Kymberlyn A Reed (The Fountain Pen Diva)

Alice is FABULOUS!!!

Revisado: 12-05-21

I knew he was talented, but he's also hilarious! Some of his story I'm familiar with, but the camel at the Hollywood Bowl had me in stitches! Although Alice Cooper in the middle of Watts in the 60's after the riots needs its own extra two hours, lol. Listening to Alice Cooper tell his life story was like hanging out with an old friend. Probably one of the most enjoyable two hours I've spent listening to an audio presentation. I admire his humble Christian faith, and his fidelity to wife and family. Seriously, Alice could have given me another two hours of his incredible life.

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Sex, Drugs and Literature

Revisado: 08-23-21

Holy maple bacon cupcakes, now I understand why the 1920s roared! Ferber, Millay, Parker, Fitzgerald - these women broke ground and broke hearts and lived as wild as the men despite all the constraints of gender. I think the saddest story has to be Zelda Fitzgerald's. F. Scott might have been talented, but he was also in competition with Zelda, from whose journals he plagiarized. A fantastic reading that truly encapsulated an era.

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Engaging and Enjoyable

Revisado: 08-22-21

While some of the information is dated, given new discoveries using state of the art technology, it's still worth a listen and absorbing of the material. Brier is an engaging instructor - he definitely has a thing for mummies since he actually created a modern one using ancient Egyptian techniques. Sometimes his delivery is a little fast, but it's clear he's excited to be sharing his knowledge.

My only quibble: Sir Flinders Petrie is NOT the hero of Elizabeth Peters' Egyptian mystery series. The HEROINE is Amelia Peabody, who's a woman archeologist in the Victorian/Edwardian era. They're great reads from an author who IS a real life Egyptologist.

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Restoration England - Sex, Drugs and Wigs!

Revisado: 08-19-21

Okay, maybe no drugs but the rest is pretty accurate. Charles II obviously loved to party. I've long been interested in Restoration England because of Nell Gwynn. I had to re-listen to some of the chapters because I was losing track of all of his mistresses. Apparently he had a LOT of them. This was an engaging story that tends to be erased because of how prominently women featured in the history of this turbulent era, not to mention how bawdy it was. What I found fascinating was the power some of his mistresses were able to wield. Many of these women were resourceful, using their intelligence as well as their beauty to not just survive but thrive in this rather licentious era. It was interesting that despite his many mistresses and the fact that the Queen did not give him heirs, he refused to put her aside. He also claimed all of his children by his mistresses. The entire era filled with political and sexual intrigue and frankly, deserves its own miniseries a la The Tudors and Versailles. I also enjoyed Mr. West's reading with his dry wit and sly cheekiness.

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Mystery and a Love Letter to an San Francisco

Revisado: 08-24-20

I remember well.

It's been years since I discovered Michael Nava's books at the late, great A Different Light bookstore in the heart of the Castro District. I was happy to read about a gay man of color; then as is now, the publishing industry seems to think stories about white, straight passing or pretty chiseled twinks are the sum of the LGBTQ experience. Henry Rios was the kind of hero that resonates as much now as he did then, and it's both interesting and sad to think many of the same issues of race, gender and homosexuality are still with us to varying degrees. Rios is that flawed hero one cannot help but root for while also wanting to smack some sense into him at times. While this is a definitely a mystery novel with convoluted threads of family dynamics and dysfunction, Mr. Nava wrote a love letter to a city that I lived in beginning in 1984, when AIDS was cutting through a large swath of the gay community. I lost many close friends, teachers and neighbors to that disease and through it became even more political. Yet the fond remembrances of streets I walked many times, places I'd worked, neighborhoods I'd lived and loved in. It's all here, and the narrator did an amazing job. I'm looking forward to re-reading/listening to the rest of the Henry Rios series

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Compelling

Revisado: 08-04-20

I was a little girl when the infamous Manson murders were front page news in Los Angeles so what I knew about them was pretty much hearsay mixed with a lot of urban myths. My one big takeaway from listening to Bugliosi's gripping narrative was the sheer ineptitude of both the LAPD and the LA Sherriff's Departments - neither of which bothered to share vital information that would have solved these heinous murders far sooner. Of course, there's Manson himself and his followers, and I was far more interested in the women who were willing to kill at his behest. Bugliosi actually did a pretty commendable job of fleshing them out rather than making them into cartoonish caricatures of hippie girls gone wrong. I also had no idea of just how much of a circus the trial was. My only wish was for a little more information on the housekeeper Winifred Chapman - what happened to her afterwards.

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Fantastic and Enlightening

Revisado: 08-02-20

Cosmos was the series that shaped my lifelong fascination with science. It was accessible in so many ways that most of my teachers were not and it was hopeful. Having the audio book brought back so many memories of watching and listening to Carl Sagan. Of course, having LeVar Burton narrate chapters was icing on the proverbial cake. He channels his excitement for the thoughts of Sagan without trying to BE him. It was also lovely hearing from Sagan's wife Ann too. And from Neil deGrasse Tyson, who has inherited Sagan's mantle.

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Enjoyable and helpful

Revisado: 01-26-18

Great beginner audio book on hypnosis with a narrator whose voice is soothing and engaging.

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I Wish Tyson Had Been My Teacher

Revisado: 01-09-18

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson remains one of the best and most accessible scientists today. I thoroughly enjoyed his enthusiasm and plan to listen to these complex yet digestible essays over and over. His enthusiasm is infectious as befits a good teacher.

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It's Alison Weir

Revisado: 01-08-18

There are few historical novelists - fiction or nonfiction - who have the talent to bring history to life. These authors are skilled in humanizing and finding connections with the past. Alison Weir is one of those. I'm a huge Anne Boleyn fan and have read tons of novels about the ill-fated queen. Weir brings a different and interestingly balanced voice to a remarkable woman, her triumphs and her foibles. The narrator was excellent and the rendition very seamless. This was my first audiobook but certainly not my last.

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