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Scott

Farmington, NY, United States | Member Since 2010

38
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 9 reviews
  • 59 ratings
  • 188 titles in library
  • 7 purchased in 2013
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  • The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 56 mins)
    • By Matt Ridley
    • Narrated By Simon Prebble
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (186)
    Performance
    (137)
    Story
    (131)

    Referring to Lewis Carroll's Red Queen from Through the Looking-Glass, a character who has to keep running to stay in the same place, Matt Ridley demonstrates why sex is humanity's best strategy for outwitting its constantly mutating internal predators.

    Scott says: "Great book!"
    "Great book!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    For anyone interested in evolutionary psychology or why humans are the way the are when it comes to sex, this is a absolute great read. The narration is great and the author has you laughing as much as learning throughout the story. One of the best evolutionary psychology reads I have yet come across.

    4 of 4 people found this review helpful
  • Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That?: And Other Reflections on Being Human

    • UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 57 mins)
    • By Jesse Bering
    • Narrated By Jesse Bering
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (108)
    Performance
    (95)
    Story
    (94)

    Why do testicles hang the way they do? Is there an adaptive function to the female orgasm? What does it feel like to want to kill yourself? Does “free will” really exist? And why is the penis shaped like that anyway? In Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That?, the research psychologist and award-winning columnist Jesse Bering features more than thirty of his most popular essays from Scientific American and Slate, as well as two new pieces, that take readers on a bold and captivating journey through some of the most taboo issues related to evolution and human behavior.

    Prairie says: "Entertaining"
    "Completely Sex Dominated"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I guess from the title I should not have been surprised that this book was completely dominated by the topic of sex. If you are interested in why some humans have foot fetishes, are attracted to animals or so many other sexual oddities, this book is definitely for you. If you are looking for a great read on sexual selection as it relates to human nature, I strongly suggest The Red Queen by Matt Ridley.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Sacred Band: Book Three of the Acacia Trilogy

    • UNABRIDGED (28 hrs and 2 mins)
    • By David Anthony Durham
    • Narrated By Dick Hill
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (194)
    Performance
    (165)
    Story
    (168)

    As The Sacred Band begins, one of them, Queen Corinn, bestrides the world as a result of her mastery of spells found in the ancient Book of Elenet. Her younger brother, Dariel, has been sent on a perilous mission to the Other Lands, while her sister, Mena, travels to the far north to confront an invasion of the feared race of the Auldek. Their separate trajectories will converge in a series of world-shaping, earth-shattering battles, all rendered with vividly imagined detail and in heroic scale.

    Keith says: "Good Series"
    "Great Series"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    The series ended as great as it started. I was locked in from the start of Book 1 to the end of Book 3. While Book 3 of Game of Thrones may be the best fantasy book on a stand alone basis, this is the best fantasy trilogy I have yet to come across. Highly recomended for anyone who loves the darkness of fantasy series.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The War with the Mein: Book One of the Acacia Trilogy

    • UNABRIDGED (29 hrs and 29 mins)
    • By David Anthony Durham
    • Narrated By Dick Hill
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (729)
    Performance
    (303)
    Story
    (311)

    A deadly assassin sent from a race called the Mein, exiled long ago to an ice-locked stronghold in the frozen north, strikes at Leodan Akaran, ruler of the Known World, while the Mein also unleash surprise attacks across the empire. On his deathbed, Leodan puts into play a plan to allow his children to escape, each to his separate destiny. And so his children begin a quest to avenge their father's death and restore the Acacian empire, this time on the basis of universal freedom.

    Glen says: "Thumbs up!"
    "Excellent Fantasy Story"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    After listening to the first few chapters, I was not sure if I wanted to continue. The story was hard to follow at first and seemed a little disjointed. Once you figured out who was who, the story picked up and I was glad I did not give up on it.

    This is a great story, excellent character development and surprises along the way. Dick Hill is one of the best narrators I have come across on Audible. He is absolutely fantastic.

    While I am only one book in, I wonder if this is the story of children coming to adulthood that I thought Game of Thrones was going to be.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies - How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 34 mins)
    • By Michael Shermer
    • Narrated By Michael Shermer
    Overall
    (574)
    Performance
    (384)
    Story
    (381)

    In this, his magnum opus, the world’s best known skeptic and critical thinker Dr. Michael Shermer—founding publisher of Skeptic magazine and perennial monthly columnist (“Skeptic”) for Scientific American—presents his comprehensive theory on how beliefs are born, formed, nourished, reinforced, challenged, changed, and extinguished.

    Leigh says: "Great material. Not-so-great narration."
    "Must read of anyone who wants to understand belief"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This was a very enlightening book. It is a must read for anyone interested in sociobiology or evolutionary psychology. Shermer explains belief in great detail. It is a book that everyone should read as it covers many topics most people have never stopped to contemplate. Shermer does a good job narrating.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Decoding Reality: The Universe as Quantum Information

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 12 mins)
    • By Vlatko Vedral
    • Narrated By Jay Russell
    Overall
    (95)
    Performance
    (22)
    Story
    (24)

    For a physicist, all the world is information. The universe and its workings are the ebb and flow of information. We are all transient patterns of information, passing on the recipe for our basic forms to future generations using a four-letter digital code called DNA. In this engaging and mind-stretching account, Vlatko Vedral considers some of the deepest questions about the universe and considers the implications of interpreting it in terms of information.

    Gary says: "Excellent on all counts."
    "Excellent Listen"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    If you are interested in learning about quantum physics, this is a great read. When you are finished with the book, you will have a general understanding of quantum physics as well as the critical role information plays in the formation of our reality. The chapters step nicely through the theory and the narrator’s slow tone is perfect for a topic that requires digestion as you listen to it. This is a book that can be understood by anyone despite the complex topic.

    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
  • The God Delusion

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 52 mins)
    • By Richard Dawkins
    • Narrated By Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (3584)
    Performance
    (1042)
    Story
    (1026)

    Discover magazine recently called Richard Dawkins "Darwin's Rottweiler" for his fierce and effective defense of evolution. Prospect magazine voted him among the top three public intellectuals in the world (along with Umberto Eco and Noam Chomsky). Now Dawkins turns his considerable intellect on religion, denouncing its faulty logic and the suffering it causes.

    Rick Just says: "Dangerous Religion"
    "Give it a chance"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    If you start listening to this book and don't like the tone or the approach of Richard Dawkins, don't give up on it. While the first couple of chapters seem to have no purpose other than to bash religion, the book really takes off after this and he gets into a great thought provoking groove. He makes some great points about religion, in particular how we treat our children when it comes to religion. Even if you are believer, this books is worth listening to as it has the potential to open your mind to ideas you may not have considered before.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Road to Serfdom

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 18 mins)
    • By Friedrich A. Hayek
    • Narrated By William Hughes
    Overall
    (395)
    Performance
    (244)
    Story
    (246)

    Originally published in 1944, The Road to Serfdom has profoundly influenced many of the world's great leaders, from Orwell and Churchill in the mid-'40s, to Reagan and Thatcher in the '80s. The book offers persuasive warnings against the dangers of central planning, along with what Orwell described as "an eloquent defense of laissez-faire capitalism".

    Scott says: "Classic"
    "Classic"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    After listening to the entire book, I wonder why this work would not be mandatory reading in either high school or college. Hayek teaches us so much about why socialism fails. The work is timeless as it is as relevant now as it was when he wrote it in the 1940s. Hayek is very matter of fact and his thoughts are presented much differently than the typical political author today who tends to demonize and minimize their political opponents.

    William Hughes does a great job narrating using emotion where appropriate, at times I feel like I might be listening to Hayek himself.

    This is a must read regardless of your political beliefs.

    17 of 19 people found this review helpful
  • The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature

    • UNABRIDGED (22 hrs and 44 mins)
    • By Steven Pinker
    • Narrated By Victor Bevine
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (517)
    Performance
    (208)
    Story
    (204)

    In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, one of the world's leading experts on language and the mind, explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. With characteristic wit, lucidity, and insight, Pinker argues that the dogma that the mind has no innate traits, denies our common humanity and our individual preferences, replaces objective analyses of social problems with feel-good slogans, and distorts our understanding of politics, violence, parenting, and the arts.

    C. J. Hamilton says: "Instant classic"
    "Excellent read on Human Nature"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This is a long book, but Victor Bevine's narration is excellent and keeps it from getting boring even as the author covers topics that did not interest me. For someone interested in learning about human nature and how it applies to our society, this is a great read.

    15 of 17 people found this review helpful

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