T. Combs

No. I don't mind listening to the book because I'm not willing to spend my limited print reading time on it, but I think that being able to refer back to certain parts and facts would be quite useful.

The explanations about different types of sugars was quite interesting. Scientific and detailed enough, but not boring and PhD Chemist level...

Sean Runnette is a competent reader who enunciates well, but I find his voice to lack character and inflection. I couldn't listen to this performance for hours on end, but snippets here and there are fine.

This book lends itself to short, bursts of listening rather than long hours all at once. It would be a great commute book for a half hour a day or so. Probably not so great for a long roadtrip.

No one who is familiar with the work of Edmund Morris will be surprised that this is a superlative book. Give a great biographer a character as great as Roosevelt and a spellbinding read is the inevitable result.

I won't rehash the life of Theodore (please don't call him Teddy, he preferred Theodore or T.D.) Roosevelt in this review. Suffice it to say that it was a marvelous life and if you aren't acquainted with it...you should be!

The most fertile imagination couldn't dream up a character as wild and wonderful as Roosevelt, so even if you are more inclined to fiction, you'll enjoy this book. I can't recommend it enough.

One word of warning, you may find yourself sitting in your car in the parking lot of your destination, not wanting to get out and leave the story behind!

Somewhere in the middle. It's a short listen, so I don't feel like I wasted my time or money, but I have to admit that it's my least favorite of his three books. *That said, I loved his other two books, and only like this one. So saying it's my least favorite isn't a harsh indictment of it.

The entire book is aphorisms. Just short, little, sentences about observations Taleb has made. Some are really insightful, some are pretty stupid.

Really insightful:
"For the robust, an error is information; for the fragile, an error is an error."

Pretty stupid:
"Never say 'no' twice."

Yes.

Check out the preview. If you like it, there's lots more just like it. If you don't, then save your credit. I think this book will divide between "like it a lot" and "wow that's dumb." I am in the first camp; my wife in the latter.

The book addresses the technical aspects of the internet without alienating those of us who don't have advanced degrees in computer science. It's a nice mix of technical and human interest, too. Maybe geeks are actually pretty normal people?!

The author does a nice job of employing descriptive language as he describes the interiors of the few buildings in the world (data exchanges) that really are the hubs of the internet. The public will never be permitted in there, but after hearing this book, I had a pretty good picture in my mind of what they're like.

Author narrated books can be hit or miss. I think that Mr. Blum is an excellent writer and a good reader. Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the subject matter.

I haven't read the book but I will say that this first person autobiography really lends itself to audio performance.

It's a glimpse into a world that very few of us get to see...the world of covert, high end military action. I should add that while this is a military story, it's also the story of a man who pushes himself to the absolute limits of physical and mental exertion and how it's shaped him. For obvious reasons, the author limits the amount of detail about his personal life that is exposed, but I think it would be interesting from a psychological perspective to know more about "what makes him tick."

I would assume that this story is mostly true but of course, have no way of knowing for sure. If you are seeking absolute facts, this book may let you down, but if you want a riveting tale of a life led on the "bleeding edge," look no further.

The author clearly isn't a fan of Barack Obama, but he does a decent job of keeping politics out of the book until the very end.

It's way too full of filler. A good editor could cut out at least 50% of this book.

At the risk of redundancy...make it shorter!

computer like voice.

No. It was really too much "fluff" as it is.

If you are really interested in the topic, you will probably make it through this book...but if you aren't really interested, I'll bet $10 you won't make it all the way through. It's a tough slog at times.

I haven't read the print edition or seen the movie. The audiobook was great though.

Our family didn't have a favorite. There are several characters in the book (mostly teenagers) who have roughly equal billing, so it isn't really a "favorite character" sort of book. You definitely have a sense of "the good guys" and "the bad guys," though...and of course, we rooted for the good guys.

Nothing. She was fine. Keep in mind that this book is by an Australian author and the story takes place in Australia...so it makes sense that the reader is Australian, too. Her accent was fine with us, but I'd recommend you listen to the preview for a couple of minutes to make sure it's pleasant for you.

There has to be a certain willingness on the part of the listener to accept the true implausibility of this story. It's really not likely that a ragtag bunch of teens could meaningfully carry on guerilla warfare against an organized, invading army. It's also nearly impossible to think that the United States and Great Britain would stand by while Australia is taken over by a hostile force.

If you can get past those things, the action is exciting and we all especially liked the story of the gasoline tanker truck, the bridge, and the cattle.

Here's the one caveat: There's some sex and some swearing in the book. It's not rated X, but certainly PG-13. Our 14 year old daughter squirmed uncomfortably at times as we listened to it together on a recent road trip. We're not prudish, but there are overt references to sex ("when we got back, she quickly pulled her hand out from inside his pants" kind of stuff.) IMO, it was fine for adults and teens, but I certainly wouldn't let kids hear it. Just my two cents, maybe you feel differently.

There aren't tons of audiobooks that hold interest for our 14 year old daughter, as well as my wife and myself. However, this one was perfect for a recent road trip. We listened to the book the whole way through and it was nice to listen as a family, instead of breaking off into our own little worlds of iPods and headphones. The content of the book is at times emotional and meaningful, so it lead to some great discussions, too. How many books will get a teenager willingly talking about "hard things?"

The book, while fiction, is written in a first person, autobiographical, journal entry, format. We all liked the main character. You don't learn her name until the last minute of the book, so I won't spoil it here.

Probably. Be advised that she is an Australian reader (which makes sense because the author of this book is Australian, and the story takes place in Australia) so she has an accent that you will probably find pleasant or off-putting. Check out the preview for a couple of minutes before purchasing this book.

It was, and we did. The miles and hours on the Interstate went quickly as we were engrossed in the story.

Yes, I would. Even a non baseball fan who likes a good human interest story would enjoy it.

It's basically a good autobiography. It's not a "sports story," although since the author is a Major League Baseball player there are sports in it. It's really a human story about a man and his successes and failures in life. I thought it was very authentic and personal. There was no self-aggrandizing or bragging. Just an honest assessment of life. I would imagine it was therapeutic to write, and I thought it was therapeutic to read. In that way, it's unique (in my experience) among sports autobiographies.

Sure. The reader has a very plaintive, earnest tone to his voice, which fit this material very well. He's not on my top 10 favorite list or anything, but I'd definitely consider another performance of his.

Lots of parts. I don't want to spoil anything though, so I will leave it at that.

R.A. Dickey is a Christian and makes no attempt to disguise or minimize that fact. The book isn't preachy or proselytizing, but Dickey's Christian faith is ever present throughout the story.

Additionally, there are several points in the audio book where the same passage is repeated. It's only a paragraph or so; nothing overwhelming. But I thought it deserves a mention. It seems a rather amateurish error that could easily be avoided by the producer with a little more care.