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Jan

Galax, VA, United States | Member Since 2002

92
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 24 reviews
  • 41 ratings
  • 576 titles in library
  • 15 purchased in 2013
FOLLOWING
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FOLLOWERS
7

  • Ghostman

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 45 mins)
    • By Roger Hobbs
    • Narrated By Jake Weber
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (167)
    Performance
    (147)
    Story
    (147)

    When a casino robbery in Atlantic City goes horribly awry, the man who orchestrated it is obliged to call in a favor from someone who's occasionally called Jack. While it's doubtful that anyone knows his actual name or anything at all about his true identity, or even if he's still alive, he's in his mid-30s and lives completely off the grid, a criminal's criminal who does entirely as he pleases and is almost impossible to get in touch with.

    Hassan says: "Authentic And Full of Action!!"
    "Highly engaging listen"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    A unique and interesting character (the Ghost Man) escorts you into the world of high profile bank robbery. A great match of voice and character personality.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Chiefs

    • UNABRIDGED (17 hrs and 27 mins)
    • By Stuart Woods
    • Narrated By Mark Hammer
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (917)
    Performance
    (379)
    Story
    (379)

    In 1919, Delano, Georgia, appoints its first chief of police. Honest and hardworking, the new chief is puzzled when young men start to disappear. But his investigation is ended by the fatal blast from a shotgun. Delano's second chief-of-police is no hero, yet he is also disturbed by what he sees in the missing-persons bulletins. In 1969, when Delano's third chief takes over, the unsolved disappearances still haunt the police files.

    Michael says: "Absolutely Terrific!"
    "Stuart Woods before he Turned Bad"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Woods wrote two or three amazing books before he devolved into the James Patterson-like, formulaic book a year for the money-type author (Stone Barrington-drechhhh). This book is a total classic, great characters, intricate and compelling plot line, awesome story telling and a very satisfying long length. An interesting picture of the old south in a small town in rural Georgia.

    I read the book back when it first came out, and bought the audiobook recently on a whim during a down month for new titles with an about to expire credit. I was not disappointed.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The Omega Command

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 40 mins)
    • By Jon Land
    • Narrated By Lance Axt
    Overall
    (11)
    Performance
    (9)
    Story
    (11)

    A space shuttle is destroyed during flight, and the CIA recalls disgraced agent Blaine McCracken to uncover the people responsible. A space shuttle disappears during a routine repair mission, 180 miles above Earth’s surface. An intelligence operative with a dark secret is murdered, his car set ablaze, while he is in the middle of fulfilling a depraved fantasy. And a reporter receives a message from a dying man that suggests the organization responsible may be one of the world’s most prestigious corporations. The government knows just one man who can untangle this mystery: a throwaway on the deactivated list. Exiled to a desk job in Paris for stepping on the wrong toes, Blaine McCracken is a killer—a ruthless pursuer of truth who will let no one, friend or enemy, stand in his way when civilian lives are in danger. McCracken gets results, and his country needs him now more than ever.

    Jan says: "A Cartoon"
    "A Cartoon"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This was a cartoon from the clumsy plotline to the ham-handed reader performance. At first I thought it was so bad it was good, but I finally concluded it was just bad. Been with Audible since '01 or so; this was the second book I didn't finish.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

    • UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 34 mins)
    • By Carol Dweck
    • Narrated By Marguerite Gavin
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (639)
    Performance
    (337)
    Story
    (335)

    Mindset is one of those rare audio books that can help you make positive changes in your life and at the same time see the world in a new way. A leading expert in motivation and personality psychology, Carol Dweck has discovered in more than 20 years of research that our mindset is not a minor personality quirk: it creates our whole mental world. It explains how we become optimistic or pessimistic. It shapes our goals, our attitude toward work, and ultimately predicts whether or not we will fulfull our potential.

    Gary says: "Very helpful and informative."
    "Essential Reading for Professionals and Parents"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    There is lots of repetition, and some since de-valued examples, like Tiger Woods and Roger Clemons. Still, the book delivers invaluable insights to those who frequently face new challenges and opportunities. It's the one book that you wish you could get your teenage children to read (still trying to work that one out myself).

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Threat Vector

    • UNABRIDGED (18 hrs and 22 mins)
    • By Tom Clancy, Mark Greaney
    • Narrated By Lou Diamond Phillips
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1882)
    Performance
    (1607)
    Story
    (1610)

    Jack Ryan has only just moved back into the Oval Office when he is faced with a new international threat. An aborted coup in the People's Republic of China has left President Wei Zhen Lin with no choice but to agree with the expansionist policies of General Su Ke Quiang. They have declared the South China Sea a protectorate and are planning an invasion of Taiwan. The Ryan administration is determined to thwart China’s ambitions, but the stakes are dangerously high as a new breed of powerful Chinese anti-ship missiles endanger the US Navy's plans to protect the island.

    Charles says: "The Clancy that gave us Clear & Present..."
    "Serviceable Clancy"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    You know how Clancy books (most books) go; someone is attacking the US, it looks bad, gets worse, the tide turns, the good guys win with only minor injuries via displays of brilliance and bravery. Jack Ryan and progeny come out shining like a rose.

    Knowing that going in, this book is serviceable, but not exceptional. Good plot line, fun locations, reasonable action, characters you know and love. Better for old time Clancy fans than for newbies trying their first (start with Patriot Games, or Without Remorse).

