ARLINGTON PARK by Rachel Cusk Read by Jilly Bond
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
London’s upscale Arlington Park provides the setting for the story of several women living lives of quiet desperation. Jilly Bond’s excellent performance captures the brittle, despairing quality of the characters as they discover that life is not all it seems in privileged Arlington Park.
http://www.audiofilepublications.com/media/clips/32223.mp3
Audiobook Review: The Secret by Rhonda Byne
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
Oh brother. I repeat, oh brother. The secret? You want to know what it was? Implement the law of attraction. That translates to: If you think good thoughts, good things will happen. If you think bad thoughts, bad things will happen. There, I just saved you $15 for the book and $34 for the audiobook.
I actually stopped listening to this it was so bad. It was read by the author, the audio was poor, you even hear other undesireable mouth noises when she reads the book to you. Yuck! Once you get past the poor audio recording, you have to listen to what “The Secret” actually is. I would say the book is 99% hyping up what “The Secret” is and 1% actually telling you how to implement it. In an attempt to attract readers, it refers to wealth and power more than just living a happy life.
Since I have to give a rating to this, I give it the #6 preset on my radio dial. (hint: I only have 5 presets, 1 being the best and 5 being the worst)
I’ll leave you with a line taken directly from the book: “Humans have good feelings and they have bad feelings. And we know the difference, because one makes you feel good, and one makes you feel bad.”
Audiobook What Happened Inside the Bush White House 2008 by Scott McClellan
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
Info:
Takes readers behind the scenes of the Bush presidency, and what exactly happened to take it off course. This book provides perspective on what happened and why it happened the way it did, including the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, Washington’s bitter partisanship and two hotly-contested presidential campaigns.
With unprecedented candour, one of George W Bush’s closest aides takes readers behind the scenes of the Bush presidency, and what exactly happened to take it off course.Scott McClellan was one of a few Bush loyalists from Texas who became part of his inner circle of trusted advisers, and remained so during one of the most challenging and contentious periods of recent history. Drawn to Bush by his commitment to compassionate conservatism and strong bipartisan leadership, McClellan served the president for more than seven years, and witnessed day-to-day exactly how the presidency veered off course.In this refreshingly clear-eyed book, written with no agenda other than to record his experiences and insights for the benefit of history, McClellan provides unique perspective on what happened and why it happened the way it did, including the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, Washington’s bitter partisanship and two hotly-contested presidential campaigns. He gives readers a candid look into what George W Bush is and what he believes and into the personalities, strengths, and liabilities of his top aides. Finally, McClellan looks to the future, exploring the lessons this presidency offers the American people as they prepare to elect a new leader.
Free Audiobook?
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008David Sedaris’ new book came out today (It’s called When You are Engulfed in Flames). And anyone who is familiar with David Sedaris knows that it’s always better to get the audiobook version. However, I can seem to find it available for download anywhere. I mean I can go but the CD for $25 or even a cassette ($27!):. but I don’t really want to. Why isn’t this on iTunes or Audible (which is the same thing I guess). Hmm: if you bought the audio CD, put those mp3 online, don’t worry, I’ll pay for it later.
Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me is an audio book written by Ben Carlin.
Relationships end. And in most cases, even the most callow among us learn something from the experience, whether it be major life lessons (‘If you lie, you will get caught’), simple truths (‘Flowers work’), or something wholly unique (‘Watch out for the high strung brother in the military’).
This anthology, which includes contributions from an impressive list of comedic and creative minds, including Stephen Colbert, Andy Richter, Bob Odenkirk, Dan Savage (Savage Love), and Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), is about that salient something men take away from failed relationships.
Not a touchy-feely, self-help book, this is packed with smart, funny, and insightful stories from men you probably thought never got dumped-or if they did, would never admit it.
What I’m Looking Forward To Reading: James Marcus
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008Traditionally I ease into summer with some light entertainment, and Ian Frazier’s Lamentations of the Father (FSG) fits the bill to perfection. Frazier is funny even in his fatter, more ambitious books, but his comic essays and parodies (an endangered form) leave me helpless with amusement and admiration. I’m also looking forward to another essay collection, Dubravka Ugresic’s Nobody’s Home (Open Letter)–the work of an equally witty author, although her subject matter is a bit bleaker. On the poetry front, I’m eager to read Glyn Maxwell’s Hide Now (Houghton Mifflin), as well as Words In Air: The Complete Correspondence Between Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell (FSG). Having devoured a marvelous collection of Lowell’s letters a couple of years ago, I initially imagined that his correspondence with Bishop would amount to a slender volume of barrel scrapings. Boy, was I wrong–the new book is 880 pages long, and these were people who thrived on the elastic, intimate, apercu-friendly form of the old-fashioned letter, so I’m anticipating a feast. I’m psyched about the new Julian Barnes, Nothing to Be Frightened Of (Knopf), rumored to be the funniest book about death since Flann O’Brien’s The Third Policeman. Speaking of which, there’s also Philip Roth’s Indignation (Houghton Mifflin), a postmortem narrative that I’ve already read, but am anxious to read again, mostly to see if I like it more the second time. And finally, there are two more novels on my radar for later this summer: Marilynne Robinson’s Home (FSG), set in the same Iowa town as Gilead, and The Book of Getting Even (Steerforth), a sophomore effort by the slippery and elegant Benjamin Taylor.
