John Pette
- 4
- reviews
- 1
- helpful vote
- 25
- ratings
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The Eyre Affair
- A Thursday Next Novel
- By: Jasper Fforde
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,730
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,201
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Story4 out of 5 stars 2,202
In Jasper Fforde's Great Britain, circa 1985, time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Worthy Read
- By chicagoalum on 01-21-10
- The Eyre Affair
- A Thursday Next Novel
- By: Jasper Fforde
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
Exceptionally fun and inventive
Reviewed: 08-13-24
Jasper Fforde consistently delivers what I want in fiction: inventive stories, beautifully written, full of clever turns of phrase, and bizarrely funny. The audio performance was excellent, with one glaring flaw: the voice of the Japanese character was...cartoonish and offensive, reminiscent of the way that people made fun of Asian accents 40 years ago.
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End Times
- Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration
- By: Peter Turchin
- Narrated by: Robin McAlpine
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 152
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 123
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Story4 out of 5 stars 123
Peter Turchin, one of the most interesting social scientists of our age, has infused the study of history with approaches and insights from other fields for more than a quarter century. End Times is the culmination of his work to understand what causes political communities to cohere and what causes them to fall apart, as applied to the current turmoil within the United States.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Boomer History
- By Kevin on 08-12-23
- End Times
- Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration
- By: Peter Turchin
- Narrated by: Robin McAlpine
Strong, data-centric view societal trends
Reviewed: 07-29-24
This was a fascinating, scientifically sound look at societal trends in history and where we are today in context of those trends. It would be easy to like this just because it falls in line with my personal views and assessments (which it does), but I will not fall victim to confirmation bias. From an empirical data science standpoint, this is excellent work. It made me want to dig into the data set that serves as its backbone.
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The Last Town
- Wayward Pines, Book 3
- By: Blake Crouch
- Narrated by: Paul Michael Garcia
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,387
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,677
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,677
Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrived in Wayward Pines, Idaho, three weeks ago. In this town, people are told who to marry, where to live, where to work. Their children are taught that David Pilcher, the town's creator, is god. No one is allowed to leave; even asking questions can get you killed. But Ethan has discovered the astonishing secret of what lies beyond the electrified fence that surrounds Wayward Pines and protects it from the terrifying world beyond.
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5 out of 5 stars
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TWO/THREE star review within 3 hours ? RIDICULOUS
- By justin on 07-15-14
- The Last Town
- Wayward Pines, Book 3
- By: Blake Crouch
- Narrated by: Paul Michael Garcia
Fun Story, Dialogue Got Old
Reviewed: 12-07-21
I got this one because I couldn't not finish the series. Solid story, but the dialogue of some characters - particularly the female characters - really started to bug me. Even when the actions of female characters are significant and show depth, I found their dialogue to be kind of vapid.
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Wanderers
- A Novel
- By: Chuck Wendig
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman, Xe Sands
- Length: 32 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,001
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,773
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Story4 out of 5 stars 2,770
Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady. She appears to be sleepwalking. She cannot talk and cannot be woken up. And she is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows. But Shana and her sister are not alone. Soon, they are joined by a flock of sleepwalkers from across America, on the same mysterious journey. And like Shana, there are other "shepherds" who follow the flock to protect their friends and family on the long dark road ahead.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Recommended, with some issues
- By Allan T. Maule on 07-29-19
- Wanderers
- A Novel
- By: Chuck Wendig
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman, Xe Sands
Brutally Dark and Fully Engaging
Reviewed: 01-02-20
This book was a workout, and I mean that in the best way. Very dark, which I suppose comes with the territory of the apocalyptic. It felt as though Chuck was working out his anxieties about the worst of human nature and current events, taking what's happening in the world to horrible extremes. An engaging story throughout. I could liken it to several other fictional works, but not without major spoilers. Read this when you are in a decent psychological place.
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1 person found this helpful