Tricia S.

Insights as philosophical as scientific

Revisado: 03-02-25

Somewhat ironically, given his rather adamant and explicit denunciation of philosophy, I find my primary takeaway upon reflection is that many of Dr. Tyson’s responses to delicate questions were deeply philosophical themselves. I, personally, feel this is the prudent, diplomatic choice when addressing concerns about abstract subjects like religion, morality, and drive, but it also struck me as a tad hypocritical, or perhaps just inconsistent of him, given the aforementioned disregard for philosophy. That said, I have no doubt that his skill with avoiding giving direct answers to hard questions is a necessary one when successfully navigating a world that doesn’t want you to succeed, and has doubtless served him well over the years. I struggled with the tone of smug superiority many of his letters had, approaching reasonable questions with amused disdain that I don’t think I would have intentionally publicized in this fashion, were I in his position. At the same time, just as many of his letters approached difficult subjects with a gratifying confidence in the abilities of the correspondent to get wherever they wanted to go, no matter the obstacles. I enjoyed many of his insights and his dry, distinctly dorky, science-minded sense of humor as well as tales of his personal success in the world. As a child of a physicist with whom I have a rather difficult relationship, it is entirely possible that any and all criticisms I might offer this book are simply reflections of my ingrained bitterness towards my father and anyone who talks like him. The roundabout approach Dr. Tyson took to answering (or failing to answer) many of the questions posed to him struck a little too close to home for me, giving me agonizing flashbacks to any time my siblings or I ever tried to placate our father by asking for help with science or math, endeavors that always ended in frustration, having gotten no closer to completing the assignment while having wasted hours upon hours of our precious time listening to in-depth tirades on subjects only tangentially related by the most tenuous of threads to the subject we needed help with. Alas, I digress. An enjoyable and interesting listen that wasn’t quite as enlightening as I might have hoped for, but was worthwhile nonetheless.

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Schmaltzy and poorly written

Revisado: 02-21-25

I thought I’d give this a shot around Christmas as a sweet Hallmark-esque holiday listen, knowing it would probably be kind of stupid, but hoping it would still be enjoyable, as is the case with so many of these stories. Regrettably, I was only able to finish it through sheer stubbornness, more than two months after the fact. The plot was excessively contrived, the romance was dull and basic, the characters were lifeless stock characters for the most part, and, worst of all from my perspective, the writing was all telling, no showing. It felt like something you’d expect a student to produce for an assignment they didn’t care about, churned out without heart or even the desire to write it well, but simply produced by rote for a grade, not for the pleasure of either the writer or the reader. I enjoyed the male reader, but the female reader’s habit of coming to a full stop at EVERY. COMMA. was borderline unbearable for me. Overall, a very disappointing experience. The message is consistent and clear: do NOT waste your time on any story that exists “only on audible”. If the book was published elsewhere but is only read by this READER on audible, those can be all right—but if the story is literally ONLY available on audible? SKIP. IT.

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Fascinating, informative, and entertaining

Revisado: 02-11-25

It’s no surprise that Trevor Noah, who excels at comedy and hard truths, tells his stories with humor and wit, despite the severity and darkness of the subject matter. This book has been on my list for years, but this moment in time seemed the appropriate one to dive in, and I’m glad that I did. His unique perspective and insight into the machinery of apartheid South Africa is not only fascinating and informative, but enlightening and depressingly relevant in modern America. I recommend this book with all my heart, and feel very strongly that this format is the optimal way to consume it. Noah’s performance is, unsurprisingly, utter perfection.

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Not very horrifying??

Revisado: 01-30-25

I work at a bookstore, so I’m well acquainted with the fact that this book is classified, at least typically, as horror, but if you’re a horror aficionado, you may be disappointed. Mary Kat is a disturbing narrator, to be sure, wishing horrible deaths on everyone she meets—but, then, I think most of us probably would under similar circumstances. The circumstances take a long time to reveal themselves, but don’t require spelling out to glean the unspoken truth. Constance (and, to an extent, Julian) is the only likable character in the whole book, and even she is dubious because of her somewhat shocking forgiveness and agreeability in the face of, dare I say, evil.
Mostly, this book is just a long, meandering, repetitive, and not terribly insightful reflection on the ugliness of human nature, which all of us, especially these days, have seen time and again with our own eyes. Mary Kat has rather acute OCD that, had it been diagnosed and treated (unlikely in the 60s, of course), may have saved everyone a lot of trouble. I suppose it’s interesting to see such a thorough depiction of it from this particular time period.
The plot of the story is…not very plot-like. Very little happens over the course of the entire book, with most noteworthy events happening either in the past or with a strange sort of slow drudgery that takes away the shock and interest that ought to be inherent in them.
I went through the entire book entirely confused about her age. Initially, I thought she was a young woman, but then people are constantly referring to her as a child, which makes more sense, really, as far as her disposition goes—but then, I’m quite sure she said she was twelve when The Event occurred, and it’s been six years since then, so she’d be eighteen…which is a rather disturbing prospect when you consider her very childish behavior.
I really didn’t care for this book. I thought it would be creepier or more shocking or better written, or just generally better than it was. I would personally recommend skipping it, though I suppose it’s something of a classic. The narrator was perfectly adequate, though her male and child voices are grating.

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A dry delivery of a story with heart

Revisado: 12-15-24

The reader, while well suited to the subject matter, read with such a dry, droning delivery that I struggled to get into this story for several hours. Once it finally caught my attention, though, the man that came to light was a quietly respectable, steady, admirable person who faced life’s struggles with a quiet dignity that I found utterly charming. This story simply traces the entirety of his quiet, determined, unexceptional life, all the while showing the heartbreaks and victories a person is faced with through each twist and turn of the meandering yet entirely unexpected course of a life. While I don’t have all that much in common with Stoner myself, I nevertheless recognized the slogging distress of unexpected pitfalls and the pleased delight of unexpected joys. It’s not so much the detailing of one man’s life as it is an exploration of the nature of existence that applies to all of us. Ultimately, a heartbreaking, poignant, sweet, lovely, joyful, painful look at how the course of our lives can simultaneously disappoint us and fill us with satisfied pride.

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Important and necessary

Revisado: 10-23-24

This book didn’t strike me QUITE as powerfully as Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, another outstanding book by this author, but I find it likely that is simply because this was the second one I read. It kept me smiling all the way (impressive, given the subject matter and my mood lately—or possibly concerning, I suppose) and introduced a lot of food for thought on how we do approach death and how we might approach death if we put aside our fear and led instead with love, gratitude, and acceptance. I think everyone the world over could probably benefit from reading these books and I would enthusiastically recommend them at every turn (and I do, because I work at a book store, so it’s literally my job to put good books in people’s hands). Another fantastic, worthwhile read from Caitlin Doughty.

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Wonderful performance

Revisado: 08-21-24

Somehow, at thirty, this is the first time I’ve ever actually read this story. I was apprehensive about the writing after painstakingly slogging my way through Treasure Island earlier this year and ultimately coming to the conclusion that every film adaptation of it is infinitely superior to the original work. I could hardly believe this was even by the same author, it was so much better. Richard Armitage’s performance may have more than a little to do with the disparity, truthfully. If the richness of his voice was all he had to offer, it would be a treat to listen to him, but he is SO much more than that. His performance was nuanced, varied, and deeply emotive in his typical measured, dignified way. I cannot stress enough how wonderful of a reader Richard Armitage is. I will listen to anything he performs simply because he’s performing it. I love him. I also love his work in films. He’s a treasure.

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Beautiful, wise letters read by one of the best

Revisado: 08-07-24

Rilke’s letters were beautiful and wise and thought provoking and Dan Stevens’ delivery of them was impeccable, as always. I shall be keeping this one on hand to listen to now and again forever. It is very incredibly worthwhile.
My only complaint was the lengthy letter the collection ended on, which was NOT by Rilke, nor even by the poet to whom all the letters were, and I really could have done without it.

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Passable Story, Unbearable Reader

Revisado: 06-10-24

I purchased both books at the same time, foolishly, and listened to the first book about a year ago, somehow managing to get past the awful performance to enjoy the story. For whatever reason (perhaps my own irritable state currently), I could NOT forgive her this time and only made it to the end through sheer bloody minded stubbornness. The breathy, confused delivery of the reader grates on the ears while her atrocious accents make you wonder why she tries. The way she reads the final line of each chapter with smug gravity makes me want to scream. I CANNOT stand this reader. I HIGHLY recommend you steer clear if you’re picky about your readers or have any standards at all about quality of put-on accents. The story was all right, but I didn’t find it as engaging as the first book, possibly because of the reader. I don’t recommend this book.

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A shockingly beautiful story

Revisado: 03-14-24

I read this in high school and had forgotten almost all of it, and maybe that was for the best, because approaching it with essentially fresh eyes as an adult with all the growing I’ve got under my belt now, I can appreciate the deep, abiding beauty in each development of this story. What marvelous, strong, inspiring characters. So much love and support makes up this masterpiece. It’s a story everyone could learn something from. Alice Walker’s performance of it is pitch perfect (as one might expect), capturing the weariness of the character as fully as her moments of joy and epiphany. A wonderfully nuanced, understated performance, perfect for the book.

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