Audiobooks for Dad Archives - Page 2 of 7

What More is Behind the Royal Command….”Thrawn: Alliances (Star Wars), by Timothy Zahn

As the Star Wars saga continues, Thrawn #2, written by author, Timothy Zahn proves to be yet another hit among the several novels that comprise Star Wars. When you read the words, “I have sensed a disturbance in the Force”, pondered by Emperor Palpatine, you know that trouble is once again brewing for the Empire. The Emperor is so concerned, that he pairs Thrawn and Vader for the crucial mission. What they do not know is what more is behind the royal command. But, as in the past, these two join forces hesitantly, finding out what dangers lie ahead as they go.

There are two working stories being told in Thrawn #2. The first is the one about Anakin and Thrawn’s interaction during The Clone Wars, and then, Vader and Thrawn’s teaming up during the finale of Star Wars…… they were working on two halves of the same mystery decades apart. Anakin and Vader quickly learn that Thrawn is always right.

There is Padme, who has her get it done attitude, Thrawn, is most noted for his intellect and powers of deduction, and Darth Vader was the mixed bag…..a fierce warrior on one hand, then not so impressive on the other. Anakin was very impulsive and brash. But somehow, this eclectic group managed to get their missions accomplished.

Readers might enjoy knowing that Disney’s new Star Wars theme park, which opens in 2019, features Batuu and the Blacksburg Outpost, both featured in this novel…….Thrawn #2.

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A Bit Gentler…A little Kinder….”Medium Raw”, by Anthony Bourdain

Anyone who is familiar with food critic, Anthony Bourdain, is familiar with his most of the time brash and bawdy language when he is describing food and restaurant experiences. In his first book, Kitchen Confidential, there were many who criticized his, what they observed as, overuse of tawdry language. He contends that it was the descriptively best to use in rants about food and cooking failures along the way. After serving as a journeyman cook, he became a world traveler giving elaborate prose on what he has seen and heard from the most prestigious chefs in the world.

In his newer work, Medium Raw, it has been said that he is a bit gentler in his descriptive language, and just a little kinder to those that he had previously ripped apart. Some give kudos to his status change as a father to a three year old daughter. It was humorous to read that he is already educating his daughter as to the evils of American fast food. One quote had him telling her……the fast food industry is the enemy……that Ronald McDonald has cooties and stinks like…..poo! Poor child!

In Medium Raw, Bourdain gives a witty and insightful view of the culinary world. He describes the many changes that have taken place in the subculture of chefs, cooks, the restaurant business, and in his personal life in the ten years since he wrote Kitchen Confidential. One recommendation was to listen to an audio book version of the book. Hearing his own voice tell the stories gives the book another added dimension.

It was with great sadness that the world learned of Bourdain’s suicide by hanging in June of this year, while in France.

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A Possible Traitor In the Cabinet…”The President Is Missing”, by James Patterson & Bill Clinton

On his latest thriller, The President is Missing, James Patterson solicits the assistance of former President Bill Clinton to provide inside information about every day happenings in the life of someone holding the highest office in this country.

As the story begins, there are unprecedented threats against Washington, involving espionage and even the presence of a traitor among those in the President’s cabinet. Even the President becomes a suspect, then all of a sudden, the President disappears. President Jonathan Duncan is a former military hero, who now finds himself the object of a witch hunt. His daughter had a run in with a female assassin in France, so he decides that disappearing is best for the safety of his family and himself. The assassin is portrayed a little differently than most by being not just a female, but a pregnant female. Duncan must go into disguise to try to see who is setting him up.

The President is Missing gets mixed reviews, some reviewers have not been too kind to the book because it is very slow in getting to the point.

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Taking the Reading to the Edge of Horror…”The Outsider”, by Stephen King

Once again, the “King” of horror and mystery author, Stephen King, has given his fan base another hit book in The Outsider. It has mystery, but also subject matter that will seem over the top for some readers. But, that is what the author thrives on……providing such subjects that take the reader to the edge of horror, then snapping them back to a sort of literary reality. When the victim is an eleven year old boy, that gives an indication of how distasteful the crime is.

There are several characters that are woven together in The Outsider. Some are victims, some appear to be perpetrators, but aren’t, and then some complete the stories. Oh yes, there will be no mention of the actual villain……the reader can find that out as they go.

The Outsider has been added to the top five Stephen King novels by some reviewers. One such review gave this order: (1) The Outsider; (2) Bag of Bones; (3) Revival; (4) Pet Semetary; (5) It
They add……that is how good this book is.

“King constructs a propulsive plot, and a race against time to uncover the identity of a terrifying and diabolical killer who has left victims…..and “perpetrators”……and across the country, and who is on his way to his next horrific act”.

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Accomplishing What His Predecessors Could Not, “Three Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire by Bret Baier

Three Days in January, Fox News anchor and author, Bret Baier, gives an enlightening description of the leadership style of President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the beginning of the Cold War. In Baier’s new book, Three Days in Moscow, he gives a detailed look into the previous and post view of the Soviet Union, then Russia. President Ronald Reagan was able to accomplish what his predecessors could not.

On May 31, 1988, Reagan was the first American president to stand on Russian soil with thousands of people listening to him talk about human rights and freedom. He begged the Soviet people to join him in completing his new vision for the future. Less than a year later, the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union began disintigrating. That end to the Cold War was a defining historical moment not to be forgotten.

Baier’s writing style is easy to read, and his research is very detailed without getting in the way of presenting the picture of Reagan and his accomplishments. It also shows the change made in American reporting of the news. It was with Reagan that news media started putting their own interpretation of the events happening in the Reagan administration. Prior to that time, the media sheltered Presidents from negative reporting and covered mostly positive situations. But, with Reagan, they all but ignored his great accomplishments and many times made him out to be an aging old clown. Of course, he was anything but that fraudulent description. Many would say that the “fake news” sources are doing the same to President Trump now. And they did the same to President George H. W. Bush. They always made their readers and audience think that he was not very intelligent. A very sad commentary for the importance of the truth.

President Ronald Reagan brought down a murderous, debilitating, and horrific regime without bombs or huge numbers of human lives being lost. It has been said that for that, he can never be given enough credit.

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Following Leads Wherever They May Take Her…”The 17th Suspect”, by James Patterson

Has something gone terribly wrong within the San Francisco Police Department itself? That is what Sergeant Lindsey Boxer is beginning to suspect as she investigates another methodical, but unpredictable murder. Once again, she gets too wrapped up into the current murder case, developing nasty medical symptoms and taking her queries outside of her jurisdiction, which is not sanctioned by her department. The Women’s Murder Club urges her to not get so personally involved in the case. With more lives at stake, she does not have the luxury of heeding their advice…….she must follow leads wherever they may take her.

The main characters, Yuki Castellano, and Boxer are racing against time to try to bring a murderer to justice. The homeless population is in extreme danger. Could their desperate situation have anything to do with the murders? That is what Boxer is trying to determine, so that the case can be successfully prosecuted by Yuki. Again, Lindsay’s Murder Club friends beg her to just let it go. But, they already know that doing so is not in her nature.

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Secrets and Unexpected Discoveries…”The Fallen”, by David Baldacci

One would think of a small town in western Pennsylvania as being laid back, quiet, and safe. However, the town of Baronville seems to be anything but serene…….or safe. In the newest of the Memory Man series, author David Baldacci follows another case that is under investigation by the series team of Amos Decker and Alex Jamison.

On an ordinary visit to Alex’ sister, and during a conversation with his precocious eight year old niece, he is distracted by a flash in the neighbor’s window. Upon checking it out, they discover two dead male bodies, with no clear hint as to how they died. Little did they know that their finding was only the tip of the iceburg.
After discovering two bodies, the investigative duo must now battle extraneous forces to have a chance at solving the mystery murders. They are working in a very financially and economically depressed small town. The only hopeful business left is a huge, new Fulfillment Center. The town is hanging all hopes for an economic revival on that new Center. However, the discovery of the deaths leads to something very sinister, that may lead the pair of FBI Agents to certain destruction. The suspense is never ending, revealing secrets and unexpected discoveries…….the reader is hooked from page one.

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A World Where Many of them Could not Function, and the Rest of the World Had no Idea How to Help Them…”The Great Alone”, by Kristin Hannah

Almost everyone knows at least one person who, as a young individual, either by choice or by draft, had to serve in the Vietnam War. It was a war of many atrocities that left most every soldier with severe repercussions…..from which they are never able to escape. It might be flash backs, nightmares, sensitivity to loud noises, any number of reactions. And those reactions were responsible for the deterioration and collapse of many who served, and in turn, their families suffered also. Author, Kristin Hannah, has captured the emotional roller coaster of one such family in her latest book, The Great Alone.

