Nate W.
- 17
- reviews
- 20
- helpful votes
- 257
- ratings
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Watership Down
- By: Richard Adams
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Fiver could sense danger. Something terrible was going to happen to the warren; he felt sure of it. They had to leave immediately. So begins a long and perilous journey of survival for a small band of rabbits. As the rabbits skirt danger at every turn, we become acquainted with the band, its humorous characters, and its compelling culture, complete with its own folk history and mythos.
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A Classic Rabbit Epic
- By Jefferson on 02-19-11
- Watership Down
- By: Richard Adams
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
Yes, it's about rabbits. Yes, you should read it.
Reviewed: 09-24-15
This book sat unread on my shelf for years. I bought it on the recommendation of many friends, but was always held back by the rabbit thing.
Don't be held back by the rabbit thing.
This is a wonderful book -- full of adventure and spirit in a way not unlike The Hobbit. Also like The Hobbit, it kind of masquerades as a kids book, but its depth and darkness and insight into humanity betray the fact that it is not really a kids book at all.
Ralph Cosham's narration could not be more perfect.
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2 people found this helpful
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Blade Runner
- Originally published as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
- By: Philip K. Dick
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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It was January 2021, and Rick Deckard had a license to kill. Somewhere among the hordes of humans out there lurked several rogue androids. Deckard's assignment: find them and then..."retire" them. Trouble was, the androids all looked exactly like humans, and they didn't want to be found!
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This is the original Do Androids Dream of Electric
- By D. ABIGT on 08-29-10
- Blade Runner
- Originally published as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
- By: Philip K. Dick
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
Wanted to like this, but . . .
Reviewed: 03-21-14
. . . I didn't.
Two reasons:
1. Poor character development. You never really know or learn enough about Deckard to understand his actions.
2. Uneven writing. Dick spends paragraphs and pages describing Deckard's dreams of purchasing an animal, but not much more than a few sentences describing how or why he fell for Rachel. Mercerism is never really laid out enough give the viewer any idea of what is going on with those scenes.
Scott Brick is solid as usual, though he hams up the noir tone a bit too heavily here.
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2 people found this helpful
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Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1 - 5)
- By: Hugh Howey
- Narrated by: Minnie Goode
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.
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"0" Star Performance
- By Nina on 09-02-12
- Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1 - 5)
- By: Hugh Howey
- Narrated by: Minnie Goode
Ok, not great.
Reviewed: 03-21-14
Story: Well written, starts strong, and the first half really pulls you in. The second half drags a bit.
Narrator: As noted by others, her male character voices are almost comically bad.
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Delivered From Distraction
- Getting the Most Out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder
- By: Edward M. Hallowell M.D., John J. Ratey M.D.
- Narrated by: Dan Cashman
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1994, Driven to Distraction sparked a revolution in our understanding of attention deficit disorder. Now a second revolution is under way in the approach to ADD, and the news is great. Drug therapies, our understanding of the role of diet and exercise, even the way we define the disorder, all are changing radically. And doctors are realizing that millions of adults suffer from this condition, though the vast majority of them remain undiagnosed and untreated.
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Read the book
- By Delano on 07-20-10
- Delivered From Distraction
- Getting the Most Out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder
- By: Edward M. Hallowell M.D., John J. Ratey M.D.
- Narrated by: Dan Cashman
Essential Reading
Reviewed: 11-27-13
Put simply, this book is essential reading/listening for anyone who has ADD or loves someone who does.
As an adult with ADD, I've read several books on the topic. This is the best one.
Practical, readable and empathetic, it has opened my eyes, changed my thinking and my actions, and helped me understand my own brain in profound ways.
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Blind Descent
- The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth
- By: James Tabor
- Narrated by: Don Leslie
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Blind Descent explores both the brightest and darkest aspects of the timeless human urge to discover - to be first. It is also a thrilling epic about a pursuit that makes even extreme mountaineering and ocean exploration pale by comparison.
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Amazing Courage!!
- By RGH on 11-07-10
- Blind Descent
- The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth
- By: James Tabor
- Narrated by: Don Leslie
Great story, poorly organized and poorly narrated.
Reviewed: 11-27-13
The source material for Blind Descent is fascinating and more than a little terrifying to imagine. Unfortunately the story suffers a bit in Tabor's treatment. It's poorly organized - - jumping around and difficult to follow in places.
The writing veers into melodrama and hyperbole more than it should (ie, repeated statements like "what happened next would haunt him for the rest of his life..."). This problem is compounded by the narration. At times it sounds like you're listening to a book length movie trailer.
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The Shepherd of the Hills
- By: Harold Bell Wright
- Narrated by: Jack Sondericker
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Strangers aren't well received in the Mutton Hollow neighborhood of the Ozarks. But there was something different about this old gentleman. The cut of his clothes revealed he was obviously from the world beyond the ridges.
