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Moneyball - Read by Scott Brick Talks about Sabermetrics, Billie Beane's career in baseball, and how he kept the Oakland A's competitive in '01 and '02 as their GM, with one of the lowest payrolls in MLB. Other stuff too. Pretty good, even if you don't follow baseball. It's like the sports equivalent of min-maxing in an RPG. Now, if only Jose Canseco's two books came in audio format... 
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Apr 29, 2010 07:59
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Medic: Saving Lives from Dunkirk to Afghanistan Just came out October 2nd. Narrated by Michael Tudor Barnes. Has a wonderfully rich, British accent... sounds like a deeper-voiced Michael Caine. Publisher's Summary from Audible.com sums it up better than I could: quote:Doctors, nurses, medics, and stretcher-bearers must venture wherever someone is injured and the cry for assistance goes up. Their job is to put themselves in the heart of danger – to risk their own lives as they try to save the dying. Audible is one of the best treasure trove of history books I've seen, outside of libraries. Thinking of getting Richard Evans' Third Reich Trilogy next. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 05:31 on Oct 5, 2010 |
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Oct 5, 2010 05:28
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The General posted:Only took me like three years to get you to check out audible I'd make a snarky reply, but :files: references aren't allowed. So I'll just say it's too bad I can't play it on anything I have right now (DSi  ) except my PC, due to their goofy proprietary format, and DRM.Finding a cheap, compatible, non-Apple player is a pain in the rear end, in my tool of a city.
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Oct 6, 2010 05:18
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Hexadecimal Gnome posted:It's a future idea for us to have apps since Androids, iPhones and iPads are a big audience, but our priority is getting the site fully equipped with audio books. I'm pushing for it because I have the latter two myself, so I'll certainly post if we get any news on it. You work for Audible? Any reason why Sony players aren't compatible? They're ever so much cheaper than Apple in this country.  Mini review: Julius Caesar's "The Commentaries" is loving awesome.  The narrator is clear, deep, and very well-spoken, with his Great Britainish accent. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Oct 28, 2010 |
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Oct 28, 2010 04:40
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I'm not buying a Sony, until Sony/Audible makes it compatible.  It doesn't matter, really, I bought something else today.
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Oct 28, 2010 07:20
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Here's a one-sentence, end-of-year review for the books I grabbed this year: Michael Pollan - "Second Nature" Features home gardening, autobiographical and historical observations, and the battle between different gardening philosophies... and a woodchuck. Narr. - Michael Pollan 4/5 Michael Pollan - "The Omnivore's Dilemma" US-centric look at farming and the food industry, including factory farming, local organic, industrial organic, historical methods, and emerging community ventures. Narr. - Scott Brick  4/5 Michael Pollan - "In Defense of Food" Follow-up to Omnivore's Dilemma, focusing on the US corn industry, why processed foods aren't a good thing, the obesity epidemic, the history of the food pyramid, how hard it is to get accurate diet studies, and more. Narr. - Scott Brick 5/5 Hannah Holmes - "The Secret Life of Dust" Book about minute particles of dust, how they travel (and how far), from the cosmos, to farms, mines, and your bedsheets, and dust's effects on human health. Narr. - Eliza Foss 4/5 Frank W. Abagnale - "Catch me if you Can" Book about one of the greatest con-men in US history. Narr. - Barrett Whitener 3.5/5 Jim Butcher - "Side Jobs" Short stories featuring the many characters of the Dresden Files universe, including a story that takes place after the book "Changes". Narr. - James Marsters  5/5 John Reader - "The Untold History of the Potato" A history of the potato, and the various countries and socio-economic factors it influenced, though not as potato-centric as Kurlansky's "Salt" was salt-centric (if you get me). Narr. - Martin Hyder 3/5 Adam Leith Gollner - "The Fruit Hunters" Book about fruit including history, the association with sex, fruit tourism, smuggling, cultivating, the industry, and how big sugar killed Miracle Fruit as an (natural) artificial sweetener. Narr. - Stephen Hoye 5/5 Jack & Anne Rudloe - "Shrimp" Featuring shrimp, shrimp catching, shrimp farming, the history of shrimp eating in the US, trawl nets, "bycatch", endangered sea turtles, and how land developers are destroying shrimp habitats. Narr. - Peter Johnson 4/5 Mark Kurlansky - "Salt" The history of man, from ancient China, to the modern USA, as influenced by the need to acquire salt, which was quite difficult up until the Industrial Revolution. Narr. - Scott Brick  5/5 Yes, I'm gay for non-fiction. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Dec 31, 2010 |
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Dec 31, 2010 05:39
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Syrinxx posted:I'm starting off the year with another Alastair Reynolds audiobook - Revelation Space narrated by John Lee I think it's his best work, besides Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Shadow". (My favorite Sci-Fi authour, ever) Got his newest book ("Pathfinder" Part 1), and "Empire of Blue Water" this month, which is an awesome book (so far) on Captain Morgan. 
Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 11:43 on Jan 3, 2011 |
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Jan 3, 2011 10:48
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It's the end of the month, here's what I've bought this time: Pathfinder Book One Orson Scott Card  Narr.: Stefan Rudnicki, Kirby Heyborne, Don Leslie, Kristoffer Tabori, Scott Brick Take every popular time travel movie or TV show, and combine them: Back to the Future, Bill & Ted, Star Treks, and shake thoroughly. This book is one awesome  of science fiction.5/5 Empire of Blue Water Stephan Talty Narr.: John H. Mayer A History of the infamous Welsh privateer William Henry Morgan (yes, the dude on the rum bottle). It's got pirates and poo poo, and it's awesome. 4/5 Emperors and Idiots: The Hundred-Year Rivalry Between the Yankees and the Red Sox Mike Vaccaro Narr.: Scott Brick (Moneyball) Includes the rivalry of said teams, the origins of "The Curse", Bernie Mac's Cubs Folly of '03, and the Sox' victory in 2004. The book starts in the Ruth Era, then jumps back and forth a lot between the Dimaggio/Ted Williams years, and the (then) present day. Could've used better editing, but it's a great book. I don't like following the sport ( ), but I love it's stories.5/5 The Second World War: Milestones to Disaster Sir Winston Churchill Narr.: Christian Rodska The history leading up to the beginning of WWII, culminating in the taking of Paris. The first in a four part series, as told from Winston's perspective, telling it as he saw it, and from what he learned in the war's aftermath.  This book is only $5.50 for members until February 8th. GET IT NOW. 4/5 Upcoming credit purchases: Probably the next two parts of Churchill's history. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 05:04 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 3, 2011 03:06
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February Audible purchases: The Second World War: Alone The Second World War: The Grand Alliance The Second World War: Triumph and Tragedy Sir Winston Churchill Narr.: Christian Rodska The remaining three parts of Churchill's account of World War II. In book three, you hear him tear a strip off Stalin, as by many accounts, he was the only one who saw Stalin for what he was: a paranoid, power-hungry, incompetent rear end in a top hat. 5/5 The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine Michael Lewis Narr.: Jesse Boggs (Reminds me of Graham Greene )An account of the events leading to the Sub-Prime Mortgage lending crash of 2007/2008, starring the few smart people who actually saw it coming, and proved it by making a shitton of money, when most of the banks lost their shirts. This book has a LOT of abbreviations, and as a layman, I've had to relisten to it to understand some of the more technical financial aspects of the book. 5/5 The Complete Just So Stories Rudyard Kipling Narr.: Johnny Morris (There's like 8 or 9 versions of this book on the site, all with different narrators) A collection of children's short stories, mostly revolving around how the various animals got their features. Like how the elephant got its trunk, the camel its hump, the leopard its spots etc. Really wanted to check out Kipling's stuff since re-viewing the original Sabu version of The Jungle Book. The Narrator is great, and goes the distance for the different animals and personalities in the book. You get the feeling Kipling wrote it for his daughter, as he makes many references to "my beloved". 5/5 Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Mar 2, 2011 |
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Mar 2, 2011 19:53
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That's why Star Wars books loving rule, too. Now if only the majority of them weren't loving abridged...
Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Mar 4, 2011 |
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Mar 4, 2011 04:43
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 ... This is the probably the guy you want: Charlton Griffin. Alternately, doesn't Adobe or some other company have a Text-to-Voice program? I mean, if all you want is a flat monotone, why pay more than the price of an ebook? Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 05:15 on Mar 5, 2011 |
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Mar 4, 2011 11:57
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Not sure. Pollan's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is no longer up there, either. Just his follow up "In Defense of Food". And as they cover different areas of the industry, they really go better together. Given that there's five or six different versions of "The Jungle Book" hanging around, they probably have the room.  It must be the specific website (.co.uk, .com, etc.), as Audible.com does indeed have "The Big Short" available. http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B003B2ZV8K&qid=1299644270&sr=1-1 Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 06:28 on Mar 9, 2011 |
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Mar 9, 2011 05:07
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That series is loving great. And as the books progress, you can actually hear both the author and the narrator steadily improving with each new title. Books 10-12 are amazing. Locus posted:Anyone have a recommendation for a really riveting/can't put down type book? Fiction in the vague area of scifi Orson Scott Card presents: Ender's Game (listened to a dozen times) Speaker for the Dead Xenocide Children of the Mind Ender's Shadow (listened to a dozen times) Shadow of the Hegemon Shadow Puppets Shadow of the Giant Ender in Exile (Takes place immediately after Ender's Game, and in the second half, after Shadow of the Giant- relativity, and all that) _____________ Empire Hidden Empire Near future books with (prototype) hovercycles and mechs, involving a pseudo-civil war between the polarized Repubs and Dems of America. It's got some cool  conspiracy sub-plot stuff too, and is related to the Shadow Complex XBLA game.Strangely it's more plausible than Homefront (anything would be, however), or Tom Clancy's newest novel. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 19:39 on Mar 29, 2011 |
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Mar 29, 2011 15:38
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Locus posted:I read a lot of the Ender books as a kid and thought they were good too, but I'm a little leery of Card in general due to his weirdness and politics. Why would that matter? The religion and politics of a fiction writer shouldn't be worth caring about any more than those of Tom Cruise (actors  ) or Justin Bieber (singers).Anyways, here's last month's wallet drain: The Modern Scholar: Astronomy I The Modern Scholar: Astronomy II Auth: Professor James Kaler Narr: Professor James Kaler The first one is about the history of Astronomy and the solar system, the second is about all those things outside the solar system. 5/5 Baseball: A History of America's Game Auth: Benjamin G. Rader Narr: Joe Barrett Great book, includes the Steroid era, and interesting details about a game I just can't bring myself to actually watch. 4/5 Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 06:01 on Apr 3, 2011 |
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Apr 3, 2011 02:04
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Kestral posted:Card's world view does start to slip in to his writing as time goes on. And the post-Ender's Game novels aren't exactly riveting per se: Speaker for the Dead is a classic of science fiction for good reason, but the books that come after it get steadily worse. Ender's Shadow and its "sequels" have a similar problem. Maybe it's because I'm an atheist, or a Canadian, or because I don't research authours' personal lives, but I don't notice any agendas. I just read cool stories that have great characters, non-standard heroes, and a writing style which focuses on the point of view/biases of the character at the time, which I love. Makes his books feel more personal. Subject Change: There's a new company that rereleased Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy. It's the same books, with the same narrator, and even the samples sound the same, but the base price for the books is considerably cheaper. However, the first book is missing 24 minutes, which makes me wonder what was cut. How is said trilogy? I heard it's different, in that the hero doesn't succeed. Is it politic-heavy though? I know he's done one or two of the Wheel of Time books, and those bore the poo poo out of me. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 18:57 on Apr 23, 2011 |
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Apr 23, 2011 18:49
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Audible's doing a 48-hour $9.99 sale for members right now, and while perusing the list, I found this: Soon I Will Be Invincible: A Novel The blurb reads almost like a book-version of NPH's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog  .Or at least, the first-hand account of an Evil Overlord™. The narrator sounds crisp and clear, too. I'm gonna give it a shot. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 10:36 on May 16, 2011 |
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May 14, 2011 05:08
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The General posted:This sounds pretty promising You play it for your kid on road trips. With headphones. So you don't go crazy and drive the mini-van off the cliff/into a head-on semi-truck, because he won't leave his younger sibling alone/shut the gently caress up.  "I TOLD YOU TO BE QUIET AND KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?! GODDAMN IT, THAT'S IT, I'VE loving HAD IT!"
Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 13:29 on May 14, 2011 |
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May 14, 2011 13:26
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Mister Macys posted:Soon I Will Be Invincible: A Novel I am so glad I bought this book,  .It alternates in first person between a supervillain, and a new addition to an established superhero group. 5/5
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May 19, 2011 03:42
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The General posted:Living in canada, I have just learned to accept this as life. There are services allover the US that I want, but cannot have. For example, Netflix in Canada is loving terrible. No Pandora or Last FM. Hulu and sites like it are all a mystery to me. So yeah, if you're not in the US of A, expect to get the shaft with anything digital. loving protectionist canadian content requirements! 
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May 25, 2011 02:43
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So true. gently caress Road to Avonlea, gently caress Wind at my Back, and DOUBLE-gently caress The Littlest Hobo. That said, Little Mosque on the Prarie is hilarious, and The Nature of Things is still good. They should just do what the Native channel does, and incude content with canadian actors, or content filmed in canadian locations.
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May 25, 2011 22:18
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Yeah, the price-per-credit is roughly equal to a Platinum account. I picked up the last two Mistborn books, because I didn't want to wait until June First.  Not sure what else I'll get. Maybe The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History?  If I didn't already own the hardcover, I'd get this one: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 03:34 on May 26, 2011 |
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May 26, 2011 03:29
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Ape Gone Insane posted:I'm having a hard time choosing which narrator to go with for the Harry Potter series. Stephen Fry sounds more lively but most of the characters sound more or less the same whereas Jim Dale does a fantastic range of voices. I'd go with whomever can do the best version of the huge outdoorsy guy whose name escapes me. The, "You're a wizard 'Arry." guy. Picked up the second two books in the Mistborn series. Also got these: Soon I Will be Invincible: A Novel Narr. - Paul Boehmer and Coleen Marlo Get this book. I really can't recommend it enough. Fun as Hell, and plenty of homages. 5/5 Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon’s Army and Other Diabolical Insects Narr. - Coleen Marlo Cool book. Short, but informationally dense, if you get me. Runs in alphabetical order. 4/5 And everyone in the world should own this book: Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines Seriously. I mean it. That said, I'd recommend the actual book personally, I don't like the narrator. Or you can listen and watch the author himself, courtesy of U.C. Berkeley: My favorite one - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BHdsjo-NR4 Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 05:27 on Jun 26, 2011 |
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Jun 11, 2011 10:00
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Go the F--k to Sleep Free six minute "bedtime" story, narrated by SAMUEL. L. loving. JACKSON. 11/5. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 23:47 on Jun 21, 2011 |
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Jun 21, 2011 23:41
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Man, I can't stop buying audiobooks. I never thought I could go through so many this easily. 32-35 books since September. Here's my latest: Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won Narr. - Zach McLarty The Mythbusters of sports books. Confronts conventional sports wisdom (defense wins championships, punt on 4th down, etc.), and sees if the data backs the claims up. You can hear the narrator connecting with the book, finding things as interesting or funny as we would. Specific sports mentioned include Hockey, Basketball, Baseball, Football, Soccer, Tennis, and Golf, that I remember. 4/5 The Automatic Detective Authour: A. Lee Martinez Narr. - Marc Vietor Imagine a detective story... set in a dystopian future city of mutants, psychics, robots, and radiation, starring a seven-foot tall prototype warbot... just trying to make an honest living, like the rest of us. Relatively new authour on the sci-fi scene, too. Gonna keep checking his stuff out. 5/5 Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities Narr. - Coleen Marlo The plant version of Wicked Bugs (see previous posts). You'll learn things you never would've guessed, like celery increasing one's sensitivity to sunlight.  