AureliaReads
Ottawa Public Library
AureliaReads's Completed Shelf
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The CommonerThe Commoner, Audiobook CD
by Schwartz, John BurnhamAudiobook CD - 2008Audiobook CD, 2008
Added Feb 27, 2024
The Rosie EffectThe Rosie Effect, Audiobook CD
by Simsion, Graeme C.Audiobook CD - 2014Audiobook CD, 2014
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Jan 12, 2024
Comment:
Perfect narrator ! As usual, this sequel is not quite as good as the original story, which was pure delight. But this still makes an entertaining, funny, warm, quirky story, full of empathy for both the main characters. Loved it ! Read Rosie Project FIRST, if you like the sound of this one. They really form one long story.Perfect narrator ! As usual, this sequel is not quite as good as the original story, which was pure delight. But this still makes an entertaining, funny, warm, quirky story, full of empathy for both the main characters. Loved it ! Read Rosie…
2 Sisters Detective Agency2 Sisters Detective Agency, Audiobook CD
by Patterson, JamesAudiobook CD - 2021 | Unabridged.Audiobook CD, 2021. Unabridged.
Added Dec 15, 2023
Comment:
seems like the authors used a pretty worn - out formula of lengthy descriptions of violence designed to shock the reader paired with an over-use of adjectives to describe the fiercely determined and completely untrained (and in this case, not very likeable) investigators who will -- we are sure -- against all odds, triumph in the end and probably rehabilitate the vengeful trained assassin somewhere along the way. Sad to see what Patterson has come to, as he uses co-authors to churn out an apparently endless stream of forgettable books at a furious pace. Quantity over quality seems to be his modus operandi. I'll stick to Connelly (Bosch) and Rankin (Rebus). They actually write their own books.seems like the authors used a pretty worn - out formula of lengthy descriptions of violence designed to shock the reader paired with an over-use of adjectives to describe the fiercely determined and completely untrained (and in this case, not very…
Tai Chi & QigongTai Chi & Qigong, DVD
DVD - 2012 | Widescreen version.DVD, 2012. Widescreen version.
Added Oct 27, 2023
Comment:
Excellent video, because of the moves the teachers have chosen and because of the perfectly clear 2-camera views of each movement. Sadly, it is no longer available for sale. The Tai Chi Nation group no longer exists. But there are long segments from this DVD posted on the web.Excellent video, because of the moves the teachers have chosen and because of the perfectly clear 2-camera views of each movement. Sadly, it is no longer available for sale. The Tai Chi Nation group no longer exists. But there are long segments…
Quick & DirtyQuick & Dirty, Audiobook CD
by Woods, StuartAudiobook CD - 2017 | Unabridged.Audiobook CD, 2017. Unabridged.
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Aug 27, 2023
Comment:
Readers of books that star Bosch and Rebus and Hawthorne as the sleuths will find Woods' books very . . . . thin. Compared to them, Wilson's books read like they were written by a student learning to follow the "formula" for detective fiction. Yawn !Readers of books that star Bosch and Rebus and Hawthorne as the sleuths will find Woods' books very . . . . thin. Compared to them, Wilson's books read like they were written by a student learning to follow the "formula" for detective fiction.…
Moonflower MurdersMoonflower Murders, Audiobook CD
by Horowitz, AnthonyAudiobook CD - 2020 | Unabridged.Audiobook CD, 2020. Unabridged.
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Apr 03, 2023
Comment:
Magpie Murders was one of the best murder mysteries since Devotion of Suspect X. Original. Interesting. Suspenseful. Clever. Moonflower Murders is the sequel, and, like many sequels, it falls short. It is quite implausible to have Susan Ryeland still trying to get away from the long, dark shadow cast by the late Alan Conway and acting as a private investigator. Like Magpie Murders, we have the present day crimes and then an Atticus Punt investigation. It is presented as being somehow linked to the present day, but it feels like a very long and tedious digression. I'm struggling to get through the final 6 discs.Magpie Murders was one of the best murder mysteries since Devotion of Suspect X. Original. Interesting. Suspenseful. Clever. Moonflower Murders is the sequel, and, like many sequels, it falls short. It is quite implausible to have Susan Ryeland…
17761776, Audiobook CD
by McCullough, David G.Audiobook CD - 2005 | Abridged.Audiobook CD, 2005. Abridged.
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Feb 24, 2023
Next in LineNext in Line, Large Print
by Archer, JeffreyLarge Print - 2022 | Large print edition.Large Print, 2022. Large print edition.
Added Feb 15, 2023
Comment:
The weakest of the Detective Warwick series. How many times can we be interested in yet another double cross involving Miles' and Cristina's art collection ? Enough already ! For those with strong feelings about poor Princess Diana, this book might seem jarring, as she is very much alive, and dancing / sprinting her way through her various extra-marital affairs.The weakest of the Detective Warwick series. How many times can we be interested in yet another double cross involving Miles' and Cristina's art collection ? Enough already ! For those with strong feelings about poor Princess Diana, this book…
What to Listen for in MusicWhat to Listen for in Music, Book
by Copland, AaronBook - 1957 | [Rev. ed.]. --Book, 1957. [Rev. ed.]. --
Added Feb 08, 2023
Comment:
I expected the 2009 version but got the mouldy 1950's book. Hope the OPL will update their collection !
Best-loved Classical Sheet Music for PianoBest-loved Classical Sheet Music for Piano, BookPiano Masterpieces From Easy to Advanced
Book - 2020Book, 2020
Added Jan 30, 2023
Comment:
The pieces are very clearly printed, with nice fingering marked. The spiral binding is ideal. But these are NOT EASY pieces, even the first ones in the book. My guess is the first pieces are at least Grade 5 or 6 level (Royal Conservatory) and the difficulty level increases as you turn the pages. Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, the 2nd piece in the book, is 6 pages long and both hands are almost always playing chords. The 5th piece is in the key of A flat, so there are 4 flats and the R hand plays 8th notes with one finger at the same time as 16th notes with another finger while trying to keep track of the flats and the many natural signs !The pieces are very clearly printed, with nice fingering marked. The spiral binding is ideal. But these are NOT EASY pieces, even the first ones in the book. My guess is the first pieces are at least Grade 5 or 6 level (Royal Conservatory) and the…
The Dark HoursThe Dark Hours, Audiobook CD
by Connelly, MichaelAudiobook CD - 2021 | Unabridged.Audiobook CD, 2021. Unabridged.
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Dec 17, 2022
Comment:
The actors on this audiobook seem to mostly read the text aloud, rather than performing the book. The woman reads all male dialogue in the same amateurish attempt at a low-pitched voice. All the other actors on audiobooks have been able to "do voices", to make dialogue come alive by having distinct accents and speech patterns for each character. The actor doing Bosch is so low key he seems almost asleep and does not have any of the edge I expect Bosch to have. So this was a big disappointment. The descriptions of the rapes were really, really graphic, even with the sub-par narrator. Hard to take. The 2 stars are a generous rating.The actors on this audiobook seem to mostly read the text aloud, rather than performing the book. The woman reads all male dialogue in the same amateurish attempt at a low-pitched voice. All the other actors on audiobooks have been able to "do…
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Nov 12, 2022
Comment:
The book has a really interesting "what-if" starting point. The first hundred pages or so were really fun. Well written. Then the book gets bogged down for chapter after tedious chapter of overly long, repetitive details of meetings. Kluger reminds us over and over of what is at stake. The plot does pick up again, with actual, surprising events occurring, after the reader has been put to sleep. But, by then, I found I didn't care enough about the auction house or Mitch, or Clara to be much moved by them or by the author's again too lengthy, too wordy narration of them.The book has a really interesting "what-if" starting point. The first hundred pages or so were really fun. Well written. Then the book gets bogged down for chapter after tedious chapter of overly long, repetitive details of meetings. Kluger reminds…
VanderbiltVanderbilt, Audiobook CDThe Rise and Fall of An American Dynasty
by Cooper, AndersonAudiobook CD - 2021 | Unabridged.Audiobook CD, 2021. Unabridged.
