W. N.

Terrible book About a Worthy Subject

Revisado: 08-30-19

I wanted basic information about fasting, how to, medical studies, Dr Fung has an excellent reputation, but this book is just terrible. It's all noise, little information. If I had to sum it up, Day two of a fast is usually easier than the first 24 hours, drink bullion or bone broth, lots of water, black coffee or plain tea--good. And that's about it. You'll get more from a 5 minute YouTube video. If they mention a name, an entire resume follows. When you think you're about to get some information; it's in an anecdote of a 'fasting all star.' Is the information advisable or simply part of the person's experience? Who knows. Anecdotes and recipes are okay, but does the more informed author have anything to say? It seems more Jimmie Moore and very little Dr Fung. It's tediously repetitious. The most mundane statements are repeated over and over again. I can tolerate two steps forward one back, but not one forward, two back and three side to side. The reader has a grating voice, but we Audible listeners have gotten past this for a good book. This is not that experience. For the record: I'm on the keto diet, fasting daily and hoped to learn more from this book. Nope.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Set the Speed to 1.25x

Revisado: 12-04-18

I found this impossible to follow at normal speed. Too slow, reading too flat. I set it to 1.25x, made a significant difference. I can't remember ever listening at anything except 1x speed; if you listen faster step on it. I was interested in this because Goodis, writer for hardboiled pulp magazines of the 40s and 50s, wrote The Piano Player (1956 aka Down There), which Francois Truffaut turned into Shoot the Piano Player (1960). He also wrote Dark Passage(1946), which became the Humphrey Bogart Lauren Bacall movie (1947). Goodis sued the TV show The Fugitive claiming that its basic premise of a wrongfully accused man escaping to chase down the 'real murderer,' was a copyright violation of Dark Passage. [Seems that they should've just acknowledged the connection and given him some money.] All of this says you read Goodis not for style flourishes, but for taught plots with no easy exits.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

These are all the boring parts

Revisado: 03-25-18

Elmore Leonard said 'Just cut out all the boing parts.' These are all those boring parts. 8 chapters in... still boring. See, the author explains something, doesn't actually tell you anything, and then he explains something related to that first explanation--none of which has to do with telling a story. So we know how the target feels about his girlfriend, how they divide up housework.... Skip this one. I actually started this one 3-4 times and wondered why I stopped and couldn't remember anything about the story. Well, it's hard to remember nothing.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Best Language Learning

Revisado: 08-27-16

I've failed French twice in college, struggled through two terms of Chinese--somehow learning to write it better than speak it. When I speak Chinese Mandarin speakers tell me they don't speak Cantonese; Cantonese speakers the reverse. I've studied and taught ESL. So I have a lot of experience, and pain.
Pimsleur Japanese is amazing. I've learned so much in a week. I still hesitate a bit (I'm on Units 6-10), but when it comes out it's fluid, quick, my pronunciation is good. It's like being a child in the language-when I learn something, I don't recall it--it is just there, like my native language.
Being able to use one credit for five lessons is very smart. Try it out.
I can't comment on other languages, but the method is sound, so they should also be good. This is probably a secret weapon for taking a second language in school.
I usually concentrate on the lesson, while getting ready in the morning, driving to and from work. If my attention lags, or I'm distracted, I'll stop. Always I go back and re-do lessons. I was just in Japan, I watch Japanese movies and I'm amazed at how much more I understand.
Wakarimas-ka? Wakarimas.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 50 personas

You can become the Beatles in less than 2000 hours!

Revisado: 07-20-16

When I read Malcolm Gladwell on this topic, my head exploded. I've read Ericsson's papers, so I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the idea of deliberate practice. This is both fascinating and instructive. Ericsson corrects done errors Gladwell made, as well as adds new information. You can become the Beatles in less than 2000 hours, ( but it would probably take three other people.)
I don't think self-help books will ever be the same after this.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 15 personas

Brilliant

Revisado: 07-06-16

Brilliant, the next next level of what we should be thinking about, and an insightful first step on how we should be thinking about that what.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

One of the really great WWII histories.

Revisado: 03-12-16

Would you consider the audio edition of Hell's Angels to be better than the print version?

There are a lot of history books, a lot of WWII history books. Too often now dull, weak stories, lacking substance can appear on the surface to be interesting but they're junk. This is a classic. I've read at least a dozen books on the 8th Air Force and this is fresh, interesting, fills in a lot of gaps.

What did you like best about this story?

By the end of the book Stout has taken the reader through briefing, pre-flight check, take-off, abort landing, flying at altitude to Germany, heavy flak, bailing out, crashing...

Have you listened to any of Robertson Dean’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Good reader. Well done.

Any additional comments?

Yes, read about war and never participate in one.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

One of the really great WWII histories.

Revisado: 03-12-16

Would you consider the audio edition of Hell's Angels to be better than the print version?

There are a lot of history books, a lot of WWII history books. Too often now dull, weak stories, lacking substance can appear on the surface to be interesting but they're junk. This is a classic. I've read at least a dozen books on the 8th Air Force and this is fresh, interesting, fills in a lot of gaps.

What did you like best about this story?

By the end of the book Stout has taken the reader through briefing, pre-flight check, take-off, abort landing, flying at altitude to Germany, heavy flak, bailing out, crashing...

Have you listened to any of Robertson Dean’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Good reader. Well done.

Any additional comments?

Yes, read about war and never participate in one.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Laugh out loud and break your heart

Revisado: 03-12-16

Where does One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

John C.Reilly makes One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest sing.

What did you like best about this story?

Great book. So long as small minded people put on suits and uniforms so they can crush the human spirit in others while telling them it's what's best, this book will live.

Have you listened to any of John C. Reilly’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

J.C. Reilly is one amazing actor. I can't think of anyone else like him. Every time, 'Who is this bum? and then whack, he's got you. He could read the phone book, make you laugh out loud then cry seconds later.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

or back talk some pedantic bully?

Any additional comments?

Yep.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Builds slowing, devestating in the end

Revisado: 12-04-12

Any additional comments?

The first of three parts seemed repetitious, predictable (it is). The more personal information we learn about a soldier, the more we know he's going to be killed or injured in short order. (It's like the movie cliche where the guy shows a picture of his girlfriend, talks about what he's going to do after the war....) This is a flaw. I almost stopped listening, but.... Second part, a bit more of the same, but there's a build up of my commitment to these soldiers.

By the third part, when the inevitable attack finally came, the only reason I'd pause might be to punch a politician or general.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 8 personas