Kathryn L. Bakken

You could easily compress this story by leaving out a lot of the rather extraneous historical background. There were points where the flow of the narrative ground to a halt for a history lecture. Was hoping it would rise to the level of Devil in the White City but it never really did.

Well suited to the task and he seemed comfortable with the complicated names and language. Seamless though not particularly exciting or expressive.

I could easily see Anthony Hopkins in this international thriller about a lesser known serial killer. So yes!

I liked the first book but the second was helped mightily by Heyborne's narration.

I would not recommend based on multiple sequences of animal torture and violence. If I had known this was in the book I would have skipped this book. Now I'm telling people what I wish someone had told me. I fast forwarded much of this.

Great characterizations and emotion. Great timbre to the voice and his narration for the main character, a teenager, sounds like the right age. Another improvement over the first book.

John's whiny sister.

I know it seems odd to complain of animal violence while humans bear the brunt of it. It's just my pet peeve (pun unintended) to include animal torture in fiction whether it be horror or crime. It's up to you whether this bothers you or not.

Okay, so maybe I expect too much from narrators but the child voice she uses was so whiney and shrill that I finally just had to stop listening. Nobody should have to listen to that.

The setting in the hospital made it intriguing but it eventually just seemed to slide into a typical slasher film. Much of the suspsense is just ruined by familiarity.

A different narrator would have been the only way to save this one.

I was disappointed in the paint by numbers quality of the story. Good start but it just goes downhill from there. Just meh.

This is a book that is recommended with reservation and only to a certain kind of friend. Palahniuk's coldly removed writing style is not for every taste but he does bring a sly perspective to, shall we say, unsavory moments. But it's so interesting and unique that I do sing its virtues to various pals. Then, of course, I would sit back and wait for the inevitable phone call from them asking why in the world I would recommend this book. This is based solely on the gang busters opening 'short story' GUTS. I just tell them that this story is a litmus test and stomaching it (ha pun) means you are worthy to continue reading. If you can get through that you can get through anything.

t.

Its hard to like any character in this book and I don't think they're meant to like. The main framework of the writers on the retreat is full of horrid people with nary a redeeming virtue. But I do love the odd names they're given even though this further serves to remove you from them. It has an icy dehumanizing effect... but that's probably a good thing because considering what these characters do to themselves you'd probably never finish it if you cared about them.

There were a variety of narrators, many of whom are faves such as Scott Brick, but I liked them all.

It made me nauseous but I think that's the point!

I loved the structure from framework narrative, to poem, to personal short stories written by the authors on the retrea

I haven't read the print version of this book but Wil Wheaton's narration lent it a modern relevant feel that you may miss if you just read it.

I'd make the comparison to Steve Job's bio in the sense that it is about an incredible innovator who changes the technical world with a real sense of pop culture savvy. It's like a fantasy version of what could happen if Jobs had died and left behind a scavenger hunt game for his fortune. It felt incredibly contemporary.

His youthful voice was a perfect fit for the tone and action in this story. His importance in geek culture is cemented when he actually reads a passage that mentions him. Smart stuff.

I love video games so it felt especially relevant to me on many levels. It engages the fantasy: What if video games mattered and impacted the real world. There was genuine suspense when characters were in peril even if it was just their avatar. An amazing juggling act.

A unique perspective on the war at large by taking it inside from a medical perspective, one injury at a time. Exciting, suspenseful, tragic, confounding -- great insight into the mind of a doctor and the chaos of war.

Small stories made large by making them personal. You really root for Jadick and his initial naiveté when he decides to take this on. Medical care in battle is a unique perspective with huge stakes.

His first hand experiences are heard in his voice and that was very affecting.

This book rates high in my list of audiobooks because it offered an honest look into a family's pain and confusion. Sheff's righting is razor sharp and insightful. I felt for the guy as much as I came to resent his son and what he put everyone through. Granted, that may not be exactly what he was shooting for but pain is pain.

Sheff pulls no punches while telling this story and has no interest in making himself or anyone else look specifically bad or good. This lack of vanity cuts right to the core of the story and takes you inside without a superficial gloss. You really feel like you're in the heart of this thing.

If it had been written by his father, David Sheff, but that would be impossible. His father's version of the same events from his perspective is so far superior to this effort that you can only be let down when you hear this 'fill in the blanks' version.

I was intrigued to listen to this because David Sheff's heart felt book, Beautiful Boy, was basically a mystery at it's heart. Learning what happened during Nic's absences and how it all began first hand was a big draw. Too bad it turned out to be a non-mystery and he really wasn't doing much at all besides living a cliche.

Unless he has matured and has developed some self awareness, it's doubtful. I was hoping for some insight but didn't really get any.

Full of heart, grit and compassion, this book informed while pulling heart strings. I felt like I was dropped into a world I could never imagine and learned unexpected things about war, soldiers and the capacity to feel loyalty to a puppy in the midst of that chaos.And the book isn't just a mush fest -- it's exciting, suspenseful and tragic.

But at it's core, this is a boy at war and his dog story. Amazing combination.

Lava, the dog at the center of the story actually has some great characterization and you can see why Kopelman would go to such extremes to save him. If he didn't I was ready to go over there and get him myself.

You can win or lose when an author narrates their own book and this is a winner. I really felt like I was hearing him tell his story to me personally. It never felt painfully narrated or 'read.'

I could not put this book down. I was amazed by so many people doing so many things for one dog. And in the long term changing military policy. So gratifying.

I loved being back in this world and hearing Dotrice again. He has basically branded these books for me. We are treated to more of George RR Martin's shocking, confounding, thrilling world and I'm so glad to be back.

This book doesn't quite rise to the standard set by Storm of Swords my favorite of the books but the last third come pretty damn close.Okay, so I've read some of the ill- informed reviews here complaining about lack of closure but since when have any of these books done that? Plus, this is a serial so there will be no closure until the story is finished. Which I actually hope is never.

Dany will always stand out for me in a pack of many beloved characters because, well, she is the Mother of Dragons. But Jon Snow's heart and soul give these books a warmth many other characters don't lend. And I didn't think it was possible but my heart breaks for poor Reek Reek rhymes with Meek! ;-)

Any with dragons, of course!

Jon Snow's final chapter in this book is about as moving as it gets...