Breezy Stories to While Away Summer

What would summer be like without a little sex? Or, for that matter, a smidgen of deception, romance or tragedy? In fact, E. Lynn Harris’ recently completed trilogy makes for perfect warm-weather listening. It absolutely promises not to tax your brain cells as it transports you to a vapid and breezy land in which everyone is attractive and well-heeled.

The best of the three is the first in the series, “Invisible Life” (Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio; abridged fiction; two cassettes; three hours; $18; read by Michael Boatman). In it, Harris comes closest to revealing true feelings and almost sidesteps the soap opera angst that later prevails. Throughout the series, we follow the life of Raymond Tyler Jr., a man who realizes that his sexuality is not as clearly defined as he’d once believed.

Although each of these audios broaches Important Subject Matter, it presents it in the context of a Jacqueline Susann novel. “Invisible Life” tackles bisexuality, homosexuality and AIDS within the African American community. Unfortunately, lack of reality takes its toll as the series progresses. In “Just as I Am,” everyone Raymond meets is gorgeous, with high-paying jobs, perfect pecs and a dreamy wardrobe. (Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio; abridged fiction; two cassettes; three hours; $18; read by Boatman and Brenda Braxton.)

By the final audio, “Abide With Me,” even the plot is derivative, as much of it is lifted almost directly from that Bette Davis potboiler, “All About Eve.” (Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio; abridged fiction; four cassettes; six hours; $25; read by Boatman.)

Though his performance is uneven, narrator Michael Boatman has merit, even if he does require more guidance in the recording studio. He has energy and personality but is not equally adept at his various vocal personalities. Stage actress Brenda Braxton, who appears only in “Just As I Am,” is competent and pleasant, but not particularly memorable.

*

Proceed with caution if you plan to listen to Christopher Buckley’s audio “Little Green Men” while making that long drive out to the lake, as you may just laugh yourself off the road. (Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio; abridged fiction; four cassettes; six hours; $25; read by Mark Linn-Baker.)

Buckley, a wildly humorous humanoid, has succeeded once again in tickling our collective funny bone by skewering the government, the media and millennium doomsayers. According to this sly fiction, those UFO abductions plaguing farm wives and factory workers across the land are not what they seem. And when a staid Washington talk show host finds himself on the wrong end of an alien probe, both politicians and pundits find themselves rethinking the meaning of reality.

Underemployed as an audio actor, Mark Linn-Baker is someone we should hear from much more often. With precision timing and a malleable voice, he conjures up a variety of accents ranging from rustic to Russian. He easily sidles from a snide remark into a pseudo-serious news broadcast. This combination of material and narrator is such a comedic success you will want to save it for repeat playing.

*

Pam Houston, the author of “Cowboys Are My Weakness,” has written another collection of enjoyable short stories, “Waltzing the Cat.” (Publishing Mills; unabridged fiction; four cassettes; six hours; $24.95; read by the author.)

A writer who can express loneliness with both humor and heartbreak, Houston tells the interconnected tales of one Lucy O’Rourke, a freelance photographer who proves that failure really can be an option. Lucy, whom one suspects is Houston’s alter ego, is an adventurer whose survival skills may have been honed through a disquieting upbringing, but they evade her when it comes to choosing a man.

Houston’s writing is not flawless, as she can be a bit indulgent and repetitious, but it is bold, witty and original. As a narrator, Houston is not polished but has an intriguing voice and a well-honed sense of timing. She allows us to hear her stories exactly as she intended.

Rochelle O’Gorman reviews audio books every other week. Next week: Dick Lochte on mystery books.