by Bill Wasik & Monica Murphy ; read by Tanis Parenteau ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 23, 2024
NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE editor Bill Wasik and veterinarian Monica Murphy offer a thorough account of how animals have been treated in America from the 1860s to the present day. In a fresh, young voice, narrator Tanis Parenteau delivers the authors' meticulous research on the care of animals, animal activists, and the controversies surrounding animal welfare. Parenteau's tone is clear and upbeat--perfect to recount the history of animal liberation. She projects the authors' compassion and smoothly explains how many of us have come to feel the way we do about animals. In this enlightening yet shocking work, Wasik and Murphy help listeners recognize the importance of respecting living creatures of other species.
Pub Date: April 23, 2024
Duration: 13 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593824689
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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by Ethan Tapper ; read by Ethan Tapper ‧ RELEASE DATE: yesterday
While Tapper is a hortatory narrator of his own work, his audiobook deserves to be heard.
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Tapper’s hopeful tone separates this audiobook from gloomier environmental writing. According to Tapper, forests can be managed, species can be saved, and we can embrace the wonders that remain. While recognizing the loss of species and habitats and threats to the environment due to climate change and other factors, he points out how resilient trees and animals are. And he knows what he’s talking about. A longtime professional forester, Tapper is also a dedicated birder who restored 175 desolate acres in Vermont. He dubbed it Bear Island, and it’s now a thriving forest with an emerging orchard.
While Tapper is a hortatory narrator of his own work, his audiobook deserves to be heard.Pub Date: yesterday
Duration: 8 hrs, 22 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668660348
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
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by Aya Kōda ; translated by Charlotte Goff ; read by Ela Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2026
Like the experience of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, Lee’s sensitive performance is tranquil and inspiring.
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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
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