Carl Sagan's classic (1980) examination of the cosmos, released for the first time as an audiobook, combines accessible writing, poetic imagery, and awe-inspiring imaginings grounded in science. Narrator LeVar Burton's intuitive pacing and tone guide listeners through discussions of landmark scientific discoveries, human culture and history, life on Earth, and our connections with the universe. Those familiar with Burton's roles in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Reading Rainbow" will delight in his companionable narration. He employs slight accents when voicing notable scientists like Sir Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler. Additional narrators, Seth MacFarlane, Ann Druyan, and Neil Degrasse Tyson, round out this stellar production with warm and inviting readings of the introduction, foreword, and an essay, respectively.
Pub Date: May 30, 2017
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781531888046
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Reader Michael Prichard delivers a convincing rendition of Archie Goodwin, the burly right hand of the portly Nero Wolfe, world-renowned gourmand and detective. Prichard preserves the 1970s setting and 1950s origins of the story, bringing listeners a well-paced narration of murder and politics--a combination of elements that usually guarantees an exciting listen. This audio entertainment is as well formed and fragrant as one of Wolfe's hothouse orchids (the stout sleuth cultivates them by the hundreds in his town house greenhouse) as Goodwin walks us through an explosive murder investigation and political wheeling and dealing in a tough yet intelligent read.
Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2006
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Partners
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This collection of eight short stories contains gentle tales of fantasy and magic--not the magic of wizards and wands, but of wishing mats and enormous cats and gifts brought by the winds. In a lovely English accent, Lizza Aiken quietly narrates these stories in which magic and good fortune often come to those who deserve it. Although her pitch changes little, she registers a range of emotions--from the sadness of a girl whose necklace of raindrops has been stolen to the joy of a child who moves from a hard life and a ramshackle trailer to a happy home amid the clouds. A NECKLACE OF RAINDROPS would make a soothing choice for a family car trip after a long day.
Ages 6+Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
Duration: 1 hr, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101915721
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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