Badonkadonk
- 27
- reviews
- 8
- helpful votes
- 42
- ratings

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To Say Nothing of the Dog Part 3
- Or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last
- By: Connie Willis
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In this Hugo-winner from Connie Willis, when too many jumps back to 1940 leave 21st century Oxford history student Ned Henry exhausted, a relaxing trip to Victorian England seems the perfect solution. But complexities like recalcitrant rowboats, missing cats, and love at first sight make Ned's holiday anything but restful - to say nothing of the way hideous pieces of Victorian art can jeopardize the entire course of history.
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Aged well with time spent with British culture
- By Badonkadonk on 11-18-24
- To Say Nothing of the Dog Part 3
- Or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last
- By: Connie Willis
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
Aged well with time spent with British culture
Reviewed: 11-18-24
I read this book in my twenties when it came out. I found it a little dull and annoying. But this audio book and twenty five years of life experience in British culture really turned it around for me. I chuckled a lot and found it too cinematic to listen to while driving.
Even the things I was impatient with in my first reading… I realized they were really a wink and nudge.
Like a fine wine, soon books improve as one ages.
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Equal Rites
- Discworld, Book 3
- By: Terry Pratchett
- Narrated by: Indira Varma, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Everybody knows there's no such thing as a female wizard. So when the wizard Drum Billet accidentally passes on his staff of power to an eighth daughter of an eighth son, a girl called Eskarina (Esk, for short), the misogynistic world of wizardry wants nothing to do with her.
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Disappionted NO choice but the new version.
- By Anonymous User on 06-16-22
- Equal Rites
- Discworld, Book 3
- By: Terry Pratchett
- Narrated by: Indira Varma, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy
New reader and production, but still delightful!
Reviewed: 03-15-24
I read this book in high school when it first came out. Then in my 40s, I discovered audiobooks… it seems as though penguin is updating all of Mr. Pratchett’s books. I was dubious, since I’ve listened to most of them at least once, and some many times. But after being disappointed that the book had to end, I am dubious no more.
Please enjoy.
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The Creative Path
- A View from the Studio on the Making of Art
- By: Carolyn Schlam
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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An inquiry into the creative process from philosophical, psychological, spiritual, and practical points of view, The Creative Path is a welcoming work on the creative process. Carolyn Schlam encourages the listener to embark upon his or her own journey of discovery, identity, and wonder through art. This inspirational book examines why we make art, and though it makes primary reference to visual art, The Creative Path will resonate with all creative practitioners, whatever their chosen discipline.
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Rich with insights
- By Nigel on 02-23-19
- The Creative Path
- A View from the Studio on the Making of Art
- By: Carolyn Schlam
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
Very old fashioned, but worth the pep talk.
Reviewed: 01-16-24
The artist comes from the old art world which was overwhelmingly white, European, and male. When she mentions visiting with the masters, she only mentions European men. It’s a little annoying, but extremely common of the previous generation who had to either work with steely resolve, or pretend that being repeatedly passed over for shows doesn’t matter because you do it for the passion of it.
Keeping that in mind, it just might be your favorite new year’s book.
The mediums she mentions are all the traditional ones: ceramics, sculpture, and painting.
It’s a sweet book that is a little tired and needs updating. If you need a little pep talk, it is pretty good.
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Warbreaker Part 3
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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In the world of Warbreaker, each person is born endowed with the power of one Breath―which can be sold and collected by others, then used to Awaken objects and even corpses to do their bidding. A few individuals who die in glory return as gods, with the power of thousands of Breath, but no memory of their mortal lives―and are enthroned in the Court of Gods in Hallandren’s capital. To Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris, the abuse of Breath and the claim of the Returned to be gods are repugnant blasphemy.
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Could not put it down
- By Helen Williams on 06-25-24
- Warbreaker Part 3
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
Didn’t think I would like it, but gave it a chance.
Reviewed: 01-16-24
So glad I did. I was surprised to find myself attached to the characters and I was honestly surprised at some of the plot lines. I originally thought, ugh! Princesses! I’m going to hate this. Actually, the female characters were all strong and independent. So if you want a staid and pleated princess book, this is not for you.
Some of it wasn’t surprising, but if everything were, it would be an avant garde genre book rather than fantasy.
Give it a go. If you like fantasy, you may enjoy it.
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Artificial Condition
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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It has a dark past - one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself "Murderbot." But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more. Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don't want to know what the "A" stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue.
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This series should be one book
- By J. Eisenach on 05-16-18
- Artificial Condition
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
Good series, well read
Reviewed: 10-08-23
This series by Martha wells is terrific. The reader is good. It’s engaging. If you like John scalzi’s books, you will enjoy this. Martha offers fewer television one liners, which can be welcome.
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Wolves and Werewolves in History and Popular Culture
- By: Shannon Scott, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Shannon Scott
- Length: 4 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
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In the 10 lectures of Wolves and Werewolves in History and Popular Culture, author and teacher Shannon Scott will take you around the world to explore the many ways humans have created and shared stories of wolves, shape-shifting, and lycanthropy.
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Pretty great.
- By Rob on 10-15-21
Fun to listen to, but maybe too edited
Reviewed: 06-19-23
This is a fun, lightweight dip into werewolves in lore and pop culture.
I enjoyed the way the professor wove connections, but it each lecture could have been more focused and the course longer. It seemed to flit from morsel to morsel without lingering…
It felt very much like an abridged/readers digest version: cursory, lightly related by grand theme but never bound for any deep post-modern/Marxist/feminist/any other analysis except in passing… if obvious (Freud, Pinkola-Estes, etc).
It’s satisfying if you are listening while gardening or cleaning, but don’t expect too much. Maybe a bunch was edited out. I don’t know what criteria were presented to the lecturer. I have noticed the great courses have gotten steadily less in-depth. Even ones I wanted to revisit were much shorter, leaving out interesting bits.
Which is to say, I do not blame the lecturer. It’s was, at the time of my consumption, free… so I cannot truly complain… but I do wonder about it.
Don’t let that stop you. Check it out as a jumping off point!!
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Rapid Brazilian (Portuguese): Volumes 1 & 2)
- By: earworms Learning
- Narrated by: Marlon Lodge
- Length: 2 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
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Earworms mbt(c) is a revolutionary accelerated technique that takes the hard work out of learning.By listening a few times to these specially composed melodies, with their rhythmic repetitions of Brazilian (Portuguese) and English, you will pick up essential words and phrases that will not just be on the tip of your tongue but burnt deeply into your long-term memory in next to no time.If you like music, and want to make rapid progress without any formal knowledge of language learning, Earworms mbt© Rapid Portuguese (Brazilian) is the course for you.
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A Different Style of Instruction
- By Anonymous Customer on 07-15-14
- Rapid Brazilian (Portuguese): Volumes 1 & 2)
- By: earworms Learning
- Narrated by: Marlon Lodge
Parts 1 & 2 are reversed. Start with chapter 11!
Reviewed: 09-29-22
I love these ear worms travel-focused audio programs. They cover the same content with the same music.
In this case, please start with chapter 11. That is actually the start of part one.
Audible, please fix this.
I also recommend carefully choosing between the European and Brazilian Portuguese programs. They are analogous to Castilian and new world Spanish, British and US English, or European French and québécois French. It’s easier to go to Portugal with Brazilian dialect than Brazil with Portuguese pronunciation.
Personally I like to learn both versions, but I’m a nerd.
Enjoy!
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All Systems Red
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 3 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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All Systems Red is the tense first science fiction adventure novella in Martha Wells' series The Murderbot Diaries. For fans of Westworld, Ex Machina, Ann Leckie's Imperial Raadch series, or Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. The main character is a deadly security droid that has bucked its restrictive programming and is balanced between contemplative self-discovery and an idle instinct to kill all humans.
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I just wish all four stories were one book...
- By Garrett Stone on 11-05-18
- All Systems Red
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
Story is great, could use an updated reader
Reviewed: 08-15-22
The novella is incredible: Funny and tense and a little dark.
With so much wonderful audiobook action, this particular reader didn’t have the experience to make it as thrilling as it could have been. Maybe a Will Wheaton or Kobna Holbrook-smith type of reader could breathe life into the characters.
I’ll probably go back and read it so I can have my own voices making it thrilling.
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Screwed
- By: Eoin Colfer
- Narrated by: John Keating
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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The second crime novel by internationally best-selling writer Eoin Colfer is a gritty and utterly compelling follow-up to the critically acclaimed Plugged. In Screwed, Colfer adds an entirely new chapter to the adventures and misadventures of Daniel McEvoy, the down-on-his-luck Irish bouncer at a seedy New Jersey bar who, with the help of a motley crew of unlikely characters, solved a bizarre string of murders - including the one of the girl he loved. But people around him continue to die mysteriously, and Daniel is called into action once again.
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Inspired narration
- By William on 09-16-14
- Screwed
- By: Eoin Colfer
- Narrated by: John Keating
Enjoyed it way more than I expected
Reviewed: 02-09-22
John Keating created a cinematic landscape that flashed a very enjoyable action film.
In my head it was directed by the cohen brothers, but that’s just my inclination.
The book is funny, smart, ironic, tragic and somehow both optimistic AND pessimistic simultaneously.
Enjoy!
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Wintersmith
- By: Terry Pratchett
- Narrated by: Stephen Briggs
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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At nine, Tiffany Aching defeated the cruel Queen of Fairyland. At 11, she banished an ancient body-stealing evil. At 13, Tiffany faces a new challenge: a boy. And boys can be a bit of a problem when you're 13. But the Wintersmith isn't exactly a boy. He is winter itself.
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What's with the annoying musical interludes?
- By Heather on 11-28-07
- Wintersmith
- By: Terry Pratchett
- Narrated by: Stephen Briggs
Enjoyable on every count
Reviewed: 02-07-22
Crivens, I love this series within series. I love the humor and and pacing. I like the irony and the strong tween heroine. I’m not sure the typical 11-year old girl of the 21st century would get into it, but a precocious reader may!
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