Joe Vendors

Grab the Handrail for Support on this Wild Ride

Revisado: 04-01-24

After reading and loving I am Pilgrim I was excited to read the second book by Terry Hayes,
"The Year of the Locust." It had a few missed publication dates that came and went and I wondered if it would ever come out, but the wait is worth it.

The book is equal to 'Pilgrim' and more daring in its plot, which is saying a lot since Pilgrim was the best book I had read in ten years.

The book is a sprawling epic taking place across multiple geographies and timelines as Kane, a restricted access spy, tells us the story in first person.

I just finished a 2nd listening moments ago. Sometimes you have to grab the handrail for support on this ride but hang on, it pays itself off in a big way.

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Great book- give it a couple of chapters

Revisado: 10-08-23

I am familiar with Ted Templeman's career but it turns out I didn't know but a tiny bit of it.

One ironic thing is that Producers like Ted are obsessed with sound as you might expect but the person hired to read the book is a fairly spitty, sibilant narrator, full of S's ands Ts. For the first 30 minutes I was thinking to myself, why didn't they put a DeEsser on the narrator, Sean Runnette? The producers did Ted and Sean a bit of a disservice.

I nearly bailed on the book and then a couple of chapters in I settled down and enjoyed the rest of the book.

You will too.

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The Beatles- from an eyewitness

Revisado: 06-23-23

This book is from Hunter Davies, a peer and columnist who spent two ters with the Beatles and told their authorized bio. Importantly there are two additions to the book written at later times that include conversation "Hunt" had with the Beatles in later years. It is a very good book and I recomment it to one and all.
The only offputting and curious choice is the Narrator. The Beatles hail from Liverpool, Hunter Davies is from London. The narrator has an American accent and at times it sounds almost robotic.
The narrator is a headwind to be endured but the book is good enough and important enough to overlook it.

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Vivid telling by Ann & Nancy Wilson & Friends

Revisado: 03-09-23

Great bio but made even better by the Wilson sisters and their freinds who help narrate the WIlson sister' stories. Really makes it entertaining to hear contributors to this story actually tell their part of it in their own voice as part of the narration.

A little disappointing that no pictures came with the book, but still a wonderful audio book.

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Big Book for Big McCartney and Beatles fans

Revisado: 02-04-23

This book gives Mark Lewisohn's "Tune in" book a run for its money, covering just 4 years in its 700 pages.
Starting with Paul (it's all right if we just call him Paul, right?) and his crisis of confidence in the aftermath of the Beatles breakup and goes into detail of the ensuing four years, ending with the triumphal album, Band on the Run, which fully restored the lustre to his Beatles image in 1974 (technically released in December, '73).

Its 27 chapters go into the breakup, Paul's solo albums, his relationship with Linda, how he came to write and perform the James Bond theme for Live and Let Die (*note: most Bond themes are sung by women) and his death-defying trip to LAgo Nigeria to begin recording Band on the Run.

If you enjoy the Beatles and this period you will thoroughly enjoy this book. If you have ready any of the Mark Lewisohn's Beatles then you are familiar with great reads about the Beatles collectively and individually so burn an Audible credit on "The McCartney Legacy" and enjoy.

Thanks to Messrs Kzinn and Sinclair for a book worthy of its subject.

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The perfect author and Narrator

Revisado: 10-30-22

The John Corey stories are tremendous. Enough detail to be meaty, but not so much you risk drowning in it. Scott Brick as the narrator brings off the wise-ass John Corey brilliantly. He doesn't read Corey as much as embody him. Demiille had me laugh out loud a dozen times, he writes the John Corey character so well.

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Your fave Artist made Music w/ Bill Schnee

Revisado: 08-24-22

What do John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, the Eagles, Steely Dan, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston all have in common? They counted on Bill Schnee to help them get the sound out of their heads and on to a record for the enjoyment of millions.

Bill Schnee talks his involvement in the lives and music of these legends and more in his excellent book, "Chairman at the Board: recording the soundtrack of a generation." Music is important to me and I remember seeing Bill's name on a bunch of my albums and wondering who is this guy who seems to show up on the back covers of many of 'em. Bill answers that and more in this very readable and enjoyable book.

How enjoyable?

I started with the hard cover book and could hardly put it down, so I bought a copy of it on Audible, where Bill Schnee narrates his book (of course!). Hearing him voice his own words is tremendous and adds context to the printed word. Last I thought about all the notes and highlights I want to make in it so I I bought a copy for the kindle, where all of my notes can be centralized so I don't have to search for highlights or underlinings. It is the first time in my life that, other than the Bible, I have purchased multiple copies of a book.

Sadly music is no longer the center of culture but this book chronicles a time when it was- and it was great. If you agree, or are curious about when music MATTERED give this book a reading. It is like having a friend from high school catch you up on what what he has been doing since graduation, and you in turn being elated for what your friend accomplished through hard work, creativity and talent.

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Finest Fiction I have ever read

Revisado: 11-17-20

the past 5 years I have averaged 90 books or so a year. Many from the myster/thriller genre, and I have to say I admisre the skill of the author in assembling this book. It spans continents, cultures, economic strata, all while moving you confidently along in the story. Some might say it is a masterpiece of the genre. I will say it is the finest book of any kid I have read over the past 5 years. So I either have lousy but voracious tastes or this book is fantastic.
As an audiobook the reader is superbly skilled at using enough of a different voice so you can differentiate the characters as you listen. He added a lot to the story ND I will look for future narrations by him, in addition to Terry Hayes, the book's author.

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"Even I want to be like Cary Grant" Archie Leach

Revisado: 11-03-20

This is the definitive biography of Cary Grant. It is a well-researched serious work that reads like a good novel.

What a life!

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Not up to the previous efforts

Revisado: 11-03-20

I just finished "The Sentinel" today, and I really want to say I liked it, that I loved it. I have read each book from "The Killing Floor" to this one and the change in this one is dramatic. It seems like there is a concerted efort to tone Reacher down, to smooth out his rough spots.

It was a fairly bland procedural, with no real suprises, no love interest and no real reason to root for Reacher.

I'm still going to buy the next book in 2021 but it did seemed bland, not a word I have ever associated with REacher.

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