Steve Barnum
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Caligula
- The Mad Emperor of Rome
- By: Stephen Dando-Collins
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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In this book about Rome’s most infamous emperor, expert author, Stephen Dando-Collins chronicles all the palace intrigues and murders that led to Caligula becoming emperor, and details the horrors of his manic reign and the murderous consequences brought about at the hand of his sister Agrippina the Younger, his uncle Claudius and his nephew Nero.
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A solid overview, sadly stained by modernity.
- By Kaiser on 08-22-20
- Caligula
- The Mad Emperor of Rome
- By: Stephen Dando-Collins
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
History is wild
Reviewed: 03-12-25
I thought this was a fantastic listen. The book dives deep into the wild and often disturbing world of Caligula, from the bizarre things he forced people to do to the cruelty he inflicted on others. It was especially fascinating to learn about how he was raised and how that may have shaped his rule.
One of the most striking aspects was the exploration of whether Caligula was truly mad. The book presents different perspectives, allowing the listener to consider both sides rather than forcing a single conclusion.
As for the ending, I don’t agree with some reviewers who claim the comparison to Trump was in bad taste. In modern times, plenty of people have made the same comparison, and the author presents it in a balanced way—comparing and contrasting the two figures without bias. Ultimately, he leaves the final judgment to future historians. If some readers are upset by that, it says more about them than it does about the author.
Overall, this was a gripping and thought-provoking book that made ancient history feel surprisingly relevant.
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Meditations for Mortals
- Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts
- By: Oliver Burkeman
- Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Addressing the fundamental questions about how to live, Meditations for Mortals offers a powerful new way to take action on what counts: a guiding philosophy of life Oliver Burkeman calls “imperfectionism.” It helps us tackle challenges as they crop up in our daily lives: our finite time, the lure of distraction, the impossibility of doing anything perfectly.
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Outstanding everyone needs to learn
- By Lily K. on 02-03-25
- Meditations for Mortals
- Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts
- By: Oliver Burkeman
- Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
Live today
Reviewed: 01-20-25
Burkeman has a wonderful way of putting life in perspective. His way of seeing the world and his opinions on life and how we should spend our time should be shared with everyone. Read this book if you feel stuck in the past or worried about the future!
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Tower of Silence
- By: Larry Correia
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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The assassination of the chief judge has pushed the Capitol to the edge. The Great Extermination has spread to all the land. The casteless must be annihilated. Their only hope is the fallen Protector Ashok Vadal. But Vadal is being held prisoner on the island of Fortress. In order to save those who need him most, he must escape and find his way across the demon-infested sea and return to Thera, the prophet of an illegal and forgotten god. It is she who has sent the Sons of the Black Sword to war against the warrior caste, hoping to buy time until Vadal’s return.
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Not enough MC content
- By A.E. Perkins on 03-20-24
- Tower of Silence
- By: Larry Correia
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
Better and better
Reviewed: 12-08-24
Correia finds a way to make each one of these books better than the last somehow
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Scythe
- By: Neal Shusterman
- Narrated by: Greg Tremblay
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: Humanity has conquered all those things and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life - and they are commanded to do so in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe - a role that neither wants. These teens must master the "art" of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
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Teenage Thumbs up
- By Lila R on 04-01-17
- Scythe
- By: Neal Shusterman
- Narrated by: Greg Tremblay
Great story but some elements were forced
Reviewed: 03-20-23
The story as a whole was great, the only critique I could give is that the love between Rowan and Citra feels very forced. I am left wanting to know more about this world and it’s characters though!
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The Song of Achilles
- A Novel
- By: Madeline Miller
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles’ mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.
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Wasn't Expecting to Like It- BOY! was I wrong!!
- By susan on 06-11-14
- The Song of Achilles
- A Novel
- By: Madeline Miller
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
Damn good book
Reviewed: 06-23-21
Holy shit this was good. Beautiful prose and a great reimagined story. Highly recommend giving this a go!
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Never Die
- By: Rob J. Hayes
- Narrated by: Kim Bretton
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Ein is on a mission from God. A God of Death. Time is up for the Emperor of Ten Kings and it falls to a murdered eight year old boy to render the judgement of a God. Ein knows he can't do it alone, but the empire is rife with heroes. The only problem; in order to serve, they must first die.
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Loved it!
- By Amazon Customer on 07-06-19
- Never Die
- By: Rob J. Hayes
- Narrated by: Kim Bretton
eh
Reviewed: 09-16-20
like a mindless action movie, but book form. entertaining enough to get you to your next read. great performance
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Area X
- The Southern Reach Trilogy - Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance
- By: Jeff VanderMeer
- Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick, Bronson Pinchot, Xe Sands
- Length: 26 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Dive into the mysteries of Area X, a remote and lush terrain that has inexplicably sequestered itself from civilization. Twelve expeditions have gone in, and not a single member of any of them has remained unchanged by the experience - for better or worse.
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Book 1: intriguing! Book 2: Zzzz. Book 3: WTF!
- By KR on 02-03-15
- Area X
- The Southern Reach Trilogy - Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance
- By: Jeff VanderMeer
- Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick, Bronson Pinchot, Xe Sands
book 1 good, book 2 terrible, book 3 ehhh
Reviewed: 11-04-18
concept at first captures your attention and makes you want to find out answers that never get delivered in any grand fashion. the trilogy falls flat and tries hard to pick back up in book 3. just read the first book.. and use your open imagination for the rest... it'll be better..
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Iron Gold
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds, John Curless, Julian Elfer, and others
- Length: 23 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Ten years after the events of Morning Star, Darrow and the Rising are battling the remaining Gold loyalist forces and are closer than ever to abolishing the color-coded caste system of Society for good. But new foes will emerge from the shadows to threaten the imperfect victory Darrow and his friends have earned. Pierce Brown expands the size and scope of his impressive Red Rising universe with new characters, enemies, and conflicts among the stars.
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Narration Ruined the amazing series
- By Geoffrey Davis on 03-24-18
- Iron Gold
- By: Pierce Brown
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds, John Curless, Julian Elfer, Aedin Moloney
audio
Reviewed: 03-20-18
love the story but spotty audio and some narrators voices are hard to listen to
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