Added Oct 19, 2022
Comment:
This is an odd book. We learn a lot about a couple of the women who married into the family (Alva, especially), a LOT about Truman Capote's literary career and his Black and White Ball. There's an entire chapter detailing each tack and setting of the sails in a Newport , R.I. yacht race. But there is far too little about how the first generations of men amassed the fortune. "Shipping" or "railroads" we are told, as if that is sufficient info. In the final chapters we arrive at what seems to be the main motivation for Anderson writing the book: the very sad story of his mother's life, which includes a plaintive, overly long, self-pitying description of 11 year-old Anderson being taken in a limo to Studio 54, where his mother was one of the In Crowd. Not a book I recommend, especially with Cooper's quite monotonous reading on the audiobook. But I admire Cooper's journalism work, and if writing this book helped him sort out his views of his family, then I'm glad he wrote it.This is an odd book. We learn a lot about a couple of the women who married into the family (Alva, especially), a LOT about Truman Capote's literary career and his Black and White Ball. There's an entire chapter detailing each tack and setting of…
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Sep 23, 2022
Comment:
I would have given this 5 stars if the audiobook had been performed by a trained actor. The author comes across as someone reading his essay out loud in class. A very competent, steady drone. The author's quirky and variable pronunciation for delivering this drone does not line up well with the drama and the mysteries presented in the book. Background on English history is read in exactly the same tone as content about Shakespeare himself. Mundane "everyone knows this" facts are read in exactly the same tone, and at the same pace as the astonishing ones. Setting the narration aside, the content of the book was wonderful. Since so little is known about Shakespeare's life, Bryson works up to book length by exploring the times he lived in, and the political history combined with the theatre/arts history made for a really interesting, easy to follow book.I would have given this 5 stars if the audiobook had been performed by a trained actor. The author comes across as someone reading his essay out loud in class. A very competent, steady drone. The author's quirky and variable pronunciation for…
The RavenmasterThe Ravenmaster, Audiobook CDMy Life With the Ravens at the Tower of London
by Skaife, ChristopherAudiobook CD - 2018 | Unabridged.Audiobook CD, 2018. Unabridged.
Added Jul 15, 2022
Comment:
Really bad decision to have the author be the audiobook reader ! I'll try the paper version.
Balance Exercises for Fall PreventionBalance Exercises for Fall Prevention, Book
by Sterczyk, AmandaBook - 2021Book, 2021
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Jul 07, 2022
Comment:
This book is just a collection of general fitness exercises. Unimaginative, boring ones at that ! Making circles in the air with your fingers, wrists and elbows has nothing to do with preventing falls. Push-ups do not improve your balance. The shut-in friend I got this for was hugely disappointed.This book is just a collection of general fitness exercises. Unimaginative, boring ones at that ! Making circles in the air with your fingers, wrists and elbows has nothing to do with preventing falls. Push-ups do not improve your balance. The…
How to Raise An ElephantHow to Raise An Elephant, Book
by McCall Smith, AlexanderBook - 2020Book, 2020
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Jun 02, 2022
Comment:
This book is like all the others in the series: it wanders around through many random thoughts of the characters, as they try to solve life's day-to-day problems. Charming or boring, depending on your point of view. I laughed out loud -- unusually for this series -- at the 'background husbands' conversation and the debate about evolution. I've realised why the world the characters inhabit is so small, so insular: none of them EVER listens to news on the radio, or the TV or reads a newspaper or a book. Hence, Einstein's theory of evolution !This book is like all the others in the series: it wanders around through many random thoughts of the characters, as they try to solve life's day-to-day problems. Charming or boring, depending on your point of view. I laughed out loud -- unusually…
The Map That Changed the WorldThe Map That Changed the World, Audiobook CD
by Winchester, SimonAudiobook CD - 2001Audiobook CD, 2001
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Mar 19, 2022
Comment:
Made a boring topic fascinating !
I have no interest in geology or fossils. But am a big fan of Simon Winchester, so I gave this a try. He is a gifted writer and teacher, integrating many different sorts of information to paint a picture not just of a single person, but of the times he lived in. I loved this book, peering into past centuries as people noticed and then chose to ignore OR tried to solve the geological puzzles that the fossils present.Made a boring topic fascinating !
I have no interest in geology or fossils. But am a big fan of Simon Winchester, so I gave this a try. He is a gifted writer and teacher, integrating many different sorts of information to paint a picture not just…
The DiamondThe Diamond, Audiobook on MP3 CD
by Baumgold, JulieAudiobook on MP3 CD - 2005Audiobook on MP3 CD, 2005
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Dec 30, 2021
Comment:
The true story of a famous diamond moving through history makes a fascinating starting point. But instead of historical fiction, this book reads like a trashy romance novel with hyperbole everywhere, irrelevant digressions, and wild swings of love, infatuation and despair in its characters (some of them completely irrelevant to the story of the diamond). The narrator of the audiobook has a very odd accent when speaking as himself and can't do the accents of other characters in a consistent or accurate way. There are many websites that tell the history of this remarkable jewel. I highly recommend reading them instead of this book !The true story of a famous diamond moving through history makes a fascinating starting point. But instead of historical fiction, this book reads like a trashy romance novel with hyperbole everywhere, irrelevant digressions, and wild swings of love,…
The Uncommon ReaderThe Uncommon Reader, Book
by Bennett, AlanBook - 2007 | First American edition.Book, 2007. First American edition.
