Roland
- 10
- reviews
- 4
- helpful votes
- 94
- ratings
-
Why We Hate the Oil Companies
- Straight Talk from an Energy Insider
- By: John Hofmeister
- Narrated by: John Hofmeister
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 34
As president of Shell Oil, John Hofmeister was known for being a straight shooter, willing to challenge his peers throughout the industry. Now, he's a man on a mission, the founder of Citizens for Affordable Energy, crisscrossing the country in a grassroots campaign to change the way we look at energy in this country.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Learned a little, sort of expected different.
- By Joseph on 05-31-10
- Why We Hate the Oil Companies
- Straight Talk from an Energy Insider
- By: John Hofmeister
- Narrated by: John Hofmeister
Some good, some bad
Reviewed: 07-14-11
This author is not completely an apologist for the oil industry, but that's what he does for the first half of the book. The second half is a sensible analysis of our energy sources , how much we need, and honest appraisals of alternative sources, done from the perspective of an engineer. Worth listening to to get a balanced insight to energy policy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
American Prometheus
- The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
- By: Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 26 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,766
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,821
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,832
J. Robert Oppenheimer was one of the iconic figures of the 20th century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb but later confronted the moral consequences of scientific progress. When he proposed international controls over atomic materials, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb, and criticized plans for a nuclear war, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup during the anti-Communist hysteria of the early 1950s.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An American Tragedy
- By Edith on 12-13-07
- American Prometheus
- The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
- By: Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
too much is too much
Reviewed: 07-14-11
The book is written like an English class assignment.."write a very long essay about an important american, minimum length 600 pages." If you want to know what kind of underwear he wore, and what his mother had to say about it, and how his fifth-grade teacher influenced him to change it, and what he packed for lunch, listen to this book. I've had this recording a year now, and keep going back to it, because Oppenheimer's story should be fascinating, amazing. But I can't get through it. Socialist/communist parents, brilliant kid, instrumental in managing the development of the atomic bomb for the defense of the US, an outspoken patriot, then ostracized by a reactive element of the US Govt. (remember McCarthy and the red scare?). How could this story be told in such a way as to be so deadly dull? How could his every encounter with key American figures at such a pivotal time in our history be so anesthetic? The author manages.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Old Man's War
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27,964
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 24,869
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24,868
John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army. The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce—and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding. Earth itself is a backwater.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fun and Witty Military Sci-Fi
- By M. Spencer on 10-21-12
- Old Man's War
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: William Dufris
A good story
Reviewed: 12-12-10
Well written, well narrated, unusual take on the psychology of battle, youth, and aging. Not brilliant, but very good. I found myself wanting to stay in the car, to keep listening to the story. A good book for a road trip.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
The Great Influenza
- The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History
- By: John M. Barry
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 19 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,856
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,371
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,355
In the winter of 1918, at the height of World War I, history's most lethal influenza virus erupted in an army camp in Kansas, moved east with American troops, then exploded, killing as many as 100 million people worldwide. It killed more people in 24 weeks than AIDS has killed in 24 years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. But this was not the Middle Ages, and 1918 marked the first collision between modern science and epidemic disease.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book but very disturbing...
- By Tim on 01-15-09
- The Great Influenza
- The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History
- By: John M. Barry
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
I starting to ache....
Reviewed: 03-14-07
Ever have to write a 10 page essay, but said it all in the first page? Well this author had an essay of good material but had to write a book. Long digressions into the celebrations of the first trans-atlantic telegraph cable..the application of science to medical arts..a smug history of "modern" medicine..all tiresomely told. I'm afraid I can't finish this book before I develop a fever myself...If you want to know about the topic, listen to "FLU", much better told, and shorter.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Flu
- The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus that Caused It
- By: Gina Kolata
- Narrated by: Gina Kolata
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 488
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 230
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 227
Feeling feverish, tired, or achy? Listening to Gina Kolata's engrossing account of the 1918 Influenza epidemic is sure to give you the chills. A gripping work of science writing, Flu addresses the prospects for a great epidemic recurring, and considers what can be done to prevent it.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
overexcited
- By Marilyn on 07-23-03
- Flu
- The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus that Caused It
- By: Gina Kolata
- Narrated by: Gina Kolata
a-smchoo!
