Tasting Beer, 2nd Edition
Summary
Everyone knows how to drink beer, but few know how to really taste it with an understanding of the finer points of brewing, serving, and food pairing. Discover the ingredients and brewing methods that make each variety unique, and learn to identify the scents, colors, flavors, and mouthfeel of all the major beer styles. Recommendations for more than 50 types of beer from around the world encourage you to expand your horizons. Uncap the secrets in every bottle of the world's greatest drink!
©2009 Randy Mosher (P)2017 Tantor
Satan's Diary
Summary
Iâm the only one to have walked the cobblestones of the Most High. Iâm the only one to have seduced a woman and made her walk away from everything she loved and cherished. Iâm the only one who can convinced a person steadfast in their faith, to throw it all away for riches beyond their wildest dreams. My lust for power is unquenchable, and I will use every trick at my disposal to gain an advantage. Even if it means destroying a church leader and his family with delectable treats full of envy, pride, greed, and lust.
©2020 Steven Darrell Bates (P)2021 Steven Darrell Bates
Long, Hot, Witchy Summer
Summary
Life couldnât be going much better for Hadley Hunter. Sheâs living the dream on Moonstone Bay with her boyfriend, Galen Blackwood, plotting her next move as a witch for hire, and basically basking in happiness.  That all changes when a summer afternoon on the beach turns into a nightmare, an odd creature from the depths of the ocean surfacing and attacking Hadley on the beach. Her friend Lilac, a demon with a few issues, fights it off but it escapes...and becomes a problem for an island that bases its entire economy on tourism. The all-powerful DDA isnât happy. Lilacâs hair refuses to stop glowing red. Booker is struggling to help all his friends. Essentially, things turn messy quickly. On top of that, Hadleyâs father drops in out of nowhere and demands she return home. Heâs not happy with what he hears about the island and decides itâs too dangerous for her to say. Hadley, of course, has other ideas and is determined to bring her father around to her way of thinking. Between monsters popping up out of nowhere and her fatherâs inability to stop freaking out, Hadley has her hands full. The monsters keep popping up in the oddest places, and always their attention is on Hadley. Monsters are nothing new for Hadley but the ones attacking now seem to be different. Itâs up to Moonstone Bayâs newest witch and her motley crew of paranormal colleagues to solve a mystery and save the day. Again. They just have to survive to do it.
©2021 Amanda M. Lee (P)2020 Amanda M. Lee
Consequences of Capitalism
Summary
Is there an alternative to capitalism? In this landmark text Chomsky and Waterstone chart a critical map for a more just and sustainable society. âCovid-19 has revealed glaring failures and monstrous brutalities in the current capitalist system. It represents both a crisis and an opportunity.... Everything depends on the actions that people take into their own hands.â - From the afterword How do politics shape our world, our lives, and our perceptions? How much of âcommon senseâ is actually driven by the ruling classâ needs and interests? And how are we to challenge the capitalist structures that now threaten all life on the planet? Consequences of Capitalism exposes the deep, often unseen, connections between neoliberal âcommon senseâ and structural power. In making these linkages, we see how the current hegemony keeps social justice movements divided and marginalized. And, most importantly, we see how we can fight to overcome these divisions. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.Â
©2021 Valeria Chomsky and Marv Waterstone (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing
The Second Founding
Summary
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning scholar, a timely history of the constitutional changes that built equality into the nation's foundation and how those guarantees have been shaken over time. The Declaration of Independence announced equality as an American ideal, but it took the Civil War and the subsequent adoption of three constitutional amendments to establish that ideal as American law. The Reconstruction amendments abolished slavery, guaranteed all persons due process and equal protection of the law, and equipped black men with the right to vote. They established the principle of birthright citizenship and guaranteed the privileges and immunities of all citizens. The federal government, not the states, was charged with enforcement, reversing the priority of the original Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In grafting the principle of equality onto the Constitution, these revolutionary changes marked the second founding of the United States. Eric Foner's compact, insightful history traces the arc of these pivotal amendments from their dramatic origins in pre-Civil War mass meetings of African-American "colored citizens" and in Republican party politics to their virtual nullification in the late 19th century. A series of momentous decisions by the Supreme Court narrowed the rights guaranteed in the amendments, while the states actively undermined them. The Jim Crow system was the result. Again today there are serious political challenges to birthright citizenship, voting rights, due process, and equal protection of the law. Like all great works of history, this one informs our understanding of the present as well as the past: knowledge and vigilance are always necessary to secure our basic rights.
©2019 Eric Foner (P)2019 Recorded Books
The Lost Weekend
Summary
Reprint of a modern classic originally published in 1944 by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. A classic tale of one man's struggle with alcoholism, this revolutionary novel remains Charles Jackson's best-known book - a daring autobiographical work that paved the way for contemporary addiction literature. It is 1936, and on the East Side of Manhattan, a would-be writer named Don Birnam decides to have a drink. And then another, and then another, until he's in the midst of what becomes a five-day binge. The Lost Weekend moves with unstoppable speed, propelled by a heartbreaking but unflinching truth. It catapulted Charles Jackson to fame, and endures as an acute study of the ravages of alcoholism, as well as an unforgettable parable of the condition of the modern man.
©1944, 1971 Charles R. Jackson, Rhoda Jackson (P)2014 Recorded Books
The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet, 2nd Edition
Summary
This number one New York Times best seller adapted for people with diabetes is full of tools and menus designed to kick-start weight loss to control your blood sugar. From Mayo Clinic - a leader in health and nutrition and the number one ranked hospital for Diabetes and Endocrinology according to the 2018 US News & World Report best hospital rankings - comes The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet, 2nd Edition. This reliable diet plan is designed to prevent and manage prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. The completely revised and updated second edition includes all-new recipes and an additional two weeks of daily menus. The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet, 2nd Edition is divided into two phases - Lose It! and Live It! - designed to help at-risk individuals prevent and control diabetes by losing weight quickly and safely, and then maintaining that weight loss. The Lose It! phase is a simple, straight-forward, two-week plan that encourages quick but safe weight loss that can help lower blood sugar. The Live It! phase of the diet offers basic and manageable steps and lifestyle changes and choices that are designed to help participants lose one to two pounds a week until a healthy weight is reached, and then to keep the pounds off. Mayo Clinic's weight-loss and nutrition experts have packed this book with meal plans, tools, menus, practical solutions, and specific tips on how to improve health and lose weight safely. The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet tackles all the familiar obstacles that get in the way of weight loss - lack of exercise, resistance to healthy food, too little time to cook, a hectic schedule, struggles with cravings, and minimal support from family and friends. It's a reliable and safe companion for losing weight and controlling diabetes. "This diabetes diet isn't a fad; it's about changing your habits for the better," states Donald Hensrud, MD, Mayo Clinic nutrition specialist and medical editor. "With The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet, people can truly manage diabetes, eat well, lose weight and enjoy life."
©2018 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER) (P)2019 Recorded Books
Beyond the Call
Summary
Near the end of World War II, thousands of Allied ex-POWs were abandoned to wander the war-torn Eastern Front. With no food, shelter, or supplies, they were an army of dying men. The Red Army had pushed the Nazis out of Russia. As they advanced across Poland, the prison camps of the Third Reich were discovered and liberated. In defiance of humanity, the freed Allied prisoners were discarded without aid. The Soviets viewed POWs as cowards and regarded all refugees as potential spies or partisans. The United States repeatedly offered to help recover their POWs but were refused. With relations between the Allies strained, a plan was conceived for an undercover rescue mission. In total secrecy the OSS chose an obscure American air force detachment stationed at a Ukrainian airfield; it would provide the base and the cover for the operation. The man they picked to undertake it was veteran 8th Air Force bomber pilot Captain Robert Trimble. With little covert training, already scarred by the trials of combat, Trimble took the mission. He would survive by wit, courage, and a determination to do some good in a terrible war. Alone he faced up to the terrifying Soviet secret police, saving hundreds of lives. At the same time he battled to come to terms with the trauma of war and find his own way home to his wife and child. One ordinary man. One extraordinary mission. A thousand lives at stake. This is the compelling, inspiring true story of an American hero who laid his life on the line to bring his fellow men home to safety and freedom.
©2015 Lee Trimble and Jeremy Dronfield (P)2015 Recorded Books
The Buck Passes Flynn
Summary
Someone is looking to wreck the nation's economy, and they're spending plenty to do it. With every lead going nowhere, Flynn's most dizzying logic is put to the test.
©1981 Gregory Mcdonald (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Flynn's In
Summary
Boston Police inspector and undercover international spy F. X. Flynn is back in this third rollicking installment of the Flynn series. Finding himself in a complicated and sensitive dilemma, Police Commissioner Eddy D'Esopo summons Inspector Flynn to an extravagant country house hidden deep in the woods, cleverly disguised as a hunting and fishing lodge and aptly named the Rod and Gun Club. Unfortunately, Flynn hasn't been called up for a weekend of leisure, he's there to solve the mystery surrounding the death of a young and promising congressman. Filled with America's eccentric, uber-rich, and powerful elites, all fiercely dedicated to the club's secrecy, Flynn is quick to discover that this is no ordinary hunting man's getaway, and just as he begins to uncover conflicting evidence, another member is found brutally murdered.
©2019 Gregory Mcdonald (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
The Soul of a Chef
Summary
In his second in-depth foray into the world of professional cooking, Michael Ruhlman journeys into the heart of the profession. Observing the rigorous Certified Master Chef exam at the Culinary Institute of America, the most influential cooking school in the country, Ruhlman enters the lives and kitchens of rising star Michael Symon and the renowned Thomas Keller of the French Laundry. This fascinating audiobook will satisfy any listener's hunger for knowledge about cooking and food, the secrets of successful chefs, at what point cooking becomes an art form, and more. Like Ruhlman's The Making of a Chef, this is an instant classic in food writing - one of the fastest growing and most popular subjects today.
©2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.; 2001 Michael Ruhlman
A Fighting Chance
Summary
The all-new, thrilling conclusion to the Legion of the Damned series from the national best-selling author of When Duty Calls. Earth has fallen. And the men, women, and cyborgs of the Confederacy must dig deep within their warrior hearts to make one final stand against an alien aggressor. On a rim world, Captain Antonio Santana is reunited with diplomat Christine Vanderveen to protect the severely wounded Ramanthian Queen, who has fled there to avoid assassination. And they'll risk everything to save the Confederacy, billions of lives - and their future together.
©2011 William C. Dietz (P)2011 Audible, Inc.
When All Seems Lost
Summary
Captured by the alien Ramanthians, diplomat Christine Vanderveen must protect the Confederacy's president from both their captors and fellow prisoners. But rescue is on the way, led by Lieutenant Tonio Sanchez, Vanderveens former lover, who must try to set aside his personal feelings for the sake of the mission.
©2008 William C. Dietz (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
Legion of the Damned
Summary
In the future, the terminally ill can prolong life by surrendering their consciousness to a cybernetic life form that is then recruited into the notorious Legion of the Damned, an elite fighting unit charged with protecting humanity.
©1993 William C. Dietz (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
The Silent Wife
Summary
A chilling psychological thriller about a marriage, a way of life, and how far one woman will go to keep what is rightfully hers.... Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater; she lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds; she likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps; she has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that canât be made, and promises that wonât be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the listener from its opening lines and never lets go.
©2013 A. S. A. Harrison (P)2013 Blackstone Audiobooks
Trout Eyes
Summary
Fly fishermen everywhere will enjoy these varied, witty, and engaging adventures by one of Americaâs finest outdoor writers. There is a long section on trout fishing called "Brookies, Browns, and Bows", and another on the challenges and excitement of saltwater fly fishing, and an exciting group of memoirs about fishing near home and in far-flung and often exotic places - like the Minipi, Bighorn, and Norfolk rivers, where the trout can beggar the imagination, and where frustration can be the occupational hazard. Trout Eyes is a love letter to the fish we pursue and insects they eat and the waters in which they live.
©2007 William G. Tapply (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
Requiem for the American Dream
Summary
Noam Chomsky is widely regarded as the most influential thinker of our time, but never before has he devoted a major book to one topic: income inequality. "During the Great Depression, things were much worse than they are today, but there was an expectation that things were going to get better. There was a real sense of hopefulness. There isn't today.... Inequality is really unprecedented. In terms of total inequality, it's like the worst periods in American history. But if you refine it more closely, the inequality comes from the extreme wealth in a tiny sector of the population, a fraction of 1 percent.... Not only is it extremely unjust in itself, inequality has highly negative consequences on the society as a whole because the very fact of inequality has a corrosive, harmful effect on democracy."(Noam Chomsky, in Requiem for the American Dream) Requiem for the American Dream is not an essay collection but an entire work of some 70,000 words, based on four years of interviews with Chomsky by the editors. Chomsky considers these to be his final, long-form documentary interviews. It is a book that makes Chomsky's breadth and depth accessible and at the same time gives us his most powerful political ideas with unprecedented, breathtaking directness. It will go down as one of his greatest and most lasting contributions. Requiem for the American Dream is being produced in tandem with the film of the same name that was recently released in selected theaters to rave reviews and standing ovations. It will be on Netflix and touring colleges prior to the book's release.
©2017 Valeria Chomsky (P)2017 Recorded Books
By Force of Arms
Summary
Having stopped a mutiny against Earth's government, General Bill Booly and his troops face an even greater challenge: a battle for the future of every living being in the universe, against a fanatical human and his killer technology.
