MyShelf.com || Audio Buzz with Jonathan Lowe

Angels & Demons - Movie Tie-In by Dan Brown

The re-publication of ANGELS & DEMONS by Dan Brown is timed to the release of the Ron Howard film starring Tom Hanks, and the audiobook version couldn't have a better narrator in Richard Poe. In some ways Poe aids in making this book almost as interesting as the mega blockbuster The DaVinci Code, with a plot involving Robert Langdon seeking out the Illuminati before it can blow up the Vatican. Brown here combines particle physics with the usual hunt for clues among the relics of Christendom, but it is Poe's unerring guidance of the narrative arc that keeps the listener enthralled. A Broadway and film actor, Poe lends a believable presence to the text, while the Mp3 format—a first for the publisher—places all 19 hours of his unabridged performance on just 3 disks, and at a price comparable to the hardcover. So there is no excuse left not to consider the audiobook. (Simon & Schuster Audio)

Q & A aka Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup

Next, Vikas Swarup was an unknown author until he penned an unusual novel titled Q & A, which became the even more remarkable movie SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. The story opens in Mumbai, where Ram Mohammad Thomas is being questioned about winning India's biggest quiz show. The reason why Thomas knows the answers frames the narrative as a brilliant plot device ably performed by Christopher Simpson, who captures the characters with impeccable dialectic mimicry and realism. Unlike the magnificent movie version, this fascinating cultural adventure isn't so focused a romance, but by juxtaposing Western values against Eastern, it does succeed in codifying the transformation sweeping India while telling a universal tale of survival. (BBC Audiobooks America; 10 hours unabridged)

Stuart Woods is not an easy interviewee, but then his character Stone Barrington probably wouldn't be, either. Having been booted by the police department and various women in his life, Stone has learned the easy way out, and is mostly looking for the least stressful way to accomplish a job while enjoying all the available amenities. He relies more on wit than brawn, and has acquired a playboy's taste, so in LOITERING WITH INTENT he heads to Key West with hopes that the job is merely to get some legal papers signed, (only to end up in a fraud case that turns deadly.) The best thing about the Barrington novels on audio is the narrator. Tony Roberts, Stone's longstanding interpreter and a favorite of Woody Allen, is an actor well chosen for the role due to his conspiratorial tone and sophisticated vocal attributes. There is talent involved in assuming the charming, opportunistic world view that propels Barrington's—if not Woods' and Woody's—ego. (Penguin Audio; 7 1/2 hours unabridged)

Finally, Judith Orloff is a psychiatrist in private practice, and an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA. She is author of Positive Energy, Dr. Judith Orloff's Guide to Intuitive Healing, and Second Sight. She narrates her own new audiobook EMOTIONAL FREEDOM—Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life, a book which presents a spiritual view of emotions while differentiating between various emotional types. Her guidance to overcoming various emotional distresses is linked to understanding these types, and she uses her own relationship with her mother as just one example of dealing with depression, bitterness and death. The objective here is to alleviate pain by understanding the self, and to thwart conflict by discovering those hidden factors which suppress real communication. Below is an excerpt of my interview with the author. (Random House Audio; 4 hours abridged)

LOWE: You talk about knowing what type of personality one has as a step toward understanding one's emotions, and how the emotions of others affect our own reactions. If the goal is to become balanced, compassionate, and happy, which types have the hardest time doing so, and which the easiest in changing their old perceptions?

ORLOFF: THE EMOTIONAL EMPATH IS THE EMOTIONAL TYPE I DISCUSS IN THE BOOK THAT HAS THE HARDEST TIME BEING BALANCED. (IT'S MY TYPE, SO I HAVE A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN IT.) THE EMPATH IS LOVING, INTUITIVE, COMPASSIONATE BUT IS AN EMOTIONAL SPONGE, TAKING ON THE STRESS IN THE WORLD INTO THEIR OWN BODY. THIS CAN CAUSE EXHAUSTION, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY UNTIL HE OR SHE LEARNS HOW TO CENTER AND NOT ABSORB FROM OTHERS. THE GUSHER IS THE TYPE THAT HAS AN EASIEST TIME IN CHANGING OLD PERCEPTIONS. GUSHERS ARE IN TOUCH WITIH THEIR EMOTIONS AND EXPRESS THEM READILY BUT NEED TO LEARN TO GO INSIDE, AND TRUST THEIR INTUITION A BIT MORE BEFORE PICKING UP THE PHONE TO CALL A FRIEND AND EMOTE.

Q: Have you known many emotional vampires? They are certainly more prevalent than blood sucking ones, despite the popularity of Stephanie Meyer.

A: YES INDEED, I'VE KNOWN EMOTIONAL VAMPIRES. THE KIND THAT REALLY GETS ME IS THE CONTROLLER/CHRONIC TALKER. THIS PERSON CLAIMS TO "KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU" AND DOESN'T HESITATE TO TELL YOU. I GUESS BECAUSE MY MOTHER WAS SO CONTROLLING AT TIMES I HAVE A PARTICULAR SENSITIVITY TO THIS. NOW IT'S EASIER FOR ME NOT TO REACT AND KEEP MY CENTER WITHOUT FEELING LIKE MY POWER IS DRAINED. THE NARCISSIST IS THE MOST MALIGNANT TYPE I TALK ABOUT IN EMOTIONAL FREEDOM. EVERYTHING IS "ALL ABOUT THEM". THEY CAN BE INTELLIGENT, CHARMING AND SEDUCTIVE UNTIL YOU DON'T GO ALONG WITH THEIR PLAN. THEN THEY BECOME COLD AND WITHHOLDING AND LACK EMPATHY.

Q: Depression is a huge factor in society today, and perhaps it results partly from a realization of the futility of anger. What is the hope you bring for finding techniques to transform depression?

A: IN EMOTIONAL FREEDOM I WANT TO DIGNIFY DEPRESSION TO PRESENT IT AS A SPIRITUAL PASSAGE, A TRUE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL—IT'S NOT JUST A BIOCHEMICAL IMBALANCE, THOUGH THAT MIGHT PLAY A PART. IT IS THE NOBLE STRUGGLE OF FINDING LIGHT IN DARKNESS, FINDING COMPASSION WITH THE SELF AND ALL WE GO THROUGH ON EARTH. DEPRESSION CAN LEAD TO THE SWEETNESS OF REBIRTH AND NEW POSSIBILITIES. THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE. MY JOB AS A PSYCHIATRIST IS TO BE A BEARER OF HOPE.

Q: How do you keep yourself calm and focused, personally?

A: I MEDITATE. I SIT QUIETLY, CALM MY MIND, BREATHE—YES, BREATHE—IT FEELS SO BEAUTIFUL. AND I DRIFT, CONNECT, INTUIT SOMETHING LARGER AND MELT INTO IT. I WOULD GO CRAZY WITHOUT MEDITATION—THE MIND NEVER SHUTS OFF AND IT CAN DRIVE YOU BATTY WITH ALL ITS OPINIONS AND FEARS. I YEARN FOR DREAMS, FOR INTUITION, I AM ATTRACTED THERE, AND FOLLOW THAT FLOW TO MY HEART.

Q: Your audiobook has worksheets and extras in a PDF file on the final disk. Should listeners go to that first, maybe do the quizzes there?

A: IT IS VERY USEFUL TO TAKE THE QUIZZES EITHER BEFORE LISTENING TO THE AUDIO, OR TO PAUSE AND TAKE THEM AS YOU APPROACH A TOPIC IN THE AUDIO. FOR INSTANCE, IN THE EMOTIONAL VAMPIRE SECTION, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO READ THE QUIZ "AM I AN EMOTIONAL VAMPIRE?" AS YOU READ THIS SECTION. THE SAME GOES WITH WORRY OR FEAR—TO READ THE QUIZ "HOW FEARFUL AM I". THE POINT IS TO ESTABLISH A BASELINE SO YOU CAN GROW AS YOU PRACTICE THE TECHNIQUES IN EMOTIONAL FREEDOM.