An ode to eating jelly beans isn't the opening you'd expect from Adam Rackley's account of his 76-day Atlantic row. Still, it shines a light on the simple pleasures of everyday life in a rowboat, especially as delivered by narrator Ralph Lister. The opening is intriguing enough to involve listeners immediately as Rackley tells how he formed a team for the 2009 Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race. Switching between accounts of past crossings dating back to a famous 1896 trip and his own preparations, Rackley's stories are fascinating. With Lister's emotional narration, listeners will feel everything from the gradual adjustment to the sea to the astonishment of accomplishment. Even listeners who would never try an ocean crossing could find themselves feeling more energetic.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2014
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
More books have been written about baseball than any other sport, and audiobooks such as this allow the genre to flourish. Former pitcher Ron Darling, now a broadcaster, had a distinguished career, primarily with the New York Mets. Darling has met just about everyone in the sport for nearly four decades and demonstrates his knowledge and connections with the anecdotes in this entertaining memoir. Narrator Malcolm Hillgartner's relaxed delivery sounds as though he is in the broadcast booth with Darling. Like most audio sports memoirs, this book succeeds because of the narrator's engaging style. Hillgartner recognizes that even the duller moments in baseball are bolstered by the legacies of so many who have played the game, and were fortunate to have crossed paths with the author.
Pub Date: April 2, 2019
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781721342457
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Willie Mays's baseball life was a long and rich one, worthy of multiple biographies. Known as a five-tool player--he could run, field, throw, hit, and hit for power--Mays enjoyed a long career. The tag-team narration here fits wonderfully: Larry Herron speaks in a serious and deep tone that is commanding, with appropriate doses of emotion. Julian McWilliams uses a higher voice for Mays who, in fact, does have a slightly high voice. Often, when people are quoted--like President Obama--imitations are used and fit seamlessly within the story. Off- and on-the-field anecdotes are interspersed with brief pieces of advice and mini-mantras from the baseball great.
Pub Date: May 12, 2020
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250240231
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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