This is Amy Tan at her best... Her own life is much more interesting than her fiction!
I enjoyed hearing her own point of view as she described the motivation for writing her various novels. Each one is based on a real experience in her life. Her family, especially her relationship to her mother, is simply fascinating and the way she crafts her words is so poetic.

I am now inspired to read all of her other fictional books!

John Nash's story is truly inspirational. I could not stop the audio until I got to the end!

John Nash, a mathematical genius, had many ups and downs in his life, including a diagnosed mental illness and various social problems that made his life painful and complicated. His Nobel-prize winning work occurred while he was writing his dissertation at Princeton. He was not recognized until later in his life for his ground-breaking contribution to "game theory".

His story is one not only of his incredible gift, mental illness and remission, but really one of personal victory. In the end, he learns to live in harmony with those around him doing what he enjoyed most.

One of my most recent favorites!

This is an enjoyable documentary that is great for the cat lover...
It is short and informative illustrating the history and nature of cats. It shows a wide variety of cats and highlights remarkable cats such as a mother cat who saved her kittens from a burning building. The photography is bright and cheerful and captures the personality of each cat portrayed such as Hemmingway's 6-toed cats.

This is a poor southern story focusing on a young girl named Icy Sparks, who has various physical and social problems while growing up... She is raised by her grandparents because her mother died when she was very young. As a youngster, Icy has unusual outbursts that cause her to be ostracized by the people in the small southern town where she is raised. To make matters worse, she has very few friends, except for Miss Emily. Miss Emily is an obese old maid who gives her advice on life and encourages her to go to college.

The story centers on Icy's thoughts and perspectives and in the end teaches a lesson to all of us on overcoming and not giving up. The plot, though interesting and full of great description, is slow and somewhat boring.

I enjoy listening to the Cat Who...series on my way to work by audio. I recommend them because they very light and enjoyable. Koko and Yum-Yum have typical cat personalities and are very whimsical. The end always has a neat twist, although many story-lines in this series are very much alike...

In this episode, Koko becomes fascinated with Qwilleran's antique and rare books, especially the Shakespeare plays. He regularly throws them on the floor of the library. Qwilleran soon realizes that Koko's antics will help him solve a mystery...

Another interesting mystery with Qwilleran, the middle-aged news writer turned millionaire and his Siamese cats Koko and Yum-Yum. I listen to this series on my way to work since they are so light and enjoyable.

Qwilleran's mansion in Pickax has a famous library filled with antique and rare books. This time Koko becomes fascinated with them because of the glue used on the binding. Koko becomes obsessed with the smell of glue of any kind. As usual Koko's behavior helps Qwilleran solve the mystery...

Another easy-to-read and enjoyable book by Danielle Steel... Three women who were college roommates: Zoe, Tanya and Mary Stuart get-together on a dude ranch in Wyoming to reunite after many years. Now middle aged, they come from different parts of the country with different career paths. Zoe is a physician who works with Aids patients. Tanya is a famous country singer and Mary Stuart is married to an attorney. Once they get over the old conflicts that occurred in college, they become fast friends again. They discover that they share similar painful experiences and it brings them closer together on a new level of friendship. The story tells of their new romances and adventures together on the ranch and it has a happy ending with a twist...

This is a story with a happy ending about Liz Sutherland, an attorney, who lost her husband by a gun shot wound. He was killed when a man shot him at their office when he ran an errand on Christmas day. The killer was an abusive and enraged husband of one of their clients. The Sutherlands were family law attorneys and defended domestic abuse cases.

Liz and her 5 children grieved for the loss of their father for some time... Not long afterward, her oldest son was severely injured in a car accident. In the midst of her stress along with grief, she noticed a handsome emergency room physician who treated him. His name was Bill Webster, MD. He noticed her also. The two soon began to date... and they began to fall in love. However, problems arose with Liz's children because not all of them were ready to let go of their father's memory. They did not want to accept Bill. On Thanksgiving Day, when he was invited for dinner, her daughter insulted him. He decided to leave...Liz's heart was broken...

Bruce Feiler, a nominal Jew, describes his journey to the Holy Land... His stories are fascinating as he and his guide retrace their steps while they explore the world of Old Testament characters and Biblical stories. It tells of Bruce's personal pilgrimage and spiritual awakening.

A brilliant but gloomy story about Ellen who married her high school sweet heart after they became involved after one date. Several years into their marriage, James lost his job and when they began to run out of money, they had to move into his parent's house. Ellen was forced to cook and keep house in a dreary cluttered home with little love and affection. In addition to the terrible surroundings, she lived in a love-less marriage with "Jimmy", an insecure man who was afraid of his parents.

Ellen's mother-in-law was a pathetic figure who accepted a life of abuse and despair with her domineering and miserable husband. Together they lived a status-quo existence where they rarely communicated. Each one lived in his/her own world. They did not decorate for Christmas and Ellen's children were not allowed to play and interact as normal children.

Finally, Ellen sees the light with the help of her friend; she decides to leave her husband and his parent's home. She takes the kids and moves out to make it on her own... a victorious ending!