Most decisions we make are based, in some part, on irrationality-- sometimes referred to as a gut feeling or intuition. Author Michael Lewis simplifies the brain-boggling lifework of Amos Tversky and Danny Kahneman, who developed the new discipline of behavioral economics to explain the seeming irrationality of financial decision making. Narrator Dennis Boutsikaris's faultless and cogent reading keeps the project moving, but, even so, listeners may need to occasionally hit the rewind button to appreciate the science as the author recounts how the Israeli duo combined cognitive psychology and mathematics to analyze decisions revolving around money. In the process they identified phenomena with exotic titles such as loss aversion, framing, overconfidence bias, and more. For a work about economics, this is a surprisingly emotional story of how two selfless collaborators were eventually undone by their own success.
Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2016
Duration: 10 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781508229124
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Dr. Plotkin is an ethnobotanist who recounts his experiences searching for new medications in the Amazon rain forest. He makes an impassioned plea for the world to stop destroying this irreplaceable resource. Since the author reads his own work, we can rely on the pronunciation of some unusual botanical terms; however, his voice (presumably not trained for performance) lacks the enthusiasm and fascination the words suggest. Furthermore, with no chapter references and few pauses between sections, transitions, such as the change of location from Ecuador to Massachusetts, are awkward.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Haskell’s insights and sensibility are perfectly conveyed by Campbell’s acute narration.
Narrator Cassandra Campbell assumes the voice of biologist Haskell, author of The Song of Trees (2017), for an illuminating first-person tour of one of nature’s most common sights: flowers. Campbell provides momentum to a narrative that, though richly informative, could easily have become rambling and slack. “We live on a floral planet,” Haskell says, and he goes on to explain how that fact is key to our existence. Flowering plants first appeared 200 million years ago, and they enabled humans to evolve—and to survive. The narrative is loosely organized into eight illustrative categories, covering magnolias, orchids, grasses, roses, teas, and more.
Haskell’s insights and sensibility are perfectly conveyed by Campbell’s acute narration.Pub Date: March 24, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 5 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217281794
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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