5/5 The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York Narr. - Coleen Marlo (yes, I like her voice... )Grabbed this when Audible sprung the "Buy another book for only five bucks!" deal on me. Cool informative book that includes the history of radium use in the U.S., and its scandals (you could buy radium SODA. Think about that for a minute). Not finished listening yet. Interesting as Hell though. It's organized by poison types. Includes Radium, Carbon Monoxide, Arsenic, and Cyanides, to name a few. 5/5 Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Jul 5, 2011 |
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Jun 26, 2011 06:00
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The General posted:http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3422981 *snaps fingers* That's some serious beatnik-coffee-shop-poetry poo poo right there.
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Jul 14, 2011 22:20
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SageSepth posted:"Oh hay another food description, sweet" Food porn should definitely be left to chefs, like Bourdain. Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook Oh God... Ortolan...
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Jul 20, 2011 09:30
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The newest Dresden Files book by Jim Butcher just came out: Ghost Story: The Dresden Files, Book 13. Due to an alleged scheduling conflict, they had to get a different narrator by the name of John Glover. For those of you who like James Marsters as the narrator, I really, really recommend you listen to the sample first. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Jul 26, 2011 |
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Jul 26, 2011 19:02
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McBeth posted:Well now I know it sucks. Wish I'd listened to the sample first. I've already finished Ghost Story but will reread and am listening to Small Favor as a palate cleanser. I'm honestly considering getting the book after hearing Glover's interpretation. I had to walk away after hearing the voice he used for Carmichael (Murphy's late detective partner). Almost a cowboy stereotype accent.  I dunno about you, but I always pictured him as the Batman-hating detective from The Animated Series, with a proper Chicago/Detroit accent:  "You're a wizard? Whadda' load o' poo poo. C'mon Murph, we don' need this clown." Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Jul 28, 2011 |
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Jul 28, 2011 04:42
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More audiobooks for the audiobook God!  21: Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions Auth: Ben Mezrich Narr: Johnny Heller "Now a major motion picture!" Book about some math geniuses who kicked rear end at blackjack for a while, before the casinos cracked down on using one's brain to win. 3.5/5 Of Rice and Men Auth: Richard Galli Narr: Paul Michael They say war is Hell. This is the story of the Vietnam War, told from the perspective of the Peace Corps. The people who really were out to "win hearts and minds" providing rice seed, building med-clinics, and raising pigs in Hue. These are the tales of a group of "Rear-Echelon Mother-Fuckers". Funny and sad, it reminds me of MASH. A must buy. 5/5 I Am the Market: How to Smuggle Cocaine by the Ton and Live Happily Auth: Luca Rastello Narr: Paul Thornley Written by a convicted italian trafficker who perfected the "Delivery in the dark" method of drug shipment. This book has the greatest sounding narrator on Earth. He's like Robin Sachs (B5-various, ME2-  ), only more badass...5/5 Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Auth: Mary Roach Narr: Shelly Frasier Audible loves springing five dollar deals on me, so I grabbed this. Mentions what happens to bodies after we're done with them, such as their use in forensic studies, ballistic tests, car-crash tests, and includes new methods of disposal. There's more than just cremation by fire, and interrment (sp.?) in the ground! 3.5/5 Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 03:59 on Jul 31, 2011 |
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Jul 30, 2011 19:43
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McBeth posted:We do not plan to re-record the book. Oh well, I need a new book for my bathroom anyways.
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Aug 2, 2011 18:27
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jassa posted:Does anyone know how audiobook narrators get paid? Per-book-sold, or just as a once-off for the initial narration? I was just wondering how companies justify charging almost twice as much for the audiobook than for the printed novel. You're not just paying the authour and a mass-market book company, you're paying the people required to read, record, produce, and package the audiobook (roughly 1 CD per hour of reading). And any type of performer, whether radio, TV, or voice actor, comes at a premium. Combined with a lower sale rate compared to books, it adds up. Gotta recoup those costs somehow. That said, the member price of that specific book on Audible is $19.58, or $11.50, if you're buying with a (Platinum) credit... but they're 100% (proprietary) digital distribution. They don't have to make and ship an rear end-ton of CDs anywhere. Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 08:52 on Aug 15, 2011 |
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Aug 15, 2011 08:45
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Anyone know if a site has Robert Jordan's Conan the Barbarian novels? Audible's only got Howard's stuff.
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Aug 17, 2011 10:37
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Rhaegar posted:Neal Stephenson's new book Reamde is now available on Audible for just 1 credit! The blurb lost me when I read this: Audible.com posted:He also created T’Rain, a multibillion-dollar, massively multiplayer online role-playing game with millions of fans around the world. A thriller revolving around a MMO, where suddenly poo poo GETS REAL YO. Yeah, I'll pass. That said, Cryptonomicon was a good read.
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Sep 29, 2011 17:40
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You mean like wirelessly? You should probably try the Inspect Your Gadgets forum, as I don't think the app itself has that ability. If your stereo is new enough, just plug in your phone like an ipod/mp3 player, and play it that way.
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Oct 2, 2011 19:02
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The neat thing about the Dresden Files series, is that as you progress through the books, you can actually notice both Jim Butcher and James Marsters improving along the way. And that's one of the reasons a lot of people gave Ghost Story bad reviews. The replacement narrator is like the equivalent of culture shock: the delivery is just so different, you can't get used to it if you've been following the series from the beginning.
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Oct 13, 2011 04:53
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Norns posted:I'm wondering if anyone has given the Ready Player One audio book a listen? Thinking about picking it up but don't want to waste my money if listing to Wil Wheaton read it would get old quickly. He did one of the stories in Metatropolis: Cascadia. I thought he did fine. Which reminds me, Michael Hogan did one for the first Metatropolis audiobook, and I believe he's the voice actor of General Tullius in Skyrim. fordan posted:Think that provides more accurate coverage. Cryptonomicon and the Baroque Cycle were actually painful for me to read. Don't think they're available as unabridged audiobooks, though... It's available... Cryptonomicon UNABRIDGED By Neal Stephenson Narrated by William Dufris Length: 42 hrs and 53 mins Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 10:40 on Dec 3, 2011 |
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Dec 3, 2011 10:30
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I figure'd I'd update what I've bought in the last while, and give some opinions (because what goon doesn't love doing that?). A History of the World in 6 Glasses Narr.: Sean Runnette Gives a historical summary of the the world's most consumed/famous beverages on earth. Not including water, natch. Beer, Wine, Spirits, Tea, Coffee, and Colas, all get their moment. the guy's a bit dry in his delivery (clean, american accent), but I didn't mind, as I love history. 3.5/5 From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor Narr.: Eric Meyers Like Mad Men? This is Jerry Della Femina's book, the original insider's account of the Madison Avenue ad agencies, and the guys who worked and ran them. It includes a new intro/prologue/author's note. The Narrator is perfect, and does quite a few accents for some of the quoted speakers. Absolutely brilliant, and funny too. 5/5 Orcs Narr.: John Lee A trilogy combined into one big audiobook, it's a D&D-esque fantasy story, told from the perspective of an Orc Warband, called the Wolverines. Takes place in a world where Humans have arrived in the area relatively recently from across a desert. Starts off a bit slow, but it's alright, I guess. Also, I'd swear the author is a D&D player. 3/5 The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian Narr.: Todd McLaren Rob Howard's first 13 stories of the coolest Fighter-Thief ever to be put to paper, in publication order, as the author preferred. Believe it or not, Conan was about more than blood & guts. Blame Rob's publishers and the movies for that. Howard's work is deeper than you'd think. 4.5/5 The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How A Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks Narr.: Marguerite Gavin quote:Publisher's Summary 5/5 Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit Narr.: Pete Larkin Talks about the "fresh" tomato industry, pesticides, Florida's human trafficking (read: slavery) problem, why tomatoes taste like plastic junk/cardboard, why they all look the same, and how they can survive a fall from a truck doing 55mph, among other things. Certainly opened my eyes. 4/5 Crash Course: The American Automobile Industry's Road from Glory to Disaster Narr.: Patrick Lawlor History of the American automobile industry and the UAW, from the 1800s, right up to the crash, and the subsequent bailout by the U.S., and Canada. Includes some bits about the japanese in the US market, Nissan's turnaround, the various mergers (Daimler Benz, FIAT, etc.) 4/5 Napoleon's Buttons: 17 Molecules That Changed History Narr.: Laural Merlington History of influential materials that changed the world as we know it, including polyphenols in spices, cotton, explosives, caffiene, medicinal sulfa compounds, and other stuff. A bit boring, to be honest. 3/5 Damned Narr.: Tai Sammons Chuck Palahniuk's newest book. Imagine "The Breakfast Club" in Hell, crossed with Chuck's peculiar mindset, and you've got a rather interesting post-life adventure. Told in the first person, by one 13-year-old Madison. 4.5/5 The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First Narr.: Lloyd James History of the Tampa Bay 4/5 Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN Narr.: James Andrew Miller, Matt McCarthy, Joan Baker History of ESPN, as told by the people who worked there. I didn't really care for it, as the entire book is pretty much told in attributed quotes, which made it a pain in the rear end to follow. Plus, I don't watch ESPN , I was just looking for another good sports book. Probably would've been better in hardcopy.2.5/5 The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History Narr.: Erik Synnestvedt The short, unhappy life of the car, the men who built it, the men who imported it, and the decade that embraced and discarded it. Funny and weird, proving that Truth is often stranger than fiction. 3.5/5 This is Your Country on Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America Narr.: Milton Bagby The History of drug use in the United States of America  . Explains trends, the DEA, the DARE program, cyclic demand, research chemicals, natural drugs, marijuana laws, and why LSD is so loving hard to find... MAAAAANNN.  5/5 Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks Narr.: Bernadette Dunne Bor-ing. I can't bring myself to listen to all of it. It starts off with the Shark Fin (soup) trade, and just bored me, to the point that I didn't care to find out what else she had to write about. I was hoping it would talk about different species, but it sure didn't start that way. 1/5 Black Market Billions: How Organized Retail Crime Funds Global Terrorists Narr.: Elisabeth Rodgers Feels like a scare story about how Organized Retail Crime is all done by terrorists. I was hoping for some technical details, but it's light on details, and high on terror. 1.5/5 23 Things They Don't Tell You about Capitalism Narr.: Joe Barrett Wanna know why a lot of very smart people didn't see bad poo poo coming in 2008? Let's just say that a Myths and Facts book about Capitalism should've been written years ago. Well written, well spoken, it's an easy to understand book, even for those without a post-secondary (  ) education. Interestingly, it points out how the Founding Fathers™ (and FDR) would've been on America's and the WTO's shitlist if they were alive today, for their "quaint" federal monetary policies.This book, and Physics for Future Presidents, should be mandatory required reading in every senior high school classroom. 5/5 The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel Narr.: Michael Kramer Mistborn, + late 1890s technology = loving awesome. Reads like classic pulp science fantasy. 