Straight From the Road: Adventures in Zeldathepete – Gary Straight
Reviewed by Vicky Stowers
Wife of owner-operator
Listening Time: 7 hours
Publisher: High Plains Publishing
Retail: $24.95 for set of five
Genre: Fictional/autobiographical
Plot: This series of stories tells about Gary Straight’s journey from Florida to Alaska in an old, black 1953 Pete named Zelda that he fixed up and turned into a motor home, studio and garage. Straight tells about his adventures along the way and about the people he meets.
What was your favorite moment/scene in the book? When he was demonstrating his singing tape and ran into one of the big shots as he was coming out of the bathroom. It was hilarious.
Which character was your favorite? Why? Gary Straight. He is so funny.
Did the book have a message or a theme that stood out to you? Go traveling, even if you have to buy one of those Winnebagos. Travel the country. You never know what’s out there.
What did you like about the book? Dislike? I liked everything about it. Everything.
Would you recommend?: Yes, it’s funny. But you have to know a little about trucking to understand everything.
Narrator’s style: Gary told his story with gusto. His style was great.
How would you grade the book? A+
The Blue Nowhere – Jeffrey Deaver
Reviewed by Robin Huskey
Owner-operator,
Baker Packing Trucking
Listening Time: 6 hours
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Retail: $26
Genre: Murder mystery
Plot: A hacker uses his computer to choose victims for murder, but each time he succeeds, the next killing must be bigger and better, and it becomes more challenging to catch him. The FBI must have their own hacker, Wyatt Gillet, to beat him at his own game.
Which character was your favorite? Why? Wyatt Gillet because he seemed so hooked on computers and really was a good guy.
What did you like about the book? Dislike? It kept you on the edge of your seat at all times, trying to figure out who and how it was going to end. Till the very last, you just don’t know.
Would you recommend? Yes. It is a very good book and keeps you interested to the end.
Narrator’s style: I have always liked Dennis Boutsikaris as an actor. I love his mellow voice and clarity of speech.
How would you grade the book? A
Late Bloomer – by Fern Michaels
Twenty years have passed since the incident involving six lonely children at a secret playground in Indigo Valley, Pa., which left the town bully dead and 10-year-old Cady Jordan seriously injured. Now Cady has returned to the valley to care for her ailing grandmother Lola, the only person Cady has ever truly loved. While Cady has grown into an attractive, intelligent, but overly cautious young woman, she has no memory of her childhood tragedy. Lola desperately wants to see Cady embrace life and find the happiness she deserves, so she pushes her granddaughter to “remember.”
As Cady reacquaints herself with her old friends, she begins to recall bits and pieces of what happened that fateful day. She also discovers a new zest for life and falls in love for the first time. But her friends don’t want her to remember. If the truth comes out, their safe and secure lives might be ruined forever. Which of them will do what is best for Cady and acknowledge the truth, and which of them will betray her again and do what is best for themselves?
5 hours
Retail: $26
Simon & Schuster Audio
Drivers, here is your chance to review the latest audiobooks. Tell our readers what you like or dislike about the plot and characters, and why you would recommend it to other drivers. At left is one of the audiobooks available in the Truckers News audiobook library. Contact Kristin Walters at (800) 633-5953, ext. 1204, or via e-mail at [email protected] to reserve an audiobook. It will be sent to you free of charge for your review. Audiobooks are available on a first-call, first-served basis.
Audiobook Sources
Audiobooks may be purchased or rented from the following sources:
AUDIO ADVENTURES, (800) 551-6692, for 14-day rental of most major titles.
BOOKS NOW, (800) 266-5766, for purchase.
OASIS AUDIO, for purchase.
Simon & Schuster Audio, (800) 223-2336, for purchase.
Audiobooks from these publishers, Random House and Topics Entertainment are available for purchase from www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and www.borders.com.
