Not many families would do what Benjamin Mee's did when they made the decision to purchase a run-down zoo in southwestern England, even though neither he, his siblings, nor his mother had any experience in running a zoo. This is a story of two parts: Gildart Jackson provides a convincing narration of the British Mee. Jackson’s tone is droll and full of wonder as he recounts the funny anecdotes of learning to manage the details of running a zoo, from the mundane to the extraordinary. Jackson’s voice becomes subdued when the story turns to Mee's wife, Katherine's, brain cancer and her subsequent death during the course of purchasing and setting up the zoo. Jackson does a fine job of portraying Mee and his children's struggle to come to terms with the loss of Katherine while adjusting to their new surroundings.
Pub Date: June 1, 2011
Duration: 8 hrs
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Dramatic encounters with wildlife are, unfortunately, muted footnotes in this memoir.
Few people have spent more hours observing wild wolves than the author of this unique nature memoir. Narrator Ryan Shaefer’s steady performance matches the author’s impactful yet emotionally subtle descriptions of wild spaces and the animals that inhabit them. McIntyre explains his decades-long evolution as a storyteller while teaching the public as a park ranger, naturalist, wolf researcher, and author. The audiobook is vivid and exciting when he talks about individual bears and wolves. However, he struggles to craft a compelling narrative out of his own life story. McIntyre ignores his own salient storytelling advice, describing his life chronologically as a list of facts, accomplishments, and job placements.
Dramatic encounters with wildlife are, unfortunately, muted footnotes in this memoir.Pub Date: June 13, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798228803619
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2026
A nuanced performance of the complicated journey to recover from one of Canada’s worst natural disasters.
Canadian actress and narrator Athena Karkanis commands listeners’ attention from the very first paragraph of this emotionally gripping audiobook, which was released on the 10th anniversary of the Fort McMurray fire in Alberta, Canada. The author, an award-winning journalist, recounts in frightening detail her race to reunite with her husband and narrowly escape the ferocious wildfire that engulfed her home and most of her community. Told through memories of the diverse objects that the author quickly chose to pack in the car before fleeing for her life, the audiobook is an intense emotional exploration of what it means to lose nearly everything.
A nuanced performance of the complicated journey to recover from one of Canada’s worst natural disasters.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 21 mins
DD ISBN: 9781778526343
Publisher: ECW Press
Review Posted Online: yesterday
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