Darden North, MD

Noah Hawley's vivid character development and descriptive settings make this satirical narrative of successful corporations and extravagance (as well as the almost parody of Bill O'Reilly and Fox News) shine. "Before the Fall" is an entertaining, not totally predictable, story of Scott, a struggling, alcoholic painter and swimmer, who draws on the inspiration of the original fitness guru Jack LaLanne to save a four-year-old boy. As Scott becomes the scrutinized hero after their private plane crashes into the Atlantic, Hawley's social commentary on the evils of the rich and famous slows the action at times but still keeps the reader's interest. I "read" and enjoyed the audio book edition and recommend it highly. Robert Petkoff as audio book narrator is splendid with the addition of his English and Irish accents, while doing well with both male and female voice inflections. -----Darden North       www.dardennorth.com

Audio Book Review - "Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta" Author - Richard Grant By Darden North | September 5, 2016 I guess Grant never reached Cleveland during his tour of the Delta, that vibrant community an antithesis of this liberal discourse on Mississippi race relations, overall poverty, and crumbling education. Regarding the English narrator's cadence in the audio book, it was often repetitious, and he sometimes mispronounced words including names of Mississippi counties, such as Bolivar. The narrator could have spent a little time on research in that regard. Of course, I grew up in Cleveland and Bolivar County, so I guess I'm partial. Grant's own hours spent in research and with live interviews of his subjects sets the memoir apart. His description of race relations is clear and accurate, showing that we Mississippians may actually be very high on that positive list. I envy Grant's knack to describe physical appearances...

I'm not sure what's going on with the Easter Bunny's left eye, but it was indeed a Happy Easter event at our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt today. Our organizers for 2016 didn't have an area roped off for egg hunters in the 40-plus crowd, but there was plenty of socializing to make up for that slight. Anyway, I never was any good at finding Easter eggs. It is a special Easter for me, and I hope for you, too. The weather through Saturday of this spiritual weekend in Jackson, Mississippi, is beautiful; my wife and I have had a chance to relax and enjoy our home; our two kids are busy and happy; and (Of course, only a writer would include this one) I have finished the draft of my fifth novel, "When the Bee Stings." -----Darden North        www.dardennorth.com

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The new year 2016 brought a special gift to me, the "opportunity" to be on the other side of the healthcare delivery system--the care receiver rather than the caregiver. Fortunately, I am blessed that my surgery went well. I only missed just over week of work, and a full recovery is expected. During those days away from my ob/gyn career, I spent time at home recuperating and was feed well by family and friends. The surgery had been scheduled long before the Ole Miss Rebels finished a stellar football season, and since my wonderful physician is not an Ole Miss fan he did not mind skipping our second trip to the Sugar Bowl in over 40 years. Fully alert, status-post anesthetic trance and requiring minimal post-op pain meds on the evening of January 1, I watched Ole Miss trounce Oklahoma State on a fairly large, widescreen TV from the comfort of my den couch. However, I missed being in New Orleans with my friends at the Superdome in what they described as great seats in an obvi...

My third novel and thriller "Fresh Frozen" is now available for purchase as an audio book on audible.com, iTunes, and Amazon. You can also download "Fresh Frozen" free with a trial membership to audible.com. If you enjoy medical thrillers or general suspense and fiction, I think you will like "Fresh Frozen." Actress and voice artist Flora Plumb narrates.  I enjoy listening to audio books after downloading them to my cell phone. Since you own the download, you can also listen from your computer, iPad, mini-iPad or any electronic device. Here is the link to download the audio book of "Fresh Frozen" from audible.com or take advantage of a free copy with a trial membership in audible.com. (That's a really great deal!) http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/Fresh-Frozen-Audiobook/B01AVDH51M/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srImg?qid=1453580235&sr=1-1 Brief summary of FRESH FROZEN Tinker Murtagh thinks his new job is simple, ...