Talley

Has Burkeman been peering inside my head?

Revisado: 10-28-24

I am a big fan of 4000 Weeks and thought this might be a rehash of that work. I was wrong. Burkeman has such a gift for reframing what we unthinkingly accept as given and we discover how unhelpful if not toxic those ideas can be. I found myself recognizing my own thinking so often in these short one-a-day essays I felt he was writing to me personally. I now find myself both being kinder to myself and doing the work I want to do but have often procrastinated about. I also enjoy his wry sense of humor and narration. I can imagine listening to the days over and over to reinforce the messages.

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The narration has stopped me

Revisado: 07-03-24

I’ve tried a couple of times to listen because i think I’ll enjoy the book. But I can’t get past the narration. The voice is completely flat with a pause after each sentence. There is no attempt to distinguish who is speaking or to relay any emotion. After about 5 minutes my mind has wandered. This was my last attempt. No more.

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Like others, I cannot listen to the narrator

Revisado: 03-26-22

I really wanted to listen to this book because I’ve found other information from Dr. Brewer to be very helpful. Ironically, even though I believe most authors should NOT read their books, in this case Dr. Brewer’s very pleasant speaking voice would be a massive improvement. I had to abandon it at Chapter 2. It was unlistenable.

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Good Mystery, Excellently Narrated

Revisado: 07-26-18

I was very much looking forward to this book. I like innovative ways to tell a story. And certainly the story grabbed me and it was compelling listening, owing at least in part to Rory Kinnear's wonderful narration. Horowitz uses the device of inserting himself into the story, blending fact with fiction, which initially created greater uncertainty, what's real? what's not? making the story more exciting.

But ultimately I wasn't sure what the device did to enhance the story. If the Horowitz character had instead been a completely fictional character would the story be different? I didn't really think so. I had hoped that it would somehow lead to some interesting development but was disappointed in the end that the story ended up as a good but conventional mystery.

Definitely a very good listen but if the hype has raised your expectations for something completely different, you might want to adjust them a bit.

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A Lovely Escape from everyday life....

Revisado: 01-20-18

I read The Shell Seekers years ago and was delighted to see it available on Audible. I fell back comfortably into this family saga and for the past week I’ve been escaping to the world created by Pilcher. And it has been a lovely visit. Hayley Atwell’s narration is excellent. Her voice suits the material very well. And she provides just enough emotion and character differentiation, never taking it too far. I would definitely listen to more books narrated by her.

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Magazine Article stretched to almost book length

Revisado: 10-16-17

If you're interested in energy saving tips (LED lights vs. incandescent - wow who knew?), tips to buying at flea market (bring cash!) or other equally obvious suggestions, give it a listen. There is actually very little about how the concept of Lagom informs Swedish life both positively and negatively. About a magazine article's worth. The rest of the book is filled with the author's tedious lists of suggestions, most of which you are probably already aware of unless perhaps you've been living in a cave for the past 10 years.
The narrator's voice is easy to listen to and is very clear. The problem is that in a book with only the slightest bits of humor, her very straightforward delivery only emphasizes the book's unrelenting sense of being lectured to by a self satisfied bore. To be fair, it was hard to judge how much she could do to overcome the book's own failings.
I had to stop listening after long minutes of water saving tips. Enough!
I assume this was published because of the success of a book like The Little Book of Hygge, a book filled with interesting perspectives and a wonderful sense of humor. Too bad the publishers of Lagom didn't try and find something with equally real content.

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Welcome back Bryant and May!

Revisado: 06-01-16

Any additional comments?

The boys are back and are most welcome! Thank you Christopher Fowler for creating these wonderful characters and thank you Tim Goodman for bringing them to life. Having left Arthur Bryant last time on a bridge over the Thames, it is fitting that this story’s journey through the labyrinth of London is on that very river, coursing through the heart of the city. The plot is full of the usual twists with seemingly unconnected bits slowly being fitted together. In this one, the plot didn’t quite grab me quite as much as in past books but to be honest it isn’t the intricate plotting as good as it is that draws me to this series - it’s the characters and their interactions, the feeling and the humor, and what I learn about London and many arcane subjects. There are some interesting developments for the characters in this book and Fowler has managed to deal with the situation remaining from the last book in a very clever way. I am always entertained and enlightened by a Bryant and May book and this one is no exception. Bryant and May are delightful. More please.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas