non-fiction

The Sociopath Next Door Martha Stout Audiobook Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I think I must be a bit of a weirdo in that I quite like learning about anomalies and different sorts of things. Obviously being a sociopath is not normal and it’s outside my realm of experience, thus I find it fascinating as a topic. After a pretty big tragedy struck (not me personally), I found myself wanting answers and wondering how a person could do something like that. And so, I plunked down a $10 gift card and $0.91 to purchase The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout on Audible in hopes of gaining an understanding of how people who do not possess a conscience think and also function. Thankfully, The Sociopath Next Door reminded me exactly why I delve into non-fiction quite often.

The Sociopath Next Door Martha Stout Book Cover

So, basically The Sociopath Next Door is all about how 1 in 25 people are sociopaths. It shows that not all sociopaths are criminals nor do they all engage in murderous rampages. However, people who have sociopathy do not think like I do. They don’t have that whole guilty conscience thing. Stout chose to focus the book on every day behavior, which to be honest, I liked because then I didn’t get nightmares — I am prone to them when reading about real life terrifying things. ALSO at the end she delves into how to protect yourself from being manipulated by a sociopath with a set of rules to live by. It’s helpful, I guess. I don’t know if I actually know any sociopaths though.

I actually quite enjoyed the way that The Sociopath Next Door was written. It’s on a level that I understand. You see, I took one psychology class in college (aside from educational psychology but that’s another can of worms) and was like ‘this is not nearly as awesome as I had hoped’, thus if there was nothing but jargon I would not have understood a single word. Instead, I was easily able to follow along with Stout and her conclusions. Plus, she makes it interesting by putting in stories about her clients and the sociopaths who victimized them. The sociopaths range from a powerful business man, a principal, and an elderly woman among others. OH OH and she puts in this really great example at the beginning about this guy who has to fly out for a meeting, then heads back to his house to feed his dog, and explores every angle with us readers to decide whether the guy is doing this out of intrinsic self-motivation and driven by a conscience, or doing it out of extrinsic motivation and what others might think. And she relates that whole scenario to factors that determine whether the guy is a sociopath or not. Either way, being a total weirdo nerd, I found the whole thing fascinating and felt as though I learned something by the end — well until I saw that some people cast a bit of doubt on Stout’s findings. Alas, I am not a psychology major so I can’t tell you anything about the validity of Stout’s book.

Of course, I listened to the audiobook because these days that is exactly how I read all my non-fiction. The Sociopath Next Door is narrated by Shelly Frasier. This was my first audio narrated by Frasier and it certainly won’t be the last. She has impressive enunciation. She has a clear voice that’s not unpleasing. Plus, she sounds intelligent while she’s narrating, which is an important quality to me when it comes to non-fiction audiobooks. The Sociopath Next Door is 7 hours and 26 minutes unabridged. It’s produced by Tantor Audio. There weren’t any weird breathing or mouth noises thank goodness, and I was actually impressed with the production quality of this book. I’d definitely recommend this short listen if you want to broaden your horizons and learn something.

Disclosure: Purchased on Audible with one of those here’s $10 for being kickass gift certificates.

Other reviews of The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout:

I can’t find any by like actual book bloggers, so if you review this, leave your link in the comments and I will be certain to add it.

The Statues that Walked: Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island | Terry Hunt | Carl Lipo

by April (Books&Wine)

Friends, I freakin love history. Especially ancient, INTERESTING history. Now, my excitement cues up a notch when said history is the subject of a non-fiction audiobook. YOU GUYS! I was beyond pumped up for my purchase of The Statues That Walked: Unraveling The Mystery Of Easter Island by Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo on audible during one of those super cheap sales. Unfortunately, the book was much cooler in concept than it was in execution and I ended up with a major case of eye glaze. You guys ever get that? When you get so excited about an academic topic, so you read a book about it and then you end up totally zoned out because it wasn’t what you expected. Like, I was expecting fascinating stories about the statues and why they exist, because let’s face it those statues are fricken cool. Alas. It was not meant to be.

The Statues That Walked by Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo | Good Books And Good Wine

So, Easter Island was “discovered” by Europeans in 1722 on Easter, hence why it’s called Easter Sunday. What the Europeans found were some big ass statues and a mystery! How the hell did those ancient people build the statues and move them around? Like, these statues are several tons, right. And so, The Statues That Walked attempts to unravel that mystery and answer the question. Also, Easter Island apparently was ecologically devastated. So, what the book provides is a pretty intense look at the culture of the people, the different theories about how they made and moved the statues and actually a long, in depth segment about archaeology. It’s all based on this study that the two authors, Carl Lipo and Terry Hunt conducted in 2001. OH OH and the book also tries to counter Collapse by Jared Diamond, but as I have not yet read Collapse I cannot say which theory I think is better.

Y’all, I HATE when I am not into a book that I am pumped up about. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate The Statues That Walked, but I just felt so lukewarm about it. My thing was, it was super boring. Like, I know, I KNOW the archaeology bit is important and kind of the basis of the book. And I know it’s important to show your work and how you came to your answers. I also know it’s important to talk about how one conducted their studies. But for me, this was so boring. I just wanted to hear about the ecological devastation and the statutes. Actually, mostly the statues and their significance. Unfortunately, while the book does talk about the statues, obviously, I just thought it wasn’t that compelling to listen to. Kind of like my rambling right now — it’s likely not all that compelling.

Fortunately, the audiobook narration is relatively decent. The audiobook of The Statues That Walked: Unraveling The Mystery Of Easter Island by Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo is produced by Audible, Inc and so the quality of sound is fantastic — no static or weird feedback here. ALSO! The audiobook is mad short, so it wasn’t too much to sit through the dull parts. It is 6 hours and 40 minutes long, which again, not that bad for a non-fiction. The narrator is Joe Barrett who does a decent job with the material. He sounds like a college professor — and I don’t mean that negatively. He enunciates and probably pronounces everything correctly. Anyways, if you are SUPER interested in the topic and methodology, then get your hands on The Statues That Walked. On the other hand, if, like me you just want the statues none of the methods, you should probably skip this one.

Disclosure: Purchased on Audible

Other reviews of The Statues That Walked: Unraveling The Mystery Of Easter Island by Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo:

Devourer Of Books – “A solid work of nonfiction”

S. Krishna’s Books – “The authors present an intriguing portrait of this island”

Bonus content! Here I am at the Museum of Natural History In New York with an ‘Easter Island’ head:

Easter Island Me

A Distant Mirror Barbara W. Tuchman Audiobook Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I feel like the biggest history nerd for managing to sit through the entire 28+ hour audiobook of A Distant Mirror by Barbara W. Tuchman. Y’all, medieval history is totally MY FAVORITE EVER so of course when I see a nice, juicy audiobook that’s very, very long and it’s all about my two favorite medieval events, I snap it up and eventually listen to it. Yet, I am of two minds when it comes to A Distant Mirror — I liked the content very much, but I found myself consistently zoning out while listening, unfortunately.

A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman covers the 14th Century which is kind of totally baller, in that THANK GOODNESS I WASN’T ALIVE THEN sort of way. I mean, okay there’s courtly love and chivalry and all of that which is awesome. But then you also have to think that it was probably smelly, people had bad teeth, plus all of the diseases. As some one who is so not a fan of being sick or being dirty, I found myself thankful for living in the twenty first century. Anyways, A Distant Mirror uses the historical figure of Enguerrand de Coucy who is this French noble guy to give the book some context and to put everything into a human perspective.

What really peaked my interest while listening to A Distant Mirror were the parts that focused on the Black Plague and the parts that focused on the various Crusades. Seriously, I bizarrely love reading about the Plague and how people didn’t know it was carried on fleas. Yo, some people blamed cats for it. They also blamed other things too. But anyways, every time she came to a part about the plague and how it decimated populations, I was like this feels like a dystopia but in real life. You see, there were like four different Black Plagues which messed up the population of Europe every time and it ended up screwing with the social structure because plenty of nobles died. THEN okay, the Crusades! So you guys instead of the French and the English fighting each other, one of the popes got the bright idea to fight for the Holy Land and unite Christendom and issues a papal bull. Then all these young men are like yeahhhh let’s fight because they were typically younger sons and thus not going to inherit, so going to Crusade meant they could make a name for themselves and find their fortune. Yah, I could go further into how cool all that bloody battle is, but chances are you are not nearly as weird as I am and thus don’t want to hear about it.

So, if you have a passing interest in the medieval era and maybe want to brush up on your history but don’t want to read a book that’s going to make you feel stupid because it has nothing but jargon, then you should definitely read A Distant Mirror. It’s very easy to read and never feels convoluted. Plus, it’s very human and pulls you right into the 14th century. You don’t feel like a distant observer while reading, ya know? I think the use of de Coucy helps with that because he provides this central figure to focus on.

Unfortunately, where I have to get a bit critical is in my evaluation of the audio portion. Y’all, I hate to cop to this, but I totally zoned out continuously during A Distant Mirror. It’s very long and I guess I have a hard time listening to one person speak academically for a very long time. Now, this is on me, not on the audiobook production. However, at times there would be a very weird, very faint sort of static when I was listening to the audiobook and I know it’s not my phone or my speakers so that definitely threw me off. Nadia May narrates this 28 hour 38 minute audiobook and it’s produced by Blackstone Audio. I think if you’ve got a lot of things on your mind or are easily distracted you should probably listen to something else. Honestly if you are like me as far as attention span goes, I’d actually recommend reading a physical copy rather than the audiobook, because the content is utterly fantastic but I can’t exactly sing the praises of the delivery.

Disclosure: Purchased on Audible

Other reviews of A Distant Mirror by Barbara W. Tuchman:

I can’t seem to find any from book bloggers, if you’ve reviewed this book leave a link in the comments and I’ll add it.

Inside Scientology Janet Reitman Audiobook Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Remember this summer when TomKat got divorced and it came out that some of it was over scientology? I lost DAYS of my life to this. It’s kind of pathetic but I went into an obsession spiral, reading anything and everything I could get my hands on about scientology. I cannot help it, cults fascinate me. I even went so far as to read back entries of Tony Ortega’s column in the Village Voice, Runnin’ Scared for hours on end, just because my interest was completely gazed. THEN YOU GUYS Audible must have read my mind or something, because they had this sale on non-fiction audiobooks and Inside Scientology: The Story Of America’s Most Secretive Religion by Janet Reitman narrated by Stephen Hoye was on sale and I did not even have to take a second thought, I immediately plonked down money and downloaded the audiobook.

Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman has a premise that is exactly what you think it would be based upon the title. It explores the early inception of scientology, created in 1954 by L. Ron Hubbard all the way up to today. There are anecdotes from former members as well as investigation of the church’s biggest scandals from the policy of fair game to the Lisa McPherson case to the vast amounts of money adherents spend on auditing sessions. I was utterly fascinated by all of the new things I learned about scientology and it’s history.

Reitman’s Inside Scientology is meticulously researched. She explores church doctrine. She went to a few auditing sessions, which basically means you hold this device called an e-meter and talk, I guess, until you have a ‘win’ and your bad energy goes away. I thought her chapters on the beginning of scientology were well done. She covers L. Ron Hubbard’s early life and talks about how he wrote this pretend science book called Dianetics and when psychology rejected the methodology of Dianetics, he then goes on to found scientology with dianetics as a base. It kind of explains their hatred of the mental health profession. What I personally found most illuminating were the interviews of people who were involved in the early days of scientology, who basically stuck around thinking it was great and awesome, until the helm of leadership changed and it turned kind of dogmatic with Miscaviage at the top. She also talks a little bit about the celebrity obsession too, because you guys know there’s like centers within scientology that are only for celebs, not everyone is equal.

Basically, Inside Scientology confirmed a lot of my previously held opinions about scientology. As you can tell, I am not a fan. I don’t think that religions should charge you hundreds of dollars for sessions. Nor do I think you should be shunned by your family for leaving, but stalked by other members so that you come back or pay an outrageous fee. Nor do I find myself all that enamored by how litigious they seem to be, in my opinion. Heck, lol, I was kind of scared to write this review after reading the bits on fair game because what if they find me and sue me or whatever — FYI I live paycheck to paycheck, it’s not worth it to sue me.

The audiobook of Inside Scientology: The Story Of America’s Most Secretive Religion by Janet Reitman is narrated by Stephen Hoye. I thought the production values were suitable. Hoye’s voice comes across as clear and never tinny. Nor were there any sort of distracting tics, like loud breathing or static. I thought Hoye was the perfect narrator, because he sounds so serious. Although, the parts where it’s Reitman’s first person point of view felt a bit weird because Hoye is a male narrating a female’s perspective. That stated, I was glued during the 15 hours and 40 minutes of the audiobook, produced by Tantor audio. It’s definitely worth a listen if you are like me and have this weird obsessions with cults.

Disclosure: Purchased copy.

Other reviews of Inside Scientology: The Story Of America’s Most Secretive Religion by Janet Reitman:

Great Imaginations – “extremely interesting, overwhelming, and at times, very scary.”

Book Reviews From An Avid Reader – “a great book about a very secretive “religion.”

Bookishly Boisterous -”Man, those Scientologists are a kooky bunch.”

Helter Skelter: The True Story Of The Manson Murders Vincent Bugliosi Curt Gentry Audiobook Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I have decided to change up my review style for the audiobook of Helter Skelter: The True Story Of The Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry because I listened to it back in April and I still want to review it because I thought it was really interesting, but I just don’t want to review my conventional way. So, instead, I thought I would break this review down into parts. I hope you all stick around and let me know what you think!

Helter Skelter

What is the book about?:

Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry is about what you would think it would be, based on the title. It’s all about the Manson murders that took place in the summer of 1969. Basically Charles Manson was head of this commune called The Family and like they were sexual deviants and such. THEN he kind of convinced a few of the members of the family to murder Sharon Tate and the people at her house. They also murdered the La Bianca family and these murders put LA in a bit of an uproar and spread all sorts of fear. The book explores the events of the murders, then goes into the trial and provides extensive information about Manson and the family.

Why did I read (listen to) this book?:

I think if you are a regular reader of Good Books And Good Wine, you know that I have a bit of an obsession with cults. I find them fascinating and so outside my realm of comprehension. When Helter Skelter was on sale at Audible, I know I had to obtain it because it falls within my interests and I love listening to non-fiction books. I knew a little bit about the Manson Family from reading Family by Micol Ostow which is a fictionalized verse account, but I wanted to know a lot more than what the book and Wikipedia told me. While Helter Skelter was gruesome and terrifying, I feel like I learned SO much.

What did I think of the audio?

Well, as with all of my reviews a little information about the audiobook — it is narrated by Scott Brick and is 26 hours and 33 minutes unabridged. The audiobook is produced by Audible, Inc. I thought Scott Brick was a perfect pick to narrate Helter Skelter. His voice is not distracting and is serious in tone which is necessary when talking about a tragic event like these murders.

Would I recommend the audiobook of Helter Skelter?

Helter Skelter is not an audiobook I would recommend to every single reader. First off, not every reader has a morbid fascination with true crime and cults and the darker side of humanity and that is fine. Also, not all readers are into non-fiction and this is definitely not the book to start with when cultivating a new non-fiction habit. I would, however, recommend this to audiobook aficionados with a preference for non-fiction.

Disclosure: Purchased audiobook on Audible.

Other reviews of Helter Skelter: The True Story Of The Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry:

I looked seven pages in on Google and did not find any by book bloggers. If you’ve reviewed this drop me your review link in the comments and I will happily link you up.

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened Jenny Lawson Audiobook Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I am pretty sure Jenny Lawson is trying to kill me. You guys, I made the mistake of listening to the audiobook of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened while eating some Nutella and toast, and y’all, I started laughing so hard that I almost choked. HOLY SHIT, so funny. So here is a warning from me to you, don’t eat and listen to Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, you might accidentally choke or snort out some wine.

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

If you are an audiobook virgin and are not offended by swears or drugs you need to lose your ear virginity to Let’s Pretend This Never Happened. I can’t really discuss plot, because there isn’t one. The book is kind of ADD and all over the place, with asides and events, but it totally works. We get a peak at the inside of Lawson’s head and while it’s not pretty, it’s tangent filled and kind of awesome.

We learn about Jenny Lawson grew up poor in West Texas and wore bread sack shoes and had all sorts of animals roaming around her house. We learn that her dad was a taxidermist and she did not have an average childhood by any means. Then the book goes into other bits of her life, including the part I laughed so hard I choked on my food – when she’s talking about buying a taxidermied alligator and brings it through airport security. I can’t even handle thinking about it, it makes me want to laugh like a loon. But, also there are moments of pathos sprinkled throughout, adding a serious humanizing touch to some of the chapters.

The audio is produced by Penguin Audio. It is 8 hours and 41 minutes and legitimately flies by quickly. It is narrated by Jenny Lawson who does a superb job and sounds like she’s conversing with you. My one criticism of the audiobook is the singing of the chapter titles, I thought that was pretty distracting and annoying. If you are looking to read book filled with unique personality, rambling asides and bizarre experiences check out Let’s Pretend This Never Happened. Seriously I am converted. I will buy whatever book Jenny Lawson comes out with next because I had such a great experience listening to this audiobook.

Disclosure: Purchased with my Audible credit.

Other reviews of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson:

The Readventurer – “I am certain that many of Lawson’s stories will stick with me for a long time”

Devourer Of Books – “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened is, in short, hilarious.”

Just Write: Here’s How Walter Dean Myers Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

Are you thinking of writing a book and not quite sure where to begin? Walter Dean Myers draws from his many years of experience, with over 100 published books, in Just Write: Here’s How, his guide to writing a novel aimed at actual young adults.

Just Write: Here's How

Full disclosure: I have no interest in being an author. I do, however like to read about the craft. Also? This is kind of silly, but quick reads generally get pushed to the top of my to be read list.

What I found to be the most striking about Just Write: Here’s How besides the bite size length was the tone. Walter Dean Myers dispenses his writing advice in a very frank fashion which I found to be very appealing. I also think the tone and style of Dean’s writing – which is pretty much to the point – meets teens on their level without being condescending.

As for the merit of Walter Dean Myer’s advice, I think it comes from a place of vast experience. He writes about developing work ethic and I think that he has a great point. Whenever I go to signings, the writers inevitably talk about how much they write per day – for some it’s a page goal, others word count, and for some a specific amount of time. Like, the authors I see who succeed definitely seem to have that work ethic where they spend a heck of a lot of time at their craft. So, yeah, solid advice I guess. He also talks about drawing from life experiences, research and outlines.

Just Write: Here’s How by Walter Dean Myers is a relatively quick read with less than 170 pages, which, honestly, I think will endear it to some teens. I think that it would be an asset to the English/Language Arts classroom library and will certainly draw in youth who might not give other books on writing and the craft a second glance, and why not nurture writing the way Myers does?

Disclosure: Received for review.

Other reviews of Just Write: Here’s How by Walter Dean Myers:

So there’s none on goodreads. Boo. IF you review this, drop me your link in the comments and I will be more than pleased to add it up here.

Books By Walter Dean Myers I’ve Reviewed:

Monster
Kick
Carmen

A Night To Remember Walter Lord Book Review

by Allison L

As some of you may be aware April 15^th, 2012 marks the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. In honor of this anniversary, I thought it would be pretty neat to read about the Titanic and gain a better understanding of one of the most famous events of the 20^th century. The book that I chose to read for this occasion is often known as “the Titanic bible”: A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. It was first published in 1955 and honestly I doubt that it has lost any of its significance since then. It is a truly poignant recollection of both tragedy and survival.

A Night To Remember

A Night to Remember explains the minute-by-minute details of what occurred on April 14^th, 1912 after the Titanic’s fatal collision with an iceberg. Through a massive collection of details, Walter Lord manages to weave a story that makes you feel like you are there visualizing what is happening to these people aboard this gigantic ocean liner. At points I could literally feel myself holding my breath wondering what was going to happen even though in the long run I knew exactly what was going to happen. A Night To Remember is written in a very simple prose that forces you to be unable to ignore the impact of what is actually happening within the pages.

There were so many diverse people fighting for their lives aboard the ship and Walter Lord does not ignore any of them He highlights the differences in class structures and how certain people had a greater advantage when it came to survival than others. I enjoyed his analysis of the class snobbery and attitudes of the time that led to a higher percentage of deaths among the third-class passengers vs. the first and second classes. He also highlights how it is strongly possible that this whole awful tragedy could have been avoided if only people were paying attention to what was going on around them. For example, the fact that the ship the Californian was a mere ten or so miles away from the Titanic but did not pay attention to any of the distress calls, rockets, or did not even attempt to provide any assistance until after another ship, the Carpethia, had already arrived.

“Overriding everything else, the Titanic also marked the end of a general feeling of confidence. Until then, men felt they had found the answer to a steady, organized, civilized life. For 100 years the Western world had been at peace. For 100 years, technology had steadily improved. For 100 years, the benefits of peace and industry seemed to be filtering satisfactorily through society . . . The Titanic woke them up. Never again would they be quite so sure of themselves. In technology, especially, the disaster was a terrible blow. Here was the “unsinkable ship” — perhaps man’s greatest engineering achievement — going down the first time it sailed. But it went beyond that. If this supreme achievement was so terribly fragile, what about everything else?” (p. 95)

This quote gave me chills reading it. Walter Lord’s broader perspective on the ship and his examination of the nautical safety policy at the time (or lack thereof) and of social and political norms also gave an insight as to how this event marked a global psychological shift within society. In addition to this analogy another thing that gives me chills is the fact the A Night to Remember concludes with a list of ALL the people aboard the ship. The names of the survivors are listed in italics. It is very sombering to realize that the rescue ship, the Carpethia, was only able to rescue less than a third of the Titanic’s total passenger list. Especially when you can see entire families erased from history.

Honestly, A Night to Remember is more then just another book on the sinking of the Titanic. It is a truly “the Titanic bible” as it has been referred as so many times. It is truly epic as it wanders from person to person and place to place recreating one of the most famous disasters of all time. Truthfully it is a non-fiction book that feels more like a great novel and one that I could read time and time again. If you haven’t read this book and are strongly interested learning more about the Titanic, I highly suggest this book to you.

Do you have any Titanic suggestions for me? Admittedly I have always been interested in learning about the Titanic, and I have read a few things here and there but, I still feel that I have so much more to learn, and I am open to any and all suggestions (both fiction and non-fiction) that you may have for me.

Disclosure: Personal copy

Other reviews of A Night To Remember by Walter Lord:

Booktalk & More
Besotted With Books
Memphis Reads

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall Audiobook Review

by April (Books&Wine)

I used to be the type of person who said I only run if being chased. I never got into exercising and working out until college. Anyways, to cut to the chase, I’ve been working on Couch To 5K- taking a long break when my knees hurt just to walk. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall entered my vision at about this time and I promptly put the audiobook on hold at my library.

Born To Run

Born To Run by Christopher McDougall opens with the author experiencing pains in his foot after running and looking to doctors to fix it and be able to run again. Various doctors tell him he shouldn’t run any more. So, Christopher McDougall ignores his doctor and searches for a solution on his own. His search leads him to the world of ultra running and eventually to a reclusive Mexican tribe, the Tarahumara, who run long distances barefoot and actually outrun their prey.

Born To Run is a fascinating look at the unadulterated joy of running, peppered with criticism of the athletic shoe industry. Apparently running shoes are bad for you and barefoot running will prevent injury. I was SO surprised by this that I actually ended up spending time on the Vibram Five Finger Running Shoe website looking at a new pair. I know that is weird. But, I think that Born To Run by Christopher McDougall will appeal to athletic non-fiction fans.

I listened to the unabridged audio of BornTo Run produced by Listening Library and narrated by Fred Sanders. The audiobook is 11 hours and 9 minutes long. Sanders sounded to me like one of my dad’s smart drinking buddies. Seriously, you know those middle aged guys with interesting stories to tell over beers — that is what he sounds like, which DEFINITELY appeals to me. I will state that Born To Run may not appeal to an audio beginner, but I do recommend this to experienced audiophiles looking to branch out of their comfort zones.

Disclosure: Borrowed from my local library.

Other reviews of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall:

Helen’s Book Blog
Let’s eat Grandpa!
Chrisbookarama

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks Rebecca Skloot Book Review

by April (Books&Wine)

As someone who doesn’t know jackshit about science or biology – I found The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot riveting (FYI, I notice I say riveting A LOT in my reviews, what of it?). In the 1950s, Henrietta Lacks, a young Black woman died of cervical cancer, yet her cells live on. You see, the doctors took her cancer cells which didn’t die like normal cells, but kept on multiplying.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

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