Who’d have thought astronomy could be so adventurous? When an international consortium of astronomers sets out in 1761 to points across the globe to measure the movement of Venus across the face of the sun, its members find themselves in the middle of a naval war between France and Britain, crossing frozen lakes and rivers in Finland and Siberia, and navigating fickle tropical winds in the Indian Ocean, all in an attempt to calculate the size of the solar system. This is the stuff of Indiana Jones, not Edmond Halley, who came up with the idea. So it is disappointing that the narration of this book should be so matter-of-fact. Robin Sachs is solid and easy to listen to. His pronunciation of foreign words and cities is spot-on. But he lacks the enthusiasm the author has for his subject. Sachs reads the material well but makes this a book on science, not the adventure yarn it really is.
Pub Date: May 1, 2012
Duration: 8 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780307989659
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The author describes her efforts to implement a meaningful sustainability initiative for Wales and the world at large. An educator and minister of the environment, sustainability, and housing in her tiny country, she's a wonderful narrator who sounds at once relaxed and passionate, likable and dignified. Her voice is a perfect vehicle for amplifying her humanitarian intentions as well as the breadth of her methodical thinking. But what makes this audio so inspiring are the personal asides she shares throughout concerning her willingness to be vulnerable and her calm resolve to do something for the world's future generations. Davidson's descriptions of the laborious process of cultural transformation would have been dry listening without her pleasing UK speaking voice.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Lisa Flanagan has a wonderful vocal personality--lithe with a broad palette of pitch patterns and a range of believable emotional tones. Her friendly voice works well with this lighthearted overview of how dramatically the Internet has changed the world in the past 30 years. Though being digitally connected has improved life in many ways, the author says we've lost many of the interpersonal experiences that used to sustain us. We have less privacy, don't need all those reference books, and have largely forgotten how to have vocal conversations with other people. The audiobook is entertaining nostalgia for anyone who feels incompetent navigating the World Wide Web, and a soothing reminder that those of us who miss the simplicity of the pre-Internet era are not alone.
Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593418055
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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