FRIDAY = EAR CANDY

Urban Dictionary defines ear candy as "your favorite music or listening to an accent that you just adore".  Fridays may touch on that - but mostly it will be my own definition ~ whatever audio book I am currently listening to or possibly the one I just finished.  

Audio books can be expensive;  often twice as much or more than the book.  Though there are websites devoted to finding them free on the web, my audio books originate almost exclusively from the library.  

If you listen to audio books, then you know that the narrator makes a big difference in how much you enjoy or become sucked into the book.  The narrator for John Grisham's "Calico Joe" is Erik Singer and he does a fine job reading this book.  He also narrated Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture" - which was also very well done.  But "Calico Joe" is the last audio book I finished.  It is about baseball.  I am not a diehard baseball fan.  I usually watch the playoffs and the World Series if there's a team that I care about that makes it that far.  But I like Mr. Grisham on occasion so my dh and I decided to give this one a listen.  

It's a great story; short, an easy read (or listen).  And I learned a lot about baseball.  I had no idea that players intentionally hurt each other in retaliation for either real or perceived offenses.  I had no idea that a player would "charge the mound" - also in retaliation; usually because the pitcher had hit the person batting.  Who knew?  (Lots of people - just not me!)  

It's difficult to talk about the book without giving away spoilers.  The book jumps back and forth from modern day to 1973 when our narrator, Paul Tracey, was in love with baseball.  His dad, Warren,  pitched for the Mets.  Warren Tracey is not a nice guy.  Out of nowhere, 21 year old Joe Castle from Calico, Arkansas, made the leap from AA ball to play first base for the Cubs.  And he was an amazing player.  Paul idolized him.  Eventually, of course, the Mets played the Cubs.  Paul was in the stands and it's what happened during that game that is the basis for the book.  Great story; great characters.  Highly recommended.