Tom M

Absolutely Terrifying

Revisado: 04-18-24

Annie Jacobsen presents a very real scenario in which nuclear war begins. The real terror begins early on with the realization that it’s not just the beginning, but the beginning of the end for the vast majority of human and animal life. And that end will come very, very quickly. Mercifully quickly? I indeed hope so.

Very well written and performed by Annie, I couldn’t help but be thoroughly impressed with the depth of her research and the format of the book, which occurs in minute by minute increments.

Not for the faint of heart, read it and be informed by those who really understand the implications of the first use of a thermonuclear weapon. It’s actually much worse that many “off grid preppers” would lead you to believe with their fantasies of survival.

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Ambitious, Meandering Story

Revisado: 10-31-22

The Book of Form and Emptiness deals with some serious subjects: death, loss, mental illness and adolescence. It also includes an exploration of Zen Buddhism and how its practice can help devotees manage these tragic challenges faced by the main characters in the book. The complexity of exploring a topic like mental illness in the first person ended up overwhelming the story with repetitious internal dialog that made the book drag in a number of places.

I thought the author introduced several storylines that were positive additions such as the book tour by the author of the self-help book and the events in and the history of the library. So, the book did drag in a few places, but managed to keep my interest enough to finish it.

The ending while uplifting, felt a little smarmy though believable which I guess is a reasonable compromise.

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Uneven Story

Revisado: 10-12-21

I found “The Piano Tuner” to be one of those frustrating books that start with great promise. Interesting characters, good plot potential, but begins to wander around about 3/4 of the way through. Then it seems the author couldn’t decide whether to bring the story back on track or just end it quickly, out of ideas. Unfortunately, the author quit on us readers and wrote a miserably predictable ending.

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Good Story, Marred by Narration

Revisado: 09-15-21

Good first effort by Matthew Dick. The pace lurched a bit as he covered more than 50 years with most of it coming in the last 25% of the book. I found the narrator’s voice bothersome and gave the story an unserious air.

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Very Satisfying Read

Revisado: 03-05-21

What precisely is “a satisfying read”? To me, it needs to tell an interesting story, contain characters you like and dislike with varying intensity, and probably most importantly, be written with a linear pace, not necessarily agonizing over each detail one after the other, but manages to answer questions that arise in the readers head completely but in due course.
“The Dig” is just such a book.

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Boring Post Apocalyptic Story.

Revisado: 02-16-21

This is by far the worst of "The Great De-evolution" series. Boring, repetitive and downright depressing. I stayed with it thinking it would get better, but it never did. I guess the fact that the main character was 93 years old and confined by her work to the former gymnasium where she tool care of a decreasing number of "blocks" limited the various scenarios afforded to the main character in "A Different Alchemy" as he got to travel up the east coast of the US - in a tank! Even the old man in "The Man Who Watched the World End" got to travel down his street and see how his neighborhood had changed.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Intricately woven tale, masterfully performed.

Revisado: 02-10-19

A wonderful diversionary tale performed by the Master: Jim Dale.
A real treat, I was sorry when the book ended.

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Superb

Revisado: 02-10-19

Compelling memoir, heartbreaking at times, uplifting at others.
Beautifully written by Ms. Westover and ably narrated by Ms. Whelan.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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Thought Provoking Subject - Performance Poor

Revisado: 02-10-19

How Japan was able to emerge from the ashes of war to rise again to be one of the great powers in the world in a relatively short period of time proves engaging reading/listening. How the US occupation, led by Gen Douglas MacArthur and the Japanese spirit and adaptability are explored in great detail.

The Audible performance is severely lacking however. The stilted reading, odd inflection, and truly confusing transitions to each new chapter made me think I was playing the book at the wrong speed. Different speeds made it sound worse. It appears this is not an artificial voice, but the authors own, somehow manipulated in a subtle but disturbing manner. Clearly, the choice of this reader/narrator did not do this interesting book justice.

I'm halfway through and am thinking of abandoning the Audible version and try to find the book at the library..

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Wish I Did Not Buy This Book

Revisado: 02-10-19

I regretted buying this book from the first chapter. Just a series of poorly strung together anecdotes about management -not even leadership necessarily. I was expecting some real insights to how a leader of an organization in the grips of light-speed change managed to come out on top. Instead heard a series of tired maxims that struggled to keep pace with the interesting title.

I wish I could get my credit back for this one.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas