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Steve

Ventura, CA, United States | Member Since 2011

1
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 7 reviews
  • 7 ratings
  • 75 titles in library
  • 4 purchased in 2013
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  • The Illustrated Man

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 25 mins)
    • By Ray Bradbury
    • Narrated By Paul Michael Garcia
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (154)
    Performance
    (98)
    Story
    (98)

    Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man is a kaleidoscopic blending of magic, imagination, and truth, widely believed to be one of the grand master's premier accomplishments. Collected here are eighteen tales, startling visions of humankind's destiny, unfolding across a canvas of decorated skin, visions as keen as the tattooist's needle and as colorful as the inks that indelibly stain the body.

    Beverly says: "Curling up with an old friend"
    "Creepy"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What would have made The Illustrated Man better?

    Nothing. It is what it is.


    What do you think your next listen will be?

    I would like to have listened to Inside Coca-Cola, but it is not in audio.


    Which scene was your favorite?

    None


    What character would you cut from The Illustrated Man?

    None.


    Any additional comments?

    If you like nighmarish, creepy stories like the old Twilight Zones, this is your book. Although I did not like the stories, the narration was well done.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Assassination Vacation

    • ABRIDGED (7 hrs and 24 mins)
    • By Sarah Vowell
    • Narrated By Conan O'Brien, Stephen King, Dave Eggers, and others
    Overall
    (1843)
    Performance
    (344)
    Story
    (338)

    Sarah Vowell exposes the glorious conundrums of American history and culture with wit, probity, and an irreverent sense of humor. With Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no other, a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage.

    Michael says: "Quirky and Enchanting"
    "Really bad narrative"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from Sarah Vowell and/or the narrators?

    I have learned to avoid books where the author does the narrative. The author may be able to write, but is usually not a good narrator and this books was no exception. The narration is so bad, and the story so weak, I am putting the book down after one chapter. I wish Audible had made it clear the author was the narrator. In the credits they say it is narrated by Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart and others. Those people say so little it is misleading to even mention them.


    How did the narrator detract from the book?

    Yes!


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Grapes of Wrath

    • UNABRIDGED (21 hrs and 5 mins)
    • By John Steinbeck
    • Narrated By Dylan Baker
    Overall
    (926)
    Performance
    (786)
    Story
    (791)

    At once naturalistic epic, captivity narrative, road novel, and transcendental gospel, Steinbeck’s, The Grapes of Wrath is perhaps the most American of American classics. Although it follows the movement of thousands of men and women and the transformation of an entire nation during the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s, The Grapes of Wrath is also the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads, who are forced to travel west to the promised land of California.

    Parola138 says: "Pleased"
    "Best Narrater Ever"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you consider the audio edition of The Grapes of Wrath to be better than the print version?

    No


    What other book might you compare The Grapes of Wrath to and why?

    East of Eden


    Have you listened to any of Dylan Baker’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    I have listened to his other performances. He is the best!


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

    No


    Any additional comments?

    Should be must read.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back

    • UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 58 mins)
    • By Thomas L. Friedman, Michael Mandelbaum
    • Narrated By Jason Culp
    Overall
    (411)
    Performance
    (335)
    Story
    (326)

    America has a huge problem. It faces four major challenges, on which its future depends, and it is failing to meet them. In That Used to Be Us, Thomas L. Friedman, one of our most influential columnists, and Michael Mandelbaum, one of our leading foreign policy thinkers, analyze those challenges - globalization, the revolution in information technology, the nation's chronic deficits, and its pattern of energy consumption - and spell out what we need to do now to rediscover America and rise to this moment.

    Soudant says: "We have met the enemy and it is us.... Pogo"
    "Too preachy"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What would have made That Used to Be Us better?

    More facts


    What could Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

    More facts


    Did Jason Culp do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

    Can't tell - put book down after three chapters


    You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

    No


    Any additional comments?

    If you are interested in what the authors have to say you might like this book. I was not interested in all their personal opinions.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Thunderstruck

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 53 mins)
    • By Erik Larson
    • Narrated By Bob Balaban
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (470)
    Performance
    (127)
    Story
    (130)

    In Thunderstruck, Erik Larson tells the interwoven stories of two men: Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication. Their lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time.

    Michael Jones says: "Marconi, murder, mix well"
    "Enjoyable"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What did you love best about Thunderstruck?

    Learning about Marconni and the intrigue of the murder mystery.


    Who was your favorite character and why?

    The doctor.


    Have you listened to any of Bob Balaban’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    I have not listened to Balaban's other performances, but he did a great job.


    Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

    Yes.


    Any additional comments?

    Only criticisms were that author could have been clearer about finanical picture of Marconi's company and could have given a better explanation as to how mistriss was so deceived by the doctor. I can't go into detail on the later point without giving away the plot.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Thoreau: Walden / Civil Disobedience (Unabridged)

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 43 mins)
    • By Henry David Thoreau
    • Narrated By Rupert Degas
    Overall
    (137)
    Performance
    (91)
    Story
    (91)

    In 1845 Henry David Thoreau, one of the principal New England Transcendentalists, left the small town of Concord for the country. Beside the lake of Walden he built himself a log cabin and returned to nature, to observe and reflect – while surviving on eight dollars a year. From this experience emerged Walden, one of the great classics of American literature.

    Abby says: "One-note"
    "Did not enjoy"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What disappointed you about Thoreau: Walden / Civil Disobedience (Unabridged)?

    I put this book down after onec chapter because Thoreau is just too preaching for me.


    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
  • The Lessons of History

    • UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 39 mins)
    • By Will, Ariel Durant
    • Narrated By Grover Gardner
    Overall
    (217)
    Performance
    (91)
    Story
    (91)

    The authors devoted five decades to the study of world history and philosophy, culminating in the masterful 11-volume Story of Civilization. In this compact summation of their work, Will and Ariel Durant share the vital and profound lessons of our collective past. Their perspective, gained after a lifetime of thinking and writing about the history of humankind, is an invaluable resource for us today.

    Brad the Dad says: "This is a must for every Educated Person"
    "Valuable Lessons but too much Philosophy"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    If you could sum up The Lessons of History in three words, what would they be?

    There are clearly some valuable lessons from history in the book, and the Durants really know their stuff, but they would have been better off sticky to the facts of history and inlcuding less of their personal philosophies.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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