Richard Taylor

Lovely Owls Spoiled by Grumpy Old Man Philosophy

Revisado: 06-25-24

Really, the story of Alfie the Owl is wonderful and well told, and I made it all the way through the book in spite of all the inserted ill reasoning and off-kilter ideas. The author talks a lot about science, but he doesn’t seem to know what science is. He proves again that you can quote nearly anyone out of context to support your own opinion. As a physicist I was particularly incensed by his misinterpretation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics and his misrepresentation of physicists ideas. But it goes for other sciences as well.

The author was especially concerned about “dualism,” attacking the dividing of the world into heaven and earth, people and animals, and so on. But he persistently “dualed” the world himself, mostly into those wonderful people who agree with him and the heathens who don’t. Really, I could go on and on, but I want to forget the nonsense and remember Alfie.

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I wish it weren’t a ghost story, but

Revisado: 02-12-24

I wish it weren’t a ghost story, but the writing is just so magnificent! As with all (well, almost all) James Lee Burke’s books, I feel that I have seen a world more raw and more real than I deserve… or believe in.

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Pretty good zombies but no ending

Revisado: 11-20-23

Think zombies, but coming in different species due to ridiculous “science.” (They’re not called zombies; they’re “altered.”) People fleeing, secret labs, robots, love stories—you’ve seen it in any number of movies and TV shows. This is pretty good, we’ll written, and engaging, even if it does follow a formula. Oh, and it doesn’t end—it just sets you up to buy the next book(s). I really hate that.

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All in all, this is a nice 40s noir crime story.

Revisado: 11-13-23

The So Blue Marble is the MacGuffin—you don’t really know what it is, but it doesn’t really matter. There are a group of charming psychopaths after it, and they’re willing to terrify or kill anyone in their way. The story is not nearly as terrifying as the characters are terrified. And the bad guys are not nearly as charming as the characters are charmed. Lots of characters are killed, though. All in all, this is a nice 40s noir crime story.

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Fascinating

Revisado: 10-13-23

I thought it might be just a gimmick, but no—the backwards in time plot kept me intrigued the whole time. I kept thinking about this between listens, and I told others how cool it was. I thought the ending just a touch too pat, but that’s a tiny part of the overall fun of this book.

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Silly romance

Revisado: 09-28-23

I made it through about 2 hours and can’t stomach more. At first I thought it was going to be a simple, innocent 50s monster story, and I could forgive the occasional grammar slips, But the author quickly added silly, misogynistic, giggling girly stuff, and it kept going that way. I can’t take it any more. Thankfully, I can return it and get my credit back!

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Left hanging

Revisado: 09-20-23

All the stories stopped before the end— like way before the end. It’s like if you watch The Shining and the movie ends at, “Here’s Johnny!” Or 2001 ends as Dave says, “Hal, Open the Pod Bay doors.” I mean sure, letting you imagine where a story leads can be cool, but these stop so early you don’t know what to wonder. I kept thinking the next one would be better. I didn’t think “short story” meant half a story. The narrator was great.

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Romance, with a little mystery

Revisado: 06-25-23

This could have been pretty good at a third of the length. The same thing happens over and over.

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Engaging story with a bit too much fluff

Revisado: 05-12-23

All Dark Places was nicely written, and the actors were great, with Detective Rita being an especially fully drawn and well performed character. The drawback was that there seemed just too much fluff that had little to do with the story. I wondered if there was ever going to be a mystery to get started. Once it got going, though, the story was engaging, and with fewer digressions.

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Lovely, total surprise!

Revisado: 12-11-22

This isn't the sort of book I usually read, but I was thoroughly enthralled. The events were told alternately from one spouse about the present and by the other about the past. Both are mysterious tales, with a lot of "Huh, how could that be" in them, until the final episode brings meaning to most of the questions, but leaves plenty of mystery to wonder about. I did have a hard time telling the voices apart. This is a problem when you listen in the car, stop for shopping, and get back in the car not remembering who is talking. Otherwise--great!

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