Fans of the celebrated musician Rickie Lee Jones will be delighted to hear her narrate her autobiography, which is focused on family memories and making music. Jones is as giving with her delivery as she is with her story. She reaches back through the years--all the way back to her mother's childhood--in a revealing, raspy voice laced with a country twang. Listeners will sink into this experience, which is punctuated by Jones singing short songs between chapters. She doesn't flinch when recounting the harsh years experienced by her mother and uncles as orphans during the Great Depression. While some listeners may find aspects of the gritty realism distressing, Jones's easy and fluid delivery has the flair of an expert storyteller's.
Pub Date: 2021
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797129969
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Somewhat Dickensian and somewhat Shakespearean, Anthony Hopkins' memoir is a fascinating, articulate, and deeply moving listen. Actor Kenneth Branagh, Hopkins' close friend, movingly performs the memoir, sounding in timbre, tone, and nuanced pacing very much like the listener might imagine Hopkins to sound today. In this loosely chronological effort, Branagh brings listeners to Hopkins' Welsh birthplace and shares memories of his parents. While huge swaths of his life as a skilled actor may be omitted, candid observations of his own strengths and weaknesses abound. He celebrates his conquering of alcoholism and the success of his marriage to Stella Arroyave. Hopkins himself voices the conclusion and favorite poems, primarily Yeats. This audiobook is a treasure, perhaps a work of art.
Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781668142608
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Roderick Sewell II--Paralympic athlete and Iron Man champion, motivational speaker, and disability advocate--shares his resilience and joy in his impactful memoir. Sewell's performance exudes calm strength as he talks about the myriad challenges he and his mother faced during his childhood in San Diego and Alabama in the 1990s. Their difficulties included struggling to afford the prosthetic legs he needed as a double above-the-knee amputee, as well as experiencing frequent housing insecurity. He also expresses appreciation for the support he received and the empowerment he learned from extended family and sports mentors as he charted his path to adulthood. Sewell shares valuable lessons with listeners, including the importance of getting out of your own way and not allowing others to define your success.
Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 6 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668650080
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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