Book Review: Dictator

By Robert Harris
Read by David Rintoul

11 Discs :  Book on CD

I didn't know what to expect with this book and am pleasantly surprised that is an exceptional narration of a great book.  I presume that it fits the category of historical fiction since all the details as included cannot be known.  But, as I have found with many historical fiction books I've read in the past it makes it come to life and aside from details, the facts that are known are woven into the story.  This makes it not only readable and enjoyable, but seemingly there at the time of the events.

The death of Cicero and his life leading up to it during the time of Rome going from a Republic to a Dictatorship is what the story is about.  The events that surround this occurrence and the role of Cicero that eventually led to his killing are what concerns us in this story.  

The narrator has the appropriate voice for this story and makes it easy to want to keep listening.

I plan on checking out the author's other books now that I enjoyed this one so much.  Imperium, and Conpirata were listed as written by Harris as well.

***** Five Stars - Highly Recommend

Why I Love Audio Books and You Should Too

In Defense of Audio Books

As an argument I'd say that audio format books fall within the oral tradition and therefore I can say that especially in historical classics they were audio long before they were written, so they have become audio again.  The stories of Greek Mythology come to mind among others.  So listening to a book is no less valuable than reading it and with great narration I'd submit it is better.

Why I now prefer to find audio if available.

The truth is that between my eyes and time available I find that books on audio have become a mainstay for reading the books that I want to read, but cannot find the time to spend doing so.  In the case of this book I listened to it while doing other things like checking email, browsing the news, and making food.  When I am in a car that has a CD player I would spend all driving time doing the same since it is much less stressful than listening to the radio for political talk.

I used audio books to get through many college literature classes that I couldn't have done as good a job completing without being able to listen to the story multiple times in addition to reading it.  I did this with the Illiad.  It is still one of my favorites when it comes to audio books.

The reality for me is that I find time to read three times more books than I would have time or ability to do since I became a fan of audio reading.  I have been doing that since the 1980's when some early self help books came out on cassette.  Now with digital files and books on CD it is possible to have a huge collection in addition to what I can borrow from the library.  The digital file format even allows me to store some books on my computer for listening.  Other options include Amazon and the Apple version.

Finding a great narrator makes the experience exceptional so I recommend that you look for great narrators.

Here are some of my favorites.

George Guidall
David Muller
David Rintoul

Book Review: The Body by Stephen King

Book on CD: 6 Discs

I'm a King fan so let me get that out first.  Most of what he has written and writes is what I like to read.

The movie Stand By Me was based on this story and I'll have to say that both are great, but this adds to the pleasure of just hearing it with great description and the narrator Frank Muller has the perfect voice for a Stephen King novel.

This is a great story so if you haven't seen the movie go ahead and try the book or the book on CD first and you'll really appreciate the movie filling in the visual details.  It has been long enough for me that I can only vaguely remember the differences between the movie and this book so I'll have to say do both.

King gives you some great personal stories woven into a larger storyline.  It resembles what many of us growing up in the 50's and 60's can remember in terms of freedom to roam and the wild nature of life back then.  But of course the difference between then and now is that where the police would have been involved throughout the story today, back then they came into play only after the fact.  I remember having the same type of multi-day adventures without my parents even being aware that we were gone.  The storyline was the same in that we all agreed to be sleeping out in a friend's yard so our parent's were none the wiser.  From there the story takes on a life of open adventure without worry of parents searching for you.

Facing off against older boys seems to be a rite of passage and I think at one time or another we all faced that as well.  How you handled it often showed how you would handle life later when facing the bullies you meet as an adult.

I like that King interwove his own personal story into the character known as Gordon.  I have read King's book On Writing that contains a lot of biographical information about him so I could tell he placed himself in the story as Gordon.  It was a nice touch and I could see him as Gordon in many ways.  Chris was his friend and as you get to the end of the story you'll see why they titled the movie Stand by Me since that title works well for a story less about the body than about how friends and kids decide their fate, future, and friendships.

I feel like I'm back in the 60's when listening to this book.

I loved it and think you will too.

***** 5 stars - Highly Recommend both the Movie and the book on CD.

Book Review: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

Book on CD

I had seen the movie a few times already but knew that Stephen King writes great books for listening and reading.  When I saw that Frank Muller is the narrator I had to listen to it if for no other reason than to see what differences there might be between the movie and the book, and yes there are differences.

This is a great story and with excellent narration it is in some ways better than the movie.  If you haven't seen the movie I'd try the book on CD first to really appreciate the detail that is often left out of the movie version.

Not that my rating matters in the case of such a well known and popular story, but I give it five stars. It has all the elements of a great story that include injustice, treachery, friendship, and redemption among many other aspects of life that add to a story.

Try it and I think you'll love it.  Muller is one of my go to narrators because of his perfect tone that never gets in the way of the story.

***** Five Stars - The Highest Rating

Book Review: Leonard by William Shatner with David Fisher

I listened to this book on CD over the course of a few days.  If you are a Star Trek fan as I am then it is a mandatory book to read or listen to.  Since it is narrated by William Shatner I suggest going for the CD version and enjoy his great voice and personal approach in describing his friendship with Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played Spock on the original TV series Star Trek.

Browsing through the library audio books section I recognized the names and photos immediately and my interest was piqued.  I borrowed it and proceeded to enjoy listening to the background of the TV series along with the beginning careers of both Nimoy and Shatner.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I was saddened at the end to learn that Nimoy suffered from COPD and also had stopped communication with Shatner.  Such things happen among friends when one suffers a debilitating disease and possibly loses clarity or has psychological challenges as a result of an illness.  I have seen it among my own friends and family.  Despite that cautionary note of sadness I'll say that anything you can learn about the amazing actors and the classic series is a positive experience.  Read it or listen to it, but no matter what you'll enjoy it.  Thanks to William Shatner for writing this book and sharing these stories.

***** 5 stars - Highly Recommend - Especially if you are a Star Trek Fan.


Leonard