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Jim

smyrna, GA, United States

ratings
12
REVIEWS
9
FOLLOWING
0
FOLLOWERS
1
HELPFUL VOTES
27

  • A Wanted Man: A Jack Reacher Novel, Book 17

    • UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 11 mins)
    • By Lee Child
    • Narrated By Dick Hill
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1563)
    Performance
    (1319)
    Story
    (1307)

    Four people in a car, hoping to make Chicago by morning. An hour behind them, a man lies stabbed to death in an old pumping station. He was seen going in with two others, but he never came out. He has been executed, the knife work professional, the killers vanished. Within minutes, the police are notified. Within hours, the FBI descends, laying claim to the victim without ever saying who he was or why he was there. All Reacher wanted was a ride to Virginia. All he did was stick out his thumb. But he soon discovers he has hitched more than a ride.

    Bill says: "Wanted Man is Wanting ~ And I Want 14 Hours Back"
    "A snoozefest"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from Lee Child and/or Dick Hill?

    I am a big fan of the Jack Reacher books ... but man, is this one boring or what. Virtually nothing happens for the majority of the book. Anyone giving this a 5 star must be a relative of Mr. Child, or must work for the publisher. Or perhaps they just like the Reacher series enough to forgive so a slow book.


    Would you ever listen to anything by Lee Child again?

    I would only because I like the Reacher books. But come on, Mr. Child, don't dial in the next one.


    How did the narrator detract from the book?

    Reacher has a broken nose ... so much of the narration sounds like it done with the narrator holding his nose.


    What character would you cut from A Wanted Man?

    Seriously? You could cut out most of them and it wouldn't make any difference. Slow, slow, slow.


    Any additional comments?

    Terrible.

    23 of 25 people found this review helpful
  • The Way of Kings: Book One of The Stormlight Archive

    • UNABRIDGED (45 hrs and 37 mins)
    • By Brandon Sanderson
    • Narrated By Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (4852)
    Performance
    (2511)
    Story
    (2525)

    Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter. It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor.

    A User says: "Brandon's Best Work Yet"
    "great escapism"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Where does The Way of Kings rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

    It was one of the better ones ... very long, but in this case the length actually may have helped because it allowed the author to take his time and build each character.


    What did you like best about this story?

    Great characters. Great story. I loved the descriptions of the world.


    Have you listened to any of Kate Reading and Michael Kramer ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    I have not. Both were good.


    If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

    I am not sure ... I need to see what happens in the other books.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Wildside

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 43 mins)
    • By Steven Gould
    • Narrated By Paul Boehmer
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (14)
    Performance
    (13)
    Story
    (13)

    Forget the lottery. Teenager Charlie Newell has just discovered something that will make him and his friends billionaires. What if a world existed in which no humans ever evolved? No cities. No pollution. No laws. A fantastic world filled with unimaginable riches in which everything - everything - was yours just for the taking?

    Charlie has found that world. And he plans to use it to make him and his friends rich.There is a problem: How do you keep something this big a secret?

    Matthew says: "And welcome to it..."
    "suspend disbelief"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What did you love best about Wildside?

    I liked the basic premise of the story


    What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

    It was a bit hard to belief.


    Which scene was your favorite?

    I liked the scenes describing the "wild side."


    Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

    There just seemed to be so many parts of this story that were flat. I won't spoil things for readers, but given the scenario, I would have SOOOOOOO many questions to ask. Perhaps because we are dealing with teenagers they are more concerned with little things than asking big questions.


    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Life of Pi

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 35 mins)
    • By Yann Martel
    • Narrated By Jeff Woodman
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (8189)
    Performance
    (3669)
    Story
    (3677)

    Pi Patel has been raised in a zoo in India. When his father decides to move the family to Canada and sell the animals to American zoos, everyone boards a Japanese cargo ship. The ship sinks, and 16-year-old Pi finds himself alone on a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra with a broken leg, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger.

    Theresa says: "Best audio of the year for me"
    "Makes you think"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to Life of Pi again? Why?

    Yes, I would listen to the story again. It is such an emotional story full of little details.


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Life of Pi?

    There were so many.


    What about Jeff Woodman’s performance did you like?

    It made me feel I was there talking to him.


    If you could take any character from Life of Pi out to dinner, who would it be and why?

    Richard Parker!


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • A Prayer for Owen Meany

    • UNABRIDGED (27 hrs and 20 mins)
    • By John Irving
    • Narrated By Joe Barrett
    Overall
    (2597)
    Performance
    (1635)
    Story
    (1627)

    In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys - best friends - are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen, after that 1953 foul ball, is extraordinary and terrifying.

    Alan says: "Outstanding"
    "Not for everyone"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from John Irving and/or Joe Barrett?

    I like John Irving. I was surprised that I didn't like this book, especially after all of the rave reviews on here.


    What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

    Great characters. Too slow.


    What aspect of Joe Barrett’s performance would you have changed?

    Sorry, but the voice of Owen eventually got to be too much. I understand it was supposed to be this high-pitched, fingernails-on-a-chalkboard sound, and it certainly was that.


    Was A Prayer for Owen Meany worth the listening time?

    As one of the other reviewers wrote, I can see why people like this book ... but can also see why they don't. For me it was just too slow. I appreciate the characters and level of detail, but there was simply too much discussion of relgion, etc. for me to find it enjoyable.


    Any additional comments?

    Perhaps one day I will sit down and read this book ... I think that will go better than the audio.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Zoo

    • UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 6 mins)
    • By James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge
    • Narrated By Jay Snyder
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (362)
    Performance
    (306)
    Story
    (302)

    All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear. With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it's too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide.

    James says: "Love Patterson, but this was just SILLY"
    "Weak"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge and/or Jay Snyder?

    I like James Patterson for the most part. This was one bad story, though. Very weak, not well thought out, and appears very hurried. Disappointing.


    Would you ever listen to anything by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge again?

    Sure ... but only once more. This was not very good.


    What didn’t you like about Jay Snyder’s performance?

    I thought the narration was okay. It was just such a bad story.


    What character would you cut from Zoo?

    There were several. Get rid of the monkey. Sorry, the whole "I keep a monkey at my house" thing was stupid.


    Any additional comments?

    A pretty lame book. Patterson was in this one for the money. Poorly done.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Cloud Atlas

    • UNABRIDGED (19 hrs and 33 mins)
    • By David Mitchell
    • Narrated By Scott Brick, Cassandra Campbell, Kim Mai Guest, and others
    Overall
    (2269)
    Performance
    (1554)
    Story
    (1548)

    A reluctant voyager crossing the Pacific in 1850; a disinherited composer blagging a precarious livelihood in between-the-wars Belgium; a high-minded journalist in Governor Reagan's California; a vanity publisher fleeing his gangland creditors; a genetically modified "dinery server" on death-row; and Zachry, a young Pacific Islander witnessing the nightfall of science and civilisation: the narrators of Cloud Atlas hear each other's echoes down the corridor of history.

    Elizabeth says: "thoroughly enjoyed"
    "Great narration"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Where does Cloud Atlas rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

    This is an interesting book ... I think you either really like or you don't. This is in the top 1/3rd of what I have listened to.


    If you’ve listened to books by David Mitchell before, how does this one compare?

    This is the first.


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

    Loved the narration. It really helped with the different stories ... and I particularly like the last segment on Hawaii. Intriguing.


    If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

    I have a tough time seeing how a film of this book would work. And based on the previews on TV, I am not confident that it will turn out well.


    Any additional comments?

    As others have noted, this is actually a series of short stories ... some are connected better than others.

    3 of 6 people found this review helpful
  • The Third Gate: A Novel

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 39 mins)
    • By Lincoln Child
    • Narrated By Johnathan McClain
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (700)
    Performance
    (599)
    Story
    (588)

    Under the direction of famed explorer Porter Stone, an archaeological team is secretly attempting to locate the tomb of an ancient pharaoh who was unlike any other in history. Stone believes he has found the burial chamber of King Narmer, the near mythical god-king who united upper and lower Egypt in 3200 B.C., and the archaeologist has reason to believe that the greatest prize of all - Narmer's crown - might be buried with him. No crown of an Egyptian king has ever been discovered, and Narmer's is the elusive crown of the two Egypts.

    Amanda says: "Reliable Entertainment for Child Fans"
    "Entertaining, but superficial"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Is there anything you would change about this book?

    This book just comes across as Mystery Lite. Very predicatable, both in terms of story and character. Too many times the story "jumped the shark" for no reason.


    What was most disappointing about Lincoln Child’s story?

    I have always liked the basic premise of Mr. Child's stories. This just isn't followed through well.


    Would you be willing to try another one of Johnathan McClain’s performances?

    It was okay. I don't think the narrator helped or hurt.


    Could you see The Third Gate being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

    Not a chance. Only if it was a low-budget made-for-tv movie on the sci-fi channel or something.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Ready Player One

    • UNABRIDGED (15 hrs and 46 mins)
    • By Ernest Cline
    • Narrated By Wil Wheaton
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (6197)
    Performance
    (5719)
    Story
    (5716)

    At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, Ready Player One is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.

    Travis says: "ADD TO CART, POWER UP +10000"
    "loved it"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Where does Ready Player One rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

    I absolutely loved Ready Player One. It is interesting that I could be so "into" an 18-year-old character living in the stacks, and existing primarily as an avatar within a video game.


    What did you like best about this story?

    I really cared about the characters, and the seach for the keys was spell-binding.


    What does Wil Wheaton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

    This is the first book I have listened to with Wil Wheaton. He was amazing. I was completely taken off guard. Too often, I have not enjoyed actors reading a book because it just comes across as "over the top." Wheaton did it just right.


    If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

    Is this a serious question?


    Any additional comments?

    I am kinda sad the book is over. Is there a version 2?

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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