Listens-a-lot

Great Book

Revisado: 04-11-25

I loved this book. I liked the mystery. I liked the writing. I liked that it was about the women's movement, suffragettes and the jazz era. Altogether a great story.

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Fabulous Book! Branding Made Accessible!

Revisado: 05-08-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This is the best book I've ever read about branding. I can't say enough good things about it.

The author's narration is great. He has a friendly voice and great delivery. He sounds authentic. And he is! As you can see in the description, Peter Wilken has over 30 years of experience working with some of the world's largest brands. And it shows. This book is full of wisdom and entertaining anecdotes.

Before listening to this book, I thought of branding as being about a good logo and consistent design elements, that sort of thing. How wrong I was! Peter's book taught me so much more about what branding really is and how it needs to reflect the core (or DNA) of the company and be supported by the whole company. If businesses (large or small) follow this advice, they will not only improve their branding, but improve their business!

Plus, Peter has a gift when it comes to relating his ideas. He would have made a great teacher. The way he explained his ideas and the structure of this book made it very accessible. I felt encouraged, not overwhelmed, and was left with the feeling that even I could manage to brand like a pro!

In short, this is a MUST listen for anyone who needs to know about branding. Whether you're a solopreneur (or, say, a self-published author) or the head of a large advertising firm or marketing department, or even a CEO, this book has something for you.

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Co-winner of the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln prize.

Revisado: 01-16-24

I downloaded this book after it won the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln prize. I was expecting it to be a tad skewed toward right-wing ideology, but found it to be a relatively balanced account. At first, I was a bit shocked by the use of the "n" word. The "n" word is not censored in any of the accounts from the Civil War era. I nearly returned the book, but then I decided to give it another hour or so. I grew to appreciate this unusual - for today - choice, as it illustrated in a visceral way the racism Black Americans encountered. Others may disagree, but for me, not censoring the "n" word really brought home the viciousness of the racism Black Americans faced.

White's book isn't a biography or another analysis of how he conducted the Civil War. Instead, it focuses on the various African American men and women Lincoln welcomed into the White House - some invited, some arriving uninvited - providing very detailed accounts about these visits and meetings. Jonathan also includes various mentions of these meetings in the press.

These meetings and visits are the heart and soul of this book. These interactions played a crucial role in the evolution of Lincoln's attitudes towards Blacks, emancipation, the inclusion of Blacks in the army, etc. As much as possible, Johnson used the original accounts in the visitors own words. The narrator has done a pretty good job of portraying so many different characters and giving them each a unique voice. Obviously, we don't know what many of these people really sounded like, and a few of the characters are bit heavy handed. On the other hand, Lincoln's voice, which contemporaries described as high and reedy, wasn't made to sound as bad as contemporaries describe it. The narrator has a lovely deep voice and has a facility with accents. The overall effect is entertaining and kept my attention.

As one Goodreads reviewer pointed out: "...be aware of one important aspect White points out early on: when reading, don't judge Lincoln according to present-day standards. Lincoln must be viewed in the context of his times. Only then can it be seen just how radical Lincoln actually was for his time. That is why, following his death and the end of Reconstruction, the White House was never again so open to African American visitors until the mid-20th century."

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Excellent

Revisado: 11-30-23

This is one of the best books about evolution I've ever read, and I've read a lot of them!

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Travel to New Orleans with Karin Konoval!

Revisado: 04-23-23

Because I know Karin Konoval as an actor first, and a writer second, I decided to go with the audiobook. Great choice! I was interested in the book because I share the author's interest in our primate relatives, although her visits to primates makes up only a small portion of this book. This is a simple, heart felt recounting of her trip to New Orleans, where she spent several months filming. I loved it. Karin conveyed the atmosphere and the people beautifully. This book is a nice escape from one's busy life.

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Animal Lovers will LOVE this audiobook!

Revisado: 11-10-22

This book was recommended by a friend because our family rescued a German Shepard a few years ago. She sent us a print copy, but I love audiobooks, so when I saw this, I downloaded it right away. Very enjoyable. The narration was great. I felt like I was listening to the author, not a narrator.

This is not the sort of book I usually listen to - it's a bit "woo woo" but in a very good way. The writing is GREAT! Allen J Boone's conversational style is easy to follow and he has a great sense of humor. If Boone were alive today, I would want to meet him.

The star of this book is Strongheart, the very first movie dog star. I didn't know anything about Strongheart before reading this book, but what an amazing dog! And I loved the author's attitude toward caring for Strongheart - he was so open and receptive to learning from Strongheart - and other animals. Boone believed he could communicate with animals and insects, and credits Strongheart for teaching him.

Whether you believe in animal communication or not, you will find this audiobook entertaining, heartwarming, and surprising. I highly recommend it.

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Brilliant. Love Kitty Hendrix narration!

Revisado: 11-09-22

I'm a huge fan of Sinclair Lewis and have read all of his novels several times. I chose this recording over the other options. I'm sure Barbara Caruso's performance is splendid, but I wasn't prepared to listen to that many hours of old, scratchy sounding audio. The only other choices were men, and I wanted to hear a woman read this, given that it is Carol Kennicott's story. Kitty did a splendid job. Her character voices were appropriate and not over the top. I also appreciated the foreword by Richard Lingeman, whose biography of Sinclair Lewis is probably one of the best available, and the afterword by Sally Parry, who has been Executive Director of the Sinclair Lewis Society for some time. Altogether an enjoyable and thoughtful production.

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Love this recording!

Revisado: 11-08-22

I love Gerard Doyle. Written in a lyrical, poetic style, not every narrator can capture the magic of Lord Dunsany's writing - but Doyle does so easily. I can't imagine anyone else doing as much justice for these lyrical stories as Doyle.

This recording includes both Dunsany's more famous "The King of Elfland's Daughter" and "The Gods of Pagana." The former has been described as a masterpiece that influenced some of the greatest contemporary fantasists. It's a heartbreaking story of the marriage between a mortal and a magical being. Some well-known quotes about "The King of Elfland's Daughter":

“We find that he has but tranfigured with beauty the common sights of the world.”—William Butler Yeats

“I shall indeed be happy if this volume contributes to the rediscovery of one of the greatest writers of this century.”—Arthur C. Clarke

“No amount of mere description can convey more than a fraction of Lord Dunsany’s pervasive charm.”—H.P. Lovecraft

Neil Gaiman has said that Lord Dunsany had a huge influence on his work, calling "The King of Elfland's Daughter" a "a nearly perfect story," and noting that it was one of his inspirations for his story, "Stardust."

"The Gods of Pagana" is Lord Dunsany's first book. It is an invented pantheon of Gods. In 1919 Dunsany told an American interviewer, "In The Gods of Pegāna I tried to account for the ocean and the moon. I don't know whether anyone else has ever tried that before." I would probably never have encountered this odd collection of stories without this particular audiobook. I had read "The King of Elfland's Daughter" years ago, and because I love Gerard Doyle, I was delighted to find that he'd recorded it. I'm glad to have encountered "The Gods of Pagana" this way. Gerard Doyle has a way of making this unusual language - described as "speaking in a highly original mix of King James Bible English, Yeatsian syntax, and Scheherazadian imagery" on Wikipedia - accessible. I don't think I, personally, would have enjoyed it as much if I'd just read it, rather than had it read to me by the incomparable Gerard Doyle!

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A Needed Eye-Opener!

Revisado: 10-17-22

I pay a lot of attention to politics, but obviously not enough. This detailed introduction to global corruption - made possible by the enablers - should be required reading for anyone concerned about the power of greed. Excellent book for high school social studies and university introductions to this topic. Vogel’s book concisely explains the reasons behind kleptocratic financial crime and its widespread damaging influence. Too few of us appreciate the nature, scale, and impact of corruption. If we don't know, we can be unwittingly part of it - or find ourselves supporting politicians and political parties that have vested interests in NOT tackling this serious problem. Knowing about corruption is a key factor in preventing widespread illicit financial influence.

The author offers figures and facts, all from reputable sources, that should drive home to anyone why it is so important that you, me, and everyone learn about global corruption now. The world economy and obscene wealth disparity is driven by fake billionaires and insidious grifting monsters, and the problem is global. This book is so important. In this time of political polarity, war, economic and environmental calamity, listening to this book is far more important than almost any other audiobook. Simply, it documents a problem that demands our immediate attention.

Chris MacDonnell narration was great. He has just the right balance between clarity and urgency. Listen to this book!

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What Passes for Thinking

Revisado: 07-13-22

Sophism: a fallacious argument, especially one used deliberately to deceive.
Like many who pass for intellectual heavy weights on the right, Sowell offers what sounds like reasonable thinking if you don't stop to think about what he's actually saying or look for data to back-up his shallow arguments. To quote Dawson Richard Vosburg, who put it so aptly, Sowell's arguments are "sophomoric in construction and ideologically resistant to intervention from the real world. Despite his bluster about Evidence and Facts that purportedly come to knock down the house of left economic and racial ideas, Sowell is unique even among the conservatives he’s usually cited with for his immunity to real knowledge and his social-scientific sophistry."

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