By: P. W. Singer, August ColeNarrated by: Rich OrlowLength: 14 hrs and 25 mins This was an interesting read—not quite what I expected. One of the hardest parts for me was the portrayal of the Zumwalt-class destroyer. I’ve followed its real-world development, deployment, and costly decline, so seeing it elevated to heroic status in the…
Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad
By: William CraigNarrated by: David BakerLength: 13 hrs and 26 mins By many accounts, the Battle of Stalingrad stands as the bloodiest battle in history—a harrowing and profoundly depressing chapter of human conflict. It’s an event I’ve often reflected on but previously avoided studying in depth because of its sheer grimness. At its core, it…
Not Till We Are Lost
By: Dennis E. TaylorNarrated by: Ray PorterSeries: Bobiverse, Book 5Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins Hi Bob, I didn’t think I’d read you again so soon! So, the string of reading failures ends here. I was hoping to wait a bit longer to dive into this one, but after a rough patch with sci-fi/fantasy, I…
Stranger in a Strange Land
By: Robert A. HeinleinNarrated by: Christopher HurtLength: 16 hrs and 17 mins Nope, we didn’t turn it around with this one either. I did finish the book, though, so that’s something. I really enjoyed the beginning—it had me hooked right away, with the world building but started to lose me with the development of the…
Fourth Wing
By: Rebecca YarrosNarrated by: Rebecca Soler, Teddy HamiltonSeries: The Empyrean, Book 1Length: 21 hrs and 22 mins DNF Oh sure, nope, this one got chucked faster than a hotdish left out in July once I saw what was goin’ on. I’d been hearin’ a lotta chatter about this book—ya know, everyone and their uncle’s dog…
The Quantum War
The Quantum Evolution, Book 3By: Derek KunskenNarrated by: T Ryder SmithSeries: The Quantum Evolution, Book 3Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins This book, while not outright horrible, did NOT follow in its predecessor’s footsteps. I finished it, but I won’t be returning for more. Honestly, we should have just stayed in the Quantum Garden.
The Quantum Thief
By: Hannu RajaniemiNarrated by: Scott BrickLength: 10 hrs and 53 mins DNF What in the world was this? Maybe I stepped into this without the right expectations. But I was confronted with a composition that claimed to be comprised of the full orchestra and ended up being a synthosized assault on my timpanic membrane: a…
Heaven’s River
By: Dennis E. TaylorNarrated by: Ray PorterSeries: Bobiverse, Book 4Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins Ah, yes, Bob, we meet again. Few series manage to pull me back like this one. I half expected the next installment to feel a bit blasé, especially after reading the reviews that initially kept me from diving in. While…
The Thirty Years War: Europe’s Tragedy
By: Peter H. WilsonNarrated by: Matthew WatersonLength: 33 hrs and 25 mins The Thirty Years’ War stands as a profoundly intricate conflict, interweaving religion, politics, and human endurance in ways that have left an indelible mark on European history. Prior to exploring its depths, my familiarity with this chapter of history was cursory. However, gaining…
The Gulag Archipelago, Volume 2
By: Aleksandr I. SolzhenitsynNarrated by: Frederick DavidsonSeries: The Gulag Archipelago Book 2Length: 27 hrs and 30 mins In The Gulag Archipelago Volume 2, Solzhenitsyn continues his relentless indictment against the Soviet regime, much like a prosecutor building an irrefutable case with evidence of each transgression. As with any heinous crime, one death might be sufficient to condemn,…
The Gulag Archipelago, Volume 1
By: Aleksandr I. SolzhenitsynNarrated by: Frederick DavidsonSeries: The Gulag Archipelago, Book 1Length: 25 hrs and 56 mins Reflecting on The Gulag Archipelago 51 years after its publication, 33 years after the fall of the Soviet Union and a century after some of the events it recounts, I find myself unexpectedly attuned to the world Solzhenitsyn…
Dune Messiah
By: Frank HerbertNarrated by: Scott Brick, Katherine Kellgren, Euan Morton, Simon VanceSeries: Dune, Book 2, Dune Saga, Book 13Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins I, like many others, was captivated by the brilliance of Dune. The world-building, the intricate politics, and the sheer depth of the narrative were all mesmerizing. Naturally, I approached Dune Messiah, the second…