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The Summit
- De: Pemba Gyalje Sherpa, Pat Falvey
- Narrado por: Pat Falvey
- Duración: 9 h y 39 m
- Versión completa
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On 1 August, 2008, 18 climbers from across the world reached the summit of K2, the world's second-highest and most dangerous mountain - a peak that claims the life of one in every four climbers who attempt it. Over the course of 28 hours K2 had exacted a deadly toll: 11 lives were lost in a series of catastrophic accidents.
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Good book, narration wrecks it
- De Laura en 01-25-16
- The Summit
- De: Pemba Gyalje Sherpa, Pat Falvey
- Narrado por: Pat Falvey
Very good account of a deadly day on K2
Revisado: 04-27-25
August 1, 2008 is believed to be the deadliest single day on the mountain K2, which is sometimes called the “savage mountain.” It is considered the most dangerous mountain for climbers, even more so than Mt. Everest. As noted in this book, 1 in 4 climbers eventually die in their expedition to reach the summit of K2 compared to 1 in 11 climbers on Everest. This book tells about the tragedy of that day from interviews and also the stories of one of the Sherpas on the mountain that day, Pemba Gyalje Sherpa.
This is the second book I have read on this tragedy – the other one was an account from a survivor of the American team attempting to summit K2. At that time, there were several nations with teams attempting to climb the second highest mountain in the world. In addition to the Americans, there was a Norwegian husband and wife part of a larger team from that country, as well as teams from the United Kingdom, Serbia and South Korea.
This many climbers led to many issues that the climbers and Sherpas had to address, the biggest of which was that in the short window of good weather to get to the summit, there was a logjam in the bottleneck on the safest path to the top. While there was a very good account of the attempt so set the fixed ropes in the proper place, that did not go as planned and was just one of the many issues that resulted in the deaths of the 11 people.
Why I chose this particular part of the book for illustration purposes is that I felt it was the best example of the full picture the listener will get while listening to the book (or reading it if that is your preference). While it does take a little bit into the book to fully understand Falvey’s narration, once that is done, the accident and what led to it will be described in full with excellent observations by Pemba. It is a little more technical than the other book I read on this disaster, but nonetheless it is still an excellent account of the deadliest day on the savage mountain.
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A Damn Near Perfect Game
- Reclaiming America's Pastime
- De: Joe Kelly, Rob Bradford - contributor
- Narrado por: L.J. Ganser
- Duración: 6 h y 51 m
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Baseball’s most outspoken fireballer brings the high heat—calling out the hacks, cheats, and ridiculous rules that have tarnished the game—and pitches A-plus stuff on how to make baseball pure, fun, and damn near perfect.
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Very good book on why baseball is a great game
- De LSmith en 04-18-25
- A Damn Near Perfect Game
- Reclaiming America's Pastime
- De: Joe Kelly, Rob Bradford - contributor
- Narrado por: L.J. Ganser
Very good book on why baseball is a great game
Revisado: 04-18-25
Sometimes the best view of a topic, be it sports, occupations or anything else, comes from someone who has actually experienced it and has done so in many different ways and levels. This short book by Joe Kelly, a relief pitcher who has been with 4 teams, most recently the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024, tells readers and listeners why baseball is such a great game and also the ways it can fix itself.
This isn’t a complete criticism of those today who feel the game is boring , too slow for today’s younger generations or similar well-worn reasons published on why baseball is not as popular as other sports. Instead, Kelly approaches this two sided. Yes, he does give suggestions on how the game can improve its appeal to younger people. The best part of this approach (and of the entire book for me) was his very productive interview with current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. That was very enlightening and not at all what I expected.
The other way that Kelly approaches the task is what one would expect from the title. He extols all the aspects of the game that he believes makes it so good. There are far too many individual points made about this to list them all, but we’ll just say that any reason that fans have said why they like the game is covered in some way in the book. This can come from Kelly or from one of the many famous and not-so-famous people who share their stories on the game.
Speaking of stories, Kelly shares many of his own. There is a little bit of autobiographical material when he tells his rise to the major leagues. But the best is early in the book when he made his famous “pouty face” At Carlos Correa in a 2020 game between the Dodgers and the Houston Astros. Strange as it may seem, he uses this story to tell of his love for the game and why it is so good.
Listening to the audio version of this book, I not only enjoyed L.J. Ganser’s narration, but I felt I was able to connect with the stories told. While I am not one this book seemed to be trying to reach, it is one that any level of baseball fan should enjoy and who knows, it just might convince some that baseball truly is a damn near perfect game.
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The Greatest Summer in Baseball History
- How the '73 Season Changed Us Forever
- De: John Rosengren
- Narrado por: Barry Abrams
- Duración: 10 h y 52 m
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In 1973, baseball was in crisis. The first strike in pro sports had soured fans, American League attendance had fallen, and America's team—the Yankees—had lost more games and money than ever. Yet that season, five of the game's greatest figures rescued the national pastime. Hank Aaron riveted the nation with his pursuit of Babe Ruth's landmark home run record in the face of racist threats. George Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees at a bargain basement price and began buying back their faded glory.
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Terrible, Just Terrible.
- De Anonymous User en 06-12-23
- The Greatest Summer in Baseball History
- How the '73 Season Changed Us Forever
- De: John Rosengren
- Narrado por: Barry Abrams
Interesting book on the 1973 baseball season.
Revisado: 04-06-25
1973 was an eventful year in both baseball and America. For the latter, several important events that would affect the nation took place. The withdrawal of American troops in Vietnam, the Watergate hearings, and the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision were among the most notable of these. In baseball, the New York Yankees were purchased by a Cleveland shipping company owner named George Steinbrenner, a legendary player played his last season while another chased a hallowed record and a team that frequently fought amongst itself was trying to repeat as champions. That is the setting for this book by John Rosengren.
Having listened to the audio version, the narration by Barry Abrams is definitely one of the strengths of this book. His telling of some of the major stories in both America and baseball was excellent. Whichever topic was discussed, Abrams did so in a no-nonsense manner that came across much like the news anchors at that time (though non of them were ever mentioned in the book).
The title seems a little hyperbolic as while there were some excellent storylines in that 1973 baseball season, they didn’t feel to be so much better than other years. To his credit, Rosenberg doesn’t compare them to big stories in other years. He sticks with a few topics and covers them thoroughly. These would be the ending of Willie Mays’ career with the New York Mets, Hank Aaron’s pursuit of the all time home run record of 714 by Babe Ruth, the introduction of the designated hitter in the American with a focus on Orlando Cepeda of the Boston Red Sox, and the new Yankee owner who immediately let it be known it was his way or else.
On this last topic, this was the best mix of sports and social or political events of a year or era that I have read in a book of this type. Steinbrenner’s eventual conviction of illegal campaign contributions, especially to President Nixon’s 1972 re-election bid, tied in nicely with the writing on that summer’s Watergate hearings. While not quite as easily done, there are good connections between baseball and these events throughout the book.
As with any book on a baseball season, this climaxes with the World Series. The Mets and the Oakland Athletics played an exciting seven game series won by Oakland to give them back to back championships. The many storylines made by the Athletics, their star Reggie Jackson, and their universally disliked owner Charlie Finley are covered well, as was the unbelievable comeback by the Mets who were left for dead in August only to win the National League East title, then upset the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS. Of course, the Willie Mays saga is included and overall, the coverage of the baseball is very good, even if it is a bit repetitive on some facts and descriptions.
Any reader who enjoys books on certain years or seasons in baseball with plenty of social or political commentary will want to check this book out. Highly recommend the audio version.
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Dodgers
- A Novel
- De: Bill Beverly
- Narrado por: JD Jackson
- Duración: 10 h y 17 m
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Dodgers is the story of a young man named East who works for an LA drug gang, sent by his uncle along with some other teenage boys - including East's hotheaded younger brother - to kill a witness connected to a major case, who is hiding out in Wisconsin. The journey takes East out of a city he's never left and into an America that is entirely alien to him, and over the course of his journey the book brings in elements from a diverse array of genres, ranging from crime fiction to road narrative to coming-of-age novel.
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Dodgers leave L.A!! What's the world coming to?
- De JKC en 04-23-16
- Dodgers
- A Novel
- De: Bill Beverly
- Narrado por: JD Jackson
Excellent coming of age story
Revisado: 12-10-24
It’s not often I’ll read or listen to a story about gangs, but this coming of age story of a young man named East had my attention from the start. Excellent writing and very good narration make this a good one to pick up on either audio or print.
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Surviving to Drive
- A Year Inside Formula 1: An F1 Book
- De: Guenther Steiner
- Narrado por: Guenther Steiner
- Duración: 7 h y 40 m
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In Surviving to Drive, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner brings listeners inside his Formula 1 team for the entirety of the 2022 season, giving an unobstructed view of what really takes place behind the scenes. Through this unique lens, Steiner guides listeners on the thrilling rollercoaster of life at the heart of high-stakes motor racing.
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Different perspective
- De Gary en 03-09-24
- Surviving to Drive
- A Year Inside Formula 1: An F1 Book
- De: Guenther Steiner
- Narrado por: Guenther Steiner
Very good account of an F1 season
Revisado: 07-01-24
Buoyed by the popularity of the Netflix series “Drive to Survive”, Formula 1 (F1) racing has enjoyed a surge in popularity and one of the personalities who fans both old and young alike is Guenther Steiner. This audiobook written and narrated by Steiner is a very good recap of his 2022 F1 season with the Haas team.
