Heidi Julavits kept a diary for two years, but this memoir is not chronological, and its organization keeps the listener slightly off balance. As each day starts with "Today I . . . ," narrator Tavia Gilbert subtly matches her tone to the author's daily mood. As Julavits irreverently describes her love for "The Bachelorette" TV show, curiously explores a dumped Rolodex of photos at the airport, miserably reflects on a wet, lonely French winter as a teenager, and joyfully swims in the Atlantic in the summer, Gilbert is equally enthusiastic and rueful and sly and gossipy. Now and again, Julavits goes down a neurotic rabbit hole, stretching out the twisted logic of an absurd argument, and Gilbert matches her tone, sounding a little more crazy by the word.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2015
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781633798236
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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