AS I have started to drive ore, I discovered audiobooks recently and decided I should do a whole feature of the ones I’ve done so far, and also include in the reviews how good audiobooks are they (trust me not all books should be done in audio). They are also a great options whilst cleaning/cooking and doing errands around the house.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Goodreads Blurb: For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.
Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
My take: 4.5 out of 5. It took me a while to read this and I thought i was going to be disappointed as it had so much buzz. It was the oposite. It was better than I imagined. The twists were exciting and the characters unique and enthralling. Inventive, detailed and a thoroughly wonderful story. However i do not recommend the audio book, I would say buy the book, because the voices this woman was doing started to get grating in the end, but even with those I still loved it.
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger
Goodreads blurb: A grand vision defined: The CEO of Disney, one of Time’s most influential people of 2019, shares the ideas and values he embraced to reinvent one of the most beloved companies in the world and inspire the people who bring the magic to life. Robert Iger became CEO of The Walt Disney Company in 2005, during a difficult time. Competition was more intense than ever and technology was changing faster than at any time in the company’s history. His vision came down to three clear ideas: Recommit to the concept that quality matters, embrace technology instead of fighting it, and think bigger–think global–and turn Disney into a stronger brand in international markets.
Twelve years later, Disney is the largest, most respected media company in the world, counting Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox among its properties. Its value is nearly five times what it was when Iger took over, and he is recognized as one of the most innovative and successful CEOs of our era. In The Ride of a Lifetime, Robert Iger shares the lessons he’s learned while running Disney and leading its 200,000 employees, and he explores the principles that are necessary for true leadership, including:
– Optimism. Even in the face of difficulty, an optimistic leader will find the path toward the best possible outcome and focus on that, rather than give in to pessimism and blaming.
– Courage. Leaders have to be willing to take risks and place big bets. Fear of failure destroys creativity.
– Decisiveness. All decisions, no matter how difficult, can be made on a timely basis. Indecisiveness is both wasteful and destructive to morale.
– Fairness. Treat people decently, with empathy, and be accessible to them.
This book is about the relentless curiosity that has driven Iger for forty-five years, since the day he started as the lowliest studio grunt at ABC. It’s also about thoughtfulness and respect, and a decency-over-dollars approach that has become the bedrock of every project and partnership Iger pursues, from a deep friendship with Steve Jobs in his final years to an abiding love of the Star Wars mythology. “The ideas in this book strike me as universal” Iger writes. “Not just to the aspiring CEOs of the world, but to anyone wanting to feel less fearful, more confidently themselves, as they navigate their professional and even personal lives.”
My take: This is a great audioook. First because the intro and conclusion is narrated directly by Iger which in my book gives it so much more depth to the message. The rest of the book has a great narrator. AS for the book itself, If anyone who knows me knows that i would love this book. A great mix of leadership and management lessons with great insight of 15 year of the Disney company is my type of memoir. I’ve always really admired Bog Iger and this book raised him even further in my esteem. Another reason i loved this book: He basically has my dream job jajaja
Waking Up by Sam Harris
Goodreads blurb: For the millions of Americans who want spirituality without religion, Sam Harris’s new book is a guide to meditation as a rational spiritual practice informed by neuroscience and psychology.
From multiple New York Times bestselling author, neuroscientist, and “new atheist” Sam Harris, Waking Up is for the 30 percent of Americans who follow no religion, but who suspect that Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, and the other saints and sages of history could not have all been epileptics, schizophrenics, or frauds. Throughout the book, Harris argues that there are important truths to be found in the experiences of such contemplatives—and, therefore, that there is more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow. Waking Up is part seeker’s memoir and part exploration of the scientific underpinnings of spirituality. No other book marries contemplative wisdom and modern science in this way, and no author other than Sam Harris—a scientist, philosopher, and famous skeptic—could write it.
My take: I was recommended Sam Harris by a teacher, and I actually really enjoyed his writing. He narrates the book which gives at an extra boost. This is a great book for people questioning spirituality, atheists who want to understand meditation, and even religious people to get a scientific approach to a lot of faith based practices. I think his approach is really interesting and although I might not agree 100% with him in all things, i do suscribe to some of his thoughts on organized religion, but most specifically I do agree with him that even if you take out religion from the equation, finding spirituality and inner an peace should be a goal to all.
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