Roger Clark has narrated 66 audiobooks on Listento.it by 59 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 1,592 ratings. The most-rated is Six of Crows.
Radical Sacrifice
Summary
The modern conception of sacrifice is at once cast as a victory of self-discipline over desire and condescended to as destructive and archaic abnegation. But even in the Old Testament, the dual natures of sacrifice, embodying both ritual slaughter and moral rectitude, were at odds. In this analysis, Terry Eagleton makes a compelling argument that the idea of sacrifice has long been misunderstood. Pursuing the complex lineage of sacrifice in a lyrical discourse, Eagleton focuses on the Old and New Testaments, offering a virtuosic analysis of the crucifixion, while drawing together a host of philosophers, theologians, and texts - from Hegel, Nietzsche, and Derrida to The Aeneid and The Wings of the Dove. Brilliant meditations on death and eros, Shakespeare and St. