Lee at All Ears's comments (member since Jan 05, 2009)

Lee at All Ears's comments from the All Ears Audiobooks group.

I'm glad I decided to read How We Decide. If you enjoyed Blink and it's interesting introduction to the intuitive decision making ability of your brain you will find this a more in depth coverage of the two decision making powers of the brain: the emotional decision center and the rational decision center. The book is well written and well organized. It flows easily from example to concept and back to keep you interested and able to understand the decision making model. He offers many interesting examples of urgent situations (airline pilot, quarterback, teenagers, naval radar officer, poker player) and the resulting decisions which highlight how our brain functions. He delves into the science just enough to help explain the concepts but not so much to make it a technical read. Very informative and fun.

I just listened to Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. What a great book, definitely one of my favorite books of the year. The backbone of the book centers around the elusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyons, an isolated tribe in a remote part of Mexico who are legendary for being amazing endurance runners. McDougall weaves his story around this legend like a runner would meander on a long trail run, exploring many interesting side trails. He holds your attention with the various attempts to attract these runners to race in the US, the history of many of the Ultra races (Badwater, Western States, Leadville Trail 100), the history of running shoes (and barefoot running), the evolution of human running, and the stories behind many famous male and female endurance runners. He includes a cast of colorful characters in this fascinating story of running. A must read for any runner (it will change how you run), and a great story for everyone.

Stone Cold by David Baldacci. Its been a while since I listened to a Baldacci mystery and I was not let down by this one. He starts carefully and casually on two separate story lines, but by the middle he is hitting on all pistons in this action adventure. He does a great job of character development on a broad set of players, bringing into play their past history and their current predicament. They become more and more intertwined with some unexpected twists and turns until he carefully aims them all at the common intersection where things get intense. You won't be disappointed by this one. Whew, now I have to get back to some good non-fiction to lower my blood pressure.

Ethics: A History of Moral Thought by Prof. Peter Kreef. This book on ethics was very well presented with an enjoyable amount of history and a solid dose the eternal questions we face on right and wrong, good and bad. It was very informative to have it presented with a strong historical timeline which made me feel like I was watching our civilization build up our foundation of values marble stone by marble stone. And to see how the great minds had such different perspectives and reached differing conclusions makes me realize how we will always struggle to find the common ground as we integrate all of the diverse cultures of our world.

This is an interesting question, thanks for posting it. To me there are two aspects to this idea: how technical or detailed the book is (i.e., how much concentration is required to understand it) and how attentive I am at the time I'm listening to it. There is also the effect of what your primary learning style is (whether you are a visual, physical, auditory, etc learner). I much prefer to listen to fiction and mysteries as a good narrator can add so much to the story and the details of the book aren't usually as important as the emotions and actions of the characters. When I'm listening to books on technical subjects I have to be much more attentive, just as you would need to be when reading a text book. For me, I remember something best when I receive it in the most styles (listening, seeing, writing, feeling, tasting, touching, etc) so reading is a little better as I can see it and also listen to it in my mind if I need to. But listening is so much more convenient.

I finished listening to Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies . Ever wonder what shaped the countries and civilizations of the world we live in? Why some nations are strong, why some are poor, some are large, and some are old, or why some were wiped out? This book offers some very insightful theories to explain these whys. His ideas on the east-west trade routes, the introduction of germs to previously unexposed civilizations, the migration path of humans, the natural boundaries of mountains and oceans, and the chance development of weapons play a larger role than you might expect in shaping the current power, intellectual and wealth centers of today's world. This is a very worthwhile book for the curious mind.

I recently listened to Godless: the Church of Liberalism by Ann Coulter. I admit that I read many reviews first and thought this would be interesting because of all the polarized reviews on this book, so I give this a listen. Wow! She sure knows how to incite. With the her intensity turned passed max and her contrast set to pure black and white, Ann machine guns her views through all dimensions of life, values, and humanity to hit any target that isn't on her island. If you agree with her I can see that some of this might be funny to you, but she is so insulting that I just can't respect anything she says. Whether you agree with her or not, you have to wonder why she chooses this style to preach her message, it's not a style that will convert anyone, and I can't help but wonder how closely this captures her real personal beliefs and how much of it is just calculated sensationalism for profit. Applying my value of appreciating the richness of diversity, for those that share her views, go for it. But her acidic irreverence for other ideas has me shelving this one in humor.

I listened to The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court and thought it was great. I just stumbled into it and am very glad that I did. It's a great summary of the workings of the Supreme Court for the past 20 years. Jeffrey Toobin masterfully introduces you to each of the justices as they arrive on the scene including how they were selected, the senate hearing that confirmed them, their background, and their personalities and ideology. Then he walks through many major cases (abortion, church and state, affirmative action, homosexuality, Bush v. Gore and more) and the resulting decisions that the court rendered during this time with a good look into how the court decides, how they work together or don't work together to determine the laws of our land. He also notes some of the powerful thinking and wording of both the majority and dissenting opinions. If you are not a court watcher, this will get you up to speed fast and will give you a great understanding on how it all works, right before Obama appoints the next judge.

