Janeaustenruns

High hopes, sadly not met. Not recommended

Revisado: 06-02-20

If you'd like to hear about Ms. Clarkson's wonderful family and life, this is for you. Otherwise, not so much. Although there were some good points--how important it is having close friends, working hard to make them, family is valuable, etc., the rest is about her and her family. I was left wishing I had such amazing sisters/daughters as ready-made "girls club" members.The last few chapters were particularly pretentious. An editor should have done a better job. While trying to appear humble, Ms. Clarkson comes across as anything but that. There are better books out there for Christians on women and friendship.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

I should have listened (but not to this book).

Revisado: 05-11-17

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I should have listened to the negative reviews here about this book. That's the bad news. However, the good news is her newer book, The Road to Knitlandia is just terrific. I highly recommend that one. Quite amusing, interesting, and fun to read. Skip this one. See the other unhappy reviews for details. I agree with them.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Sped up this book club listen to get it over with

Revisado: 05-10-17

What would have made She Matters better?

I'm just going to make a general review here.

Why would a publisher think listening to this whiny, conflicted, selfish woman would be a good use of a reader's time and money? I don't know. I dutifully listened because it was a book club selection. But I sped up the read to 1.5 times so it would be over that much sooner.

While listening to the book I wanted to sit Ms. Sonnenberg down (and her dreadful parents, if they were available), and talk with her about the hard work of being a moral, responsible, kind person. I wanted to tell her that yes, motherhood is hard work, life is not fair, and mainly--get some help. However, I think her issues with relationships with women might be quite deep. I feel sorry for her long suffering husband and her children.

For all her "spill your guts" talk, she didn't really explore women's relationships in a deep way. It was just a one-tone, plaintive whine.

Please, Ms. Sonnenberg, don't write any more books. Maybe read the book The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Couldn't hurt.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Read. The. Book. Faster.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Sorrow that I had to read this and used a book credit for it.

Any additional comments?

I think you get my idea. I only gave the book three stars because I'm in a good mood that it's over.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Very Encouraging--employed or not

Revisado: 07-30-16

What made the experience of listening to Do Over the most enjoyable?

The book was very encouraging for me. I am in a "do over" place in life of transitioning from full-time-at-home mother to full-time-empty-nest mother. I found the ideas very useful and pragmatic.

What did you like best about this story?

The useful ideas to motivate oneself, the openess of Mr. Acuff's stories, and the often-humorous aspect.

Which character – as performed by Jon Acuff – was your favorite?

He played himself admirably. The asides for the audio book were fun little bits.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

It's your life! Get moving!

Any additional comments?

I don't understand the nasty negative reviews of this book. It's almost as if there is an underlying motivation to be so disdainful about the book and Mr Acuff. I think he is great at writing a book like this that is practical and easy to draw from. I highly recommend you ignore the negative reviews and give this a try if you want to get motivated at making changes in your life.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Not for me

Revisado: 07-30-16

What would have made The Bitchy Waiter better?

I didn't like the crude language. There was too much of it. Clean up the language, be a little bit les bitchy, and it might be ok. Mostly just complaining. We all have work that we do for someone and have to buck up.

Has The Bitchy Waiter turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I enjoy reading amusing books about real-life jobs and people. This book is a Waiter Rant" want-to-be book. Waiter Rant was very funny and not as annoying. The Bitchy Waiter was just what the title said it is. Plus, there were a few really gross parts. I'm trying to erase them from my mind. Not to say there weren't some sweet and funny moments. There were. But the negatives outweigh the positives for me.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

No problem with the narration.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Bitchy Waiter?

I did play editor: I ended up skipping some chapters just to move on.

Any additional comments?

If you enjoy these true-life work stories, try Heads in Beds (hotel work), and Waiter Rant. Both good listens.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Disappointed!

Revisado: 04-27-16

What disappointed you about Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)?

I was expecting a funny and thoughtful book. Instead I found it so full of offensive words and not funny or interesting. I realize I am among the shrinking minority that believe using the f word in every paragraph is unappealing, but there so it is. Maybe the other book Ms. Lawson wrote is better, but the reviews indicated otherwise. See--I wrote a whole paragraph without the F word.

What do you think your next listen will be?

About baseball or a mystery. I listen to so many things and am almost always pleased with the time and money spent to be able to do so.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Sure.

What character would you cut from Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)?

The author.

Any additional comments?

I'm sorry I wasted my credit!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Best audio for learning Italian

Revisado: 04-14-10

Having completed the first five lessons of Phase One of the Pimsleur Italian lessons, I can say, "eccellente". I've been listening to another set of audio lessons to learn Italian and I very much prefer the Pimsleur. The very thorough pronunciation and slow pace make it easy to do something else such as drive, fold laundry or do dishes and listen and learn.

That said, this might be too slow paced for someone who just wants to learn a few phrases for travel, or who picks up language very quickly. Sometimes the "Italian for Idiots" type of series seemed like a good name.

I have enjoyed and learned quite a bit already and will download the next five lessons. I checked to see how many more lessons there are in the series and was amazed to see there are three "phases" with about 30 lessons per phase. I should be pretty good by the time I complete all that.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 64 personas