David Drummond has narrated 98 audiobooks on Listento.it by 94 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 648 ratings. The most-rated is Empire of the Summer Moon.
The Sweet Life in Paris
Summary
Like so many others, David Lebovitz dreamed about living in Paris ever since he first visited the city in the 1980s. Finally, after a nearly two-decade career as a pastry chef and cookbook author, he moved to Paris to start a new life. Having crammed all his worldly belongings into three suitcases, he arrived, hopes high, at his new apartment in the lively Bastille neighborhood. But he soon discovered it's a different world en France. From learning the ironclad rules of social conduct to the mysteries of men's footwear, from shopkeepers who work so hard not to sell you anything to the etiquette of working the right way around the cheese plate, here is David's story of how he came to fall in love with - and even understand - this glorious, yet sometimes maddening, city. When did he realize he had morphed into un vrai Parisien? It might have been when he found himself considering a purchase of men's dress socks with cartoon characters on them. Or perhaps the time he went to a bank with 135 euros in hand to make a 134-euro payment, was told the bank had no change that day, and thought it was completely normal. Or when he found himself dressing up to take out the garbage because he had come to accept that, in Paris, appearances and image mean everything. The more than 50 original recipes, for dishes both savory and sweet, such as Pork Loin with Brown Sugar-Bourbon Glaze, Braised Turkey in Beaujolais Nouveau with Prunes, Bacon and Bleu Cheese Cake, Chocolate-Coconut Marshmallows, Chocolate Spice Bread, Lemon-Glazed Madeleines, and Mocha–Crème Fraîche Cake, will have listeners running to the kitchen once they stop laughing. The Sweet Life in Paris is a deliciously funny, offbeat, and irreverent look at the city of lights, cheese, chocolate, and other confections.
©2009 David Lebovitz (P)2012 Tantor
Spycraft
Summary
Secret instructions written in invisible ink Covert communications slipped inside dead rats Subminiature cameras hidden in ballpoint pens If these sound like the stuff of science fiction or imaginary tools of James Bond's gadget-master Q's trade, think again. They are real-life devices created by the CIA's Office of Technical Service. Now, in the first book ever written about this ultrasecretive department, the former director of OTS teams up with an internationally renowned intelligence historian to give listeners an unprecedented look at the devices and operations deemed "inappropriate for public disclosure" by the CIA just two years ago. Spycraft tells amazing life-and-death stories about this little-known group, much of it never before revealed. Against the backdrop of some of America's most critical periods in recent history - including the cold war, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the war on terror - the authors show the real technical and human story of how the CIA carries out its missions.
©2008 Robert Wallace, H. Keith Melton, and Henry R. Schlesinger (P)2008 Tantor
Alice
Summary
Captain Jacob Thomas, USMC, is a divorced combat veteran just trying to get his life back on track. Returning to the marine corps after a failed attempt at reconciliation with his estranged wife, Jake volunteers for a DARPA experiment that catapults him into a future where humanity has been stripped of 200 years of technological advancements and more than half its population. With the help of a faceless benefactor named Alice, he escapes the confines of an abandoned lab facility and starts a journey to put Earth back on a path to recovery. Jake's path begins in the rich farmlands of central California and eventually places him in orbit and face to face with the very evil that started it all.
©2014 CW Lamb (P)2015 Tantor
Dragon Rule
Summary
Scattered across a continent, three dragon siblings are among the last of a dying breed. Wistala, sister to the Copper who is now Emperor of the Upper World, has long thought humans the equal of dragons. She leads the Firemaids, fierce female fighting dragons who support the Hominids of Hypatia. This puts her at odds with both her brothers, for the Copper has no use for the humans he now dominates, and AuRon, the rare scaleless grey, would isolate himself and his family from both the world of men and the world of dragons. But as the Copper's empire roils with war, greed, and treachery, the time is fast approaching when Wistala will have to choose who to stand with---and fight for.
©2009 E. E. Knight (P)2010 Tantor
The Book of Woe
Summary
For more than two years, author and psychotherapist Gary Greenberg has embedded himself in the war that broke out over the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM) - the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) compendium of mental illnesses and what Greenberg calls "the book of woe". Since its debut in 1952, the book has been frequently revised, and with each revision, the "official" view on which psychological problems constitute mental illness has changed. Homosexuality, for instance, was a mental illness until 1973, and Asperger's gained recognition in 1994 only to see its status challenged nearly 20 years later. Each revision has created controversy, but the DSM-5, the newest iteration, has shaken psychiatry to its foundations. The APA has taken fire from patients, mental health practitioners, and former members for extending the reach of psychiatry into daily life by encouraging doctors to diagnose more illnesses and prescribe more therapies - often medications whose efficacy is unknown and whose side effects are severe. Critics - including Greenberg - argue that the APA should not have the naming rights to psychological pain or to the hundreds of millions of dollars the organization earns, especially when even the DSM's staunchest defenders acknowledge that the disorders listed in the book are not real illnesses. Greenberg's account of the history behind the DSM, which has grown from pamphlet-sized to encyclopedic since it was first published, and his behind-the-scenes reporting of the deeply flawed process by which the DSM-5 has been revised is both riveting and disturbing. Anyone who has received a diagnosis of mental disorder, filed a claim with an insurer, or just wondered whether daily troubles qualify as true illness should know how the DSM turns suffering into a commodity and the APA into its own biggest beneficiary. Invaluable and informative, The Book of Woe is bound to spark intense debate among expert and casual listeners alike.
©2013 Gary Greenberg (P)2013 Tantor
The Pixar Touch
Summary
The Pixar Touch is a lively chronicle of Pixar Animation Studios' history and evolution, and the "fraternity of geeks" who shaped it. With the help of visionary businessman Steve Jobs and animating genius John Lasseter, Pixar has become the gold standard of animated filmmaking, beginning with a short special effects shot made at Lucasfilm in 1982 all the way up through the landmark films Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, and others. David A. Price goes behind the scenes of the corporate feuds between Lasseter and his former champion, Jeffrey Katzenberg, as well as between Steve Jobs and Michael Eisner. And finally he explores Pixar's complex relationship with the Walt Disney Company as it transformed itself into the $7.4 billion jewel in the Disney crown.
©2008 David A. Price (P)2008 Tantor
Choosing Civility
Summary
In Choosing Civility, P. M. Forni offers 25 rules for connecting effectively with others - at home, at work, and in our daily encounters. In clear, witty, and, well... civilized language, Forni covers topics that include: Think Twice Before Asking Favors Give Constructive Criticism Refrain from Idle Complaints Respect Others' Opinions Don't Shift Responsibility and Blame Care for Your Guests Accept and Give Praise
©2003 Pier Massimo Forni (P)2011 Tantor
Body of Water
Summary
Chris Dombrowski was playing a numbers game: two passions - poetry and fly-fishing; two children, one of them in utero; and an income hovering perilously close to zero. Enter, at this particularly challenging moment, a miraculous email: can't go, it's all paid for, just book a flight to Miami. Thus began a journey that would lead to the Bahamas and to David Pinder, a legendary bonefishing guide. Bonefish are prized for their elusiveness and their tenacity. And no one was better at hunting them than Pinder, a Bahamian whose accuracy and patience were virtuosic. He knows what the fish think, said one fisherman, before they think it. By the time Dombrowski meets Pinder, however, he has been abandoned by the industry he helped build. With cataracts from a lifetime of staring at the water and a tiny severance package after 40 years of service, he watches as the world of his beloved bonefish is degraded by tourists he himself did so much to attract. But as Pinder's stories unfold, Dombrowski discovers a profound integrity and wisdom in the guide's life.
©2016 Chris Dombrowski (P)2017 Tantor
Mink River
Summary
In a small fictional town on the Oregon coast there are love affairs and almost-love-affairs, mystery and hilarity, bears and tears, brawls and boats, a garrulous logger and a silent doctor, rain and pain, Irish immigrants and Salish stories, mud and laughter. There's a Department of Public Works that gives haircuts and counts insects, a policeman who is addicted to Puccini, a philosophizing crow, beer, and berries. An expedition is mounted, a crime is committed, and there's an unbelievably huge picnic on the football field. Babies are born. A car is cut in half with a saw. A river confesses what it's thinking. This is the tale of a town, written in a distinct and lyrical voice, and when the book ends, listeners will be more than a little sad to leave the village of Neawanaka, on the wet coast of Oregon, beneath the hills that used to boast the biggest trees in the history of the world.
©2010 Brian Doyle (P)2014 Tantor Media
Run Through the Jungle
Summary
From Larry J. Musson comes an authentic account of combat with an airborne company in the waterlogged rice paddies and demanding jungles of South Vietnam. Share the experiences of fighting men under punishing conditions, extreme temperatures, and intense monsoon rains as they search for the enemy in the rugged mountains and teeming lowlands. Relive all the terror, humor, and sadness of one man's tour of duty with real-life action in spectacular, stunning detail.
©2015 Larry J. Musson (P)2017 Tantor
Alice-9
Summary
Major Jake Thomas is on a roll. With the help of the Artificial Life: Intelligent Computing Environments, or ALICE, systems, he has successfully faced off with the hostile NeHaw three times. With continued support from his inner circle of female recruits, all handpicked by the ALICEs to further their own agenda, he continues to try to help Earth return to glory. As Jake works to assemble a space fleet from captured and constructed vessels to address the expanding NeHaw aggression, the terrestrial challenges at home continue to pile up. With troubles in California, Maine, and Washington State to plague Jake and his team, the threat of a two-front war looms ahead.
©2015 CW Lamb (P)2015 Tantor
Luthien's Gamble
Summary
In The Sword of Bedwyr, young Luthien Bedwyr rebelled against the crushing rule of Wizard-King Greensparrow and his cruel wizard-lords. To save his once proud land of Eriador, Luthien was given a magical cape that renders its wearer invisible but leaves behind an indelible scarlet silhouette. In Luthien's Gamble, we see Luthien at a crossroads: in spite of the urgings of his comrades to avoid further conflict with Greensparrow, Luthien feels compelled to continue the battle for his beloved country Eriador. Realizing that nobody else will take charge, and with the support of both dwarves and elves, Luthien and his followers stage guerilla raids on town after town. Luthien and his forces defeat scores of enemies and win huge numbers of allies. In the end, King Greensparrow sues for peace. Yet Luthien and Brind'Amour recognize that even in this time of celebration, Greensparrow cannot be trusted, and that the rumblings of a larger battle - for the freedom of the known world - loom in the not-too-distant future.
©1996 R.A. Salvatore (P)2010 Tantor
The Sword of Bedwyr
Summary
Young noble Luthien Bedwyr is too privileged to understand that his once-proud land, Eriador, suffers under the demonic oppression of Wizard-King Greensparrow. That is, until the day Luthien seeks justice for a friend's murder---only to become a fugitive fleeing the king's monstrous cyclopian soldiers. Befriended by the irrepressible "highwayhalfling" Oliver deBurrows, and enlisted by an ancient, mysterious mage, Luthien's exile will become an enchanted quest to steal a mystic prize from a dragon's hoard. Suddenly, Eriador's enslaved humans, elves, and dwarfs begin to rally around rumored tales of a freedom fighter who strikes Greensparrow's foul minions...an unknown hero who wields a legendary sword and magic cape...a warrior who is invisible but who casts the "Crimson Shadow."
©1995 R. A. Salvatore (P)2010 Tantor
ALICE Resurrection
Summary
Colonel Jake Thomas has a mess on his hands. The losses on Klinan have gutted an already short-staffed defense force, and his people are scrambling to prepare for a possible attack, directly on Earth. Combined with the seemingly erratic behavior of Sara, his number-one go-to girl, he is struggling to keep up. Now, with unexplained transmissions originating in Europe, and an Alien visitor with questionable motives, he is awash in new challenges on Earth and in space. Can the activity in Europe be a sign of troubles to come, or is it an indication of allies waiting to be discovered?
©2016 CW Lamb (P)2016 Tantor
Conventions of War
Summary
The universe has fallen into bloody chaos now that the dread empire of the tyrannical Shaa is no more - at the mercy of the merciless insectoid Naxid, who now hunger for domination. But the far-flung human descendants of Terra have finally tasted liberty, and their warrior heroes will not submit. Separated by light-years, Lord Gareth Martinez and the mysterious guerrilla fighter Caroline Sula each pursue a different road to victory in tomorrow's ultimate battle - for the new order will be far more terrible than the old... unless one last, desperate stratagem can hold a shattered galaxy together.
©2005 Walter Jon Williams (P)2014 Audible Inc.
The Accidental War
Summary
Blending fast-paced military science fiction and space opera, the first volume in a dynamic trilogy from the New York Times best-selling author of The Praxis, set in the universe of his popular and critically acclaimed Dread Empire’s Fall series - a tale of blood, courage, adventure, and battle in which the fate of an empire rests in the hands of a cadre of desperate exiles. It’s been seven years since the end of the Naxid War. Sidelined for their unorthodox tactics by a rigid, tradition-bound military establishment, Captain Gareth Martinez and Captain Lady Sula are stewing in exile, frustrated and impatient to exercise the effective and lethal skills they were born to use in fighting the enemy. Yet after the ramshackle empire left by the Shaa conquerors is shaken by a series of hammer blows that threaten the foundations of the commonwealth, the result is a war no one planned, no one expected, and no one knows how to end. Now, Martinez, Sula, and their confederate Nikki Severin must escape the clutches of their enemies, rally the disorganized elements of the fleet, and somehow restore the fragile peace - or face annihilation at the hands of a vastly superior force.
©2018 Walter Jon Williams (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers
All Things Shining
Summary
The religious turn to their faith to find meaning. But what about the many people who lead secular lives and are also hungry for meaning? What guides, what approaches are available to them? Distinguished philosophers Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly explain that a secular life charged with meaning is indeed within reach. It is achieved by a passionate, skillful engagement with the people, events, and wonders present in the most ordinary days - an approach to meaning that modern Western culture seems to have abandoned. Dreyfus and Kelly use some of the greatest works of the Western canon to trace the way we have lost this passionate engagement to our surroundings and to show us how to get it back. Taking us on a journey from the wonder and openness of Homer's polytheistic world, to the monotheism of Dante, to the nihilism of Kant, to the pantheism of Melville, and finally to the spiritual difficulties of the world evoked by modern authors such as David Foster Wallace and Elizabeth Gilbert, All Things Shining will change the way we understand our culture, our history, our sacred practices, and ourselves, and offer a new - and very old - way to celebrate a secular existence.
©2011 Original material by Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly. Published by arrangement with Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. (P)2011 HighBridge Company
AL:ICE Boxed Set
Summary
AL:ICE: Captain Jacob Thomas USMC is a divorced combat veteran just trying to get his life back on track. Returning to the Marine Corps after a failed attempt at reconciliation with his estranged wife, Jake volunteers for an experiment that catapults him into a future where humanity has been stripped of 200 years of technological advancements and more than half its population. With the help of a faceless benefactor named Alice, he starts a journey to put Earth back on a path to recovery. AL:ICE-9: With the help of the ALICE systems, Jake Thomas has successfully faced off with the hostile NeHaw three times. As he works to assemble a space fleet to address the expanding NeHaw aggression, terrestrial challenges at home continue to pile up, and the threat of a two-front war looms ahead. AL:ICE: Resurrection: With unexplained transmissions originating in Europe, and an alien visitor with questionable motives, Jake is awash in new challenges on Earth and in space. Can the activity in Europe be a sign of troubles to come, or is it an indication of allies waiting to be discovered? AL:ICE: Space War: Jake finds himself once again fighting a two-front war, one in space and one on the home front.
©2014 CW Lamb (P)2021 Tantor
The Slave Ship
Summary
For more than three centuries, slave ships carried millions of people from the coasts of Africa across the Atlantic to the New World. Much is known of the slave trade and the American plantation complex, but little of the ships that made it all possible. In The Slave Ship, award-winning historian Marcus Rediker draws on 30 years of research in maritime archives to create an unprecedented history of these vessels and the human drama acted out on their rolling decks. He reconstructs in chilling detail the lives, deaths, and terrors of captains, sailors, and the enslaved aboard a "floating dungeon" trailed by sharks. From the young African kidnapped from his village and sold to the slavers by a neighboring tribe, to the would-be priest who takes a job as a sailor on a slave ship only to be horrified by the evil he sees, to the captain who relishes having "a hell of my own", Rediker illuminates the lives of people who were thought to have left no trace. This is a tale of tragedy and terror, but also an epic of resilience, survival, and the creation of something entirely new, something that could only be called African American. Rediker restores the slave ship to its rightful place alongside the plantation as a formative institution of slavery, as a place where a profound and still haunting history of race, class, and modern capitalism was made.
©2007 Marcus Rediker (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.
The Praxis
Summary
An infinite, sweeping saga of interstellar war - the first SF classic for the 21st century. The empire of the Shaa lasted 10,000 years. Years of terror, infinite violence and oppressive, brutal order. Now the Shaa are no more, but the terror and violence are only beginning... The Shaa, rulers of the universe, began to commit ritual suicide when it became clear that their minds - profoundly intelligent but limited - would accept no further information. Near immortality was their one, great mistake. And so began the war between the Naxids, oldest client race of the Shaa, who believed themselves inheritors of the empire, and a frail alliance of other races, including humanity. And so, the story of a dread empire's fall begins...
©2002 Walter Jon Williams (P)2014 Audible Inc.