Number twenty in the Stephanie Plum series does not disappoint. Bounty Hunter Stephanie Plum is charged with capturing legendary mobster Salvatore Sunucchi (Uncle Sunny). Although dozens of people know his location, nobody is willing to turn in Uncle Sunny. To make matters more complicated, Uncle Sunny is Stephanie’s boyfriend Joe Morelli’s godfather, and Morelli’s crazy, Sicilian Grandma Bella sets out on another mission to make Stephanie’s life miserable. The hilarious pursuit brings back our favorite characters including Morelli, Ranger, Lula, Grandma Mazur and several colorful new characters. Among the colorful new cast is a giraffe named Kevin that is repeatedly spotted wandering around the streets of Trenton, NJ. This is one story that will keep you laughing.
Everyone who lived through the era of folk singers and folk music
are familiar with names of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez……..but, the”King” of them all was folk singer, Dave Van Ronk. He took over Greenwich Village, and specifically Washington Square Park. Van Ronk was a merchant marine who developed his own following and became one of the first white, urban blues singers in his own unique style.
Bob Dylan came into the picture when Dave Van Ronk had already accomplished half of his career. It was said that Bob Dylan spent the first years sleeping on Van Ronk’s sofa. Dylan, in those early days, aspired to be as popular as Dave Van Ronk. Just think of all the talented folk singers who passed through Greenwich Village…….The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul, and Mary. Van Ronk was there and befriended them all, and set the bar high for excellence.
Whether you are a 60’s music fan, or just curious about the musical life of Dave Van Ronk, get your copy of “The Mayor of MacDougal Street”, and be entertained!
A piece of interesting trivia…..”The House of the Rising Sun” was Dave Van Ronk’s original song, but without asking permission first, Bob Dylan recorded it. Van Ronk was accused of stealing it from Bob Dylan. Then, when The Animals recorded it, Bob Dylan was accused of stealing it from them!
Also interesting will be the movie, “Inside Llewellyn Davis“, starring Justin Timberlake and directed by the Coen brothers.
This is the ninth in a series of novels featuring the former CIA agent, Jack Ryan, who is now President. His son, Jack Ryan, Jr. is also a featured character in this novel.
The plot this time is more of the shadowy world of covert operations, and exposing the deceit and treachery behind a new Russian President. Jack Ryan, Jr.takes over delving into an international conflict, finishing what his father had started thirty years earlier. The world teeters on the brink of possible destruction.
” Command Authority”, published posthumously, will not disappoint long-time Clancy fans. It is a political thriller, sure to please.
Tom Clancy will be sorely missed by avid readers of his many novels, 17 of which were on New York Times best sellers lists. In passing too young, at the age of 66, the author leaves behind a legacy of iconic stories, many following visionary takes of international intrigue and espionage with central character Jack Ryan. Clancy, who always humbly said that he just got lucky as a writer, was an ex-insurance salesman who became the favorite novelist of not only ordinary people, but also Presidents and military leaders. His first book, “The Hunt for Red October” was given a surprise review of “the perfect yarn“, when President Ronald Reagan received the book as a Christmas gift.
If you are among those who have not read the iconic stories of Tom Clancy, now would be a great time to begin. For those who are faithful fans, now is the time to begin again. His attempt to weave accurate accounts of fictional intrigue never disappoints the reader. He unknowingly gave a preview glimpse of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when he described a fictional attack on the U.S. Capital by a suicidal terrorist using a jet airplane. It is said that one military leader was always amazed and impressed by Clancy’s ability to take only public facts and write unbelievably accurate details of military subjects.
New readers to author Tom Clancy…begin the adventure!! Seasoned readers….begin again!!! Get your digital copies of Tom Clancy’s novels today!!
STEPHEN KING at his best….AGAIN!! If you are a fan of, The Shining, you will LOVE King’s sequel “Doctor Sleep”! It promises to be an exercise in mental stimulation as it intertwines the psychic world in which Danny (now grown) resides and the demonic presence of vampires. One can only imagine the intricately woven surprises that King has given his avid fans in this new novel. As you conjure images in your mind, you might actually be previewing the next great Stephen King movie.
You can get your digital audiobook copy of “Doctor Sleep” today, if you dare…
The controversial new movie “The Butler” opened nationwide in theaters last Friday. The audiobook version of the story is now available at AudiobooksNow and is read by Forest Whitaker, Oprah Wimphrey and David Oyelowo.
The story is based on character, Cecil Gaines tenure serving as a butler in the White House during eight presidencies. He is witness to not only dramatic events in American history, such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, but personal issues for each President and their families. One could compare the exposure to such private familial situations as being the proverbial “fly on the wall”! The novel takes literary freedom in using actual events and expanding them for added drama.
You can get your digital audiobook copy of The Butler right now at AudiobooksNow!
AudiobooksNow has just added over 1,100 titles by Macmillan Audio to its catalog. With the addition of Macmillan, AudiobooksNow now offer more than 18,000 premium audiobooks. Some of Macmillan’s popular authors include Janet Evanovich, Robert Jordan, Douglas Preston, Lisa Scottoline, Michael Palmer, Bill O’Reilly, Richard North Patterson, and P. C. Cast just to name a few.
One of Macmillan’s most popular audiobooks is the sci-fi cult classic Ender’s Game. The much anticipated movie for the book is set for theaters on November 1st and the final trailer for the movie was just released this past week.
With Father’s day approaching, let’s look at audiobooks that would make great gifts for dad! We’ve chosen twenty books – mostly fiction, some non-fiction – from the Audiobooks Now catalog that might fit the bill for the dad you’re buying for. Whether it’s for your own dad or you’re buying on behalf of the kids, we’ve got something suitable.
We’ve been very deliberate in our choices. We’ve avoided the most obvious bestsellers, focusing instead on great books and fantastic writers that maybe aren’t on this week’s top ten list. Popularity and quality don’t always have much to do with one another, and very often the reader will overlook a book or author simply because the name is unfamiliar.
We’ve avoided politics, because dad doesn’t need a coronary on his special day (and you don’t want to hear him griping) and the sort of self-help books that may make him feel unhappy with life on a day where he should be able to revel in just who he is!
On with the list.
Fiction
Crime & Suspense
Crime and suspense usually goes down well, and here are some favorites chosen by a long term fan of the genre:
In a toughSouth Bostonneighborhood a child goes missing. Her mother is an alcoholic. Other family members are concerned, and bring in Private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. Bad cops, bad luck and some surprisingly good motives appear in this thoughtful novel about parents and children.
So, Keller has one name, collects stamps, lives a quiet life inNew York City. He doesn’t work often, but when he does, he’s very good. – and is paid well for it. When you want somebody killed efficiently, he’s the man. Entertaining, bitingly funny stuff from a master of crime fiction.
Humor
Everyone’s taste varies when it comes to what they think is funny. Here we have two ‘opposites’ that are top of the heap in their respective piles – the gently madcap world-gone-by of P.G. Wodehouse and the sharp, urban style of the great Richard Pryor.
An American composer of musical comedy, is inEnglandto attend the performance of a new production. When the Lady Patricia Maud Marsh slips into his taxi, he is drawn into the frivolous intrigues ofBelpherCastle. The king of light, fast prose gives us misunderstandings, impersonations and a lot of fun.
Widely seen as one of the greatest stand-up comics ever to take the stage, Richard Pryor was known for sharp observations on race, politics and life in general .This collection includes three ‘bits’ – Are You Serious?,Rev. Du Rite, and Insane.
Historical Adventure
Very often, the word ‘historical’ in the context of fiction means period romances. We aren’t going to offer those to dads. Instead, lets look at a couple of crime-in-time stories by masters of the genre.
Rome, 56 BC. Set in the last, chaotic decades before theRomanRepubliccollapsed into civil war, this is one in Saylor’s series concerning Gordianus ‘the Finder’, who is, essentially a private eye working for the rich and famous of the city. Murder and intrigue in a toga? This is a great place to start.
