Narrator Donna Postel gives the listener the feeling of lounging in a comfortable room while talking about books with a fellow bibliophile. She narrates Ann Hood's memoir of her early life with books in a conversational tone, praising the power of reading to expand a young person's horizons. Postel's steady pace leaves room for listeners to recall their own relationships with characters from their childhoods and to acquire leads on books and characters yet to be met. Coming from a home that did not have books, Hood, nevertheless, was bitten by the literary bug. Public schools and a local library put her on the path from her small community to the wider world, and gave the world a wonderful author who continues to pay that gift forward.
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
Duration: 3 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781681687315
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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