Sarah Maslin Nir has been obsessed with riding horses since she was 2, when her parents put her on a horse in a desperate attempt to get her to sit still. Nir's voice is lively and expressive, and she has marvelous comedic timing. Her joy and comfort in the company of horses is crystal clear. Horses provided her a lifeline when she was a lonely child--even the one horse that always spooked at the noise of a plastic bag. Her father, a Holocaust survivor, viewed every horse show victory as a defeat of Hitler. HORSE CRAZY becomes more than a memoir as Nir explores the curious world of plastic horse model enthusiasts, delves into the forgotten history of black cowboys, and exposes abusive horse trainers. A warmhearted book is raised another notch by an appealing performance.
Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2020
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781797107141
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Dramatic encounters with wildlife are, unfortunately, muted footnotes in this memoir.
Few people have spent more hours observing wild wolves than the author of this unique nature memoir. Narrator Ryan Shaefer’s steady performance matches the author’s impactful yet emotionally subtle descriptions of wild spaces and the animals that inhabit them. McIntyre explains his decades-long evolution as a storyteller while teaching the public as a park ranger, naturalist, wolf researcher, and author. The audiobook is vivid and exciting when he talks about individual bears and wolves. However, he struggles to craft a compelling narrative out of his own life story. McIntyre ignores his own salient storytelling advice, describing his life chronologically as a list of facts, accomplishments, and job placements.
Dramatic encounters with wildlife are, unfortunately, muted footnotes in this memoir.Pub Date: June 13, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798228803619
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2026
A nuanced performance of the complicated journey to recover from one of Canada’s worst natural disasters.
Canadian actress and narrator Athena Karkanis commands listeners’ attention from the very first paragraph of this emotionally gripping audiobook, which was released on the 10th anniversary of the Fort McMurray fire in Alberta, Canada. The author, an award-winning journalist, recounts in frightening detail her race to reunite with her husband and narrowly escape the ferocious wildfire that engulfed her home and most of her community. Told through memories of the diverse objects that the author quickly chose to pack in the car before fleeing for her life, the audiobook is an intense emotional exploration of what it means to lose nearly everything.
A nuanced performance of the complicated journey to recover from one of Canada’s worst natural disasters.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 21 mins
DD ISBN: 9781778526343
Publisher: ECW Press
Review Posted Online: June 16, 2026
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