English actor Leighton Pugh’s engaging midrange voice, which is both crisp and warm, is the perfect accompaniment to Adam Nicolson’s consideration of life in those intertidal rock pools particularly beloved by children—and grown-ups like Nicolson, an award-winning author, naturalist, and historian. Audibly curious and awed, Pugh’s attentive pacing and sheer friendliness channel Nicolson’s delight in the tidal universes where “disturbed creatures jump away as chaotically as bubbles in champagne” and the hormones of dominant female sand hoppers inhibit the development of their rivals’ ovaries. Yeah, whoa. Full of such astonishing information, this tender ode to nature also offers lessons on existence learned from the existences studied by Nicolson, including, “Life is tidal, full of loss and arrival, a thing that makes and ebbs.”
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2022
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781666185881
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Like the experience of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, Lee’s sensitive performance is tranquil and inspiring.
Ela Lee’s smooth narration and soothing tones are perfectly suited to this collection of contemplative essays. Kōda explains that her close relationship with trees was sparked by her father. Trees were his passion, and he gave each of his children a tree to nurture. As Kōda visits forests around Japan, various trees spark memories. Even when these memories are painful, a sense of healing and growth pervades. Lee’s deliberate pace allows room for quiet reflection throughout this lyrical journey into the significance trees hold for Kōda and the ways that they mirror her world and the rhythms of human life.
Like the experience of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, Lee’s sensitive performance is tranquil and inspiring.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 19 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063443433
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
Listeners will be transported to some of America's most dramatic landscapes.
Three women passionate about America’s wild places helped inspire the public’s love of the natural environment and gave rise to the term “ecofeminism.” They are profiled in this triple biography along with the environments they cared about—the Grand Canyon, Colorado high mountain skiing areas, and the Adirondacks. With her easy pace, Kimberly Wetherell makes listening a pleasure. Wetherell effectively relays Hansman's lyrical descriptions of the three environments, taking listeners into powdery snow, rushing water, and deep woods. Her conversational tone suits the material but is especially effective in the opening and closing chapters, when the author speaks from a first-person perspective.
Listeners will be transported to some of America's most dramatic landscapes.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 52 mins
DD ISBN: 9781488238031
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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