OYENTE

Jennifer A. Bradley

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Terminator 3 Audiolibro Por David Hagberg arte de portada

A novel retelling of a crappy movie

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-18-25

While I liked the way it described the movie of Terminator 3, albeit with a few differences, it still doesn't change the fact that it was a crappy retelling of a film. I enjoyed that it explained a few things that were within the film that could've been explained either way, I still can't help but feel like it didn't change much. It didn't make the film it was on any better, and in some respects, with the way it had to be written, it was rather bland that I almost wanted to fall asleep listening to it. The audible aspect was also poor, as it didn't formulate the chapters of the book properly, instead squeezing many of the 34 chapters into 7. It doesn't matter how short they are, keep them separate like you did with the Holes novel! Anyway, the narrator I will say was good, and I'm glad he gave the character dialogue respective voices to make them stand out, although I wish he sounded less dull when he was only describing things. Either way, this novel retelling did make me a little more interested, but it's still a novel version of a crappy film.

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The Disaster Artist Audiolibro Por Greg Sestero, Tom Bissell arte de portada

Impressions, Layout and the Wonderful Mess

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 01-28-24

Greg Sestero does what he does with how he introduces us to his friendship Tommy Wiseau, all the while he learns what kind of man he is before we jump into the whole production act that we know and laugh at known as the Room

The book presents how dark the production was of how a movie like The Room could exist with inconsistent plots, characters coming in and out of the film, lack of common sense and Tommy demanding things his way or the highway like a child until all of the professionalism is drained. Tommy is presented why the old saying goes for 'You should never meet your stars', as Tommy did everything he could to make it his way instead of thinking ahead. Meanwhile, Greg and the others are struggling with the actions he commits from having green screens and wasting sets instead of using the stuff he has readily available. Abuse follows and is why the movie took a lot longer than usual, as I suspect if things were done well, it would only last two months of filming.

Despite the fact that determination may not always be right and Greg goes through a lot of stress, it's interesting that he remains Tommy's friend, especially nowadays that everyone knows Tommy was born in Poland in 1955. Whatever happened to Tommy, it sure wasn't pretty, but Greg does his best to maintain a friendship even if he feels it's against his benefit. I sympathize with Greg considering similar circumstances of my own.

Wherever the cast is, including Philip Haldiman (can't believe he was the third oldest of the cast) are doing fine as what happened to them was stressful and possibly took a few years away of their lives. Tommy's childish methods really go to show things that are wrong in this day and age.

I don't have much else to say other than I thought this was well done and summarized what went wrong, but I hope Greg has handled himself better after that whole stressful fiasco. Stay gold, Greg.

- Jared Still

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A Life in Parts Audiolibro Por Bryan Cranston arte de portada

A beautiful memoir

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 01-14-23

I don't have a lot to say on this production, as I'm not exactly a person who reads memoirs or thinks much into them and I randomly found this while looking up books, but Cranston really nails it with the memories he can offer.

Cranston starts the book with an interesting piece of Breaking Bad when he cried hard due to remembering his daughter as Jane choked to death on vomit and the sad, yet acceptable feeling he delivers is a strong form to make you get what you're falling into with the story. The beginning makes you understand he and the character aren't the same person, and still gets things done despite it being a major blow to the heart. What follows after is the hardships he goes through, noticeable behind the scenes of Malcolm and the Middle plus some additional details he felt with Breaking Bad and the celebrity feeling he got following the end of the show. Each piece he delivers is filled with feeling and whether he wants you to feel sad, you feel sad, if he wants you to feel scared, you feel scared. It goes to show an actor can make you feel something even if they're writing real life events, especially the girlfriend he had named Ava.

The only thing I disliked was that I felt the story shouldn't have had so many chapters. I felt some of them could've been merged with others or made as simple footnotes since many of them were incredibly short with some barely even reaching 10 minutes. Whatever the case, whether short or long, each moment felt emotional but not drawn out. A good blend if there was one.

Either way, I recommend this if someone wants a memoir that is both fascinating and interesting to hear all the way through.

- Jared Still

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Speak Audiolibro Por Laurie Halse Anderson arte de portada

Simple, but Powerful

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 12-05-22

Spoilers:
I read this book all the way back in Orefield Middle School, but I didn't remember much about it due to the time that has passed combined with the lack of interest I previously had. My interest for it came due to a random memory, but I didn't know where to find it because I couldn't remember the name. When I remembered the title and the availability on Audible, I decided to pick it up and listen to what I had first heard of back so many years ago. What was made since the last time I read the novel was a decently made package for the audience it's aimed at.

The story is mostly what I remember from the last time I read it, a girl in high school is mostly silent due to a traumatizing event that happened before school, and everyone around her steps away believing that she likes to ruin everyone's fun. It takes its time to make sure you know things for her both as a freshman and victim are painful to go through, from classmates who only act like your friends to teachers who don't act very productive with Melinda's struggles, with the main expection being the art teacher. What gets established is simple, yet realistic, there's no random superhero that comes by to help Melinda's problems away, this is a world where the main character suffers but manages to regain their ability to say things with each piece that she's given. It feels simple, but also leaves you aware of what to expect as Melinda regains herself.

Mandy Siegfried is honestly the perfect voice for the one to read the story. She makes you feel that prude, bratty, yet straight and sweet taste that you can feel is dripping with each thought that beams through Melinda's mind. She may not give each character their own unique voice, but her tone and the way each word is delivered gives off a good substitute for readers. I'd honestly like her to narrate more books from any kind of POV, whether male or female.

The characters I'd say however are among the weaker parts of the book. Most of them are very generic or wooden, making them feel very one-dimensional, such as the overworked parents who don't know how to deal with their daughter's social isolation, or the teachers who seem like generic caricatures about how they usually act in high school. The ones who defy this are Melinda and the Art teacher, who is the most kindest to our hero and allows her talent to shine that helps regain her voice while Melinda sees things a little lighter and wonders what will be in store for her down the line. Because of the generic characters, the novel ends up having a somewhat weaker hold on me because most of them seem the same or ones you won't really be remembering after the book has finished, although some could say that it's the point of the book because the lead is an outcast. I know the theme of the book is the utmost focused part of the book and it's for younger audiences, but that doesn't mean the characters couldn't be fleshed out more instead of ones that'll be forgotten soon after closing the book.

Honestly, the best part of the book is the theme itself, which is the most well constructed part. The theme shows how rape can impact a person from socially becoming withdrawn to having their grades in school dramatically drop. This can make the victim feel worse when they see the person responsible is still hanging around the areas they occupy while looking totally good in the eyes of the public, making the trauma feel worse because of it. It doesn't help either that when entirely silent, adults won't be able to help due to lack of understanding; this functions as realistically as possible in the novel and it shows why the progression is as slow as it gets. With each piece of the story, the theme manages to keep your interest and thus make you glad at the end of it all, Melinda prevailed.

The bonus materials imo are the second thing I disliked. Much of the materials I felt took the theme the book had and shoves it down your throat when the story itself gave you enough to understand without any differing interpretation. I feel like if any high schooler reads this book, I think it should be painfully obvious the teachers would tell them not to be like the villain and most would understand the repercussions themselves, thus making some of the last few parts unnecessary. The one part I do admit about them I enjoyed was the interview by the author since we got a bit of hindsight of how the book came to be, and how it reacts to real-life movements, showing there are those who think of the book. I think though most of these aspects like the afterthought weren't needed because of what the story itself explained, and I'm not dumb enough to believe human beings are furniture to use at your very whim.

Overall, outside of the message it provides, Speak feels like a very generic or mediocre book that, if not for the powerful theme, would've probably fallen into a pile of books that aren't well-known to the public. It does what it wants to do very well, but a lot of other parts suffer either due to the demographic or very little importance placed on them. It's a basic book, but it does show that it can be powerful in that regard, or in the case of more is less. It didn't have much range, but it was interesting from the bus ride to school to the art project that gets an A+.
- Jared Still

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Lords of the Sith: Star Wars Audiolibro Por Paul S. Kemp arte de portada

Dangerous, yet wonderful

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 08-18-22

I don't have much to say about the subject, because I often have to wonder whether projects by Disney are good or bad since they rely a lot on nostalgia. Not so much with this production though. I enjoyed the story throughout the narration, even though I feel like Davis' feminine voices could've been done with a bit more effort. Considering this is pre-ROTJ, not surprising that the mission to liberate Ryloth was a failure in the end, but I think Vader's ability to put fear into his enemies really sold it.
Not much to say, just glad I got to listen. - Jared

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Coraline Audiolibro Por Neil Gaiman arte de portada

Mostly entertaining, even with some odd moments

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 07-16-22

It's not much to say when you hear a children's book with horror elements, considering many of them are often toned down, or have those elements that make them very obvious to make the kids look good. Or perhaps to show very stereotypical kinds of monsters that could make up anything. Coraline thankfully averts this, without much need in doing so.


Gaiman's narration surprisingly fits extremely well. He manages to sound casual, yet not stupid like Robert Miller with Pinocchio, if he wants to slow down to draw suspension he will. I think what really sells it, is that he makes himself sound normal and telling a regular story, with only the subtle feeling of happiness behind it to describe the emotion that he wants the readers to feel. If he wants you to feel energetic, he can. But if he wants you to feel scared, worried about what will follow, he can do that as well just by slightly changing his tone, making him successful.

The story, as it progressed, makes sure that it tells you a very obvious message without the need to be blunt and have it in your face. Coraline gets very excited about what she sees in the other world, and she wants to keep visiting it with how much excitement the new visits have to offer. Yet as the times go by, she realizes that things aren't as they seem to be, and the horrible truth comes in when her parents vanish. Listening to Gaiman's dialogue really gives off a feeling of fear when you realize your loved ones are missing that giving it a double emphasis for the realization that something odd is happening. Although I enjoyed the story, I have to wonder if the Other Mother could return in another form or if there is another one of her, maybe we'll never know.


The characters themselves were finely developed, even if not many of them beyond Coraline were seen much. Simple, yet understandable and dark, but soft makes it investing each time you listen to them. With the other counterparts, you see how twisted they are, and their only existence being barred to make someone interested is a disappointing realization of imposters. You can only do so much before your purpose is gone.


I don't have much else what I just said, but the reason I don't give a full 5-stars is because of the inclusion of the musical elements tossed into the audiobook. They don't do much to advance the story, and sometimes sound misplaced, such as the closing music sounding more terrifying despite the story having just ended. I didn't find it distracting, but more unnecessary with the way the musical parts only were involved a handful of times and did little more but pad out the time. Seriously, Amazon wasted money for that?


But, I didn't have much of the narration, or the symbolism that was involved like the Other Mother being a spider. It was a good listen, and I read the book alongside my elementary school class and got invested as we progressed through. Maybe childhood favorites are things bound to be nostalgic, even if we aren't always fond of them.

But for what it could provide, the book felt fresh and didn't pull any cliches of children's books that were pound in the ground like other works. Either way, I would recommend for a quick listen with the kids.

- Jared Still

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Pinocchio Audiolibro Por Carlo Collodi arte de portada

Interesting Children's book, terrible narrator.

Total
2 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
1 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 07-05-22

When you're a person such as me who grows up reading books like Pinocchio, but you only get a shortened version such as the Dorling Kinderseley adaptation, you find yourself asking for more. This can add more into the fact that a lot of aspects from the original book are changed or removed and you realize later all of the original things that you missed. When I got this version of Pinocchio, I didn't know what to expect other than a more fleshed out version of what I heard in the past. While I was glad to have listened more to it, I couldn't help but feel some form of disappointment.


The book better explains things I didn't understand before or know that well, and I generally think the story of Pinocchio is okay. I'm generally a person whose not a fan of the Fairy, because she often is a subject of debate whether she's well-intended or flat out a bully who handles the naive main character. That's also not to mention that things like the Coachman don't seem to suffer any repercussions later and could've come back for the future. But we'll never know what happens down the line with Collodi dying sometime after Pinocchio was published. I do like though that Pinocchio actually puts effort into being better instead of being blessed off for being naive like when he passes school, that was smart.


The story itself isn't that impressive. Pinocchio just randomly finds himself in different areas upon leaving the last one, and some of them barely feel like they're around for long or have enough connection. The land of busy bees just seems like an afterthought after Pinocchio and the Fairy reunite and it's made even more so when the busy people seem forgotten shortly after. If anything, I'm surprised this little puppet didn't endure shell shock or get exhausted or frightened from how many awful things he went through in such a short amount of time. I mean, this is the same puppet who threw a mallet and crushed a talking cricket, surely that's not something to walk away from.


I think the worst part of the audiobook though is the narrator. I don't have anything against Edward Miller personally, but I really hated his narration with how childish he sounded. Every time he spoke, I always felt like the only reason he was talking the way he does as a narrator is because he's well-aware that he's in a children's audiobook, meaning he can easily make a fool of himself as he speaks even if it's very eye-rolling. I know he's narrating a children's book, but that doesn't mean he should make himself sound like an idiot or dumb himself down for the readers, even if the person reading isn't a kid. That's not even adding that each character he voices sounds nearly identical and it makes me feel even less interested in the story being told. Personally, I like Robert Lindsay from the DK adaptation of Pinocchio more, because he's more talented at making different voices for the characters contrast to Miller, who makes it obvious it's just his voice with a slightly different pitch.


The characters themselves are very basic. Pinocchio is someone whose so energetic that he gets into trouble often, The Fairy is someone whose morally debatable while other characters like the Fox and the Cat are very obvious bad guys who treat Pinocchio badly with their scams. I will admit, one of my favorite characters was the Green Fisherman because he was very obviously dumb while he reminded me of a villain from Dark Souls. His description was powerful and quite frightening in its own right, even adding into the worrisome that he'll eat a marionette fried for dinner (yuck!).


Generally, I'd recommend people find a better audiobook version of this story. While it was nice to finally hear a fleshed out version of the book, I generally found it boring and the narration only made it worse. Especially since every chapter started with having the title spoken to you every time. Do I think Edward Miller is bad? no, but I don't think this is his best narration.

Use only for your first book. - Jared Still

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Bioshock: Rapture Audiolibro Por John Shirley arte de portada

Interesting premise, not interesting narration

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
3 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 03-20-22

Considering that I am a fan of the BioShock games, starting with the second one and later getting the first, I had some solid views of what I found regarding the lore of the franchise that this world had been given in 2007. With the mighty power of Capitalism taking a serious form in the name of Rapture, with the usage of allowing total freedom for people to do whatever they wanted, showing that there's a clear sign between the rich and the poor, it really gave a lot of what the games have implied through the audio diaries that you could listen to throughout the game, only making it more apparent in the flesh.


When one wants to pop open this book or listen to it as they get somewhere they need to go, they listen to the ways of Ryan's thought process worked, from his origin of Rapture as a means to escape both the West and the East of the surface, to continuing the market without any regulations that could possibly ensure things don't go overboard. Other characters like Bill McDonaugh and Frank Fontaine and several others that are noticeable in the games get some more time to develop as well, such as some of the thought process when Jack was being worked on. The book takes its time to give the reader enough detail as to what could be going on, or perhaps if there are doubts of loyalty and what led to the downfall of the sacred underwater city. It really tries to drive home how Rapture ended up falling apart even before the first game, and you can clearly tell that things would be going bad quickly, a good sign of execution being brought directly inside.

I liked the way the story kept itself going and retaining multiple audio diaries despite having a few changes with the words and adequately adapting to what the player finds in the first game as well as a few connections in the second such as the mention of Sofia Lamb. You can tell the presence of Fontaine and Lamb are closing in as you get deeper into the second and third acts of the book, not sparing any fears that someone could hold for the future.

My least favorite part of the book has to be the narration. John Shirley tries his best with the job he's given as he has to voice numerous characters and deal with the one he was born with. And while he does give more than just one voice per character, I feel like they should have replaced him since his voice for certain characters just seems off like these are the substitutional versions of the characters you can hear in the game, with Andrew Ryan and Fontaine being examples of that. Shirley is decent enough where you won't get annoyed with him, as I found myself sitting through the book, but his job of giving each character a voice feels more could have been desired.

Generally, although there was some retcons from the games, BioShock: Rapture makes a compelling case for the history of the underwater city and makes it well-deserved of a setup for the games to what those who've played the game can connect the dots to. There are some aspects I felt should have been done better since it sticks very heavily with Andrew Ryan and starts feeling like its only purpose by Act III is just completing a checklist of what they need to have before it ties up any loose ends with the beginning of the first game, especially with the stressing of the civil war and Bill's death. Despite this, I liked the first two acts and how they lead to the formation of the city and how it quickly began to fall as quickly as it came, showing capitalism with how it can be handled will lead to major deaths and horrible tragedy to come by. I recommend this for both fans and those interested in regular literature, just know that it may feel like a checklist when the third act kicks in. 4/5.

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