Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes

By Janna Stam

The Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes podcast has already explored some of the best popular nonfiction in over 100 episodes. Hosted by Janna, we review writing style, narration, production, and the ov... more

4.8

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FAQs about Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes:

How many episodes does Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes have?

The podcast currently has 107 episodes available.

Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes episodes:

May 11, 2020 The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, 10th Anniversary Edition, by Michelle Alexander
Even 10 years after publication, the systemic issues that Alexander expertly navigates throughout her book remain among the most problematic and unresolved challenges in unjust political and economic systems in the USA. This book has been cited in judicial decisions and has been adopted in campus-wide and community-wide reads; in the United States, it helped inspire the creation of the Marshall Project and the new $100 million Art for Justice Fund; it has been the winner of numerous prizes, including the prestigious NAACP Image Award; and it has spent nearly 250 weeks on the New York Times best seller list. Audiobook narrated by Karen Chilton.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7036065-the-new-jim-crow (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7036065-the-new-jim-crow)
Audio production by Graham Stephenson
Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).
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7min
May 04, 2020 Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Have you ever wondered who YOU might become if you could just change or develop different habits? In Atomic Habits, James Clear defines success as a system or a process to improve and refine, and he advocates avoiding a daily focus on goals. Instead, he recommends focusing on deliberately initiating, refining, and optimizing habits. “Small habits don’t simply add up – they compound. It’s remarkable what we can build if we just don’t stop”
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42603095-atomic-habits (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42603095-atomic-habits)
Audio production by Graham Stephenson
Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).
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6min
April 27, 2020 Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It, written by Chris Voss and narrated by Michael Kramer
This book is for anyone who wants to improve their communication, relationships, and professional lives. Whether you’re job hunting, parenting, selling products and services, working with difficult people, or you simply want to better understand what motivates human decision-making, you will find some useful insights here. Chances are if you listen to or read this one, you’ll find advice you can use in nearly every single conversation, so don’t miss it!
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26156469-never-split-the-difference?from_search=trueandfrom_srp=trueandqid=PqrLkap6t2andrank=1 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26156469-never-split-the-difference?from_search=trueandfrom_srp=trueandqid=PqrLkap6t2andrank=1)
Audio production by Graham Stephenson
Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).
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6min
April 19, 2020 A conversation with author Codi Shewan: What if your legacy isn't what you leave behind, but something you create?
In this extended episode, Codi and I discuss his book, Everyday Legacy: Lessons for Living With Purpose, Right Now. Everyday Legacy shares vital lessons for living, informed by Codi’s experiences as a funeral director who developed a deep understanding of the reality of death. From tales of unexpected friendship as a young volunteer in palliative care, to what he learned through his estranged father's funeral, Everyday Legacy shows us what it means to be deeply human, undeniably mortal - and how to choose a life that matters.
For more information, visit everydaylegacy.com, or connect with Shewan on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Codi’s audiobook recording and release is planned for later this year.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49510355-everyday-legacy
Audio production by Graham Stephenson
Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).
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35min
April 16, 2020 Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright, read by Gabra Zackman
Do you enjoy dark sarcasm, witty anecdotes, folk history, pop culture references, and historic epidemiological surveys of disease? If so, this audiobook is for you! Voted Audible.com’s ‘History Book Of The Year’ for 2017.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30199426-get-well-soon?from_search=trueandfrom_srp=trueandqid=VTLGjxY2zVandrank=1 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30199426-get-well-soon?from_search=trueandfrom_srp=trueandqid=VTLGjxY2zVandrank=1)
Audio production by Graham Stephenson
Music credit: "Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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6min
April 12, 2020 Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari
Hari discusses some especially timely concerns: disconnection from meaningful work, from other people, from meaningful values, from childhood trauma, from status and respect, from the natural world, and finally, disconnection from a hopeful or secure future.. I enjoyed the personal stories throughout the book.
Goodreads details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38214632-lost-connections
Audio production by Graham Stephenson
Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).
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7min
April 06, 2020 Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs by Michael T. Osterholm, Mark Olshaker
This book was praised as “a wake-up call’ when it was published in 2017, yet cuts to pandemic preparedness budgets nevertheless continued, as is painfully clear today. The authors pose a hypothetical pandemic crisis description that is scarily prescient of our own situation. A compelling listen / read on understanding the impact and implications of infectious disease on a global scale. Osterholm was recently interviewed on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast (March 10 episode).
Goodreads details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30842808-deadliest-enemy
Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).
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6min
March 29, 2020 How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
Originally trained as a visual artist, Jenny Odell has established herself over the last year as a writer and podcaster with her excellent podcast series, Hurry slowly. Published in April 2019, her book has been described by the New York Times reviewer Jonah Engel Bromwich as a A Manifesto for Opting Out of an Internet-Dominated World, which seems like an especially challenging proposal during a pandemic. If you’re struggling with a sense of futility or anxiety over your productiveness right now, this is a great book to read and reflect on. In Odell’s own words, “every action doesn’t need to have a deliverable. Activities that can’t be optimized — listening to another person, taking care of ourselves, contemplating a new idea — and why truly taking time to pay attention to the little things is an act of resistance.”
Correction: this episode credits Odell as the host of of the podcast Hurry Slowly, but in fact the host of that podcast is Jocelyn K. Glei. Odell appears on the podcast as a guest.
Goodreads details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45729738
Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).
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6min
March 16, 2020 The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History by John M. Barry, narrated by Scott Brick
The scale and numbers associated with the 1918 pandemic always stop me in my tracks. From January 1918 – December 1920, with the worst month in October of 1918, the virus infected abut 27% of the world’s population (500 million people) and killed approximately 50 to 100 million people. It killed more people in a year than the Black Death in the Middle Ages killed in 100 years; it killed more people in 24 weeks than AIDS killed in 24 years.
Although this book was published in 2006, it seems to be one of the most comprehensive overviews of this topic, and I wanted to listen to this in the context of all the COVID-19 and Coronavirus news. I would have preferred more of a global survey approach to the pandemic, as Barry tends to focus almost exclusively on the American experience, but this was one of the most highly rated audiobooks on the topic, and it’s well researched.
Goodreads details: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1714876.The_Great_Influenza (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1714876.The_Great_Influenza)
Audio production by Graham Stephenson
Episode music: Caprese by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).
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13min
March 13, 2020 The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity by Douglas Murray
In my latest podcast, I review The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity, written and read by Douglas Murray. Murray’s main point is that, “Minimizing difference is not the same as pretending difference does not exist. To assume that sex, sexuality and skin colour mean nothing would be ridiculous. But to assume that they mean everything will be fatal.”
This listen is a fascinating perspective on oppression hierarchy, hysteria, and a reminder that all things “natural” are not automatically good or healthy (here’s looking at you, COVID19)
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50907567-the-madness-of-crowds (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50907567-the-madness-of-crowds)
Audio production by Graham Stephenson
Bonus episode music credit: "Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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6min

FAQs about Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes:

How many episodes does Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes have?

The podcast currently has 107 episodes available.