Worthy Recorded Books

Car travel will now increase with spring weather and adventures that beckon. Over the last several months, a number of audio books have added to my listening pleasure, all narrated by excellent voices (no small feat). Ruth Reichl nicely narrates her amusing adventures as the NY Times restaurant critic in Garlic and Sapphires. Kazou Ishiguro's book When We Were Orphans is well narrated and captures the mystery and eerie nature of that tale. Per Peterson's treasure of imagery, Out Stealing Horses is effectively narrated by Richard Poe, though I preferred to linger over the beauty of the language when reading it myself. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks has a wonderful narrator who handles the character voices quite well and carried me effectively during a long trip. Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje still haunts my memory as I hear the voice of the narrator in my head describing a sad, often heartbreaking tale. A surprise favorite, idly selected from the library, was Murder in Montparnasse, by the talented Australian writer, Kerry Greenwood. She has created a mystery series with the lead character Phryne Fisher as an elegant, classy woman with a past, who finds herself in threatening and compelling situations as she delves into the dark side. The narrator is wonderful, as is the character, in her Phryne Fisher series. These all provide a good listening experience as you exercise, meander or travel this spring and summer. Worthy considerations, all.