tjcrewsbooks

Captivating, entertaining, and informative.

Revisado: 03-24-19

The amount of research that went into the writing of this book is astonishing--but not dry. The book becomes a living, breathing, ongoing tale of searches for treasure and solutions to mystery. Randall Sullivan writes frequently in the first person throughout this book to offer his own insight and observations--which kept me engaged and very interested.
Those of us who are familiar with the TV show, The Curse of Oak Island, realize that the show gives us only the tip of the iceberg regarding the history of the search for Oak Island treasure.
This book also goes into detail about the rivalry between Dan Blankenship and Fred Nolan--which is significant if we want to understand the animosity they held for each other most of their adult lives.
The quality of the reader/narrator can't be understated. A bad narrator can ruin a great book. A great narrator can make a great book even greater. Brandon Wright does a fantastic job as narrator of this book.

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The World Series--They Were There

Revisado: 05-22-16

What made the experience of listening to The October Heroes the most enjoyable?

Donald Honig made a fantastic contribution to baseball literature with his oral history of the Fall Classic, told by men who played in it. It is reminiscent of The Glory of Their Times, by Lawrence Ritter--but in this case we don't hear the actual voices of the players.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The October Heroes?

My favorite part was hearing about Grover Cleveland Alexander pitching in relief in the final game of the 1926 World Series.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Chris Sorensen?

Just about anybody. If the material he was reading wasn't so great, I would have given up on the book. You can say he was trying to allow the drama and excitement speak for themselves, but that is charitable. If I didn't understand English, I might think this book was all about watching mud dry, or something; it wouldn't sound like it was anything interesting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes--because the material is so good!

Any additional comments?

The recollections of the old time ballplayers are so good. One ballplayer, as he was riding on a train, described the novelty of seeing someone driving a car--because there weren't that many cars around yet. Where are you going to get observations like that? It's great.

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Great listening experience!

Revisado: 11-12-13

Where does The Aviators rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Aviators is one of the best audio books you can hope to buy this year.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The format of The Aviators is broken up by approximate decades or time periods, and by biographies of three noted, early aviators: Eddie Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh, and Jimmy Doolittle.
This format was especially good for me because it kept the story moving and kept the story interesting. I never got bogged down with one guy for too long, or one time period for too long.
It was interesting how one main event--say for example WWII, could be seen from three unique perspectives, by three unique participants.

What about Robertson Dean’s performance did you like?

The narrator, Robertson Dean, is excellent for the material. His voice and manner seem somewhere between a newscaster and a good storyteller.

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

This might make a very engaging documentary--Ken Burns style.
Let's face it--the book was seventeen great hours of listening. What would they do? Give us a 1-hour documentary on this? Give me a break--there is too much great history here.

Any additional comments?

The Aviators is a great choice as an audio book purchase. Even if you're not old or blind, you can still enjoy it while driving or doing some other activity you don't have to concentrate on. I'm sure I will return to enjoy this audio book several times, eventually.

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I'd rather read the book

Revisado: 06-15-13

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The thing I would change about this book is the narrator.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I couldn't focus on the book--after a couple of hours, all I could think of--is how I couldn't stand the reader.
He might be a good reader if someone wrote a book about aliens coming to earth, and the book was written from the aliens point of view.
His voice seems detached from the material. He reads all of the words, I'm sure, but by the time he gets done with them, the words don't mean anything.
If the narrator read a book about having great sex--by the time he got done with it, you wouldn't care about sex, you wouldn't like sex, and you wouldn't want anything to do with sex.
In this case, he does the same for baseball. Baseball was a great game--until he started reading about it.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

It would have to be a silent movie.

Any additional comments?

I would buy this book again if there was a different narrator. I'd take my chances. The material is too good. Great writers and great stories, but not a pleasurable listening experience.

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Cut and Paste

Revisado: 04-21-13

What did you love best about The Civil War?

Shelby Foote is very even-handed in his history of the Cvil War

What did you like best about this story?

I think most of us who bought the audio, became interested because of Ken Burns's Civil War documentary.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

There was a lot of cut and paste with the audio book. There were a lot of vocal insertions by the reader/narrator--why, I have no idea--but they were very annoying.

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Old Radio Baseball

Revisado: 03-31-13

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This audiobook is best for someone who likes baseball history and baseball radio.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Baseball Forever!?

It was great listening to Carl Hubbel striking out five Hall of Famers. It was such a great experience listening to the radio call of Babe Ruth at bat; it wasn't a still photo, it wasn't black and white film--it was radio, as it happened.

What does Bob Costas bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Bob Costas is great because he is an icon of baseball broadcasting.

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

When radio was the next-best thing to being there.

Any additional comments?

For those who love baseball, it's not about the highlights--exclusively. It's about nine innings of ground balls, fly balls, a few hits, a few strikeouts, strategy, ups, downs, winning and losing, and playing again tomorrow.

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The History You Want to Know

Revisado: 05-08-12

Where does A People's History of the United States rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This audio book is among the very best I have ever listened to. It is seldom I want to listen to an audio book more than once, but this will be an exception. I rank it up there with the David McCullough, and Doris Kearns Goodwin books I have listened to.

What did you like best about this story?

The familiar history we learn in school is in the background, while the history which would have affected us as individuals (if we lived in the time period) is more in the foreground.

What does Jeff Zinn bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jeff Zinn reads the book delightfully. Sure, he's familiar with the material, but he reads with a conversational tone that makes it seem like he's answering a question I just asked. This will help me want to listen to it a second time, or a third time. He never sounds like he is lecturing or even reading, for that matter.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I knew I could never listen to this entire book in one sitting. But the great thing about this book is that I was always anxious to resume. It was so interesting.

Any additional comments?

This is an audio book I would have liked to receive as a gift.
I say that because people browse titles sometimes looking for a great audio book to give as a gift. This is it. This is perfect.

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