DARRELL

A friend read several Eric Ambler books and raved about them, with this being his favorite. The situation seems strange from the perspective of 2011, but my knowledge of wartime Europe is only from history class. The plot is unusual, but it all seemed plausible for the times. I did think it could have used a bit less dialogue, but it was far from boring for me. And the introduction helped my understanding. Not for someone who likes fast-paced detective stories.

I had read one of Dr. Sacks books years ago, so I knew what I was in for. The stories of the people he has examined are fascinating and unusual. But when the discussion starts, the terms being used lost me sometimes. And without a printed copy to check spelling, they are difficult to look up for definition. Still, it is quite an enjoyable listen.

I can't say I understood all he wrote, but enough to admire his insight into religion and the human mind. The chapter on "Is Religion Child Abuse?" is extra-special. Confirms things I have thought about before. There are things in this book that will make some people's head explode.

I had read this decades ago. I wasn't all that impressed. But hearing it read aloud makes the poetry come through. There is a lot of musing on life and Paris and friends: and that is lovely to listen to. There really isn't any plot, just some extended narrative and a few anecdotes. I thought the narrator did a good job of playing the observer that Henry Miller was. My only complaint was that it needed more chapter breaks.

Much of this book is wonderful and unusual. The friendship, love affair, whatever it was, between Patti & Robert is strange but lovely. The major part of this book is about their lives as they struggled to live in NYC and become artists. The stories of the NYC art scene in the 70's are interesting. But as they got more into it all, the name dropping became kind of tedious and I found the narrative getting less compelling. Still I would recommend the book to anyone with any interest in that era. Patti Smith tells a good story, with a rather sad ending for many of the people involved.

I missed that this was an abridged version. And it is only about 30% of the full version. No wonder it seemed like things moved very fast. Nonetheless it was a pleasant listen for 3 hours. Much of it seems dated in this era of more openness for gay people.

I went to see the rescue capsule at the Smithsonian and had seen some one-year later interviews on TV. I wanted to learn more about the men involved and what they went through. This book tries to make you understand and mostly succeeds. A great account of the entrapment and the rescue. The author does a decent job of mixing the two venues: the tunnel with the 33 miners and the mountaintop with the hundreds of rescuers, government officials, journalists and family members. There was a lot going on in both places. And the TV news didn't come close to telling the whole story. Here are many more details, along with some of the individual human stories. I found it quite enjoyable and exciting and emotional.

With all the swearing (really too much of the "F" word), I cannot imagine anyone but Mr. Jillette reading this book. It is a real performance from beginning to end. And I really enjoyed it. I was not expecting so much about his life, but they was really the best parts of the book. He is a great storyteller. And has some stories to tell, many with a lesson to be learned.

This novel was recommended by several friends who read it and loved it. I was tired of it long before it came to the end. The style is so plain and unadorned. It is just plot, and nearly endless plot. I did want to find out how it all ended, but so much simple, unadorned language is tedious to listen to. I did think the performance was excellent. If it hadn't been I probably would have abandoned the book without knowing how it all worked out.

This is the first somewhat serious scientific book I have listened to. A different experience from fiction or memoir. And this book is still written for a general audience, not a scientist, so it wasn't difficult to understand. It has some humor, which the reader was very skilled at presenting.

The subject is certainly controversial, but I thought the authors did a great job of making their point. They include many quotes from other scientists, both to support their theory, and from the other side. Then they point out the errors, or inconsistencies from the contrary position. Anyone with an interest in human sexuality would find this book to be interesting.