Briar Patch Books

Tag: Audio Books

  • The remarkable story of the second First Lady Adams

    Here’s an outstanding biography of an often-overlooked woman. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson LOUISA: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams. By Louisa Thomas. Books on Tape. Read by Kirsten Potter. 15 ½ hours; 13 CDs. Also available in hardcover from Penguin Press. Louisa Thomas has applied her skills as a journalist and an author ably…

  • A man of his times

    Paul O’Connor found more than he expected in a new biography of General Custer. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor CUSTER’S TRIALS: A LIFE ON THE FRONTIER OF A NEW AMERICA. By T.J. Stiles. Books on Tape. Read by Arthur Morey. 23 hours, 42 minutes. $95. Also available in hardcover. Knopf. $30. Authors of historical fiction…

  • Putting down roots

    Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson AT THE EDGE OF THE ORCHARD. By Tracy Chevalier. Penguin Audio. Read by Mark Bramhall, Hillary Huber, Kirby Heyborne and Cassandra Morris. 9 hours; 7 CDs. $40. Also available in print from Viking. I regret to say that I have not read any of Tracy Chevalier’s previous novels, a situation…

  • Overcoming great odds

    World War II continues to be an endlessly fascinating subject for those who love history. Paul O’Connor takes a look at a new book about the last major Nazi offensive. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor ARDENNES 1944, THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, By Anthony Beevor. Penguin Audio. Read by Sean Barrett. 14 hours, 35 minutes.…

  • Lifestyles of the rich and criminal

    Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson FAMILY JEWELS. By Stuart Woods. Penguin Audio. Read by Tony Roberts. 7 hours; 6 CDs. $35. Also available in hardback from G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Stuart Woods cranks his Stone Barrington thrillers out pretty quickly. This one is, if I count correctly, No 37. Family Jewels, with some interesting plot twists…

  • Man’s best friend, explained

    Getting a dog to lie still for an MRI is a daunting task. Trying to explain dogs’ love for humans may be an even greater one. Paul O’Connor’s latest listening adventure has been an audio book that tackles those challenges. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor HOW DOGS LOVE US: A NEUROSCIENTIST AND HIS ADOPTED DOG…

  • Too close for comfort

    Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson DEEP BLUE. By Randy Wayne White. Penguin Audio. Read by George Guidall.  8 ½ hours; 7 CDs. $40. Also available in print from G.P. Putnam’s Sons. You’d think that, having written 22 crime novels starring Doc Ford, Randy Wayne White might be running out of plot ideas. After all, how…

  • Quiet and powerful

    Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON. By Elizabeth Strout. Random House Audio. Read by Kimberly Farr. Four CDs; four hours. $30. Also available in print from Random House. Elizabeth Strout’s books are so different from anything else I read, indeed, from most of today’s fiction as far as I can tell,…

  • The death of the republic

    A new semester of commuting to the journalism school at Chapel Hill provides new opportunities to listen to outstanding audio books. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson DICTATOR. By Robert Harris. Read by David Rintoul. Random House Audio. 11 CDs; 14 hours. $45. Also available in print from Knopf, $26.95. Cicero comes down to us through…

  • A worthy conclusion

    Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson GOLDEN AGE. By Jane Smiley. Read by Lorelei King. Random House Audio. Nine CDs, 17 ½ hours. $50. Also available in print from Knopf. If you’ve read the first two volumes of Jane Smiley’s Last Hundred Years trilogy, which, by all accounts I’ve found, are masterpieces, all you need to…