JKJ

Power corrupts

Revisado: 03-26-25

The title of this book is spot on.

Add to that, the way power and money can corrupt people, and how they turn use their power and money to spread corruption.

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Fascinating history but hard on the ears

Revisado: 09-10-23

I loved this book. As a tea drinker and someone who loves history books, I found it absolutely fascinating. It is thoroughly researched and very well written.

However, as many other people have noted, the author does a very poor job of narration. I would certainly read other books by her, but I would not listen if she reads them.

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Lively and informative

Revisado: 11-21-22

While I have encountered mentions of Dr. Rush in many other books but knew very little about him. Clearly he was a remarkable person. This is a lively and entertaining biography. I’d like to add that narration is exceptionally good at capturing the tone of the book, and the character of the man, a reading as lively as the prose.

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Lively and informative

Revisado: 10-17-22

Frankly, I expected a dry scholarly tome. However, the author’s obvious love for his work comes across in his rather quirky, but lively, reading style. Admittedly it took me a little time to get used to his accent, but nobody could’ve read this book better or imbued it with more energy. After providing a certain amount of background on cuneiform and related research, he delves into several versions of the ark story, including the one in the Old Testament. The author’s reading is like listening to a favorite professor. Delightful moments of humor enliven the fascinating scholarly information. A wonderful book which I thoroughly enjoyed.

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Exciting new research, world-wide

Revisado: 01-24-21

This is a science masterpiece to my mind, a must-read like Quammen’s “Song of the Dodo,” von Petzinger’s “First Signs,” and Wulf’s “The Invention of Nature.”

It plays catch-up for the reader with the vast amount of research being done in the field. There are around 50 new dinosaur species being discovered every year. For those of us who avidly read books by Robert Bakker, Jack Horner, etc., in decades past, it’s an introduction to the younger researchers working around the world today.

Remember the controversy about whether birds were dinosaurs? It was solved virtually overnight by discoveries in China. Did you know that the most studied dinosaur is T. rex? Neither did I, but it is.

The book is very well written, and it was easy to catch the author’s enthusiasm.

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The author injects herself into the story too much

Revisado: 03-10-18

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book is a good survey of the eternal human battle against deadly disease. As it turns out, I've read many of the books Ms. Wright relies on, and will probably read others now that she has peaked my interest in them. Overall, I found this book well worth the time. However, I found two things distracting. First, the author constantly injects her opinion into the narrative. I know that you, Dear Author, think well of the heroes in these tales, or you wouldn't have done all the laborious research and writing to produce this book; but I prefer more objectivity and less personal opinion. The second distraction is the lame humor. This seems to be a current trend in science books for the lay reader. If I want jokes, I'll reread Mark Forsyth's language books. Just tell me the story about the hard working and compassionate people who have saved so many lives.

What about Gabra Zackman’s performance did you like?

Ms. Zackman did a great job of capturing the tone of the book. However, there were a lot of mispronunciations of words from other languages.

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Delightful from start to finish

Revisado: 02-07-18

If you could sum up The Horologicon in three words, what would they be?

Funny, charming, and-even-a-bit-silly.

What other book might you compare The Horologicon to and why?

"The Etymologican," of course, by the same author and the same reader. A similar romp through the lost flotsam and jetsam of the English language, but with a different organizing principal.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it's too detailed for me to enjoy it that way. It would be like eating the whole bag of chocolate covered peanuts in one sitting -- overwhelming, not to mention overstimulating. This is a book to be enjoyed in a leisurely manner, with much snorting of tea through one's nose, as well as many appreciative chuckles. Forsyth's "The Elements of Eloquence" is already in my library, and I'm looking forward to listening with eager anticipation.

Any additional comments?

Writer Mark Forsyth and narrator Don Hagen are the perfect pairing -- Hagen delightfully captures the sly humor and clever tone of a very original book. They go together like the aforementioned chocolate and peanuts, and seem meant for one other.

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How to get richer if you’re already rich

Revisado: 01-07-18

Any additional comments?

As I reached the halfway point in this book, I realized that every example given of a person who wanted a better life, already had a fabulous life. It seemed that everyone the author counseled was already a powerful person, making big money and living the high life. He explains how they can become even richer and happier if they only use his insights. I’m sure that most people can increase their happiness by being kinder to themselves and others, so I don’t dispute that. But Much of what he says strikes me as being like the so-called abundance ministries, which preach that you can become wealthy via magical thinking. I was put off as well by all the name dropping of the celebrities he and his wife are friends with, as if this somehow enhances his credentials, and by the author’s numerous references to his own wealth. There is little here for the average person in the average job, other than to approach life without too much drama, because they can’t walk away from those jobs to seek their “genius.”

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I used to enjoy her work

Revisado: 12-17-15

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This one is for Vowell's diehard fans. I used to be one, but like each book less.

How could the performance have been better?

I didn't care for her reading style at all, found it very distracting.

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Superb history

Revisado: 09-26-15

Excellent history that filled in many gaps in my knowledge. Superbly written, beautifully read. As more and more detailed information is assembled and published about the history of slavery in this country, American history itself comes into greater focus. I would know like to learn more about how the Underground Railroad functioned here in the Midwest.

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