Walter W. Quinn
- 9
- reviews
- 98
- helpful votes
- 204
- ratings
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The Oxford Inklings
- Lewis, Tolkien and Their Circle
- By: Colin Duriez
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 28
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 26
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 25
The Oxford Inklings tells the story of the friendships, mutual influence, and common purpose of the Inklings - the literary circle which congregated around C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Meeting in pubs or Lewis' college rooms, they included an influential array of literary figures. They were, claimed poet and novelist John Wain, bent on 'the task of redirecting the whole current of contemporary art and life'. Tolkien and Lewis expert Colin Duriez unpacks the Inklings' origins, relationships, and the nature of their collaboration.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great insights into the Inklings
- By Michael W Plunket on 08-12-24
- The Oxford Inklings
- Lewis, Tolkien and Their Circle
- By: Colin Duriez
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
interesting but repetitive
Reviewed: 02-11-25
While I found most of the book interesting and discovered heretofore unknown facts about the main protagonists, CS Lewis and Tolkien, I find the constant repetition of parts of the story very annoying. I frequently wondered if I had somehow inadvertently rewound the audio. Introducing members of the Inklings with their own chapter often meant regurgitating parts of the story already heard. This title could use some serious editing.
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The Digital Storm
- A Science Fiction Reimagining of William Shakespeare's The Tempest
- By: Benjamin Gorman
- Narrated by: Benjamin Gorman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3
The Digital Storm is an ingenious science fiction retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest set in the near future, inside a bank’s intranet.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Bit By Byte Billy Shakes
- By Walter W. Quinn on 12-25-22
- The Digital Storm
- A Science Fiction Reimagining of William Shakespeare's The Tempest
- By: Benjamin Gorman
- Narrated by: Benjamin Gorman
Bit By Byte Billy Shakes
Reviewed: 12-25-22
Interesting commentary on the human condition told by our digital successors. Worth the listen.
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Tell Everyone on This Train I Love Them
- By: Maeve Higgins
- Narrated by: Maeve Higgins
- Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 99
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 89
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 89
As an eternally curious outsider, Maeve Higgins can see that the United States is still an experiment. Some parts work well and others really don’t, but that doesn't stop her from loving the place and the people that make it. With piercing political commentary in a sweet and salty tone, these essays unearth answers to the questions we all have about this country we call home; the beauty of it all and the dark parts too.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Wanted to love it
- By D34 on 06-14-22
- Tell Everyone on This Train I Love Them
- By: Maeve Higgins
- Narrated by: Maeve Higgins
Maeve's Secret Is Out
Reviewed: 05-23-22
As a long time listener to "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me", I was introduced to Maeve Higgins not too long ago. Delightfully ditzy & apparently ignorant to world news, she was a funny and oft times infuriating presence on the show. After listening to this collection of essays I can tell you she is one bright woman. Not only is she well versed in American & World history & culture, but she can even cite sources. Like a modern day Toqueville, she looks at her adopted country with a foreigner's perspective, sometimes insightful, often funny, never dull and in the final two minutes of the last chapter, tearfully poignant.
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1 person found this helpful
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The Plot Against America
- By: Philip Roth
- Narrated by: Ron Silver
- Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,522
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,160
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,150
In an astonishing feat of empathy and narrative invention, our most ambitious novelist imagines an alternate version of American history. In 1940 Charles A. Lindbergh, heroic aviator and rabid isolationist, is elected president. Shortly thereafter, he negotiates a cordial "understanding" with Adolf Hitler while the new government embarks on a program of folksy anti-Semitism.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Life is imitating Roth's art
- By Matthew on 08-04-16
- The Plot Against America
- By: Philip Roth
- Narrated by: Ron Silver
Sign of the times
Reviewed: 10-04-20
Hard to believe this was written almost twenty years ago. The "Plot" is hauntingly prescient in our current political atmosphere.
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1 person found this helpful
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Lafayette in the Somewhat United States
- By: Sarah Vowell
- Narrated by: Sarah Vowell, John Slattery, Nick Offerman, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,647
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,282
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,263
From the best-selling author of Assassination Vacation and Unfamiliar Fishes, a humorous account of the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette - the one Frenchman we could all agree on - and an insightful portrait of a nation's idealism and its reality. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States is a humorous and insightful portrait of the famed Frenchman, the impact he had on our young country, and his ongoing relationship with instrumental Americans of the time.
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5 out of 5 stars
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You likely haven't heard it this way...
- By William L. Scott III on 06-04-16
Great Story, Questionable Narration
Reviewed: 04-20-19
I genuinely enjoyed the book as I am always interested in Revolutionary War material. The writer's narrative is very interesting, part scholarly, part snarky, Interspersed with references to present day travails which may or may not be relevant to Lafayette, but are part of her inquiry into the subject.
I question the choices made for the narration however. The star - studded cast is used sparingly, essentially lending voice to snippets of quotes by persons depicted in the text. The author reads 99% of the book. I actually think the famous voices distract, rather than enhance the narrative, and make the author's delivery seem monotone. It was especially annoying with the smaller snatches. Do we really need to hear a celebrity voice break in to just say three or so words?
None of this should discourage you from listening, this is a fun trip back in time with an author you'll enjoy.
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One Doctor
- Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the Mysteries of Medicine
- By: Brendan Reilly
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,240
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,036
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,032
An epic story told by a unique voice in American medicine, One Doctor describes life-changing experiences in the career of a distinguished physician. In riveting first-person prose, Dr. Brendan Reilly takes us to the front lines of medicine today.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Simply Brilliant
- By Blue on 06-20-14
- One Doctor
- Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the Mysteries of Medicine
- By: Brendan Reilly
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
A must listen!
Reviewed: 09-13-18
This is not an easy book. But it's an important one. At times didactic & technical with layers of medical jargon, it nonetheless keeps the listener hanging on every word. Part personal story, part medical tell all, part healthcare advocate AND detractor. If you THINK you've made your mind up about the US industry, listen to this book & get your world turned upside down.
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Slaughterhouse-Five
- By: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: James Franco
- Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19,228
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17,181
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17,156
Traumatized by the bombing of Dresden at the time he had been imprisoned, Pilgrim drifts through all events and history, sometimes deeply implicated, sometimes a witness. He is surrounded by Vonnegut's usual large cast of continuing characters (notably here the hack science fiction writer Kilgore Trout and the alien Tralfamadorians, who oversee his life and remind him constantly that there is no causation, no order, no motive to existence).
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4 out of 5 stars
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Don't Quit Your Daytime Job, James
- By Keith on 11-20-15
- Slaughterhouse-Five
- By: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: James Franco
Horrible narration.
Reviewed: 07-05-18
One of my all-time favorites novels ruined by a narrator who just sounds bored. Real shame.
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93 people found this helpful
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Pirate King
- A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
- By: Laurie R. King
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,159
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,022
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,021
As Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes embark on their 11th adventure together, they find themselves immersed in the world of silent filmmaking. Here, the pirates are real—and unlike the shooting done with a camera, this sort can be deadly.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Very disappointing
- By DJKPP on 09-19-11
- Pirate King
- A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes
- By: Laurie R. King
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
Road to Morocco
Reviewed: 05-23-15
An interesting change of pace for the series. Although no strangers to international travel, our dynamic duo spend even more time on the road (or sea) than ever. And our femme fatale, Mary Russell, is ever more so in the driver's seat. While in most of the previous novels, her breaking the case always seems to be more happy accident than planned, here she is allowed to flex her muscles despite the appearance of being dumped in a fluff piece of a narrative. Makes one wonder if there will be a future for a set of "Just Russell" adventures.
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Locked Rooms
- By: Laurie R. King
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,176
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,672
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,668
New York Times best-selling author Laurie R. King has won sweeping critical acclaim and an impressive collection of awards for her writing. Although other writers have tried, no one has matched King's ability to capture the allure of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth, Sherlock Holmes.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Don't miss this jewel!
- By Melanie on 06-17-07
- Locked Rooms
- By: Laurie R. King
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
The past is revealed
Reviewed: 04-19-15
Slightly different take on the Russell-Holmes stories with a distracted Mary forcing Sherlock to seek assistance from another famous P. I.
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