John McDonough has narrated 142 audiobooks on Listento.it by 46 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.7★ across 390 ratings. The most-rated is Silverwing.
Strega Nona
Summary
Mix together an old witch, her magic pasta pot, and a greedy boy. What do you get? Mischief, wild adventure, and a big helping of fun! All the people in the little town of Calabria go to old Strega Nona for solutions to their troubles. From aching heads to broken hearts - Strega Nona can cure them all. But when she hires a lumbering boy named Big Anthony to help her, Strega Nona’s own troubles begin. Award-winning children’s author Tomie dePaola offers an original tale that will have listeners of all ages laughing out loud, especially with John McDonough’s gentle narration. He highlights all the whimsical humor of this charming story.
©1975 Tomie dePaola (P)1998 Recorded Books
A Lion Among Men
Summary
In the much-anticipated third volume of the Wicked Years, we return to Oz, seen now through the eyes of the Cowardly Lion. While civil war looms in Oz, a tetchy oracle named Yackle prepares for death. Before her final hour, a figure known as Brrr - the Cowardly Lion - arrives searching for information about Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West. Abandoned as a cub, his path from infancy is no Yellow Brick Road. In the wake of laws that oppress talking animals, he avoids a jail sentence by agreeing to serve as a lackey to the warmongering Emperor of Oz. A Lion Among Men chronicles a battle of wits hastened by the Emerald City's approaching armies. Can those tarnished by infamy escape their sobriquets to claim their own histories, to live honorably within their own skins before they're skinned alive? Gregory Maguire's new novel is written with the sympathy and power that have made his books contemporary classics.
©2008 Gregory Maguire (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers
The Great Shame
Summary
Thomas Keneally, the Booker Prize-winning author of Schindler’s List, is universally praised for crafting smooth narratives from authentic historical events. With The Great Shame, he turns his insightful eye toward the Irish struggle through the 19h century. In sharp contrast to much of Europe, Ireland was a terrible place to be during the 1800s. Many of the nation’s finest people set sail for America and Canada. Others were forcibly exiled to Australia for committing crimes as minor as shoplifting. And approximately one million perished when a widespread potato fungus fueled a devastating famine. But the Irish survived—on their homeland and spanning the globe—making profound contributions to the world. Epic in scope, this account captures the humanity of these events and ultimately emerges as a message of hope and glory. Keneally, an Australian with Irish bloodties, powerfully examines many shattered lives—including those of his own relatives. Narrator John McDonough brings a spirit to this extraordinary book that will not soon be forgotten.
©1998 The Serpentine Publishing Co., Ltd. (P)2000 Recorded Books, LLC
The Education of Henry Adams
Summary
This autobiography was immediately hailed as a masterpiece upon publication and has even been called the greatest nonfiction book ever written. Henry Adams, whose great-grandfather and grandfather were both U.S. presidents, fills his story with one unforgettably brilliant observation after another. Filled with uncommon wisdom, this book also serves as a thoughtful history of 19th-century America.
Public Domain (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC
Shepherds Abiding
Summary
Since he was a boy growing up in Mississippi, Father Tim has lived what he calls "the life of the mind". Except for cooking and gardening and washing his dog, he never learned to savor the work of his hands. And then he finds a derelict nativity scene: twenty figures, including a flock of sheep, that have suffered the indignities of time and neglect. Could he give the small company new life? Restore the camel's ear, repaint every piece, replace a missing nose on a wise man? "You can't teach an old dog new tricks!" he reminds himself. It's when he imagines the excitement in Cynthia's eyes that he steps up to the plate and begins a small journey of faith that touches everyone around him. The eighth novel in the bestselling Mitford Years series is a meditation on the best of all presents: the gift of one's heart. Lovingly written, it seeks to restore the true Christmas spirit and give everyone a seat at Mitford's holiday table. Continue the holiday cheer with two more trips to Mitford with The Mitford Snowmen and Esther's Gift, both included in this audio edition.
©2001, 2002, 2003 Jan Karon (P)2003 Penguin Audiobooks and Recorded Books, LLC
Freddy and the Flying Saucer Plans
Summary
While Freddy the pig relaxes in his best cowboy outfit and sings a song, he decides that he needs a vacation. He will ride his pony, Cy, out West. He'll see some wide-open spaces and maybe find some excitement.But before Freddy can leave, the excitement finds him first. Uncle Ben races up to the farm and asks Freddy for help. A pack of sneaky spies is trying to steal Uncle Ben's plans for building a flying saucer. Soon, Freddy is riding into one of the wildest adventures of his life, one that will require his most clever disguises!In the Freddy the Pig books, generations of children have enjoyed the chubby but poetic detective and his animal friends on the Bean Farm.
