Narrator Paul Bellantoni's lively delivery breathes oxygen into an already quite lively and information-packed audiobook. Relatively new to listeners, Bellantoni easily assumes the author's persona of earnest investigator, lifting the veil of legend to pinpoint the exact biological truth. Despite the teaser title and the jocular tone that underlies much of the narrative, tomato history proves a timely vantage point for a range of serious topics--from the effects of hybridization and culinary fashion to the mechanics of gene splicing and the future of indoor farming. Best listened to outdoors, and if possible while doing yard work, this witty firsthand narrative transcends its topic, niche, and season while tackling that nagging question we all want answered: Why do winter tomatoes taste so awful?
Pub Date: June 7, 2022
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549186523
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Like the experience of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, Lee’s sensitive performance is tranquil and inspiring.
Ela Lee’s smooth narration and soothing tones are perfectly suited to this collection of contemplative essays. Kōda explains that her close relationship with trees was sparked by her father. Trees were his passion, and he gave each of his children a tree to nurture. As Kōda visits forests around Japan, various trees spark memories. Even when these memories are painful, a sense of healing and growth pervades. Lee’s deliberate pace allows room for quiet reflection throughout this lyrical journey into the significance trees hold for Kōda and the ways that they mirror her world and the rhythms of human life.
Like the experience of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, Lee’s sensitive performance is tranquil and inspiring.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 19 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063443433
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
Listeners will be transported to some of America's most dramatic landscapes.
Three women passionate about America’s wild places helped inspire the public’s love of the natural environment and gave rise to the term “ecofeminism.” They are profiled in this triple biography along with the environments they cared about—the Grand Canyon, Colorado high mountain skiing areas, and the Adirondacks. With her easy pace, Kimberly Wetherell makes listening a pleasure. Wetherell effectively relays Hansman's lyrical descriptions of the three environments, taking listeners into powdery snow, rushing water, and deep woods. Her conversational tone suits the material but is especially effective in the opening and closing chapters, when the author speaks from a first-person perspective.
Listeners will be transported to some of America's most dramatic landscapes.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 52 mins
DD ISBN: 9781488238031
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
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