You can learn a new language or listen to the latest novel - all
while you work or travel!
To find the latest
audiobooks of note check out Jonathan Lowe's Audiobooks Review
(below).
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thousands of audiobooks at
Amazon.com and over 35,000 audio titles are available for
download at
Audible.com!
The Lowe-Down on Audiobooks -
January 2008
Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe
Every year, it
seems, we feel the need to make New Year's resolutions. Whether we
succeed in sticking to them is a matter of motivation and tenacity.
To aid such attempts at self improvement I've chosen several new
releases for their unique perspectives and/or scientific rigor. They
are especially practical when heard on audio, while stuck in traffic
and passing all those fast food restaurant signs, or while being
tailgated by frustrated shoppers returning presents that didn't
quite make them as happy as they expected.
First up is a
book that turns the head on our modern western diet.
IN DEFENSE OF FOOD by Michael Pollan poses the argument that the
reason why we're getting fatter and more unhealthy every year is
because big food processors make more profit selling grains than
leaves. That is, whole foods spoil easily, while denatured and
milled grains have a long shelf life, and can be transported long
distances easier. The most profitable grains are corn and soybeans,
which has led to the near extinction of many more nutrient-dense
crops. Since the most healthy parts of grains spoil fastest, these
are milled out, leaving a bleached "fake" food behind, which is then
"enriched" with a chemical spray, and introduced with other
potentially hazardous chemicals to preserve freshness. Empty
calories and added sugars then lead to a host of diseases over time,
including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Particularly
disturbing is the rise in consumption of high fructose corn syrup,
present in most non-diet sodas and juices, and many cookies, cakes,
and other snacks. It is an unnatural (manmade) but cheap sweetener
that is difficult to digest, just as trans-fats are, and is being
guzzled by Americans like there's no tomorrow. Those doing the
guzzling had better hope there's no tomorrow, too, because their
savings on food costs over buying whole foods will translate into
their spending far more on drugs and health care in the future!
Narrated by Scott Brick, who takes a dramatic approach to the
eye-opening text, the audiobook also dispenses sound advice,
including limiting your purchases to those items near the walls of
supermarkets, since highly processed "fake" foods tend to line the
center aisles. If you take just this advice, you'll lose weigh,
outlive your classmates, and may decide to petition your Congressman
to declare war on the food industry lobby as well. (Penguin Audio;
6 1/2 hours unabridged)
A year of so ago
I published a novel about longevity science, so naturally I was
interested in hearing what Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz had to
say about the subject in YOU STAYING YOUNG--The Owner's Manual for
Extending Your Warranty. Dr. Oz is Oprah's doctor, but both men
narrate this interesting and comprehensive examination of what causes
aging, and how to slow down the process. Some of it relates to things
mentioned in the previous book, but here, as told by medical doctors,
we see deeper into the science of aging, not just those risk factors
most people already know about--smoking, processed foods, saturated
fat, sedentary lifestyles, etc. For instance, did you know there's a
relationship between flossing and heart disease? Or that sunburn
triggers the stem cells grown in your bones to migrate to the burn to
repair it, and so if you burn often the odds for a genetic mistake
increases, resulting in cancer? Every eight years the body's aging
rate gets on a faster treadmill, and the trick is to fool your
internal pedometer by minimizing the biological processes that propel
it graveward. Avoiding stress--both internal and external--is most
important here, since tension and toxins have a direct effect on the
cells, turning off and on various genes that regulate their life
cycle. Think of tension as anger, frustration, worry and regret, and
toxins as tail pipe exhaust, loud noises, and even those greasy, salty
french fries you just ate. You can't make up for thirty years of
eating holiday cheese balls by popping a vitamin pill, but you can
start reversing the aging process, say the authors, by thinking about
what you're doing instead of doing it automatically. Popping an
aspirin a day and drinking one glass of red wine in the evening may
help too, surprisingly. As long as that's all the alcohol you're
drinking, and you avoid soda altogether. (Simon & Schuster Audio; 5
hours abridged)
Next, in THE HOW
OF HAPPINESS--A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want,
author Sonja Lyubomirsky reveals evidence that happiness is 60% a
matter of genetic predisposition, and 40% a conditioned response. No
doubt you've met people who are happy by nature, and who therefore
possess a cushion against the effects of bad things happening in
their lives. For the rest of us, without this high set point for
happiness, there is the remaining 40% to be manipulated. One of the
ways, surprisingly, is simply smiling, even when things may be going
wrong. Studies have shown that moods become elevated just by
mimicking happy people, or pretending to be happy. Read by the
author, the audiobook walks through case studies which demonstrate
that money, love, fame, and outward success have little to do with
happiness, which is more about an outlook and state of mind than a
quantifiable list of causes. Feeling alive and having a relationship
to that life which makes it an adventure is far more important than
driving a new Mercedes or having a big bank account. (Penguin
Audio; 6 hours abridged)
The idea of
breaking free from myths regarding happiness is continued in THE
ULTIMATE CHEAPSKATE'S ROAD MAP TO TRUE RICHES by Jeff Yeager. Here
is a man who cares not a wit about designer labels, $4 cups of
coffee, or showing off some new gas-guzzling luxury car to friends
and neighbors. His primary mode of transport is a bicycle, which
keeps him healthier while sparing the air. Yeager advocates living
within your means at age thirty, and staying there for life, rather
than trading up continuously until hospital bills take what's left.
In addition to his many tips for conserving rather than spending on
everyday items, he recommends pinching dollars more of pennies,
since big ticket items are what most weigh people down. Keep
everything else in perspective, and you can really enjoy life more
while spending less. According to Yeager, who also reads the
audiobook, once you step off the treadmill of "more is better"
you'll discover that less means less stress, too. (Brilliance Audio;
8 hours unabidged)
Finally, we come
to a true revolutionary. Timothy Ferriss is author of THE FOUR HOUR
WORK WEEK--Escape 9 to 5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich.
Ferris turned his early dislike of authority into a career by
rejecting the established model of deferring life until retirement
while "wasting" your prime years in a dead end job. Having designed
his own escape from drudgery, Ferriss now sells sports medicines
online, and travels the world on the income, while still in his 30s.
His purchases, sales, and inventory are all outsourced, so there's
no management attention needed, either. And he suggests that
listeners can copy what he did by planing month-long
"mini-vacations" to do what they really love, and then see if
there's a way to continue it. If not, he suggests going back to the
office cubical to come up with a new plan. It worked for him, after
all. Formerly stuck in a job he despised, making $40G a year,
Ferriss now makes $40G a month while living outside the U.S. for 11
months of the year in major world capitals. (Far less expensive than
people suppose, he claims.) Utilizing his opportunistic talent for
seeing ways to bend the rules, he also won a dance competition in
Brazil, and a kickboxing championship in Japan as well. But can
anyone follow in his footsteps? Perhaps, but only if they share the
same mindset. Self driven and innovative, Ferriss is a rare breed.
He doesn't need or desire either the admiration of others, nor their
symbols of wealth. He certainly cares not at all for the treadmill
lifestyle which characterizes most everyone's experience, watching
TV and mimicking their neighbors. "Why retire at all?" Ferriss asks,
"if you're doing what you love? Besides, in the traditional
retirement you'll be so bored you'll want to stick bicycle spokes in
your eyes." (Audible.com download to iPod; 8 hours unabridged)
(These audiobooks may be rented from AudioAdventures.com. Jonathan
Lowe's e-book of stories, "Ghost Rider," is the #1 free download
online at Fictionwise.com)
The Lowe-Down on Audiobooks -
December 2007
Audiobooks Reviewed by Jonathan Lowe
What
if a genetically engineered oil-eating virus infected all the major
oil fields in the Middle East and Alaska? That's the scenario Kyle
Mills postulates in his new novel
DARKNESS FALLS, a book with scary relevance as a cautionary
tale. Talk about high concept, you can't get much higher in terms
of consequence for humanity--especially for the United States, which
has a gluttonous relationship with fossil fuels. The environmental
terrorists responsible for introducing this fictional virus have no
idea, either, to what extent chaos will descend. As an example,
while I write these words I'm sitting in a full service car wash
lobby, and just outside are over a dozen SUVs and trucks being
detailed. Yet even gas for my compact car would become unavailable,
soon after rationing at $12 a gallon expired. Ground transportation
would fail, next. Then grocery stores would be cleaned out. In the
end, most aircraft would be grounded, except for hospital
helicopters sent to shuttle rich people who were injured defending
their cellars from home invasion. In short, darkness falling would
mean a return to the Dark Ages, when life-spans were brief, and
survival as difficult as making it to the final round of American
Idol. Narrated by actor Erik Steele, who brings an open and
objective sense of surprise to each unfortunate revelation, the
novel plays with its nightmare scenario, making it more plausible as
the plot unfolds. This is not a great book in the sense of literary
style or use of metaphor. Character development is as limited as
other books typical of the genre. What gives it life and meaning is
its relentless narrative arc, and its uncanny proximity to the
unfolding world energy crisis. Because, like it or not, we are
going to run out of oil as effectively as this, eventually, and
unless someone solves the nuclear waste dilemma (and brings other
alternative energy sources online as well) our grandkids--in their
retirement--will be forced to grow and defend their own potatoes and
green beans. Nevermind cruising the great capitals of the world,
either, because cities will die first, once transportation--and
audiobooks--are gone! As a footnote, film rights to the novel sold
long before publication, based on its simple premise, and so until
seeing is believing, perhaps listening to the "audio movie" version
starring Erik Steele will inspire more chills than Stephen King ever
could, and give people second thoughts about NASCAR events or the
purchase of vehicles the size of dinosaurs. (BBC Audiobooks
America; 8 1/2 hours unabridged)
Next, in
imagining what other-worldly civilizations might be like, we humans
like to transpose onto aliens not only some of our own facial
features, but also our ego-maniacal penchant for conquest, derived
