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Dean

KoolMoeDean

Charlottesville, VA, United States | Member Since 2008

HELPFUL VOTES

17 reviews
130 ratings
0 titles in library
14 purchased in 2013

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FOLLOWERS

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Imposter

UNABRIDGED
- by Mark Seal
- Narrated by Erik Singer
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Imposter

UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 32 mins)

By Mark Seal

Narrated By Erik Singer

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(125)
Performance
(88)
Story
(85)

A real-life Talented Mr. Ripley, the unbelievable 30-year run of a shape-shifting con man. The story of Clark Rockefeller is a stranger-than-fiction twist on the classic American success story of the self-made man-because Clark Rockefeller was totally made up. The career con man who convincingly passed himself off as Rockefeller was born in a small village in Germany.
Rebecca says: "Truth is stranger than fiction"
"So. Slow."

Overall
Performance
Story

I wanted this to be Catch Me if you Can, but it's not in the same league. It is an interesting book in theory, but this guy's scam was actually quite banal and he lacked the daring or creativity that would make for an interesting book. It's basically a paralyzingly slow look at a guy taking advantage of stupid people. Pass.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Extinction Machine: The Joe Ledger Novels, Book 5

UNABRIDGED
- by Jonathan Maberry
- Narrated by Ray Porter
Extinction Machine: The Joe Ledger Novels, Book 5

UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 58 mins)

By Jonathan Maberry

Narrated By Ray Porter

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(181)
Performance
(170)
Story
(169)

The president of the United States vanishes from the White House. A top-secret prototype stealth fighter is destroyed during a test flight. Witnesses on the ground say that it was shot down by a craft that immediately vanished at impossible speeds. All over the world, reports of UFOs are increasing at an alarming rate. And in a remote fossil dig in China dinosaur hunters have found something that is definitely not of this earth.
Karen says: "Another Amazing Entry in the Series"
"Awesome story, best in the series"

Overall
Performance
Story

This was a very compelling listen. It's been a while since I've heard a book that captured my attention so completely. I've listened to the rest of the Joe Ledger books, and enjoyed them all, but this is the best in the series. It's an interesting mix of science and science fiction, fast-paced, with well-written dialogue and a fascinating plot. I was sorry when it was over, and it's going to be tough to find another book to follow it up with.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Assassination Vacation

ABRIDGED
- by Sarah Vowell
- Narrated by Conan O'Brien , Stephen King , Dave Eggers , Jon Stewart
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"
"Interesting book, annoying author narration"

Overall
Performance
Story

This was an interesting quasi-history book. I say "quasi" because it is not a dry, objective history, but more of a narrative of the author's experience learning the history of some presidential assassinations. She infuses a lot of her personality into the history, which is generally interesting, funny, and mostly witty, but gets a little annoying toward the end. She also has a really annoying voice, and despite the "full cast" badge, she narrates 99.9% of it personally with a tiny smattering of the other credited narrators here and there.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I, Robot

UNABRIDGED
- by Isaac Asimov
- Narrated by Scott Brick
I, Robot

UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 25 mins)

By Isaac Asimov

Narrated By Scott Brick

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1334)
Performance
(326)
Story
(339)

They mustn't harm a human being, they must obey human orders, and they must protect their own existence...but only so long as that doesn't violate rules one and two. With these Three Laws of Robotics, humanity embarked on a bold new era of evolution that would open up enormous possibilities, and unforeseen risks.
Herb says: "Forget the violence - Read this one for the humor"
"Not at all like the movie, but still interesting"

Overall
Performance
Story

I actually saw the movie before I listened to the book, and while there are some intersections between the movie and the book, they are basically completely different. That said, I like both. The book basically a series of vignettes that show technological progress and its societal implications, through the eyes of a robo-psychologist who watched their development. It comes together a bit in the end.

It's definitely not a thriller like the movie, but it was very interesting and also very thought provoking about technology and human nature.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Full Black

UNABRIDGED
- by Brad Thor
- Narrated by Armand Schultz
Full Black

UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 3 mins)

By Brad Thor

Narrated By Armand Schultz

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1286)
Performance
(1007)
Story
(1015)

Born in shadow and kept from heads of state, there are some missions so deadly, so sensitive, that they simply don't exist. so deadly, so sensitive, that they simply don't exist. When one such mission goes horribly wrong, a wave of dramatic terrorist attacks is set in motion. Their goal: the complete and total collapse of the United States. With the CIA's intelligence abilities hobbled, former Navy SEAL Team 6 member turned covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath launches an audacious plan to infiltrate the terrorists' network and prevent one of the biggest threats the U.S. has ever faced.
Sean says: "More More"
"Poorly written, cliche, political polemic."

Overall
Performance
Story

This book was terrible. Brad Thor basically recycled some Mitch Rapp plot lines and mashed them together with huge, boring portions of inane political philosophy, with a constant vein of racist stereotypes running throughout. The action sequences, which are pretty dull and cliche to begin with, are broken up by twenty minute-long rants about globalism and political philosophy that sounds like it came from a developmentally challenged hybrid of Ayn Rand and Ann Coulter.

Even aside from the offensive and boring political content, the book is just poorly written. I've read quite a few books in this genre - from Flynn, DeMille, Clancy - and this was so inferior that it is hard to compare them. Characters somehow manage to be one-dimensional and discordant at the same time. I wanted to turn this book off about halfway through, but I actually listened to the whole thing for the sole reason that I wanted to be able to give a comprehensive review of how terrible it is.

Let me emphasize one point: I find this book to be amoral and irresponsible from an ideological standpoint BUT I also find it to be a terrible work of literature, from an objective standpoint. Even if you like Jack Bauer and endorse torture and think every Muslim is a bomb and hate the United Nations, etc. etc. I think you will still find that this is cliche, poorly-written rubbish.

