C. Anne

I love a book that makes you think about things in a new way, from a different perspective. This book is about so much more than the history of our relationship with four plants. It is really about our relationship with Nature, our drive to conquer, when we should perhaps be taking a more respectful, sustainable stance. Fascinating.

Patricia McConnell's clear-headed, accessible book about our relationship with dogs is well-researched without being academic or tedious. She draws from a wealth of practical experience. Best of all, she is clearly in love, passionately, with dogs, and this makes a compelling book even more powerful. I learned so much, enjoyably, easily. The narrator has the perfect voice, well-modulated, clear, and she imbues her "read" with the empathy that the writer clearly has. Some reviewers have commented that references to photos detract, but for me, hearing it offered a different way of "seeing" the dog - in my mind's eye. Well done. Highly recommended.

I'm inclined to agree with Laura from Tampa -- the narrator in "My Sister's Keeper", Carrington MacDuffie, was annoying. Her too-mannered reading got in the way sometimes, almost as if she was having trouble buying the story herself. And who could blame her? It was as if she were sometimes reading with her tongue firmly planted in her cheek!

The first novella, regarding the killing of a radical lesbian politician, promised much and did not deliver. I wanted more momentum, fun, intensity and wit. This book was leaden with tedium, and in the end, the petty little murder by proxy, well, it made everyone in the book seem cheap, almost tawdry.

The narrator for some weird reason gave the cop a southern drawl...and he was apparently from Sacramento. (But maybe I misunderstood this, I confess my mind wandered at times.)

In contrast, David Rosenfelt's detective Andy Carpenter, read by Grover Gardner, seems like a real guy: a believably funny, sociable, all-too-human lawyer-sleuth. In Rosenfelt's books, I can accept improbable plots because he makes us care about even the minor players, they have relationships that count.

Music City Breakdown was more enjoyable for me. I liked the music references that laced the story together. But mostly, I thought Stephen Hoye's reading was superb - the accents, he captured the tone, the mood, the personas, particularly, the Brooklyn cop, were very believable. He didn't overdo it, either. I think his reading made a very ordinary novella far more interesting than it would otherwise have been.

Well, I've devoted too many words to these two ho-hum books. If you want a good mystery, download the Rosenfelt books instead of these. You will be glad you did!

I like David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series. The humour, the deadpan wit, and, perhaps most of all, the fact that the detective is completely besotted with his Golden Retriever, Tara. For dog people, these mysteries are wonderful. The story in this one was even better than the first one I heard, Dead Center. I felt it was a bit more layered and interesting, more involvement from other characters,too. I audio-read a lot of non-fiction, and this book was a perfect "recess" for enjoyment and relaxation.

Mr. Earley has written an important book, and he weaves his son's personal story into a well-researched narrative.

I learned a great deal about the history of treating mental illnesses in the U.S., as well as the Catch-22 implicit in many current US state laws, which place a premium on individual rights protection at the expense of appropriate treatment for the mentally ill. The result is that many mentally ill people end up in prisons for decades -- having fallen through the cracks in the health care system.

It is not a happy story; however, it is an important story -- a must for those working in local police forces or prisons, public policy makers in the area of health, and those who have family members suffering from a mental illness. Written accessibly, the book is easy to understand, and well-narrated.

The reviews of other Audible members encouraged me to purchase this book, and it was just what I wanted: a dog-loving detective with a New York (or is it New Jersey?) accent has an adventure and in the process, works with his estranged girlfriend, now police chief, to resolve the crime. I liked that this detective loves dogs, and also, loves a strong, accomplished woman. I audio-pod a lot of non-fiction, so this was just what I needed - a fun frolic, entertaining, light, and easy to hear...

Whenever a book strikes a positive chord in me, I check out what the critics are saying against its central thesis. To date, the principal criticism against "The World is Flat" seems to be that Thomas Friedman is very wealthy, ergo, his perspective of how we ought to capitalize on an increasingly interconnected global world ought to be discounted or dismissed. Rubbish. Rich people can think too! The research that informs this book is both deep and wide...Mr. Friedman captures today's economic, social, and technological realities with vigor and power. While readers may not agree on every detail, there is a wealth of worthwhile content here. Reading Level: Undergraduate. A must-read for students of education, business and the disciplines relating to IT. A journalist by training, Mr. Friedman tells a great story, in a lively and accessible way. I loved that he draws on credible sources from around the world. I thought it was well-narrated as well, easy to listen to.

This book is a well-argued, elegantly written dialectical treatise that offers a critical look at the price we pay for religious faith, and the continuing risks posed by blind adherence to dogmas of all religions. The End of Faith is clear-eyed, rational, and fact-based. It is also a fascinating and provocative study of the subject. Sam Harris is possessed of an incisive wit as well. This is a good thing, because I found myself feeling anger and frustration at the myriad ways in which we are becoming socially and communally unhinged by religious myth. One warning: this is a book for those who read at a graduate school level -- but it is immensely satisfying just the same.