The Unexpected Genius of Pigs
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $20.32
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Matt Whyman
-
By:
-
Matt Whyman
About this listen
We often consider dogs to be our enduring sidekicks but the truth is domestic pigs have played a role in our lives for nearly as long.
Pigs are highly social and smart. They like to play. They’re inventive, crafty and belligerent – and incredibly singleminded.
Ultimately, we have far more in common with these creatures than we like to admit.
Here is a charming ode to one of the most common, yet surprisingly intelligent, animals populating our landscapes. In this gentle and illuminating study, Matt Whyman embarks on a journey to uncover the heart and soul of an animal brimming with more energy, intelligence and playfulness than he could ever have imagined.
In his bid to understand what makes a pig tick, having climbed a steep learning curve as a keeper himself, Whyman meets a veterinary professor and expert in pig emotion, as well as a spirited hill farmer whose world revolves around hogs and sows.
Packed with fascinating research and delightful anecdotes, this entertaining and informative celebration of all things porcine covers everything from evolution, behaviour and communication to friendship, loyalty and broken hearts – uncovering a surprising notion of family along the way.
©2018 Matt Whyman (P)2018 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Elephant Whisperer (Young Readers Adaptation)
- My Life with the Herd in the African Wild
- By: Lawrence Anthony, Thea Feldman, Graham Spence
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a herd of "rogue" wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand, his common sense told him to refuse. But he was the herd's last chance of survival: they would be killed if he wouldn't take them. In order to save their lives, Anthony took them in. In the years that followed he became a part of their family. And as he battled to create a bond with the elephants, he came to realize that they had a great deal to teach him about life, loyalty, and freedom.
-
-
Elephants are fascinating! Such a great listen
- By Jeanine M. Lesperance on 08-11-19
By: Lawrence Anthony, and others
-
How to Be a Good Creature
- A Memoir in Thirteen Animals
- By: Sy Montgomery
- Narrated by: Sy Montgomery
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Understanding someone who belongs to another species can be transformative. No one knows this better than author, naturalist, and adventurer Sy Montgomery. To research her books, Sy has traveled the world and encountered some of the planet's rarest and most beautiful animals. From tarantulas to tigers, Sy's life continually intersects with and is informed by the creatures she meets. This restorative memoir reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals - Sy's friends - and the truths revealed by their grace.
-
-
Enchanting Start To 2019....
- By Rory on 01-02-19
By: Sy Montgomery
-
Sissinghurst, An Unfinished History
- The Quest to Restore a Working Farm at Vita Sackville-West's Legendary Garden
- By: Adam Nicolson
- Narrated by: Jon Caruth
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From lavish palace for Elizabethan nobles to dreary jailhouse for 18th-century prisoners of war, from well-manicured country house for a string of landed families to weed-choked ruin, Sissinghurst, in Kent, has become one of the most illustrious estates in England - and its future may prove to be just as intriguing as its past. In the 1930s, English poet Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Harold Nicolson, acquired land that had once been owned by Vita's ancestors.
-
-
A fascinating and profound work
- By Rosemary Wells on 04-07-17
By: Adam Nicolson
-
The Ravenmaster
- My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
- By: Christopher Skaife
- Narrated by: Christopher Skaife
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The title of Ravenmaster is a serious title indeed, and after decades of serving the Queen, Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife took on the added responsibility of caring for the infamous ravens. In The Ravenmaster, he lets listeners in on his life as he feeds his birds raw meat and biscuits soaked in blood, buys their food at Smithfield Market, and ensures that these unusual, misunderstood, and utterly brilliant corvids are healthy, happy, and ready to captivate the four million tourists who flock to the Tower every year.
-
-
A Classic, I Was Spellbound! Master Story Telling!