(one must assume) from the "glories" of war. But how likely is it
that "advanced" alien life forms look and think like us? Do they
also strap high explosives around their waists and imagine a heaven
filled with virgins? Do they paint themselves orange or blue, and
scream obscenities from the bleachers whenever someone runs an oddly
shaped inflated cow hide over the wrong goal line? In Fred
Saberhagen's BERSERKER FURY a race of savage androids is intent on
the noble cause of obliterating all life in the galaxy. But to
infiltrate human worlds they first get extreme makeovers to look
like machines we created. Luckily, though, we humans have cracked
their transmission codes, so we're ready for their final
assault. Sound silly? Well, not so fast. Maybe these androids
have the right idea. Maybe they are more worthy than us to
rule the Milky Way. Just what is life, anyway? Can't a sentient
machine win in a debate with an atheist, after all? God knows
there's not enough room out there for two territorial-obsessed
civilizations to coexist, right? Narrator Paul Michael Garcia has
the honor of interpreting the well drawn characters in this
entertaining 1997 novel just now released on audio. And as long as
you don't ask any deep questions (like I'm doing here), it's solid
escapism. Even if your typical alternative is not actually
watching John Madden rant between truck and fast food
commercials. (Blackstone Audio; 12 1/2 hours unabridged)
Speaking of
commercials, Americans are getting sick and tired of being
interrupted by them. So they're just ignoring advertising. Today
it's all about interaction, blogs, comments, trends, word-of-mouth,
coffee shops, video games, on-demand programming. Attention spans
are ever shorter, and with so many options available now, the big
old corporations with their bloated warehouses full of mass produced
products can just go to hell, for all we care! Well, that's
according to Seth Godin in his new book MEATBALL SUNDAE, anyway,
which is about marketing to the new consumer with the new media.
(Merry Christmas, retailers). Stressing being in sync with the right
product married to the right marketing strategy, Godin says you
can't just add the internet (YouTube, MySpace, Google AdWords, etc)
onto things which have no buzz without them, anymore than you can
add meatballs on top of ice cream and call it "nouveau cuisine." In
the meantime, traditional industries like travel agencies and middle
class grocers are disappearing, too, as everyone retreats from the
middle toward either the high end or the bargain basement. A
revolutionary little tome, this, and read by the author. (Highbridge
Audio; 4 3/4 hours unabridged)
Getting back to
sheer mayhem, for most of his career as a mystery writer James Lee
Burke has been turning over rocks to expose certain creatures of the
night whose cruelty is unbounded. These animals are not separate
from us, however. They share our DNA, and even Burke's main
character--the complex alcoholic detective Dave Robicheaux--almost
crawls under a rock with them before emerging with new knowledge of
himself and the world each time. In THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN, New
Orleans is the setting for Dave's search under Katrina's sodden
rocks for a serial rapist and a vigilante. Although stark and
depressing, we listen to all this for several reasons. One, we're
riveted by Burke's descriptions of place and character, his original
use of metaphor, his regional expertise, his brilliant insights into
the human dilemma. Two, like true rubber-neckers, we want to see
what train wreck has happened now, and what corpses may litter the
highway next. Finally, there is Will Patton, the perfect narrator
to render Robicheaux, right down to his exhalations of breath, while
nailing the Louisiana accents with masterful elan. Who could ask
for more? Well, actually, I could. I want Burke to write the Great
American Novel. One on par with The Great Gatsby or the best of
Faulkner. I say this because he's one of the few who could do it.
Another who did it follows. (Simon & Schuster Audio; 16 1/2 hours
unabridged)
Several years
ago, when I interviewed actor Richard Poe, he told me about the
novel INDEPENDENCE DAY, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Richard
Ford that he once narrated. Only recently have I gotten around to
hearing it, and I have to say, I was bowled over like a final pin
for a final spare. Not just by the story of Frank Bascombe, a self
absorbed part time real estate agent trying to connect with his son,
but by how well Poe's own acting talents and voice meld into
creating that character. This is such a rich and deeply realized
book that I hereby ascribe the words "Great American Novel" to it
without more than a wink's hesitation. The bonus of hearing it read
by Poe, a longtime Broadway and feature film actor, makes it a
keeper. Poe becomes Bascombe as naturally as Will Patton
becomes Dave Robicheaux. Published in 1995, the novel is a 1998
Recorded Books title, still available on CD. Also winner of the
PEN/Faulkner award, it's a must-hear for anyone buying or selling a
house, too, since it wryly delves into the real reasons behind
various purchases. And no, it's not just about price and location.
(Recorded Books; 20 hours unabridged)
Audiobooks