©2000 William C. Dietz (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
Rebels in the Making
Summary
Regardless of whether they owned slaves, Southern whites lived in a world defined by slavery. As shown by their blaming British and Northern slave traders for saddling them with slavery, most were uncomfortable with the institution. While many wanted it ended, most were content to leave that up to God. All that changed with the election of Abraham Lincoln. Rebels in the Making is a narrative-driven history of how and why secession occurred. In this work, senior Civil War historian William L. Barney narrates the explosion of the sectional conflict into secession and civil war. Carefully examining the events in all 15 slave states and distinguishing the political circumstances in each, he argues that this was not a mass democratic movement but one led from above.  The work begins with the deepening strains within Southern society as the slave economy matured in the mid-19th century and Southern ideologues struggled to convert whites to the orthodoxy of slavery as a positive good. It then focuses on the years of 1860-1861 when the sectional conflict led to the break-up of the Union. As foreshadowed by the fracturing of the Democratic Party over the issue of federal protection for slavery in the territories, the election of 1860 set the stage for secession. Exploiting fears of slave insurrections, anxieties over crops ravaged by a long drought, and the perceived moral degradation of submitting to the rule of an antislavery Republican, secessionists launched a movement in South Carolina that spread across the South in a frenzied atmosphere described as the great excitement. After examining why Congress was unable to reach a compromise on the core issue of slavery's expansion, the study shows why secession swept over the Lower South in January of 1861 but stalled in the Upper South. The driving impetus for secession is shown to have come from the middling ranks of the slaveholders who saw their aspirations of planter status blocked and denigrated by the Republicans. A separate chapter on the formation of the Confederate government in February of 1861 reveals how moderates and former conservatives pushed aside the original secessionists to assume positions of leadership. The final chapter centers on the crisis over Fort Sumter, the resolution of which by Lincoln precipitated a second wave of secession in the Upper South.  Rebels in the Making shows that secession was not a unified movement, but has its own proponents and patterns in each of the slave states. It draws together the voices of planters, non-slaveholders, women, the enslaved, journalists, and politicians. This is the definitive study of the seminal moment in Southern history that culminated in the Civil War.
©2020 William L. Barney (P)2020 Recorded Books, Inc.
The Mayo Clinic Diet, 2nd Edition
Summary
Eat well. Enjoy life. Lose weight. This completely revised and updated edition of the popular Mayo Clinic Diet is a practical, no-nonsense approach to weight loss designed to help individuals lose weight and, most importantly, keep it off. The book includes to step-by-step advice on key behavior changes to promote weight loss, plus four weeks of daily menus and all-new recipes. The Mayo Clinic Diet is based on years of experience with literally thousands of individuals trying to lose weight. We've identified leading habits of people who maintain a healthy weight and the unhealthy habits of those who don't. Based on this information, we've established five habits to include in your daily routine, five habits to break, and five bonus habits to increase your chances of lasting success. The Mayo Clinic Diet is composed of three sections to get you started, to keep you on track, and to give you the knowledge and tools you need to stay the course. 1. Lose It! is a two week quick-start program designed to help you lose 6 to 10 pounds in a safe and healthy way. 2. Live It! is a long-term maintenance plan in which you continue to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week until you reach your goal. In the process, you learn how to maintain a healthy weight for life. 3. All the extra stuff includes meal plans, recipes, food lists, tips on overcoming challenges, and much more. Best of all, the program is enjoyable. Eating is one of the great joys in life. What you eat on this diet has to taste good, or you won't do it. The Mayo Clinic Diet emphasizes foods that are healthy and taste good. Plus, you don't have to worry about starving yourself. When you're hungry, you can eat. What works is a diet that's easy and simple - a diet you can live with for life!
©2017 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER) (P)2019 Recorded Books
The Spree of '83
Summary
The Los Angeles Times affectionately referred to Freddy Powers as the "Ol Blue Eyes' of Country Music" and wrote that if you were to "ask country superstars Willie Nelson, George Jones or Merle Haggard (they'll)...tell you that he's one of country music's best-kept secrets". The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame inductee has been to the top of the charts as both a producer for Willie Nelson's Grammy-winning LP Over the Rainbow and a songwriter for many of country music legend Merle Haggard's number one hits. Now, for the first time, Freddy recounts the entertaining and emotional stories behind his decades-long roller-coaster ride through the music business, his voyage to the top of the charts, and his inspiring battle against Parkinson's disease. Helping Freddy tell his story are exclusive interviews from fellow country music legends Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, John Rich, Tanya Tucker, and The Voice finalist and Powers' protégé Mary Sarah along with a host of other Nashville luminaries. Full cast of narrators includes Marguerite Gavin, Mark Bramhall, Renée Raudman, Lloyd James, Tanya Tucker, and Traber Burns.
©2017 Freddy and Catherine Powers (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
For More than Glory
Summary
You're only a hero until your next battle. Legion General Bill Booly knows that peace is just a pause between wars. He's just crushed one uprising, and now a new rebellion is already brewing on a remote world light years away - spawning a web of terrorism that is close enough to catch the vulnerable Confederacy in its grasp.
©2004 William C. Dietz (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
St. Louis Noir
Summary
Edited by the best-selling author of The Ice Harvest, St. Louis Noir thickens the Midwest quotient for the Akashic Noir series. Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book. In the wake of Chicago Noir, Twin Cities Noir, and Kansas City Noir - all popular volumes in the Akashic Noir Series - comes the latest Midwest installment, St. Louis Noir. Masterfully curated by Scott Phillips, author of The Ice Harvest (adapted for film, starring John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton), this volume will chill the listener with heartland menace. Featuring brand new stories by: Calvin Wilson, LaVelle Wilkins-Chinn, John Lutz, Paul D. Marks, Colleen J. McElroy, Jason Makansi, S. L. Coney, Michael Castro, Laura Benedict, Jedidiah Ayres, Umar Lee, Chris Barsanti, L. J. Smith, and Scott Phillips.
©2016 Scott Phillips (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
By Blood Alone
Summary
In a Legion gone lax, Colonel Bill Booly, with his mixed blood and by-the-book attitude, is a misfit. So when he steps on some important toes, his punishment is assignment to the worst post in the galaxy: Earth. But Booly and his troops will turn out to be Earth's best line of defense, when a Legion-led military coup topples the government. It's Legionnaire against Legionnaire in a struggle that will be won by strength and courage.
©1999 William C. Dietz (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
A Religion of One's Own
Summary
The New York Times best-selling author and trusted spiritual adviser offers a follow up to his classic Care of the Soul. Something essential is missing from modern life. Many who've turned away from religious institutions - and others who have lived wholly without religion - hunger for more than what contemporary secular life has to offer but are reluctant to follow organized religion's strict and often inflexible path to spirituality. In A Religion of One' s Own, best-selling author and former monk Thomas Moore explores the myriad possibilities of creating a personal spiritual style, either inside or outside formal religion. Two decades ago, Moore's Care of the Soul touched a chord with millions of people yearning to integrate spirituality into their everyday lives. In A Religion of One's Own, Moore expands on the topics he first explored shortly after leaving the monastery. He recounts the benefits of contemplative living that he learned during his 12 years as a monk but also the more original and imaginative spirituality that he later developed and embraced in his secular life. Here, he shares stories of others who are creating their own path: a former football player now on a spiritual quest with the Pueblo Indians, a friend who makes a meditative practice of floral arrangements, and a well-known classical pianist whose audiences sometimes describe having a mystical experience while listening to her performances. Moore weaves their experiences with the wisdom of philosophers, writers, and artists who have rejected materialism and infused their secular lives with transcendence. At a time when so many feel disillusioned with or detached from organized religion yet long for a way to move beyond an exclusively materialistic, rational lifestyle, A Religion of One's Own points the way to creating an amplified inner life and a world of greater purpose, meaning, and reflection.
©2014  Thomas Moore (P)2014 Recorded Books
The Best of Richard Matheson
Summary
Among the greats of 20th-century horror and fantasy, few names stand above Richard Matheson. Though known by many for novels like I Am Legend and his 16 Twilight Zone episodes, Matheson truly shines in his chilling, masterful short stories. Since his first story appeared in 1950, virtually every major writer of science fiction and fantasy has fallen under his influence, including Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, and Joe Hill, as well as filmmakers like Stephen Spielberg and J. J. Abrams. Matheson revolutionized horror by taking it out of Gothic castles and strange cosmos and into the darkened streets and suburbs we recognize as our own. He infused tales of the fantastic and supernormal with dark explorations of human nature, delving deep into the universal dread of feeling alone and threatened in a dangerous world. The Best of Richard Matheson brings together his greatest hits as chosen by Victor LaValle, an expert on horror fiction and one of its brightest talents, marking the first major overview of Matheson's legendary career. Narrated by Robertson Dean, Donald Corren, Peter Berkrot, Paul Michael Garcia, Hillary Huber, Traber Burns, Scott Brick, Devon Sorvari, and Kevin Kenerly.
©2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Shadows in the Vineyard
Summary
Journalist Maximillian Potter uncovers a fascinating plot to destroy the vines of La Romanée-Conti, Burgundy's finest and most expensive wine. In January 2010, Aubert de Villaine, the famed proprietor of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, the tiny, storied vineyard that produces the most expensive, exquisite wines in the world, received an anonymous note threatening the destruction of his priceless vines by poison - a crime that in the world of high-end wine is akin to murder - unless he paid a one million euro ransom. Villaine believed it to be a sick joke, but that proved a fatal miscalculation and the crime shocked this fabled region of France. The sinister story that Vanity Fair journalist Maximillian Potter uncovered would lead to a sting operation by some of France's top detectives, the primary suspect's suicide, and a dramatic investigation. This botanical crime threatened to destroy the fiercely traditional culture surrounding the world's greatest wine. Shadows in the Vineyard takes us deep into a captivating world full of fascinating characters, small-town French politics, an unforgettable narrative, and a local culture defined by the twinned veins of excess and vitality and the deep reverent attention to the land that runs through it.
©2014 Maximillian Potter (P)2014 Hachette Audio
Flynn
Summary
Infusing elements of dark reality into this richly detailed, comical series, Mcdonald's first volume, Flynn, delves deeper into the curious character first introduced in the best-selling Fletch series - Francis Xavier Flynn. Early one morning as Boston's only investigator is returning home from solving another peculiar case, he has the displeasure of witnessing a spectacularly horrible show outside his front door: a massive aircraft, carrying over one hundred souls, exploding in midair over the harbor. Almost immediately, the Human Surplus League takes credit for the heinous act of terrorism. But "Reluctant Flynn" isn't so easily convinced, unlike his partner and governmental counterparts. Now finding himself at the whim of the tedious and ill-mannered FBI agents as they follow bunk leads and question all the wrong suspects, he decides to do his own digging, employing family and encountering new friends and old acquaintances along the way. As the truth begins to trickle forth, Flynn finds himself staring down a much bigger - and much deadlier - problem.
©2003 Gregory Mcdonald (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
For Those Who Fell
Summary
To ensure the survival of The Confederacy, the Legion of the Damned must establish a new capital on the planet Algeron - and seize faster-than-light technology from alien forces before it can be used against them.
©2005 William C. Dietz (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
The Coming of Wisdom
Summary
The Goddess had rescued Wallie Smith from certain death, endowed him with a magnificent new body, and gifted him with the legendary Sapphire Sword of Chioxin. She asked only one service in return.... So Wallie became the Goddess' champion - and promptly found himself on the losing side in a battle against magics far beyond any the priests of the Goddess could hope to summon. After eons of exile, sorcerers walked the World again, claiming lands and souls for their Fire God. Wallie quickly found that swords were no match for spells - and how could mere mortals prevail against the powers of magic?
©1988 D.J. Duncan (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
The Divine Plan
Summary
Just six weeks apart in the spring of 1981, Pope John Paul II and President ÂRonald Reagan took bullets from would-be assassins. Few realized at the time how close both men came to dying. Surviving these near-death experiences created a singular bond between the pope and the president that Âhistorians have failed to appreciate. When John Paul II and Reagan met only a year later, they confided to each other a shared conviction: that God had spared their lives for a Âreason. That reason? To defeat Communism. In private, Reagan had a name for this: âThe DPâ - the Divine Plan. It has become fashionable to see the collapse of the Soviet empire as inevitable. Hardly. In this riveting book, bestselling author Paul Kengor and writer-Âdirector Robert Orlando show what it took to end the Cold War: leaders who refused to accept that hundreds of Âmillions must suffer under totalitarian ÂCommunism. And no leaders proved more important than the pope and the president. Two men who seemed to have little in common developed an extraordinary bond - including a spiritual bond between the Catholic pope and Protestant president. And their shared core convictions drove them to confront Communism. To tell the full story of the dramatic closing act of the Cold War, Kengor and Orlando draw on their exhaustive research and exclusive interviews with more than a dozen experts, including well-known historians Douglas Brinkley; H. W. Brands; Anne Applebaum; Stephen Kotkin; John OâSullivan; Craig Shirley, the leading biographer of John Paul II; George Weigel; close Reagan advisers Richard V. Allen and James Rosebush; and Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron. You canât understand Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan - or how the Cold War came to such a swift and peaceful end - without understanding how much faith they put in the Divine Plan.
©2019 Paul Kengor, PhD and Robert Orlando (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing
The Reluctant Swordsman
Summary
Wallie Smith can feel the pain. He goes to the hospital, remembers the doctors and the commotion, but when he wakes up it all seems like a dream. However, if that was a dream how do you explain waking up in another body and in another world? Little Wallie finds himself in the physique of a barbarian swordsman, accompanied by both an eccentric priest babbling about the Goddess and a voluptuous slave girl. Is this a rude awakening or a dream come true? What in the world will Wallie do now that he's found himself stranded in a strange realm? Well it just so happens that the Goddess is in need of a swordsman. It won't be easy but if he succeeds he will have everything he wants. If he doesn't, things could get ugly. Wallie is reluctant but sees his chance. If only he had the faintest clue as to the adventure he is about to unleash! If only he could imagine the forces that will be out to vanquish him!
©1988 D.J. Duncan (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
Close-Up on Sunset Boulevard
Summary
Billy Wilderâs Sunset Boulevard, a classic film noir and also a damning dissection of the Hollywood dream factory, evokes the glamour and ruin of the stars who subsist on that dream. Itâs also one long in-joke about the movie industry and those who made it great - and who were, in turn, destroyed by it. One of the most critically admired films of the 20th century, Sunset Boulevard is also famous as silent-star Gloria Swansonâs comeback picture. Sam Staggsâs Close-Up on Sunset Boulevard tells the story of this extravagant work, from the writing, casting, and filming to the disastrous previews that made Paramount consider shelving it. Itâs about the writing team of Billy Wilder and Charles Bracket - sardonically called âthe happiest couple in Hollywoodâ - and their raucous professional relationship. Itâs about the art direction and the sets, the costumes, the props, the lights and cameras, and the personalities who used those tools to create a cinematic work of art. Staggs goes behind the scenes to reveal: William Holden, endlessly attacked by his bitter wife and drinking too much; Nancy Olson, the cheerful ingenue who had never heard of the great Gloria Swanson; the dark genius Erich von Stroheim; the once famous but long-forgotten âWaxworksâ; and of course Swanson herself, who - just like Norma Desmond - had once been âthe greatest star of them allâ. But the story of Sunset Boulevard doesnât end with the movieâs success and acclaim at its release in 1950. Thereâs much more, and Staggs layers this stylish book with fascinating detail, following the actors and Wilder into their post-Sunset careers and revealing Gloria Swansonâs never-ending struggle to free herself from the clutches of Norma Desmond. Close-Up on Sunset Boulevard also chronicles the making of Andrew Lloyd Webberâs musical production of Sunset Boulevard and the explosive diva controversies that dogged it. The book ends with a shocking example of Hollywood life imitating Hollywood art. By the last word of this rich narrative, listeners will conclude: We are those âwonderful people out there in the darkâ.