- By A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. on 10-08-18
-
Mr Doubler Begins Again
- By: Seni Glaister
- Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Baked, mashed, boiled or fried, Mr Doubler knows his potatoes. But the same can’t be said for people. Since he lost his wife, he’s been on his own at Mirth Farm - and that suits Doubler just fine. Crowds are for other people; the only company he needs are his potato plants and his housekeeper, Mrs Millwood, who visits every day. So when Mrs Millwood is taken ill, it ruins everything - and Mr Doubler begins to worry that he might have lost his way. But could the kindness of strangers be enough to bring him down from the hill?
-
-
Fantastic book
- By Cole M Miller on 12-07-19
By: Seni Glaister
-
The Girl with No Name
- By: Marina Chapman
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1954, in a remote South American village, a four-year-old girl was abducted and then abandoned deep in the Colombian rainforest. So begins the incredible true story of Marina Chapman, who went on to spend several years alone in the jungle, her only family a troop of capuchin monkeys. Using instinct to guide her, she copied everything they did and soon learned to fend for herself. At around 10 years old, a completely feral Marina was returned to civilisation by hunters, who sold her as a slave to a brothel. Beaten daily and groomed to be a prostitute, she escaped - to live the perilous existence of a Colombian city street kid.
-
-
Second time
- By Debbie on 05-21-15
By: Marina Chapman
-
The Elephant Whisperer (Young Readers Adaptation)
- My Life with the Herd in the African Wild
- By: Lawrence Anthony, Thea Feldman, Graham Spence
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a herd of "rogue" wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand, his common sense told him to refuse. But he was the herd's last chance of survival: they would be killed if he wouldn't take them. In order to save their lives, Anthony took them in. In the years that followed he became a part of their family. And as he battled to create a bond with the elephants, he came to realize that they had a great deal to teach him about life, loyalty, and freedom.
-
-
Elephants are fascinating! Such a great listen
- By Jeanine M. Lesperance on 08-11-19
By: Lawrence Anthony, and others
-
How to Be a Good Creature
- A Memoir in Thirteen Animals
- By: Sy Montgomery
- Narrated by: Sy Montgomery
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Understanding someone who belongs to another species can be transformative. No one knows this better than author, naturalist, and adventurer Sy Montgomery. To research her books, Sy has traveled the world and encountered some of the planet's rarest and most beautiful animals. From tarantulas to tigers, Sy's life continually intersects with and is informed by the creatures she meets. This restorative memoir reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals - Sy's friends - and the truths revealed by their grace.
-
-
Enchanting Start To 2019....
- By Rory on 01-02-19
By: Sy Montgomery
-
Sissinghurst, An Unfinished History
- The Quest to Restore a Working Farm at Vita Sackville-West's Legendary Garden
- By: Adam Nicolson
- Narrated by: Jon Caruth
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From lavish palace for Elizabethan nobles to dreary jailhouse for 18th-century prisoners of war, from well-manicured country house for a string of landed families to weed-choked ruin, Sissinghurst, in Kent, has become one of the most illustrious estates in England - and its future may prove to be just as intriguing as its past. In the 1930s, English poet Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Harold Nicolson, acquired land that had once been owned by Vita's ancestors.
-
-
A fascinating and profound work
- By Rosemary Wells on 04-07-17
By: Adam Nicolson
-
The Ravenmaster
- My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
- By: Christopher Skaife
- Narrated by: Christopher Skaife
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The title of Ravenmaster is a serious title indeed, and after decades of serving the Queen, Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife took on the added responsibility of caring for the infamous ravens. In The Ravenmaster, he lets listeners in on his life as he feeds his birds raw meat and biscuits soaked in blood, buys their food at Smithfield Market, and ensures that these unusual, misunderstood, and utterly brilliant corvids are healthy, happy, and ready to captivate the four million tourists who flock to the Tower every year.
-
-
A Classic, I Was Spellbound! Master Story Telling!
- By A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. on 10-08-18
-
Mr Doubler Begins Again
- By: Seni Glaister
- Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Baked, mashed, boiled or fried, Mr Doubler knows his potatoes. But the same can’t be said for people. Since he lost his wife, he’s been on his own at Mirth Farm - and that suits Doubler just fine. Crowds are for other people; the only company he needs are his potato plants and his housekeeper, Mrs Millwood, who visits every day. So when Mrs Millwood is taken ill, it ruins everything - and Mr Doubler begins to worry that he might have lost his way. But could the kindness of strangers be enough to bring him down from the hill?
-
-
Fantastic book
- By Cole M Miller on 12-07-19
By: Seni Glaister
-
The Girl with No Name
- By: Marina Chapman
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1954, in a remote South American village, a four-year-old girl was abducted and then abandoned deep in the Colombian rainforest. So begins the incredible true story of Marina Chapman, who went on to spend several years alone in the jungle, her only family a troop of capuchin monkeys. Using instinct to guide her, she copied everything they did and soon learned to fend for herself. At around 10 years old, a completely feral Marina was returned to civilisation by hunters, who sold her as a slave to a brothel. Beaten daily and groomed to be a prostitute, she escaped - to live the perilous existence of a Colombian city street kid.
-
-
Second time
- By Debbie on 05-21-15
By: Marina Chapman
-
The Aye-Aye and I
- By: Gerald Durrell
- Narrated by: Rupert Degas
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gerald Durrell's last book, The Aye-Aye and I, records his final animal-collecting expedition, a trip to Madagascar in 1990, and his efforts to save the elusive and mythical lemuroid known as the Aye-Aye. Prompted by the country's radical deforestation and slash-and-burn agriculture, Durrell, his wife, and their team of zoologists embark on a mission to capture and conserve the species - distinguished by its "giant, chisel-like teeth", "round, hypnotic eyes", and large "spoon-like ears".
-
-
Delightful
- By Marsha on 03-04-22
By: Gerald Durrell
-
Afield
- American Writers on Bird Dogs
- By: David Smith - editor, Robert Demott - editor
- Narrated by: Bryan Brendle
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This marvelous collection features stories from some of America’s finest and most respected writers about every outdoorsman’s favorite and most loyal hunting partner: his dog. For the first time, the stories of acclaimed writers such as Richard Ford, Tom Brokaw, Howell Raines, Rick Bass, Sydney Lea, Jim Harrison, Tom McGuane, Phil Caputo, and Chris Camuto come together in one collection. Hunters and non-hunters alike will recognize in these poignant tales the universal aspects of owning dogs.
-
-
Great stories. Poor performance.
- By Paul on 12-09-17
By: David Smith - editor, and others
-
The Yorkshire Shepherdess
- By: Amanda Owen
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amanda Owen has been seen by millions on ITV's The Dales, living a life that has almost gone in today's modern world, a life ruled by the seasons and her animals. She is a farmer's wife and shepherdess, living alongside her husband, Clive, and seven children at Ravenseat, a 2,000 acre sheep hill farm at the head of Swaledale in North Yorkshire. It's a challenging life but one she loves.
-
-
I want to go and have cream tea and meet all the animals and the shepherdess herself
- By luvs aussies on 05-30-19
By: Amanda Owen
-
My Farming Life
- Tales from a Shepherdess on a Remote Northumberland Farm
- By: Emma Gray
- Narrated by: Helen McAlpine
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emma Gray was just 23 when she moved to an isolated farm in Northumberland, becoming Britain's youngest solo shepherdess. In the seasons that followed, Emma fell in love with its rolling fields, sycamore trees and sturdy farmhouse, where she tended her sheep and trained her dogs - and even found romance along the way. But when Emma finds herself suddenly alone again, heartbroken, mourning the loss of loved ones and recovering from a serious accident, she can't help but wonder if her isolated existence is still such a sensible idea.
-
-
Sweet enjoyment
- By Bruce on 08-11-22
By: Emma Gray
-
How to Read Nature
- An Expert's Guide to Discovering the Outdoors You've Never Noticed
- By: Tristan Gooley
- Narrated by: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nobody wakes up in the morning and decides to shut down their senses and stumble through each day in an oblivious bubble, and yet some people end up having much richer experiences than others. In this guidebook, natural navigator Tristan Gooley strives to reawaken our senses to help us understand and deepen our personal experience of nature. His message is to connect - however we can and to whatever draws us in.
