Menna Van Praag has 6 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 7 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.7★ across 417 ratings. The most-rated is The Simple Path to Wealth.
The Simple Path to Wealth
Summary
This book grew out of a series of letters to my daughter concerning various things - mostly about money and investing - she was not yet quite ready to hear. Since money is the single most powerful tool we have for navigating this complex world we've created, understanding it is critical. "But Dad," she once said, "I know money is important. I just don't want to spend my life thinking about it." This was eye-opening. I love this stuff. But most people have better things to do with their precious time. Bridges to build, diseases to cure, treaties to negotiate, mountains to climb, technologies to create, children to teach, businesses to run. Unfortunately, benign neglect of things financial leaves you open to the charlatans of the financial world. The people who make investing endlessly complex, because if it can be made complex it becomes more profitable for them, more expensive for us, and we are forced into their waiting arms. Here's an important truth: Complex investments exist only to profit those who create and sell them. Not only are they more costly to the investor, they are less effective. The simple approach I created for her and present now to you is not only easy to understand and implement, it is more powerful than any other. Together we'll explore: Debt: why you must avoid it and what to do if you have it The importance of having f-you money How to think about money, and the unique way understanding this is key to building your wealth Where traditional investing advice goes wrong and what actually works What the stock market really is and how it really works Why the stock market always goes up and why most people still lose money investing in it How to invest in a raging bull or bear market Specific investments to implement these strategies The Wealth Building and Wealth Preservation phases of your investing life and why they are not always tied to your age How your asset allocation is tied to those phases and how to choose it How to simplify the sometimes confusing world of 401(k), 403(b), TSP, IRA, and Roth accounts TRFs (target retirement funds), HSAs (health savings accounts), and RMDs (required minimum distributions) What investment firm to use and why the one I recommend is so far superior to the competition Why you should be very cautious when engaging an investment advisor and whether you need to at all Why and how you can be conned, and how to avoid becoming prey The truth behind Social Security A case study on how this all can be implemented in real life PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2016 JL Collins (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
The Land Beyond the Sea
Summary
From the critically acclaimed New York Times best-selling author Sharon Kay Penman comes the story of the reign of King Baldwin IV and the Kingdom of Jerusalem's defense against Saladin's famous army. The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as Outremer, is the land far beyond the sea. Baptized in blood when the men of the First Crusade captured Jerusalem from the Saracens in the early 12th century, the kingdom defined an utterly new world, a land of blazing heat and a medley of cultures, a place where enemies were neighbors and neighbors became enemies. At the helm of this growing kingdom sits young Baldwin IV, an intelligent and courageous boy committed to the welfare and protection of his people. But despite Baldwin's dedication to his land, he is afflicted with leprosy at an early age and the threats against his power and his health nearly outweigh the risk of battle. As political deception scours the halls of the royal court, the Muslim army - led by the first sultan of Egypt and Syria, Saladin - is never far from the kingdom's doorstep, and there are only a handful Baldwin can trust, including the archbishop William of Tyre and Lord Balian d'Ibelin, a charismatic leader who has been one of the few able to maintain the peace. Filled with drama and battle, tragedy and romance, Sharon Kay Penman's latest novel brings a definitive period of history vividly alive with a tale of power and glory that will resonate with listeners today.
©2020 Sharon Kay Penman (P)2020 Penguin Audio
The Patron Saint of Lost Souls
Summary
Jude is the owner of a unique antiques shop in Cambridge. She makes it her mission to match customers with the special something that they are missing, a talisman to bring them what their heart desires. Unfortunately, Jude’s life is not overflowing with love. However, when she 'inherits' a niece that she never knew existed, doubling her meagre family overnight, Jude's life is soon set to get a lot less lonely and a lot more interesting. Viola is a single-minded perfectionist whose heart's only desire is the position of head chef at one of Cambridge’s most prestigious restaurants. But when Viola keeps bumping into a widower, Mathieu, she begins to discover that there’s more to life beyond the kitchen.
©2018 Menna van Praag (P)2019 Isis Publishing Ltd
The Dress Shop of Dreams
Summary
Since her parents’ mysterious deaths many years ago, scientist Cora Sparks has spent her days in the safety of her university lab or at her grandmother Etta’s dress shop. Tucked away on a winding Cambridge street, Etta’s charming tiny store appears quite ordinary to passersby, but the colorfully vibrant racks of beaded silks, delicate laces, and jewel-toned velvets hold bewitching secrets: With just a few stitches from Etta’s needle, these gorgeous gowns have the power to free a woman’s deepest desires. Etta’s dearest wish is to work her magic on her granddaughter. Cora’s studious, unromantic eye has overlooked Walt, the shy bookseller who has been in love with her forever. Determined not to allow Cora to miss her chance at happiness, Etta sews a tiny stitch into Walt’s collar, hoping to give him the courage to confess his feelings to Cora. But magic spells - like true love - can go awry. After Walt is spurred into action, Etta realizes she's set in motion a series of astonishing events that will transform Cora’s life in extraordinary and unexpected ways.
©2014 Menna van Praag (P)2014 Recorded Books
The Sisters Grimm
Summary
The critically acclaimed author of The House at the End of Hope Street combines love, mystery, and magic with her first foray into bewitching fantasy with a dark edge evocative of V.E. Schwab and Neil Gaiman. Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity.... As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their elemental powers together. But at 13, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths. Goldie (earth) manipulates plants and gives life. Liyana (water) controls rivers and rain. Scarlet (fire) has electricity at her fingertips. Bea (air) can fly. To realize their full potential, the blood sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. But Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their 18th birthday, they will be subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father’s soldiers. If they survive, they will face their father who will let them live only if they turn dark. Which would be fair, if only the sisters knew what was coming. So, they have 33 days to discover who they truly are and what they can truly do, before they must fight to save themselves and those they love.
©2020 Menna van Praag (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers
The House at the End of Hope Street
Summary
Distraught that her academic career has stalled, Alba is walking through her hometown of Cambridge, England, when she finds herself in front of a house she’s never seen before, 11 Hope Street. A beautiful older woman named Peggy greets her and invites her to stay, on the house’s usual conditions: She has ninety-nine nights to turn her life around. With nothing left to lose, Alba takes a chance and moves in. She soon discovers that this is no ordinary house. Past residents have included Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Parker, who, after receiving the assistance they needed, hung around to help newcomers—literally, in talking portraits on the wall. As she escapes into this new world, Alba begins a journey that will heal her wounds—and maybe even save her life.
©2013 Menna van Praag (P)2013 Recorded Books