5/5 The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their rear end Narr.: Bill Maher Topical comedy. Funny. Awesome. Current as of the Charlie Sheen debacle/Bin Laden Assassination, whichever came last. First time I've ever heard his stuff, too. I'm hooked. 5/5 The Sellout: How Three Decades of Wall Street Greed and Government Mismanagement Destroyed the Global Financial System Narr.: Thomas M. Perkins A history of Wall Street starting from the 70s, or so, when things started going to poo poo for Joe Middle Class, ending in the financial crisis. Includes short bios of notable Wall Street CEOs, and others. 4/5 Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World Narr.: Dylan Baker Michael Lewis' newest book about how Iceland, Greece, Ireland, and Germany were affected by the financial crisis. Includes material with former California gov Arnold Schwarzenegger, the mayor of San Jose, and a Vallejo firefighter, about the most hosed state in the Union.  4/5 This month: Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil Narr.: Peter Ganim That nice bottle of "EVOO" (gently caress you, Rachel Ray) with the italian flags, and Tuscan scenery, might not be what you think it is. A book reminding us of the immortal phrase "Caveat Emptor", regarding one of the world's greatest treasures. Let the buyer beware, indeed. 4/5 No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller Narr.: Scott Brick, Harry Markopolos, Frank Casey, Neil Chelo, David Kotz, Gaytri Kachroo, Michael Ocrant The story of one whistle-blower's attempt to warn the SEC about Bernie Madoff's Ponzi Scheme, and how they literally didn't give a poo poo to investigate him for almost ten years, letting a 5 billion dollar scam grow to an estimated 65 BILLION DOLLARS. Better than any John Grisham best-seller. Includes an audio-only chapter from some of Madoff's victims. A free supplemental .pdf is also provided in the link above, plus Dr. Gaytri Kachroo's speech to the World Legal Forum. Audible pulled out all the stops for this one. I can't recommend it enough. 5/5 Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Jan 5, 2012 |
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Jan 5, 2012 10:06
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I listen to audiobooks at work, because I'm allowed to use headphones, and our radio stations are so repetitive, that they make a sixteen year old girl's music choices look varied.  I wish I were loving joking, too...  I mostly listen to non-fiction, (not including books by Jim Butcher, Scott Card, and Sanderson) and I've gone through most of my books at least twice. More for the really good ones (I've just listened to "No One Would Listen" for the third time already, and I bought it on the 7th). I find that as long as it's a book you like, and you're not concentrating on something else (like listening to the owners' son), that audiobooks are very easy to follow. If you can listen to a lecture without watching the teacher, following an audiobook shouldn't be a problem. If you're listening to a book you don't like, or a narrator you don't like, then of course it will be easy to tune out. See my previous post for a few books that I just didn't care for. For example: "Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN" It's a book that's had great reviews (as a hardcopy), and is narrated by actual ESPN people, but I didn't really care for it. It was slow, jumped from person to person, jumped back and forth in time, changed narrators too often, and had too much boring history, and not enough funny history. Now that I think about it, I'm not even sure why I rated it as high as I did. And you probably know, but unabridged audiobooks give you every word that the hardcopy books do. Abridged books are the Devil's work! (and a ripoff, since it isn't the complete book) Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 11:47 on Jan 12, 2012 |
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Jan 12, 2012 11:32
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Good point. Also, I listen to a lot of stand-up comedy, so I've been used to the format for (nearly) forever.
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Jan 12, 2012 11:49
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Sepherothic posted:I chew through audiobooks like you wouldn't believe so here are some recent ones I'll review.  Yay, a new Enderverse book is out! (totally gay for Ender & Bean) 5/5 (Totally biased, and gives no fucks about it  ) Just finished it during work.
Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 04:39 on Jan 19, 2012 |
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Jan 18, 2012 20:18
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