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Raymond G. Harder

BookBoy

Pomona, CA | Member Since 2013

HELPFUL VOTES

10 reviews
10 ratings
83 titles in library
28 purchased in 2013

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FOLLOWERS

Tess of the d’Urbervilles

UNABRIDGED
- by Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by Davina Porter
Tess of the d’Urbervilles

UNABRIDGED (17 hrs and 11 mins)

By Thomas Hardy

Narrated By Davina Porter

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(60)
Performance
(55)
Story
(50)

Tess Durbeyfield has become one of the most famous female protagonists in 19th-century British literature. Betrayed by the two men in her life - Alec D’Urberville, her seducer/rapist and father of her fated child; and Angel, her intellectual and pious husband - Tess takes justice, and her own destiny, into her delicate hands. In telling her desperate and passionate story, Hardy brings Tess to life with an extraordinary vividness that makes her live in the heart of the reader long after the novel is concluded.
Fran says: "Excellent"
"Still a classic"

Overall
Performance
Story

What made the experience of listening to Tess of the d’Urbervilles the most enjoyable?

A gentle pleasant read. Good reading voice. Easy to follow with good storyline straightforward with good unpredictable plot.

What did you like best about this story?

Struggle from poverty to stability.

Which scene was your favorite?

When she gets out of bad relationship.

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

Relationships change. Sometimes it's better the second time.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Slouching Towards Bethlehem

UNABRIDGED
- by Joan Didion
- Narrated by Diane Keaton
Slouching Towards Bethlehem

UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 57 mins)

By Joan Didion

Narrated By Diane Keaton

Overall
(63)
Performance
(60)
Story
(58)

Universally acclaimed from the time it was first published in 1968, Slouching Towards Bethlehem has been admired for decades as a stylistic masterpiece. Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton (Annie Hall, The Family Stone) performs these classic essays, including the title piece, which will transport the listener back to a unique time and place: the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco during the neighborhood’s heyday as a countercultural center.
Victoria Wright says: "Didion deserves better."
"The 60's Again."

Overall
Performance
Story

What did you like about this audiobook?

Yes. She is a good writer.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

Walk down memory lane for me.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Fairly interesting and insightful. She has a good grasp of the zeitgeist of the 60's.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Done well.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Kill Decision

UNABRIDGED
- by Daniel Suarez
- Narrated by Jeff Gurner
Kill Decision

UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 6 mins)

By Daniel Suarez

Narrated By Jeff Gurner

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1679)
Performance
(1500)
Story
(1497)

Linda McKinney is a myrmecologist, a scientist who studies the social structure of ants. Her academic career has left her entirely unprepared for the day her sophisticated research is conscripted by unknown forces to help run an unmanned - and thanks to her research, automated - drone army. Odin is the secretive Special Ops soldier with a unique insight into the faceless enemy who has begun to attack the American homeland with drones programmed to seek, identify, and execute targets.
Mark says: "LEO WAS RIGHT, PART II"
"Techno thriller"

Overall
Performance
Story

What did you like best about Kill Decision? What did you like least?

Good and fairly accurate representation of modern technical weapons. Not enough reflection on morality of subject.

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

Not nearly as good as his Daemon.

Which scene was your favorite?

When they were dealing with the robotic dismantling of the ships.

Was Kill Decision worth the listening time?

Yes.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Walden: Life in the Woods

UNABRIDGED
- by Henry David Thoreau
- Narrated by Alec Sand
Walden: Life in the Woods

UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 8 mins)

By Henry David Thoreau

Narrated By Alec Sand

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(120)
Performance
(71)
Story
(72)

Thoreau's classic account of the solitary life, describing his attempts to simplify his life and sort out his priorities by living alone in a cabin beside Walden Pond for nearly two years, is one of the most influential books ever written. The bible of the environmental movement, Walden vividly portrays Thoreau's reverence for nature, and his understanding of the idea that nature is made up of crucially interrelated parts.
Darwin8u says: "SHAKES the Ground, Sun & the Wilderness within."
"A classic meditation."

Overall
Performance
Story

What did you like best about Walden? What did you like least?

Good perspective on the challenges of the modern world.

Would you recommend Walden to your friends? Why or why not?

Good reminder in this fast moving, technical world to slow down and enjoy life.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Read a slow, gentle story way too fast. Noe true to the spirit of the story.

Did Walden inspire you to do anything?

Slow down and smell the flowers.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Crime and Punishment (Recorded Books Edition)

UNABRIDGED
- by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Narrated by George Guidall
Crime and Punishment (Recorded Books Edition)

UNABRIDGED (25 hrs and 5 mins)

By Fyodor Dostoevsky

Narrated By George Guidall

Overall
(1219)
Performance
(441)
Story
(441)

Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is universally regarded as one of literature's finest achievements, as the great Russian novelist explores the inner workings of a troubled intellectual. Raskolnikov, a nihilistic young man in the midst of a spiritual crisis, makes the fateful decision to murder a cruel pawnbroker, justifying his actions by relying on science and reason, and creating his own morality system. Dehumanized yet sympathetic, exhausted yet hopeful, Raskolnikov represents the best and worst elements of modern intellectualism. The aftermath of his crime and Petrovich's murder investigation result in an utterly compelling, truly unforgettable cat-and-mouse game. This stunning dramatization of Dostoevsky's magnum opus brings the slums of St. Petersburg and the demons of Raskolnikov's tortured mind vividly to life.
Greg says: "Wonderful Book"
"Inner struggles are the most challenging."

