As September brings its cooling breezes, outside walks call to those of us who have hidden inside from the summer's humidity. Need a walking partner to keep you going? Try one of these new audios!
Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love, read by the author (Penguin, unabridged, $39.96, 11CDs)
At a broken time in her life, Gilbert flees to explore passions for prayer, food, and love in Italy, India and Indonesia. She also has a passion for travel, words and humor, all of which come across vividly. The author's reading is as engaging as her material.
Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, Three Cups of Tea, read by Patrick Lawlor (Tantor, $39.99, unabridged, 11 CDs, 13.5 hours)
American mountain-climber Greg Mortenson struggles down a mountain from a failed attempt to climb a deadly peak in the Himalayas and is nursed back to health in a small Pakistan village. This leads him to a decade of rapid school building in the land where the Taliban grows strong. Patrick Lawlor is masterful at adopting accents, pronouncing Eastern names of places and people, and taking listeners through the emotional tones of this memoir.
Annie Dillard, The Maytrees, read by David Rasche (HarperAudio, $29.95, unabridged, 5 CDs, 51/2 hours)
David Rasche's narrative voice is strong and solid and he sets an almost mythic feel to the story of two Bohemians, Lou Bigelow and Maytree who meet shortly after WW II in Cape Cod. They marry, separate and find reunion over decades of their lives. Rasche's performance is low key enough to leave lots of room for Dillard's lyrical writing to shine through and take center stage.
Amy Bloom, Away, read by Barbara Rosenblat (Highbridge, $34.95, unabridged, 7 CDs, 8 hours)
Double richness results when Bloom's elegant writing is read in the lush voice of Barbara Rosenblat. Immigrant Lillian Leyb flees her small Russian village after Christians massacre her Jewish family and is settling in New York when she learns her daughter Sophie may be alive. She travels from New York to Siberia to find her. Historical references are plentiful as are shifting tenses, settings, moods and the epic nature of the two year pilgrimage. All of these make listeners grateful for Rosenblat's experienced reading.
R.L. Stevenson, Treasure Island, read by Alfred Molina (Listening Library, $29.95, unabridged, 6 CDs, 7 hours)
Take an image-filled classic filled with characters larger than life, pair it with a master reader and you've got an audio classic. Alfred Molina's reading is like pulling up a chair next to a fire on a chilly night and being chilled all over again by Stevenson's tale of sea piracy. His portrayals are perfection from Jim Hawkins' careful observations to the unctuous, rebellious Long John Silver. Non-stop action and suspense make this a perfect family listen.
Lisa See, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan read by Jodi Long (Random House Audio, $14.99, abridged, 4 CDs, 5 hours)
Jodi Long takes us into the tempestuous nineteenth century world of two Chinese women as Lily Lu, an 80 year old matriarch reflects on her life. As a young girl the rural Lu is bonded with Snow Flower, from a wealthy family and they exchange messages on a fan written in "nu shu", a secret language known only to women. We watch the vivid relationship of the two women as they enter marriage, pregnancy, pestilence, and war, continually fighting constraints of their gender. See's research is extensive, her writing is immediate, involving and graceful, all of these elements are strengthened by Long's reading.
Julia Alvarez, Once Upon a Quincenera:Coming of Age in the USA read by Daphne Rubin-Vega (Penguin, $39.95, unabridged, 8 CDs, 9 hours)
Alvarez meant to cover the Latina rituals of fifteen-year-old, but soon she finds herself remembering her own coming of age, looking at how the occasion fits into American teen culture, and researching and interviewing all over the country. Daphne Rubin-Vega strong sense of flow is crucial for this successful audio. She easily incorporates English and Spanish, as well as a host of stories.
Karin Slaughter, Beyond Reach, read by Joyce Bean (Brilliance Audio, $38.95, unabridged, 12 CDs, 14 hours)
Joyce Bean excels in shading personalities and adding hues to relationships in Slaughter's sixth Grant County, GA mystery. Police chief Jeffrey Tolliver walks a tight-rope, respecting his pediatrician wife, Sara Linton's strength and expertise while worrying about her fragility after an intense court battle. He agonizes over the disappearance of his headstrong detective, Lena Adams, who's disappeared in her backwater Georgian home town where drug wars and skin heads vie with the rawness of facing her past. Bean's narration puts you on the edge of your seat up to and through the shocking ending.