James A. Long

Even better than expected

Revisado: 02-14-23

As a huge fan of Rick Rubin’s work, I was excited to listen to this book, especially after hearing him to several interviews promoting the book.

The book itself exceeded my expectations, and I found to be, as an artist, I found the book to be extremely inspiring. This has instantly become one of my new favorite books.

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Golden nuggets

Revisado: 01-25-23

To be honest, the first chapter or so was a bit rough. Kevin Hart goes into his schtick of being a little man that yells a lot. But stick with it. Because the majority of the book is fantastic. He’s trying to insert some comedy into a serious message in the hope that it sticks with you a little better and it’s really hard to disagree with any of the things that he has to say.

There was one section of the book where he talks about the threats that he makes to people because he’s not violent, and it is one of the funniest things I have ever heard. I was laughing out loud with my headphones on like a buffoon.

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A couple of great ideas and a lot of filler

Revisado: 01-02-23

This book has the potential to give you some ideas that could really change your life. Some of these things I’ve started to implement and I found very helpful. That said, I still gave this book only three stars, mostly having to do with the way that it was written. The majority of the book is Mel reading letters sent to her from people who have seen her speak. I understand. They are meant to illustrate a point however, I found this approach, tedious, and unnecessary. I get the sense this book would’ve been more effective as a TEDTalk or perhaps a single podcast episode.

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False premises, smug, not reality based

Revisado: 03-25-22

I wanted to like this. Honest truth, I got this book bc I want to change my relationship with alcohol.

But this book was full of poorly reasoned arguments, comparisons based on exaggerations, and judgmental smugness.

I got through the whole thing and found it to be, at times interesting, but on the whole, a waste of time.

I will say, it did change the way I thought about some things, but the approach was so illogical and emotional and specific to one person’s experience that I dont see it as a useful way to think about drinking.

She essentially argues that all drinkers are addicts and that no one actually enjoys any of it. Fact is, I do enjoy drinking. I enjoy drinking with my friends. I just dont enjoy not being in control. By the writers logic, no one is in control. Yet, that simply isnt true. She claims everyone drinks more and more over time. Also not true. I drink less now than I ever have.

Anyway. Interesting concepts. Poorly reasoned.

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Useful but limited

Revisado: 11-30-21

Some good information and ideas here. But seems oriented more towards practicing christians. Its not over the top, but the discussion around shame seems to assume some things, for example.

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Stick with it...

Revisado: 07-30-19

Slow start but gets really interesting as the ideas circle around. Stick with it. It’s worth it.

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Entertaining not great

Revisado: 03-10-18

One of the other reviews said the reader sounded like a muppet. I see what they mean, although I didnt mind the voiceovers. The story was interesting although there were more than a few parts where it seemed like the writer had lacked insight. I guess part of that is the point of the story. Anyway, it was good but could have been better.

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Meh

Revisado: 05-09-17

Managed to make a fascinating time period sound quite boring. No small feat. Good narrator.

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Intense, and interesting.

Revisado: 10-09-15

What made the experience of listening to Into Thin Air the most enjoyable?

Krakauer isn't shy about telling his perspective of what happened. He should know, he was there. It's a story of a tragedy, so "enjoyable" might be a strong word, but the writer really does a great job of bringing you into the allure of climbing Everest (which is not necessary something that everyone understands right off the bat), and then sort of beating everyone back down to daring to dream the dream.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that it was personal, it was reflective. I appreciated how the writer was willing to take some responsibility for what happened. In fact, I kind of felt like he was being a bit hard on himself considering his role. It sounds like everyone did the best they could under the conditions, and the conditions were simply unforgiving.

What does Philip Franklin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The reader was very good. He gave each character an accent appropriate to their homeland, and it came across subtly and gently enough that it wasn't hokey. His accents were pretty amazing actually, he really seemed to get the nuances in each one.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't really feel bad for the people who die climbing Everest, it's kind of what they signed up for. I was, however, very much moved for the people who lost loved ones up there. The wives and children most certaintly did not sign up for that.

Any additional comments?

Good book. Interesting tone. It's written in an almost angry look in the mirror style. I think it tries to be honest, but really I think the book deserves an updated edition with the benefit of Krakauer having 10 years to think through the disaster. This is a book from the 90's, and I wonder how differently he might feel about it now.

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A great read

Revisado: 10-09-15

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

I could not stop listening. I found myself sitting in the driveway after work, having trouble turning it off. I've been talking to my wife all week about De Long and his men.

What was one of the most memorable moments of In the Kingdom of Ice?

Hard to say, there are a lot of ups and down.

What does Arthur Morey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Good reader. Didn't distract from the story, I enjoyed not noticing his performance.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Hope you like eating seal entrails."

Any additional comments?

It's a long book, but I like them long. There are parts where it is hard to visualize what the writer is talking about, but after a while, you get it and things start to click. It wasn't obvious to me that the ice they were stuck in drifts and therefore moves. So even they were stuck, they were still moving. It took me a while to figure that one out. Not sure if that says more about me or the writer, but anyway, there it is.

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