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Who
Moved My TV? That's the question for a befuddled
bachelor named Conner Lemming, who has been watching way
too much television, particularly sports. But there's another
kind of game afoot as two sewer rats invade his house and
develop an inverse intelligence ratio with Conner: The more
he watches the boob tube the dumber he gets, while they
get smarter and begin to pretend it's his deceased ex wife
haunting him. . . which also explains the missing cheese.
Narrator Christopher Vournazos is the best
possible narrator for my fantasy novella, as he employs
a diligent and well nuanced interpretation of the characters,
human or otherwise. Tone, timing, and dramatic effect are
skillfully brought to bear in order to bring the fable to
life. Inspired by Ray Bradbury, it's a "must-share"
with anyone who should be reading instead of watching the
idiot box all the time. |
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Next, Hetty Green was the richest woman in America at the
end of the 19th Century, but there was nothing flashy or
snooty about her. The
Richest Woman in America by Janet Wallach is
read by Colleen Marlo for audio, and chronicles
how Wall Street operated in the Gilden Age, enduring rivalries
and crashes. It's the portrait of an iconoclast who defied
expectations and remained an individual, frugal and wise
in the midst of fools. For the contrast between Hetty and
today's bankers, it's a history we should all learn. Marlo
is always a diligent and confident performer, disappearing
(as all good actors do in reading non-fiction) behind the
words she speaks. |
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Don't
Know Much About the American Presidents
by Kenneth C. Davis offers a broad overview
of Presidential history and the Presidency itself, with
insight into how the Constitution is interpreted, how succession
played out, and how the emergence of money's influence over
elections came to dominate the politics of today. Timelines
of what happened during every President's term are given,
along with answers to typical questions. Read by
veteran narrator Arthur Morey, with help from others,
the book is for anyone curious about how the Presidency
evolved, as a foundation to guessing where it may be going.
One thing is for certain: more politicians of our current
generation are lawyers than in previous eras. Given the
power and the perks, this may explain why term limits in
Congress and the Senate are less likely to happen, and why
most politician's Job #1 at going into office is to get
re-elected. |
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JOSEPH ANTON is the alter ego of Salman Rushdie,
a combination of Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekhov. This memoir
details his life under guises and protection from a death
sentence fatwa issued by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 for
his novel The Satanic Verses. Now, he says, if he'd
known what the reaction would have been, he would have been
more critical of Iran. How does one fight for freedom of speech
against those who don't believe in such freedom? How does
he conduct his life and work as a writer in the public eye
while being under the threat of death? Rushdie answers these
questions with a memoir of his life since 1989, the people
he's met, and with a behind-the-scenes look at publishing,
culture, and religion. It's a fascinating account, well written
and openly defiant, as he questions why anyone has the right
to censor a work of fiction without even bothering to read
the book or understand what he was saying. The biography,
issued at a time when U.S. embassies are being attacked worldwide
for (supposedly) a fictional movie release is only a coincidence.
Unlike that idiotic and unfortunate film, this biography has
been much longer in the making, and its author is no idiot.
Read on audio by Sam Dastor,
whose English accent adds an air of authority to the true
story, the book comes up against many Middle Eastern critics
whose response to criticism is not reason or argument, but
firebombs. |
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