Roy McMillan's narration of this unusual travelogue is terrific. It's as if a learned British professor is sharing stories about unusual objects found in far-flung places while retaining a measure of awe at his luck to study such things. Eider ducks and guano might be familiar products harvested in nature, but birds' nests made of spittle found in caves, coffee made from beans excreted by civets, and tagua nuts used for buttons are much more exotic. As McMillan communicates how each harvest is exploited or sustained, the listener just hangs onto every word. Edward Posnett is actually a former financial investigator rather than a professor, but all the rest of it fits. McMillan captures both the author's wonder at and concern for the environment and the harvesters, while employing perfect pacing, and rolling through multiple foreign words without hesitation.
Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2019
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781984889645
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
While Tapper is a hortatory narrator of his own work, his audiobook deserves to be heard.
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: Oct. 6, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 22 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668660348
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
This gentle work celebrates the butterflies of Denmark and the beauty that is the natural world.
Like the subjects themselves, this catalog of Danish butterflies is a delicate and vocally colorful experience. Listeners expecting a kind of field guide to butterflies need to be prepared for much more. The author writes about the 64 species native to her home country of Denmark and her quest to see them all in one year, but the real focus is almost a love song to the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Ela Lee’s narration exactly suits the material. She keeps her voice soft but not somnolent. Her pace and tone allow the author’s words and emotions to sink in. A welcome addition to this audiobook would have been a PDF of the 64 hand-drawn illustrations of the butterflies themselves.
This gentle work celebrates the butterflies of Denmark and the beauty that is the natural world.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 41 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217406722
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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