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Julie&Timo

ratings
77
REVIEWS
15
FOLLOWING
0
FOLLOWERS
3
HELPFUL VOTES
15

  • Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 41 mins)
    • By Robin Sloan
    • Narrated By Ari Fliakos
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1152)
    Performance
    (1045)
    Story
    (1033)

    The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone - and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything....

    Paula says: "A Profoundly Mesmerizing Tale"
    "Modern day fantasy for grown up super-nerds"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This is probably one of the nerdiest books I have ever read. But that is ok, because I am a nerd. To enjoy this book you should have played Dungeons and Dragons as a child and languished in the very special teenage limbo where you dreamt of good looking, cool girls who liked you for your brains and were into computers. And then you grew up to become a successful media or communications manager, web designer or SEO specialists. Sounds familiar? Then you will love this book. Else, you will probably be a bit bewildered and confused because most of the references won't make sense to you. So much for the story.

    As for the delivery: I think Ari Fliakos does a great job reading this book and bringing the different characters to life.

    9 of 9 people found this review helpful
  • The Lost Fleet: Dauntless

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 59 mins)
    • By Jack Campbell
    • Narrated By Christian Rummel, Jack Campbell
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (3000)
    Performance
    (1651)
    Story
    (1681)

    Captain John "Black Jack" Geary's legendary exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic "last stand" in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns from survival hibernation and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics.

    Appalled by the hero-worship around him, Geary is nevertheless a man who will do his duty. And he knows that bringing the stolen Syndic hypernet key safely home is the Alliance's one chance to win the war. But to do that, Geary will have to live up to the impossibly heroic "Black Jack" legend.

    Chance says: "Ranks up there with Star Wars!"
    "Good idea, not so great execution"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I really liked the idea of this book: an almost mythical character from the past turns up again in times of need but it turns out he is just as human and fallible as everyone else. That's a really nice idea. I also really liked that Campbell cares about physics and manages to integrate the difficulties that would potentially occur in space battles into the book quite neatly, for example that it would take time to see and hear about events that are a couple of light minutes away because communication cannot travel fast than light.

    What I didn't like is that he belabours these points a bit too much. I don't need him to explain the laws of physics to me every three minutes. I also though the whole "we are better than this"-mantra intertwined with the "I'm just human like you"-theme was way to repetitive.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • In the Woods

    • UNABRIDGED (20 hrs and 23 mins)
    • By Tana French
    • Narrated By Steven Crossley
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (3576)
    Performance
    (1732)
    Story
    (1728)

    As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children, unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

    Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery.

    Lesley says: "Detection with a Difference"
    "Not bad, not great"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I really liked how the book started out, the two mysteries (one in the past, one in the present) and particularly how the characters of the two detectives and their relationship to each other was developed. However, towards the middle of the book, the story just turns depressing. Not thrilling or scary, but depressing and that is not the kind of thing I'm looking for in this kind of book. In addition there are some lose ends which are never picked up so that you are left wondering: "What was the point of that whole strand?"

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Winter of the World: The Century Trilogy, Book 2

    • UNABRIDGED (31 hrs and 48 mins)
    • By Ken Follett
    • Narrated By John Lee
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (3016)
    Performance
    (2479)
    Story
    (2481)

    Winter of the World picks up right where the first book left off, as its five interrelated families - American, German, Russian, English, Welsh - enter a time of enormous social, political, and economic turmoil, beginning with the rise of the Third Reich, through the Spanish Civil War and the great dramas of World War II, up to the explosions of the American and Soviet atomic bombs. As always with Ken Follett, the historical background is brilliantly researched and rendered, the action fast-moving, the characters rich in nuance and emotion.

    Dave says: "Great book but DON'T BUY - AUDIBLE VERSION SKIPS"
    "Living, breathing, human history"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    The problem with history books and history lessons is that they are almost always focussing on dates, statistics and major events rather than giving us an impression what this era was like for ordinary people living through it. Of course, in a lot of cases there is only very little source material, but in "Winter of the World" Follett takes advantage of the fact that the events he is describing have happened in recent history and that some of the people who lived through that time are still alive or have described their experience.

    Of course, it is more than a little contrived that the handfull of families to whom he has introduced us in "Fall of Giants" are also miraculously present at all the pivotal events of this era - from the fire at the Reichstag to the first Soviet nuclear bomb - but to me this did not diminish the joy of reading (or listening).

    "Winter of the World" creates a vivid picture of the years between 1933 and 1949, showing how ordinary people in almost all countries have suffered and struggled to survive. It's neither a depressing, nor uplifting book in that it shows there are heroes and villains in all countries.

    I really enjoyed listening to the book, particularly since I live in Berlin at the moment and walked through the city while listening to events that had taken place more than 60 years ago, but which I could still very well imagine unfolding around me.

    John Lee also does a superb job as a narrator and manages to give the countless different characters their own personalities and inflections.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The Bear and the Dragon

    • UNABRIDGED (42 hrs and 58 mins)
    • By Tom Clancy
    • Narrated By Michael Prichard
    Overall
    (558)
    Performance
    (421)
    Story
    (423)

    Newly elected, Jack Ryan has found that being President is not easy: domestic pitfalls await him at every turn; there's a revolution in Liberia; the Asian economy is going down the tubes; and now, in Moscow, someone may have tried to assassinate the chairman of the SVR - the former KGB - with a rocket-propelled grenade. Were the potential assassins political enemies, the Russian Mafia, or disaffected former KGB? Or is something far more dangerous at work here?

    rlovegreen says: "Good story - Narrator tries hard to kill it..."
    "Disappointing and long winded"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    The books starts to be enjoyable as soon as the bullets are flying - but that only happens roughly 30 hours into the story. The rest I found pretty horrible and frequently reads like a right-wing pamphlet that would even make the tea party blush. In addition, there logical holes big enough to fly an Apache through.

    The one positive thing is the narrator. I think Prichard is superb and if it wasn't for him I might never have finished the book.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Gods of Gotham

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 9 mins)
    • By Lyndsay Faye
    • Narrated By Steven Boyer
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (355)
    Performance
    (306)
    Story
    (308)

    It is 1845. New York City forms its first police force. The great potato famine hits Ireland. These two seemingly disparate events will change New York City. Forever.... Timothy Wilde tends bar near the Exchange, fantasizing about the day he has enough money to win the girl of his dreams. But when his dreams literally incinerate in a fire devastating downtown Manhattan, he finds himself disfigured, unemployed, and homeless. His older brother obtains Timothy a job in the newly minted NYPD, but he is highly skeptical of this new "police force".

    M. Rincon says: "Couldn't put it down!"
    "Excellent narrator bring engaging story to life"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I like historical fiction and "Gods of Gotham" is a great example of the genre. The characters are well written, the period felt very well research. This is a period I pretty much know nothing about so I can't really judge the accuracy but to me it felt like I could see, hear and smell New York in 1845.

    However, the really outstanding thing about this audiobook is the narrator Steven Boyer. The way he is able to change his inflection and accent really makes you feel like you are standing in a room full of Irish and American's, doctors and prostitutes. This was the first book I heard narrated by Boyer but I will definitely see whether there are others that I might be interested in.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book 4

    • UNABRIDGED (33 hrs and 56 mins)
    • By George R. R. Martin
    • Narrated By Roy Dotrice
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (3262)
    Performance
    (2905)
    Story
    (2914)

    Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy that began with A Game of Thrones. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace . . . only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction.

    Pi says: "Jarring change in Dotrice's performance"
    "A feast of secondary characters"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I haven't listened to book five yet, but so far this Jane part f the series I liked least. Martin has a tendency to take 2/3 of the book to build something up before a grand finale, but this book is only build up and no climax. Besides it's almost exclusively about the secondary characters who I honestly don't care that much about.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Turn Coat: The Dresden Files, Book 11

    • UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 40 mins)
    • By Jim Butcher
    • Narrated By James Marster
    Overall
    (3256)
    Performance
    (2043)
    Story
    (2042)

    The Warden Morgan has been accused of treason against the Wizards of the White Council - and there's only one, final punishment for that crime. He's on the run, wants his name cleared, and needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog. Someone like Harry Dresden....

    Lisa says: "Worthy Addition To The Series"
    "Good story, though no surprises"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    My only issue with this book is that in my opinion the end was *way* to easy to guess, which took out the suspense a little bit. Nevertheless I enjoyed the book and James Marsters performance as always.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Robert Heinlein Radio Dramas

    • ORIGINAL (1 hr and 46 mins)
    • By Robert Heinlein
    Overall
    (122)
    Performance
    (50)
    Story
    (50)

    This collection features four classic, dramatized Robert Heinlein stories: "Universe", "Requiem", "The Green Hills of Earth", and "The Roads Must Roll".

    Chris says: "Heinlein at his Best"
    "Slightly disappointing"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I'm a big fan of Heinlein, but this production really didn't do his work justice. Obviously any radio production has to shorten and eliminate things but I just felt that the stories had become flattened to the point where they were little more than pulp. I also think that the quality of the production is very poor. Yes, they were all obviously produced a long, long time ago (I'm guessing 50s or 60s) but it should have been possible to clean the audio up so that it's more easily understandable.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

    • UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 18 mins)
    • By Timothy Ferriss
    • Narrated By Ray Porter
    Overall
    (2585)
    Performance
    (358)
    Story
    (363)

    The 4 Hour Work Week explains what a lifestyle entrepreneur is and why you should want to become one. It teaches you how to "kill" your job and design a life, the 80/20 rule and how it increases productivity, how to replace your dreams with goals, and more. Listeners can lead a rich life by working only four hours a week, freeing up the rest of their time to spend it living the lives they want.

    Brandon Carlson says: "Pretty good, but not that good"
    "Wrong medium - works better printed"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Any additional comments?

    I simply don't think that this book works very well as an audiobook. There are a lot of internet-addresses, check-lists and other elements in the book that simply don't work very well when listening to it. Who will ever go back to a part where the presenter laboriously reads:

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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