James Lurie's rich voice and expert phrasing make him a favorite narrator for serious biographies and nonfiction. His measured delivery is particularly effective for a history that, like its subject, straddles a number of sacred boundaries. For countless centuries Jerusalem has been built and rebuilt on top of its own ruins, and several faiths claim its ground. Here the subject is the city's archeological history, which is rife with controversy and drama. Lurie, like the author, keeps to an objective tone, and his reportorial presentation allows listeners to form their own judgments. The perennial quest for Solomon's Temple and its lost Ark of the Covenant has yet to produce results, but Lurie's account of the many vain efforts is story enough for several audiobooks.
Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
Duration: 16 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593455401
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This fact-packed account of the apprenticeship and career of a master restorer is an unexpected listening pleasure.
Author and narrator Warrack’s modest subtitle barely suggests his audiobook’s range of interest. Equal parts autobiography, travelogue, and cabinet of curiosities, his rich personal history of monument restoration is also a treasure-trove of offbeat facts. How does Venice, built on a salt marsh, supply its fresh water? What’s the best method for removing pigeon excreta from the outside of a cathedral? Warrack’s rich narrative and unpretentious style are fully engaging and immersive. By the end, the listener knows exactly how to clean and repair Rome’s Tivoli Fountain—and longs fervently to have worked there alongside Warrack.
This fact-packed account of the apprenticeship and career of a master restorer is an unexpected listening pleasure.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9798318583803
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
Utterly fascinating.
Narrator Soneela Nankani ushers listeners around the globe and through time in this sweeping survey of how humans use information to understand, interpret, and control. Author Risam begins her exploration 43,000 years ago and ends it with tantalizing peeks into possible futures. Ranging back and forth both geographically and temporally, she examines data collection and its use (or misuse) in the 23rd-century B.C.E. Akkadian Empire, Han-era China, 14th-century C.E. Mali, and elsewhere. Given this mammoth scope, the account could easily lose listeners along the way, but Nankani’s understated delivery is its perfect vessel. Voice rising and falling naturally, with emotion applied sparingly and skillfully, Nankani allows listeners full access to the argument Risam builds from the data she has so meticulously researched.
Utterly fascinating.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 13 hrs, 59 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063430358
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
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