Dick Hill’s reportorial tone is perfect for these performance tips from a reputed bad boy of college basketball. Hill’s upbeat enunciation is highly entertaining. With his spot-on phrasing and uncanny ability to tap into Coach K’s smart-aleck personality, he makes this an audio that never gets old. The book is full of stories and strategies for winning any type of competition. Among many memorable analogies, Knight says preparing for success is like carving a sculpture —removing the mistakes and weaknesses so that what’s left is the winning figure (or skills) you’re striving for. His insights and writing have a satisfying humanitarian tone, which seems at odds with his hot-head reputation, but it serves to remind us that the best leaders care about their team members’ growth as much as they care about winning.
Pub Date: March 5, 2013
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781469283647
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An enjoyable dive into a frigid world filled with warm hearts.
Ballard’s fascination with cold water swimming is contagious. Even if climbing into an ice bath, swimming in the ocean in the winter, or alternating a steaming sauna with freezing water doesn’t really appeal, the stories of the participants, including the author himself, are joyful and life-affirming. Ballard cites studies about the positive impacts of a brief cold dip on mood, inflammation, and resiliency (although he recommends undergoing an in-depth medical checkup before jumping in). He meets Lynne Cox, a giant in the worlds of both distance and polar swimming; Olympians; and regular people who just want to feel both alert and calm. Ballard becomes an enthusiastic member of this tight club, and his performance clearly exudes his affection for the others and their serious purpose.
An enjoyable dive into a frigid world filled with warm hearts.Pub Date: June 9, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 22 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668106754
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
A close examination that will resonate with baseball fans.
Sports aficionados, and baseball fans in particular, are well-versed in superstitions. Baird’s book analyzes those superstitions, lucky wins, and mysterious losses from both anecdotal and academic perspectives. Erin Moon narrates with an interested tone, occasionally changing her pitch for various portrayals. She’s an able guide to players who hold to a code of do’s and don’ts—Wade Boggs in particular adhered to a plethora of rituals both on and off the field. The question remains: Do the rituals and superstitions actually help? Moon keeps pace as the author, a New York Mets fan, crunches numbers and statistics as she delves into the topic.
A close examination that will resonate with baseball fans.Pub Date: June 2, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 44 mins
DD ISBN: 9798318252822
Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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