Sukey's Favorite

When Will There be Good News?
By Kate Atkinson
Hachette Audio, $34.98
11.5 hours unabridged, ISBN 9781600244520

My first question after listening to Ellen Archer's brilliantly rendered reading of When Will There be Good News?, is when will Kate Atkinson give us more good news? This is the third in her genre-jiggering mystery series revolving around Jackson Brodie, a quirkily stalwart soldier turned detective, turned PI, now rich but without direction. Whether you're new to Atkinson's unique way of weaving an intricate web of incidents and coincidences, or an admiring fan, you're in for a treat. For starters, there's the senseless, brutal murder of a mother and two of her children; the third, Joanna, just six years old, escapes. Fast-forward 30 years and that child is now a successful doctor in Edinburgh with an infant son, a somewhat shady husband and Reggie, her smart, feisty, totally delightful, 16-year-old au pair. When Joanna's mother's murderer is released from prison, DCI Louise Monroe, recently married but still harboring a strong yen for Brodie, comes on the scene. Then the good doctor disappears, perhaps kidnapped; the shady husband grows darker; Reggie, Brodie and Monroe hunt for Joanna. Sounds far-fetched, but in Atkinson's hands, it's a winner all the way.

Sounds of the season

REVIEWS BY SUKEY HOWARD

From the tried-and-true to the altogether new, audios are ideal for secret Santa specials, stocking stuffers and last-minute house presents. NPR Holiday Favorites, hosted by the venerable Susan Stamberg, includes Martha Stewart relishing relishes, Father Guido Sarducci on the worst holiday song ever, Meri Danquah's thoughts on Kwanzaa, Kevin Kling's Nutcracker dreams, and holiday cheer from Baxter Black, José Feliciano, Patti LaBelle and more.

    NPR Holiday Favorites
    By Susan Stamberg
    HighBridge Audio, $22.95
    2 hours unabridged, ISBN 9781598877281

David Sedaris has added six new holiday-themed stories to his wildly witty, updated Holidays on Ice, which he reads as only he can.

    Holidays on Ice
    Bhy David Sedaris
    Hachette Audio, $26.98
    4 hours unabridged, ISBN 9781600244872

For a high-action thriller-diller, there's The Spy Who Came for Christmas by David Morrell, a master of the genre. Set in Santa Fe on Christmas Eve, Morrell's tale mixes the suspenseful derring-do of an undercover agent protecting a very special infant from the Russian mafia with a spy's version of the tale of the Magi. A novel take on the true spirit of Christmas. David Colacci narrates.

    The Spy Who Came for Christmas
    By David Morrell
    BrillianceAudio, $26.99
    6 hours unabridged, ISBN 9781423361701

It wouldn't be Christmas without a new book from Richard Paul Evans and this year's entry, Grace, warmly performed by John Dossett, is up to Evans' heartstring-tugging, bittersweet, touchingly painful, message-filled best. Keep the tissues close at hand.

    Grace
    By Richard Paul Evans
    Simon & Schuster Audio, $29.99
    5 hours unabridged, ISBN 9780743574839

Favorite Stories of Christmas Past, a collection of 10 stories performed by Renée Raudman and Alan Sklar, will more than satisfy everyone's appetite for yuletide classics. A companion eBook is included.

    Favorite Stories of Christmas Past
    By Renée Raudman and Alan Sklar
    Tantor Media, $19.99
    5 hours unabridged, ISBN 9781400109166

The tipping point

Waiters want a little respect and a good tip. Restaurant diners want good service and a little respect. But all too often there's a grand divide, a chasm of unfulfilled expectations that can lead to near sociopathic behavior on both sides. No one describes the inner machinations of the server's world, and worldview, better than "The Waiter," aka Steve Dublanica, the sort-of-anonymous author of Waiter Rant and the very popular blog that engendered it. He combines candid memoir (an abandoned religious calling, a psych degree that led to dead-end jobs) with a no-holds-barred, behind-the-scenes docudrama of raw restaurant reality. Guaranteed to entertain, inform, change your perceptions about what waiters wait for and how to arrive at your own tipping point.

    Waiter Rant
    By Steve Dublanica
    Brilliance Audio, $36.95
    10 hours unabridged, ISBN 9781423370710

© 2008 ProMotion, inc.