I have a couple ides. For a family trip we took last year we were all captivated by Holes, well written and well narrated. It was very suspenseful with several storylines that kept you captivated till the end. It also left some room for parents to ask some great "what do you think" questions. For the adult couple, that's a bit harder. I would suggest The Art of Racing in the Rain, a great book that has a lot to appeal to both genders. If that doesn't work I would try humor, like The Sex Lives of Cannibals (light and funny), The Geography of Bliss (non-fiction but entertaining), or Paula Poundstone's There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say, she's just witty and funny. Good luck.

I just listened to Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World by Tom Zoellner. You know it's radioactive, and you also know about when it went from being an unknown nuisance rock to something that would change the world forever. But do you know where it first came from on its race to its final resting place in Hiroshima? Zoellner does a great job of following its path through history from the first people who dug the mines and quietly shipped it to the secret processing factory, to today's U235 business in unexpected places throughout the world with its cast of shady prospectors, cartels, smuggling and politics. There are now 10 members of the elite club, some developed it on their own, some had spies that stole the secret recipe. Was it all worth the trillions and trillions of dollars spent because of the unique properties of this molecule? It has already affected the lives and health of millions of people, and the nuclear age is nowhere near over. This is a very informative, well balanced look at the complexities and consequences caused by this energetic molecule.

Listened to Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says about Us). It covers all of the dimensions of our road lives. Tom Vanderbilt offers a trunk load of information and explanations on the good and bad habits of drivers, the psychology of drivers, the strategies of traffic engineers, as well as some interesting suggestions. He covers traffic on freeways, local traffic, parking lot traffic, the strategy of merging lanes, and some side trips to ant and bee traffic for fun comparison. A great one to listen to as you drive, it will make you look at your own driving habits in a new light. And remember, you think you are a better driver than you really are.

I listened to The Building Blocks of Human Life: Understanding Mature Cells and Stem Cells, a Modern Scholar Series book. This audiobook takes you on a course explaining all the cells of the human body. He diligently walks through each type of cell discussing its specialized functions and interesting characteristics. This book contains a lot of detail and it is presented to you as if you were sitting in on the end of year summary lecture in an advanced biology class. Very interesting and amazing, but be ready for it as he uses all of the technical vocabulary that a professor would use talking to a class already familiar with the terminology. This is best as a refresher for medical professionals or for the serious biology fan.

Just read Nothing to Lose by Lee Child, I enjoyed it. This was my first Lee Child book and I was in the mood for it. I can see why Jack Reacher, the ex-military policeman, has such a following- what's not to like about a guy who can take 'em on 4-on-1, then 6-on-1 and only come away with sore knuckles. I didn't know what I was getting into so it took me a while to figure him out. Then it kept me interested through all the twists and turns. Jack is determined, relentless, physical, always thinking, and hates the bad guys. No situation is to impossible for him to get out of. Now I have to go back and read the first book in the series Killing Floor.

I listened to The Human, the Orchid, and the Octopus. This memoir by the legendary scientist, explorer and environmental advocate Jacques Cousteau speaks to both of his passions. He captivates with stores of his pioneering exploration of the underworld, and he shocks with his accounts of the destructive impact humans have had on the once virgin seas. Both amazing and disturbing.

A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking is an updated, shortened and easier to understand version of his book A Brief History of Time. It touches on the big bang, Newtonian physics, relativity, particle physics, the efforts to find a grand unified theory, dark matter, black holes, and time travel. This book rides the boundary between explaining the basics of these abstract concepts to the unscientific reader and offering details in these areas that only science lover would enjoy. This book can be enjoyed by most readers.

My two favorites this year are Outliers and The Art of Racing in the Rain, I recommend both. Outliers will give you something interesting to think about, while The Art of Racing in the Rain will give you something touching to feel about.

Do you already know one that will be on your favorites list for this year?

This is the third book by Thomas Madden that I have listened to and I have enjoyed all of them. In God Wills It!: Understanding the Crusades he presents information in a very organized way and touches on many dimensions of this subject, from the religious powers and thinking, to the secular and geographic influences in this 400 year period of the middle ages. I would recommend this to any history buff.

I thought Groundswell was very eye-opening for someone not yet caught up in the new world of social technologies. This book is a must read for anyone involved in a company that either has a web site, or that develops products, or that sells products, or that has customers, or that wants to expand their business. It's a great overview of many of the approaches and methods possible today for improving your business using the newly evolved social networking tools. If you don't want your business to be left behind, you better listen to this book.

I just finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell presents some very interesting ideas and observations about what could be behind some of the most successful people and what helped them achieve their success. The book made me more aware of the importance of: being ready when an opportunity presents itself, relationships, and following your passion. Definitely worth reading, especially for parents of school age children.