Minimalist Fumio Sasaki (GOODBYE, THINGS) shares insights on making and maintaining habits. Narrator Brian Nishii adopts a reflective, musing tone that matches Sasaki's thoughtful material. This is not a peppy call to self-improvement manual--it's a quieter reflection on habit making (and keeping) that takes into account what helps and hinders habit forming. Nishii's conversational tone complements Sasaki's pared-down, low-drama text. The author shares his own methods for transforming efforts into habits in what sounds like a long musing on human nature filled with a selection of provocative quotes to consider. Listening to Sasaki's work is offered in four simple chapters. Chapter 3, for example, is "50 Steps for Acquiring New Habits." Overall, listening to this work is like taking a rambling walk with an insightful friend.
Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781665021906
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Feiler’s heartfelt performance emphasizes his message that rituals are key to forging community.
Feiler is interested in how we use rituals to connect with others in an age in which fewer people than ever are baptized, get married, or are eventually buried. He casts a wide net: filing down teeth for coming-of-age ceremonies, divorce parties, placenta burials, gender reveals, and more. Feiler isn’t a professional narrator, but his authenticity and gentle humor are clearly apparent in his voice, which lends the whole endeavor the feeling of a memoir. That seems appropriate, given that Feiler travels the world participating in Vegas weddings and Nordic cold plunges and develops his own new rituals with his family to celebrate beating cancer.
Feiler’s heartfelt performance emphasizes his message that rituals are key to forging community.Pub Date: May 19, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 27 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217336692
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
A peaceful, restorative performance that encourages conscious observation.
Author Haynes may live in London, but she grew up on a farm. Nadia Albina’s British accent and warm voice encapsulate the bucolic vibe of this investigation into tracking time by the natural world. It’s all about rhythms and cycles—the time of year, the time of day, and the inner clocks of the physical world. Primroses open their blooms at the same time every day, and sunflowers turn their heads toward the sun as they move across the sky. Haynes urges listeners to be “trill-seekers” and pay attention to the dawn chorus as the birds layer their morning songs. Together, author and narrator conjure the soft light of late afternoon and the glitter of stars in a dark sky.
A peaceful, restorative performance that encourages conscious observation.Pub Date: April 21, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 33 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217336838
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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