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Other Rivers
- A Chinese Education
- De: Peter Hessler
- Narrado por: Peter Hessler
- Duración: 13 h y 31 m
- Versión completa
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More than two decades after teaching English during the early part of China’s economic boom, an experience chronicled in his book River Town, Peter Hessler returned to Sichuan Province to instruct students from the next generation. At the same time, Hessler and his wife enrolled their twin daughters in a local state-run elementary school, where they were the only Westerners. Over the years, Hessler had kept in close contact with many of the people he had taught in the 1990s.
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The accuracy of observations. The outstanding perspective.
- De Ray Chou en 03-14-25
- Other Rivers
- A Chinese Education
- De: Peter Hessler
- Narrado por: Peter Hessler
From education to surviving politics, reflecting firsthand experience
Revisado: 01-05-25
It’s great to have the author as narrator, he’s good and I didn’t have to suffer through mispronunciations of Chinese.
I used similar books while teaching courses before this Hessler book came out or I would have used it intensely. He conveys a good sense of how most things work well despite the authoritarian political system, including how the bureaucratic system creates interstices. His 25+ years experience adds to the richness.
Of particular interest was his account of his daughters’ elementary school, because my son and daughter both attended a local elementary school in Tokyo. The early schooling environment in the US, Japan and China clearly have a large and lasting impact on their societies. There appears to be a lot in common across China, but in Japan there’s disparity by high school (see Tom Rohlen’s study of 3 high schools), and even more in the US, with elite AP students alongside the functionally illiterate and innumerate.
What I don’t know is the impact of declining population on schools. Here Japan is in the vanguard, with widespread closures, particularly in rural communities where some neighborhoods have no one under age 70. Time for interlibrary loan requests? - I no longer have to go to Tokyo to access Japanese language materials.
Oh, and in learning to read Chinese, Hessler’s book indicates that I surely need to track down a couple anthologies of Tang poems as it’s part of the basic vocabulary even at the elementary school level. For Japan that’s not needed, “hyakunin isshu” (100 poems from 100 writers) aren’t quoted much, and in contemporary English novels authors seem compelled to have their characters point out when they’re quoting Shakespeare.
In sum, this is well worth reading for everyone with an interest in contemporary China. But it should be read more widely, for its insights in sociology and education.
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The Wren in the Holly Library
- Wren in the Holly Library, Book 1
- De: K. A. Linde
- Narrado por: Stephanie Németh-Parker
- Duración: 15 h y 16 m
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Thirteen years ago, monsters emerged from the shadows and plunged Kierse’s world into a cataclysmic war of near-total destruction. The New York City she knew so well collapsed practically overnight. In the wake of that carnage, the Monster Treaty was created. A truce … of sorts. But tonight, Kierse—a gifted and fearless thief—will break that treaty. She’ll enter the Holly Library … not knowing it’s the home of a monster.
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K.A.Linde does it again!
- De Laura en 06-30-24
- The Wren in the Holly Library
- Wren in the Holly Library, Book 1
- De: K. A. Linde
- Narrado por: Stephanie Németh-Parker
Good through the middle then overly complicated
Revisado: 07-03-24
At the start the thief character was interesting, and the accompanying details on planning and execution. The monster theme of creatures long around coming to light isn’t novel but the initial spin was OK. The author couldn’t leave well enough alone, and started adding twist after twist with problems that had solutions out of the blue. At each twist more powers were added, the well-used trope of a person with somewhat unusual characters discovering they were magical ran amok. To me the plot lost all coherence and it reached the point that the characters were no longer credible. Why do fey have to be Irish, and suddenly appear and prove central only at the very end of a story firmly set in New York City?
It wasn’t so bad that I gave up, but I stopped paying careful attention for the last third.
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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas
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Below
- De: Paul Skillen, Aaron Gray
- Narrado por: MyAnna Buring, Rakie Ayola, Paul Mallon
- Duración: 3 h y 22 m
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Ida Pederson was an executive at ‘Nyberg Shoreline’ when she was sent to the small Northern Irish village of Port Kriel to diffuse tensions between the company and the local community. When an unexploded bomb was identified on the seabed near Nyberg’s windfarm, Ida sent a local crew of eight men to investigate. That night, only two men returned home, barely alive and unable to speak of what had happened out at sea.
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Eh
- De Anonymous User en 05-11-23
- Below
- De: Paul Skillen, Aaron Gray
- Narrado por: MyAnna Buring, Rakie Ayola, Paul Mallon
Good production, overused plot
Revisado: 12-21-23
Quite a cast, impressive as a production but the plot is well-trod, and IMHO better trod by others. To say more will spoil it for those who listen.
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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas
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Korea
- A New History of South and North
- De: Victor Cha, Ramon Pacheco Pardo
- Narrado por: Julian Elfer
- Duración: 8 h y 32 m
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Korea has a long, riveting history—it is also a divided nation. South Korea is a vibrant democracy, the tenth largest economy, and is home to a world-renowned culture. North Korea is ruled by the most authoritarian regime in the world, a poor country in a rich region, and is best known for the cult of personality surrounding the ruling Kim family. But both Koreas share a unique common history. Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo draw on decades of research to explore the history of modern Korea, from the late nineteenth century, Japanese occupation, and Cold War division to the present day.
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Good but Offers Little New Insight
- De Michael Allan Dawson en 10-19-24
- Korea
- A New History of South and North
- De: Victor Cha, Ramon Pacheco Pardo
- Narrado por: Julian Elfer
Thoughtful history, co-written which adds value
Revisado: 12-21-23
I studied East Asia in college, but my focus was Japan and China. Still, I have some knowledge of Korean history, have periodically visited starting in 1975, and a close Korean friend was involved in the Six Party talks from the start.
This is an excellent history, squeezing a lot into a small package, with telling anecdotes from the authors’ personal experience. I didn’t find any particular biases, except that they avoid the issue of what happens to the North’s weapons in the event of reunification. That is something national security types in Japan, China and Russia worry about, and since I know some of the principals I know it comes up in the circles in which they move.
I don’t follow popular culture, and was fascinated by their discussion. I now have a deeper knowledge of how the North’s politics developed. Their treatment of economic issues is fine and approachable by non-specialists (I’m an economist). I learned even there, on the ebb and flow of informal markets in the North.
In summary, kudos!
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Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems
- An Unconventional Heroes Publisher's Pack
- De: L. G. Estrella
- Narrado por: Fred Berman
- Duración: 13 h y 5 m
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Timothy Walter Bolton - better known as Timmy - has spent most of his life as a necromancer. When he isn't terrorising his enemies, he's plotting inside his castle, which is built on top of lightless chasms filled with nameless horrors and beings of a generally malevolent and megalomaniacal nature. But after one of his latest creations, a zombie hydra-dragon-bear, tries to eat him, he decides that maybe it's time to find a new, less dangerous, career.
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Sound Editing Needed
- De Robert en 05-29-20
- Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems
- An Unconventional Heroes Publisher's Pack
- De: L. G. Estrella
- Narrado por: Fred Berman
Silly
Revisado: 07-16-23
I couldn’t get past the first couple chapters, I found it more silly than funny. And even a very bright 10 yr old doesn’t act like that.
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Murder Your Employer
- The McMasters Guide to Homicide
- De: Rupert Holmes
- Narrado por: Neil Patrick Harris, Simon Vance
- Duración: 14 h y 13 m
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Who hasn’t wondered for a split second what the world would be like if a person who is the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you’ve probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death. The campus of this “Poison Ivy League” college—its location unknown to even those who study there—is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate.
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Great idea; not so great book
- De Michael Ferris en 03-06-23
- Murder Your Employer
- The McMasters Guide to Homicide
- De: Rupert Holmes
- Narrado por: Neil Patrick Harris, Simon Vance
Lighthearted, sometimes witty sometimes humorous
Revisado: 05-18-23
Three central, interwoven story lines with characters sufficiently developed to care about. Silly plot twists, normally something I dislike intensely but here, well, mostly charming even if by the very end almost predictable so that most of the ending is unsurprising. Glad I took a chance in something different from the normal mystery / sci-fi books to which I listen.
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Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments
- Edinburgh Nights, Book 2
- De: T. L. Huchu
- Narrado por: Kimberly Mandindo
- Duración: 9 h y 1 m
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Ropa Moyo’s ghost-talking practice has tanked. Desperate for money to pay bills and look after her family, she reluctantly accepts a job to look into the history of a coma patient receiving treatment at the magical private hospital Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments. The patient is a teenage schoolboy called Max Wu, and healers at the hospital are baffled by the illness which has confounded medicine and magic.
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Great characters
- De AMuses en 05-29-24
- Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments
- Edinburgh Nights, Book 2
- De: T. L. Huchu
- Narrado por: Kimberly Mandindo
Characters you care about and subtle depth
Revisado: 11-27-22
This may be marketed as a YA story, but it is far more than that. The heroine listens to podcasts while tooling about, philosophy and history. The grammar may be that of the Edinburgh slums, but it’s magic in content. Poverty isn’t whitewashed but adds another layer to the story, it’s always there but not the story. Or not the only story. We get the African diaspora, specifically Zimbabwe. There’s girl/boy stuff and getting a first job as an outsider. The plot is, well, it’s not to worry about, less contorted than the detective novels I’ve listened to of late.
One warning: if you’re not comfortable with Scots, this will be a hard listen - I won’t recommend this to my wife, who has a hard time with Appalachian accents. I for one thought the reading added value, even if some of the slang is outside my kenning.
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A Darker Shade of Magic
- A Darker Shade of Magic, Book 1
- De: V. E. Schwab
- Narrado por: Steven Crossley
- Duración: 11 h y 34 m
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Kell is one of the last Travelers - magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes. As such, he can choose where he lands. There's Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, ruled by a mad King George. Then there's Red London, where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. There's White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. And once upon a time, there was Black London...but no one speaks of that now.
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Shades of Gray Magic - This one's a bit dull
- De Tango en 04-26-15
- A Darker Shade of Magic
- A Darker Shade of Magic, Book 1
- De: V. E. Schwab
- Narrado por: Steven Crossley
Stand-alone start of a series
Revisado: 05-28-22
The two central characters are almost believable, enough so that I will look for another by the author. The plot weaves together worlds, not quite polished either. I expect the continuation to improve both people and place, and the relationship of the two so a “4” is part prediction.
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Lead Me Astray
- De: Sondi Warner
- Narrado por: Trei Taylor, Nicky Endres, Pej Vahdat
- Duración: 12 h y 1 m
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Welcome to Overlay City in New Orleans—a shadowy in-between where the paranormal and the real world meet. Its newest resident: Aurie Edison. A victim of a hit-and-run, Aurie now exists as a ghost in this mysterious realm. Convinced there is more to her death than what she remembers, Aurie sets out to uncover the truth. She soon finds herself in the company of Mys, a psychic empath, whose need to help others trumps all else, and Zyr, a werewolf detective able to work both the human and occult worlds.
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Great story
- De Angie Medrano en 10-05-22
- Lead Me Astray
- De: Sondi Warner
- Narrado por: Trei Taylor, Nicky Endres, Pej Vahdat
Threesome is interesting twist
Revisado: 04-28-22
Three main characters and a separate voice for each makes this come alive. There is also a sexual threesome, a bit tedious in places. The characters have their twists, ok but for me interesting in places but not captivating. The fantasy side focuses on a ghost, with angles novel to me. Overall though the plot makes little sense, lots of resort to deus ex machina solutions, and that annoyed me. Without stronger characters it made me downgrade my overall rating, but I did listen to the end.
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Replaced
- De: Lee Bacon
- Narrado por: Michael Crouch, Sarah Beth Pfeifer
- Duración: 6 h y 47 m
- Grabación Original
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Holly Ash is good actor. Just one downside: Most of the people she’s acting with have no idea they’re a part of her fiction. One that has been carefully constructed by the secretive company that Holly works for, known as D.O.P.L. Every assignment is a new role, a new name, a completely new self. Her newest role is “Margot” and her newest target: a boy her age named Will Aldrich.
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Wonderful
- De Amazon Customer en 02-11-22
- Replaced
- De: Lee Bacon
- Narrado por: Michael Crouch, Sarah Beth Pfeifer
Couldn’t finish
Revisado: 04-27-22
Teenage characters without personalities that made sense to me. Plot uninteresting as well, built around a conspiracy that I didn’t find credible, modifying people and somehow a secret group could get decades ahead of everyone else when these sorts of things, if even remotely possible, arrive from decades of incremental progress across many large team’s. No plot spoilers I didn’t get far, the teen romance angle had nothing to make it interesting, at least to an adult.
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