The most recent in Max Allan Collin’s superb Nathan Heller books – meticulously researched tales of actual events from the thirties onwards – takes the now-middle aged PI to his home city ofChicagoto deal with a case involving mobsters, communists and rogue cops in a plot to kill Kennedy a few weeks before the President was gunned down inDallas. It’s terrific.
Science Fiction & Fantasy
A lot of guys like SF and fantasy. Here are some suggestions that aren’t your typical galactic heroes and wizards ‘n’ dwarves adventures.
Gaiman deals in dark places, and this is the story of an ordinary young man whose act of kindness towards a young girl takes him into a strange, sinister world that exists benath and alongside modernLondon. “A fantastic story that is both the stuff of dreams and nightmares”,
Poul Anderson, a legend in SF and fantasy circles, began his career with a novel that delves into Norse mythology, with the broken sword of Thor at the bottom of it all. Darker and more deeply rooted in legend than most mainstream fantasy tales, we follow Skafloc, a boy kidnapped and raised by (sinister, non Christmassy) elves who has to mend the sword and face the changeling put into his own crib.
Resnick is a renaissance man of the genre, with forty or so Hugo and Nebula nominations and awards. This is his first novel from 1982, a sweeping epic about expansion through space over thousands of years.
Westerns
The western genre ain’t what it used to be. Fifty years ago the western novel, like theHollywoodhorse-opera, was a staple of mainstream culture. But older guys, especially, love westerns, and we’ve chosen one from the golden age, and one about archaeology and crime in the modern day southwest.
Best known for his crime novels, Elmore Leonard launched his career with Three-Ten toYuma, made into a movie in 1957 and remade fifty years later. A classic lawman-versus-outlaws tale using a town as the setting for gunplay.
A blind sculptor and his half-Hopi girlfriend get mixed up in relic theft and murder at a scientific research facility in the wilds ofArizona’s Mogollon Rim country. Weird and off-beat, this is the second of Page’s series involving Mo Bowdre, whose blindness doesn’t stop him solving crimes.
Non Fiction
Health
Dad doesn’t really want a book that tells him to diet and work out more – trust me on this! More appealing is –
Did you know that twenty minutes of cardio at a time is enough to obtain maximum health benefits? Gretchen Reynolds writes a Phys Ed column for the New York Times. In this books she debunks myths, and questions widely held beliefs about exercise. Consulting experts in physiology, biology, psychology, neurology, and sports, she tells us how often to exercise, how long workouts should be and – for us oldsters – how to avoid injury!
Environmentalism without preachiness! From farmer Joel Salatin’s point of view, life in the 21st century just ain’t normal. He discusses how far removed we are from the simple, sustainable joy that comes from living close to the land and the people we love. Salatin tellus what normal is and shares practical ideas for changing our lives in small ways that have big impact, from child-rearing, to creating quality family time. Funny but revealing.
Current Events
We love mobsters. Not actual criminals, of course, but the idea of organized crime and how law enforcement fights it:
A handpicked squad of FBI agents takes on John Gotti, the seemingly invincible head of the richest and most powerfulNew Yorkcrime family. This was the FBI’s Organized Crime squad, who finally ended the ‘Dapper Don’s’ criminal career.
History
For many men, history is about battles. This much-lauded study covers one of the most crucial military actions of the last century:
There are many books about D-Day and theNormandycampaign. The late John Keegan here tells of the 1944 invasion, from D-Day to the liberation ofParis. He focuses on all the fighting forces involved – from the American airborne troops in their night drop on the eve of the invasion, the Canadians at Juno Beach, the British advancing inland, the Free French liberating their homeland, the Poles at Falaise and – the much outnumbered Germans.
The former head of exhibitions at theNationalMaritimeMuseuminLondonhas combed the archives to give us a new picture of the golden age of piracy, exploding myths and bringing new light on old legends.
Mary Roach may be – together with the hilarious Bill Bryson – the funniest science writer working today. The author of Stiff (a study of death) and Bonk (a history of sex research) tells us about long distance space exploration, and answers the question we’ve all wanted to ask – “What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a spacewalk?”
Sports
There are a million books about sports careers. Dad isn’t a pro, and he’s not going to be. Help him lower his stress level after a disastrous round of golf with this —
Sports books tend to be all about winning. Bios of athletes and coaches all focus on being the best in the world. But most of us don’t play sports at anything like that level. We play for fun, for fitness and to show youngsters how to do it. So, as Brian Kilmeade writes, “Winning or losing has little to do with who you will become. Instead, it’s how you prepared for the game that determines whether you’ll be a winner or loser in life.”
Music
Dad may be old and grey – at least according to the kids – but inside him there’s a rocker. Here’s a bio of one of the legendary rock bands of the ‘60s, selected partly in honor of the passing of the band’s great keyboardist, Ray Manzarek, in May 2013.
Respected rock critic Greil Marcus takes us through the tumultuous history of the Doors, front by the brilliant, self-destructive Jim Morrison – one of rock’s many casualties. A fan since the band’s first album in 1967, Marcus takes the reader through Morrison’s tragic death to the decades beyond.
Travel
Whether we are driving across thePainted Desertor picking up milk at the Stop ‘n’ Shop, the allure of travel is with us. Charles Kuralt is one of the great popular chroniclers ofAmerica’s roads.
After retiring from CBS News in 1994, Kuralt set out to spend a perfect year inAmerica, traveling to his twelve favorite American places. He goes fromMontanain September andAlaskain June to winter in Cajun country and theNorth Carolinamountains in spring, bringing gentle humor to the whole trip.
So, that’s twenty audiobooks chosen not for mass popularity but for quality. Pick one you think the man of the hour would appreciate!
Kim Kilpatrick is always ‘seeing’ the glass half full. Blind for years, Kim is, however, always ready to share the benefits of her own life. To do so, she created her own blog – a blog all about the wonderful things that she experiences as a blind person. Check out her insightful post about audio books – one of the many amazing things that blind people experience.
Remember when you were young – only a child at the peak of curiosity – and you loved that big, black box which told such beautiful stories? What did it matter what its name was? You were at the age when names, nouns, words, and phrases were all of little importance.
That Big Black Box
What mattered were the vivid adventures you took part in whenever that box began playing. A captivating voice would talk with you, to you, describing otherworldly adventures that you could only imagine, but of which you were now a part. In a pleasantly odd way, you were part of all the adventures narrated by the box. Because imagination was enough. Your imagination was enough. You would close your eyes and lay still in your favourite armchair, listening to the story as it was unfolding in front of your eyes as if in a fairytale…
This was your childhood. These were your dreams. The stories that the big black box could tell were unparalleled. Who needed images? Who needed movies? You would wrap yourself in the silence and became the dreamy prisoner of a fairytale world.
You knew it, that big black box. You eventually found out that it’s called a radio, and it has the magical power of knowing history’s best stories.
What Were the Best Vinyl Disk Stories of History?
It depends on who you’re asking. Of course, scientists will tell you scores and statistics. But we don’t measure stories’ greatness by statistics now, do we?
Now, children will tell you fairytales are the best stories of all. Maybe adults will answer that they no longer have time to let themselves become slaves of a good story so they have no idea what their favorite story genre or book is.
I will tell you that nowadays, the best stories are the audio ones.
Audio Books – Are They Worth the While?
How many books did you read in the past year? Not that many? A lot? ‘Meh… somewhere in between’?
Listening to an audiobook can help you finish ‘reading’ a novel in half the time you will need to actually READ it.
People listen to tons of music on their mp3s, smartphones, laptops, and all sorts of other gadgets, so why wouldn’t they listen to audiobooks as well?
We are now witnessing the rebirth of the audio world with the rising of podcasts.
The world returns to ‘retro’ as a way of being cool, and audio is so retro you don’t want to miss it.
Anyway, here are some reasons that will show you that yes, they’re well-worth the while.
1. Audio books save you time
If you’re a student you know how important it is for you (and for your teachers and professors) to complete your list of compulsory novels. And sometimes you just don’t feel like reading or you simply have something better to do. Or perhaps you are a savvy entrepreneur whose business takes up most of their time. On the other hand, you cannot give up your passion for books. Audiobooks can be a real time saver if used at the right moment.
2. Audio books allow you to be … multifunctional
Are you a busy mom? We all know what that means. No time to do this, not enough time to do that – not to mention reading… With a crying baby and the food in the oven who has time to even think about reading?
Here’s a tip: when my brother was but an incredibly lovely (and screaming) toddler, my mom used to enchant him with the stories she told him. Eventually we bought a pick-up and it successfully replaced (and even overcame) my mom’s ability to tell a good story. So, use the time you spend with your child listening to a good story. It can be whatever you want, or you can decide on the topic together with your baby. Another good idea is to listen to an audiobook while you’re cooking.
See? Multifunctional, defined!
3. Audio books ‘keep the flame alive’
“I will read that tomorrow,” you say. And then, when tomorrow comes, you will read it tomorrow as well. This is how your taste for reading dies and eventually you will conclude that you ‘used to read a lot’. So stop searching for reasons to justify your quitting and start looking for alternatives. If you love a good story, you will find a way to allow it to develop: either in writing or in audio format.
Audio books keep the flame alive, they train your mind and your thinking and they open your eyes to new horizons. If you need a great idea, listen to a great book – the idea will surely come in no time.
4. Audio books help you rest your eyes
People work a lot in front of a computer nowadays. Whether it is writing a good article, putting together a report or a presentation or dealing with bookkeeping, you will do it all on a computer. At the end of the day our eyes are literally exhausted – you will not be able to read more without destroying them.
But your thirst for a new novel is acute. You long for a new universe, for an escape from the mundane world – you want it, and you want it now. Can you get your story without sacrificing your eyes? Well, audiobooks only require your ears and your imagination. So yes, they are the perfect solution to this problem.
In time you will get to know the voices who narrate stories and you will be able to choose your favorites. You will definitely grow your knowledge in half the time you would need to read everything. You will save your eyesight, and at the same time meet your favorite characters. Last but not least, at the end of this year you will be able to impress your friends with the incredible amount of books that you have ‘read’ throughout the year. Can something be cooler than that? Radios, vinyls, and now audiobooks – they are all taking the legends of our past into our present…
Number twenty in the Stephanie Plum series does not disappoint. Bounty Hunter Stephanie Plum is charged with capturing legendary mobster Salvatore Sunucchi (Uncle Sunny). Although dozens of people know his location, nobody is willing to turn in Uncle Sunny. To make matters more complicated, Uncle Sunny is Stephanie’s boyfriend Joe Morelli’s godfather, and Morelli’s crazy, Sicilian Grandma Bella sets out on another mission to make Stephanie’s life miserable. The hilarious pursuit brings back our favorite characters including Morelli, Ranger, Lula, Grandma Mazur and several colorful new characters. Among the colorful new cast is a giraffe named Kevin that is repeatedly spotted wandering around the streets of Trenton, NJ. This is one story that will keep you laughing.
With Father’s day approaching, let’s look at audiobooks that would make great gifts for dad! We’ve chosen twenty books – mostly fiction, some non-fiction – from the Audiobooks Now catalog that might fit the bill for the dad you’re buying for. Whether it’s for your own dad or you’re buying on behalf of the kids, we’ve got something suitable.
In a toughSouth Bostonneighborhood a child goes missing. Her mother is an alcoholic. Other family members are concerned, and bring in Private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. Bad cops, bad luck and some surprisingly good motives appear in this thoughtful novel about parents and children.
So, Keller has one name, collects stamps, lives a quiet life inNew York City. He doesn’t work often, but when he does, he’s very good. – and is paid well for it. When you want somebody killed efficiently, he’s the man. Entertaining, bitingly funny stuff from a master of crime fiction.
An American composer of musical comedy, is inEnglandto attend the performance of a new production. When the Lady Patricia Maud Marsh slips into his taxi, he is drawn into the frivolous intrigues ofBelpherCastle. The king of light, fast prose gives us misunderstandings, impersonations and a lot of fun.
Remember when you were young – only a child at the peak of curiosity – and you loved that big, black box which told such beautiful stories? What did it matter what its name was? You were at the age when names, nouns, words, and phrases were all of little importance.