©2002 Sam Staggs (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing
Fat & Bones
Summary
When a farmer dies, the decades-old feud between his son, Bones, and Fat, a fairy who lives in a tree on the farm, escalates, with surprising consequences for Bones' mother and the farm animals. Welcome to Bald's farm. Well, perhaps it's not Bald's farm anymore. The old man has kicked the bucket, setting off a wave of conflict from the flooded farmhouse kitchen to the muddy pig pen to the tall wheat fields. In this darkly funny, slightly supernatural chain of tales, no creature is safe. Not Leonard Grey, a spider with sophisticated tastes. Not Esmeralda, a resentful one-legged pig. Not Tulip, a plant with a mean streak. And as for Bones, the old man's son, and Fat, his winged rival? They'll learn that danger lurks in the strangest of places....
©2014 Larissa Theule (P)2015 Recorded Books
The Final Battle
Summary
The Confederacy is threatened by an uprising of the Hudathans, an unfeeling cyborg race that has built up its forces through stolen technology, and their only opponents are the members of the Legion.
©1995 William C. Dietz (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
In Defense of Selfishness
Summary
From childhood we're taught one central, noncontroversial idea about morality: Self-sacrifice is a virtue. It is universally accepted that serving the needs of others rather than our own is the essence of morality. To be ethical - it is believed - is to be altruistic. Questioning this belief is regarded as tantamount to questioning the self-evident. Here, Peter Schwartz questions it. In Defense of Selfishness refutes widespread misconceptions about the meaning of selfishness and of altruism. Basing his arguments on Ayn Rand's ethics of rational self-interest, Schwartz demonstrates that genuine selfishness is not exemplified by the brutal plundering of an Attila the Hun or the conniving duplicity of a Bernard Madoff. To the contrary such people are acting against their actual long-range interests. The truly selfish individual is committed to moral principles and lives an honest, productive, self-respecting life. He does not feed parasitically off other people. Instead he renounces the unearned and deals with others - in both the material and spiritual realms - by offering value for value, to mutual benefit. The selfish individual, Schwartz maintains, lives by reason, not force. He lives by production and trade, not by theft and fraud. He disavows the mindlessness of the do-whatever-you-feel-like emotionalist and upholds rationality as his primary virtue. He takes pride in his achievements and does not sacrifice himself to others - nor does he sacrifice others to himself. According to the code of altruism, however, you must embrace self-sacrifice. You must subordinate yourself to others. Altruism calls not for cooperation and benevolence but for servitude. It demands that you surrender your interests to the needs of others, that you regard serving others as the moral justification of your existence, that you be willing to suffer so a nonyou might benefit.
©2015 Peter Schwartz (P)2015 Recorded Books
Alexander Graham Bell
Summary
Edwin Grosvenor writes of Bell's other extraordinary inventions: the first transmission of sound over light waves, metal detector, first practical phonograph, and early airplanes, including the first to fly in Canada. He also examines Bell's humanitarian efforts, including support for women's suffrage, civil rights, and speeches about what he warned would be a "greenhouse effect" of pollution causing global warming.
©2016 Edwin S. Grosvenor and Morgan Wesson (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
When Duty Calls
Summary
As the war with the Ramanthian continues, Captain Antonio Santana and his force of biobods and cyborgs find themselves surrounded by enemy forces, faced with annihilation at every turn. On the home front, diplomat Christine Vanderveen finds herself torn between her love for Santana and her new loyalty towards the charismatic, recently elected president of the Clone Republic. As Christine fights her own divided heart, light years away, Santana is in a battle for his life. And this battle may be his last.
©2009 William C. Dietz (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
The War Below
Summary
The riveting story of the submarine force that helped win World War II by ravaging Japanâs merchant fleet and destroying its economy. The War Below is a dramatic account of extraordinary heroism, ingenuity, and perseveranceâand the vital role American submarines played in winning the Pacific War. Focusing on the unique stories of the submarines Silversides, Drum, and Tangâand the men who skippered and crewed themâJames Scott takes readers beneath the waves to experience the thrill of a direct hit on a merchant ship and the terror of depth charge attacks. Itâs a story filled with incredible feats of courage, including an emergency appendectomy performed with spoons by an inexperienced medic and the desperate struggle of sailors to escape from a flooded submarine stuck on the bottom, as well as tragic moments such as American submarines sinking an unmarked enemy ship carrying some 1,800 American POWs. The casualty rate among submariners topped that of all military branches, a staggering six times higher than the surface navy. The war claimed almost one out of every five boats. But Japan was so ravaged by the loss of precious fuel and supplies that by warâs end, Japanese warships lay at anchor while hungry civilians ate sawdust. Scott paints an unforgettable picture of the dangerous life submariners endured, including the atrocious prison camps where the Japanese beat, tortured, and starved captured Allied troops. Based on more than one hundred interviews with submarine veterans and a review of more than three thousand pages of previously unpublished letters, diaries, and personal writings, The War Below allows readers to experience the Pacific War as never before.
©2013 James M. Scott (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Dalamar the Dark
Summary
A talent for magic runs like fire through the blood of Dalamar Argent. Yet he is only a servant in the house of an elvish lord, not worthy of the High Art of Sorcery and denied all but the most grudging teaching. As war simmers on the borders of Silvanesti, Dalamar will find a way to learn his art. His quest will take him along dark paths toward an awesome destiny.
©2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
The Astral
Summary
The Astral is a huge rose-colored old pile of an apartment building in the gentrifying neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. For decades it was the happy home (or so he thought) of poet Harry Quirk and his wife, Luz, a nurse, and of their two children: Karina, now a fervent freegan, and Hector, now in the clutches of a cultish Christian community. But Luz has found (and destroyed) some poems of Harry's that ignite her long-simmering suspicions of infidelity, and he's been summarily kicked out. He now has to reckon with the consequences of his literary, marital, financial, and parental failures, (and perhaps others) and find his way forward - and back into Luz's good graces.
©2011 Kate Christensen (P)2011 Dreamscape Media, LLC
The Disaster Diaries
Summary
Sam Sheridan has been an amateur boxer, mixed-martial-arts fighter, professional wilderness firefighter, EMT, sailor, and cowboy, and has worked in construction at the South Pole. If he isn't ready for the apocalypse, we're all in a lot of trouble. Despite an arsenal of skills that would put most of us to shame, when Sam had his son and settled down, he was beset with nightmares about being unable to protect him. Apocalyptic images filled his head. If a rogue wave hit his beach community, could he get out? If he was forced outside the city, could he survive in the wilderness? Let's not even talk about plagues, zombies, and aliens. Unable to quiet his mind, Sam decided to face his fears head-on, embarking on a quest to gain as many skills as possible that might come in handy should the world as we know it end. Each possible doomsday required a different skill set. Trying to navigate a clogged highway when everyone is trying to leave town? Better go to the best stunt-driving school in the country. Need to protect your family but have no ammunition? Better learn how to handle a knife. Is your kid hurt or mentally strained? Better brush up on emergency medicine and study the psychological effects of trauma. From training with an Olympic weightlifter to an apprenticeship in stealing cars with an ex-gang member, from an intense three-week gun course in the 100-degree heat of Alabama to agonizing lessons in wilderness survival, Sam left no stone unturned. Would it be enough if a meteor rocked the earth? Who's to say? But as Sam points out, it would be a damn shame to survive the initial impact only to die a few days later because you didn't know how to build a fire. This is participatory journalism at its finest. A rollicking narrative with each chapter framed by a hypothetical doomsday scenario, The Disaster Diaries is for everyone who wants to know what it might take to make it through a cataclysmic event - or just wants to watch someone else struggle to find out.
©2013 Sam Sheridan (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc
All the Dreams We've Dreamed
Summary
Shawn Harrington returned to Marshall High School as an assistant coach years after appearing as a player in the iconic basketball documentary film Hoop Dreams. In January of 2014, Marshall's struggling team was about to improve after the addition of a charismatic but troubled player. Everything changed, however, when two young men opened fired on Harrington's car as he drove his daughter to school. Using his body to shield her, Harrington was struck and paralyzed. The mistaken-identity shooting was followed by a series of events that had a devastating impact on Harrington and Marshall's basketball family. Over the next three years, as a shocking number of players were murdered, it became obvious that the dream of the game providing a better life had nearly dissolved. All the Dreams We've Dreamed is a true story of courage, endurance, and friendship in one of America's most violent neighborhoods. Author Rus Bradburd, who has an intimate 40-year relationship to Chicago basketball, tells Shawn's story with empathy and care, exploring the intertwined tragedies of gun violence, health-care failure, racial assumptions, struggling educational systems, corruption in athletics - and the hope that can survive them all.
©2018 Rus Bradburd (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Separate
Summary
A myth-shattering narrative of how a nation embraced "separation" and its pernicious consequences. Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court case synonymous with "separate but equal", created remarkably little stir when the justices announced their near-unanimous decision on May 18, 1896. Yet it is one of the most compelling and dramatic stories of the 19th century, whose outcome embraced and protected segregation, and whose reverberations are still felt into the 21st. Separate spans a striking range of characters and landscapes, bound together by the defining issue of their time and ours - race and equality. Wending its way through a half-century of American history, the narrative begins at the dawn of the railroad age, in the North, home to the nation's first separate railroad car, then moves briskly through slavery and the Civil War to Reconstruction and its aftermath, as separation took root in nearly every aspect of American life. Award-winning author Steve Luxenberg draws from letters, diaries, and archival collections to tell the story of Plessy v. Ferguson through the eyes of the people caught up in the case. Separate depicts indelible figures, such as the resisters from the mixed-race community of French New Orleans, led by Louis Martinet, a lawyer and crusading newspaper editor; Homer Plessy's lawyer, Albion Tourgee, a best-selling author and the country's best-known white advocate for civil rights; Justice Henry Billings Brown, from antislavery New England, whose majority ruling endorsed separation; and Justice John Harlan, the Southerner from a slaveholding family whose singular dissent cemented his reputation as a steadfast voice for justice.
©2019 Steve Luxenberg (P)2019 Recorded Books
Alexander the Great
Summary
Alexander the Great is a towering figure in ancient history because of his legendary conquests throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. He was born in 356 BC to the noble family of Macedon. As such, he was afforded with great luxuries growing up including having Aristotle as his private tutor. After his father was assassinated, he took over the throne and inherited a formidable army which he would put to tremendous use. Alexander was just in his early 20s when he embarked on an ambitious expansion of his territories. Despite his youth, he proved to be a capable military strategist and captured nearly all the kingdoms in his path, often leading the battles himself. Even the mighty Persians who had terrorized the Greek states for centuries had been defeated by his army. He also conquered Egypt, took the title of Pharaoh, and founded the city of Alexandria. His campaigns reached as far as India and could have gone farther if not for his men's refusal to march on due to homesickness. Despite this premature turnaround back to Macedon, he was able to consolidate most of the known world under his rule - a feat never before achieved. He caught a vicious illness on the way back and died at the age of 32 far away from his home. This book is part of a biography series by brothers Jacob and John Abbott first published in 1876 with a few updates and revisions. It continues to be one of the best books written on Alexander the Great, his incredible conquests, his eventual downfall, and the aftermath of his death. It is filled with fascinating details and deep insights into that period in history. Alexander's military tactics are still taught the world over and his influence lingers even after thousands of years.
Public Domain (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Eccentric Orbits
Summary
The incredible story of Iridium - the most complex satellite system ever built, the cell phone of the future, and one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in American history - and one man's desperate race to save it. In the early 1990s, Motorola, the legendary American technology company, developed a revolutionary satellite system called Iridium that promised to be its crowning achievement. Light-years ahead of anything previously put into space, and built on technology developed for Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars", Iridium's constellation of 66 satellites in polar orbit meant that no matter where you were on Earth, at least one satellite was always overhead, and you could call Tibet from Fiji without a delay and without your call ever touching a wire. Iridium the satellite system was a mind-boggling technical accomplishment, surely the future of communication. The only problem was that Iridium the company was a commercial disaster. Only months after launching service, it was $11 billion in debt, burning through $100 million a month, and crippled by baroque rate plans and agreements that forced calls through Moscow; Beijing; Fucino, Italy; and elsewhere. Bankruptcy was inevitable - the largest to that point in American history. And when no real buyers seemed to materialize, it looked like Iridium would go down as just a "science experiment". That is, until Dan Colussy got a wild idea. Colussy, a former head of Pan Am now retired and working on his golf game in Palm Beach, heard about Motorola's plans to "de-orbit" the system and decided he would buy Iridium and somehow turn around one of the biggest blunders in the history of business. In Eccentric Orbits, John Bloom masterfully traces the conception, development, and launching of Iridium and Colussy's tireless efforts to stop it from being destroyed, from meetings with his motley investor group to the Clinton White House, the Pentagon, and the hunt for customers in special ops, shipping, aviation, mining, search and rescue - anyone who would need a durable phone at the end of the Earth. Impeccably researched and wonderfully told, Eccentric Orbits is a rollicking, unforgettable tale of technological achievement, business failure, the military-industrial complex, and one of the greatest deals of all time.
©2016 John Bloom (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
The Human Network
Summary
Here is a fresh, intriguing, and, above all, authoritative book about how our sometimes hidden positions in various social structures - our human networks - shape how we think and behave, and inform our very outlook on life. Inequality, social immobility, and political polarization are only a few crucial phenomena driven by the inevitability of social structures. Social structures determine who has power and influence, account for why people fail to assimilate basic facts, and enlarge our understanding of patterns of contagion - from the spread of disease to financial crises. Despite their primary role in shaping our lives, human networks are often overlooked when we try to account for our most important political and economic practices. Matthew O. Jackson brilliantly illuminates the complexity of the social networks in which we are - often unwittingly - positioned and aims to facilitate a deeper appreciation of why we are who we are. Ranging across disciplines - psychology, behavioral economics, sociology, and business - and rich with historical analogies and anecdotes, The Human Network provides a galvanizing account of what can drive success or failure in life.
©2019 Matthew O. Jackson (P)2019 Recorded Books
Flynn's World
Summary
Inspector Francis Xavier Flynn, also known as international superspy N. N. 13, returns in this final book of the intelligently written, scintillating series by best-selling author Gregory Mcdonald. Severely lacking in sleep from a recent bout of marathon investigative work, all Flynn wants is a proper night's rest. Unfortunately, at the early morning summons of his frantic daughter, he's off to the cemetery to rescue her young friend who's in quite a peculiar bind. And as the day progresses, a curious collection of puzzling cases fall into Flynn's lap, each one stranger and more urgent than the last. As Flynn plunges into harm's way in pursuit of the truth, buried secrets and dark motives come to light as he races to solve each crime and bring these seemingly disconnected matters to a full and complete case closed.
©2019 Gregory Mcdonald (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
The Destiny of the Sword
Summary
Wallie Smith had been dying on another world when the Goddess transferred his mind to the body of the barbarian swordsman Shonsu. Then She gave him the great, magical Sapphire Sword of Chioxin and sent him on a mission. All he had to do was to lead the arrogant band of swordsmen to destroy the sorcerers and their Fire God. Now Wallie discovered that he'd already tried it - and been hopelessly defeated. A few complications cropped up. Wallie's reputation was in tatters. His best friend and pupil was apparently planning to betray him. And if he won, he would doom all hope of progress and learning in this World of the Goddess - doom the Goddess Herself. It made an interesting kind of riddle. All he had to do was find the solution - and survive, if he could!
©1988 D.J. Duncan (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
Echoes of Sherlock Holmes
Summary
A brand-new anthology of stories inspired by the Arthur Conan Doyle canon. In this follow-up to the acclaimed In the Company of Sherlock Holmes, expert Sherlockians Laurie King and Leslie Klinger put forth the question: What happens when great writers/creators who are not known as Sherlock Holmes devotees admit to being inspired by Conan Doyle stories? While some are highly regarded mystery writers, others are best known for their work in the fields of fantasy or science fiction. All of these talented authors, however, share a great admiration for Arthur Conan Doyle and his greatest creations, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. To the editors' great delight, these stories go in many directions. Some explore the spirit of Holmes himself; others tell of detectives inspired by Holmes' adventures or methods. A young boy becomes a detective; a young woman sharpens her investigative skills; an aging actress and a housemaid each find that they have unexpected talents. Other characters from the Holmes stories are explored, and even non-Holmesian tales by Conan Doyle are echoed. The variations are endless! Although not a formal collection of new Sherlock Holmes stories, some entries do fit that mold, while others were inspired by the Conan Doyle canon. The results are breathtaking, for fans of Holmes and Watson as well as listeners new to Doyle's writing. Full cast of narrators includes Marguerite Gavin, Mirron Willis, Ralph Lister, Saskia Maarleveld, Sarah Nichols, Tim Gerard Reynolds, and Traber Burns.
©2016 Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Murder in Tarsis
Summary
Who killed Ambassador Bloodarrow? When the Lord of Tarsis finds himself with a politically volatile murder on his hands, he turns to the three most expendable inhabitants of the city of a solution. A mercenary, a poet-assassin, and a thief might not be everyone's first choice for detectives. But they find they're quite good at bringing murderers to justice. Perhaps a little too good....
©1996 TSR, Inc. (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
Almost Human
Summary
A story of defiance and determination by a controversial scientist, this is Lee Berger's own take on finding Homo naledi, an all-new species on the human family tree and one of the greatest discoveries of the 21st century. In 2013, Lee Berger, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, heard of a cache of bones in a hard-to-reach underground cave in South Africa. He put out a call around the world for petite collaborators - men and women small and adventurous enough to be able to squeeze through eight-inch tunnels to reach a sunless cave forty feet underground. With this team, Berger made the discovery of a lifetime: hundreds of prehistoric bones, including entire skeletons of at least 15 individuals, all perhaps two million years old. Their features combined those of known prehominids like Lucy, the famous Australopithecus, with those more human than anything ever before seen in prehistoric remains. Berger's team had discovered an all new species, and they called it Homo naledi. The cave quickly proved to be the richest prehominid site ever discovered, full of implications that shake the very foundation of how we define what makes us human. Did this species come before, during, or after the emergence of Homo sapiens on our evolutionary tree? How did the cave come to contain nothing but the remains of these individuals? Did they bury their dead? If so, they must have had a level of self-knowledge, including an awareness of death. And yet those are the very characteristics used to define what makes us human. Did an equally advanced species inhabit Earth with us, or before us? Berger does not hesitate to address all these questions. Some colleagues question Berger's interpretation of this and other finds. Here, this charismatic and visionary paleontologist counters their arguments and tells his personal story: a rich narrative about science, exploration, and what it means to be human.
©2017 Lee Berger (P)2018 Blackstone Publishing
Viruses, Pandemics, and Immunity
Summary
How viruses emerge to cause pandemics, how our immune system combats them, and how diagnostic tests, vaccines, and antiviral therapies work. Throughout history, humans have contended with pandemics. History is replete with references to plagues, pestilence, and contagion, but the devastation wrought by pandemics had been largely forgotten by the 21st century. Now, the enormous human and economic toll of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 disease offers a vivid reminder that infectious disease pandemics are one of the greatest existential threats to humanity. This book provides an accessible explanation of how viruses emerge to cause pandemics, how our immune system combats them, and how diagnostic tests, vaccines, and antiviral therapies work - concepts that are a foundation for our public health policies.
©2021 Andrey S. Shaw and Arup K. Chakraborty (P)2021 Recorded Books Inc.
Apollo's Legacy
Summary
An all-encompassing look at the history and enduring impact of the Apollo space program... In Apollo's Legacy, space historian Roger D. Launius explores the many-faceted stories told about the meaning of the Apollo program and how it forever altered American society. The Apollo missions marked the first time human beings left Earth's orbit and visited another world, and thus they loom large in our collective memory. Many have detailed the exciting events of the Apollo program, but Launius offers unique insight into its legacy as seen through multiple perspectives. He surveys a wide range of viewpoints and narratives, both positive and negative, surrounding the program. These include the argument that Apollo epitomizes American technological - and political - progress; technological and scientific advances garnered from the program; critiques from both sides of the political spectrum about the program's expenses; and even conspiracy theories and denials of the program's very existence. Throughout the book, Launius weaves in stories from important moments in Apollo's history to draw readers into his analysis. Apollo's Legacy is a must-read for space buffs interested in new angles on a beloved cultural moment and those seeking a historic perspective on the Apollo program.
©2019 Roger D. Launius (P)2019 Recorded Books
Mayo Clinic A to Z Health Guide
Summary
The best weapon against any condition is knowledge. Learn from the experts in Mayo Clinic's complete guide to identifying, treating, and preventing a broad range of common medical issues. Inside you'll find: Easy-to-understand explanations of more than 100 health conditions Comprehensive lists of frequent signs and symptoms Professional insight on tests and procedures used to make a diagnosis Essential advice on treatments, including commonly used medications Up-to-date prevention guidelines for illnesses that may affect your quality of life Featuring straightforward writing, Mayo Clinic A to Z Health Guide is a must-have health resource for every home.
©2015 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER) (P)2020 Recorded Books
Fighter Group
Summary
Jay A. Stout breaks new ground in World War II history with this gripping account of one of the warâs most highly decorated American fighter groups. Stout combines the storytelling gifts and careful research for a seasoned historian with the combat experience of a former fighter pilot to tell the remarkable story of the 352nd Fighter Group. This isnât just the story of a single fighter group; itâs the story of how the United States won the air war over Europe.
©2012 Jay A. Stout (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing
Sinatra
Summary
Just in time for the Chairman's centennial, the endlessly absorbing sequel to James Kaplan's best-selling Frank: The Voice - finally the definitive biography that Frank Sinatra, justly termed "The Entertainer of the Century", deserves and requires. Like Peter Guralnick on Elvis, Kaplan goes behind the legend to give us the man in full, in his many guises and aspects: peerless singer, (sometimes) powerful actor, business mogul, tireless lover, and associate of the powerful and infamous. In 2010's Frank: The Voice, James Kaplan, in rich, distinctive, compulsively understandable prose, told the story of Frank Sinatra's meteroic rise to fame, subsequent failures, and reinvention as a star of the stage and screen. The story of "Ol' Blue Eyes" continues with Sinatra: The Chairman, picking up the day after Frank claimed his Academy Award in 1954 and had reestablished himself as the top recording artist in music. Frank's life post-Oscar was incredibly dense: In between recording albums and singles, he often shot four or five movies a year; did TV show and nightclub appearances; started his own label, Reprise; and juggled his considerable commercial ventures (movie production, the restaurant business, even prizefighter management) alongside his famous and sometimes notorious social activities and commitments.
©2015 James Kaplan (P)2015 Recorded Books
Spacefarers
Summary
A wry and compelling take on the who, how, and why of near-future colonies in space. From bone-whittling microgravity to eye-popping profits, the risks and rewards of space settlement have never been so close at hand. More than 50 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, why is there so little human presence in space? Will we ever reach Mars? What will it take to become a multiplanet species, colonizing the solar system and traveling to other stars? Spacefarers meets these questions head on. While many books have speculated on the possibility of living beyond the Earth, few have delved into the practical challenges or plausible motives for leaving the safe confines of our home planet. Christopher Wanjek argues that there is little doubt we will be returning to the Moon and exploring Mars in the coming decades, given the potential scientific and commercial bonanza. Private industry is already taking a leading role and earning profits from human space activity. This can be, Wanjek suggests, a sustainable venture and a natural extension of earthbound science, business, and leisure. He envisions hotels in low-earth orbit and mining, tourism, and science on the Moon. He also proposes the slow, steady development of science bases on Mars, to be followed by settlements if Martian gravity will permit reproduction and healthy child development. An appetite for wonder will take us far, but if we really want to settle new worlds, weâll need the earnest plans of engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. Wanjek introduces us to those planners, who are striving right now to make life in space a reality.Â
©2020 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing
The Remedy
Summary
The riveting history of tuberculosis, the worldâs most lethal disease, the two men whose lives it tragically intertwined, and the birth of medical science. In 1875, tuberculosis was the deadliest disease in the world, accountable for a third of all deaths. A diagnosis of TB - often called consumption - was a death sentence. Then, in a triumph of medical science, a German doctor named Robert Koch deployed an unprecedented scientific rigor to discover the bacteria that caused TB. Koch soon embarked on a remedy - a remedy that would be his undoing. When Koch announced his cure for consumption, Arthur Conan Doyle, then a small-town doctor in England and sometime writer, went to Berlin to cover the event. Touring the ward of reportedly cured patients, he was horrified. Kochâs âremedyâ was either sloppy science or outright fraud. But to a world desperate for relief, Kochâs remedy wasnât so easily dismissed. As Europeâs consumptives descended upon Berlin, Koch urgently tried to prove his case. Conan Doyle, meanwhile, returned to England determined to abandon medicine in favor of writing. In particular, he turned to a character inspired by the very scientific methods that Koch had formulated: Sherlock Holmes. Capturing the moment when mystery and magic began to yield to science, The Remedy chronicles the stunning story of how the germ theory of disease became a true fact, how two men of ambition were emboldened to reach for something more, and how scientific discoveries evolve into social truths.
©2014 Thomas Goetz (P)2014 Recorded Books
Pancakes in Paris
Summary
Paris was practically perfect - although for Craig Carlson one thing was still missing: the good ol' American breakfast he loved so much. Craig was the last person anyone would have expected to open an American diner in Paris. He came from humble beginnings in a working-class town in Connecticut, had never worked in a restaurant, and didn't know anything about starting a brand-new business. But from his first visit to Paris, Craig knew he had found the city of his dreams. Pancakes in Paris is the story of Craig tackling the impossible - from raising the money to fund his dream to tracking down international suppliers for "exotic" American ingredients, and even finding love along the way. His diner, Breakfast in America, is now a renowned tourist destination, and the story of how it came to be is just as delicious and satisfying as the classic breakfast that tops its menu.
©2016 Craig Carlson (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Hardiness
Summary
Learn to embrace the 3 C's of psychological hardiness to overcome stress and increase personal growth Life is full of questions. How you answer these questions can determine which path your life takes. Think about how many questions you are faced with every day. It can be overwhelming. From the mundane to the profound, questions help you navigate everything from your daily routine to your career choices and relationships. Sometimes, asking the right question is just as important as the answer: What do you want out of life? Is it financial success? A loving family? Career achievement? Maybe you are coping with a serious illness. Whatever your goal may be, you have undoubtedly encountered barriers that slow your progress. One of the biggest of these barriers is stress. Scientific research has found that your ability to resist the damaging effects of stress - your hardiness - can reduce stress-related illness and strengthen your ability to thrive under pressure. Hardiness, written by respected clinical and research psychologists, will help develop your psychological hardiness which, in turn, enables you to enjoy more of life's rewards. Mastering the 3 C's of hardiness - commitment, control, and challenge - is essential to increasing hardiness and responding effectively to stressful situations. This invaluable guide provides exercises and activities, based on 30 years of research, specifically designed to increase your hardiness in all areas of your personal and professional life. This book will help you: Understand how hardiness is assessed to evaluate and improve your response to stress Unlock your new potential made possible by a better understanding of hardiness Examine real-life examples and case studies of psychological hardiness Increase your engagement in the surrounding world Capitalize on opportunities for your personal growth Hardiness: Making Stress Work for You to Achieve Your Life Goals can help you move toward becoming healthier, more self-actualized, and increasingly satisfied with your life and future.
©2020 Multi-Health Systems Inc. and Paul T. Bartone (P)2019 Recorded Books