OpenMindedNotCredulous

A lot of info about our world (some wrong)

Revisado: 04-04-25

I really wanted to give this a higher rating. I love learning things about my everyday world. There are, however, some problems with this book. First and foremost being egregious errors. Such as the assertion early in the book that the electrical transformers you see on utility poles "reduces the current". Wrong. They reduce the voltage. When talking about the benefits of walking they state that moderate walking reduces the likelihood of breast cancer in women. Wrong (or at least probably not true). The book is confusing correlation with causation. It's still worth reading (or listening to) because it does contain a lot of interesting information about the world we live in. Such as why electrical outlets are at a particular height above the floor in your home and why manhole covers are round. However, given some of the egregious errors I noticed on topics where I have some knowledge I can't help but wonder if the reason given for the height of electrical outlets in a home, or any other assertion, is correct.

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Written by someone who views life through religion

Revisado: 03-10-25

If you're a Christian for whom religion is an important part of your life you'll probably find this story heartwarming. For everyone else the injection of Christianity into the final third of the book turns an okay story into something that had me grinding my teeth. Lots of quotations from the book of Proverbs and "God has a plan" nonsense. This was written by someone who thinks God is great for giving parents a reason to form a closer relationship with God by giving their child leukemia.

This story could be condensed into a short story or even a magazine article and would have been much better had the author's religion been omitted from the narrative.

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Best narration I've ever heard

Revisado: 12-24-24

The story is a fun read and worthwhile in its own right. But this is a rare case where the narration turns a book you might want to read into a book you definitely should listen to. In the two decades I've been an Audible subscriber there have been just a handful of books where the performance (narration) is so good it would be a crime to read the book rather than listen to it. This is one of those books.

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Thought provoking

Revisado: 09-28-24

Let's start with the narration. It's almost always a mistake for the book's author to do the narration. This was a very pleasant exception to that rule. Zoe wouldn't be my first choice to narrate a Tom Clancy thriller but she did a great job reading her book and should consider narrating similar books. Her voice is pleasant and her passion for the topic is obvious in her narration.

The story is fascinating. I've been a science nerd since I was a teenager (five decades ago) and learned a lot about the plant world from this book. I was already familiar with the topic of epigenetics but had no idea how much plant behavior is influenced by their environment. It also caused me to think about my beliefs about what the term "intelligence" means and whether a plant can be considered intelligent. I could have done without the discussion about spirituality but fortunately that lasted just a few minutes (I imagine it is just a few pages in the print version).

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What happened to the person who wrote "Watchers"?

Revisado: 08-04-24

The first Dean Koontz book I read was "Watchers" about a year after its release in 1987. I loved it. Five stars. I then read "Strangers" and loved it. The next couple of books were good (four stars) but not as good as those two. There have been a few more, like "Lightening Road", that I loved but I would rate most of his books four stars. "Elsewhere" was a huge disappointment. One dimensional characters. A villain that could have been named Snidely Whiplash (look it up). Dialog that was rarely better than obvious and cliched. This book was either ghost written by someone else (who should think about a different career) or Mr. Koontz should retire his typewriter.

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Too much nonesense

Revisado: 06-23-24

While this book has some good advice and insights it also contains a lot of nonsense. Such as recommending homeopathic treatments and "thundershirts" for canine anxiety. Sorry, but any advice from someone who believes magic water (homeopathic "medicine") is effective at treating any illness or disorder is suspect.

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Works surprisingly well as an audiobook

Revisado: 04-26-21

I admit I bought this with some trepidation since the lack of accompanying illustrations and pictures could make understanding the points being made harder to understand. Yes, there are a handful of places where that is true but for the most part the spoken text is more than adequate to paint a mental image. I especially liked the sections, such as the final chapter, that focus on the tension between top-down decision making by government institutions and bottom-up actions from the populace. I will definitely be subscribing to the associated podcast.

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The performance/production was amazing

Revisado: 09-29-20

I recently watched the HBO series "I'll Be Gone in the Dark". It was good. This audiobook is great. Primarily due to the inspired choice of using first person narrative and letting the people involved tell their part of the story. My only (minor) complaint is it didn't adequately address, in my opinion, how the police made the connection between the "Visalia Ransacker" and the "East Area Rapist".

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A fantastic peek inside hotels

Revisado: 08-09-20

I lost track of how many times I laughed out loud. If you liked Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential" you'll like this book. Where "Kitchen Confidential" provides a peek inside what it's like to be a professional cook this book provides a similar peek inside what it's like to work in a hotel. Both authors clearly love what they do for a living.

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It might take a few chapters before you like it

Revisado: 02-11-20

By the end of chapter four I was wondering if I would rate this book three or just two stars. By chapter eight I was pretty confident I would give it four stars. Somewhere around chapter 22 (roughly 2/3 of the way through the book) I knew I would give it five stars. I give the story itself is an A- grade (4.5 stars); primarily due to the initial chapters. But the use of these four narrators was brilliant and deserves an A+ grade. It gave each of the main characters a distinctive voice. In particular, the narrator of the family matriarch, Guinnevere London, was amazing and deserves special mention among an otherwise outstanding ensemble narration. You should listen to this for the narration alone even if you think the story is just "Meh!".

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