Barry McDonald

This will lead you to Fleet of Knives

Revisado: 02-15-21

An interesting narrative structure with, as another reviewer has commented, little wow factor in the early chapters. But the second book in the Embers of War trilogy, Fleet of Knives, is a worthy and interesting read. Think of Embers of War as the introduction to a much more wonderful multiverse filled with ancient asteroid ships, invisible dragons, a complex multiverse accessible by faster than light travel and marked by the progressive integration of elements of humanity and machine.

A refreshingly real female protagonist, a wonderful rotating narrative technique and a crew of excellent narrators make this an interesting introduction to the second and third installments of the trilogy in which your understanding of the characters and story-line will deepen and yield great satisfaction,

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

True News, not alternative facts

Revisado: 09-26-20

It is amazing, appalling and tragic for all Americans that 40% of our counties citizens will read this and consider it fiction! Trump is not the only aberration in current American life and politics. That the US Senate and other federal officials have supported, tolerated and helped to cover up Mr. Trump’s crimes and antics

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Unlikable batch of characters, unlikely physics, distracting narration

Revisado: 09-23-20

I found it hard to keep track of an assortment of sometimes unnecessary characters. The impossible problems at the heart of the adventure are solved in an implausible manner. Without making it a spoiler, I’ll just say that the first goal of the ever-squabbling ragtag group of a few dozen humans is to defeat a race of technologically advanced beings and survive in an unlivable climate with basically three weapons, one spaceship and an assortment of shop tools. (The spaceship does have one interesting feature which was well-used.) Totally out-numbered and out-gunned, it is necessary for some type of biological-machine interface to suddenly appear, deus ex machina style, to even the impossible odds and to make up for the contant in-fighting and lack of cohesion of the group.

The ultimate goal and climax of the novel involves moving and/or destroying several astoundingly huge massive objects with one space ship. Don’t think so!

Whatever momentum the story has—it does speed up in the last half of the book—is interspersed with too many emotion-ridden flashbacks and musings.

The narration is very clear and listenable during descriptive passages, but I found the voices created for some of the characters to be over-played and stereotypical. One male character sounded like a spoof of an “old geezer” from a 1950’s western. Voicing of female characters was particularly distracting. The lead female protagonist sounded like a little girl, not a woman. The relative volume of the typical voicing of some characters ranged annoyingly from almost imperceptible mumbling to full-chested shouting, while several of the others sat in the sweet spot.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Basic information that can be found online

Revisado: 07-01-19

A brief explanation of IS without much about its causes or psychological origins, but a fair amount of exercises and techniques to work on. The author’s soft, unexpressive and somewhat monotone. voice often did not hold my attention and this along with her slight accent made some words and phrases unintelligible or hard to understand. Book would benefit from a professional narrator.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Self-justified public service announcement

Revisado: 06-28-19

If you want a book that describes specific weight lifting exercises, buy another book or buy the paperback version, not the audiobook, and you’ll get one chapter that gets specific about the amounts of weight to work with and the general process of progressively increasing that weight and how to add reps. However, this book is not a how-to in terms of illustrating the form and execution of specific exercises. (There is a website for the book that provides instructions, videos and coaching, but it’s not in the book itself.)

Other than that, 90% of this book is a public service announcement: scientific evidence shows that weight training and a good diet can reverse muscle wasting (sarcopenia) in older as well as younger people, followed by chapter after chapter, appeal after appeal, reminder after reminder. The main focus of the book is “You gotta do this to be healthy!” Unfortunately, you’ll have to buy a bunch of other books on weight or resistance training to actually learn how to do it or use the online resources at the book’s website to learn how to do it. The few examples regarding specific exercises refer strictly to barbell, dumbbells and the kettle ball. No information is given about alternative or complimentary resistance trading methods such as TheraBands.

I guess you could call the book motivational since it’s main purpose is to tell you how important weight training is, what its many benefits are and to remind us how lazy and unfit we are as a society. Numerous scientific studies are quoted to prove this and the three authors’ (contributors’) own experiences and research are repeatedly alluded to along with specific case studies telling about Joe and Jane and other people who changed their ways and became healthier.

In one of the final chapters you’ll find general and common sense information about diet and the need for adequate protein. Regarding supplements, there is one chapter that basically says don’t take them. The book ends rather abruptly. If you want to be led to the edge of the precipice, convinced that it is worth making the jump to weekly weight training, then this is the book for you. Unfortunately, I felt that after I was led to the precipice I was left standing there. And being a pretty well-educated person who already exercises, I didn’t need 13 chapters of leading.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

An interesting summary of how evolution didn’t quite adapt us for today’s life!

Revisado: 03-13-19

Bridging the gap between evolutionary psychology and human anatomy and physiology, this is a great intro to the many ways our bodies and minds are poorly suited for the era we live in and a thoughtful catalog of the many ways Nature has not gotten it right yet in terms of perfecting the nevertheless amazing bodies we have. Other recommended books that delve deeper into aspects of this include Dan Lieberman’s The Story of the Human Body
Evolution, Health, and Disease, Before You Know It
The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do by John Bargh, You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney and a favorite of mine, David Eagleman’s Incognito The Secret Lives of the Brain.

I am also interested in the more mind-based books about the psychological errors and paradoxes, mental errors and habits (heuristics) that we all suffer from such as Daniel Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow and The Self Illusion: Why There Is No "You" Inside Your Head by Bruce Hood among others.

Human Errors concentrates more on the physical imperfections in our bodies than on the psychological, but it is a great springingboard for the exploration of both.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 58 personas

Original and Fantastic Sequel

Revisado: 02-27-19

Great hard science fiction with a few much appreciated twists—Everything from laughs to tears. An unbelievably great narrator brings it all home!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A long journey to a disappointing payoff

Revisado: 01-26-19

Split Second is a 2/3rds black ops/murder/kidnap thriller with a clever but very quickly developed sf ending. The reader is lead through most of the novel wondering where things are going—with the scientific theories that will be necessary to understand the climax dropped here and there throughout the narrative, usually in the form of dialog in which the knowledgeable scientist explains these concepts to the other main characters. The scientific theories then come together quickly in the final chapters and the mystery of the story is pretty much revealed via one character’s lengthy explanation. It turns out that some of the events that occurred earlier in the story where not what they seemed, but it would have been a more satisfying tale if the reader had been given a few glimpses or hints of this during the novel rather than revealing everything and tying up the mysteries with a bow and revealing all only at the climax of the book.

Characters are too numerous and the main character are stereotypic, including befuddled villains whose calculations are wrong, the mandatory desperate and helpless female and the humble, well-trained and under-estimated hero who is capable of figuring out every angle, planning impossible escapes and evading, outwitting and shooting down a slew of armed enemies

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Basic intro for novices without any actual meditations

Revisado: 04-12-18

A rather confusing mixture— mostly talks about the Four Noble Truths—supposedly each followed by a guided meditation—although the meditations are really just more lectures and examples, not really guided meditations. Useful as a series of lectures and a modest introduction into a few important Buddhist principles and general methods, but not recommended for a would-be practitioner who seeks the experience of guided meditation. As usual, Jack’s narrative style of anecdotes, jokes and soft-spoken wisdom, offered in a compassionate and homy voice is pleasant, quaint and entertaining. For a simple intro into a few aspects of Buddhism and meditation this may be useful, but don’t expect any actual practice meditations.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 8 personas

Short, vague, undeveloped list of term.

Revisado: 02-06-18

Little context or details. A teaser for the real book. Useless by itself. Skip it!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña