California psychiatrist and meditation expert Greg Sazima's audiobook exhibits the casual abandon of someone who has truly mastered the art of "giving it a rest." He trains family medicine residents at a Stanford hospital and, with his history of surviving serious bone cancer, comes across as a complex but accessible meditation teacher who knows a lot about the pleasures and misunderstandings surrounding the ancient practice. Narrator Daniel Henning's enjoyable performance captures the author's likable persona and grasp of the human condition. The community theater director's cheery performance serves as a bouncy, complementary vehicle for the author's conversational writing. His delivery is crisp and dramatic but never upstages Sazima's optimistic sensibilities or minimizes the pathos in the author's personal journey.
Pub Date: July 13, 2021
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781666104608
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 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: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
Listeners looking to examine joy from a faith-based perspective will find much to reflect on.
In this audiobook, Bowler poses the question, "What is joy?" Narrating her own work, she muses on this theme, discussing finding joy in the ordinary, the role of emotions, recapturing past joy, and the way her faith has shaped her interpretation and experience of joy. Bowler’s narration is down to earth as she talks about her experience battling Stage 4 cancer shortly after her mother's death. She also tackles big ideas about duty and obligation, shared emotion, toxic positivity, how to convert faith into something concretely good, the secret of miracles, and taking risks to achieve joy.
Listeners looking to examine joy from a faith-based perspective will find much to reflect on.Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 58 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217176564
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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