bookshelf

The Castle by Franz Kafka

Written 1922, Translated by Mark Harman (c) 1998
9 tapes / 12 hours, Narrated by George Guidall
Recorded Books, Read 04/06/09, Blog 04/19/09

Goofy costumes, inexplicable behavior on the part of the locals, incomprehensible motives, concealed identities, and myriad Catch-22 rules- this is the black-and-white grandfather of the Swingin' Sixties Technicolor TV fantasy, "The Prisoner"; the only thing missing is Patrick McGoohan.

The Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway

7 audio tapes / Narrated by Barbara Caruso
(c) 1993 Recorded Books, Read 01/20/08

Vivid descriptions of the land of Western Australia and enormous detail on the day-to-day requirements of keeping a remote sheep farm going are recalled by the author. All of the farming action took place before the author was 11 so she has some memory.

American Pastoral by Philip Roth

15 hrs, 37 min. Narrated by Ron Silver
Purchased via Audible. Read 03/04/09.

Philip Roth puts the dynamite into family dynamics as a hard-earned suburban life is exploded from within. This story examines the decline of manufacturing and the resulting  decay of the city. The author leaves no part of the glove industry unexplored or unexplained.  American Pastoral is to glove making what Moby Dick is to whaling.

Commodore by Edward J. Renehan Jr.

Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by Edward J. Renehan Jr.
11 CDs, 12.75 hours, Narrated by John McDonough
(c) 2007, Edward J. Renehan Jr., (c) 2008 Recorded Books. Read 02/10/09

Edward J. Renehan Jr. sets the record straight about the life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, clearing up inaccuracies of earlier biographies by using newly available materials as well as extensive contemporaneous sources. He brings to life this single-minded, notorious empire-builder of early industrialization in the United States.