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Nov 02, 2021
Comment:
This novella is interesting , whimsical and amusing. A delightful read. There is satire here, but it is so gentle that I imagine Queen Elizabeth herself would be amused. I loved every minute I spent on this whimsical trek to libraries - both humble and august !This novella is interesting , whimsical and amusing. A delightful read. There is satire here, but it is so gentle that I imagine Queen Elizabeth herself would be amused. I loved every minute I spent on this whimsical trek to libraries - both…
Trace ElementsTrace Elements, Book
by Leon, DonnaBook - 2020 | First Grove Atlantic edition.Book, 2020. First Grove Atlantic edition.
Added Sep 14, 2021
Comment:
Very slow. Long melodrama in the hospice, followed by a very slow investigation. The crime seems contrived - and similar to movie and book plots we've all seen before. Everything seemed like same-old-same-old: Brunetti's family dinnertime talks; the sad state of Venice; Signorina Elettra; travel around the city on the canals. We've heard it all before -- many times. Writing seemed padded with layers of boring details. Few authors can sustain a series for more than 10 or 12 books. The really smart ones know when to stop before doing books like this one.Very slow. Long melodrama in the hospice, followed by a very slow investigation. The crime seems contrived - and similar to movie and book plots we've all seen before. Everything seemed like same-old-same-old: Brunetti's family dinnertime talks;…
A Gentleman in MoscowA Gentleman in Moscow, Audiobook CD
by Towles, AmorAudiobook CD - 2016 | Unabridged.Audiobook CD, 2016. Unabridged.
AureliaReads's rating:
Added Aug 05, 2021
Comment:
A masterpiece. The language is sumptuous, elegant as silk. The narrator of the audiobook is perfect for the tale he tells. As we all live through our varying degrees of being housebound, of having our worlds shrunk to miniature, pandemic size, this book, Rostov's wisdom and creativity are like a balm, like a warm hug from a long-lost, melancholy but utterly charming relative.A masterpiece. The language is sumptuous, elegant as silk. The narrator of the audiobook is perfect for the tale he tells. As we all live through our varying degrees of being housebound, of having our worlds shrunk to miniature, pandemic size,…
The World Beneath Their FeetThe World Beneath Their Feet, Audiobook CD
by Ellsworth, ScottAudiobook CD - 2020 | Unabridged.Audiobook CD, 2020. Unabridged.
Added Jul 25, 2021
Comment:
Content is fascinating ! Covers expeditions and people the brilliant book Into the Silence. does not. But, because he covers so many different teams climbing , succeeding, failing, and --too often -- dying on so many different mountains we do not come to know any of them well (unlike Into the Silence). But as a history of mountaineering mostly in the Himalayas, the book provides many facts, many anecdotes and enough historical context (the wars, Hitler, British India etc) to allow the reader to see the competition between nations in perspective. But the audiobook, read by the author, is very tedious. Ellsworth speaks in a plodding, slow-paced drone mispronouncing some of the 'big words' and -- oddly, pretentiously -- choosing to use the Nepali pronunciation of Darjeeling ( DAR-jeling. Almost rhymes with gargle - ing). Very grating American accent.Content is fascinating ! Covers expeditions and people the brilliant book Into the Silence. does not. But, because he covers so many different teams climbing , succeeding, failing, and --too often -- dying on so many different mountains we do…
AureliaReads's rating:
Added May 15, 2021
Comment:
Feels like Rankin should stop stretching out the Rebus series and just write about Fox. Each recent volume is more and more implausible. Rebus is retired and in very poor health, a shadow of his former self and has no legal basis for continuing to insert himself into cases. Rankin relies too much on page after page of dialogue, with different characters repeating what they know so far, which is often the same thing the characters in the previous scene knew and just finished explaining to us. Cafferty was the best thing about this book.Feels like Rankin should stop stretching out the Rebus series and just write about Fox. Each recent volume is more and more implausible. Rebus is retired and in very poor health, a shadow of his former self and has no legal basis for continuing to…
The Good Karma HospitalThe Good Karma Hospital, DVDSeries 3
DVD - 2020DVD, 2020
Added Mar 28, 2021
Comment:
Warning: very graphic, long close-ups of surgery and fresh wounds -- especially in Episode 1, but also in others. This was a shock, since one of the many things I liked about the series was that they did not force us to see things only doctors and surgical nurses should have to look at. It felt very out of place with the tone of the series. Jarring. Shocking.
The rest of Season 3 was great.Warning: very graphic, long close-ups of surgery and fresh wounds -- especially in Episode 1, but also in others. This was a shock, since one of the many things I liked about the series was that they did not force us to see things only doctors and…
Comment: