San Diego Resident

Fun political fiction

Revisado: 07-01-22

I really powered through this fun political thriller with its many intrigues and plot twists. Ms. Abrams' knowledge of the law and how government works adds to the credibility of this book, and there are characters that are easy to care about. Halfway through, though, I stopped listening and bought the Kindle version, because the narrator's often mournful oddly inflected voice was so distracting. So you might want to choose the Whispersync option with this book.

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Really held my attention.

Revisado: 11-22-21

It's been a long time since I couldn't put a book down. This is a gripping read and fun political fiction. It blended the political and diplomatic savvy of Hillary Clinton with the skilled storytelling of Louise Penny, and there is even a nod to Penny's famous character Inspector Gamache. I entirely disagree with folks who thought the narration was poor. I thought it fit the main character perfectly. There were "ripped from the headlines" elements of this story, bringing in obvious parallels with current political events, and it was interesting to see how Secretary Clinton framed those events. Really successful for a first-time collaboration.

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Important book about the oil industry

Revisado: 09-06-20

I read Rachel Maddow's first book DRIFT, and it was tightly written and compelling. This book, BLOWOUT, is not as well structured and there were parts that went on too long and didn't clearly connect to her main thesis. Still, this book couldn't be more crucial to understanding corruption by the oil industry, its impact on international and U.S. politics, and what stands in the way of solving global problems. Listening to her read is always enjoyable.

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More of a chronicle than insightful about Obama.

Revisado: 03-10-15

The content does not live up to the title. I was hoping to learn a lot more about the President's relationship with Congress, but as with other books by Chuck Todd, there is a heavy dose of chronicling events that the informed reader probably already knows.

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Outstanding and important book.

Revisado: 12-08-14

If I were to create a list of the top 10 most important books I've ever read, this would be one of them, because the story is so profound and did so much to raise my consciousness about the type of medical treatment, if you can call it that, and medical exploitation many Black people have experienced in this country during our history. At the same time, this is about an important discovery in medical history that continues to impact all of us every day. The author does this while weaving into the medical history human stories that will tug at your heart and make vivid the ethical issues at stake. On a personal note, one of my daughters got the same rare kind of cancer that Henrietta Lacks had, and this story showed me how aggressive and horrendous that cancer might have been if it had not been treated properly and early.

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Good story, but too much sex for my preference.

Revisado: 12-08-14

The basic story of the this classic novel is a fun fantasy period piece and I would have enjoyed it very much, except that the plentiful sex scenes are so graphic, with borderline S&M, that I didn't enjoy it. A lot of people seem to have enjoyed that, but I didn't. I wish I had read the paper version instead, so that I could skip the parts I didn't want to read.

Also, if you're reading this book hoping that it will come to some satisfying resolution in the end, remember it is the beginning of a series, and it doesn't do that.

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Maybe you have to be from the UK to enjoy this.

Revisado: 12-08-14

Miraculously, I have made it through chapter 4 of this book, but I can't continue listening. I keep waiting for something to happen, and it never does. The narrator's treatment of women's voices is irritating beyond belief, which is unfortunate, because the main character is female. They sound like breathless squeaky children who always finish each line with an upward inflection, which grates on my nerves. So far, I haven't found a single character interesting enough to care about. Too bad. So many people have enjoyed this book. Maybe you have to be British to get the so-called subtle "humor" that is supposed to be in this story. It reminds me of a mindless sitcom with jokes that aren't funny.

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Brain candy for political junkies

Revisado: 06-17-13

This book is hard to "put down," with lots of inside information and insights into how the Obama administration functions and how the President thinks, as well as an intelligent recap of facts a well-informed reader probably already knows, but it's an interesting refresher to see it organized in one place.

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Interesting look into the world of restaurants

Revisado: 06-02-13

Marcus Samuelsson's memoir is a fascinating look into the behind-the-scenes strategies, politics and practices of kitchens in fine dining restaurants, as well as an honest, endearing (without being sentimental), and revealing memoir about the career and life of this famous multicultural chef.

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Interesting, but thin on food history

Revisado: 06-02-13

If you're interested in Colonial America, the Founding Fathers, etc., you may learn something from this book about Jefferson's tastes in food and where he sourced his farms. Unfortunately, the author spends more time giving historical context, much of which can be found in any other book about Jefferson, and less about food, much less crème brulee, and not enough information about James Hemings. Still, it is a fun read with an excellent narrator.

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