With an inquisitive tone, narrator Barbara Caruso dives into Diane Ackerman's exploration of the current geological age, in which “nature surrounds, permeates, effervesces in, and includes us.” This is the human age, the Anthropocene. Caruso's clear, unhurried enunciation prevents listeners from being overwhelmed by the scope of Ackerman's research, which runs the gamut from primates to weather to the blue revolution and beyond. The narrative is conversational, marked by rhetorical questions that Caruso inflects perfectly to spark the intended wonder. Despite the grim realities that led to the Anthropocene, Ackerman—and Caruso—offer a hopeful perspective that challenges listeners to reconsider the role that humans will play not only in nature but also as nature, going forward.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2014
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781490632162
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Bhutto narrates her memoir with delicate sincerity that invites the listener to be the person their dog believes they are.
Writer and columnist Bhutto explores a lifetime of grief, love, and self-doubt. Using a soft, intimately conversational tone, Bhutto contends with the murder of her father when she was very young, her estrangement from her controlling stepmother, and her decades-long entanglement with a man who took advantage of her understandable terror of losing people. Against these difficult circumstances, she sets the transformative love of her terrier, and her voice warms whenever Coco is her subject. Bhutto intersperses her own experiences with research on how humans first domesticated wolves as well as how dogs fit into worldwide religious traditions.
Bhutto narrates her memoir with delicate sincerity that invites the listener to be the person their dog believes they are.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668118405
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026
This genre-bending, propulsive story offers a persuasive argument.
Narrator Melinda Sewak maintains a clear, entertaining voice as Montgomery explores the secrets of trees. Montgomery, a plant biologist, traverses the sun-dappled American South, recollecting her youth and considering trees through a Black botanical lens. Sewak’s consistent narration is a delight, whether the topic is scientific (patterns of oxidation in high-fat tree nuts; how trees maintain intergenerational conversations through epigenetic markers) or personal (lyrical nostalgia for Montgomery’s tree-climbing youth). Sewak’s performance doesn’t falter even when Montgomery’s striking central question arises: Do trees remember their powerful, painful roles in Black American history?
This genre-bending, propulsive story offers a persuasive argument.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250433473
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
