Eric Philleo

Great book

Reviewed: 09-05-24

Fantastic, funny and heartfelt stories from Trevor Noah about his growing up in South Africa.

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Incredible!

Reviewed: 03-22-23

I don't usually leave a written review, but this book was fantastic. I haven't read the original book yet (in my queue), but have seen the movie, and this book was like a movie for my ears. I'm sure there's plenty of depth and details that are glossed over, but this was very well done and a treat to listen to.

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Tough review...

Reviewed: 08-26-21

I'm not a fan of books where the protagonists are not likeable. Sometimes it is fine when it's a redemption story, and maybe this series will get there eventually, but even by the end of this first book. Most of the main characters are hard to care about or get behind.

This book is said to be a 90s version of Ready Player One, and I can't really agree. While Wade Watts is annoying at first, at least it's because he is a kid and not a 40 something grown man.

This book takes several hours to get somewhere interesting and once it did, I'm a bit interested in what happens next. But man was this book slow to get somewhere.

I like the different voice actors doing all the different characters, but have to say some computer and hazmat suit voices are very hard if not impossible to comprehend.

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1 person found this helpful

Never knew how interested linguistics could be

Reviewed: 03-08-21

I thought this book sounded interesting and gave it a chance. Boy am I glad I did. This author was engaging and humorous while explaining how words, syllables and sounds have changed over time. He also uses current examples of dialects and the language of millenials to show how language is ever evolving. Fascinating read!

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Subpar sequel to a fantastic original

Reviewed: 12-16-20

I knew it would be hard for this book to live up to the original. The original was so unique, the world building and characters were amazing. As were the variety of puzzles and riddles.

This book felt like cheap knock-off DLC.
Characters were much flatter and more dull. Motivations were almost always selfish. Don't even ask me about "that relationship", ugh. New characters are introduced but basically ignored. Some puzzles just go on way too long, while others end ridiculously fast.

It feels like this book has some great ideas and promise, but then the author gave up and ended up writing the first book over again with almost nothing new except worse riddles.

Very disappointing.

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3 people found this helpful

Very slow start but ends up solid

Reviewed: 09-08-20

I almost gave up on this book early on, plodding through the beginning. But it eventually caught my interest and ended up a solid title overall.

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A challenge to send

Reviewed: 12-16-19

This book is effectively a two hour long paragraph of a dad fanboying over his daughter's rock climbing growth and accomplishments while trying to talk about himself as well.

However, it was interesting to learn about rock climbing strategies and terminology.

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Slowest start ever

Reviewed: 08-24-19

It's hard to get through the first 7-8 hours of this book. Barely anything of note happens. Even when the plot starts actually moving, the author still seems to think it necessary to suddenly interrupt it with descriptions that go on too long and take you out of the excitement. The climax is unique and interesting, but doesn't make up for the rest of the book.

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Interesting, but terribly written

Reviewed: 09-10-18

This book goes on so many tangents it's ridiculous. You're hearing about some guys schooling, then suddenly about a specific tornado outbreak. Then switch to the government. Back to a bio, and back to the NWS. Even with all the issues, some of the information about AccuWeather and such was disturbing, and should be more common knowledge.

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1 person found this helpful

Expected some plot points, but still pretty solid

Reviewed: 05-16-18

This is a very intriguing book. It starts very strong, but has a few lulls. In fact a couple times you'll be wondering what would even happen next in the plot, there's not always something driving it. The main character is oblivious to certain plot points, and later will berate himself for missing them, and you'll be doing the same. Even with the disjointed feel, I really liked the characters, and found the book enjoyable.

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