©1985 Dorothy R. Brooks (P)1999 Recorded Books, LLC
In This Mountain
Summary
Father Tim and Cynthia have been at home in Mitford for three years since returning from Whitecap Island. In the little town that's home-away-from-home to millions of readers, life hums along as usual. Dooley looks toward his career as a vet; Joe Ivey and Fancy Skinner fight a haircut price war that takes no prisoners; and Percy steps out on a limb with a risky new menu item at the Main Street Grill. Though Father Tim dislikes change, he dislikes retirement even more. As he and Cynthia gear up for a year-long ministry across the state line, a series of events sends shock waves through his faith, and the whole town of Mitford. In her seventh novel in the best-selling Mitford Years series, Jan Karon delivers surprises of every kind, including the return of the man in the attic and an ending that no one in Mitford will ever forget.
©2002 Jan Karon (P)2002 Penguin Audiobooks
Ghost Train to the Eastern Star
Summary
In Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Paul Theroux retraces the steps he took thirty years ago in his classic The Great Railway Bazaar. From the Eurostar in London, he once again sets out on a journey to the East, travelling overland through Eastern Europe, India and Asia. Infused with the changes that have shaped the exterior landscape and enriched with developments to his own perceptions and psychology, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star is an absorbing and beautifully written follow-up to The Great Railway Bazaar.
©2008 Paul Theroux (P)2009 WF Howes Ltd
Woodrow Wilson
Summary
John Milton Cooper, Jr., is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s preeminent Woodrow Wilson biographers. This thoroughly researched profile of America’s 28th president is universally hailed for its scholarship and insight into the life and career ofone of the nation’s most polarizing leaders.
©2009 John Milton Cooper, Jr. (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC
Freddy the Detective
Summary
This heirloom book about a renaissance pig is lovingly passed from generation to generation, and is an authentic American classic. Freddy the Pig knows the rats have stolen the missing toy train. Now he has to find where it is hidden and convict the rats of the crime. Who will win Freddy's first case, the sly, scheming rats or the honorable Freddy? Narrator John McDonough captures the wonderful wordplay, memorable characters, and laugh-out-loud good humor found in this timeless story.
©1960 Dorothy R. Brooks (P)1998 Recorded Books, LLC
Freddy and the Bean Home News
Summary
It all started in 1927 when a group of animals on a farm in Upstate New York decided to travel to Florida in search of warmer weather - and faithful fans of the Freddy books have been joyously lapping up each book in the 26 book series ever since! Why is Freddy such a popular pig? Most readers and listeners will tell you it's because he's a pig for all seasons: a detective, a pilot, a magician, an explorer, a poet, a politician...you name it, and Freddy will give it a shot! In Freddy and the Bean Home News, Freddy's friend Mr. Dimsey, the editor of the Guardian, is ousted for publishing news of Bean Farm in the local newspaper. To ensure that those who are interested might still learn of all the goings-on, Freddy takes it upon himself to found a newspaper of his own and calls it The Bean Home News, the basis for the current Freddy fan club newsletter. But it turns out that being a newspaperman isn't quite as easy as Freddy thought it might be.
©1971 Dorothy R. Brooks (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC
Freddy Goes to Florida
Summary
The barnyard animals are tired of being cold in the winter. Since Farmer Bean doesn't have enough money to patch the holes in the barn or heat the chicken coop, they are migrating to Florida for the winter. Travelling to the beat of Freddy the pig's funny songs, they meet with one adventure after another. They find gold treasure to take home to Farmer Bean in the spring. Florida is fun, except for the time when alligators try to eat them for lunch. Only Freddy's cleverness lets them escape with their lives. Writing during the first half of the 20th century, Walter R. Brooks captured the idyllic America that disappeared with the 1950s. Fans remember him as the creator of Mr. Ed, the talking horse of television fame. His tour-de-force was his set of 26 Freddy books, all espousing the values that people still want for their children: loyalty, sharing, and forgiveness. John McDonough's delightful voice captures the humor and genius of this timeless creation.
©1976 Dorothy R. Brooks (P)1998 Recorded Books, LLC
Justin Morgan Had a Horse
Summary
In the early years of our country, a poor school teacher, Justin Morgan, receives a horse and her tiny colt in payment for some work. He wishes he had been given money instead. Hoping that he might sell both horses for a fair price, he asks his student, Joel, to break in the colt. To his surprise, young Joel soon discovers that this small, brown creature has special abilities: "Bub" can pull more than a team of oxen, and he can run faster than a racehorse. But while the sturdy little runt wins contest after contest, all Joel wants is to save enough money to buy the beloved "Bub." Justin Morgan Had a Horse is the story of the love between a young boy and a very special horse. A classic of children's literature, it also traces the history of one of the most famous breeds of American horses - the Morgan. Marguerite Henry has earned enduring popularity for her children's books, which include Misty of Chincoteague, also a Newbery Honor book.
©1954 Marguerite Henry (P)1997 Recorded Books, LLC
Freddy and the Popinjay
Summary
A robin with poor eyesight has mistaken Freddy the pig's tail for a worm. Putting aside the poem he is writing, Freddy decides to help the poor bird solve his problem. But the solution just seems to lead to bigger problems.For over half a century, the Freddy books have delighted generations of children.
©1977 Dorothy R. Brooks (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC
Centerburg Tales
Summary
A companion to Homer Price, these imaginative and outlandish tales from all-American Centerbury will leave you in stitches. There's Grampa Hercules and his never-ending tall tales, Dulcy Dooner, the uncooperative citizen, unbusinesslike Uncle Ulysses and his friendly lunchroom, the flustered sheriff, the pompous judge, and more. In Centerburg, along with the routine of day-to-day living, the most preposterous things keep happening. But nothing fazes Homer Price!
©1951, 1977 Robert McCloskey (P)2019 Listening Library
How To Read and Why
Summary
Harold Bloom is Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University, Berg Professor of English at New York University, and a former Charles Eliot Norton Professor at Harvard. He has written more than 20 books of literary criticism. From a lifetime of writing and teaching about literature, this great scholar exhorts readers to consider the pleasures and benefits of reading well. Beginning with a basic question, "Why read?" Bloom offers his thoughts on works that form the canon of great literature. Short stories, poems, novels, and plays are held up to the light of Bloom's considerable intellect. Here are the authors that bear reading again and again, including Turgenev and Tennyson, Cervantes,and Shakespeare. Harold Bloom's many honors include a MacArthur Prize, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Academy's Gold Medal for Criticism. As he shares his passion for literature, his discussion is made even more enthralling through John McDonough's warm narration.
©2000 Harold Bloom (P)2001 Recorded Books
Poppy and Rye
Summary
Poppy has saved the creatures of Dimwood Forest from the terrible owl who killed her beloved Ragweed. Now she intends to travel west, to tell Ragweed’s family the sad news. With her grumpy, but loyal porcupine friend Ereth by her side, the spirited deermouse sets out on a journey that will test her courage, but also lead her to a new love. Along the way, Poppy meets a charming golden mouse who looks like Ragweed, and together on the meadow, they dance a silent dance of love at first sight. But when Poppy reaches her destination, she finds that Ragweed’s family is in trouble. Greedy, dam-building beavers are taking over their valley home. Once again it is up to Poppy to save the day. Of course, it can be very helpful to have a porcupine on your side. This is the highly anticipated sequel to Avi’s Horn Book Award-winning, best-selling Poppy. The colorful creatures of Avi’s legendary imagination spring to life with narrator John McDonough’s warm, grandfatherly reading.
©1998 Avi (P)1999 Recorded Books
Bear's New Friend
Summary
With fun-loving rhymes and a curious mystery to solve, Bear's New Friend, from acclaimed children's author Karma Wilson, is sure to become a new favorite of kids everywhere. A warm and fuzzy reading from narrator John McDonough makes this a delightful listen for youngsters and adults alike.
©2006 Karma Wilson (P)2007 Recorded Books
Mr. Putter and Tabby Write the Book
Summary
While the snow swirls outdoors and the fire crackles in the hearth, Mr. Putter decides to write a mystery book. But he soon learns that writing isn't as easy as he thought it would be. John McDonough's cozy voice artfully captures the whimsical flavor of Cynthia Rylant's gentle humor and endearing characters. Kids simply adore the books of this Newbery Award winner and Best Book of the Year honoree.
©2004 Cynthia Rylant (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC
Gideon's Gift
Summary
Karen Kingsbury, author of 24 books, has warmed the hearts of millions with her tales of miracles. Gideon's Gift captures a Christmas miracle that touches a frail young girl and a gruff homeless man. Eight-year-old Gideon Mercer loves to help people, but she has leukemia. When her illness goes into remission at Christmas, she is sure this miracle is a gift from God. So to celebrate, she and her father volunteer to serve meals at a mission for the homeless. She meets dirty, sullen Earl Badgett there, and although he refuses her friendship, she gives him a small gift. This one act will lead to a series of miracles that will change the rest of Gideon's and Earl's lives, and affect countless others. A story of faith, charity, and rebirth, Gideon's Gift is sure to inspire all listeners with its message of love. John McDonough, critically acclaimed for his colorful narrations of Jan Karon's Mitford books, adds a special warmth to each word.
©2002 Karen Kingbury (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC