Saranit Vongkiatkajorn

Okay book, sub-par narration

Revisado: 02-02-21

I thought the book was okay, but it is hard to tell with a translated book how the language was in the original Japanese. If you like books with lots of talking and not much happening, then you'll like this book. The main reason I didn't enjoy the work overall was because we spend so much time getting to know the main character, her sister, her daughter, and their history. After all that character building, they hardly appeared at all in the second, much longer half of the book. This was a shame as I'd grown kind of fond of the dynamic between those 3 characters.

The other main reason for the low score was due to the fact that the conversation between the women were interesting in terms of depth of emotion and characterization; however, the interactions between the main character and the male characters (there were basically no male characters in the first part of the book except in memory) were generally one sided and shallow. This is exacerbated by the narration. It's as if the narrator has one voice for any male character, and he sounds like a young stoner despite massive differences in character personality and emotional content. (It was hard to picture/hear the 'love interest' and the creepy, wart sperm blogger sounding exactly the same) I don't know if this is intentional or not as the female characters on the other hand did sound pretty distinctive. This was good for me as some Japanese names sounded quite close to me initially.

Overall, the second part was much longer and more insightful (a lot more reflection and reaction on the part of the usually passive main character) than the first. Given that these were two stories written years apart, it's likely that the writer grew in craft over time. The first story contained a lot of information about breast augmentation (perhaps too much in terms of petty details) while the second was about loneliness and artificial insemination (Breasts & Eggs).

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

An Eulogy to be inferred from what is implied

Revisado: 04-06-19

This is a good insight into the evolving relationship between James Atlas, the narrator/author, and Phillip Roth. Atlas, in general, idolizes Roth. It listens like a long, extended eulogy with some interesting flashbacks to difficult or complementary times in their mutual association as writer-potential-biographer-artist-critics. There's a lot about both author's Jewish heritage that I did not understand, but that is to be expected. Overall, it felt like listening to someone talk about a famous college friend or colleague he hasn't seen in a while, even though they used to be close. Which I guess, is what it is. :)

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Told by the investigators and victims

Revisado: 02-18-19

This is one of the most amazing audio books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. There's nothing like hearing it from the people themselves. The hits and the misses, twists and turns in this case read like a novel with every dark alley and miss leading on to the next piece. Completely amazed by Paul Holes's tenacity, spending half his life on the trail of this cold case. Definitely worth checking out for anyone interested in true crime and understanding the potential of the revolutionary new technique of using forensic genealogy which ultimately lead to the capture of the Golden State Killer.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great series overall. Well drawn characters.

Revisado: 10-17-18

The series was well worth the time and money. The characters were well drawn and evolved without violating their fundamental character. The last book was slightly disappointing, but understandable given the characters. I didn't truly want to see them hurt, but, at the same time, I also would have loved to see higher stakes for all the characters.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Another great addictions to the series.

Revisado: 09-17-17

I like how we get to know more about Hearthstone's background in the second volume in the series. The initial setup for the plot felt more force than Mr. Roardian's usually cleverly plotted tales, but overall, the characters were great (including the new addition to floor 19) and the jokes were funny. :) Can't wait until the next book becomes available in my country.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Steal, Collobrate, Make Money to Make Art

Revisado: 07-13-17

These are some of the lessons artists should learn in order to join what Jeff Goins calls "The New Renaissance" which our modern technological age makes possible. The book begins during the actual Renaisdance with an analysis of how Michaelangelo changed the game for artists, elevating the profession above that of mere craftsman, and, eventually, allowing him to become one of the richest artists of his time. Throughout the book Jeff explores the origin of the "starving artist" myth, and how this myth stops many creatives from embracing the path of the 'thriving artist." If the above points resonate with you, you'll love this book. :)

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Irony is the Source of All Meaning

Revisado: 06-24-17

Unexpectedly good advice about story writing even though it is definitely geared towards TV/movies/scriptwriting (and he admits this up front). My favorite idea was: Irony is the source of all meaning. Bird goes on to discuss misconceptions about writing and gives examples from lots of films as well as a few stories to illustrate his ideas.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Disturbing twist

Revisado: 09-17-16

Rambles on quite a bit, but toward the very end gets really interesting. Definitely awesome for conveying an unreliable narrator who you can both be annoyed at and at the same time feel sympathy for.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Pathfinder World

Revisado: 08-04-16

I struggled to get into the story at first. Even though I have played the role playing game, I felt like the opening itself was like reading about a gaming session rather than reading a novel. Since this is a Pathfinder book, I guess gamers might like to read about it. As a murder-mystery though, there's way too much traveling and getting stracked by the, admittingly fascinating multiverse of the gaming universe, that by the time I remembered the main story arch again I didn't care anymore about who had killed the victim: I wanted to find out more about the Demons and Devils. :P

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great story but lackluster narrator

Revisado: 07-25-16

The Good:
Rick Riordan does it again with his tale of a reluctant teenage hero plucked from his existence as a homeless street kid on the streets of Boston into the world of the Norse gods. Fans of the Lost Heroes of Olympus and the Percy Jackson series might recognize the main character's last name: Chase. Anabeth's cousin's quest takes him through several of the 9 realms of the World Tree Ysagril, and encounters with the major deities and denizens. Overall, I loved this new hero and look forward to the next book in the series.

The Bad:
However, the narrator for this series either hasn't gotten used to the characters yet or doesn't distinguish his performance voice enough between the characters. Magnus's voice easily sounds like 80% of all the other characters in the story, especially Sam, which is irksome since she's the other major character besides the narrator/protagonist.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña