THE LOWE-DOWN ON AUDIOBOOKS by Jonathan Lowe

In his book HEALTHY AGING, Dr. Andrew Weil takes on the life extension industry, a vast number of companies and doctors who want us to believe aging can be halted or reversed. Supplements, therapies, plastic surgeries, gene manipulation---all of these make millions of dollars for their advocates, who dangle immortality in front of a public conditioned by Hollywood images to believe that only the young are truly alive. Weil distinguishes himself from those doctors with a financial interest in the products advertised by insisting that there is no evidence that any treatment or pill is yet on the horizon that can extend human life beyond the upper limit of 120 years, even among those few fortunate souls born with a good constitution and no genetic predilection for disease. (In my new suspense novel "Geezer," I also explore the dark side of seeking immortality with pharmaceuticals). So why not eat healthy, exercise moderately, and accept the wrinkles that come? There's certainly a greater dignity to this approach. It's also what makes "Healthy Aging" unique, and is what's most apparent on the audiobook version, which Weil narrates: His tone. He does not talk down to his audience, nor lecture them, using guilt as a motivator. Instead, he discusses what works and what doesn't, giving a scientific basis for not going overboard on exercise or other stress causing activities. In this way, Weil joins the few Botox and face-lift dissenters in Hollywood, like Jamie Lee Curtis or Paul Newman---actors who don't use tricks to end up looking like a Halloween treat. Like Dr. Perricone, he recommends an anti-inflammatory diet substituting fish like salmon for red meat, and using spices like turmeric, ginger and cinnamon for their restorative effects. Not that you'll stop aging, but maybe those falling "golden" arches might not crush your golden years. (Random House Audio)

If westerns are your cup of hot black coffee, try FOUR BY L'AMOUR, a full cast radio drama production of four stories by that most prolific of western authors, Louis L'Amour. The stories here are "No Man's Land," "Get Out of Town," "McQueen of the Tumbling K" and "Booty for a Badman." Each runs about an hour. Evoking a simpler time, when a man's word actually meant something, the production benefits from non-obtrusive sound effects and the believability of multiple cast members, who have the luxury of playing only themselves. The only disadvantage here is that sometimes a character might be talking from the background, so if you're listening in a vehicle, with distracting noise around, you may find yourself adjusting the volume to hear them properly. Otherwise, think "audio movies." In "Get Out of Town," a young man hires an ex-con to help herd the steers on his mother's ranch, and when some locals warn him about the man, he nonetheless trusts his instincts, and soon discovers a shocking truth he might otherwise never have learned. (Random House Audio/4 hours unabridged)

Next, Seth Godin suggests that success in business is directly tied to one's ability to change, and to "think small and innovative." In his new book SMALL IS THE NEW BIG, Godin says the old days of seeking out MBAs to fill executive offices is morphing into a search for folks with the ability to creatively seize the moment. Anyone can change, and these days, the consumer is definitely "anyone." So to remain fearful of change is now more dangerous than ever. Even giant corporations are being outperformed by smaller companies with remarkable ideas. Bottom line? If you're starting small, don't be afraid of the big boys. Come up with something new and better, and you will shine. That's the lesson I get from this collection of blog posts and business articles, read by the author. (Highbridge Audio/7.5 hours unabridged)

Finally, Ernest Hemingway's novel ISLANDS IN THE STREAM has recently been recorded on audio, and narrated by actor Bruce Greenwood. It's the story of Thomas Hudson, a painter on Bimini who later gets involved in antisubmarine warfare off the coast of Cuba during WW II. It's a very human and familial story, read with grace by the believable Greenwood. It's one of the last stories penned by this great and most famous of American writers.