Member Reviews

Great look back at earth's history in an engaging and easy-listening way. The narrator is excellent and the information is shared in an organized way,. This would be a great audiobook for the whole family!

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If you believe "knowledge is wealth", then Absolutely Everything! is a treasure trove. It encompasses almost everything that had occurred in the past, from the inception of time to the dinosaurs walking the face of the earth, from the big bang to modern day wars and revolutions. In each chapter, the author speaks on the 'how', 'what' and 'why' the specific event occurred; and how it shapes our present days. Accompanied with breathtaking illustrations which will visually enchant any readers beyond imagination, I believe this book belongs to every library, home and school and not only that reading it will improve your comprehrension on contrasting topics with salient analysis. Encompassing such vast, culturally diverse and of historic importance shows the great deal of research that went into the creation of the book. The author has maintained the authenticity of each fact and articulated them in a lucid and all- appealing mannerism.

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This really deserves 3.5 stars (but I'm unable to give that). Christopher Lloyd's narration is superb, I loved his enthusiasm, humour and his personal anecdotes added warmth to his performance. I felt his passion and commitment to 'telling' this story and lapped it up. Had I been a child listening to this, I suspect I would have grown up with a better appreciation of natural history, geology and a curiosity to delve into prehistoric and ancient history. Alas, I did not and I must confess I struggled a bit to concentrate for the first few chapters - perhaps if I had the book to read alongside or repeated the chapters - I would have gotten more out of it. However, once the narration was on more familiar topics I found it skipped along, quickly. Suddenly, there's a lot to cram in and the change in pace is noticeable. I would've preferred this to be more consistent. Moving from a slow to an, at times, out-of-breath delivery keeps you on your toes as there's a lot of 'what nexts' and 'another thing' to describe - some chapters can feel too rushed. I appreciated the emergence and use of themes to connect ideas and events in modern history, and thought the 'looking ahead' bit inspired. I found the reference to the 24 hour clock inconsistent and it was empathised in some chapters and not referenced in others - I also don't remember it being explained. Overall, this is a comprehensive overview of the planet's history and can be appreciated and loved by children and adults alike.

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I have really mixed feelings about this books, but these mixed feelings didn't settle in until I'd consumed about half of this book.when I realized I hadn't heard anything about countries like Russia or Japan and didn't hear anything about them until we his the 20th century.

I had the thought that (everything after human civilization really begins) felt so similar to the course of history I was taught in the US Public School System, incredibly Euro-centric and Amero-centric, stopping after World War 2. I did find expansions on the histories of China, India, and information related to Islamic Golden Age. Which are things I hadn't been exposed too.

I know Lloyd does say in his afterword, that there is no way that he can cover everything, because that would be endless. But I think the opportunity was missed to maybe have ended the book sooner then the mid 20th century in favor of going more in depth about other countries and cultures existing in the same time period.

I say this because, I had no concept of overlap of the timelines of history until I was an adult. I remember a professor in college saying that Samurai and Cowboys existed at the same time (albeit a short amount of time) and it blew my mind wide open because while I had loved history as a kid. No one every teaches these topics in a way that really shows how the world developed.

Which I will say Lloyd DOES in this book, and I LOVE it.

So while it isn't perfect and I wouldn't use it solely as a text book if I were homeschooling. It would be great for a history loving kind in your life.it will cover a lot that they may never hear about in school. I know it has sparked me to want to know more about countries histories that I had never learned about in school (India and Zimbabwe).

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Absolutely Everything! is a history audiobook for children where the author explains the history of almost everything. We learn about important things that happened in the very distant and less distant past. Everything important is in this audiobook, from the big bang, the origin of life, dinosaurs, to great civilizations, conquistadors, and much more.

Primarily written for schoolchildren, but it is suitable for ages 7 - 107, as the description claims. I would say it is great for adults also. Written in an understanding way and narrated in a fun and engaging voice of the author - well-known Christopher Lloyd. I enjoyed this a lot, and I would recommend it to all curious children and adults that are interested in history.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this! All opinions are my own.

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Thank you NetGalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Christopher Lloyd has written an amazing brief history of our world. And he performs it so well! It felt like I was listening to an epic science fiction adventure!

I loved every second of this audiobook! I would highly recommend this to everyone interested in nonfiction.

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Christopher Lloyd has written an informative and enjoyable book. From single celled entities up current times. The beginning parts put the timeframes of the evolution to modern times in easy to understand and grasp. Equally the times of old and new testaments of the Bible in synopsized in an easy to understand way. It made the plot of “Joseph and his multicolored coat “ make sense.
I will be getting copies of this for a few folks.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the Arc of the audio version of this work.

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The Absolutely Everything! audiobook truly does seem to cover everything! From the "beginning" (and what comes before the beginning) to the dinosaurs to modern day marvels, the narrator covers a mass of information in a rapid yet engaging manner.

You will come away from this audiobook filled with tidbits you never knew you wanted to know!

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“Be naïve, be humble, be human, that's all that is needed to heal this wounded world.” ~Abhijit Naskar

This was a snapshot, overview of the human and natural world. Christopher Lloyd was fantastic as the author and the narrator.
I of course, listened to it and I loved it. The pace and flow were great. So interesting easy to listen to and fun.
He starts at the beginning and rounds it up to present day. I’m very happy he plans to do a second book. I highly recommend this if you love facts and history. You won’t be disappointed.

These are just some of the things he shared :
Big Bang •Dinosaurs •Pharaohs •Olive oil •The first book ever written •Religions •How we know how old a tree is •Vikings •Fleas and the plague •Martin Luther •Pilgrims •America •Cotton gin •Steam engines •Einstein • War and the atomic bomb •The problem with plastic •

Thank you, What on Earth Books via Netgalley for this wonderful audiobook, in exchange for my honest review.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Absolutely Everything!" is a nice introduction to history for kids. This nonfiction book covers pretty much everything, from the origin of the universe, ancient civilizations, to World War I and II. I loved how simplistic these topics were presented, making it easier for younger readers to digest. This shows us the importance of learning about the world we are living in. Also, the audiobook was fun to listen to, and the voice of the narrator was ideal for this one.

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I listened to this audiobook with my 10 year old son. Admittedly, he listened to it much closer than I did. He found it to be very interesting and got him excited about history in a new way. It held my interest much less. I would have liked for this book to focus it's scope; I felt it suffered from being too broad. However, it did make for an enjoyable listen for my son, who also found it funny.
Thank you for the chance to review this audiobook.

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You will be AMAZED as you go through an audio time machine of earth's history. So much change and so many similarities through our time on Earth. Told in large historical chunks, the content is very mangaeable and connects well. The modern era is very open ended, so it really can inspire the reader to see their place in history. Great in full or in small sections to learn the big picture of Earth! Much needed for all! Most importantly, fair and honest coverage of all cultures and geography.

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Absolutely Everything! is a fantastic audiobook for middle grade readers to listen to and to learn from! Narrator and author, Christopher Lloyd, takes us from the beginning of time all the way up to the present and Lloyd was able to illustrate every chapter like a story instead of a textbook. The book itself was a fun read and even though the information itself was a review, the author was able to make it interesting. I hope that kids will enjoy listening to Absolutely Everything! as much as I did!

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Absolutely Everything was absolutely amazing! My whole family listened this audiobook and we were all captivated from beginning to end. Not only is it highly interesting and educational but Christopher Lloyd has an amazing soothing voice that keeps you entertained and relaxed at the same time. I now need to get all the books he narrates.

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My kids have enjoyed listening to this! It's educational, interesting and captivating. At least it was for my children. Definitely a book (or book on tape) that I'd suggest to parents if your kids want to learn about Dinosaurs, and you know...everything!

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I listened to this with my 10 year old son and we both really enjoyed it. It is pitched perfectly to engage and entertain and Christopher Lloyd is great to listen to.
I'd highly recommend Absolutely Everything.

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I received an audio book copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Have you ever thought about just how much we don't know about the world around us and the history of that world?

Well, Christopher Lloyd caught himself wondering this exact thing and decided to help all of us gain a little more knowledge. The book covers a little bit of everything, from the big bang all the way to present day.

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This was such an enjoyable journey through time! As a history nerd who likes knowing sciencey stuff but doesn't have the brain power to understand sciencey words, this was perfect for me. I already love Christopher Lloyd, so his narration of the audio book was just a bonus. Plus, I always tend to enjoy when an author narrates for their own book.

I would highly recommend this to anyone that wants to learn more about... well... anything and everything! A great mixture of science and history, seriousness and humor, and both in-depth but not boring exploration into the various topics. 5/5 stars, for sure!

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If you ever wanted to know intimate details about the Earth’s history, then Absolutely Everything! History, Earth, Dinosaurs, Rulers, Robots and other things too numerous to mention, by Christopher Lloyd, is the book for you.

I listened to this youth-directed audiobook - or at least skipped around considerably out of sheer frustration and boredom - over the course of a few weeks.

Absolutely Everything is a thorough, well-researched history of ancient times … emphasis on "ancient" times. The final chapter, however, covers the 1940s to now.

I do have a beef with this title and it has nothing to do with the quality of this author's work or the work of the narrator.

Its title, Absolutely Everything,etc. etc. has one enormous hole that, frankly, squelched my interest in listening to this audio word-for-word.

I felt like I was being duped.

Just like the idea behind attending a university to learn diverse viewpoints and opinions, this academic explanation of our Earth's inception and development deserves to address the weighty human belief that there are other Earth-inception theories and belief systems.

I doubt Lloyd was around to see the Big Bang. And that’s another thing ... I thought there was no sound in space …

Even I, a relative moron compared to Lloyd's vast knowledge base, know that human beings have more than one explanation about how this colorful round globe about to be wiped out by a host of different possibilities, came to be.

My first introduction to alternative theories was Zoroastrianism in junior college.

Yes. I went to junior college. There were not many scholars out there just itching to award me a scholarship. Surprised?

But back to my point. What about Greek mythology? I thought Atlas was holding the globe afloat. So does Hollywood, by the appearances of their Oscars. Then there is Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddism, Hinduism, and a wide variety of Indian nations that all have different explanations about how the Earth bounced into reality.

Absolutely. This book is scientifically presented, focused on the destruction of our Earth by the thoughtless acts of mankind, and is genuinely solid in its lengthy, detailed presentation … emphasis on lengthy.

But its absolute one-sidedness about the creation of Earth aimed at young readers, bothers me.

But Michelle, you say … the Bible is equally one-sided. So is the Koran, the Book of Mormon and the Tanakh. Why should Absolutely Everything be held to a different standard?

Touche.

Note to self: Stop arguing with yourself so much.

Perhaps the answer here is a warning label like the movies, that we can apply to the literature we give our kids: This book, the Bible, Koran, ancient Greek Mythology or Grimms’ Fairy Tales should carry a warning:

"This information is one-sided."

Oh wait. I just described the news.

Absolutely Everything: Earth, Dinosaurs, Rulers, Robots and other things too numerous to mention is a good book. It incorporates more knowledge and information I could fantasize about learning in two lifetimes. Lloyd is an excellent, thorough author and the audio is very "interesting" sounding.

Just give this book to your kids with this message in mind:
It's not everything.

By the way, smartassery is my specialty.

ml@michellelovato.com BoutiqueBooks@hotmail.com
Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things. Psalm 128: 1-2

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I received this wonderful audiobook from Netgalley for my honest review. I have to say that this book was beyond my expectations. It was narrated with wit and poise by the author Christopher Lloyd who is from the UK. This book is a fantastic learning experience for middle school age children. Adults will love this as well.

Mr Lloyd begins his journey with the Big Bang Theory and goes through evolution, dinosaurs, beginnings of homo-sapiens, historic civilizations, leaders, prophets, wars, religion, formation of government’s, formation of countries, computers, robots and absolutely anything you could think of.

Mr Lloyd does this with such flare and finesse that you only want to hear more as you go through each stage. I loved this audiobook and I know all of you that love history will as well. This is most assuredly a 5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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This is an amazing book. I think I would use the audiobook in concert with the actual hard copy, since the pictures add so much to the content. The author as narrator is easy to listen to. I personally have trouble staying engaged for non-fiction without the images, so highly recommend getting the book to read along with the audiobook.

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