Haas is one of the smaller teams in F1 and doesn’t have the same amount of money, resources, or personnel that some of the bigger teams do like McLaren or Red Bull Racing. Nonetheless, they make do with what they have in order to compete and earn points each week on the circuit and Steiner’s stories give the reader/listener great insight into the workings and issues faced by a team of this size.
There is plenty of material on the two main drivers for Haas that year, Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher (son of legendary driver Michael Schumacher), as well as Haas and of course, Steiner himself. His unfiltered recall of the races, trials and tribulations of his team are great reading. The audio version, which I listened to, was even better as you can tell through Guenther’s voice when he was elated, or he was frustrated.
His insight and language (not the accent, but also the colorful words he used which are not safe for children) make the stories even better. This is especially true about the days between races. Whether it was a story about the travel, the amount of work to get the cars ready or just venting, Steiner made the recollection of a F1 season very entertaining.
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Just Add Water
- My Swimming Life
- De: Katie Ledecky
- Narrado por: Katie Ledecky
- Duración: 7 h y 57 m
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Katie Ledecky has won more individual Olympic races than any female swimmer in history. She is a three-time Olympian, a seven-time gold medalist, a twenty-one-time world champion, eight-time NCAA Champion, and a world record-holder in individual swimming events. Time and again, the question is posed to her family, her coaches, and to her—what makes her a champion? Now, for the first time, she shares what it takes to compete at an elite level.
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Fantastic Book!
- De Amazon Customer en 09-10-24
- Just Add Water
- My Swimming Life
- De: Katie Ledecky
- Narrado por: Katie Ledecky
Excellent memoir by one of the best swimmers ever
Revisado: 06-19-24
It isn’t often that I want to get a book immediately on the date of publication as I usually prefer to wait at least a couple weeks and see what the initial reviews look like. But when it came time to get this memoir by Olympic and world swimming champion Katie Ledecky, something told me that I needed to read or listen to this ASAP. And I am glad I did as it was a very enjoyable listen.
Something to note is that this memoir follows the tried-and-true format of talking about the author’s youth, their family and those who inspire them and their rise to the top of their sport or profession. Ledecky talks in great detail about her family, especially in the early chapters. Her brother Michael and she were both attracted to swimming early and while Michael hit the proverbial “wall” in his teens, Katie kept on swimming. There are also chapters about her parents and grandparents. The story of her grandfather who was from the Czech Republic was especially inspiring.
What made this memoir so good was the positivity expressed by Ledecky throughout the book. This was quite refreshing when she talked about her experiences during the worst of the COVID pandemic in 2020 that led to the postponement of that year’s Olympic games in Tokyo. Any disruption like that will lead to issues for Olympic athletes but between good fortune, good luck and a positive attitude, Ledecky was able to continue her training. No matter the subject, even when it is a very hard training session, she keeps an upbeat vibe to the book. One part of this attitude that I really enjoyed is when she was questioning why so many reporters were asking her about “disappointed” she was when winning a sliver medal in Tokyo instead of gold. She asks how can one be disappointed when you realize you are the second-best athlete in this race in the world?
I am glad that I listened to the audio version of this book instead of reading the physical copy or the e-book. Hearing Ledecky’s story in her own voice was powerful, energizing and meant a great deal more than simply reading the text. One will even learn more about the sport of swimming – great material for those who only follow the sport during Olympic years.
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Althea
- The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson
- De: Sally H. Jacobs
- Narrado por: Chanté McCormick
- Duración: 19 h y 3 m
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In 1950, three years after Jackie Robinson first walked onto the diamond at Ebbets Field, the all-white, upper-crust US Lawn Tennis Association opened its door just a crack to receive a powerhouse player who would integrate "the game of royalty." The player was a street-savvy young Black woman from Harlem named Althea Gibson who was about as out-of-place in that rarefied and intolerant world as any aspiring tennis champion could be.
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Good but VERY detailed.
- De LSmith en 05-25-24
- Althea
- The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson
- De: Sally H. Jacobs
- Narrado por: Chanté McCormick
Good but VERY detailed.
Revisado: 05-25-24
Overall, this is a decent book. Very detailed and well researched, Sally Jacobs’ portrayal of Althea Gibson goes beyond her tennis and golf achievements and fully explains her part of helping Blacks achieve more equality in both the world and in sports. However, at times the details get too thick and it was a difficult book for concentration. I did switch back and forth between the ebook and the audio version to see which one would allow me to concentrate better, but neither version worked. I feel bad that I couldn’t finish this but I just couldn’t keep up with all the minute details.
I wish to thank the publisher for offering a review copy. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
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On the Nose
- A Lifelong Obsession with Yosemite's Most Iconic Climb
- De: Hans Florine, Jayme Moye
- Narrado por: Hans Florine
- Duración: 5 h y 27 m
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Hans Florine is a big-wall climbing legend in his own time. He holds the speed record on the Nose route of El Capitan, a 3,000-foot granite cliff in Yosemite Valley that's considered the Everest of the rock-climbing world. But Florine's story is not one of super-human athletic prowess; it's one of persistence and dogged determination. In 30 years of climbing, he's ascended the Nose a mind-blowing, death-defying 100 times, more than anyone else ever has, and most likely ever will. In On the Nose, Florine describes the most dangerous, pivotal, and inspirational of those climbs.
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Techno music?
- De Reviewer Al en 11-01-18
- On the Nose
- A Lifelong Obsession with Yosemite's Most Iconic Climb
- De: Hans Florine, Jayme Moye
- Narrado por: Hans Florine
Good but VERY detailed
Revisado: 05-25-24
Overall, this is a decent book. Very detailed and well researched, Sally Jacobs’ portrayal of Althea Gibson goes beyond her tennis and golf achievements and fully explains her part of helping Blacks achieve more equality in both the world and in sports. However, at times the details get too thick and it was a difficult book for concentration. I did switch back and forth between the ebook and the audio version to see which one would allow me to concentrate better, but neither version worked. I feel bad that I couldn’t finish this but I just couldn’t keep up with all the minute details.
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Tim Richmond
- The Fast Life and Remarkable Times of NASCAR's Top Gun
- De: David Poole
- Narrado por: Christine Padovan
- Duración: 5 h y 47 m
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Tim Richmond was, fellow NASCAR driver Kyle Petty said, "a stranger in time." In one regard, the flashy, flamboyant driver from Ashland, Ohio, was years ahead of the trends in a sport that would soon enjoy explosive growth in popularity. Women who were NASCAR fans loved him - and so did their husbands and boyfriends.
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Some wrong info but entertaining bio
- De Mark en 04-23-14
- Tim Richmond
- The Fast Life and Remarkable Times of NASCAR's Top Gun
- De: David Poole
- Narrado por: Christine Padovan
Excellent biography of Richmond.
Revisado: 05-11-24
I felt this was a very good account of the career of the short career and untimely death of Tim Richmond. What impressed me the most was the fairness of the dialogue about Richmond’s failed drug test that led to the end of his career. Richmond was always dreaming of his driving career and when he got his first win at Pocono (his best track) it was a thrill for him. It made the discovery that he had AIDS, which was still deadly at the time, all the more painful. As good as the story was, the narrator was even better as she was excellent. Highly recommend for NASCAR fans.
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Love and Justice
- De: Jonathan Irons, Maya Moore Irons, Bryan Stevenson - foreword, y otros
- Narrado por: Jonathan Irons, Maya Moore Irons
- Duración: 11 h y 4 m
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In the tradition of Just Mercy, an inspirational memoir by WNBA star Maya Moore Irons and her husband, Jonathan Irons, who she helped free from a wrongful conviction.
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The loyalty and love they had for each other. Their unwavering faith in God
- De Sharanda Hill en 04-11-25
Such a great story
Revisado: 05-18-23
2019, WNBA all-star Maya Moore shocked the sports world by announcing she would step away from basketball to concentrate on other part of her life that were important to her – her faith and justice for a man that was wrongly imprisoned. That man, Jonathan Irons, was released from prison about a year later and the two of them were married. Their remarkable journey to come together from two very different sets of circumstances is shared in this wonderful book written by the two of them
I listened to the audiobook and that was a fantastic experience. Hearing their stories brought out many emotions – whether Maya’s road to becoming one of the greatest female basketball players of all time to the injustice of Jonathan’s conviction of a crime committed in an area where he was not located was time well spent. While a reader of the print or e-book may have the same experience, I felt that hearing their voices made their messages more powerful. This was especially true for Jonathan’s story of his conviction on incorrect eyewitness testimony and his means of surviving in prison, especially at the start when he was still a minor incarcerated with grown men.
Throughout the book, both Maya and Jonathan talk about their Christian faith and at times also quote Bible passages. They both give credit to the strength of their faith for helping achieve their goals, whether it is championships for Maya’s basketball teams or making it through another day in solitary confinement (“the hole”) for Jonathan. If nothing else, his strength and determination to prove his innocence should be an inspiration for all. That is not to discount the importance of Maya’s work or her love for Jonathan in this journey. But already knowing most of Maya’s story and learning about Jonathan’s brough me so much respect for that man that I believe he is a role model any man, of any race or creed, can look upon as a role model.
Many romance stories, especially those with a sports theme, tend to have a happily ever after ending. This one, that happened in real life, is certainly more satisfying and any reader of any genre will enjoy this.
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