0 of 2 people found this review helpful
Mount Dragon

UNABRIDGED
- by Douglas Preston , Lincoln Child
- Narrated by David Colacci
Mount Dragon

UNABRIDGED (15 hrs and 38 mins)

By Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Narrated By David Colacci

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1005)
Performance
(333)
Story
(339)

Guy Carson is a brilliant scientist at GeneDyne, one of the world's foremost biochemical companies. When he is transferred to Mount Dragon, GeneDyne's high-security genetic engineering lab, his good fortune seems too good to be true.
Carson soon finds that it is. He learns that GeneDyne geneticists are tinkering with a common virus with an eye on the enormous profit to be had from a cure for the flu. Their cure involves permanently altering DNA in humans. What's more, Mount Dragon harbors another secret that puts the world at horrifying risk.
Willard says: "Good Stuff"
"Crichton-esque, pretty decent"

Overall
Performance
Story

OK story, reminded me of Andromeda Strain. It's a beach book, not much substance, but it was entertaining.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated)

UNABRIDGED
- by Timothy Ferriss
- Narrated by Ray Porter
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated)

UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 4 mins)

By Timothy Ferriss

Narrated By Ray Porter

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1635)
Performance
(759)
Story
(764)

This expanded edition includes dozens of practical tips and case studies from readers who have doubled their income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book. Also included are templates for eliminating email and negotiating with bosses and clients, how to apply lifestyle principles in unpredictable economic times, and the latest tools, tricks, and shortcuts for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either.
onlineshoppinggeek says: "Read with discernment"
"JUST DO STUFF AND YOU'LL GET RICH!!!!!"

Overall
Performance
Story

This book, like its author, lacks substance. It is an autobiography of a shameless self-promoter, not a guide to self-improvement. It has no useful ideas or inspirations for business or life. He alienated me quicker than an Amway salesman. His life plan:

(1) Start crappy supplement company
(2) Find some obscure "records" that require no effort to pursue, and break them via some sort of loophole. BRAG ABOUT IT!
(3) Sell book.
(4) *Forthcoming* Realize life consisted of an aggregation of resume entries that lack meaning or substance.

1 of 3 people found this review helpful
Still Life with Crows: A Novel

UNABRIDGED
- by Douglas Preston , Lincoln Child
- Narrated by Scott Brick
Still Life with Crows: A Novel

UNABRIDGED (16 hrs)

By Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Narrated By Scott Brick

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1313)
Performance
(1100)
Story
(1082)

For the first time in unabridged audio! A small Kansas town has turned into a killing ground. Is it a serial killer, a man with the need to destroy? Or is it a darker force, a curse upon the land? Amid golden cornfields, FBI Special Agent Pendergast discovers evil in the blood of America's heart.
James says: "It was a Miserable little Town of Miserable People"
"Not their best, not even in the top five"

Overall
Performance
Story

I wasn't very impressed with this one. Their books are starting to get a bit formulaic. It's like Scooby Doo: start the book with some intrigue and a hint that something paranormal is happening, then the good guys catch the bad guy and they realize the prosaic, pseudoscientific reality. A bit bland overall.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World

UNABRIDGED
- by Michael Lewis
- Narrated by Dylan Baker
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World

UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 14 mins)

By Michael Lewis

Narrated By Dylan Baker

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1465)
Performance
(1211)
Story
(1223)

The tsunami of cheap credit that rolled across the planet between 2002 and 2008 was more than a simple financial phenomenon: it was temptation, offering entire societies the chance to reveal aspects of their characters they could not normally afford to indulge. The Greeks wanted to turn their country into a pinata stuffed with cash and allow as many citizens as possible to take a whack at it. The Germans wanted to be even more German; the Irish wanted to stop being Irish.
Andy says: "we may not be the most stupid kids on the planet"
"Concise but informative & interesting"

Overall
Performance
Story

This was a good explanation of the financial crisis in Europe, Greece and Iceland, with some insight into how it relates to the U.S. economy. It is a typical Michael Lewis book; fairly informal and occasionally crass, which is both appropriate and entertaining. Each chapter covers a different country's financial problems, with a vein of cultural commentary running throughout.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer

UNABRIDGED
- by Philip Carlo
- Narrated by Michael Prichard
The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer

UNABRIDGED (19 hrs and 17 mins)

By Philip Carlo

Narrated By Michael Prichard

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(798)
Performance
(229)
Story
(232)

Richard "The Ice Man" Kuklinski led a double life beyond anything ever seen on The Sopranos, becoming one of the most notorious professional assassins in American history while hosting neighborhood barbecues in suburban New Jersey. Now, after 240 hours of face-to-face interviews with Kuklinski and his wife and daughters, author Philip Carlo tells his extraordinary story.
Eileen C says: "You must buy this audio only if..."
"How can a story about a hit man be so very boring?"

Overall
Performance
Story

Too long, too boring, and too self-serving. It had its moments but I couldn't even make it to the second part.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Airframe

UNABRIDGED
- by Michael Crichton
- Narrated by Frances Cassidy
Airframe

UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 3 mins)

By Michael Crichton

Narrated By Frances Cassidy

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(679)
Performance
(165)
Story
(168)

Airframe is nonstop Crichton: the extraordinary mixture of super suspense and authentic information on a subject of compelling interest that has been a Crichton hallmark since The Andromeda Strain.
Robert Solomon says: "Try it, you'll like it."
"Meh, a bit technical but at least its not preachy."

Overall
Performance
Story

I got to the the end of the story, so it wasn't too bad, but definitely not one of Crichton's best stories. But it's also not his worst. Somewhere in the middle, below Timeline, above State of Fear, probably around Prey.The narrator was a bit monotone and it just sort of petered out at the end. Probably not worth a credit.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful