CHECK IT OUT

When you’re commuting to work, lounging on the beach and on all those

other occasions when you can’t turn the pages, audio books are a great

way to enjoy literary pleasures.

Available for adults, teens and children, sound recordings can be

checked out for three weeks from all Newport Beach public libraries. The

collection includes close to 4,000 books on cassette and some 300 books

on compact disc, covering a wide spectrum of genres and topics. Because

most enjoy high circulation, customers interested in specific titles for

vacation drives might want to plan ahead and place holds on those they

wish to borrow.

If the whole family is along for the ride, such classics as Mark

Twain’s “The Prince and the Pauper” provide listening fun for all ages.

More contemporary selections include “Bud, Not Buddy,” Christopher Paul

Curtis’ 2000 Newbery Medal-winner about a young boy in search of his

father during the Great Depression.

Among titles for teens are many recorded books on local high schools’

required summer reading lists. And what better way to multi-task than to

sunbathe while listening to Barbara Kingsolver’s “The Bean Trees,” Ray

Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” or George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”?

When you’re working in the yard, “The Constant Gardener” could be a

fine choice for taking your mind off pulling weeds. Read by author John

Le Carre, the audiotape edition of the suspense master’s newest murder

mystery portrays the dark side of unbridled capitalism.

Other popular thrillers on tape include Robert B. Parker’s “Potshot,”

in which Boston P.I. Spenser heads to Arizona to rid a rich man’s

paradise of desert scavengers. Suspense fans also will enjoy “The Kill

Artist,” Daniel Silva’s latest novel of espionage, revenge and Middle

Eastern politics.

For lighter fare, check out the audiocassette or CD version of

“Bridget Jones’s Diary,” Helen Fielding’s witty tract about a quirky

thirtysomething British “singleton.” Find vicarious romance in Barbara

Taylor Bradford’s “A Sudden Change of Heart,” in which two childhood

friends help each other throughout their interconnected lives.

There are biographies in the collection about such diverse heroes as

Peter the Great, Pope John Paul, Ben Franklin, Eva Peron, Scott Hamilton

and Babe Ruth. And if you’re interested in more than satisfying escape,

there are tapes and CDs that can help you learn a language, lose weight,

stop smoking and write a business plan. Search for them by entering a

keyword, followed by “sound recording” in the library’s database.

Need something meatier yet to fuel your mind? Check out J.M. Roberts’

“Twentieth Century,” a history of the world from 1901 to 2000. With more

than 19 hours of audiotape, this 13-cassette set should keep all with an

interest in global civilization awake at the wheel on a trip to San

Francisco and back.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams in collaboration with

Steven Short. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by

accessing the catalog at https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org.