WICKED PLANTS The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities

There are a few books that are really not meant to be audiobooks, and this is one of them. It certainly isn’t Coleen Marlo’s fault. Marlo has a wonderful rich voice, plenty of energy, and an occasional appropriate “gee, golly” note for the amazing historical stories relating to deadly plants. But WICKED PLANTS is, at heart, a dictionary. Amy Stewart compiles an alphabetical listing of poisonous plants that run the gamut from causing a rash to bringing on quick death from a single berry. Some entries are fascinating—avoid the Australian stinging tree with tiny hairs that cause suicide-inducing pain—but many are short and businesslike. If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking about a wonderful narrator—“I could listen to her read the dictionary"—here’s your chance. A.B. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2011]