Argentine-Canadian journalist Alberto Manguel has always lived a peripatetic and literary-saturated life which, of course, has required considerable attention given to shifting his personal book collection from home to home and country to country. His story about the time that library went astray in the hauling is studded with digressions into his affection for public libraries, the oddities in his personal collection, and his delight in discovering various authors from childhood on, among others. Regrettably, James Cameron Stewart's narration enervates both text and listener. His upper-crust British accent and lugubrious pacing intrude upon the content and force the listener into a moodiness that pervades every passage. The transformation of a companionable read for bibliophiles into a plodding listen points up the need to ensure that a narrator must fit the author's temperament for a successful audiobook.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2018
Duration: 3 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Karen Chilton's fluid alto is a good fit for this biography of Thomas Jefferson. The authors are more or less successful in their attempt to present the third president in the context of his times. What we are presented with is a very human being--possessing great intellect, filled with flaws and contradictions, and still immensely fascinating nearly three centuries after his birth. Chilton's pacing and inflection are never off. She narrates with a calm demeanor, competently affecting various accents for quotes and ably giving subtle expression to the narrative. It all adds up to an enjoyable listening experience.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2016
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781501909993
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This rags-to-riches memoir recounts the business life of Sam Wyly as he made his way from IBM salesman in the early 1960s to the owner of Sterling Software and Michael's stores, as well as a chain of restaurants, among other companies. Along the way, Wyly tells of his investment strategies, his business partners, his successes, and his failures. Phil Gigante reads this business story with a steady voice that lulls listeners instead of exciting them. In addition to the occasional odd pronunciation, Gigante's voice is barely modulated, and he fails to engage emotionally. Nonetheless, this title offers an interesting view of how to invest in your business, making it grow while weathering an ever-changing economy.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2008
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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