Antonia Beamish's polished narration of Sarah Bakewell's AT THE EXISTENTIALIST CAFE was published in 2016. A favorite among audiobook listeners, it is memorable for its richness of narrative and grace of delivery. Author and narrator are partnered again in this expansive history of humanist thinking from its inception to the present. The focus is literary and philosophical, but the narrative is easily accessible. It serves as a primer for those without a background in the liberal arts, a refresher for those who have one. This past century or so has been especially rough on humanists and humanistic principles, and the final chapters are a bit talky. But like its predecessor, this is a deeply engaging, richly satisfying narrative--nourishing for mind, heart, and spirit.
Pub Date: March 28, 2023
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593670989
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An interesting Ozark history that doesn’t quite cohere.
Author Hale presents the case of his young cousin Haley's disappearance on Cave Mountain in 2001 and the ensuing search and rescue operation, the largest in Arkansas history. Hale connects this with the murder of 3-year-old Bethany by a small and isolated religious sect decades earlier on the same mountain. Narrating these two stories in a low, slightly gruff tone, Hale weaves together family anecdotes, Ozark lore, local and broader history, and Christian theology. While the two cases are intriguing, the work lacks focus and contains extraneous details.
An interesting Ozark history that doesn’t quite cohere.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063398153
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.
Pollan is a favorite with listeners, and rightly so. He may not possess a silken or practiced voice, and he’d be nobody’s first choice to narrate Proust, but few author-narrators are as engaging or as effectively bonded to their narrative. Pollan here explores one of the most fundamental of questions: What is consciousness? This leads him to other questions. Where exactly is consciousness located? What other species possess it? Pollan takes his listener on a journey through theories and research sites, each rendered with his signature economy and precision. Some sections may require relistening, but the difficulties lie in the subject matter, not the prose. That couldn’t be clearer or more illuminating.
Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217282159
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2026
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