with Tabor go HERE.

Lorelei King reads SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN

2011-06-22T13:50:00.002-04:00

Easily the best of the last four books in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN is not quite hot, but it's fun. And of course the best reason to buy this book on audio (instead of in print) is narrator Lorelei King, an actress with a gift for bringing characters to life. She definitely enhances the text.

Lorelei King to Audiobooks Today: "She's so well written, her personality just leaps off the page. My choices were all to do with conveying this in the voice, and when I first started recording the Plum novels (many moons ago!), I made the decision to neutralize Stephanie's accent. It's been my experience that first person narration can really start to grate if you use any kind of strong regional accent. I give myself free rein the with supporting characters though, and go as Jersey as I like! Recording Janet Evanovich's novels has been so much fun, one of the most enjoyable parts of my career! I know I'm always going to have at LEAST two or three uncontrollable belly laughs, where the tears are rolling down my face and we have to stop recording. The writing is great, the characters are wonderful, the dialogue is easy to play, and the laughs keep coming. I hope she keeps writing them forever!" For interview with Janet, click on banner at the bottom of the page.

S*it My Dad Says & The Stainless Steel Rat

2011-06-19T15:16:00.001-04:00

What's at the end of the American dream rainbow? As Dan Simmons tells it in FLASHBACK--an epic and apocalyptic SF story--mainly a bunch of abandoned strip malls where bankrupted Americans take a drug that lets them relive the past, (when people still cared.) Former Detective Bottoms has indeed reached bottom when he is hired by a rich, ruling class Japanese tycoon to reopen his son's murder case. What he discovers is more than anyone hooked on Flash should know. Original and ironic, the story is told with evocative abandon by narrators Richard M. Davidson, Bryan Kennedy, and Joe Barrett.

Phil Gigante has fun performing THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT, an offbeat science fiction pulp adventure featuring a morally ambivalent protagonist/thief named Slippery Jim DiGriz. This long running SF series contains much first person dialogue, making it ideal for audio. Satire is the driver here, not character development, and so with its focus on problem solving adventure, sustained by a sardonic twist of romance, it is a canvas for melodrama similar to the Golden Age stories of L. Ron Hubbard or the wise-cracking antics of Hans Solo in Star Wars. Gigante capitalizes on his opportunity to summon this full range of emotions, his variations on accented English and German coming into humorous play during DiGriz's confrontations with robots and aliens. An Audie Award Winner.

Imagine George Carlin reading material by Redd Foxx or Richard Pryor, and you'll be close to Sean Schemmel's interpretation of Justin Halpern's father in S*IT MY DAD SAYS. It is perhaps wryly apt that the author of this short memoir, written in recollection of having to move back in with his dad after being dumped by his girlfriend at age 28, was contributer to a men's magazine. Mr. Halpern the elder first became inspiration for Justin's popular Twitter posts--perfect medium for these terse, expletive-not-deleted observations made by a dad short on tact and inhibition. As narrator, Sean Schemmel evokes Justin's chagrin in an arc that leads to guilty admiration, revealing the love they share beneath it all.

Dale Brown on Area 51

2011-06-18T15:43:00.005-04:00

Dale Brown is the author of many bestsellers, including "Flight of the Old Dog" and "Air Battle Force" and "Warrior Class" (read by Avatar star Steven Lang, an experienced and controlled reader who sounds like a native Russian one moment, and a U.S. news correspondent the next.) His latest is "A Time for Patriots." A former Air Force bombardier, Brown is now a private pilot and lives near Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

AUDIOBOOKS TODAY: How long you were in the military, and what did you fly?

DALE BROWN: I spent eight years in the Air Force, and I flew B-52 Bombers, and the FB-111 Bomber.

AT: What in your military background led you to become a writer?

DB: Well, I wanted to be a writer first, actually. I wrote a column for the Penn State University newspaper, and I did freelancing for many years. So I think I've always wanted to be a writer and a flyer, and I was lucky enough to do both as a career.

AT: Do you still fly?

DB: Yes. As a private pilot, I have a Cessna 421 that I fly on business and for personal things.

AT: Now, you write about Dreamland a lot. What is Dreamland, and how does it differ from the infamous Area 51?

DB: Well, we never really called it Area 51. Dreamland is our nickname. There is a classified air base in south central Nevada, just north of Las Vegas. It's a regular Air Force base, and about two thousand people work there. Their main offices are actually out at Nellis Air Force base, and some of them commute on a 727 to this classified base from Nellis. You can't find it on any map, but there are lots of satellite photos of the base. It's small, but it has movie theaters, a bowling alley, and a commissary. But if you're there it's because you're specially assigned, and they do research and development on new weapons systems.

AT: Have you been there?

DB: No, but I've talked to many folks who have been there, and I've done exercises out there at the Red Flag range. The base is actually in the middle of a series of bombing ranges in the desert there. The Red Flag exercises are meant to give pilots their first ten combat missions, with the theory being that if you survive your first ten missions, you're likely to survive your combat encounters. The restricted area in the middle is where you can't fly, where it's restricted from the surface to infinity, and we're told that's where the base is, which from satellite photos looks just like any other Air Force base.

AT: John Nance reads his own aviation mysteries for Brilliance Audio. I'm wondering, do you get the chance to at least listen to your own audiobooks, and if so, what do you think of the medium?

DB: I absolutely love the medium. I listen to them all the time. I usually get them on CD, or download them onto my PDA. I think it's important for authors to find a good reader who's compatible with your material, and how you think they should perform it.

AT: Who is your main audience, military men? I take it you don't get many little old ladies at book signings.

DB: No, I write male fantasy, and what appeals to anyone who who likes action and adventure. Mostly retired military, both men and women.

AT: Any movie deals in the works?

DB: Not yet. The creative side tends to bump into the budgeting side, so that's where the problem arises. Producers really like my books, but they give it to the guys doing the budget, and eyebrows get raised. Things move fast there, with a lot of creative people, although there's something of a herd mentality operating, where you have to be the first one to do something, and then everyone follows.

AT: No risks, just sequels?

DB: (laughs) Right.

AREA 51 by Annie Jacobsen

Big in China vs. Getting Old in Japan

2011-06-18T11:07:00.001-04:00

Take a music and basketball journalist, uproot his family from NJ to Beijing, add a Chinese guitarist named Woodie Wu, and you have the candid memoir BIG IN CHINA, written and read by Alan Paul, whose band “Woodie Alan” is a hit there. It’s an new insider’s travelogue and commentary on the country, and on living as an American there.
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Kerin McCue reads SHOCK OF GRAY, Ted C. Fishman’s look at aging (its causes and consequences), particularly in Japan (which already has more near term problems coping with earthquakes). It’s young versus old in an upcoming battle over financing of health care in American and beyond. Most frightening: Birth rates are only rising in the poorest of countries, while Social Security is metamorphosing from illusion to joke. –TR

Tower Review Video Newsletter

2011-06-17T06:24:00.002-04:00

John Grisham's latest book, as he seeks a younger audience, is THE ABDUCTION, a Theodore Boone mystery again featuring a child whose ambition is not to become a wizard but rather a lawyer . The series consists of legal thrillers for kids, this latest narrated by the amiable Richard Thomas (John Boy Walton), a good choice for an actor intending to hook a new generation of readers, and with a voice (and face) that never seems to age. For older kids there is THE KINGDOM, the latest Clive Cussler adventure (written with Grant Blackwood) to feature a husband and wife team of treasure hunters. This time the Fargos go in search of a missing oil baron's father, and in so doing encounter many fanciful relics and fossils while sorting out puzzles taking them to the far ends of the earth. THE DEVIL'S COLONY is the latest Sigma Force novel by James Rollins, involving Native American archeology, and read by Peter Jay Fernandez. HOW TO START A CONVERSATION AND MAKE FRIENDS by Don Gabor is a self explanatory self help title revised to include online communications and social media. DEMONIC by Ann Coulter might be a way to end conversations, unless you're a Republican, in which case here's historical "evidence" that liberals gravitate into mobs dominated by "groupthink." (Although political groupthink, both Obama and Bush, now have us circling the drain.) A more unbiased look at history is GUNS, GERMS, and STEEL, the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Jared Diamond, which shows that political power and wealth itself is how societies force their wills on others not so privileged. It's read on audio by Doug Ordunio. And DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY, the former bestseller by Kenneth Davis, and read by a multi-cast, has been updated to include Iraq, Obama, and the economic meltdown. Ann Brashares, author of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," has a new novel out titled SISTERHOOD EVERLASTING, read by Angela Goethals. "Commencement" author J. Courtney Sullivan's latest is MAINE, a family drama set at a Maine cottage, read by Ann Marie Lee. For a true family drama, try A FATHER'S LOVE by David Goldman, about one man's unrelenting battle to bring his abducted son home, read by the author. And for gaming fans, SF author Greg Bear has penned HALO CRYPTUM: The Forerunner Saga, read by Holter Graham, which is based on the X-Box game. For the Tower Review PDF newsletter, go here.

Mike Chamberlain reads ROBOPOCALYPSE

2011-06-15T18:54:00.003-04:00

Mike Chamberlain reads ROBOPOCALYPSE by Daniel H. Wilson, who has a doctorate in robotics. What makes this novel interesting is assumptive insights into the science of robotics, which aren’t thrust on the listener, but evolve within its focus on character in telling the story. Various survivors of the singularity of artificial intelligence are recounted, after a computer has been awakened and accidentally released only to start a war against humanity (in order to save life on planet Earth.) Surprisingly original, even within the limiting Terminator war genre, it captures and holds attention throughout. And Steven Spielberg has optioned the book for a movie.

WICKED BUGS

2011-06-08T12:28:00.002-04:00

Hate bugs? Gain a respect for the world's most abundant, adaptive, and strange creatures by listening to WICKED BUGS by Amy Stewart. Maybe you won't love them any more, but at least you'll understand them better, even as you try to crush them under foot. Many odd and fascinating anecdotes involving insects throughout history are related here, along with the dangers they pose and the diseases they carry. There's really no escape from them, so you might as well learn what you can while facing your worst nightmares. Coleen Marlo narrates this story of survival involving species which owned the world long before we came along, and will continue to own it long after we're gone.

THE GREATER JOURNEY by David McCullough

2011-06-08T12:24:00.001-04:00

Edward Herrmann takes the microphone to narrate THE GREATER JOURNEY, another epic American history book by David McCullough, whose title refers, not to the migration west, but rather east across the ocean to Paris. For a critical time during the second half of the 19th Century, many future shakers and movers of American society and letters lived there during a wondrous stage in their inspiration and artistic development, and McCullough is meticulous and poetic in describing this largely untold story, while Herrmann shows why, once again, he's the go-to guy to serve as tour guide and time machine operator.

Interview with Karen Abbott about AMERICAN ROSE

2011-06-08T09:35:00.009-04:00

AMERICAN ROSE by Karen Abbott is the tragic story of Gypsy Rose Lee, and is handled with grace and balance while providing a peek behind the curtain of an era when vaudeville was our only television, and when bankers actually jumped out of windows without golden government parachutes. An intimate and revelatory history of how a psychopathic parent can affect her children, it is narrated with skill by the very listenable actress Bernadette Dunne on audio. This well researched book is both a slice of life and a snapshot of Americana, and should not be missed.

