Welcome to the Coos Bay Library Audio Book Club! The club was started in 2005 by Coos Bay Library Foundation member Barbara Butler, and we welcome newcomers and inquiries at any time; just email us, and/or subscribe to the mailing list.
Audio books are expensive and unabridged titles can often cost over $100 each. Library staff have received a grant in the amount of $4,000 from the Meyer Memorial Trust to underwrite the purchase of unabridged audio books but we can make these funds go further if we generate some matching funds from within our library user community. Our goal is to raise $2,500 towards this cause. If you enjoy audio books as we do, please consider making a contribution today. Make checks payable to: Coos Bay Public Library Foundation and note that your contribution is for the Audio Book Fundraising Program (or, ask at the circulation desk for one of our forms) and mail to:
Audio Book Fundraising Program
c/o Coos Bay Public Library
525 Anderson
Coos Bay, OR 97420
Thanks!
Call of the Wild, by Jack London (Barb).
Lisey's Story, by Stephen King, read by Mare Winningham (Karl).
Toujours Provence, A Year in Provence, and more by Peter Mayle (Dorothy).
Prodigal Summer (especially), by Barbara Kingsolver (several!).
Bartemais Trilogy, by Jonathan Stroud (in young adult; a la Harry Potter).
All over but the shoutin', by Rick Bragg.
Homer's Iliad.
Books by Bodie Thoene.
Here are the reviews club members have written to date. They're also available in printed form near the audio book section in the library. Please take a few minutes to jot down your own review, short, long, or just a rating, of a book, a narrator, or anything else, and let us know; we'll be very happy to include it in the listings. Alternative reviews of the books here already and just general discussion are welcome too!
written by John Dean.
a lot of information about the Conservative movement and about Authoritarian Conservatives. I found it fascinating. For anyone who enjoys acquiring new information about current events, I'd say this was a must listen to CD.
- Anterra, 5 May 2007.
written by Adrian McKinty, read by Gerard Doyle.
The publisher's blurb says "In this electrifying noir thriller from a major new talent, a young Irish ex-cop travels half a world away to investigate the murder of a beautiful girl he once loved."The original book got good reviews in several professional library publications. One reviewer thought this book was not as good as McKinty's first book (Hidden River is his third), Dead I Well May Be, but says that should not be held against this "solid, sordid crime story." If you like Frank McCourt, you'll like McKinty. McCourt says of him "If you're a writer, beware of reading anything by Adrian McKinty. His prose is so hard, so tough, so New York-honest, you'll find yourself taking the knife to your work. He is a cross between Mickey Spillane and Damon Runyon -- the toughest, the best. Beware of McKinty." The book is gritty, full of strong language, violence, drug use, so beware. It made the miles whiz by for me on a trip (it is10 disks.) and I had to finish it. The reader, Gerard Doyle, is excellent.
- Carol Ventgen, 4 May 2006.
written by Sue Grafton, read by Mary Pfeiffer.
I just finished listening to "A Is for Alibi" by Sue Grafton and read by Mary Peiffer. I confess - I had listened to this one before but came home with it before realizing (the story of my life when it comes to pick out movies as well). But, I listened to it again and enjoyed it again. As I have confessed before, I am not good at unraveling who-done-its so I tend to stay involved in the story until the end. I DID remember the bad-guy from this one so listened again to see if I could start to hone my sleuthing skills. I'm not sure I made progress, but even though I had listened to this before the 8 cassettes and 12 hours went by quite quickly. I will definitely try Ms. Grafton's "B" installment in the Kinsey Millhone series and proceed on from there.
- Barb Butler, 20 January 2006.
written by Rex Stout, read by Michael Prichard.
This is one of it seems dozens of Nero Wolfe mysteries. It's a quick listen - just 360 minutes on tape and there is something about the writing and reading that sends you back in time. I know why I listen to mysteries and it's the fact that despite how formulaic, I can't ever figure out the villian ahead of time, so am always surprised.
- Barb Butler, 1 January 2006.
Heard quite a few good audio books over the last few months. No full-fledged reviews, but here's a list with a few notes: Heartbeat (quite short), Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Rules of Prey (first Lucas Davenport mystery), The Lincoln Lawyer (latest from Michael Connelly), Anansi Boys (Neil Gaiman, same world as American Gods), Terror's Echo (one of the Transgressions volumes, with novellas from Stephen King, Lawrence Block, and more), The Shining (early Stephen King), Magic Street (latest by Orson Scott Card, set in Los Angeles), Lord of the Flies (read by William Golding himself; the best part was his personal thoughts at the end of the each chapter).
- Karl Berry & Mare Smith, 2005.
by John Grisham, read by Michael Beck.
I'm an avid John Grisham fan so was please to find this during a recent visit to the library. It follows the standard themes of many Grisham novels (courtroom drama, the justice system and of course crime). I'm not the best at unraveling who-done-its but those of you who are mystery fans will figure it out way ahead of time! I can't believe I missed it! The book is 720 minutes of solid Grisham fun, ably read by Michael Beck.
- Barb Butler, 1 January 2006.
by Catherine Coulter, read by Sandra Burr.
