Audiobook Addict

There’s no ending!!

Revisado: 04-22-25

The story wasn’t bad- nothing remarkable but other than the fact that Margo was a bit annoying at times, it was pretty good… up until it just stops and cliffhangers just as the story is actually starting to move. Worse yet- is that there aren’t enough loose ends still outstanding to warrant a second book. It ended and my only thought was well f@$# that was pointless.

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Very slow start but once it gets going, you’re hooked

Revisado: 06-25-24

Just make it through chapter 9, and you’ll be hooked. Admittedly the first 9.5 chapters are almost painfully slow, but once stuff actually starts happening you want to keep reading to find out more. The ending is both a satisfying conclusion but also leaves you wanting more.

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Well researched, but otherwise a complete miss

Revisado: 06-09-23

Horrible narration (if it can even be called that).
Complete lack of sound editing/design.

It was as if someone was reading aloud (an inexperienced person reading aloud is very much not the same things as a proper professional narration) their admittedly well researched academic article or journal submission. However, narration aside, I think I could probably only give the paper a C+/B- as in the end, despite the writing style’s attempts to hide the fact, the conclusion leaves very little actually resolved and leaves the reader asking themselves if they actually got anything out of the time spent reading this or if it was time misspent.

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Negative thinking can be very liberating and uplifting

Revisado: 03-16-22

This is by far the best “self-help” book I’ve ever read. Being such a person for whom positive thinking has always grated, I reluctantly found myself looking to “self-help” books for guidance after suffering a prolonged bout of major depression. After years of little to no change I began to think that by trying to become “happy” I was setting the bar too high —- Low and behold, I found a book that through eloquent and often humorous and relatable well researched prose lays out all the ways and reasons why it’s okay, to seek happiness/positivity but to instead embrace what is and roll with the punches as needed.

As someone who was always naturally more stoic but who let others and their definitions of success and happiness make me feel like I needed to want that too - this was very liberating and uplifting (as ironic as that might sound).

Negative thinking isn’t pessimism- it’s most about embracing the now and being aware of the good but not detailed by the bad. It is what it is and you just keep learning/growing and moving forward.

**Side note regarding the narration- I actually had just finished another non-fiction book narrated by the author and was left feeling strongly that other than for memoirs/autobiographies author should not be allowed to narrate… and then I read this which just blew that sentiment right out the window. He does a great job narrating.

I can’t recommend this book enough! Everyone should read it!

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Definitely not a "Great Course"

Revisado: 09-15-21

Each Great Courses audio series begins with the statement/promise that:
"The Great Courses cover a broad array of university level disciplines... in the best college class rooms in the world...the lecturers are university professors carefully selected... for intellectual distinction and teaching excellence."

However, this one didn't rise to this level. This was more of an example of the based level of "true crime". Of the crimes discussed, a large portion were unsolved and so he told us who he thought did the crime and why. It felt a bit more of an excuse for self aggrandizement rather than a university level discourse on history, criminology or social science.

I expected the discussions to include the historical and/or social ramifications/implications of these "crimes of the century" but, no such discussion took place. To some extent even the selection of the specific crimes discussed were questionable. It seemed like the crimes were selected not for their actual significance in any meaningful sense but merely how much tabloid fodder they generated at the time and their relative infamy to this day.

I'm sorry if this is coming across as over harsh, but as I have quite a strong interest in history, criminology and social science - but, little to no interest in tabloid true crime. This was quite a disappointment and definitely didn't rise to the level of an "university level" course in one of "the best college" classes taught by an instructor of "intellectual distinction and teaching excellence."

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

This a Prologue NOT a Novella

Revisado: 02-16-19

Don't waste your money - only get this if you already have the Romance Package and can listen to it for free.

While I love Molly Harper and Amanda Ronconi never disappoints, novellas/short stories require a complete story even if it is just a small piece of a larger story/series. Sadly, this doesn't qualify. This is a prologue for "Ain't She A Peach". It's not bad, but, its not worth spending anything funds on.

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Who'd have thought plagues could be so enjoyable??

Revisado: 08-06-18

This book is hugely enjoyable. (I almost never rate anything 5 stars, let alone rate it 5 stars across the board.)
This book shows that any subject in the hands of a capable author can be engaging, and when narrated by an amazing narrator, even History's Worst Plagues become so enjoyable that your won't want to stop listening.

This was my first book by Jennifer Wright. After this, I tried her other book "It Ended Badly". While that book has the same writing style, it highlighted for me exactly how important a wonderful narrator is. Gabra Zackman is able to give voice to Jennifer Wright's witty, snarky humor without letting it take over. I really do think that the success of this book is due in no small part to the narration.

Definitely a credit well spent!

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Good Book, Good Performance, Strange Arrangement

Revisado: 01-11-16

This book picks up right where the last one (Dance of Death) left off. While I felt Dance of Death was a bit convoluted and drawn out, this one is much better paced.

Scott Brick is great in this series. However, this book is strangely arranged. Every now and then (not dictated by chapter breaks or even really the action taking place in the scene) there will be silent pauses and then strange music will play over the narration for a while- then it'll stop and continue on with narration only until the next random pause. These are strange and distracting, but not reason enough not to read this book.

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So slow it hurts

Revisado: 07-16-13

I admit that I got this book because of the movie. I figured the book is almost always better than the movie and that there are multiple places in the movie where plot points or details were truthfully unnecessary for the movie but hinted at greater development in the book.

So with high hopes I began this book. However, after 2.5 hours it was still exposition and no action! After nearly 3 hours (1/3 of the book) I had had enough.

I have read more than my fair share of show paced books but this one is the first one that I just gave up on. None of the characters are engaging enough to keep the reader's interest and reward his/her patience.

In looking at other people's review's I'd like to believe that at some point something interesting happens, I however just don't care enough to suffer through anymore whiny grass is always greener characterization.

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esto le resultó útil a 13 personas