J.A.

From fame to pain to catharsis...

Revisado: 08-16-22

I have always been a fan of Mr. Wheaton's acting career, and hoped that should I ever meet him in person he would be as affable as he appears. Now, having read (listened) to his book, an annotated version of the previous book, I know I would feel like I was speaking with a new friend. Mr. Wheaton is very open with what happened to him growing up, his time in the spotlight, and his struggles to deal with the trauma/aftermath. At times, it was hard to listen to, I am not going to lie, but to understand how far he has come, you need to understand the debris he had to slog through to come out the other side.

If you are a survivor of abuse, this book may trigger you. That being said, this book is also proof that abuse doesn't need to define you; that you are worthy of respect and love and each step you take forward, is one more step up and out.

I am glad I read (listened) to this book and having the author narrate it, connected me to the material in a visceral way.

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It's me...right?

Revisado: 08-20-19

Let me just begin by stating that the narrator was excellent. Phil Thron was a rock star throughout the whole narration, and the outtakes at the end of the audible book are gold. I honestly don’t know how he didn’t ruin his voice channeling Christian Bale, but I dug it and all the ways he tried to draw me into the world of the book. The narrator is amazing. Period.

However…I bought the book based on the description, the reviews, and because I love super heroes, and I was looking forward to a humorous listen. But…I didn’t laugh. I didn’t find any of it funny and that annoyed me. I was annoyed by the characters, and that annoyed me more. And then, I was annoyed that I was annoyed. (sigh) Perhaps I was having a bad day. Perhaps I was just not in the right mind-set. I don’t know. I didn’t see any character development, Randy, Sam and Anna were still the same people they started out as, so I felt like I could have stopped listening for a few hours and just let the audio play, come back and nothing would have changed except the name of the villain they were fighting (or not fighting as the case might be).

Sorry, but this one didn’t do it for me.

Again, LOVED the narrator, but not the story.

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Stuck between two extremes

Revisado: 03-15-16

I honestly don't know whether to be totally creeped out by this story (not a zombie fan), or totally intrigued with the plot line. It was innovative and definitely not a tale I had heard of before, but there was always this underlying shudder just lurking around the next corner. I would recommend this book, but codify the recommendation with a "it may not be for everyone" heads up to potential listeners.

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A tantalizing taste, with a desire for more...

Revisado: 07-11-15

I think this was a good taste of a story, not a fully developed story, but a taste. It was like a glimpse into the side story of an episode, with the intention that you will seek out the full story at a later time. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it and I thought the narrator was fun...though I do want to take issue with the way he says (say-z) says (seh-z). = D

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I laughed, I learned, I plotted mayhem...

Revisado: 05-13-15

What a fun and informative book. Yes, it was sometimes a bit over my head, but the chances of my needing to know an inverse equation to calculate how close I can come to a black hole without getting sucked in are pretty slim. I learned what NOT to do, which of course made me want to do it, but then it was followed up by a second warning of what NOT to do EVER-EVER-EVER. So perhaps the author is serious about us not doing these things (if some of them were even possible).

The narrator was perfectly chosen. Wil Wheaton’s voice was well chosen for the campiness that accompanies some of the questions and you can hear the amusement he is feeling as he reads the answers.

Fun and recommended.

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I shouldn't laugh...but I do

Revisado: 02-06-15

Normally, I abhor foul language. I believe if you have to lower yourself to crude expletives, then your school teachers have failed you on an epic scale. However, having dealt with small children via my brother and friends, I can easily see how you would devolve into four letter epithets. This made me laugh. It shouldn't...but it did.

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It's not him, it's me

Revisado: 11-21-14

Here is my problem. I love this series. I have read and re-read these books for years and that means that I have formed an opinion of how certain names and words should sound - even if the author might pronounce them differently - so when I hear the narrator say a word that I think should be said differently, I wince. I shouldn't, but I do. So, in a sense, this might be a good version of the book, but my experience with the material has jaded my listening opinion. Sorry.

That being said, I do want to take issue with the way in which the book was read. I had a hard time distinguishing between characters. The narrator has a few different voices, but they are not distinct enough to tell which character is talking. Also, I was taken aback by not being able to tell when the narrator was moving from scene to scene. It all seemed to blend into one great big paragraph instead of sections of story. I didn't enjoy that aspect.

Like I said, it might be my experience with the material, but this reading was only an adequate version of this story. I am happy to have bought it, but it does not rank high of my favorite purchases.

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Three points of view = Thrice the story

Revisado: 09-15-14

I wasn't sure I would like hearing a story from 3 points of view, but after a very short amount of time I got used to it. The book picks up where the last one left off, and I mean right where it left off, so the surprise of who Atticus finds on the time island is still registering. As usual, Atticus is his cool self, and Oberon exudes Oberon-ness with aplomb, but what is fun is to have Granuaile take a front seat in her own adventures. I am glad to see (or hear in this case) that the character is not going to relegated to just a side kick forever. Yes, Atticus is the main character and I want that to remain true, but it is nice to know that Granuaile can hold her own in the book.

I will admit, that I wasn't sure where the story was going in this one, and the ending left me wanting more, but overall, a good set up for another battle to come. I look forward to the next installment, and perhaps reading Oberon's Zen book of the Five Meats. It sounds yummy.

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Another Triumph for Lawrence Anthony

Revisado: 08-26-14

I don't know if it is the decriptive words of the author, or the voice of the narrator, but I was totally enthralled with this book. I had read the previous book by Lawrence Anthony (The Elephant Whisperer) and was hoping that this one would measure up. It did. It is very evident that Lawrence Anthony is a "man of the animals" and his passion glows in every word. Listening to the descriptions offered, I could close my eyes and see myself walking the roads and animals tracks with this conservation warrior. My hope is that some day I will be able to visit Thula Thula and put to reality what I have only read about.

Well written and while perhaps not at "exciting" as the "Elephant Whisperer" I would recommend this book to all my friends without a second thought.

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Sometimes a whisper is all you need

Revisado: 06-14-14

I stumbled across this book while looking for something easy to listen to on my way to and from work, and consider it a very lucky stumble indeed. This book was fascinating from the first chapter until the very end, and I was extremely sorry for it to end at all. The tale of how this herd of elephants and this man who loved all things wild grew together to form a more synergistic part of planet earth was...well it was just down right breath taking. I loved the personal stories by the author about the animals he loved and why he loved them, but also reveled his familial stories from hearth and home (especially about his wife and dogs) as well as the admission that there was a great deal that he did NOT know when it came to the animals that he cherished. The description of the other animals (beyond the title elephants) on the preserve was in depth and very easy to picture in my mind.

The narrator was the perfect choice for this book. He was able to embody the "passion" of the author, which was deep and fiery, and made me feel as if the author and I were sitting around a campfire in the bush and hearing the stories first hand.

Perhaps someday I will get a chance to visit the wild life preserve and see the amazing elephants myself, but in the meantime, this book paints a good enough picture in my mind to believe I have walked beside the author and seen and experienced his adventures with him.

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