Allyson Johnson has narrated 138 audiobooks on Listento.it by 116 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 8,305 ratings. The most-rated is All These Worlds.
The Admiral's Bride
Summary
His Mission: When six canisters of a lethal nerve agent are stolen from a military testing lab, Admiral Jake Robinson must recover the chemicals - by any means necessary. He defies convention and decides to infiltrate the compound where religious fanatics have stored the deadly toxin. His Partner: Dr. Zoe Lange is a biological warfare specialist and an expert in espionage. Zoe agrees to assist Jake on the case, and, posing as husband and wife, they manage to gain access to the compound. But Jake fears his instant attraction to Zoe might compromise the mission. His Crisis: Their marriage may be a hoax, but Jake's growing feelings for Zoe are anything but make-believe. With each hour he's in Zoe's company, the stakes get higher, the game more real. And the dangers within the compound escalate out of control. Now everything is on the line....
©2011 Suzanne Brockman (P)2011 Audible, Inc.
The Marijuana Chronicles
Summary
Featuring brand-new stories, poems, prose, and graphics by: Lee Child, Joyce Carol Oates, Linda Yablonsky, Jonathan Santlofer, Abraham Rodriguez, Dean Haspiel, Maggie Estep, Bob Holman, Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Amanda Stern, Jan Heller Levi, Josh Gilbert, Edward M. Gmez, Raymond Mungo, Rachel Shteir, Philip Spitzer, and Thad Ziolkowski. From the introduction by Jonathan Santlofer: "Like film, literature has been no stranger to marijuana and hashish, going back to Charles Baudelaire's 1860 Artificial Paradises, in which the French poet not only describes the effects of hashish but postulates it could be an aid in creating an ideal world. The pleasures, pains, and complexities of marijuana are more than hinted at in works by William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Henry Miller, Hunter S. Thompson, and Thomas Pynchon, to name just a few, and I hope this anthology will add to that legacy and keep the flame of pot literature burning bright... "This diverse group of writers, poets, and artists makes it clear that there is no one point of view here. Each of them approaches the idea of marijuana with the sharp eye of an observer, anthropologist, and artist, and expands upon it. Some writing projects are difficult; this one was smooth and mellow and a continual pleasure... I hope you will sit back, relax, and enjoy these wide-ranging tales of the most debated and discussed drug of our time. Though, according to former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 'That is not a drug, it's a leaf.'"The full list of narrators includes: Scott Brick, Jonathan Santlofer, Elizabeth Evans, Oliver Wyman, Allyson Johnson, Karen White, Kevin Free, Joe Barrett, Christina Delaine, David Ledoux, Johnny Heller, Scott Aiello, Dick Hill, Erin Moon, and Jennifer Van Dyck.
©2013 Akashic Books (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Creatures of Habit
Summary
Jill McCorkle's new collection of 12 short stories is peopled with characters brilliantly like us - flawed, clueless, endearing. These stories are also "animaled" with all manner of mammal, bird, fish, reptile - also flawed and endearing. She asks, what don't humans share with the so-called lesser species? Looking for the answer, she takes us back to her fictional home town of Fulton, North Carolina, to meet a broad range of characters facing up to the double-edged sword life offers hominids. The insight with which McCorkle tells their stories crackles with wit, but also with a deeper - and more forgiving - wisdom than ever before. In "Billy Goats", Fulton's herd of seventh graders cruises the summer nights, peeking into parked cars, maddening the town madman. In "Monkeys", a widow holds her husband's beloved spider monkey close, along with his deepest secrets. In "Dogs", a single mother who works for a veterinarian compares him - unfavorably - with his patients. In "Snakes", a seasoned wife sees what might have been a snake in the grass and decides to step over it. And, in the exquisite final story, "Fish", a grieving daughter remembers her father's empathy for the ugliest of all fishes. The success behind Jill McCorkle's short stories - and her novels - is, as one reviewer noted, her skill as an archaeologist of the absurd, an expert at excavating and examining the comedy of daily life (Richmond Times-Dispatch). Yes, and also the tragedy. The complete list of narrators includes Claire Slemmer, Allyson Johnson, Allison McLemore, Lauren Fortgang, Margaret Daly, Holly Fielding, Elizabeth Evans, and Gabra Zackman.
©2001 Jill McCorkle (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
Alabama Noir
Summary
Some locales seem to come with their own soundtrack. Don Ho and his tiny bubbles provide the background music for Hawaii, Edith Piaf for Paris. The reggae of Bob Marley evokes Jamaica. The soundtrack for Alabama is without question provided by our troubled troubadour Hank Williams. The 2016 biography Hank by Mark Ribowsky paints a dark picture of the musician's short, alcoholic, drug-filled life: a life of loneliness and pain. He goes so far as to call Hank's life story "noir-ish".... In Alabama Noir we encounter "troubles and foibles" galore, darkness in many forms. The stories range from the deadly grim to some that are actually mildly humorous. We see desperate behavior on the banks of the Tennessee River, in the neighborhoods of Birmingham, in the affluent suburbs of Mobile, in a cemetery in Montgomery, and even on the deceptively pleasant beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.Fans of noir should all find something to enjoy.
©2020 Akashic Books (P)2020 Audible, Inc.
Fast Funny Women
Summary
These 75 flash nonfiction pieces, written by internationally celebrated women authors and dazzlingly hilarious newcomers, are no flashes in the pan: They provide a feast of insights, generously garnished with wit, spice, and an exhilarating attention to craft. In Fast Funny Women, you'll find everything you want from thoughtful essays in a short, delicious form. Perfect for students of writing, writers of humor, and all fans who welcome laughter, insight, and perspective into their lives.
©2020 Regina Barreca (P)2021 Tantor
Going Om
Summary
With candid, witty, and compelling experiences of yoga from renowned memoirists, including Cheryl Strayed (author of the number one New York Times best-seller Wild), Claire Dederer (author of national best-seller Poser: My Life in 23 Yoga Poses), Dinty W. Moore (author of The Accidental Buddhist), Neal Pollack (author of Stretch: The Making of a Yoga Dude) and many others, Going Om shares a range of observations about this popular practice. Unlike books on yoga that provide instruction on technique, Going Om is a unique collection of personal narratives from celebrated authors. This anthology of original material values the quality of writing over the authors' flexibility. Ira Sukrungruang shares his heartbreaking struggle as a 375-pound yoga student discovering self-worth on his mat; Gloria Munoz explores the practice of stillness with lyrical elegance in the midst of her busy mind; Neal Pollack's signature sarcasm leads to surprising turns at yoga class with his dad; Elizabeth Kadetsky uses yogic wisdom while coping with her mother's devastating Alzheimer's.
©2014 Melissa Carroll (P)2014 Audible Inc.
The Gold Cadillac
Summary
Another powerful story in the Logan Family Saga and companion to Mildred D. Taylor's Newbery Award-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. A drive South becomes dangerous for 'Lois and her family. 'Lois and Wilma are proud of their father's brand-new gold Cadillac and excited that the family will be driving it all the way from Ohio to Mississippi. But as they travel deeper into the rural South, there are no admiring glances for the shiny new car; only suspicion and anger for the black man behind the wheel. For the first time in their lives, Lois and her sister know what it's like to feel scared because of the color of their skin. "A personal, poignant look at a black child's first experience with institutional racism." (The New York Times)
©2018 Mildred D. Taylor (P)2018 Listening Library
Tomorrow's Bread
Summary
In 1961 Charlotte, North Carolina, the predominantly black neighborhood of Brooklyn is a bustling city within a city. Self-contained and vibrant, it has its own restaurants, schools, theaters, churches, and night clubs. There are shotgun shacks and poverty, along with well-maintained houses like the one Loraylee Hawkins shares with her young son, Hawk, her Uncle Ray, and her grandmother, Bibi. Loraylee's love for Archibald Griffin, Hawk's white father and manager of the cafeteria where she works, must be kept secret in the segregated South. Loraylee has heard rumors that the city plans to bulldoze her neighborhood, claiming it's dilapidated and dangerous. The government promises to provide new housing and relocate businesses. But locals like Pastor Ebenezer Polk, who's facing the demolition of his church, know the value of Brooklyn does not lie in bricks and mortar. Generations have lived, loved, and died here, supporting and strengthening each other. Yet street by street, longtime residents are being forced out. And Loraylee, searching for a way to keep her family together, will form new alliances - and find an unexpected path that may yet lead her home.
©2019 Anna Jean Mayhew (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
The Perfect Couple
Summary
One afternoon in May, Zoe Duncan's 13-year-old daughter goes missing from her own backyard. The police think Samantha ran away because she's unhappy about her mother's upcoming marriage - but Zoe doesn't believe it. In fact, she's willing to do anything to bring Sam home, even if it means losing her job, her beautiful home, her fiancé. Even if it means divulging all her secrets to a private investigator. Jonathan Stivers is a P.I. who donates his time to The Last Stand, a victims' charity in Sacramento. He's good at what he does, the best. But never has he had fewer leads to work with - or been more attracted to a client. Jonathan's sure of only one thing: Sam was taken by someone close to the family. He doesn't know how close until he realizes that the "perfect" couple next door is anything but.
©2009 Brenda Novak (P)2009 Audible, Inc.
The Friendship
Summary
Another powerful story in the Logan Family Saga and companion to Mildred D. Taylor's Newbery Award-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Cassie Logan and her brothers have been warned never to go to the Wallace store. So they know to expect trouble there. What they don't expect is to hear Mr. Tom Bee, an elderly black man, daring to call the white storekeeper by his first name. The year is 1933, the place is Mississippi, and any child knows that some things just aren't done. Can a shared past between the two men make a difference? "A powerful story...[Listeners] will be haunted by its drama and emotion long after they have closed the book." - Booklist
©2018 Mildred D. Taylor (P)2018 Listening Library
Buffalo Noir
Summary
Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book. Featuring brand-new stories by: Joyce Carol Oates, Lawrence Block, Ed Park, Gary Earl Ross, Kim Chinquee, Christina Milletti, Tom Fontana, Dimitri Anastasopoulos, Lissa Marie Redmond, S. J. Rozan, John Wray, Brooke Costello, and Connie Porter. Buffalo, New York, is still the second-largest metropolis in the state, but in recent years its designation as the Queen City has been elbowed aside by a name that's pure noir: The City of No Illusions. Presidents came from here; and in 1901 a president was killed here while visiting the Pan-American Exposition, by a man who checked into a hotel under a name that translates as Nobody. As Buffalo saw its prosperity wane, those on the outside could see only harsh winters and Rust Belt grit, chicken wings and sports teams that came agonizingly close. (Vincent Gallo's Buffalo 66 is less the doomed quest of a would-be assassin than the collective fever dream of every Bills fan.) Anyone who has spent more than a few days in Buffalo will tell you that this city can spar with any other major American metropolis in the noir arena. This highly anticipated entry in the Akashic Noir Series includes stories from Buffalo-affiliated mystery titans as well as up-and-comers.
©2015 Akashic Noir (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Portland Noir
Summary
In a city full of police controversies, hippie artist punk houses, and overzealous liberals, Portland, Oregon, is a place where even its fiction blurs with its bizarre realities. Brand-new stories by: Gigi Little, Justin Hocking, Christopher Bolton, Jess Walter, Monica Drake, Jamie S. Rich (illustrated by Joelle Jones), Dan DeWeese, Zoe Trope, Luciana Lopez, Karen Karbo, Bill Cameron, Ariel Gore, Floyd Skloot, Megan Kruse, Kimberly Warner-Cohen, and Jonathan Selwood. Editor Kevin Sampsell is a bookstore employee and writer. He is the author of a short story collection, Creamy Bullets (Chiasmus Press), and the upcoming memoir The Suitcase (HarperPerennial, summer 2009). He is also the editor of The Insomniac Reader (Manic D Press) and the publisher of the micropress Future Tense Books.
©2009 Akashic Books (P)2014 Audible Inc.
The Perfect Murder
Summary
For more than a year, Sebastian Costas has been trying to unravel the truth behind the murder of his ex-wife and son. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, he's convinced that her second husband - a cop - committed both murders, then faked his own death. Now Sebastian has followed the slimmest of leads to Sacramento...and that's where he finally gets the break he needs. Jane Burke, an investigator with The Last Stand, calls him in connection with a separate crime - a crime that could lead him straight to the man he's been looking for. Once married to a serial killer, Jane has spent the past five years rebuilding her life. And with Sebastian, she finally has a chance at happiness. But the man they're after is after them, too. For him, this has become a personal battle, one he's determined to win. Whatever it takes.
©2009 Brenda Novak (P)2009 Audible, Inc.
Surrender in Moonlight
Summary
Lorna Forrester was to wed the half-witted heir to the Beau Repose estate. But the day before her wedding, she met Ramon Cazenove, a daring blockade runner, thus beginning an incredible adventure into danger and love--from the Civil War-torn South to the windswept Caribbean.
©1984 Patricia Maxwell (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
The Slave's Cause
Summary
Received historical wisdom casts abolitionists as bourgeois, mostly white reformers burdened by racial paternalism and economic conservatism. Manisha Sinha overturns this image, broadening her scope beyond the antebellum period usually associated with abolitionism and recasting it as a radical social movement in which men and women, black and white, free and enslaved, found common ground in causes ranging from feminism and utopian socialism to anti-imperialism and efforts to defend the rights of labor. Drawing on extensive archival research, including newly discovered letters and pamphlets, Sinha documents the influence of the Haitian Revolution and the centrality of slave resistance in shaping the ideology and tactics of abolition. This book is a comprehensive new history of the abolition movement in a transnational context. It illustrates how the abolitionist vision ultimately linked the slave's cause to the struggle to redefine American democracy and human rights across the globe.
©2016 Manisha Sinha (P)2016 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Union's Daughter
Summary
One woman abhors her past. The other fights for freedom. Will their battle for emancipation leave them casualties of war? South Carolina, 1862. Emily Jarvie is determined to send her family's slave-owning history to its grave. When the Union Army captures the Sea Islands, she returns to the south to teach the former slaves, part of the Army's unusual experiment in racial equality. Despite her loyalty to the Union cause, her Southern heritage raises a brick wall of Yankee suspicion. Oberlin College, Ohio. Fugitive slave Caro Jarvie longs to pick up a rifle to fight for freedom. But as a woman, she has to settle for reporting on the war second-hand from the Union Army camp in the Sea Islands. When she learns that Harriet Tubman is in South Carolina to lead a military mission to free slaves, Caro seizes her chance to enter the fray. As Emily and Caro struggle to bury the past, old loves and new flames open a door to the future they both hope for. But with the war for America's soul raging ever closer, each woman finds her strength tested as she strives for a better tomorrow. Can they forge a legacy of love and acceptance during a time of turmoil and death?
©2019 Sabra Waldfogel (P)2020 Tantor
Chicken Sunday
Summary
After being initiated into a neighbor's family by a solemn backyard ceremony, a young Russian-American girl and her African-American brothers determine to buy their gramma Eula a beautiful Easter hat. But their good intentions are misunderstood, until they discover just the right way to pay for the hat that Eula's had her eye on. A loving family story woven from the author's childhood.
©1992 Patricia Polacco (P)2018 Listening Library
Watch Me
Summary
Teenagers Sheridan Kohl and Jason Wyatt were parked at the lake in Whiterock, Tennessee, when a stranger wearing a ski mask shot them both. Sheridan lived but Jason died - and the stranger was never caught. Even though Sheridan's family moved away right afterward, she's never been able to put the crime behind her. And now that "someone" doesn't want her to come home. Because of a new development in the case, Sheridan returns to Whiterock. But when she's attacked a second time, it's only because of Jason's stepbrother, Cain Granger, that she survives - and Cain's the last person she wants to face. If not for their history, if not for her, Jason wouldn't have been in that parked car. Cain knows that whoever killed his brother probably isn't a stranger at all. But figuring out that person's identity is easier said than done - especially since the killer seems to be taunting them both: "watch me".
©2008 Brenda Novak (P)2008 Audible, Inc.
The South Side
Summary
Mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel have touted and promoted Chicago as a "world-class city". The skyscrapers kissing the clouds, the billion-dollar Millennium Park, Michelin-rated restaurants, pristine lake views, fabulous shopping, a vibrant theater scene, downtown flower beds, and stellar architecture tell one story. Yet swept under the rug is the stench of segregation that compromises Chicago. The Manhattan Institute dubs Chicago one of the most segregated big cities in the country. Though other cities - including Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Baltimore - can fight over that mantle, it's clear that segregation defines Chicago. And unlike many other major US cities, no one race dominates. Chicago is divided equally into Black, White, and Latino, all groups clustered in their various turfs. In this intelligent and highly important narrative, Chicago native Natalie Moore shines a light on contemporary segregation on the South Side of Chicago through reported essays, showing the lives of these communities through the stories of people who live in them. The South Side shows the important impact of Chicago's historic segregation and the ongoing policies that keep it that way.
©2016 Natalie Y. Moore (P)2016 Tantor
The Perfect Liar
Summary
When air force captain Luke Trussell opens his door one Sunday morning, he's shocked to find the police - and even more shocked when they charge him with rape. He knows he made a mistake in judgment the night before, but he certainly didn't force his attentions on the woman who's been stalking him for months.Problem is...Kalyna Harter has the bruises - and the DNA evidence - to make her claim convincing.Determined to isolate Luke, Kalyna goes to victims' rights advocate Ava Bixby of The Last Stand, hoping Ava will help put Luke behind bars. But Ava soon realizes she's defending the wrong victim.Problem is...switching her support to Luke could be dangerous - especially when she falls for him. Because Kalyna won't tolerate losing the man she wants to anyone. Least of all Ava.
©2009 Brenda Novak (P)2009 Audible, Inc.