Doug Smith

I've listened to other Mark Kurlansky books and admire his single-mindedness. Really admire that he elevated a truly forgotten inventor and eccentric to a biography-worthy subject. The "inventor" of flash-frozen foods has changed out world dramatically and made us all part of an international food marketplace, yet he is forgotten.

Fascinating story, but I have to say Kurlansky really just went through the paces. I wonder if he got a bit bored by his subject at some point. Jon Van Ness's narration is also off - stilted and lacking in continuity.

All that said, what a great story of a great, long-lost American!

Prefer audio books because I have a lot more listening time than reading time.

Bertie Wooster- always funny - and fun!

See above.

One of the better entires in the vast Wodehouse offering, but with Frederick Davidson as narrator, it jumps to the top!

Ellroy's delivery is comically bad. The book itself is degrading to one's soul. That sounds corny but his content is trashy, pre-adolescent, not even a titillating peek into a pervert's mind, but a flat-out mud wrestle. It's like sitting next to a drunk in a bar telling his disgusting life story.

This is actually a pseudo biography, a novelization of Dickens' life. The audio quality is so poor, listening is a chore. I gave up after an hour. Very disappointed.

I patiently waited for Klosterman to get beyond a streak of obsessive navel-gazing about his singularly uninteresting experiences. He never did.

Joe Queenan's lifelong struggle with the demons of his father's alcoholism makes for fascinating listening. I really love this writer. Unfortunately, this book needs heavy editing. There are hundreds if not thousands of trite phrases. Things stink to high heaven. People are mad as hatters. Queenan's attempt here to exercise his powers as a writer results in an overwriting that is undermined by his curious reluctance to strike out cliches.