Cbelle

Astonishing amount of detail

Reviewed: 03-01-2019

Very interesting listen. The only thing I'd mention was the sometimes lengthy explanations by the author, though admittedly helpful to add context.

2 people found this helpful

Wonderful book

Reviewed: 22-12-2018

It was great to find this inspiring book on Audible. If you do have the option I would love to see Agnes Sanford's biography narrated too - her story is lovely.

What I never learned at school

Reviewed: 21-04-2018

Any additional comments?

Prof Armstrong has only one flaw, she is so impressive in her content and delivery that I sometimes found myself being distracted by her shining star.

So much of this material is practical, there are even suggestions on overcoming writer's block. And I can't remember ever being taught the structure of an essay at school - at least not in a way which was as clear and as memorable as is presented here. So I will need to listen to it again but will do so with pleasure.

Genuinely, A Great Course.

1 person found this helpful

Genuinely Great Course

Reviewed: 20-03-2018

Any additional comments?

Always stimulating and riveting - it really does bring the ordinary folk from antiquity to life. Fantastic experience.

3 people found this helpful

Wonderful

Reviewed: 08-03-2018

Any additional comments?

Great content with fantastic narration...I've been curious about this book for years but wasn't sure if it would appeal to me as a woman who's not that interested in warfare. So I'm glad to have chosen it as presented by Prof Wilson as he provides an interesting context that I would otherwise have missed and (most important) makes it an oh so likeable and engaging experience.

How to experience the AT close to home

Reviewed: 19-10-2015

What made the experience of listening to AWOL on the Appalachian Trail the most enjoyable?

It's funny, well-written, engaging and really informative. I'd love to walk the AT but listening to David Miller's experience has made me realise that I've been romanticising the notion a bit.

What did you like best about this story?

The detail and information in this audio book is fantastic, any expectations of walking the AT after listening to it are realistic.

What about Christopher Lane’s performance did you like?

It's easy listening...come to think of it, I wasn't so much aware of the narration but the book, so on that basis I'd have to rate Christopher's performance pretty high.

Breaking the myths

Reviewed: 19-10-2015

What did you like most about Mowat: Never Cry Wolf?

This is a really informative book and very funny in parts, despite its language being noticeably old.

The author paints the scene well, and it's not a stretch to be there at his camp. Soon we are introduced to wolves, and their personalities come shining through.

We learn about the dynamics of that family; the author describing the father (wolf) as that archetypal, all- (good) American dad that every kid wanted. The mother, who he calls Angeline, is aptly named for our modern-day associations.

Throughout there is an undercurrent of (fanciful) demonisation of the wolves, which are even being blamed for the recent deaths of dozens of caribou lying in a lake of blood, some with their heads missing. Of course it is the aftermath of (licenced) hunter kills ...the 20th Century "Jihadi Johns", with heads displayed as trophies.

For the wolves this myth has a terrible price (spoiler alert) as governments start baiting and killing wolves with arsenic and strichnine, including, and very sadly, the family we have just gotten to know.

A comprehensive answer

Reviewed: 19-10-2015

Where does Bird Sense rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

If you have ever wondered what it's like to be a bird this book is a must. Details like why a falcon's eyesight is so good (because the eyeball has two foviae as opposed to a human's one). And did you know that relative to body size, the size of bird's eyes are almost twice as large as those of most mammals? Even with a distaste for biology this book easily held my attention...sound localisation, taste, smell, magnetic sense, emotions, it's all there. And all very well done and ranks among the best.

Uniquely insightful

Reviewed: 19-10-2015

What made the experience of listening to Resurrecting Jesus the most enjoyable?

If you want to know more about Jesus this book really does deliver, giving a fascinating account of Jesus and his life.

It was my first experience of Adyashanti so it was good to hear him talk openly about his own background, especially about the positive spiritual influences which came to him from the Catholic church. He's a gifted teacher and this is a great book.

Interesting approach

Reviewed: 08-10-2015

What did you like most about What You Resist Persists?

When I bought this audiobook it was because I wanted to reinforce an experience I had during a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat. From the extended (meditation) sittings I had a burning pain in my lower back and in my backside, and my knees had locked so tightly that to straighten my legs took about as long as the break itself. The pain was excrutiating.

Then I noticed that the more I resisted, the worse the pain got. So after a while I made the decision to go into the pain, to explore it, to no longer resist it. And with that decision I was able follow the pain in my back as it went from side to side, like a pendulum, and as it extended out in concentric circles. Then going down to my knees I was able to explore that pain too.

Suddenly a rush of energy coursed its way up through my body and out the top of my head. And for a moment I was like a soft drink bottle that had been shaken before opened, I felt these bubbles of energy rushing through me. And as that energy left, there was no longer any pain. It had completely gone. It was one of the most remarkable experiences I've ever had, and I was able to get up from my meditation mat like an agile child. There was no residue of pain whatsoever.

So I got the lesson - what you resist persists. But it's been harder to apply to my mind, and so this title really resonated with me, though it wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

Here the author is presenting a way of dealing with the mind in the form of "switch words". And this didn't appeal to me so much because I wanted something more closely aligned with my own experience (of not resisting). But the author is convinced. It's not your standard approach (I don't think), but it is interesting and could well be just your thing.