Jay

Insurgent is an excellent follow-up to Divergent (you have to read Divergent first). I was concerned that this second book wouldn't have the power of Divergent but I think it has more drama and action than the first book. I'm a big fan of the main character, Tris, who struggles with trauma, love, and guilt but still is the brave, resilient hero of the story. I can't wait for the next book.

Mary Roach has a gift for delving into topics we don't like to talk about, digging out the most interesting aspects, and then presenting that information in an interesting and humorous way. Gulp discusses all the gross things involved in digestion (e.g., saliva, your colon, fecal transplants) but was only occasionally gross. I learned a lot of fascinating stuff that I can't talk about at the dinner table but which connected to my own digestion and my recent colonoscopy. The reader was excellent.

Like lots of people, I followed online for two election cycles and came to believe that Nate had the best methods for election prediction. Because of that history, I was very interested in this book when it came out. While there was a lot of interesting information in the book, quite a bit of time is spent on Poker, the way he made a living for several years. Not knowing Poker, those sections were not meaningful to me. His analysis of baseball, another area where he did statistical work, was interesting to me although others may not care about it. The discussions of politics were also interesting to me but they were shorter than I expected. Overall, it's pretty good but no more illuminating than other well know books on prediction that you can find on Audible.

What a great story and performance. Just imagine normal people finding themselves in a really bizarre situation. It's suspenseful, scary and satisfying. Don't be put off by reviews that claim it's way over the edge.

I tried to read Moby Dick twice but the rambling nature of the text stalled and defeated me. Frank Muller's reading actually made Melville's rambles meaningful and carried the central thread of the plot along strongly in the midst of the diversions. This is a compelling story of revenge and greed and a interesting picture of the now defunct whaling industry that covered the globe with sailing ships manned by an odd mix of adventurers. This is the best way to enjoy what I now think is a classic novel.

I'm a John Green fan (The Fault of Our Stars is a must-listen title) and this book was recommended to me because of that. The book threw me headlong into the anguish and ecstasy of high school kids and the struggle to know who we are and how to be ourselves. The two Will Graysons, very different teenagers engaged in that struggle for identity, are excellent characters that I liked a lot and was also annoyed with occasionally. The book also does a great job of showing the highs and lows of love from the straight and gay perspectives. The readers did an excellent job of covering an eclectic collection of interesting characters.

This is a lovely, low key story that moves forward at the pace of a sixty-five year old pilgrim. The back story that caused Harold to start his walk unfolds slowly along the way in a manner that kept me wanting to learn more and that deepened my respect for and admiration of the characters. A very nice book that is well read.

This was my first John Green book, a title I found in a top ten of an NPR list of all-time best Young Adult books. This book certainly deserves to be that highly rated. John Green shows a deep knowledge of and empathy with teenagers, creating smart, funny, but vulnerable characters that have to work through some very difficult problems. Listen to it.

As usual Jim Butcher has written an engaging book that seamlessly mixes the real and the fantastic. I really enjoyed this latest adventure of Harry and friends and was glad it ended as it did. As for the narrator, he gave it a good shot but his performance really doesn't compare with James Marsters readings.

This is a great follow on to The Name of the Wind. The books seems to get a bit stuck in a few of the adventures but I am totally engaged in the story and anxious for the next book in the series.