Jonathan Hoyle

Chris Ciulla is a Great Narrator!

Revisado: 06-20-24

The premise of the series is wonderful: A mental patient essentially thinks he is James Bond, interpreting his surroundings in light of that delusion (eg: the hospital director is his boss M, his fellow patients are other agents, etc). This is Book #4 of the series, and I was fearing that it would get old and predictable. But like the original James Bond books & movies, each story remains intriguing and clever. I am looking forward to the next escapade.

The best part about the audio version is reader Chris Ciulla. He does a wonderful Bond-like voice for Flynn that makes the entire story sing. The various voices are distinct enough that it is almost like listening to a radio drama.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

More Than Just "Art of the Deal"

Revisado: 09-14-20

I have always loved the book "Trump: Art of the Deal", even knowing that Donald Trump had actually nothing to do with its writing. Tony Schwartz, that book's ghostwriter, did a magnificent job creating a interesting compelling narrative about Donald Trump, portraying him as an endearing character with boyish charm (which of course bears no resemblance to the real Trump). The book was a million-seller, and made Trump a household name by the end of the 1980's.

Schwartz regretted his involvement with the book, feeling guilty for having helped create the image that launched Trump into celebrity status. As Trump grew in power, Schwartz viewed his royalties as "blood money", donating it to immigrant groups and other charities to help those who have been badly impacted by Trump. This is the story I wanted to read about, when I got this book.

But this book is much more than that; it's essentially an autobiography of the man, from childhood to today, with great emphasis on his current work with the Energy Project. And his career is certainly interesting, particularly to those who are curious of the man himself. But I was disappointed by the few small chapters that I was hoping would be highlights of the book. Although references to Trump are sprinkled throughout, particularly from the point of view of finding atonement, it failed to meet my expectations. The one small chapter on his 18 months working with Donald Trump could have been (in my mind) multiple chapters and its own subsection of the book. And the penultimate chapter about Trump's 2016 Presidential campaign, and Schwartz's writings and efforts to parry it, was also equally brief.

I gave the book 4 stars, because I fully admit that it was *MY* faulty expectations that were not met; others coming to this book wanting to know about the life of the author, may not feel so let down. What I was hoping for was something like a tell-all "The REAL Story Behind 'The Art of the Deal'", or "The Donald Trump I Was NOT Allowed to Write About" or something along those lines. This is definitely not that. (Although in fairness, you will learn some new things about those aspects, but just not a book's worth.)

Perhaps Schwartz might still be persuaded to write something along those lines, at some point in the near future? However, his grief is quite palpable, even in this book, that I can understand if he could not bring himself to do so. As I write this, the election is just around the corner, and if Trump loses (fingers crossed), then window of opportunity may already be too late. If Trump wins re-election, then I suppose Schwartz will have more time (assuming he, or any of us, can stand the next four years).

So yes, 4 stars overall. Great performance (5 stars), but the story not as much (only 3 stars), as this reader felt that much less time was spent on the more interesting parts of his life, relative to the rest of it.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 33 personas

Mysticism in the Guise of Science

Revisado: 11-20-17

If like me, you picked up this book with the idea that it would be a scientific explanation on the origin and evolution of intelligence, then you will be seriously disappointed.

Essentially, this book is the story of a young anthropologist in the Amazon, having partaken of the local people’s hallucinatory drugs, attempts to ground the experience as plants trying to communicate with humans. For example, the hallucinatory snakes represent DNA. Furthermore, the hallucinations have taught local shamans about plant biochemistry, and the origins of consciousness.

As the author descends from Science into Mysticism, he acknowledges that he is embracing irrationality. But eventually, the drug experiences become so compelling to him, he is willing to accept irrationality, and rejects Western Science’s requirement of objectivity.

Surely this book will be of great interest to others, who prefer mystical drug experiences over the results of science. But I for one who never have purchased this, had I known what it was really about. (And this is my fault for having read the deceptive title, and failed to actually read the reviews and deeper description.)

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

NOT the Inaugural speech.

Revisado: 03-13-17

What disappointed you about Dwight D. Eisenhower Inauguration Speech 1957?

The vast majority of this was news reports about Inauguration Day, the parade, the floats, etc. Only a few minutes of pieces of Eisenhowers' speech is included. The title is clearly a misrepresentation of what this is.

What was most disappointing about Dwight Eisenhower’s story?

It misrepresented what this audio was about.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Go elsewhere for the Truman speech

Revisado: 03-09-17

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes, it should contain the complete Truman inaugural speech from 1949, not an abridgment. Nor waste several minutes of the news reporter talking about the parade route, who is marching down the parade, etc. If this were titled “Truman’s Inauguration Day”, then I suppose it might have been acceptable. But I got this because it was titled "Harry S. Truman Inauguration Speech 1949”. Only about half of this contains his speech.

If you want the Truman speech, I recommend downloading it from the Miller Center or YouTube or some place like that.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Very Informative, But Far Too Much Editorial

Revisado: 06-09-15

If you could sum up The Ayn Rand Cult in three words, what would they be?

Informative but Biased

Would you be willing to try another book from Jeff Walker? Why or why not?

Probably not. Don’t get me wrong, the man does his homework, and there is some excellent reporting on this fascinating book. But the man can’t leave well enough alone, and feels the need to add his editorial everywhere to make certain individuals look bad (which is unnecessary, since the bad people already look bad enough from their own misdeeds).

Any additional comments?

The irony is not lost of a cult around someone who preaches individuality and making personal rational choices. Rand, who expects only the highest level of morally integrity of others, is involved in a secret affair with a young protege, passive aggressively pressuring their respective spouses to agree and remain silent. The story is compelling and fascinating. Yet Walker spares no opportunity to unnecessarily mudsling, particularly in the chapters on the three Rand lieutenants (Branden, Piekoff & Greenspan). Only the worst interpretations of everyone’s actions is presumed. Barbara Branden’s “The Passion of Ayn Rand” (also despised by Rand followers) is a much balanced view of what happened. Having said that though, this book is filled with an enormous amount of quality information, and a true portrayal of the cult can be gleaned. Someone could go in, remove about a quarter of the editorial, and be left with a great book. In the end, I do recommend the book, understanding that the author is no friend of the individuals involved, and the reader will have to stomach through repeated personal invectives to get to the story.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Finally, a Three Stooges Audiobook!

Revisado: 03-10-15

What made the experience of listening to The Three Stooges Scrapbook the most enjoyable?

It is a thoroughly researched history of the Stooges, correcting a number of mistakes found in other books (and even the mistakes in the previous version of this book). I recommend picking up the physical book (which I did at our local library), just to be able to page through to see the pictures in the book.

What did you like best about this story?

A lot of the background and “story behind the story” for a number of the shorts.

Any additional comments?

Although the Audiobook is listed at 19 hours, really it is only 10 hours, as the last half is essentially the reading of the Filmography (which in the book is in much smaller type). I mention this as the Filmography may be a bit monotonous for the casual reader, although I personally enjoyed listening to each of the synopses.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

My favorite Audiobook of all time.

Revisado: 11-02-14

Where does A Short History of Nearly Everything rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The best. Gripping and continually interesting. I have re-listened to this more than any other audiobook. Although I have enjoyed the unabridged version, I find listening to the author's own sense of pacing and emphasis to be very compelling.

What other book might you compare A Short History of Nearly Everything to and why?

It is almost like a mini-Cosmos, although covering many areas of Science, not just Astronomy.

Have you listened to any of Bill Bryson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Another very good one is perhaps his most famous: "A Walk in the Woods". As of this writing, I have also enjoyed "The Mother Tongue", "Thunderbolt Kid", "Notes from a Small Island", and the only disappointing one: "Lost Continent". Typically, Bryson reads the Abridged version, whilst professional readers perform the Unabridged.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great Overview of Female Super-Heroes

Revisado: 04-29-14

Any additional comments?

Although a bit heavy handed at times, this is a marvelous overview of the history of female super-heroes. Particularly notable is how historically that writers tend to present them to their largely heterosexual male audiences as virginal “nice girls” or overly sexualized fantasy girls (and at times both simultaneously). I enjoyed the approach of the evolution of the various super-heroines over the decades. Well done!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Wonderful Story, Excellent Performance

Revisado: 04-25-14

Any additional comments?

I have listened to the earlier abridgment of the original "Born Free", read by Virginia McKenna (who portrayed the author in the movie). Joanna David does an excellent job with this version of the book (which is essentially the whole trilogy in one book). Excellent and well done.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas