Mon, 04 Dec 2006

I have to confess to not having read or listened to The Life and Times. Not yet. But it's on my iPod, and just waiting for my next road trip. The perfect thing to fill the empty spaces between towns in the deserts of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and back to Nevada.

Wed, 24 May 2006

Me, I think it's hysterical. And not just because I enjoy the spectacle of the leader of the free world being discomfited, although that's true enough. This is what Stephen Colbert is good at, what he's known for. How can anybody invite him to roast the president and the press and not expect him to turn the dial up to broil? Some of us like our dead meat cooked well done. And with this audience, that's rare indeed.

Fri, 23 Dec 2005

Mon, 07 Nov 2005

Well, until now at any rate. Because the author of this audiobook is a good friend, a fellow survivor of one of the more inept Silicon Valley startups ever to waste millions of Other People's Money. He's turned from that to best selling novelist; me, I write blogs. Fortunately, he's better at novels than I am at reviews. And I can recommend Barry's John Rain series without reservation; I'd be reading them even if I didn't get my copies for free.

This audio edition is of the fourth and latest book in the series. Sadly it's the only one to show up in the iTMS so far. I'd start at the beginning, with Rain Fall . Besides, your internal voice is likely to be more compelling than the guy they got for this reading. I know the character's a killer, but it's his victims who are supposed to be lifeless.

But whether you read or hear these books, be prepared for one hell of a ride. And if you run into Barry, tell him he owes me one.

Mon, 06 Jun 2005

A little over ten years later I was practically inhaling Heinlein: his early adult work from the 40s, his more explicitly adult work from the 60s and, as it came into paperback, the 70s. And, as they were republished, his juvenile fiction from the 50s. Including this volume, which I recognized almost immediately as that book from the PS 162 school library. And enjoyed in ways that younger me couldn't.

Reading Heinlein's words are a pleasure. Having them read is a different pleasure. And having them partly acted out, with different actors giving voice to the dialogue, is different still. This production gives life to Heinlein's characters. Well, more accurately it lets us enjoy the life that was already there. Of all the great SF writers, Heinlein was in my view the best writer, the one who could create characters and situations that felt the most human. And it may be that in his juvenile fiction he reached the peak of his humanity, before his interest in politics and, if I may say, his obsession with sexuality took over.

I love this book, both for itself and for its ability to invoke memories of that early precocious-but-innocent self. And to wonder how to get a little bit of him back.

Fri, 08 Apr 2005

There I was, minding my own business. Not looking for trouble, just some nice music to share with you nice people. And one album led to another, as it tends to do. And that one led to an iTunes Essentials collection called Guilty Pleasures. I should have known better; Mom always said if you pick at an injury it won't heal. But I didn't listen then. And I'm no better now.

Most of the Guilty Pleasures were definitely the former, although I didn't think of too many as the latter. And then, on the Deep Cuts tab, I found it. On the same page as Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond doing You Don't Bring Me Flowers was the legendary album, that blast from the 60s we still joke about today: William Shatner's Transformed Man.

On the off chance you haven't heard about it, Transformed Man consists of Shatner performing dramatic readings, most famously of songs like Mr. Tamborine Man and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. Why he thought Dylan and The Beatles would be improved by being recited rather than sung, one can only speculate.

I have one real regret regarding this album: that you won't be able to appreciate its true iconic power from thirty second snippets on the iTMS. The good news is that this collection of classic sixties ham & cheese is a steal at $5.94. Heck, the original cost almost that much. And that was in pre-inflationary dollars!

Wed, 12 Jan 2005

And what riskier endeavor has there been than A Series of Unfortunate Events, a collection that warns the reader right from the beginning (The Bad Beginning¹, to be precise) to be prepared for one unpleasant experience after another. And that teaches valuable lessons about the way the world really works, how adults can't see what's right in front of them, how they never appreciate the valuable insights of children, how children have to find their own strength and develop their own gifts.

Okay, I'm reading way too much into the Series. But trust me that they're fun. The audiobooks are just the right length for a longish drive or flight. And Lemony Snicket (actually author Daniel Handler) takes just the right tone in telling his stories. His pedantic monotone is a nice match for the material.

So I'm not embarrassed to be caught reading or listening to A Series. Or Artemis Fowl. But do you think they could make adult covers for The Princess Diaries?

1. Note that the audiobook for The Bad Beginning on the iTMS is performed by Tim Curry and a cast of other readers. I don't know how it compares to Mr. Snicket's solo efforts.

Fri, 26 Nov 2004

Which is why I'm grateful for Christopher Moore. I first discovered Moore through his book Island of the Sequined Love Nun, just the sort of thing to gladden my diseased soul. And I discovered his willingness to use even the most sacred tales when I saw and then devoured his brilliant Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, a far smarter and insightful tale of the zeroth century Middle East than you're expecting. Moore is like Carl Hiaasen on drugs. But good drugs.

Which brings me to this latest work, just in time for the holidays. The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror is just what we need in these faith-challenged times. Because in a battle between faith and a sense of the absurd, absurdity will win every time. Or at least two out of three falls.

Thu, 14 Oct 2004

But educate they do, even if only because the only way to get all the jokes is to understand their context. And so it is with America (The Audiobook) - A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. Because if often a truth is said in jest, these folks are past masters at delivering both in large quantities. One warning, though: do not attempt to listen to this audiobook while driving. The risk of cracking up while you're cracking up is all too real. And with the election looming, we can't afford to lose a single well informed citizen.

Tue, 28 Sep 2004

But that doesn't mean I'm not interested. And this short audiobook is a great introduction to wine production in California and the specific attractions of Napa County wineries. David Hyde Pierce trades on his Niles Crane persona from Frasier, acting both superior and tres amusant. The whole effect is both entertaining and informative. And just the thing for a boring flight. Or a drive through Wine Country, for that matter. Guess I really should pick up the Sonoma County companion volume next.