Combining personal stories, travelogue, science, and history, author/narrator Jonathan Meiburg introduces listeners to the striated caracara, a now-rare South American bird of prey that is so intelligent it understands spoken commands, can solve puzzles, and has a long memory. But more than having smarts, the bird is also playful and has almost endless curiosity. Naturalists and ornithologists from Darwin to today have been fascinated by the caracara's biology and behavior, and how the bird's different species have adapted to such diverse environments as remote islands, the high Andes, and tropical forests. Meiburg's performance is easy on the ears, holding listeners' attention as his musings take a variety of paths, including the extinction of dinosaurs and the awesome beauty--and danger--of Guyana's forests.
Pub Date: March 30, 2021
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593349014
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In this fascinating coming-of-age portrait, Thomas Black Bull's journey from the child, Bear's Brother, to the fearsome rodeo rider, Killer Tom Black, is painted with compassion and insight. Forced to learn the White Man's ways, Tom reaches adulthood consumed by rage. Read with great vigor by Norman Dietz, the recording bursts with the energy of rodeo circuit and transports the listener to the southwest. The accurate portrayal of Tom's Ute ancestry and way of life, the sorrow and frustration of losing his heritage, and his angry retaliation at the world make this an excellent listening choice for adults and teenagers. It would also be a wonderful addition to high school units on the Native American experience.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 10 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
George S. Irving adopts Patrick McManus's characters with gusto. Sit back and listen to yarn after yarn. Irving relishes each story, whether it's fishing stories, such as "Claw of the Sea-Puss" or "To Filet or Not to Filet," or the escapades with McManus's wary but vulnerable neighbors. Irving has the jocular chuckle down pat, and the low comedy satire comes off without a hitch. Listeners can imagine Irving tipping back a chair at the country store swapping lies with cronies and entertaining any comers with these hilarious tales. His repertoire of more than eight collections of McManus stories encourages this kind of ownership!
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: DH Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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