My third, and not really recommended book is. The book was very repetitive. I didn't care for the children's voices as read by Sandra Burr. But, I had two long drives to make so stuck with this tape until the end!
- Barb Butler, 1 January 2006.
by Christopher Moore.
I just finished listening to this fractured fairy tale in audio form and it was very funny. Set in a small community in California, it's the story of a group of strange characters who find a really dumb angel in their midst who has arrived to create some kind of Christmas miracle and wreaks havoc on the entire town. It's quite strange and probably best "read" by listening to the audio book as the narrator is excellent.
- Robin Beerbower (guest reviewer from the Salem Public Library), 5 September 2005
by Mark Acito.
Another book I listened to and found myself laughing out loud many times. Mark Acito is from Portland and is known as the "gay Dave Barry", so be forewarned that while this novel hysterically funny, it is also quite profane and the teens in this book are very savvy and advanced for their years. It's set near New York City and is narrated from the viewpoint of a high school senior who finds his father won't pay his tuition to college unless he majors in business. The narrator's different voices make this story come alive. Oh, and if you read the book, ask me to explain where the use of the name "Wendell" came from.
- Robin Beerbower, 5 September 2005
by June Thomson, read by Simon Jones.
I just spent an enjoyable afternoon with a 2 hour Sherlock Holmes story written by June Thomson, read very well by Simon Jones. This could easily have passed for an original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story. Titled The Case of the Scottish Tragedy, it is part of the Sounds like Murder audio series from Random House Audio Books.
Until the villain was caught I was unable to "deduce" who it was.
- Mare Smith, 23 June 2005
by James McManus, read by Paul Michael.
The title says it all. "Fifth Street" is the final card to be played in Texas Hold-em Poker. McManus is a professional writer and an amateur poker player. While covering a sensational murder trial he uses his $4,000 article advance to enter into Binion's World Series of Poker. The murder trial and the poker action are interwoven and, amazingly enough, McManus outlasts most of the 500 contest entrants and leaves the tournament in fifth-place with nearly a quarter of a million dollars to show for his efforts. The poker play by play will only be interesting to avid players, but I did learn a few phrases to use the next time I get together with my poker playing buddies. Some will find that the story line goes off on tangents as McManus talks a great deal about his family history but despite the several different story lines I followed this one through to the end, all 14.5 hours of it!
- Barb Butler, 17 June 2005.
by Colin Dexter, read by Michael Pennington.
Because I have enjoyed the PBS television mystery series about Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse I thought that I might also like audio books by this author, and I very much did enjoy the first book I chose, which was this one (unabridged). The written Inspector Morse is a darker, more complex character than his television counterpart. In this particular story, when a fellow dectective dies, Morse inherits a 3 year old unsolved case involving a missing person who perhaps was murdered. The chapters run through theories Morse comes up with about the case that over and again he discovers are wrong. In the end bits and pieces of all his theories weave into the truth of the matter to a very unusual and enjoyable ending.
Michael Pennington's easy on the ears English accent lends atmosphere to the British story, and I am always impressed when a male reader manages so well to create feminine voices.
I have chosen another Morse adventure, The Wench is Dead, this time read by the author, will advise after the case is solved.
- Mare Smith, 11 June 2005.
by M.T. Anderson, read by David Aaron Baker.
We picked this up on impulse, seeing the interesting-looking cover. Usually impulse listens don't work out, but we enjoyed this one. Kind of a near-future (the feed is sort of an Internet implanted in the body) teenager story, and it is the adolescent viewpoint which makes it original (otherwise it's pretty well-worn science fiction). The language, the assumptions, what's important and what's not, and all the rest.
It's short -- there's not much to the plot, and that's probably good. Nevertheless, we probably could not have gotten through it in print. The reading brings it alive, with lots of humor that we surely would have skipped right past otherwise.
- Karl Berry, 15 May 2005.
My latest "read" was The Man From St. Petersburg by Ken Follett. The novel is part history lesson, part romance and part action novel and is set in London in early 1914 as Germany is preparing for war. I found a review online that captures my own opinion of the book:
This story is rich with the history that bored us in school, that stuff about Victorian pomp and starving Russian peasants floundering for a new political order, the prelude to communism. Follett gives us a sense of the debauchery bred from wealth and privilege, and the desperation born of inhumanities in an era gone by. He introduces us to men threatened by women's suffrage, others terrorized of government, and through them, we better understand why society changed, or perhaps mutated. That stuff is woven seamlessly into a story of intrigue without long speeches or tedious lectures. We get our lesson without having to take notes.
- Barbara Butler
My most recent "read" was Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. The cover reads "a rich exploration of the conflict between steady devotion and flaring passion, opens with Bathsheba working her dilapidated farm and being courted by three suitors. A realistic portrait of rustic, 19th century British life."
I admit that it took me a while to get into synch with this book but once I did I couldn't turn it off! Though published in 1874 this work still contains fine comic observation and Stephen Thorne does an excellent job of creating the voices of the numerous characters. 10 cassettes and over 14 hours of fun!
- Barbara Butler
I just finished listening to Blow Fly by Patricia Cornwell. I am a fan of the Kay Scarpetta novels and enjoy listening to her unravel mysteries in her position as Chief Medical Examiner for the Virginia Commonwealth. Unfortunately, this is not Cornwell's best work. Died-in-the-wool fans will find it somewhat disappointing and at times forced. Scarpetta's murdered romantic interest, Benton Wesley, is back from the dead. Luckily, the regular cast of supporting characters (Niece Lucy, Detective Marino and Prosecutor Jaime Berger) are all there. Even though this novel recycles some previous material, Scarpetta fans still need give it a read (or a listen in this case)! Those who are new to the series by Cornwell are advised to start with the first novel, Post-Mortem, and continue from there as the novels build on each other. One note of caution, Scarpetta is a medical examiner and some of the text describes the graphic nature of autopsies and crime scenes!
- Barbara Butler
October 2007:
Blaze, Richard Bachman CD
Simple Genius, David Baldacci CD
Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael Beah CD
Dream When You're Feeling Blue, Elizabeth Berg CD
Whitethorn Woods, Maeve Binchy CD
The Body on the Beach, Simon Brett CD
Strike Force, Dale Brown MP3
White Hote, Sandra Brown CD
Play Dirty, Sandra Brown CD
Sweet Potato Queens' 1st Big-Ass Novel
Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, But Could Have and May Yet CD
I Heard That Song Before, Mary Higgins Clark CD
The Woods, Harlen Coben MP3
Book of Lost Things, John Connolly CD
Overlook, Michael Connelly CD
Critical, Robin Cook CD
Undead and Unappreciated, Mary Janice Davidson CD
Sleeping Doll, Jeffery Deaver CD
Facets, Barbara Delinsky CD
Maytrees, Annie Dillard CD
Hot Stuff, Janet Evanovich MP3
First Among Sequels: A Thursday Next Novel, Jasper Fforde CD
Heartstopper, Joy Fielding MP3
Power Play, Joseph Finder CD
Jane Austen Book Club, Karen Joy Fowler CD
The Land of Mango Sunsets, Dorothea Benton Frank CD
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, Diana Gabaldon CD
R Is for Ricochet, Sue Grafton CD
The Dead Room, Heather Graham MP3
Double Agents, W. E. B. Friffin CD
The Harlequin, Laurell K. Hamilton MP3
Dune, Frank Herbert CD
Law of Attraction, Esther Hicks CD
Heart-Shaped Box, Joe Hill CD
Alibi Man, Tami Hoag CD
Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini CD
Up Close & Dangerous, Linda Howard MP3
Absolute Fear, Lisa Jackson
The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs MP3
Justice Denied, J. A. Jance CD
Burnt House, Faye Kellerman CD
Blood Test, Jonathan Kellerman CD
Obsession, Jonathan Kellerman CD
Sanctuary, Raymond Khoury CD
Forever, Karen Kingsbury MP3
Sunrise, Karen Kingsbury MP3
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver CD
Shopaholic & Baby, Sophie Kinsella CD
Clearing in the Wild, Jane Kirkpatrick CD
Tendering the Storm, Jane Kirkpatrick CD
Good Guy, Dean R. Koontz CD
Icebound, Dean R. Koontz CD
Lightning, Dean Koontz MP3
Whispers, Dean R. Koontz MP3
Dedication, Nicola Kraus MP3
The Devil Who Tamer Her, Johanna Lindsey MP3
Double Take, Catherine Loulter MP3
Back on Blossom Street, Debbie Macomber MP3
The Lost Constitution, William Martin MP3
The Marriage Game, Fern Michaels MP3
Up Close & Personal, Fern Michaels CD
A Wanted Man, Linda Lael Miller MP3
The Savage Garden, Mark Mills MP3
Swimming Lessons, Mary Alice Monroe MP3
Scavenger, David Morrell MP3
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations
One School at a Time, Greg Mortenson (On order) CD
Ghosts of Onyx, Eric Nylund CD
1st to Die, James Patterson CD
2nd Chance, James Patterson CD
5th Horseman, James Patterson CD
6th Target, James Patterson CD
Killer Weekend, Ridley Pearson MP3
We Shall Not Sleep, Anne Perry MP3
The River Knows, Amanda Quick MP3
Bones to Ashes, Kathy Reichs CD
Deadly Nightshade: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery, Cynthia Riggs MP3
Obsession, Karen Robards MP3
Devil's Labyrinth, John Saul MP3
Daddy's Girl, Lisa Scottoline CD
Body Surfing, Anita Shreve CD
Confessor, Daniel Silva CD
Secret Servant, Daniel Silva MP3
Ten Days in the Hills, Jane Smiley CD
Good Husband of Zebra Drive, Alexander McCall Smith CD
Blindfold Game, Dana Stabenow CD
Liberation Movements, Olen Steinhauer MP3
Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Betrayal, Eric Van Lustbader CD
Dragons of the Highlord Skies, Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman MP3
World Without Us, Alan Weisman CD
for Entertainment Weekly. Here are his favorites, for those who are interested: