RealWoman8

Fantastic series

Revisado: 12-02-23

I've just finished the third book in the Conqueror series, and it was amazing. I liked that the author gave some explanation about some of the ways he changed the history a little, such as changing names to simplify them for narration or leaving a few historical people out. It is historical fiction, so it's not going to be 100% accurate. However, it's clear the author did his research, and wow, will you ever feel like you're riding with the Great Khan as a Mongol warrior, conquering cities. The battle scenes are just amazing. Richard Ferrone did a great job. I think what I liked best about Conn Iggulden's writing is that he didn't shy away from the horrors wrought upon the Mongols' victims, but he also didn't forget that Genghis was also a father and grandfather, a husband and friend. It was a very different age to what we're living in now, and his characterization reflects that mindset perfectly. Great series, highly recommended! I'm going to continue on with it, so this review is for the first three books It really piqued my interest in learning more about Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire too.

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Amazing narration, amazing story

Revisado: 10-10-23

How have I gotten this far in life without being turned on to Bernard Cornwell's books? I am now a confirmed fan. I'm currently finishing up this series, but I thought I'd leave reviews for the first two. Jonathan Keeble's narration was AMAZING. He is an incredible voice actor. He brings every character to vivid life, from the stolid and long-suffering Derfel to the wily and conniving Merlin. Women are always an issue for male narrators, but he does a good job. Mr. Cornwell's writing is superb. I love description, and I felt totally immersed in the settings. I felt as if I could see, smell, and touch the characters in their armor and garb. I also liked that, although this is an Arthurian tale, it was told from the perspective of one of his warriors rather than one of the more famous characters we're all familiar with. Absolutely adored these books. I'll be working my way through more of Mr. Cornwell's offerings, you can be sure! And I'll be looking for other books narrated by Jonathan Keeble as well.

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Nothing new here

Revisado: 05-31-23

I started my longevity journey when I was 50 and I'm about to turn 60 (gasp!), so I've read/listened to just about every tome written on this field. Perhaps that's why I found there was nothing new in this book. Exercise, eat right, sleep well, don't stress, get a bunch of tests to track your stats. There was also a bit of a snide tone to it too - minor stuff, like picking on the soundtrack of Titanic and some political comments that really weren't necessary. Keep it professional and please keep politics out of it. As they say, if you mix politics and science, you end up with politics. But that's really minor and didn't affect my rating. The rating is due to the disappointing stale content. If you're new to this field of study, then you might get something out of it.

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Sad but likely going to be true

Revisado: 01-17-23

If we've learned one thing from the recent pandemic, it's that the difference between a conspiracy theory and reality is about six months. Everything that Dr. Kheriaty discusses in this book seems likely to happen, from constant monitoring by the government to enforced compliance at the risk of losing one's social identity. How have we let it get this far? It's getting to the point where I've actually seen "love of freedom" listed as a mental illness! I hope people wake up, but most likely the people buying this book are already seeing the danger, while others just can't seem to wait for more chains to be hung around their necks.

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Perfect for Japanese learners

Revisado: 01-17-23

I loved this collection of short stories. I'm about ten months into my Japanese learning journey, and this was perfect for my level. The audio was excellent. The stories were read slowly and clearly, which was so helpful. I wish there were more volumes of stories,though. I would definitely buy the next book. I had to ration myself to one story a morning to make it last, lol.

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Engaging and creative

Revisado: 11-02-22

Stephen King continues to be an excellent storyteller. Fairy Tale reflects a fantasy I'm sure many of us have had, of stumbling across a strange undiscovered world and having the adventure of a lifetime. While the premise was really cool (and I won't rehash the plot), there were a few things that seemed a bit lazy - Charlie doesn't ask "what happened" to the gray people. I think that would be most people's first question. One of the story's villains is dispatched a bit too easily. Charlie exhibits overall a strange lack of curiosity about the new world and just takes things as they come. I don't know, maybe I'm more inquisitive than he was. I've read many, many Stephen King books, and I've always felt that endings were his greatest weakness, and this book is no exception. Okay, things I really loved about it - first, I'm always deeply appreciative of how Mr. King treats AA, which is a wonderful, life-saving organization. So thank you, Mr. King! I thought language differences were handled cleverly. Dialogue and description were, as always, extremely well done. And the narration by Seth Numrich was absolutely outstanding! It was not an easy book to narrate, I'm sure, but wow, what a great job! All in all, I recommend Fairy Tale.

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Fun story with big ideas and lots of twists

Revisado: 12-28-21

I've listened to all the Pendergast books, so I totally understand what other listeners have said about the narrator. Yes, Constance's voice is terrible, so I'm hoping if they use William DeMeritt again, he'll adjust it so she doesn't sound like On Golden Pond-era Katherine Hepburn. And there were a few spots where it got too quiet. BUT...having said that, overall, the narration was just fine. Give the guy a break. The story was really fun. I didn't expect it to go where it did, from a mysterious murder to the multiverse - a big stretch of the imagination, and quite a bit of suspension of disbelief required, but if you're in it for an exciting ride, you won't be disappointed. I'm wondering what Agent Coldmoon's role is in all this, though. If you lifted him out of Bloodless, not much would change. He doesn't offer ideas or come up with solutions. He's there to somewhat counterbalance Pendergast, but he often seems like an afterthought. I hope the authors will show his character a little more love in upcoming installments. And I hope we get to travel with Constance on her time travel adventures - I won't say anymore lest I spoil it.

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General overview of aging and aging research

Revisado: 03-31-21

As someone who has been following what I hope will turn out to be an effective longevity protocol for the past seven years, I am an avid consumer of all books related to longevity research. Ageless is a decent, uncomplicated overview of current research into ageing. The author begins by defining ageing, discussing which animals age slowly, which age quickly and why, how environment affects longevity, etc. Then he reviews current research, such as the use of senolytics and the TAME trials that are exploring the effect of metformin on longevity. Dr. Nir Barzilai's book Age Later does a fine job exploring that in greater depth. Unlike other books (particularly David Sinclair's) that explore potentially beneficial and promising supplements such as resveratrol, NMN, and NR as well as senolytics, Andrew Steele (who does a great job reading) says don't bother, wait for more definitive science, and in the meantime, don't drink, smoke, or eat to excess, sleep well and exercise. I would imagine most people interested in longevity already do all that, and frankly, I think some supplements do show genuine promise, so I was disappointed they were summarily dismissed. Perhaps Mr. Steels will prove to be right in the long run, though. All in all, Ageless provides a conservative overview of the topic of ageing, touches on some current research, but doesn't offer anything new or insightful on the topic, beyond a plea for more research dollars to be directed toward slowing or stopping ageing - which I agree should be done. If you're looking for more detailed information about current studies, read Dr. Sinclair's or Dr. Barzilai's books.

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esto le resultó útil a 36 personas

Hang on, help is coming!

Revisado: 01-06-21

Nir Barzilai is a leader in the longevity field, and in Age Later, he describes research into centenarians -- why do they live so long and so well, and how can we do it too? Several old chestnuts are debunked, such as that tall people don't live as long as short people, or that reaching 100 means you're sicker longer. In fact, centenarians tend to be quite healthy, and if we can harness whatever prevents them from succumbing to chronic illness (often despite lifestyle habits we don't consider "healthy"), we could all increase our "healthspan." While there's not handy list of supplements you could start popping today, Dr. Barzilai is a big proponent of Metformin and describes its benefits and how his TAME study is exploring its potential to expand our healthy years. The narrator, Sean Pratt, did a fine job with the material. If you're interested in longevity research, this is a great book to add to your knowledge library.

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esto le resultó útil a 16 personas

Good info that makes you think!

Revisado: 01-10-20

Lies My Doctor Told Me is very comprehensive and is addressed to both patients and physicians, it encourages everyone to keep up with the latest research. Patients should challenge their doctors when they toss out a diagnosis, and doctors should challenge themselves to maintain their knowledge base and be open to changes in treatment methods. As Dr. Berry points out, in medieval times, there would probably have been a Leeches Society, with the Journal of Leeches published authoritatively, and any deviation from established leech medical practice would be frowned upon. Now, we have other authoritative organizations that set guidelines that are perhaps not really based on any good research and yet are adhered to rigidly, and God help you if you question it or want to try something else.
One example Dr. Berry brought up was a reduce-salt diet for high blood pressure when really, there's no good evidence that that helps. Yet nowadays "everyone knows" salt is bad for hypertension. I googled this myself, and sure enough, the tide is turning to conclude that salt is harmless and it's actually sugar that's the culprit. The same goes for statins. Too many patients do what Doctor says and assume the doctor is operating based on latest research and has their best interests in mind, when neither may be true.
The information in the book was generally excellent. I did raise an eyebrow when Dr. Barry said most doctors would recommend formula over breast milk (seemed outdated now, and thank goodness it is). My only real complaint is that narrator sounded like an AI reading this, very dry and flat. He got a little better as the book progressed, but Dr. Barry used quite a bit of humor in the book, and that didn't come across well at all. Overall, a very worthwhile read that will make you think and also read and research and question!

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