Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Four Audiobooks

Audiobooks on CD

The Checklist Manifesto: how to get things right by Atul Gawande. 5 CDs at 6.5 hours. The overlooked importance of adhering to checklists instead of memory. I do not know how to pronounce this guy's first name, Atul. I hope it is pronounced 'a-tool' so that when Atul is having a bad day people can say, "Atul is being a real tool."

The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose. 19 CDs at 24 hours. I don't get HBO but I assume the current mini-series is getting good ratings. So I bought this.

I listened to Retribution: the battle for Japan by Max Hastings. That was a good book. Hastings covers the Pacific campaign and talks about soldiers on the ground and the strategic decisions of the brass. Once the Navy and it's submarines were geared up the Japanese were screwed. The Japanese defensive warfare skills were superb but they had no way to resupply or reinforce.

I also bought Islands of Hell by Eric Hammel which is a coffee table book on the Pacific campaign. I'm currently reading The Root by Hammel which is about the Marines in Beirut in '82-'84. I've fallen asleep several times while reading it.

The Man From Beijing by Henning Mankell. 12 CDs at 15.5 hours. Henning? What kind of name is that?

Big Girl by Danielle Steel. 9 CDs at 10.5 hours. Big-boned gal from L.A. moves to New York to get away from her skinny parents and snobby L.A. types.

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