STRANGE HARVESTS The Hidden Histories of Seven Natural Objects

Roy McMillan's narration of this unusual travelogue is terrific. It's as if a learned British professor is sharing stories about unusual objects found in far-flung places while retaining a measure of awe at his luck to study such things. Eider ducks and guano might be familiar products harvested in nature, but birds' nests made of spittle found in caves, coffee made from beans excreted by civets, and tagua nuts used for buttons are much more exotic. As McMillan communicates how each harvest is exploited or sustained, the listener just hangs onto every word. Edward Posnett is actually a former financial investigator rather than a professor, but all the rest of it fits. McMillan captures both the author's wonder at and concern for the environment and the harvesters, while employing perfect pacing, and rolling through multiple foreign words without hesitation. A.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2019]