-
-
A fool sees not the same tree a wise man sees
- By Mark A Bleakley on 08-07-18
By: Tristan Gooley
-
Being a Beast
- Adventures Across the Species Divide
- By: Charles Foster
- Narrated by: Charles Foster
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How can we ever be sure that we really know the other? To test the limits of our ability to inhabit lives that are not our own, Charles Foster set out to know the ultimate other: the nonhumans, the beasts. And to do that, he tried to be like them, choosing a badger, an otter, a fox, a deer, and a swift.
-
-
I wanted to like it more
- By ANNH on 11-13-23
By: Charles Foster
-
Our Wild Farming Life: Adventures on a Scottish Highland Croft
- By: Lynn Cassells, Sandra Baer
- Narrated by: Lynn Cassells
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As seen on the BBC’s This Farming Life. The inspirational story of Lynbreck Croft - a regenerative Scottish farm rooted in local food, community, and the dreams of two women. Lynn and Sandra left their friends, family, and jobs in England to travel north to Scotland to find a bit of land that they could call their own. They had in mind keeping a few chickens, a kitchen garden, and renting out some camping space; instead, they fell in love with Lynbreck Croft - 150 acres of opportunity and beauty, shrouded by the Cairngorms and deep in the Highlands of Scotland.
-
-
Lovely read
- By Betsy Blueberry on 04-14-22
By: Lynn Cassells, and others
-
The Hills Have Spies
- Valdemar: Family Spies, Book 1
- By: Mercedes Lackey
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this new series, set in the bestselling world of Valdemar, Heralds Mags and Amily must continue to protect the realm of Valdemar while raising their children and preparing them to follow in their footsteps.
Mags, Herald Spy of Valdemar, and his wife, Amily, the King’s Own Herald, are happily married with three kids. The oldest, Peregrine, has the Gift of Animal Mindspeech—he can talk to animals and persuade them to act as he wishes. Perry's dream is to follow in his father's footsteps as a Herald Spy, but he has yet to be Chosen by a Companion.
-
-
Great continuation of the series!
- By Peter on 06-28-18
By: Mercedes Lackey
-
Nigel
- My Family and Other Dogs
- By: Monty Don
- Narrated by: Monty Don
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Monty Don's golden retriever, Nigel, became the surprise star of BBC's Gardeners' World, inspiring huge interest, fan mail and even his own social media accounts, Monty Don wanted to explore what makes us connect with animals quite so deeply. In many respects Nigel is a very ordinary dog - charming, handsome and obedient, as so many are. He is also a much loved family pet. He is also a star. By telling Nigel's story, Monty relates his relationships with other special dogs in his life in a memoir of his dogs past and very much present.
-
-
The James Herriot Of Green And Growing Things
- By Miss V. on 03-06-18
By: Monty Don
-
Olive, Mabel & Me
- Life and Adventures with Two Very Good Dogs
- By: Andrew Cotter
- Narrated by: Andrew Cotter
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When sporting events were put on hold in March 2020, commentator Andrew Cotter shifted to working from home. The one-on-one competitors? His two Labrador retrievers, Olive and Mabel. In the hilarious videos that ensued, the dogs engage in various contests, from bone-snatching and breakfast-eating to crushing it on the dog walk, while Cotter narrates to hilarious effect.
-
-
Worth waiting for
- By robistar on 03-16-21
By: Andrew Cotter
-
Thornyhold
- By: Mary Stewart
- Narrated by: Jilly Bond
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The rambling house called Thornyhold is like something out of a fairy tale. Left to Gilly Ramsey by the cousin whose occasional visits brightened her childhood, the cottage, set deep in a wild wood, has come just in time to save her from a bleak future. With its reputation for magic and its resident black cat, Thornyhold offers Gilly more than just a new home. It offers her a chance to start over.
-
-
Dreadful narrator
- By Mary B. on 11-11-19
By: Mary Stewart
-
The Farmer's Son
- Calving Season on a Family Farm
- By: John Connell
- Narrated by: Alan Smyth
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Farming has been in John Connell's family for generations, but he never intended to follow in his father's footsteps. Until, one winter, after more than a decade away, he finds himself back on the farm. Connell records the hypnotic rhythm of the farming day - cleaning the barns, caring for the herd, tending to sickly lambs, helping the cows give birth. Alongside the routine events, there are the unforeseen moments when things go wrong: when a calf fails to thrive, when a sheep goes missing, when an argument between father and son erupts and things are said that cannot be unsaid.
-
-
Beautiful.
- By Kindle Customer on 05-22-19
By: John Connell
Critic reviews
For Pig in the Middle/Oink: My Life with Mini-pigs: "Move over Marley, a pair of cute mini-pigs are about to take over the world." (New York Post)
"What a fabulous, funny read! I enjoyed every page. Highly recommended for anyone with a pet, a partner, a family, a sense of humour...or even a minipig." (Sophie Kinsella)
"This merry memoir of family growing pains and too many pets has so many laugh-out-loud sequences it's embarrassing to read in public...the most good-hearted, hilarious memoir in years." (Shelf Awareness)
Related to this topic
-
The Queen's Corgi
- On Purpose
- By: David Michie
- Narrated by: David Michie
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rescued from unscrupulous breeders who plan to destroy him because of his floppy ear, when the Queen’s littlest corgi arrives at Windsor Castle, he finds himself in a world of red carpets, gilded chambers - and not a pile of dirty laundry to be seen. Charming his way into the affections of the royal household, Nelson offers a dog’s-eye view of life with the Queen. He eavesdrops on her encounters with celebrities, philanthropists and advisers, catching rare insights into the secrets of a purposeful life.
-
-
Thoughtful, observant, a light feel-good story
- By Diana on 01-15-21
By: David Michie
-
Mr Doubler Begins Again
- By: Seni Glaister
- Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Baked, mashed, boiled or fried, Mr Doubler knows his potatoes. But the same can’t be said for people. Since he lost his wife, he’s been on his own at Mirth Farm - and that suits Doubler just fine. Crowds are for other people; the only company he needs are his potato plants and his housekeeper, Mrs Millwood, who visits every day. So when Mrs Millwood is taken ill, it ruins everything - and Mr Doubler begins to worry that he might have lost his way. But could the kindness of strangers be enough to bring him down from the hill?
-
-
Fantastic book
- By Cole M Miller on 12-07-19
By: Seni Glaister
-
The Shepherd's Life
- Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape
- By: James Rebanks
- Narrated by: Bryan Dick
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some people's lives are entirely their own creations. James Rebanks' isn't. He's the first son of a shepherd who was the first son of a shepherd himself; his family have lived and worked in the Lake District of Northern England for generations, further back than recorded history. It's a part of the world known mainly for its romantic descriptions by Wordsworth and the much-loved illustrated children's books of Beatrix Potter. But James' world is quite different. His way of life is ordered by the seasons and the work they demand.
-
-
The Author Wears His Life As A Heavy Mantle
- By Sara on 12-06-15
By: James Rebanks
-
Max the Miracle Dog
- By: Kerry Irving
- Narrated by: Marston York
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Suffering from severe neck and back injuries, Kerry was unemployed and housebound, struggling with depression and even thoughts of suicide. He went from cycling over 600 miles a month to becoming a prisoner in his own home. In the face of unbearable pain and overwhelming panic, he persevered, and along the way, met an adorable yard dog named Max. This is their remarkable, inspiring story.
-
-
Slow beginning
- By VIB on 05-13-21
By: Kerry Irving
-
Pastoral
- By: André Alexis
- Narrated by: André Alexis
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There were plans for an official welcome. It was to take place the following Sunday. But those who came to the rectory on Father Pennant's second day were the ones who could not resist seeing him sooner. Here was the man to whom they would confess the darkest things. It was important to feel him out. Mrs. Young, for instance, after she had watched him eat a piece of her macaroni pie, quietly asked what he thought of adultery. André Alexis brings a modern sensibility and a new liveliness to an age-old genre, the pastoral.
-
-
Thoughtful and interesting
- By Frances on 10-09-18
By: André Alexis
-
Ever By My Side
- A Memoir in Eight [Acts] Pets
- By: Dr. Nick Trout
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Nick Trout has captivated audiences with his books that take us behind the scenes into the heartwarming - and sometimes heartrending - world of veterinary medicine. In a perfect follow-up to his first two books, he turns his lens inward and offers a funny, moving, and thoughtful, memoir about the animals he's had all his life. Nostalgic, warm, and insightful, Ever By My Side is about the power of animals to shape our lives....
-
-
This guy is no James Herriot!
- By Crochetaway on 10-11-12
By: Dr. Nick Trout
-
The Queen's Corgi
- On Purpose
- By: David Michie
- Narrated by: David Michie
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rescued from unscrupulous breeders who plan to destroy him because of his floppy ear, when the Queen’s littlest corgi arrives at Windsor Castle, he finds himself in a world of red carpets, gilded chambers - and not a pile of dirty laundry to be seen. Charming his way into the affections of the royal household, Nelson offers a dog’s-eye view of life with the Queen. He eavesdrops on her encounters with celebrities, philanthropists and advisers, catching rare insights into the secrets of a purposeful life.
-
-
Thoughtful, observant, a light feel-good story
- By Diana on 01-15-21
By: David Michie
-
Mr Doubler Begins Again
- By: Seni Glaister
- Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Baked, mashed, boiled or fried, Mr Doubler knows his potatoes. But the same can’t be said for people. Since he lost his wife, he’s been on his own at Mirth Farm - and that suits Doubler just fine. Crowds are for other people; the only company he needs are his potato plants and his housekeeper, Mrs Millwood, who visits every day. So when Mrs Millwood is taken ill, it ruins everything - and Mr Doubler begins to worry that he might have lost his way. But could the kindness of strangers be enough to bring him down from the hill?
-
-
Fantastic book
- By Cole M Miller on 12-07-19
By: Seni Glaister
-
The Shepherd's Life
- Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape
- By: James Rebanks
- Narrated by: Bryan Dick
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some people's lives are entirely their own creations. James Rebanks' isn't. He's the first son of a shepherd who was the first son of a shepherd himself; his family have lived and worked in the Lake District of Northern England for generations, further back than recorded history. It's a part of the world known mainly for its romantic descriptions by Wordsworth and the much-loved illustrated children's books of Beatrix Potter. But James' world is quite different. His way of life is ordered by the seasons and the work they demand.
-
-
The Author Wears His Life As A Heavy Mantle
- By Sara on 12-06-15
By: James Rebanks
-
Max the Miracle Dog
- By: Kerry Irving
- Narrated by: Marston York
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Suffering from severe neck and back injuries, Kerry was unemployed and housebound, struggling with depression and even thoughts of suicide. He went from cycling over 600 miles a month to becoming a prisoner in his own home. In the face of unbearable pain and overwhelming panic, he persevered, and along the way, met an adorable yard dog named Max. This is their remarkable, inspiring story.
-
-
Slow beginning
- By VIB on 05-13-21
By: Kerry Irving
-
Pastoral
- By: André Alexis
- Narrated by: André Alexis
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There were plans for an official welcome. It was to take place the following Sunday. But those who came to the rectory on Father Pennant's second day were the ones who could not resist seeing him sooner. Here was the man to whom they would confess the darkest things. It was important to feel him out. Mrs. Young, for instance, after she had watched him eat a piece of her macaroni pie, quietly asked what he thought of adultery. André Alexis brings a modern sensibility and a new liveliness to an age-old genre, the pastoral.
-
-
Thoughtful and interesting
- By Frances on 10-09-18
By: André Alexis
-
Ever By My Side
- A Memoir in Eight [Acts] Pets
- By: Dr. Nick Trout
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Nick Trout has captivated audiences with his books that take us behind the scenes into the heartwarming - and sometimes heartrending - world of veterinary medicine. In a perfect follow-up to his first two books, he turns his lens inward and offers a funny, moving, and thoughtful, memoir about the animals he's had all his life. Nostalgic, warm, and insightful, Ever By My Side is about the power of animals to shape our lives....
-
-
This guy is no James Herriot!
- By Crochetaway on 10-11-12
By: Dr. Nick Trout
-
The Yorkshire Shepherdess
- By: Amanda Owen
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amanda Owen has been seen by millions on ITV's The Dales, living a life that has almost gone in today's modern world, a life ruled by the seasons and her animals. She is a farmer's wife and shepherdess, living alongside her husband, Clive, and seven children at Ravenseat, a 2,000 acre sheep hill farm at the head of Swaledale in North Yorkshire. It's a challenging life but one she loves.
-
-
I want to go and have cream tea and meet all the animals and the shepherdess herself
- By luvs aussies on 05-30-19
By: Amanda Owen
-
Beyond
- Founding of Valdemar Series, Book 1
- By: Mercedes Lackey
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Within the Eastern Empire, Duke Kordas Valdemar rules a tiny, bucolic Duchy that focuses mostly on horse breeding. Anticipating the day when the Empire's exploitative and militant leaders would not be content to leave them alone, Korda's father set out to gather magicians in the hopes of one day finding a way to escape and protect the people of the Duchy from tyranny.
-
-
Exceptional Listen
- By Amazon Customer on 09-27-21
By: Mercedes Lackey
-
The Electricity of Every Living Thing
- A Woman's Walk in the Wild to Find Her Way Home
- By: Katherine May
- Narrated by: Katherine May
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In anticipation of her 38th birthday, Katherine May set out to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path. She wanted time alone, in nature, to understand why she had stopped coping with everyday life; why motherhood had been so overwhelming and isolating; and why the world felt full of expectations she couldn't meet. She was also reeling from a chance encounter with a voice on the radio that sparked her realisation that she might be autistic.
-
-
Perfect!!!
- By Amazon Customer on 10-20-22
By: Katherine May
-
The Good Good Pig
- The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood
- By: Sy Montgomery
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A naturalist who spent months at a time living on her own among wild creatures in remote jungles, Sy Montgomery had always felt more comfortable with animals than with people. So she gladly opened her heart to a sick piglet who had been crowded away from nourishing meals by his stronger siblings. Yet Sy had no inkling that this piglet, later named Christopher Hogwood, would not only survive but flourish.
-
-
Uplifting memoir of a pig + autobiography
- By Diana on 04-04-19
By: Sy Montgomery
-
The Hills Have Spies
- Valdemar: Family Spies, Book 1
- By: Mercedes Lackey
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this new series, set in the bestselling world of Valdemar, Heralds Mags and Amily must continue to protect the realm of Valdemar while raising their children and preparing them to follow in their footsteps.
Mags, Herald Spy of Valdemar, and his wife, Amily, the King’s Own Herald, are happily married with three kids. The oldest, Peregrine, has the Gift of Animal Mindspeech—he can talk to animals and persuade them to act as he wishes. Perry's dream is to follow in his father's footsteps as a Herald Spy, but he has yet to be Chosen by a Companion.
-
-
Great continuation of the series!
- By Peter on 06-28-18
By: Mercedes Lackey
-
The Ravenmaster
- My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
- By: Christopher Skaife
- Narrated by: Christopher Skaife
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The title of Ravenmaster is a serious title indeed, and after decades of serving the Queen, Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife took on the added responsibility of caring for the infamous ravens. In The Ravenmaster, he lets listeners in on his life as he feeds his birds raw meat and biscuits soaked in blood, buys their food at Smithfield Market, and ensures that these unusual, misunderstood, and utterly brilliant corvids are healthy, happy, and ready to captivate the four million tourists who flock to the Tower every year.
-
-
A Classic, I Was Spellbound! Master Story Telling!
- By A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. on 10-08-18
-
The Dream House
- By: Craig Higginson
- Narrated by: Terry Lloyd-Roberts
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A farmhouse is being reproduced a dozen times, with slight variations, throughout a valley. Three small graves have been dug in the front garden, the middle one lying empty. A woman in a wheelchair sorts through boxes while her husband clambers around the old demolished buildings, wondering where the animals have gone. A young woman – called ‘the barren one’ behind her back – dreams of love, while an ageing headmaster contemplates the end of his life.
-
-
Brilliant Dream House Narration
- By Simon Griffiths on 05-05-21
By: Craig Higginson
-
How to Read Nature
- An Expert's Guide to Discovering the Outdoors You've Never Noticed
- By: Tristan Gooley
- Narrated by: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nobody wakes up in the morning and decides to shut down their senses and stumble through each day in an oblivious bubble, and yet some people end up having much richer experiences than others. In this guidebook, natural navigator Tristan Gooley strives to reawaken our senses to help us understand and deepen our personal experience of nature. His message is to connect - however we can and to whatever draws us in.
-
-
A fool sees not the same tree a wise man sees
- By Mark A Bleakley on 08-07-18
By: Tristan Gooley
-
How to Be a Good Creature
- A Memoir in Thirteen Animals
- By: Sy Montgomery
- Narrated by: Sy Montgomery
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Understanding someone who belongs to another species can be transformative. No one knows this better than author, naturalist, and adventurer Sy Montgomery. To research her books, Sy has traveled the world and encountered some of the planet's rarest and most beautiful animals. From tarantulas to tigers, Sy's life continually intersects with and is informed by the creatures she meets. This restorative memoir reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals - Sy's friends - and the truths revealed by their grace.
-
-
Enchanting Start To 2019....
- By Rory on 01-02-19
By: Sy Montgomery
-
The Farmer's Son
- Calving Season on a Family Farm
- By: John Connell
- Narrated by: Alan Smyth
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Farming has been in John Connell's family for generations, but he never intended to follow in his father's footsteps. Until, one winter, after more than a decade away, he finds himself back on the farm. Connell records the hypnotic rhythm of the farming day - cleaning the barns, caring for the herd, tending to sickly lambs, helping the cows give birth. Alongside the routine events, there are the unforeseen moments when things go wrong: when a calf fails to thrive, when a sheep goes missing, when an argument between father and son erupts and things are said that cannot be unsaid.
-
-
Beautiful.
- By Kindle Customer on 05-22-19
By: John Connell
-
Afield
- American Writers on Bird Dogs
- By: David Smith - editor, Robert Demott - editor
- Narrated by: Bryan Brendle
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This marvelous collection features stories from some of America’s finest and most respected writers about every outdoorsman’s favorite and most loyal hunting partner: his dog. For the first time, the stories of acclaimed writers such as Richard Ford, Tom Brokaw, Howell Raines, Rick Bass, Sydney Lea, Jim Harrison, Tom McGuane, Phil Caputo, and Chris Camuto come together in one collection. Hunters and non-hunters alike will recognize in these poignant tales the universal aspects of owning dogs.
-
-
Great stories. Poor performance.
- By Paul on 12-09-17
By: David Smith - editor, and others
-
The Girl with No Name
- By: Marina Chapman
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1954, in a remote South American village, a four-year-old girl was abducted and then abandoned deep in the Colombian rainforest. So begins the incredible true story of Marina Chapman, who went on to spend several years alone in the jungle, her only family a troop of capuchin monkeys. Using instinct to guide her, she copied everything they did and soon learned to fend for herself. At around 10 years old, a completely feral Marina was returned to civilisation by hunters, who sold her as a slave to a brothel. Beaten daily and groomed to be a prostitute, she escaped - to live the perilous existence of a Colombian city street kid.
-
-
Second time
- By Debbie on 05-21-15
By: Marina Chapman