Unlike most scientific books about pain, Melanie Thernstrom writes about HER pain. She describes going to 85 doctors, looking for a cure. In the beginning the young virgin remembers swimming with her boyfriend to a raft in a lake, where she lost her virginity. She has experienced musculoskeletal pain ever since that moment. Using clever affectations, narrator Laurel Merlington portrays what she perceives as a patient on Freud’s couch: neurotic, intelligent, depressed, and addicted. Merlington lets the writer’s circuitous “brain farts” betray her state of mind. Having consumed so many substances to alleviate her misery disqualifies the patient from being a valid observer. Thernstrom now takes only Botox, Celebrex, and Tramadol. Pain sufferers looking for answers won’t find many in this odyssey from acupuncture to Zoloft.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2010
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Live a better life by exercising, getting a good night's sleep, watching and improving your diet, and taking care of your skin. Exercise physiologist and personal trainer Bob Greene delivers his book in a steady, even voice. His attention to detail is exacting. Three guest narrators add their specialized advice. Diane McKay’s no-nonsense tone delivers information on the benefits and hazards of vitamin supplements and nutrients. Harold Lancer’s smooth, deep voice accompanies a serious discussion about skin care. Ronald Kotler softly intones recommendations for good sleep. Hearing the myriad lists in these chapters while driving may lull you into inattentiveness. The accompanying PDF contains lists of menus, routines for eating and exercising, and guidelines for medical tests and healthy living.
Pub Date: April 26, 2011
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781609419820
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Sean Runnette adopts an unhurried pace that allows listeners to savor the information offered in this detailed guide to 50 foods. The guide offers recipes and practical information about each food and reveals other enlightening information such as highlights of the food's history and significance in society and the world of food. Runnette handles the international vocabulary well enough to keep the narration fluid and engaging. Though his voice is not highly modulated, a steady delivery and well-timed pauses impart the unique flavors of each food described to make this an appealing listen that will be especially enticing to foodies.
Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2013
Duration: 13 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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