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Butcher's Boy

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 17 mins)
    • By Thomas Perry
    • Narrated By Michael Kramer
    Overall
    (425)
    Performance
    (240)
    Story
    (237)

    Thomas Perry's Edgar Award-winning debut novel follows a professional hitman on the run from both the mafia and the government.

    richard says: "A writer with extreme talents."
    "If you like Jack Reacher, you'll enjoy this"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Perry does a great job creating a tension between a surprisingly sympathetic mob hit man and the Department of Justice lawyer who is chasing him. First in a series that I've pretty much finished.

    Not your prototypical enjoyable listen. The reader sounds a bit like a 50's film noir detective (just the facts, ma'am) and the hit man guesses right just a bit too often, but it all ... just ... works.

    If you like Reacher, I'm guessing you'll like the Butcher's Boy. Not 6'4", but the same kind of analytical thinking and get 'er done attitude. A total steal at the $4.95 sale price; definitely worth it at full retail.

    2 of 4 people found this review helpful
  • The Simple Truth

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 17 mins)
    • By David Baldacci
    • Narrated By Jonathan Marosz
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (408)
    Performance
    (314)
    Story
    (316)

    Michael Fiske broke the law when he took Rufus Harms's prison letter from the Supreme Court. But he also sealed his own fate. Now Michael's brother, a cop turned attorney, is coming to Washington to find out why his brother was murdered - and what it had to do with a crime that Rufus Harms committed 25 years before.

    Ted says: "Disappoint? Balcacci? Not Likely!"
    "Fair story, mediocre performance, awful production"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This is one of Baldacci's worst; the characters are put in hard to imagine places and keep doing incredibly stupid things.

    The narrator sounds like a 50's detective with all characters; young, old, male, female, like Joe Friday on a particularly monotone day.

    There's an audible pop at the start of about 15% of the sentences in the book, but concentrated, like 10 sentences in a row, so it gets irritating. Not quite sure how the audio engineer missed it, but it's distracting.

    I finished the book, so it's not terrible overall, but a definite 2 stars max.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • In the Woods

    • UNABRIDGED (20 hrs and 23 mins)
    • By Tana French
    • Narrated By Steven Crossley
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (3575)
    Performance
    (1731)
    Story
    (1727)

    As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children, unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

    Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery.

    Lesley says: "Detection with a Difference"
    "Looking for the Next Lee Child?"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I'm always on the lookout for multiple book authors like Child, John Sanford, Crais and even Clancy and Grisham. Judging from this first book, Ms. French could be next.

    This book was a nice break from the American, everything ties up neatly in the end approach. The characters are intriguing and flawed, and ultimately pay the price (and that's the good guy), but oh so compelling, the realpolitik is (gasp) realistic, the story complex and engaging.

    The reader was awesome, crafting words and accents with care, precision and art. Definitely a pleasure and a lovely change of pace to listen to an English accent.

    As other reviewers have said, I cleaned the kitchen much longer, took the long way home day after day and stayed up late multiple times to get to the end of this one.

    First novels by great authors are one of the rarest and greatest pleasures in reading/listening. Don't miss this one.

    5 of 5 people found this review helpful
  • Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 40 mins)
    • By John J. Medina
    • Narrated By John J. Medina
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1182)
    Performance
    (532)
    Story
    (526)

    Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know - such as the brain's need for physical activity to work at its best. How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget - and so important to repeat new information? Is it true that men and women have different brains?

    Ben says: "My favorite book for students."
    "Essential reading for all professionals"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Gosh, where to start? The chapters on how sleep and exercise are critical for anyone who thinks the can burn the candle at both ends and succeed long term. Multitasking? Hah! An urban myth.

    As I write and speak frequently, I found the chapter on maintaining the attention of readers and seminar attendees/students/delegates particularly useful, and it will change how I perform both of these tasks forevermore. This chapter alone was well worth the Audible price and I ended up buying the hard copy for future reference.

    The performance was competent and the reader/author was likeable and he kept my attention during the long Christmas drives I used to listen to this book.

    Overall, a very valuable read that I'm sure I'll listen to/read again.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

    • UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 12 mins)
    • By Robert A. Heinlein
    • Narrated By Lloyd James
    Overall
    (2154)
    Performance
    (1029)
    Story
    (1045)

    In what is considered one of Heinlein's most hair-raising, thought-provoking, and outrageous adventures, the master of modern science fiction tells the strange story of an even stranger world. It is 21st-century Luna, a harsh penal colony where a revolt is plotted between a bashful computer and a ragtag collection of maverick humans, a revolt that goes beautifully until the inevitable happens. But that's the problem with the inevitable: it always happens.

    Harry says: "Reasonable adaption, but pauses in funny places"
    "I was disappointed"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Like many reviewers, I read this book many times back in the 80's and 90's and loved it. I was enticed by a recent $4.99 special to buy the audio version. I found it lacking in three respects.

    - Direction - Manny's Russian accent was appropriate, but he spoke with the flatness of a cyborg. Prof feels totally wrong, sounding more effeminate than the practical, crusty and insightful academic/revolutionary. He sounded closer to 30 than 70. Plus, the director failed to catch the deficits in the performance noted below.

    - Editing - too many gaps in conversations that were both distracting and confusing.

    - Performance - Manny's Russian accent often lapsed into ordinary American English, and many characters sounded very similar. Old, young, male, female, it was often hard to tell them apart.

    Overall, I wanted a performance that lived up to the story, which is one of Heinlein's best. This didn't.

    If you've never read this book, ignore this message and have a listen. The story is that good. If you read the book and loved it, and are looking to enjoy it anew in another medium, you may be disappointed.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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