The product of a self-imposed desert exile with his exhaustive collection of personal journals, Matthew McConaughey's nontraditional memoir offers a series of philosophical reflections of his first 50 years and of life itself. It's written in an episodic style replete with poems, prescriptions, and four-letter words. McConaughey's performance is a tour-de-force one-man show. Varying his tone, volume, and perceived distance from the microphone, he creates an audiobook that is much like an experimental film whose theme is that the writer/narrator, as well as all of us, are spiritual beings having a human experience while looking for the green lights along the path. Dark at moments, the eccentric McConaughey charms and enchants with his Texas twang. At its conclusion, McConaughey reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593294185
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An essential listen for Sondheim enthusiasts.
For those who know Sondheim best as the lyricist of Broadway giants such as Gypsy and West Side Story, this extremely well-researched, rather concise audiobook will enlighten and inform. Author Okrent’s boundless enthusiasm is clear in his performance as he discusses Sondheim’s personal and professional journey. Sondheim, who passed in 2021, was an intensely private man, but fans of Company, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, and more of Sondheim's work will appreciate that Okrent was able to mine previously unexamined archives and other resources.
An essential listen for Sondheim enthusiasts.Pub Date: yesterday
Duration: 8 hrs, 21 mins
DD ISBN: 9798228745124
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
A memoir that doesn’t break any records but is elevated by Hall’s authenticity.
Sara Hall has had an impressively long career as an elite distance runner. She has juggled being a professional athlete with raising four daughters with her husband, who is also a former professional runner. Her easygoing and conversational performance both understates and emphasizes her ambition and integrity. Hall’s evangelical Christian faith is central to her story; at times, she’s had to push back against those who believed she should put her husband’s needs and career before her own. A long-distance run can generate a multitude of emotions. Hall tracks those feelings as she recounts her disappointment about never making an Olympic team, her constant battles with injuries, and her joy at breaking American records, achieving personal bests, and creating a family.
A memoir that doesn’t break any records but is elevated by Hall’s authenticity.Pub Date: April 21, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 39 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250445605
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