The novel follows the story of a thirteen year old girl, Leni Allbright, whose father is a Vietnam War veteran, and who has suffered the changes in his personality and demeanor after returning from the conflict. Her Dad, Ernt, was a happy, smiling man who gave everything to his family…….that was before he went to Vietnam. Now, he is angry, disconnected, and just plain crazy at times, and it is only getting worse. When a fellow soldier, who is deceased, leaves him a piece of property in Alaska, Ernt begs his wife, Cora, to move to Alaska. He thinks moving off-grid will be the solution to all of his (what we now know as) PTSD symptoms. She has been the observer, but also the victim of his angry outbursts, so she is willing to try anything to get their old, happy life back. The thing about Alaska is that it can be so beautiful, peaceful, and serene……..or…… unpredictable, unforgiving, and untamed, and for a family in extreme crisis……a true test of survival.

For Leni, things seemed unbelievably calm and much better, at first. But then, as the days became many hours of darkness, so was the mood of her dad. There were many nice and helpful people in the remote community of Kaneq, but there were others who were bad influences on her unstable dad. With the long, dark winter, came the brutal, dangerous Alaska. One for which the Allbright family was not prepared. Their tiny cabin and cluttered property was almost more than they could handle. It really was not the perfect place for any of their family, especially Ernt, who was among the soldiers who gave everything they had to the war, and came back to a world where many of them could not function, and the rest of the world community had no idea how to help them. The Great Alone tells Leni’s story of the burdens she grows up with, her strong emotional ties to her mother, and despite all the battering that life handed her, a tale of love and hope. War has extreme consequences of damage for the suffering families. Kristin Hannah explains all the emotions and consequences in this, her latest book.

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From Where The Force Awakens Ended, to…”The Last Jedi” begins…by Jason Fry

Star Wars fans have been very surprised at their own delight in reading the official adaptation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi by author Jason Fry. With the input from director Rian Johnson, the author expands on the film by including scenes from unused portions of the script and other content. And so begins another threat to the Empire and the galaxy’s freedom by the evil First Order.

The novel has been described as reading like a real book, and much better than the book created from The Force Awakens. It gives the reader the sense of something new, even though you already know the source for most of the story.

The heroes in the story provide a good example by admitting their mistakes, and better yet, learning from them. A great theme for all readers, but especially young readers. All the characters……Snoke, Hux, Luke, Ben Solo, Leia, and Rey…..were captured beautifully and emotionally in the new, untouched scenes crafted by the consulting director.

“Where the action of Star Wars: The Force Awakens ended, Star Wars: The Last Jedi begins, as the battle between light and dark climbs to astonishing new heights”.

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A Recipe Made for Complete Chaos…”Red Sparrow”, by Jason Matthews

In such a timely manner, new author Jason Matthews has written an excellent spy novel about the continuing high stakes operations among the power nations. Matthews has been a veteran CIA officer, so his novel is based on personal experiences. Those stories are always the most realistic and the best.

Present day Russia is ruled by blue-eyed, unblinking Vladimir Putin, who has not really changed from his former KGB days in the Soviet Union. Most agencies have essentially just changed names rather than actual change in operation. It has been said…….if you think the cold war is over……think again. It is that startling revelation that makes the novel, Red Sparrow, so intriguing. Matthews assembled a remarkable cast of characters in Dominika Egorova, and Nathaniel Nash. Dominika is a struggling survivor in the post-Soviet intelligence jungle, and Nathaniel is a young CIA officer who handles the USA’s most important Russian mole.

Dominika was ordered to attend the Russian hidden “Sparrow School” located just outside of Moscow. It is there that, many times, unwilling participants are taught the espionage tool of “sexpionage”. Luring vulnerable foreign agents into the trap of personal intimacy has been a Russian espionage tool for years and years. Nathaniel is Dominika’s victim…..all this in the midst of careening out of control action among Russia, Finland, Italy, Greece, and the United States. A recipe made for complete chaos that could eventually lead to many country’s military secrets being compromised, or in death.

Jason Matthews is in a good position to become a major new American author. His first-hand knowledge of espionage, counterintelligence, surveillance, spy recruitment, cyber- warfare, and communications gives him a huge edge among his spy thriller peers. He can remove what is perceived, and without exaggeration, tell a thrilling story of what is lying under the veneer of that perception.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton!

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