Reviewed: 07-04-06
good topic, bad reader. Sorry Gina, between poor diction and your slight speech impediment, you mess up your otherwise interesting book. Mumbled speech in audio media is like smudged type in a book....not OK. I would read this, not listen to it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Portuguese Irregular Verbs
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 3 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 242
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 151
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 150
From New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, creator of the phenomenally popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels and winner of the inaugural Saga Award for Wit, comes the first wonderfully entertaining novel starring Professor Doctor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, distinguished philologist, and frequently inept human.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Delightful Read
- By E. Pearson on 12-26-08
- Portuguese Irregular Verbs
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
A Long-time laughing
Reviewed: 03-20-06
Brilliant! Very Funny! I and my teenage children were talking and laughing about the pompous and self-absorbed Herr Professor Doctor Doctor von Englefeldt and his friend and rival, Professor Unterholz long after the book had ended. Kept everyone absorbed for it's entirety on a long drive to Florida down I-95. I chuckle still, writing this.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Rising Tide
- The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
- By: John M. Barry
- Narrated by: Barry Grizzard
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 534
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 404
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 404
An American epic of science, politics, race, honor, high society, and the Mississippi River, Rising Tide tells the riveting and nearly forgotten story of the greatest natural disaster this country has ever known, the Mississippi flood of 1927. The river inundated the homes of nearly one million people, helped elect Huey Long governor and made Herbert Hoover president, drove hundreds of thousands of blacks north, and transformed American society and politics forever.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Where is the rest of the book?
- By Susie on 10-21-13
- Rising Tide
- The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
- By: John M. Barry
- Narrated by: Barry Grizzard
good listen!
Reviewed: 03-03-06
The author brings the reader's interest in right from the beginning, and paints a panoramic picture of the forces, both of nature and man, at play in this stunning event that altered national politics. It's sobering that we (and the media) are so unaware of the regular, catastrophic flood history of the region.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Treasure Island
- By: Robert Louis Stevenson
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 142
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 41
Young Jim Hawkins quiet life as the son of an innkeeper changes when an ancient sailor takes up lodging at the inn. When the old man dies without paying his bill, Jim must search the sailor's one possession, a large sea-chest, for payment. He finds a map that is the key to a fortune. This commences a Caribbean treasure hunt, with pirate Long John Silver only steps behind!
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Truly a pleasure to listen too.
- By Richard on 09-04-03
- Treasure Island
- By: Robert Louis Stevenson
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
Aye Matey, well done!
Reviewed: 12-09-05
Who could not like "Treasure Island", Long John Silver, Jim Hawkins, the Admiral Benbow Inn? The quintessential pirate treasure tale, Stevenson's work is a better listen than read; I've found this true with much late 1800, early 1900 literature (like Huckleberry Finn). The reader does a great job. If your only experience has been printed, try a listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
The Memory of Running
- By: Ron McLarty
- Narrated by: Ron McLarty
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,533
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,671
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,663
In late 2003, in his column in Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King called The Memory of Running "the best novel you won't read this year." This glowing endorsement of the audiobook resulted in Ron McLarty receiving a $2 million two-book deal from Viking Penguin. Also, Warner Brothers has shelled out big bucks for the movie rights to The Memory of Running, for which McLarty will write the script.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Funny and Fascinating, A Wonderful Book
- By Ripp on 02-18-04
- The Memory of Running
- By: Ron McLarty
- Narrated by: Ron McLarty
Take this on a long trip!
Reviewed: 11-17-05
This audio book is remarkably well read, and the story sucked me in within the first chapter. I hated to get out of my car and leave it. My wife enjoyed it as much as me...an unusual occurence. Wonderful. Get it, you won't be disappointed.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Founding Fish
- By: John McPhee
- Narrated by: John McPhee
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 137
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 87
Few fish are as beloved, or as obsessed over, as the American shad. Although shad spend most of their lives in salt water, they enter rivers by the hundreds of thousands in the spring and swim upstream heroic distances in order to spawn, then return to the ocean.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Read and released.
- By Darwin8u on 11-14-14
- The Founding Fish
- By: John McPhee
- Narrated by: John McPhee
asleep in the deep
Reviewed: 07-04-05
John McPhee's books often start slow, but become steadily more and more interesting and informative as you go along. The Founding Fish mixes his obsession with fishing for shad with info on this amazing little fish, and it's importance in American History. Unfortunately the reader sounds like the slow kid in your third grade reading circle, making McPhee's slow story development unbearable. I can't get through it even after 4 determined tries. If you like McPhee, try The Pine Barrens, or Oranges, or Basin and Range, or The Delta Pumkinseed.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful