Everything about Fortey's unusual memoir is distinctly British. Narrator Michael Page's precise, stately, and almost courtly British accent perfectly suits Fortey's observations. After retirement from the British Natural History Museum, author Fortey purchases a small beech wood colorfully named Grim's Dyke Wood and closely observes the natural environment for a year. As Fortey learns about the beech and cherry trees, mushrooms, beetles, orchids, centipedes, and the art of making walking sticks, Page captures the author's slightly professorial but enthusiastic tone--liberally sprinkled with sly humor. Fortey calls in former colleagues to identify the bats and flies and another expert he calls just "the moss man." It's all absolutely charming, with its Dingley Dell, fields of bluebells, perambulations through the woods, and cottages that are all "tickety-boo." Listen and be inspired to go outside and explore.
Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2016
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781681683942
Publisher: HighBridge 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
The more we know about the universe, the less certain it all seems.
In just under seven hours, this engaging and instructive audiobook answers, as best as anyone can, all the questions listeners might have about particles and dark matter and the fate of the universe. Beginning with the Babylonians, Genevieve Swallow offers a well-paced narration of this history of scientific advances through the centuries. Much of this is familiar, but the narrative excels in scope and clarity, and Swallow’s performance brings ease and precision. From subatomic paradoxes to the first probes into space, Swallow is a steadying presence for a heady tour of the awesome and the strange, the inconceivable and the barely imaginable.
The more we know about the universe, the less certain it all seems.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063476486
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 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.