Overall
Performance
Story

What could Fyodor Dostoevsky have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

He could have written about the inner struggles and consequences in a less ponderous and more believable way.

Was Crime and Punishment (Recorded Books Edition) worth the listening time?

For a classic of literature, I was a little disappointed. Not as powerful as I thought it would be. Expected it to be more like Poe's Tell Tale Heart.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Handmaid's Tale

UNABRIDGED
- by Margaret Atwood
- Narrated by Claire Danes
The Handmaid's Tale

UNABRIDGED (11 hrs)

By Margaret Atwood

Narrated By Claire Danes

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1253)
Performance
(1106)
Story
(1110)

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, serving in the household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife. She may go out once a day to markets whose signs are now pictures because women are not allowed to read. She must pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, for in a time of declining birthrates her value lies in her fertility, and failure means exile to the dangerously polluted Colonies. Offred can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost even her own name....
Melinda says: "Not So Far-Fetched -- Still Chilling"
"Good read with gently unfolding plot."

Overall
Performance
Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Good story of post apocalyptic America.

What other book might you compare The Handmaid's Tale to and why?

The Hunger Games. People struggling in a post apocalyptic world.

Which scene was your favorite?

The historical look back over the plot as an ending worked well as a literary device.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Light in August

UNABRIDGED
- by William Faulkner
- Narrated by Will Patton
Light in August

UNABRIDGED (15 hrs and 17 mins)

By William Faulkner

Narrated By Will Patton

Overall
(1040)
Performance
(585)
Story
(588)

An Oprah's Book Club Selection regarded as one of Faulkner's greatest and most accessible novels, Light in August is a timeless and riveting story of determination, tragedy, and hope. In Faulkner's iconic Yoknapatawpha County, race, sex, and religion collide around three memorable characters searching desperately for human connection and their own identities.
FanB14 says: "Perseverance in Face of Cruelty"
"Classic of the old south."

Overall
Performance
Story

Would you listen to Light in August again? Why?

I might. The storyline was rich and might even be worth a second read --something I almost never do.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Light in August?

When the main character walked from Alabama to Missippi while in the advanced stage of pregnancy.

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

We have improved race relations somewhat.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
On the Origin of Species

ABRIDGED
- by Charles Darwin
- Narrated by Richard Dawkins
On the Origin of Species

ABRIDGED (5 hrs and 53 mins)

By Charles Darwin

Narrated By Richard Dawkins

Overall
(310)
Performance
(128)
Story
(121)

Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion and a life-long committed Darwinist, abridges and reads this special audio version of Charles Darwin's famous book. A literally world-changing book, Darwin put forward the anti-religious and scientific idea that humans in fact evolved over millions of generations from animals, starting with fish, all the way up through the ranks to apes, then to our current form.
M says: "A Perfect Abridgement"
"Very readable story of how we got here."

Overall
Performance
Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The book was extremely well argued without being too technical. Not at all what I expected.

What about Richard Dawkins’s performance did you like?

Well paced and well articulated.

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

How we got here.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Word of Promise Complete Audio Bible: NKJV

UNABRIDGED
- by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
- Narrated by Jason Alexander , Joan Allen , Jim Caviezel , Richard Dreyfuss , Louis Gossett , Marcia Gay Harden , Stacy Keach , Malcolm McDowell , Gary Sinese , Marisa Tomei
The Word of Promise Complete Audio Bible: NKJV

UNABRIDGED (98 hrs and 4 mins)

By Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Narrated By Jason Alexander, Joan Allen, Jim Caviezel, and others

Overall
(1464)
Performance
(822)
Story
(823)

This faithful rendering of the New King James Version presents the Bible in more than 90 hours of compelling, dramatic audio theater format.This world-class audio production immerses listeners in the dramatic reality of the Scriptures as never before with an original music score by composer Stefano Mainetti (Abba Pater), feature film quality sound effects, and compelling narration by Michael York and the work of over 500 actors.
Nancy says: "Majestic listening"
"The Bible is still relevant."

Overall
Performance
Story

What made the experience of listening to The Word of Promise Complete Audio Bible: NKJV the most enjoyable?

Well paced and well performed.

What other book might you compare The Word of Promise Complete Audio Bible: NKJV to and why?

Along with Shakespear and Homer still a must read for any educated person. Necessary foundation for all of western literature.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Moses.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Snow Crash

UNABRIDGED
- by Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by Jonathan Davis
Snow Crash

UNABRIDGED (17 hrs and 8 mins)

By Neal Stephenson

Narrated By Jonathan Davis

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(4316)
Performance
(1733)
Story
(1764)

Neal Stephenson is a blazing new force on the sci-fi scene. With the groundbreaking cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, he has "vaulted onto the literary stage." It weaves virtual reality, Sumerian myth, and just about everything in between with a cool, hip cybersensibility - in short, it is the gigathriller of the information age.
Brent says: "A solid sci-fi novel"
"Good technofiction"

Overall
Performance
Story

Where does Snow Crash rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was one of the better books I've listened to. Enjoyed it.

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

Classic irreverent Stephanson. He has a good grasp on technology and integrates realistically and believably into engrossing plot.

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

Good reading voice paced well. Proper dramatic effects.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful