Stacy

Even better than The Martian

Revisado: 01-25-24

I won't say anything about the story. No spoilers. But, if you enjoyed The Martian, you will LOVE this.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Important info

Revisado: 01-15-24

Thoughtful information about how and why preserving our natural environment is critical for human survival and in our best interests.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Brought tears to my eyes

Revisado: 09-15-23

I always enjoy Levar's post-story commentary, but this one had me in tears. So poignant. Love him.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Outstanding

Revisado: 12-11-22

Despite not having a clear answer to who was responsible for Arpana's death, this podcast is an example of outstanding journalism, research, and storytelling. Very well written and executed.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Essential information

Revisado: 05-09-22

This book is absolutely essential reading for every single woman, along with anyone else who is in a sexual relationship with a woman. Mind-blowing, transformative, and empowering. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Starts out strong, but ultimately disappointing

Revisado: 08-03-16

A Little Life does some things incredibly well. While exploring her characters’ thoughts and reflections, Yanagihara’s prose is delicate, beautiful, and touching. What I initially thought was the premise of the book (the changing dynamics of four friends over their adult lives), is a wonderful concept and I was enthralled by this idea as the first third or so (up through Jude’s adoption) of the book unfolded. However, the remaining two thirds lost its way and left me ultimately disappointed. As the focus abandoned the foursome to dwell only upon Jude’s torturous past, the book became gratuitously depressing as well as terribly implausible.

The narrator, Oliver Wyman, was an excellent choice to read this book. His style matches the author's very well, I thought.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Loved every minute!

Revisado: 06-19-16

I loved every minute! The audio production was fantastic. All six narrators were stellar.

The Bone Clocks is broken up into six different sections, each narrated by a different person at a different point in time progressing forward. While each narrator was richly developed and engaging on their own merit, they also wove different threads around and through a continuous plot that was magical and captivating. I would recommend this to anyone who appreciates rich character studies, or who enjoys fantasy or magical realism.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Fascinating and inspiring!

Revisado: 05-09-16

As an undergrad enrolled in Game Theory class, there was a lot of talk about competition vs. cooperation. Although cooperation would nearly always yield a better outcome in those theoretical scenarios, it seemed to defy the way human nature worked in reality. A Bigger Prize turns that assumption on its head. Not only does Heffernan provide evidence that competition is not as productive as it is often touted to be, she also provides inspiring examples that show what has already been accomplished by good collaborators. She argues powerfully for dispensing of the idea that we are stuck in a zero-sum game (in order for me to win, you have to lose). Instead, she proposes and supports with evidence that greater outcomes (or bigger prizes) can be enjoyed by both of us when we work together.

Heffernan covers a wide variety of industries: education, music, entertainment, academia, medicine, scientific research, plant and animal farming, pharmaceuticals, and even religion. The recurring pattern that emerges from these examples is that competitive models promote conformity, cheating, fraud, selfishness, and risk intolerance. Conversely, cooperative models promote creativity, innovation, a higher degree of investment and accountability, intrinsic motivation to produce quality work/products, and freedom. Cooperative models aren’t without challenges, however. They require good communication, units that are small enough to safely fail, willingness to share resources, and most importantly of all, TRUST. A cooperative environment, therefore, has the best chance to solve our modern world’s most complex problems.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Fascinating and Illuminating

Revisado: 05-04-14

Completely engaging and accessible, this book is a fascinating biography of one of history's most influential individuals. Genghis Khan is responsible for originating some of the most innovative military strategies, uniting and making wealthy the warring Mongol tribes, creating the largest trading economy, and various other groundbreaking concepts such as diplomatic immunity, full religious tolerance, widows' inheritances, meritocratic promotions, etc. Unjustly vilified, Genghis Khan was not the cruel and brutal savage I had always believed him to be. He was truly an outstanding and compelling personality that permanently changed the course of history.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Just incredible.

Revisado: 08-01-12

I love the way Nabokov toys with and manipulates the English language. It was so skillful and artistic! There were plenty of erotic passages and references but they were conveyed with poetic delicacy, no crass play-by-plays here. Also, I love the Humbert Humbert (great name!) character. He's such a caricature of opposing forces, I found him to be at different times comical, admirable, and pathetic. His early descriptions of his passions for Lolita were so tender and lovely, I began to worry about how much I was sympathizing with a pedophile. Then his passion devolves into obsession (or was it always?) and we begin to see his insanity and start to loathe him. No one will ever accuse this novel of one-dimensionality. Similarly, I had an initial perception of Lolita as an innocent victim. But as the story progressed, I was more disconcerted by her sexual maturity and disdain for adults. I even began to wonder if maybe nymphets really do exist. This should be an interesting book club discussion...

I cannot rave enough about Jeremy Irons' performance. It was sublimely perfect. I didn't realize until after I finished listening that Jeremy Irons also played Humbert Humbert in the '90s remake of the movie. So, it's no wonder that he seemed to have an uncanny insight into Humbert's character. His performance was delicately nuanced, deeply emotional, and completely compelling. I wouldn't necessarily say that Lolita is my favorite book of all time, but Jeremy Irons has delivered one of my favorite performances of all time. Exquisite!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas