This is not your traditional prayer book; rather it is an audiobook. Prayers: A Personal Selection is narrated by Michael York (yes, the actor). York's British accent lends a sort of grand gravity to the words. The accompanying music, by Michael Hoppe, could be seen as cheesy in many audiobooks, but truly adds something meaningful to book.
Running at only 53 minutes, this audiobook is particularly useful for a devotional time. I listened to this on my commute to work, meaning it was broken up into smaller sections. And it was not a very stress-free week. However, when I began listening to the words and music, it helped me calm and center myself. This is definitely an excellent prayer book for those of us who are more auditory. It will also be one of the few audiobooks I will return to time and again.
It would have been nice to have some way to identify the Scripture references and other prayers used in the book. Doing so at the end of each prayer would have likely taken away from the flow and meditative nature of the experience. This allow easier referencing later if one particular prayer stood out as especially meaningful to the listener. I also would have liked to know whose personal selection these prayers were. York's? Hoppe's? An editor's? It's not really important, but as "a personal selection" is in the title, this context would be helpful.
Most of the translations seem to come from the King James Version, giving the book a traditional feel. Yet in the audio format and with York's voice, it is not off-putting, but rather aids in the devotional element, in my experience.
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