Brad W. Mackinaw
- 38
- reviews
- 7
- helpful votes
- 88
- ratings
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Men-of-War
- Life in Nelson’s Navy
- By: Patrick O’Brian
- Narrated by: Ronald Pickup
- Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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What was daily life in Nelson's navy really like, for everyone from the captain down to the rawest recruit? What did they eat? What songs did they sing? What was the schedule of watches? How were the officers and crew paid, and what was the division of prize-money? These questions and many more are answered in Patrick O'Brian's elegant narrative, which includes wonderful anecdotal material on the battles and commanders that established Britain's naval supremacy.
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NOT MUCH
- By Brad W. Mackinaw on 07-04-25
- Men-of-War
- Life in Nelson’s Navy
- By: Patrick O’Brian
- Narrated by: Ronald Pickup
NOT MUCH
Reviewed: 07-04-25
Given the skill of the author, this could have been an amazing read. However, the book is short on details, analysis and substance. It is totally lacking in any new or unique perspective. It offers nothing to set it apart from other, more insightful books.
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Horn of the Hunter
- The Story of an African Safari
- By: R. Ruark
- Narrated by: Paul Maitrejean
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of the author and his wife's two-month safari in East Africa in the 1950s. Ruark's philosophies are intertwined in the hunting stories to make unforgettable listening.
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Ruark’s fine Book, done superbly.
- By Dana S. on 07-07-25
- Horn of the Hunter
- The Story of an African Safari
- By: R. Ruark
- Narrated by: Paul Maitrejean
which Africa is it
Reviewed: 06-27-25
Is it the Africa of a new inexperienced hunter or of a super sniper?
Is he working together with his wife, or is she a bumbling idiot?
Does he love the native population or are they simple and niave?
The one constant is that Ruark remains a legend in his own mind.
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Out of Africa
- By: Isak Dinesen
- Narrated by: Julie Harris
- Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins
- Abridged
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Danish countess Karen Blixon, known as Isak Dineson, ran a coffee plantation in Kenya in the years when Africa remained a romantic and formidable continent to most Europeans. Out of Africa is her account of her life there, with stories of her respectful relationships with the Masai, Kikuyu, and Somali natives who work on her land; the European friends who visit her; and the imposing permanence of the wild, high land itself.
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I did not expect to enjoy this
- By Tyler Tanner on 10-08-14
- Out of Africa
- By: Isak Dinesen
- Narrated by: Julie Harris
What a beautiful descriptive story
Reviewed: 06-05-25
This was a great read. Her descriptive talent is only matches by her amazing, emotional performance.
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Greyhound (Movie Tie-In)
- A Novel
- By: C. S. Forester
- Narrated by: Jim Frangione
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The mission of Commander George Krause of the United States Navy is to protect a convoy of 37 merchant ships making their way across the icy North Atlantic from America to England. There, they will deliver desperately needed supplies, but only if they can make it through the wolf pack of German submarines that awaits and outnumbers them in the perilous seas. For 48 hours, Krause will play a desperate cat-and-mouse game against the submarines, combating exhaustion, hunger, and thirst to protect 50 million dollars worth of cargo and the lives of 3,000 men.
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More real than you can imagine....
- By David L. Carter on 01-07-21
- Greyhound (Movie Tie-In)
- A Novel
- By: C. S. Forester
- Narrated by: Jim Frangione
A great yarn
Reviewed: 05-12-25
When you focus on this as a fictional work, it's a great read. Don't nitpick about the details and enjoy.
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Wahoo
- The Patrols of America's Most Famous World War II Submarine
- By: Richard H. O'Kane
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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The career of the USS Wahoo in sinking Japanese ships in the farthest reaches of the Empire is legendary in submarine circles. Christened three months after Pearl Harbor, Wahoo was commanded by the astonishing Dudley W. "Mush" Morton, whose originality and daring new techniques led to results unprecedented in naval history; among them, successful "down the throat" barrage against an attacking Japanese destroyer, voracious surface-running gun attacks, and the sinking of a four-ship convoy in one day.
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story is excellent...narrator...aarrgg
- By Rudy Ganther on 04-26-20
- Wahoo
- The Patrols of America's Most Famous World War II Submarine
- By: Richard H. O'Kane
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
Best of the best
Reviewed: 04-17-25
Am amazing story. Well written with a minimum of hyperpole and grand standing. Kane has written two of the best books on the war in the Pacific.
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Clash of the Carriers
- The True Story of the Marianas Turkey Shoot of World War II
- By: Barrett Tillman, Stephen Coonts
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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The incredible true story of the most spectacular aircraft-carrier battle in history - World War II's Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. Here is the true account of those great and terrible days - by those who were there, in the thick of the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Drawing upon numerous interviews with American and Japanese veterans as well as official sources, Clash of the Carriers is an unforgettable testimonial to the bravery of those who fought and those who died in a battle that will never be forgotten.
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OUTSTANDING BOOK!!
- By Bill on 10-30-18
- Clash of the Carriers
- The True Story of the Marianas Turkey Shoot of World War II
- By: Barrett Tillman, Stephen Coonts
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
WELL DONE!!
Reviewed: 02-01-25
A great job. Great individual stories combined with an excellent analysis of the larger picture. Gives a good insight into the Japanese perspective.
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MiG Alley
- The US Air Force in Korea, 1950-53
- By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Of the many myths that emerged following the end of the Korean War, the prevailing one in the West was that of the absolute supremacy of US Air Force pilots and aircraft over their Soviet-supplied opponents. The claims of the 10:1 victory-loss ratio achieved by the US Air Force fighter pilots flying the North American F-86 Sabre against their communist adversaries, amongst other such fabrications, went unchallenged until the end of the Cold War, when Soviet records of the conflict were finally opened. From that point onwards, a very different story began to emerge.
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Excellent
- By Lorne on 11-27-19
- MiG Alley
- The US Air Force in Korea, 1950-53
- By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
- Narrated by: David de Vries
Not enough deep dive
Reviewed: 02-01-25
I would have liked to see much more detailed analysis of the air war - Especially from the Chinese/Russian perspective. Also, the book seems rather dismissive of the MIG and it's pilots.
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Midshipman Bolitho
- By: Alexander Kent
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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October 1772, Portsmouth. Sixteen-year-old Richard Bolitho waits to join the Gorgon, ordered to sail to the west coast of Africa and to destroy those who challenge the King's Navy. For Bolitho, and for many of the crew, it is a severe and testing initiation into the game of seamanship.
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This is *not* the book advertised.
- By Robert Bolin on 08-26-16
- Midshipman Bolitho
- By: Alexander Kent
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
Not quite LUCKY JACK
Reviewed: 12-12-24
This was a little bit of a disappointment. I would have liked more of a deeper dive into the character development. And the older brother seems to be the best storyline to develop.
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Framed
- Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions
- By: John Grisham, Jim McCloskey
- Narrated by: Jim McCloskey, Michael Beck, John Grisham
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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In his first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man, #1 bestselling author John Grisham and Centurion Ministries Founder Jim McCloskey share ten harrowing true stories of wrongful convictions. Impeccably researched and grippingly told, Framed offers an inside look at the injustice faced by the victims of the United States criminal justice system.
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Believable but unbelievable
- By kimberly on 10-20-24
- Framed
- Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions
- By: John Grisham, Jim McCloskey
- Narrated by: Jim McCloskey, Michael Beck, John Grisham
ENOUGH!!!
Reviewed: 12-02-24
This book could have been spectacular... The narrative was not up to snuff. Far too shrill and whiney.
Also more perspective and less broad judgement of the police and prosecutors. The flaw is glaring - especially in a book so eye opening and intriguing
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1 person found this helpful
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In the Hour of Victory
- The Royal Navy at War in the Age of Nelson
- By: Sam Willis
- Narrated by: Greg Wagland
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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When Napoleon eventually died in exile, the Lords of the Admiralty ordered that the original dispatches from seven major fleet battles - The Glorious First of June (1794), St Vincent (1797), Camperdown (1797), The Nile (1798), Copenhagen (1801), Trafalgar (1805), and San Domingo (1806) - should be gathered together and presented to the nation. These letters, written by Britain's admirals, captains, surgeons, and boatswains and sent back home in the midst of conflict, were bound in an immense volume, to be admired as a jewel of British history.
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Unique look at major Royal Navy battles
- By Tim on 05-21-16
- In the Hour of Victory
- The Royal Navy at War in the Age of Nelson
- By: Sam Willis
- Narrated by: Greg Wagland
DID IT OR DIDN'T IT???
Reviewed: 12-02-24
The dispatches and the context was excellent, especially the insight into captains and admirals.
However, the author ends with a long description of how the British Navy was not relevant and then seems to contradict himself.
A more complete analysis of either position would have been better appreciated.
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