24 posts tagged “audio book”
Read because: I found his first book, Word Freak, to be utterly fascinating.
Borrowed from: the Sacramento Library
Rating: 8 out of 10
Synopsis: Fatsis (Word Freak) is dwarfed by any of the NFL athletes who put their bodies on the line each Sunday. But that doesn't stop him from asking to attend the Denver Broncos' training camp in hopes of learning one very specific athletic skill—that is, placekicking—and not to become an NFL-caliber kicker, but to become a credible one. Fatsis is treated like any rookie, from having to sing his alma mater's fight song minutes after stepping into the locker room to carrying the team's duffel bags and bunking in the hotel with all the other rookies. But his vibrant enthusiasm for improving his kicking ability helps his Bronco teammates accept him as one of their own. With that, the reader gets a glimpse of the true NFL, in the tradition of George Plimpton's Paper Lion. We see the crippling injuries that are kept secret for fear of losing playing time; the heartbreak of standing on the sidelines in camp, just aching to prove one's worth; the tears that come when the NFL dream could be over. Fatsis, too, has his own personal highs and lows through camp, enduring the long days, the trainer's visits and the sting of failure in front of coaches and players. It's an incredibly fascinating read for football fans, squashing the notion that the life of an NFL player is always glamorous.
My review: This definitely isn't a book for everyone. If you don't like football, you might fall into a coma while reading it. But seeing as I've been a 49er fan since before I could walk, I really enjoyed Fatsis's inside look at the NFL. He really breaks apart the NFL's cover and delves into the players' lives. For the first time, well, ever, I could see these giant guys as really people. The way the NFL treats players (who have no guaranteed contracts) was scary -- you can be dropped from the team without any warning for any reason. I can't imagine having to do my job under that kind of pressure. I found his personal story slightly less interesting than the player's stories, mostly because no matter how he tried, he was never really, truly one of the gang. The process of learning how to placekick was interesting, though. I learned a lot about training and the mental game. I wish *spoiler alert* the NFL had allowed him to kick in the pre-season game. Oh well. You can't win them all. (Finished 8/17/09)
Read because: David Sedaris is a funny, observant guy.
Borrowed from: the Sacramento Library
Rating: 6 out of 10
Synopsis: The 27 essays here (many previously published in Esquire, G.Q. or the New Yorker, or broadcast on PRI's This American Life) include his best and funniest writing yet. Here is Sedaris's family in all its odd glory. Here is his father dragging his mortified son over to the home of one of the most popular boys in school, a boy possessed of "an uncanny ability to please people," demanding that the boy's parents pay for the root canal that Sedaris underwent after the boy hit him in the mouth with a rock. Here is his oldest sister, Lisa, imploring him to keep her beloved Amazon parrot out of a proposed movie based on his writing. ("'Will I have to be fat in the movie?' she asked.") Here is his mother, his muse, locking the kids out of the house after one snow day too many, playing the wry, brilliant commentator on his life until her untimely death from cancer. His mother emerges as one of the most poignant and original female characters in contemporary literature. He does what she says and then some, and what emerges is the deepest kind of humor, the human comedy.
My review: For some reason, I didn't like this one as much as I thought I was going to. Me Talk Pretty One Day was my favorite of his so far, and I didn't feel like this one was quite as funny, although it had more poignant moments with his family. I liked getting to know his family evening more, and especially enjoyed the chapter about the parrot (mentioned in the synopsis above) I was a little bored in parts, which is unusual for his writing. Maybe I wasn't in the right place for this one, considering how acclaimed it is by critics and readers. Hmm. It sort of "meh." But not in anyway bad enough for me to say I didn't like it.
Note: Technically this book doesn't count toward my 2009 Reading Challenge because it is a re-read for me. I'm going through the HP series on audio book because, well, I felt like it and because Jim Dale (who reads) makes me happy. I'm going to number the books as I go, but at the end I'll take them out or count them as extras -- if you are sponsoring me for the challenge, you can decide whether or not they count. :)
Read because: See above. Harry Potter + Jim Dale = Audio Book Perfection
Borrowed from: the Sacramento Library
Rating: 8 out of 10
Synopsis: As the story opens, mysterious goings-on ruffle the self-satisfied suburban world of the Dursleys, culminating in a trio of strangers depositing the Dursleys' infant nephew Harry in a basket on their doorstep. After 11 years of disregard and neglect at the hands of his aunt, uncle and their swinish son Dudley, Harry suddenly receives a visit from a giant named Hagrid, who informs Harry that his mother and father were a witch and a wizard, and that he is to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry himself. Most surprising of all, Harry is a legend in the witch world for having survived an attack by the evil sorcerer Voldemort, who killed his parents and left Harry with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. There is enchantment, suspense and danger galore as Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione plumb the secrets of the forbidden third floor at Hogwarts to battle evil and unravel the mystery behind Harry's scar.
My review: Well, what hasn't been said about Harry Potter? I managed to avoid reading the series until I was out visiting family one weekend in Massachusetts and I forgot to bring a book with me. So, what did my three cousins (aged something like 11, 14, and 17) have to offer me? Harry Potter! I finished the first five books in less than a week, since they are so easy to fly through. Book six was released a few weeks after that (I was 245 on the hold list at the library in Boston, and got it the day it came out. How many copies did they order?!), and I read book seven when it came out. But I'd only read the series that one time, so I thought I'd give the audio books a shot after the movie for the Half-Blood Price was released. Jim Dale is a master audio book reader (he also narrated the canceled amazing TV show Pushing Daisies, may it rest in Technicolor peace) and he brings everything to life. He also sounds exactly like Maggie Smith, which is weird. The Sorcerer's Stone sets up the series, introducing us to the characters and setting out some of the issues that Harry and the gang will have to tackle throughout the next six books. Rowling isn't the best writer to walk the planet (adverbs! adverbs! adverbs!), but her writing is entertaining and she plots a great story. And if she's getting kids to read, all the better. (Finished 8/10/09)
Read because: I randomly came across it when looking for a new audio book at the library.
Borrowed from: the Sacramento Library
Rating: 7 out of 10
Synopsis: The alarm sounds. Your feet hit the floor and carry you into another day. But what does that day hold for you? Will you be punching your card at work, catching up on TV at home, and crashing into bed before you rinse and repeat the next day? Or will you dare to dig deep and discover the incredible potential lying dormant within us all? In Wide Awake, renowned speaker and church visionary Erwin Raphael McManus challenges us to put an end to all the sleepwalking and settling, for each of us was created by God for a reason. He has called you to live as Jesus did-a heroic life, void of monotony, teeming with danger, adventure, and the unknown. Living wide awake is about realizing that the world desperately needs you to live up to your potential.
My Review: A few book reviews ago, I told you all to be prepared because I was on a social justice streak. Here's another one! Each of these books on social justice has something that sets it apart -- it looks at either reasons for or ways we can practice social justice. What stood out for me in McManus's book was the idea of creativity and tenacity. I love the idea that God creates us with this vast well of creativity, bu sadly, we usually forget that it's there. But we can use that resource to figure out ways to successfully practice social justice. And if we, with God's help, have the strength and the drive and the will to DO something, we're more likely to be able to do something if we go about it with a creative mind, working our way around roadblocks and through difficulties without letting them overwhelm us. A bit of the book felt like old hat to me, but then again, I'm reading about this stuff constantly. I think it's a great starter book for anyone who is interested in having a life that's bigger than just getting up in the morning, going to work, and going to bed. (Finished 6/20/09)
Note: don't get it on audio book. I found myself wanting to highlight the air as the words just hung there. I ended up getting the paper version so I could go through and make notes.
Read because: I'm a Bill Bryson fan. The man is funny.
Traded through: Bookins.com
Rating: 9 out of 10
Synopsis (from Publishers Weekly): The author of A Walk in the Woods draws readers in campfire-style, relating wacky anecdotes and random facts gathered on multiple trips down under, all the while lightening the statistics with infusions of whimsical humor. Arranged loosely by region, the book bounces between Canberra and Melbourne, the Outback and the Gold Coast, showing Bryson alone and with partners in tow. His unrelenting insistence that Australia is the most dangerous place on earth spins off dozens of tales involving jellyfish, spiders and the world's 10 most poisonous snakes. Pitfalls aside, He glorifies the country, alternating between awe, reverence and fear, and he expresses these sentiments with frankness and candor, via truly funny prose and a conversational pace that is at once unhurried and captivating.
My Review: This is another in a series of things that have recently had my mind turning to taking a trip to Australia and New Zealand. Bryson tackles the land Down Under with his trademark humor and candor, and I ended up really enjoying this book while simultaneously being a little grumbly about not having more vacation time. After reading his book, I really want see Adelaide and Melbourne, as well as Uluru (Ayer's Rock). I would also like to try snorkling in the Great Barrier Reef, as long as the boat doesn't leave me behind to be devoured by sharks, as has happened to unfortunate tourists. And as boring as it might sound to some, I also think it would be incredibly cool to take the cross-country train (in first class, of course). Bryson, despite his many references to things that could kill me in Australia, really makes me want to plan a trip. One of these days, when I'm fabulously independently wealthy, I'll definitely make the trip. (Finished 4/14/09)
Borrowed from: the Sacramento library
Rating: 4 out of 10
Synopsis (from Publishers Weekly): AN IMAGINARY FRIEND
Jane Margaux is a lonely little girl. Her
mother, the powerful head of a New York theater company, makes time for
her only once a week, for their Sunday trip to admire jewelry at
Tiffany's. Jane has only one friend: a handsome, comforting, funny man
named Michael. He's perfect. But only she can see him. Michael can't
stay forever, though. On Jane's eighth birthday he leaves, promising
that she'll forget him soon. He was there to help her until she was old
enough to manage on her own, and now there are other children who need
his help. Years later, in her thirties,
Jane is just as alone as she was as a child. And despite her own
success as a playwright, she is even more trapped by her overbearing
mother. Then she meets Michael again--as handsome, smart and perfect as
she remembers him to be. But not even Michael knows the reason they've
really been reunited.
My Review: This audio book was sweet. Syrupy sweet. Sugary, sticky sweet. Sickly sweet. Like when you eat too many brownies, it kind of makes you want to barf. I didn't have a problem setting aside reality (imaginary friends?) to listen to this book, but as I was listening I was wondering if Patterson was serious. It was just too...sweet. Too precious. I will say that the reader (Ellen Archer) did a great job with the dialogue. She gave Jane a great voice and read the (sweet) dialogue perfectly. Other than that, though, it was totally not a book for me. The only reason I kept listening was because my holds for other audio books hadn't come into the library yet. If you're one of those incredibly romantic people (or apparently book reviewers in magazines) who think they will find love only in New York at midnight at the top of the Empire State Building with Prince Charming, you might like it. But for the rest of us, it's quite a bit too...sweet. Did I mention that? (Finished 3/31/09)
Read because: It's another one of those books on my shelves with an unknown origin.
Borrowed from: the Sacramento library
Rating: 8 out of 10
Synopsis (from Publishers Weekly): Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coauthor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way.
My Review: I knew so little about this book that it was shelved in the fiction section of my library as long as I can remember (I have no idea where it came from in the first place) because I never took the time to see what it was about. When I was at the library browsing the audio book section, I saw it and decided to borrow it. Once I started listening to it, I went home and reshelved the book in the non-fiction section of my library. This book was inspiring. It made me want to DO things. Greg Mortensen risks his life daily to build schools for kids who otherwise would spend their school days writing their times tables in the dirt. He spends months away from his (incredubly supportive) family so that he can carry out his mission. He believes that education is the greatest power against terrorism (if kids are in schools other than the Madrassa religious schools, they have a chance of learning something other than extreme Islamic doctrine and war skills), and after reading this book, I must agree. He is criss-crossing central asia giving hope to a huge number of kids and villages. I will admit I cried a number of times while listening. Which is probably isn't the safest way to drive. (Finished 3/29/09)
Read because: It's been on my to-read list for a long time
Borrowed from: the Sacramento library
Rating: 7 out of 10
Synopsis (from Amazon): Best-selling author Gladwell has a dazzling ability to find commonality in disparate fields of study. As he displays again in this entertaining and illuminating look at how we make snap judgments—about people's intentions, the authenticity of a work of art, even military strategy—he can parse for general readers the intricacies of fascinating but little-known fields like professional food tasting (why does Coke taste different from Pepsi?). Gladwell's conclusion, after studying how people make instant decisions in a wide range of fields from psychology to police work, is that we can make better instant judgments by training our mind and senses to focus on the most relevant facts—and that less input (as long as it's the right input) is better than more.
My Review: I felt like this book was a bunch of those sidebars in science textbooks that you find really interesting when the rest of the book is a big snore. The idea behind this book -- snap judgments and instinctive reactions -- was very intriguing. All of the little scientific scenarios he set up were fascinating and even though I am not generally a science/psychology person, I found all of the information very accessible. I was especially interested in his research about heart rates and how when we are extremely stressed out, our bodies function at a different level than normal -- which is why people have such a hard time dialing 911 when there's a real, dangerous emergency. He stresses that we need to practice dialing so that our subconscious will do what our conscience cannot if we're in a situation like that. Scary! *grabs phone to practice* Overall, though, I wish there had been more on how to hone our skills in making judgments. Gladwell read the book himself, and he did a solid job. I think I'll get his others (the Tipping Point and the Outliers) on audio book as well.
Recommended by: Jen, like, a billion times.
Purchased (well, traded) from: www.bookins.com
Rating: 8 out of 10
Synopsis (from Amazon): Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...
My Review: Jen has been telling me to read this since the beginning of time (or since we became neighbors several years ago) and I finally got around to it. I thought it was a great coming-of-age novel, that tackled some really tough issues in a way that made me hurt for Melinda but also rally behind her. She was a very sympathetic character -- messing up enough to make it seem believable, but having so many redeeming qualities that it was impossible not to root for her. The writing was very smart -- a lot of sharp observations that made me think, "Don't remind me. High school was totally like that." I also loved how art played a key role in the story -- it's can be so healing and restorative to someone who has gone through so much (and for the rest of us, too).
Borrowed from: the Sacramento Library
Rating: 7 out of 10
Synopsis: In his second memoir Poitier talks about his childhood in the Caribbean, where he was terribly poor by American standards, but quite happy, swimming and climbing all he could. One of eight kids, Poitier was sent to live with an older brother in Miami when he started to get into difficulties as a teen. But frustrated by his inability to earn a living and by the disparaging way whites treated him, Poitier left Miami for New York. There he worked as a dishwasher, started a drama class and launched a celebrated acting career that led to starring roles in such classics as To Sir, with Love and Raisin in the Sun.
My Review: I picked this audio book up back in January at the library, because although I don't think I would have read the paper version, I was interested in hearing Poitier read since his voice is so...unmistakable. I could probably listen to him read out of the phone book for an hour. I listened to the book and really enjoyed the reading, but the final disc of the set skipped so badly that I had to give up. I finally got around to getting the paper version so I could read the last forty pages or so that I'd missed. And I can say that I enjoyed the audio book more, although Poitier's voice was loud and clear on the page as well. But I missed his laughing and the different tones in his voice. Anyway, the book overall was decent -- I didn't find it particularly spiritual, though. It talked about his time growing up in the Bahamas, covered his big break into Hollywood (fascinating!), and did talk a little about how he feels about "God," although he would never call Him that. I did find his struggle as a black actor to be very fascinating -- I grew up in a nice white household and although I've always known about racial struggles, I can honestly say that as an affluent white person, I can't understand -- I'll never be able to understand. But Poitier did a great job of bringing that struggle to life, so even though I can't get my mind to go there, I can at least understand his personal struggle a little better.
Whew. I'm trucking through books this weekend. I'm no longer behind in my reading challenge! Hooray.