Tower Review) How did you become interested in Chicago history, and vaudeville?
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Karen Abbott) I became interested in Chicago history due to a old bit of family lore. My great-grandmother's sister immigrated to the United States in 1905. She lived in Pittsburgh but at some point ventured to Chicago, and then was never heard from again. I was always intrigued by this story, and began going through old Chicago Tribune archives from 1905. I didn't expect to find out what happened to my ancestor, but I was interested in what was going on in the city at the time, and as it turned out, girls were disappearing with alarming frequency. Then I came upon a story about department store heir Marshall Field Jr., who was rumored to have been shot in the Everleigh Club, which was the world's most famous and luxurious brothel. After I read more about its proprietors, the aristocratic Everleigh sisters, I forgot all about my missing relative and became consumed with learning more about these enigmatic women. I know that sounds awful, but it's true! That was the genesis for my first book, Sin in the Second City. As for vaudeville, my grandmother always told me stories about growing up during the Great Depression, and she once relayed a tale of a cousin who claims to have seen Gypsy Rose Lee perform in 1935. The cousin claimed that Gypsy took a full fifteen minutes to peel off a single glove, and that she was "so damned good at it" that he gladly would've given her fifteen more. So that got me thinking: who was Gypsy Rose Lee? Who could possibly take the simple act of peeling off a glove and make it so riveting that someone would be compelled to watch for a full half hour? Gypsy was a very private, relentlessly self-inventing character, and I became determined to figure her out.
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Q) What is the most tragic thing and the most interesting thing you discovered in researching this story?
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A) The family dynamic between Gypsy, her sister June, and their mother was both the most tragic and interesting part of my research. I spent hours at Lincoln Center, which houses Gypsy's archives, looking through the correspondence between Rose, Gypsy, and June, and the letters reflected a constant whiplash back-and-forth of emotion between the three of them. Rose would blackmail Gypsy about her early days in burlesque and threaten to reveal her “true nature” to the press, and in the very next letter beg for forgiveness and tell Gypsy how much she loved her. Gypsy knew about all of Rose’s secrets, as well—including where the literal bodies were buried. It was a codependent relationship that neither one could relinquish. There’s a line in the book that sums up their relationship: “It is a swooning, funhouse version of love, love concerned with appearances rather than intent, love both deprived and depraved, love that has to glimpse its distorted reflection in the mirror in order to exist at all.” As for Gypsy and June, I believe there was friendship and love there, but it was incredibly fragile. When I interviewed June, she told me that she was “no sister” to Gypsy; she was nothing but a “knot in her life.” She lived with that hurt until the day she died.
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Q) What are you working on now?
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A) I'm currently working on a book about female Civil War spies. I'm still in the early stages of my research, but they're fascinating.

Human VS. Computer

2011-06-07T19:50:00.007-04:00

Imagine a game show panel judging whether instant-message conversations with unseen contestants are being shared with humans or computers. That's the Turing Test, and journalist Brian Christian documents his experience as a human contestant in THE MOST HUMAN HUMAN. By examining the likelihood of machines fooling judges into believing they are human, the author attempts to define what makes us unique. Narrating this intriguing book himself, Christian demonstrates his own human qualities, which a computer voice can't yet mimic. I recommend it, not due to its computer geek oriented technobabble, but rather because it examines how we are becoming robotic (even as robots become more human.) There is also much in this book about language and what constitutes the meaning of words, as perceived by people and by computers undergoing the Turing Test. He draws examples from movies and art and locations, along with how the brain processes information, to describe how strangers come to relate to each other. His thesis is also that “art doesn’t scale.” You can’t keep repeating life experiences and not become “robotic.” He says, so called “once in a lifetime events” come every day, because every day is once in a lifetime. That’s what makes us unique, and not robotic.

An appropriate companion book here would be INCOGNITO, written and read by David Eagleman, who serves up a nutritious dose of neuroscience in exploring the subconscious mind, and the secret lives of the brain. If you've always wondered about intuition, deja vu, dreams, or where ideas come from, here's the answer: your mind is working overtime, whether you realize it or not. So computers might be able to process information faster, but we are still more complex than we appear. One intriguing question resolved here involves ethics, too: are we responsible for unseen influences our subconscious directs us, and who exactly is the "us" involved in choices and "free" will, given both conscious and subconscious influences? Eagleman also discusses the soul, and how the brain's consciousness arises from a sum greater than its parts. The answer cannot be found by reductionism, he says, "by looking at smaller and smaller parts." This makes the concept of the soul more complex than current science can discover.

SUPERSENSE by Bruce Hood