lintulai's reviews
416 reviews

The book was ok to listen to as an audiobook during commute. However, ghe kazillion "entgegnete ich/er/sie" really got on my nerves. there are so many more words in German that mean "to say" and "sagen" is not a bad choice! The story has too few outsiders to the mighty Schicksal of the novel and that dullifies the story when it continues.

Generally interesting is why i picked up this book from the library. I do not know too much about classical music, but I had at least heard of most of the orchestras in the book. There were some very interesting phases and a special credit is due for naming Susanna Mälkki, mentioning my hometown Lahti and following the rehearsals of a Sibelius piece. What drops the rating to only three stars is that I would've enjoyed showing more than tenuous explaining.

Definitely an interesting read. I didn't have any expectations so the rating results as ok. This is one of those books where the message of the author escapes the crowd it's trying to make see the light... Maybe because it's us, the online people. Ronson tries to take a stand but he writes about it so neutrally that it's diluted to filling in the space between his subjects' stories.

I liked this one. The reading by Doris Wolters was very good. At times the constant change between three pasts and one present was annoying but I don't generally like flashbacks in television series either. At times I even had to laugh out loud.

The book was quite interesting in the beginning and I got some ideas regarding money that I hadn't thought of before. too soon the book turned into a monologue of money's and monetary policy's history, which went on and on and on. The last chapter highlights the monotone most of the book by getting the author to review the entire book in a conversation with his "friend" and that was irritating. I'm giving three stars because I did learn something new, and that saves a lot. I'm not saying the author is wrong or that the book isn't relevant in today's financial chaos, but I got bored.

If you're reading all those self help books, like me (too), you should read this one too. Brinkmann argues against self development, always getting better by getting to know you and being the best you you can be. He thinks positivity is overrated and sometimes it's best to doubt things and say no. However, this is also a self help book even though Brinkmann doesn't seem to see it himself, and that drops a star. But anyone who recommends reading one novel a month to better understand the world must have a clue of the right way of living.

Once again I started a book without getting to know it first. I don't think this book was suited for listening during commute an hour at a time, because Death doesn't think linearity is a big deal, and at times it gets hard to keep up. But, all in all, it was entertaining if a WW2 depiction can be entertaining.

Ainoa tähti tulee siitä, että kirja on sujuvaa tekstiä ja nopeaa luettavaa. Kirja on kokoelma pistokokeita kaikille yhteiskunnan aloille, joilla on näppinsä pelissä, kun poloinen ylivelkaantunut henkilö joutuu oikeasti pulaan. Kirjassa siteerataan ja kerätään myötätuntopisteitä ihmisille, joilla "on mennyt liian lujaa", sitten on juotu rahat, sitten laiminlyöty perhettä ja koko ajan jätetty kirjeet avaamatta, ja suurena yllätyksenä on tullut, että vastuuttomuudestaan joutuu maksamaan. Yksinhuoltaja-kaupankassat ja siivoojat mainitaan vain ohimennen, työkyvyttömyyseläkeläisiä ja pitkäaikaissairaita ei lainkaan. Yhtään ratkaisuehdotusta ei tarjota, punaisena lankana on kaikkien mahdollisten tahojen syyttäminen. Ollenkaan ei käsitellä sitä, kuka maksaa ne maksut, jotka joku muu jättää maksamatta. Ei haastatella yrittäjää, joka joutuu itse pulaan, koska omat asiakkaat eivät maksa laskujaan. Kirjan tarkoitus lieneekin riittävä raflaavuus, jotta myyntiluvut nousevat ja kirjoittajat tienaisivat. Kuten gradussani aikanaan: työssä oli potentiaalia huomattavasti parempaan arvosanaan.

I listened an audiobook version of this book, read by Gudrun Landgrebe who did an absolutely excellent job. At the beginning I had difficulties following every separate event but when it all started to flow together.. Listening Gudrun Landgrebe's quite dramatic reading made a difference. I doubt the effect would've been a lot milder if I had read this story myself.

I was expecting to read just another self help book and that's what I got. Elrod points out that he really isn't a writer and that's true - he's a salesman and the book is a too long sales pitch that would work as such for a TV shop spot. Getting a good editor could've been a good thing. Apart from being constantly annoyed by the style, I do think an organized morning is a must and there's nothing wrong in earning a living from telling other people to wake up earlier.