The Secret Lives of Cows by Rosamund Young

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Secret Lives of Cows by Rosamund Young, which was narrated by the author.

The Secret Lives of Cows by Rosamund Young was my first read for August 2025 and was a book that had been on my reading wishlist for some time. The Secret Lives of Cows is a work of nonfiction and is a quick listen at 3 hours, 41 minutes.

I'm glad I finally read The Secret Lives of Cows as I love cows and wanted to learn more about them from the author. Rosamund Young is an English farmer and she provided a lot of interesting information about cows on her farm. The personality and behavior of individual cows is amazing, but not surprising.

Rosamund Young discusses hens, sheep, and pigs in her book as well as organic farming. Although, I found these topics to be interesting, I wish they'd been excluded from this book altogether. The Secret Lives of Cows is already a very short book as it is and I'd rather have had the sole topic of this book be about cows exclusively instead of a book that included other animals in it.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Secret Lives of Cows by Rosamund Young from the Goodreads website:

Cows can love, play games, bond and form strong, life-long friendships. They can sulk, hold grudges, and they have preferences and can be vain. All these characteristics and more have been observed, documented, interpreted and retold by Rosamund Young based on her experiences looking after the family farm's herd on Kite's Nest Farm in Worcestershire, England. Here the cows, sheep, hens and pigs all roam free. There is no forced weaning, no separation of young from siblings or mother. They seek and are given help when they request it and supplement their own diets by browsing and nibbling leaves, shoots, flowers and herbs. Rosamund Young provides a fascinating insight into a secret world - secret because many modern farming practices leave no room for displays of natural behavior yet, ironically, a happy herd produces better quality beef and milk.

I am giving The Secret Lives of Cows by Rosamund Young a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Eloquence of the Sardine: Extraordinary Encounters Beneath the Sea by Bill François

 

Eloquence of the Sardine: Extraordinary Encounters Beneath the Sea by Bill François was my 20th read for 2024! I listened to the unabridged audio version of this nonfiction book, which was nicely narrated by Graham Halstead. 

Listening time for Eloquence of the Sardine is 5 hours, 1 minute, which made for another quick read/listen for me.

Eloquence of the Sardine by Bill François is such a wonderful read as it combines science, natural history, and various oceanic animals among its topics. I really enjoyed learning about the different animals discussed by the author as well as the natural history and other science related topics the author brought up in his book. The Eloquence of the Sardine is well written and flowed nicely from chapter to chapter. The content for Eloquence of the Sardine is also engaging with just the right amount of science in it without making it dry or boring.

Below is the publisher's summary for Eloquence of the Sardine: Extraordinary Encounters Beneath the Sea by Bill François from Chirp's website:

If we listen to the ocean, what do we hear? What can it teach us? How can it change us?

Written by a marine scientist (and winner of French eloquence competitions), this work of narrative nonfiction blends Bill François’s personal story with that of sea creatures to create an original and exciting work. In poetic prose, he describes his unlikely journey from being a Parisian child, afraid of the water and crippled by self-consciousness, to an eloquent and self-assured young man with a passion for the ocean and all who inhabit it. In doing so, he tells the stories of sardines, anchovies, eels, suckerfish, and whales (to name a few), and demystifies their fascinating conversations.

A mix between science and storytelling from the past and present, Eloquence of the Sardine is an invitation to dive deep and learn from the secrets of the ocean.

I am giving Eloquence of the Sardine: Extraordinary Encounters Beneath the Sea by Bill François a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony

I LOVE, Love, love elephants!!! So deciding to listening to the unabridged audio version to The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony was a no brainer for me. Additionally, The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony is narrated by the phenomenal, Simon Vance, which made my experience that much better.

Listening time for The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony is 10 hours, 55 minutes.

The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony exceeded my expectations. It's a work of nonfiction and has a lot more depth to it than I expected. I highly recommend reading The Elephant Whisperer.

The following is a summary for The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony from Audible:

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.

The Elephant Whisperer is a heartwarming, exciting, funny, and sometimes sad account of Anthony's experiences with these huge yet sympathetic creatures. Set against the background of life on an African game reserve, with unforgettable characters and exotic wildlife, it is a delightful book that will appeal to animal lovers and adventurous souls everywhere.

I am giving The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony a rating of 5 stars out of 5 star.

Until my next post, happy reading!!