From the opening lines of this moving audiobook, listeners will know that narrator Ako Mitchell has an artist's appreciation for 1960s music legend Jimi Hendrix. With deliberate diction and dramatic pacing, Mitchell, nevertheless, sounds authentic and relaxed--a combination of narrating strengths that takes Phillip Norman's excellent writing to another level. Norman has written acclaimed biographies of Paul McCartney, Buddy Holly, Elton John, and others, so he knows the music scene. Here, Norman's lyrical prose conveys an intimate and comfortable connection with Hendrix and his world--as if he's part of that world rather than on the outside looking in. While Hendrix is the star of this audio, it's also a sweeping account of how the music of that era intersected with the social changes that were rattling the English-speaking world.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 14 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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: today
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.
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