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a timeless masterpiece
- By Stevon on 08-30-11
- The Shepherd of the Hills
- By: Harold Bell Wright
- Narrated by: Jack Sondericker
They don't write books like this anymore.
Reviewed: 06-04-13
A simple story about the value of simplicity. I found it to be old-fashioned in the best possible way.
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4 people found this helpful
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True Grit
- By: Charles Portis
- Narrated by: Donna Tartt
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Mattie Ross, a 14-year-old girl from Dardanelle, Arkansas, sets out to avenge her Daddy who was shot to death by a no-good outlaw. Mattie convinces one-eyed "Rooster" Cogburn, the meanest U.S. marshal in the land, to ride along with her. In True Grit, we have a true American classic, as young Mattie, as vital as she is innocent, outdickers and outmaneuvers the hard-bitten men of the trail in a legend that will last through the ages.
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So worth it!
- By Tommygaus on 12-29-10
- True Grit
- By: Charles Portis
- Narrated by: Donna Tartt
Yes, you should read this.
Reviewed: 06-04-13
The book is a classic, some say a masterpiece. Funny, poignant, and the kind story that is so enjoyable and expertly written that it will make you want to start over again at the beginning when you finish.
Donna Tartt isn't a professional narrator (she's an accomplished author in her own right who happens to also be a big fan of this book), but she makes the absolute most of her naturally sweet Southern lilt. It fits the main character well, and ultimately, I enjoyed her read. This said, it would be nice to hear what a pro could do with characters like those in this book.
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2 people found this helpful
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
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Golden Horde/Platinum Listen
- By Cynthia on 12-11-13
Khan!
Reviewed: 06-04-13
THE BOOK: Very enlightening examination of the often-overlooked but incredibly influential Mongol Empire, beginning with Genghis Khan. It's hard to overstate how much the ideas, societal structures, and yes, conquests, of Khan and his heirs influenced modernity.
A few samples - - 1) he introduced the idea of freedom of religion, and fostered religious tolerance in every land he conquered, 2) there is a strong case to be made that the expansive commercial routes he opened both directly and indirectly brought about the European Renaissance, and 3) Kublai Khan unified China from what was previously a divided land of warring dynasties.
Weatherford does a great job of shedding light on all of this (and much more), but does so in slightly wooden narrative that, while definitely interesting, also drags a bit in spots.
THE NARRATOR: Jonathan Davis' voice is pleasant enough, but the performance was uneven, sometimes flat when drama was needed, and (more often) melodramatic when restraint was needed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Life of Pi
- By: Yann Martel
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Pi Patel has been raised in a zoo in India. When his father decides to move the family to Canada and sell the animals to American zoos, everyone boards a Japanese cargo ship. The ship sinks, and 16-year-old Pi finds himself alone on a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra with a broken leg, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon it's just Pi, the tiger, and the vast Pacific Ocean - for 227 days. Pi's fear, knowledge, and cunning keep him alive until they reach the coast of Mexico, where the tiger disappears into the jungle.
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Despite myself, I loved this book
- By Jeff on 11-09-03
- Life of Pi
- By: Yann Martel
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
Uneven, but interesting read.
Reviewed: 04-15-13
Good: unique storyline, uniquely structured, asks big questions
Bad: The first several chapters drag. As a reader you want to root for, and in some way relate to, the protagonist, but this is hard with Pi, who is more than a little bit precocious and annoying. The book's theme -- basically universalism -- is logically untenable.
Not a huge fan of Jeff Woodman's stilted, quasi-Indian accent in the narration.
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Bitter Brew
- The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer
- By: William Knoedelseder
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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The engrossing, often scandalous saga of one of the wealthiest, longest-lasting, and most colorful family dynasties in the history of American commerce—a cautionary tale about prosperity, profligacy, hubris, and the blessings and dark consequences of success. This engrossing, vivid narrative captures the Busch saga through five generations. At the same time, it weaves a broader story of American progress and decline over the past 150 years. It's a cautionary tale of prosperity, hubris, and loss.
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Couldn't stop listening...
- By Jeremy McGough on 11-09-12
- Bitter Brew
- The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer
- By: William Knoedelseder
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
An American Family Empire Down the Drain
Reviewed: 04-15-13
I worked at A-B for several years and can attest first-hand to the Busch family cult of personality described in "Bitter Brew." If anything, I found it to be even more palpable and all-consuming in the corporate culture than what is described in the book.
The decades-long story that unfolds is fascinating in a way akin to reading about a royal family -- the aspirations, the battles, the treacheries, the grudges, and the grooming of heirs are all the same.
In this way, I see the whole thing as less a cautionary tale of cutthroat capitalism, than a tragic account of fatal and flawed family dynamics.
My only complaint is that Knoedelseder's telling is more plain and flatly journalistic than the vivid subject matter deserved, and in the end could've benefitted from more descriptive analysis into the meaning of it all.
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