Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City, a WWII Spy, and a True Story of Deadly Adventure by Christopher S. Stewart

In readers' advisory services in public libraries, we often seek read-alikes for our clients who have enjoyed books. We hope to find books with similar reading qualities that our clients will appreciate just as much as the titles that they report enjoying. With that in mind, I wonder how good a read-alike is Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City, a WWII Spy, and a True Story of Deadly Adventure by Christopher S. Stewart for pleased readers of The Lost City of Z by David Grann. 

In both books, a journalist recounts historic South American explorations while trying to retrace the steps of famed explorers. The authors describe exotic locations, face dangers themselves, and sort out the fact and the fiction of legends. Published four years apart, Jungleland may just in time for readers who want to relive the experience of reading The Lost City of Z. 

If the reader, however, says "Been there, done that," the librarian and the reader have to look elsewhere. 

Even if the reader wants to try Jungleland, there is room for disappointment. Though Stewart's account is engaging and entertaining, it is shorter and less intense than the The Lost City of Z. Some may think Stewart acts rather foolishly in visiting Honduras during a military takeover. He is in grave danger at one point with no way to call for help, but somehow, the story has less drama than the book to which it is obviously compared. 

The Lost City of Z may be a better follow-up to Jungleland. Some readers may be more willing to try the shorter book, get hooked, and then be ready for more and even greater adventure. 

Stewart, Christopher S. Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City, a WWII Spy, and a True Story of Deadly Adventure. Harper, 2013. 263p. ISBN 9780061802546.

Farther Away by Jonathan Franzen

I have not read the novels of Jonathan Franzen and probably won't, but I have tried his essays. I enjoyed the mostly autobiographical collection The Discomfort Zone: A Personal History a couple of years ago. Now I have just listened to Farther Away as a downloadable audiobook. Franzen sets the tone by reading the first two essays "Pain Won't Kill You" and "Farther Away," and actor Scott Shepherd continues with nineteen more. All have a certain storytelling hook that will appeal to listeners of National Public Radio. Franzen discusses his writing, recounts life with family and friends, reports on birding issues, and profiles his favorite authors.

The name that comes up continually throughout is the novelist David Foster Wallace. Franzen says in an essay about his always-fragile friend that Wallace was trying to mature and wean himself off antidepresants before the final depression that led to his suicide. Readers will sense Franzen's feelings of loss and resolve to honor his colleauge.

I especially appreciate Franzen's reporting on the welfare of birds. He has traveled around the world to see endangered species and meet with both people who poach and protect the birds. He tries to be understanding of all viewpoints but regrets being so polite to hosts as to eat songbirds in Cyprus.

Several essays at the end of the book profile novelists and their books. I found myself placing requests for even more books. Thanks, Mr. Franzen.

Franzen, Jonathan. Farther Away. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012. 321p. ISBN 9780374153571.

Macmillan Audio, 2012. 7 discs (8.5 hrs). ISBN 9781427221483.

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson

Often, the best way to present historic events that involve many is to focus on a few of the people involved, turn them into reporters. Deborah Hopkinson did this with her offering for the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking. In Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, she weaves eyewitness accounts and recollections throughout her text. Most are from survivors, though she does also work in a few letters and telegraphic messages from those who died. Together they tell a story that is horrific and heroic.

It is only as I write this review that I realize the work was intended for folks younger than me. I listened to the audiobook edition which I did notice was unabridged. What I did not notice on the back of the case was the banner "Recommended for Listeners Ages 8 to 12." I am sure I would have known if I had held the paper book, laid out for juvenile readers with illustrations. I never noticed listening. There is no talking down to or simplifying for younger readers. I enjoyed the account thoroughly.

Perhaps the fact that the audiobook was only five hours should have said "juvenile" to me. So many of the audiobooks for adults are much longer. But five hours is a good length for listening in a couple of days and moving on to somethinge else. I think I know other adults who would agree.

Hopkinson, Deborah. Titanic: Voices from the Disaster. Scholastic Press, 2012. 289p. ISBN 9780545116749.

4 compact discs. Listening Library, 2012. ISBN 9780449015056.

Whose Body by Dorothy L. Sayers

When I recently read a blog piece about the British Queens of Crime (Christie, Allingham, Sayers, and Marsh), I remembered that I had not read Dorothy L. Sayers in a long time. Even then, I had only read two or three of the books, which I had liked immensely. Feeling it was time for another, I downloaded the audiobook read by Roe Kendall of Whose Body?, first of Sayer's published mysteries.

Upon listening, I was immediately struck by how much of the story is told through conversations between the investigators, witnesses, and suspects. I suspect I would have noticed this in print, but in performance with the reader lending so many voices, it was theater. The quick pace made putting down my iPod difficult. I kept wanting to hear just a little more before stopping.

Of course, the main sleuth is the gentleman Lord Peter Wimsey, who loves nothing better than a puzzle to solve. He has survived World War I, but he needs diversion to keep from thinking about the horror. With the clever help of his valet Mervyn Bunter, who was his sergeant on the Western Front, Wimsey assists Inspector Parker of Scotland Yard who has been charged with discovering why financier Reuben Levy has disappeared. The odd body that has appeared in architect Alfred Thipps's bathtub in a nearby flat is most certainly not Levy - but is there a connection?

I am happy to have reacquainted myself with Wimsey and will start working my way through the series. Thanks to whoever wrote the blog piece that I have now misplaced.

By the way, the cover image used for the audiobook has absolutely no relevance to the story.

Sayers, Dorothy L. Whose Body? Harper, 1923.

Audiobook from Tantor Media, 2005. 6 compact discs.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander

It has been four years since I listened to Nathan Englander's excellent collection of short stories For the Relief of Unbearable Urges. Having greatly enjoyed that book, I was eager to get his new collection What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank. As you might guess from the title, Englander focuses once more on the Jewish experience.

In the title story, an American couple awkwardly entertains another couple who emigrated to Israel several decades earlier. The wives are old friends, but the husbands clash, verbally sparring about issues of politics, orthodoxy, and kosher laws. The Americans are surprised to find that the seemingly zealous Israelis like to smoke pot, and the American wife steals some from her teenage son. Under the influence of the pot, the four begin to question each other about what sabbath laws they would break in emergency situations to save the lives of friends and family. The revelations are uncomfortable for all. 

"Sister Hills" is the most historical of the stories. In it, two zealous families claim farms on adjacent hills in disputed territory intent on forming new settlements. While the region becomes a metropolis, one family thrives, but the other is reduced through war and misfortune to only the matriarch. In a desperate attempt to find solace, she demands the payment of a terrible debt, bringing heartache to all. Her struggle to get her way involves the invoking of Jewish laws.

There are six more stories, each read by a different reader on the unabridged audiobook. With each, Englander creates a different world, showing great range of setting, pacing, and mood. All revolve around the ways Jewish laws are interpreted and applied. Serious book discussion groups should consider this worthy collection.

Englander, Nathan. What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank. Knopf, 2012. 207p. ISBN 9780307958709.

6 compact discs. Books on Tape, 2012. ISBN 9780307989314.

Life Itself: A Memoir by Roger Ebert

Like many people my age, I discovered film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times watching Sneak Previews, a PBS movie review program that paired him with Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune. I enjoyed their jolly and sometimes heated rivalry which framed an entertaining selection of clips from upcoming and recently released movies. They proved so popular that PBS could not keep them, and they started a syndicated program, which Bonnie and I watched on Saturdays right before Star Trek The Next Generation. The program later moved to Disney and ran until Siskel's death in 1999. Ebert tells much about his friendship with Siskel, their programs, and much, much more in Life Itself: A Memoir.

Ebert begins his collection of autobiographical essays with a description of his current life. Complications from thyroid cancer which has destroyed much of his jaw have left him unable to eat, drink, and speak since 2006. Still intent of reviewing films and commenting on life, he blogs and writes books. In this book, film fans will particularly enjoy his personal essays about actors and directors, including Robert Mitchum, Lee Marvin, Woody Allen, Russ Meyer, and Robert Altman. Ebert fans will enjoy the stories of his childhood and youth at the beginning and the later essays that deal with his current life and about finding love and a new family.

I listened to the memoir read brilliantly by Edward Herrmann, quickly forgetting that it was not Ebert's own voice recounting his life. Throughout Ebert is quite open about his family's problems, beating alcoholism, failed romances, and religious doubts, saying he has often been told that he "over-shares," but I found him refreshingly candid. I especially enjoyed hearing about his love of books and movies. 

Life Itself is highly entertaining, and many readers will identify with Ebert's family and school experiences (and wish they had his job). It can be found in many public libraries.

Ebert, Roger. Life Itself: A Memoir. Grand Central Pub., 2011. 436P. ISBN 9780446584975.

12 compact discs. AudioGO, 2011. ISBN 9781611137927.

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin

I was slow to warm to Steve Martin. I vaguely liked some of his goofy standup routines on television's The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and other variety programs, but he seemed to repeat himself in various appearances. All the standup comedians did. Their routines were like pop songs that some people liked to hear again and again. A few years later, one of my college roommates was greatly impressed and liked to say "I'm a wild and crazy guy," but I did not pay that much attention. I was not won over until the movie version of Little Shop of Horrors - Martin was great as the dentist. Then there was the movie Roxanne, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Of course by then Martin had left standup far behind.

In Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life, Martin lovingly looks back on his childhood and his evolving comedy career. It is a great coming-up-from-the-bottom story, starting with young Steve doing magic tricks at Disneyland long before he was legally old enough to work. He honed his skills at Knott's Berry Farm mixing magic, banjo, and jokes, getting $2.00 a show. Money hardly mattered. Life was great on the stage. Life at home, however, was not so good. On one occasion his angry father reacted to a smart remark and beat Steve up.

I listened to Martin skillfully read his book and was greatly moved by his matter-of-fact honesty. He expresses some regrets, but he never dwells on the bad and moves on. He is also very funny at times. I especially laughed at a thing his ninety year old mother said from her bed in a nursing home. I won't spoil it for you by telling.

After listening Born Standing Up, I checked out the book to see its many pictures. I had forgotten that he ever had dark hair. The one with the beard will make you laugh.

Martin, Steve. Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life. Scribner, 2007. 207p. ISBN 9781416553649.


4 compact discs. Recorded Books, 2007. ISBN 9781428181052

Dressed for Death by Donna Leon

I'll be brief. I listened to another Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery just a few weeks after listening to A Noble Radiance. This time I got Dressed for Death in audio on compact discs. It was originally titled The Anonymous Venetian. I am working my way to the beginning of the series, having had book 7 and now book 3.

What I like best about Leon's mysteries is just hanging out with her main character. Guido is a likable family man, who seems to truly regret that his work demands so much time that he misses important events, in this case a family vacation in the mountains. Instead, he stays in a blistering heat of Venice to solve a murder, which turns into a case of murders. His family complains, but they still seem to really love him and understand how important his work is to him. There seems a warm acceptance when they are reunited.

How Guido handles suspects, witnesses, and survivors and relates to his boss and other police drives the story more than solving the mystery. The police seem to spend much time just gathering facts with no idea what they are seeking in the two books I have read. Then toward the end, the commissario understands and goes out on a limb to challenge the guilty party. The two books that I have read were similar in that there was no rush to get to the solution, giving me time to just watch the commissario work in a city that I would like to visit. Good reading.

Leon, Donna. Dressed for Death. BBC Audiobooks America, 1994. ISBN 9780792763666.

Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith

If I had Silly Fun Awards to grant, I'd probably give the first to Monty Python's Flying Circus and then bestow one on Gary Larson for his The Far Side comics. Then I'd give one to author Alexander McCall Smith for Portuguese Irregular Verbs series. I just listened again to Portuguese Irregular Verbs, the first book in the series in which readers follow the ridiculous life of philologist Professor Doctor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld. He is occasionally called Maria.

The learned professor is famous for his 1,200 page text titled, of course, Portuguese Irregular Verbs, of which nearly 200 copies have been sold in a decade. At one point in the story, he discovers that only two copies have sold in the previous year, and he worries so much about whether a colleague bought a copy, he schemes to get in the fellow's apartment to check his bookshelves. Book sales aside, he is famous enough in the world of philology to receive constant requests that he speak at conferences. At each, like all of the other philologists, he repeats the same lecture. He is greatly excited when a new member of the brotherhood presents a new topic.

My favorite story is about the professor falling in love with his dentist who so skillfully and quickly relieves his toothache. Can you guess what he gives her as a thank you? If you can, you may also foresee the result of his courtship. In another chapter he recalls a trip to rural Ireland as assistant to a professor studying old Irish vulgarities. The moral of this story is be careful where you leave your transcriptions. 

Portuguese Irregular Verbs is wonderful in print or audio, as read skillfully by Paul Hecht. It is followed by The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs and At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances.

McCall Smith, Alexander. Portuguese Irregular Verbs. Anchor Books, 2005. 128p. ISBN 1400077087.

4 compact discs. Recorded Books, 2004. ISBN 1402590504

The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt

Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt is pleasurable listening. I really enjoyed hearing Ballerini's pronounciations of the many Roman and Italian names that were a part of the story of the discovery and copying of On the Nature of Things, a poem by the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius. The Epicurean poet would approve, as the seeking of pleasure is a central theme to his first century B. C. poem that posed that all matter was made of tiny atoms.

One of those great Italian names was Poggio Bracciolini, a personal secretary to an overthrown pope. Poggio (Greenblatt always calls him by the first name) used the freedom he had after losing his job to visit out of the way monasteries to see what forgotten classical texts he could find. As soon as he found a ninth century copy of On the Nature of Things, he recognized it as an important missing text. Because he could not borrow the book, he hired a scribe to make a copy, which he sent to a friend who contracted the making of copies in a better hand.

Greenblatt contends that Poggio's discovery was a key event of the Renaissance, for the ideas contained in the poem were spread to dissenters who eventually broke the power of the Roman Catholic Church to restrict scientific investigation and discussion. The idea of atomic particles was considered by church officials to be a direct attack on the miracle of the eucharist. Poggio escaped being punished because he worked during a brief period of liberal thought but many others were burned at the stake later when the church tried to suppress the poem.

The story told by Greenblatt is epic in size, including Greek, Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance history. The conclusions even include William Shakespeare, Thomas Jefferson, and Charles Darwin. The Swerve is a bestseller worth reading and keeping.

Greenblatt, Stephen. The Swerve: How the World Became Modern. Recorded Books, 2011. 8 compact discs. ISBN 9781461838227.

A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon

Readers' advisory expert Joyce Saricks has always said that readers do not have to start mystery series with the first book. I wanted an audiobook and found a handful of Commissario Brunetti Mysteries by Donna Leon on the shelf at the Downers Grove Public Library. I took the one with the oldest copyright home (after checking it out, of course).

Over several days while driving and gardening, I enjoyed listening to Samuel Gillies read A Nobel Radiance, a cold case mystery in which Venice's police detective Guido Brunetti seeks to discover who killed the young heir of a shipping fortune. Two years after his kidnapping, a body had been found in a field. Wondering why the criminals would leave a valuable signet ring beside the bones, Brunetti restarts the investigation.

A Nobel Radiance is a leisurely-paced procedural mystery in which readers spend almost as much time learning about Brunetti, his family, his colleagues, and the city of Venice. In the course of several weeks, the detective learns much about the victim and his family without discovering a suspect or a motive. Readers won't mind, however, for just following the life of Brunetti is entertaining. They will learn that Brunetti is persistent and finally recognizes without hard evidence the situation leading to the crime.

After finishing the book, I checked and found A Nobel Radiance is actually the seventh title in what is soon to be a 21 book series. That is good for me, as I'd like to read more.

Leon, Donna. A Noble Radiance. Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0142003190.

7 compact discs. Clipper Audio, 1999. ISBN 1402545118.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Being a big baseball fan, I also enjoy a good baseball novel every now and then, such as The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. It tells the story of Henry Skrimshander, a college shortstop who loses his confidence right at the point that he ties a national record for the most games without an error, a record held by his idol, former St. Louis Cardinal Aparicio Rodriguez. The Art of Fielding is the title of Aparicio's collection of quotes about the philosophy of playing shortstop, a book that Henry reads constantly.

Henry's breakdown comes at terrible time for the surging Westish College Harpooners and four others on the campus by the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. Subplots involving the president of the college, his daughter, the Harpooners' catcher, and Henry's gay roommate divert readers from the shortstop's struggles for chapters at a time.

Baseball is only one of the elements of the unpredictable story. Literary readers will enjoy the discussions of architecture, philosophy, women's rights, campus promiscuity, drug use, and environmentalism. The writings of Emerson, Thoreau, and Melville are quoted alongside the words of Aparicio Rodriguez. Like many others who have reviewed The Art of Fielding, I was greatly entertained.

Harbach, Chad. The Art of Fielding. Little, Brown, and CO., 2011. 512p. ISBN 9780316126694.

Hachette Audio, 2011. 14 compact discs. ISBN 9781611132106.

Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey

On the back cover of the audiobook case for Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey, Kirkus Reviews is quoted “Move over Alexander McCall-Smith. Ghana has joined Botswana on the map of mystery.” This seems to me an unintentionally misleading statement because the only common factor between mysteries of McCall Smith and Quartey is the African setting. They are otherwise very different. McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books are gentle and filled with humor, while Quartey’s Inspector Darko Dawson Series mysteries are violent and serious. Inspector Dawson, who loves his marijuana, violates police protocol frequently, and beats a couple of suspects after charging other cops with brutality. Mma Ramotswe would never act like Dawson.

Now that you are forewarned about the differences, I suggest that you try listening to Wife of the Gods if you enjoy flawed cops like Kurt Wallander or like learning about foreign cultures while trying to solve a mystery. The author Quartey evokes a tropical Ghana filled with superstition and bad cops. The plot also has a good supply of twists that will be a challenge to foresee. It will be interesting to see how Inspector Dawson develops in subsequent titles.

Quartey, Kwei. Wife of the Gods. Tantor Audio, 2010. 8 compact discs. ISBN 9781400113415.

Read On … Audiobooks: Reading Lists for Every Taste by Joyce Saricks

This week I'll focus on the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia. Joyce will be at the conference. You learn where to spot her in the next to last sentence of this post.

  Spring approaches and I will soon be gardening. It is a fortunate time to borrow Read On … Audiobooks by Joyce G. Saricks. I am browsing and creating a listening list for my hours with the flowers.

Like all of the guides in the Read On … Series, Joyce's book is divided into five sections according to the appeals of reading. The order, however, differs from other books in the series. She starts with language/voice and follows with mood, which are numbers 4 and 5 in other guides. Then she adds story, character, and setting. I turn to the last first because I enjoy new or unusual settings, and I immediately find the list "We Are So Not Amused: The Dark Side of Amusement Parks." I have already enjoyed Something This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury in audio. Maybe I will like The Rabbit Factory by Matthew Karp or Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen. Maybe I will be laughing wickedly as I rip weeds from the soil.

I like Joyce's comment in her introduction that audiobooks appeal to us because we were weaned from having others read to us at too early an age. Some of us do still hear Bible passages read at church, but we hear little else read live. I remember fondly enjoying my fourth grade teacher reading Johnny Tremain aloud while we sat at our desks. It is hard to imagine such stillness in a schoolroom today. 

Joyce will be at the ABC-Clio/Libraries Unlimited exhibit at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia this Thursday signing her book. If you are at PLA, come by at 4 p.m. Barry Trott and I be there, too.

Saricks, Joyce G. Read On … Audiobooks: Reading Lists for Every Taste. Libraries Unlimited, 2011. 145p. ISBN 9781591588047.

Fresh Air with Terry Gross: Just for Laughs

Comedy is serious business, and interviewing contemporary comedians is like stepping into a minefield. A journalist could easily blunder and sound like a fool. Would you want to be stung by a Stephen Colbert or Don Rickles putdown? National Public Radio's Terry Gross, however, seems to relish the opportunity to question the men and women who make us laugh. She even requests an insult from Rickles in Fresh Air with Terry Gross: Just for Laughs. As the title suggests, there are many funny moments, but this is not all. The three CD audiobook is also filled with surprisingly frank discussion about dysfunctional families, racial and sexual stereotyping, societal hypocrisy, religion or lack of, and personal pain - all the putty from which comedy is made.

Not being a regular follower of celebrity news, I learned a lot about Steve Martin, Joan Rivers, Will Ferrell, and Tina Fey that others may have already known, but I doubt there are many interviews as candid about their lives good and bad. Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock comic Tracy Morgan both nearly melts down and nearly explodes. Sacha Baron Cohen speaks as himself instead of one of characters. George Carlin explains why he uses the seven forbidden words. Trey Parker and Matt Stone amusingly tell how they do the voices for South Park. I enjoyed every interview regardless of whether I actually care for the comedians' work.

My favorite track was Gross's interview of groundbreaking political comedian Mort Sahl, who actually wrote lines for both presidential candidates John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan (but not for Richard Nixon). Though liberal politically, he has enjoyed the company of many politicians and believes that former Secretary of Defense Alexander Haig was the funniest man he ever met. His entertaining interview adds history and emotional perspective to this wonderful collection.

Fresh Air with Terry Gross: Just for Laughs. HighBridge, 2010. 3 compact discs. ISBN 9781598878974.

Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean

Who exactly was Rin Tin Tin? From her childhood, Susan Orlean remembered the 1950s television show and a German shepherd figurine on her grandfather's desk, but like many Americans, she had not thought much about Rin Tin Tin in decades. The mention of his name in the late 1990s, however, sparked her writer's curiosity, and she began to revisit her memories to discover a broader context. She did not intend her investigation to last ten years and result in a book. Because she became personally involved with her subject and committed to preserving the story, we now have Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend.

Of course, the simple answer to Orlean's initial question is that Rin Tin Tin was a dog, but not the dog that she imagined. There were numerous Rin Tin Tin's before (and after) the one she thought she knew from The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin which debuted on ABC in 1954 and was dropped by CBS in 1965, and none of the dogs used in the television series was ever the official Rin Tin Tin of the time. The original was a puppy found by American soldier Lee Duncan in the ruins of a World War I battlefield in 1918. Duncan nearly lost this dog before shipping home, but a sympathetic officer intervened to allow the puppy on board the troop ship. A broken leg and a failed screen test nearly kept the original from becoming a silent movie actor, but Duncan persevered, and Rin Tin Tin became a movie sensation.

In the early movies, Rin Tin Tin played dogs with other names. Later, dogs with other names played Rin Tin Tin doing things that he never actually did. Reality was especially ignored in nineteenth century stories of the Wild West. German shepherds were not introduced as a breed (in Germany) until the late 1890s, and very few were brought to the United States before the end of World War I. Rin Tin Tin became in many ways a myth and trademark instead of a real dog.

The constant throughout the story with its many Rin Tin Tins is Duncan and his chosen successor as protector of the Rin Tin Tin legacy, film producer Bert Leonard. While Duncan was a loner and Leonard was a fast-spending lady's man, both were dreamers devoted to the idea of dog movies and incapable of protecting their own families from financial ruin. Leonard died amid many lawsuits, some aimed at a Texas dog breeder who thought she owned the Rin Tin Tin name by virtue of owning some of the descendant dogs.

I listened to Orlean read her wide-reaching biography/history in which readers learn about dogs in war, silent movies, German shepherds in America, the Baby Boom, early television, dog breeders, and the collectibles industry in the age of eBay. She sounds natural and at times confessional, as her book is also a  memoir. Her story is compelling throughout and deserves the many readers it is getting.

Orlean, Susan. Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend. Simon and Schuster Audio, 2011. 10 compact discs. ISBN 9781442344969.

The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez

A couple of years ago I tried to watch The Soloist, a movie about a Los Angeles Times columnist befriending a homeless musician on L.A.'s Skid Row. I was in a jumbo jet somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, and the pervasive engine noise made understanding the dialogue difficult, so I gave up. The beauty of the soundtrack and the images of the character played by Jamie Foxx playing a cello stuck with me. Wanting to get back to the story, I recently downloaded the audiobook The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez to my iPod.

I regret that the audiobook does not also have a soundtrack, for down-on-his-luck ex-Julliard student's Nathanial Ayers's beautiful words about Beethoven and Brahms seem to call for a little music to bridge chapters. If I'd have been smart, I would have kept a pad nearby to note the pieces that I wanted to hear. I have no regrets, however, about listening to the fascinating story mixing elements of investigative biography with an examination of mental health care methods. By writing about Ayers in his newspaper, Lopez becomes closely involved in the schizophrenic's daily life. Feeling that he must not simply exploit Ayers for a story, Lopez strives to hasten his new friend's rehabilitation, but he learns that his offers of shelter, counseling, and medications only cause the mentally ill man to suspect he will somehow be trapped in an institution. Ayers explodes in angry profanity as often as he praises the classical music masters.

What keeps Lopez on Ayers's better side is his ability to get donated instruments and sheet music for the talented man. The reporter also arranges visit to Walt Disney Concert Hall, surprising close to Skid Row, and reintroduce Ayers to his former Julliard classmate Yo-Yo Ma. Patience and persistence win the day but do not really supply a happy ending. The quality of Ayers's days varies greatly from day to day. The story does not really even end. A sequel is conceivable. In the meantime, The Soloist is a fine book for a reader who enjoys complex characters.

Lopez, Steve. The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music. G. P. Putnam, 2008. 273p. ISBN 9780399155062.

Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart

Before email took over long distance communications, I used to write and receive handwritten letters. While some were written on stationery, others were simply on lined notebook paper. A few were in greeting cards. Those from overseas often came on blue lightweight airmail paper stamped "par avion." I enjoyed finding any of these letters from friends or family in our mailbox. Now I often forget to look in the mailbox. There is rarely anything other than bills and solicitations from charities. The era of the letter to read and reread is gone, but there is a way to go back - reading collections of letters from your library.

It does not matter that letters in collections were not written to me - I enjoy them as if they were. I can easily slip into the role of friend and lose myself in a world of the writer. It is even better when the letters are read aloud by a professional reader. I say this as I am currently enjoying Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart, read by Kate Fleming. I am sure Fleming is channeling the spirit of Elinore, who would have been a good friend to have.

In 1909, widow Elinore Pruitt left Denver with her two year old daughter to take a job as a housekeeper on a ranch near Burnt Folk, Wyoming, near the border with Utah. She planned to earn enough money to make her own land claim and escape the drudgery of doing laundry in a city. She succeeded beyond her dreams. She also found beautiful country full of deserts, forests, and mountains, which she described to her friend Mrs. Coney in Denver, who seems to have kept all of the letters. Of course, life on the frontier was not easy, but Elinore met many people who worked with her to make a good life. In her cheerful letters, she tells many stories about the cattlemen, shepherds, farmers, and other frontier folk.

Letters of a Woman Homesteader make wonderful reading and would serve as a great introduction to the world of letters.

Stewart, Elinore Pruitt. Letters of a Woman Homesteader. University of Nebraska Press, 1989. 281p. ISBN 0803251939.

In Audio, 2003. 4 compact discs. ISBN 1584724722.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Author Laura Hillenbrand's second book Unbroken, about former Olympian and World War II prisoner of war Louis Zamperini, was highly anticipated. Her previous book Seabiscuit was a wonderful book that spent years on hardcover and paperback bestseller lists. Could she possibly match her success? It was not even fair to expect it, but somehow she has succeeded. Unbroken is a blockbuster that promises to be in circulation among readers for years to come. Hillenbrand tells a great story that pretty much circles the earth and spans the twentieth century. Readers are taken to Nazi Germany before the war and to Japan during and after. They also visit poor 1920s immigrant neighborhoods, 1930s Stamford University, and post-war-boom suburban America where some veterans struggle to overcome addictions brought on by horrible war experiences. Throughout, they follow the life of the irrepressible Zamperini, a man who was famous and then mostly forgotten.

Libraries hardly have to promote this book. My library has numerous hardbound copies (no paperbacks have been published yet), as well as large print, audiobook on compact disc, audiobook download, and downloadable ebook. I especially liked the audiobook well read by accomplished actor Edward Herrmann. My week listening to Unbroken was a week well spent.

Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken. Random House, 2010. 11 compact discs. ISBN 9780739319697

Church People: the Lutherans of Lake Wobegon with Garrison Keillor

The definition of the book is being questioned in these days of evolving electronic formats. What some of the debaters may have missed is the definition has been challenged before with audiobooks, first on cassettes and then on compact discs. Oral performance has allowed publishers some options that the printed page did not. Some texts are read like plays using a variety of voices, and music sets a background for some narratives. And publishers market these performances as books. Librarians have gone along. (We would have had to create a new category if we hadn't.)

While gardening on Friday morning, I listened to Church People: the Lutherans of Lake Wobegon with Garrison Keillor, which is a two disc collection of monologues, radio dramas, and songs from A Prairie Home Companion. I enjoyed it immensely but I hesitate to add it to my books-that-I-have-read list. I could say that it is a book because I found it in a "book" section of the library. It might also be compared with some literary collections, which might throw together theme-related magazine essays, poetry, humorous pieces, and plays. But I would feel like I am just padding my list. At 2.25 hours of listening, it is just over the length of a regular Saturday PHC show.

I guess it would help to settle the question "What is reading?" Some people say that listening to an audiobook is not reading. They would say that the reader's eyes have to fix on the words on a page. (Or fingers on braille characters.) That argument can be countered with the tradition of oral readings. People read stories to their children at bedtime. Lectors read to congregations at churches. Writing is an offshoot of oral narration, and the result of learning the story is the same.

It might also be pointed out that people who enjoy The Prairie Home Companion are for the most part bookish people. Keillor certainly revels in the use of words and often recites poems. So Church People: the Lutherans of Lake Wobegon is certainly in the spirit of a book - one that made me laugh frequently. But still I hesitate to label it so.

What do you think?

Keillor, Garrison. Church People: the Lutherans of Lake Wobegon. HighBridge Audio, 2009. 2 discs. ISBN 9781598879292