Written by: Zane Grey
Basically, Mormons are assholes. Also, cowboys are cool.
Length: 13.5 hrs
5/2003: This was a good story and fairly classic Western tale. Also, apparently Mormons are assholes.
Written by: Tom Robbins
Something about a Tanuki and MIAs in Laos. Either I was totally high when I read Jitterbug Perfume, Still Life with Woodpecker, and Skinny Legs and All and Tom Robbins is just an awesome dream, or this book just kinda sucked. Apparently Mr. Robbins blew his wad on his earlier works and then just started calling it in. Either that or I need to find some more weed.
Length: 7.75 hrs
5/2003: Hello disappointment. I don’t love you, please don’t tell me your name.
Written by: Eric Schlosser
A look into 3 underground economies – marijuana, porn, and migrant farm workers. The contradictions and injustices revealed are both amazing and upsetting. Similar to “Fast Food Nation” though, the listener is left with a “Yeah, that’s pretty fucked up” without any clear notion of what to do about it. So thanks Eric, I guess.
Length: 9.25 hrs
5/2003: Sometimes knowledge is power. Sometimes it is depressing in its exposure of impotence.
Written by: Eric Schlosser
This is a well-reasoned book that while drawing out strong emotions, is primarily factual and lets listeners reach their own conclusions about the fast food industry. It isn’t “evil” corporations abusing the poor, it’s just people doing their thing and unfortunately at certain scales things just get nasty. The food safety and worker conditions will grab you more than the animal welfare issues. Definitely no preaching, and a good education to help people understand aspects of modern society and the effects of choices they can make on themselves and others.
Length: 9 hrs
3/2003: Definitely depressed me a little since although eye opening it was apparent the fast food industry is here to stay whether I eat it or not.
Written by: Stephen King
This is kind of a weird book. A group of kids in New Hampshire or Rhode Island or somewhere cold, rural, and northeast become friends with a retard named “Duditz” (Douglas) who somehow telepathically warns them 30 years later when they are at a frozen cabin in the woods being attacked by this alien worm thing with jaws that one of them shit out of his ass. Also, the retard has leukemia.
Length: 13.5 hrs
3/2003: The story was almost enough to keep me interested over the long haul, but kind of lost its punch after the alien ass-shitting thing.
Written by: Neal Stephenson
As in his other books, Stephenson creates a whole universe in tremendous detail. You get to watch the girl Nell grow up here, and follow other characters throughout their lives. Eventually their stories spiral closer and closer together until they join in a coherent and exciting conclusion. Nanotechnology, an amazing stolen ‘talking book’, and the obligatory super-rich people that seem evil to outsiders but within their circle are simply manifesting their will and power, treating the rest of humanity as pawns and and oh wait maybe they are evil. Some really exciting (and frightening) visions of the future. Great stuff.
Length: 18 hrs
3/2003: An amazing book spanning a lifetime that was great to listen to the whole way through. My first Neal Stephenson listen (had previously read Snow Crash *with my eyes* like a chump) and was totally immersed in the world as told by the excellent narrator.
Written by: Mark Kurlansky
This book is almost 14 hours long and is all about the history of salt. How awesome is that? Although crazy long, it was actually really interesting and there really is a pretty amazing story to be told. For basically ever prior to refrigeration, which is actually super new relatively, the only way that humans were able to preserve any food more than a couple days was with salt. And even during those two days most food tasted pretty awful and took salt to make it palatable. These humble white crystal played a huge role in the formation and expansion of human civilization. Wow. Still though, it was a lot of talk about salt. A LOT of talk. About salt. Also a bunch of recipes, and that part was pretty boring. I’m just not sure I can recommend it, and simply could not bring myself to read his follow-up smash hit, “Cod”.
Length: 13.75 hrs
2/2003: It took me about 2 weeks to get through this book, which was really a lot of time to listen to a dude talking about salt. I almost lost it a couple of times but managed to power through.
Written by: Bob Woodward
I can’t believe we had this idiot for a president, and I can’t believe Bob Woodward sucks so bad now. I expected a hard-hitting, investigative piece where I would learn something about the ‘inner circle’, but it was no better than a crappy news report. Actually it was a lot worse, it was basically thin propaganda. Woodward just let’s Bush and his circle tell their same BS stories without asking any hard questions or calling them on their crap. I guess the deal was that unless he just printed what they wanted they wouldn’t let him talk to them at all, but I was totally embarrassed for Woodward who I’d always thought of as a real journalist dedicated to exposing dangers to our country and personal freedom. What a bozo he has become. Bush says “I know we didn’t have any information, but I just went with my gut. That’s what I do.” Woodward doesn’t bring up the fact at all that lots of people died, a country was destroyed, and a boatload of suffering was caused by this jackass who bore no consequences whatsoever or seems to even conceive that real people were harmed because of his dumbass “gut”. So. Weak.
Length: 7 hrs
2/2003: This fluff was super disappointing. Don’t read it unless you want to hate Bush even more and also ruin Woodward’s reputation in your own mind.
Written by: Roger Fisher, William Ury, Bruce Patton
Go for the win-win, understand your BATNA, and other negotiating techniques. A decent read, nothing earth-shattering.
Length: 6.5 hrs
2/2003: Some interesting stuff about “principled” negotiation. I think I was already doing this stuff though.
Written by: Mark Twain
Pretty cool stuff of how a ‘modern’ man could use what he knew to take over the medieval world.
Length: 13 hrs
12/2002: I think this was enjoyable but don’t remember much. Mark Twain is awesome though.
whispered words from literary masters, cheesy hacks, inspirational gurus, and fluffy crap artists into my ears. These are there stories.