Look, i know that Dungeon Crawler Carl is popular, and I’m not here to rain on anyone’s parade. BUT, if I wanted a video game story, I’d play a video Look, i know that Dungeon Crawler Carl is popular, and I’m not here to rain on anyone’s parade. BUT, if I wanted a video game story, I’d play a video game. Every time the narrator gave out a “New Achievement” I cringed, every time the characters peeked through their menu I yawned, and I so infrequently found the humour to be funny.
Nonetheless, I get the appeal here. I won’t be continuing on with the series, but I wish you all great success and joy through your crawl. ...more
Here I thought I’d have a quick, light audiobook on a drive and now I’m left with all these feels.
Really terrific stuff. Frankly, I think it deservesHere I thought I’d have a quick, light audiobook on a drive and now I’m left with all these feels.
Really terrific stuff. Frankly, I think it deserves a second pass for me to read rather than listen. This is a subtly beautiful and poignant novel that is best enjoyed at the reader’s own set pace.
While we took off on a family road trip, my wife agreed to listen to Stanley Tucci's food memoir. For me, this was an unmitigated win: if I'm picking While we took off on a family road trip, my wife agreed to listen to Stanley Tucci's food memoir. For me, this was an unmitigated win: if I'm picking reality TV, we're going to watch someone cook. For my wife, Tucci rambling on about recipes was a reluctant and somewhat bearable prospect. I'm pleased to report that we both ended up enjoying this more than we'd expected.
As we drove long hours on Canadian highways with frequent interruptions from the kids, we both found ourselves in love with Tucci's narration, writing style, and the way he understands food as not only as nourishment, but as one of the essential drivers of human experience. Oh, and we stopped into far more Italian restaurants than we might have otherwise.
I can't believe I didn't know about this atrocity. The audio is alright, but nothing to write home about. Very heavy book, but a necessary historic coI can't believe I didn't know about this atrocity. The audio is alright, but nothing to write home about. Very heavy book, but a necessary historic corrective. ...more
Though I read The Tipping Point ages ago, I have to say that Revenge of the Tipping Point is an absolute smash in audio format. Gladwell has taken theThough I read The Tipping Point ages ago, I have to say that Revenge of the Tipping Point is an absolute smash in audio format. Gladwell has taken the lessons learned from podcasting to add appropriate music, audio snippets, and clear, clean narration to make a terrific listening experience.
In Revenge, Gladwell shows us how many recent calamities (the pandemic, the opioid epidemic) owe their rapid expansion to small factors that make disproportionate changes to the landscape in which they operate. It is a remove from the positive tone of the first book, but a spin that makes for compelling storytelling throughout.
Do I think all of Gladwell's observations and arguments are air tight? Nope! In fact, there's times where it feels like some key pieces of information are simplified or excluded in the interest of a tight argument. These exclusions make for a tighter narrative, but for those of us who want greater detail, you may want to use this book as a jumping off point for each of the individual stories presented in Revenge.
Highly compelling stuff, but make sure you give the audiobook a listen!...more
What starts out as a tipsy-turvy look at Naomi Klein's bizarre personal doppelgänger situation evolves into a more nuanced examination of our current What starts out as a tipsy-turvy look at Naomi Klein's bizarre personal doppelgänger situation evolves into a more nuanced examination of our current culture and the nature of doubling. Frankly, had the novel continued along a course that looked at Klein's personal struggles with her far-right and far-out double, I would have been along for the ride. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to slip into Klein's calm and even writing style (and narration!) as she examines many of the troubling aspects of today's world that bug, horrify, and deflate me.
While I may not have enjoyed each and every chapter and topic, my thoughts were always provoked. I listened to this, mostly, on my commute to and from work and would find occasion in the quieter moments of the day to reflect on what Klein brought up. Covering vaccine misinformation, wellness culture, COVID-19, the Palestinian genocide, political bifurcation, misinformation, and climate change, Klein really rises to today's challenges in a fashion that felt infrequently preachy and always well thought out.
Though despair and hopelessness may hang like a cloud over our current societal moment, Klein has a way of hacking through the dense overgrowth and finding a path forward. There's no sugar coating here, but there is a clear-eyed sense of reasons and means to work towards a better future. An idea, a possibility of collective action through the dissolving of the self and the acceptance of our relationship and reliance on each other, seems possible if you listen to Klein. I for one, am here for it....more
I listened to this long form reporting on Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs in the Phillipines, but I kind of wish I’d read it. Some of the names here weI listened to this long form reporting on Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs in the Phillipines, but I kind of wish I’d read it. Some of the names here were foreign enough that they didn’t always stick in my head and I’d lose track of the who’s who. If I’d been reading, I know I wouldn’t have run into that sort of issue as often.
Nonetheless, this is a very well-reported piece of work. I may have enjoyed reading the book more, but the narrator was consistent and did great voices throughout. You can feel pain and anguish clashing with the double think of the president’s rhetoric throughout.
I was so ready to abandon The Fraud. Smith's style crossed with historical fiction felt grating, slow, and entirely uninteresting. I usually try to geI was so ready to abandon The Fraud. Smith's style crossed with historical fiction felt grating, slow, and entirely uninteresting. I usually try to get through 100 pages of a book before abandoning it, but I could hardly squeak my way through the first 50. Fortunately, I had Cam Waller to point me in the right direction: the audiobook is where it's at.
Read by Smith, The Fraud embodies the accents and lilt of the characters with a compelling performance throughout. Even though I found the start of the novel pretty slow, Smith breathes the pure stuff of creation into her characters. I loathed Sarah Ainsworth at the appropriate spots, felt the austere intelligence of Mrs. Touchet, and mourned Andrew Bogle's stolen life. Though I doubt that I would have seen the book through in print, Smith pulled me along through the audiobook.
What's more, I think I'm likely to return to this novel in the future. There was a lot of rich ideas that I wish I could have stewed on more in audio, and some stuff that went entirely over my head. Did I love the book? Assuredly not: in my mind it's a 3.5 star read, but it gets bumped up for the audio. Did I appreciate the novel? Undoubtedly! I left each listening session richer than I came to it....more
I'm fairly big on the NYT Review of Books, in particular their podcast, and found that reading their 10 best books of the year tends to give me a wellI'm fairly big on the NYT Review of Books, in particular their podcast, and found that reading their 10 best books of the year tends to give me a well-rounded view on the literary landscape. Though Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs wasn't the nonfiction pick in which I was most interested, it had the advantage of a great title and being one of the shortest picks. A fine a spot to start on the list as any.
The first half of the book examines, briefly, the idea of surveillance and the massive amount of data accrual that's happened in the past 25 years. For me, this was the best part of the book. I was interested to learn about the literally unreadable amount of data that is acquired and how easily the term "classified" is bandied about. I wish the book had stuck around here a little longer and dove into more of what has made the system what it is.
So, as an audiobook, how does this one fare? Well, I'd say. It's not unlike listening to a long form political podcast with all its attendant tangents and loose connections. In Howley's book, the investigation of the Deep State hangs on the case of Reality Winner, who acts as a cautionary tale for our modern world of surveillance. Winner's story is a fine case study where the wheels skirt off the track of intended justice and safety towards the Kafkaesque.
Even though the scope is massive and tethered to Winner, it never really laid together nicely in my mind. Sure, the facts and stories were interesting in and of themselves, but as a whole I felt something rather essential was lacking. By no means is this a bad book or a bad premise, it's just one I wish had been better fleshed out....more
My wife and I had this on as we drove across the province. I usually lean towards nonfiction for audiobooks but my wife likes a story to get lost in. My wife and I had this on as we drove across the province. I usually lean towards nonfiction for audiobooks but my wife likes a story to get lost in. Luckily, this one landed for both of us. It’s got a fairly hilarious concept—children that spontaneously combust when they have tantrums—that did a lot for us as young parents. Would recommend!...more
I've been struggling to put into words my feelings about the art of monstrous men. Luckily, Claire Dederer is here to offer one possible path out of mI've been struggling to put into words my feelings about the art of monstrous men. Luckily, Claire Dederer is here to offer one possible path out of my moral quagmire. Sometimes I love a piece of work so much that I struggle to represent the experience in any way that is reflective of the book's content. It feels that way with Monsters, but I do have some quick hit feelings:
-The audiobook is terrific and I couldn't imagine experiencing the book for the first time in any other format. -The book is erudite without being pretentious or preachy. -Some of the passages about parenthood, typical motherhood in particular, pierced me through to my core in recognition.
Monsters is, quite possibly, my favourite book of the year so far. I can’t recommend it highly enough!...more
I listened to Hua Hsu's audiobook on the recommendation of NYT's best books of 2022 list. I'm slowly making my way through all the fiction picks, and I listened to Hua Hsu's audiobook on the recommendation of NYT's best books of 2022 list. I'm slowly making my way through all the fiction picks, and I decided to take a stab at some of the nonfiction reads that drew my attention. Of the entire list, this memoir seemed an outlier among its more rigorous scientific or historical texts. However, Stay True manages to blaze its own path and make a fine case for its inclusion on NYT's list. What's more, as I finished the last few hours of listening, the memoir won a Pulitzer!
This is a great book, but a truly terrific audio experience. Hsu reads the memoir himself, and though it does occasionally dig into minutiae of making a zine that I cared little about, it is overall a transportive piece of literature. This story is a time machine to a time when the internet was just creeping into the common parlance, and Hsu wonderfully describes the time period.
I thought that Hsu's relationship and mourning of Ken was treated with care without being overly sentimental. It's obvious that their brief friendship and Ken's sudden passing had an immense influence on Hsu, though the memoir is truly more about Hsu than Ken. Well worth a listen or read!...more
For my wife and I, the release of a new David Sedaris book is a capital-E event. We'll load it up on audible and begin to look for opportunities to taFor my wife and I, the release of a new David Sedaris book is a capital-E event. We'll load it up on audible and begin to look for opportunities to take to the road and give it a listen. Sedaris' writing coupled with his wry narration and knack for impersonation make for an endearing listen each time. I preferred this collection to Calypso and especially dug Sedaris wrestling with the pandemic and the death of his father.
This may not be the best place to start (see When You Are Engulfed in Flames), but it's certainly another feather in Sedaris' cap....more
This was an interesting combination of biography, history, and science reporting. There’s some fairly emotionally heavy subject matter, which won’t beThis was an interesting combination of biography, history, and science reporting. There’s some fairly emotionally heavy subject matter, which won’t be for everyone, but I thought all of it was handled with care. In particular, the section on eugenics in the US was eye opening and horrific. My wife and I both found it to be a compelling audiobook, and Lulu Miller does a fine job with it. ...more
I opted to go from reading to listening to this second Skyward Flight novella and it was a solid choice. This one is much better than the first, but dI opted to go from reading to listening to this second Skyward Flight novella and it was a solid choice. This one is much better than the first, but does build nicely on what's come before. There's times when the YAness of the characterization and dialogue causes me to flinch, but I'm doing my very best to become less pretentious about that stuff. I mean, if it's good clean fun, why think too hard about it?
Looking forward to the wrapping up of these novellas and the arrival of Cytonic!
This one lands on the lower end of Pollan's output, but still manages to be damn good. This book definitely feels like a cobbling of long form pieces This one lands on the lower end of Pollan's output, but still manages to be damn good. This book definitely feels like a cobbling of long form pieces into a semi-cohesive whole about mind-altering plants. As always, Pollan is a warm and compelling narrator in the audiobook version. The first piece about opium is by turns funny and slightly out of date. Luckily, it's buoyed along by Pollan's signature style.
The second section about caffeine was previously presented in an Audible-exclusive listen that was supposed to act as a coda to Pollan's excellent previous book, How to Change Your Mind. I was a little peeved to see it show up here with a few tweaks, but that's what I get for not doing a closer reading of the synopsis. It's still quite entertaining and I'd point you towards my previous review of it had Goodreads not seemingly lost it.
The final bit about peyote is perhaps the best of the bunch. It's a neat attempt to coalesce the scientific rigour of Pollan's approach with an anthropological exploration of Native American tribes' use of the plant. It feels very genuine and was thoroughly educational.
Though I wish this had gone on a bit longer or been tied together more strongly, it's undeniably more of what I've loved in Pollan's other work....more
Brought to my attention by its inclusion on the New York Times' 10 Best Books of 2020, Hidden Valley Road was a harrowing account of mental illness anBrought to my attention by its inclusion on the New York Times' 10 Best Books of 2020, Hidden Valley Road was a harrowing account of mental illness and the slow progress of scientific discovery in the field of schizophrenia. The nonfiction account follows the history of the all-American Galvin family and their unfortunate preponderance towards hallucination and delusion. Of the twelve siblings in the Galvin family, six of the boys spend their lives in and out of mental institutions while their family struggles to deal with their illness.
Parallel to this family tale, equal parts moving and disturbing, is a history of schizophrenia itself. From the days of Freud through to modern genetics, Kolker deftly navigates the ups and downs of scientific progress throughout the years. These chapters are in and of themselves fascinating historical science, but that the author is able to weave those shifts in the best practices of the day with the experience of the Galvin boys is a wonderful bit of work.
A trigger warning: the book features detailed descriptions of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Kolker's book is comprehensive and granular in its attention to detail. No one person's narrative is given precedent over another, and the injustices suffered by the well children at the hands of their ill siblings are examined again and again. The evolution in these viewpoints feel true because they are: Kolker conducted hours of interviews and poured over what seems like a mountain of documents to bring this story to life.
The eventual discovery of the Galvin family by the scientific community helps bring the story to a conclusion that highlights the progress made and the road yet to be travelled. It is a series of tragedies that characterizes the Galvin brothers' various fates at the book's end, but a spark of hope remains for future generations. Though the call seems in part to further research into schizophrenia, it also tells the reader that the current situation doesn't need to be as bad as it has been.
Hidden Valley Road was a compelling and absolutely listenable audiobook experience. Though not an easy read, it's one I wholeheartedly recommend....more
My wife and I listened to Jenny Lawson's humorous memoir while driving our four month old over 16 hours to see his grandparents. We had lots of laughsMy wife and I listened to Jenny Lawson's humorous memoir while driving our four month old over 16 hours to see his grandparents. We had lots of laughs, but some of it just didn't tick our particular boxes. While most of her asides were funny, some were obnoxious diversions and felt like they were quirk for the sake of being quirky. I saw a lot of reviews that compared this favourably to David Sedaris, and while I see the comparison it's obviously very different in tone and style. I didn't find her moral conclusions to be as hard hitting as Sedaris, but it might work for others.
So, should you give this a go? I think it's definitely worthwhile to at least give the audiobook a test run. You'll either fall in love with Lawson's writing or find it occasionally a little bit grating. We both came down somewhere in the middle....more
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