Simon Barnes has narrated 3 audiobooks on Listento.it by 1 author. The most-rated is On the Marsh.
A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion
Summary
Simon Barnes is one of Britain's leading bird writers and humorists. His weekly column in The Times (London), his essays for the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) magazine, and his two books on bad bird-watching have made him one of the characters of the bird world. Here, he reads his own illuminating introductions to the 50 main birds of Britain, supported by the distinguishing bird song of each species. He not only gives helpful identifying features, but enriches them with whimsical observations on their characters and tendencies. It is a delightful text, superbly presented by the author himself.
©2007 Naxos Audiobooks (P)2007 Naxos Audiobooks
Epic
Summary
‘For 30 years I was the voice of sport at The Times - but that’s enough about me. What matters is sport.’ This is an autobiography from which the author, award-winning writer Simon Barnes, has been surgically removed. He has reported on six World Cups, seven Olympic Games, cricket on five continents and more than 20 Wimbledons, watching Diego Maradona, Usain Bolt, Sachin Tendulkar and Roger Federer at their peaks. Along the way he had soul-revealing conversations with Ayrton Senna and sat on Desert Orchid. His journalist’s experience gives him perspective - until the addictive madness of sport takes over. Epic is a stunning mosaic of some of the greatest sporting moments in recent years, which build up to provide the listener with a better idea of what sport is for and what differentiates winners from losers and reveal how sport teaches us how better to enjoy life. This is sport unplugged. Speaking for itself. Allowing the listener to understand sport with more clarity and depth than ever before.
©2018 Simon Barnes (P)2018 Simon & Schuster UK
On the Marsh
Summary
How the rewilding of eight acres of Norfolk marshland inspired a family and brought nature even closer to home. When writer Simon Barnes heard a Cetti's warbler sing out as he turned up to look at a house for sale, he knew immediately that he had found his new home. The fact that his garden backed onto an area of marshy land only increased the possibilities, but there was always the fear that it might end up in the wrong hands and be lost to development or intensive farming. His wife saw through the delicate negotiations for the purchase. Once they'd bought it, they began to manage it as a conservation area, working with the Wildlife Trust to ensure it became as appealing as possible to all species. For their son Eddie, who has Down syndrome, it became a place of calm and inspiration. In On The Marsh, we see how nature can always bring surprises and share in the triumphs as new animals - Chinese water deer, otters and hedgehogs - arrive, and watch as the number of species of bird tops 100 and keeps on growing. As the seasons go by, there are moments of triumph when not one but two marsh harrier families use the marsh as a hunting ground but also disappointments as chemical run-off from neighbouring farmland creates a nettles monoculture in newly turned earth. For anyone who enjoyed books such as Meadowland or the writing of Stephen Moss, Roger Deakin or Adam Nicolson, this is a vivid and beautifully told account of the wonders that can sometimes be found on our doorsteps and how nature can transform us all.
©2019 Simon Barnes (P)2019 Simon & Schuster UK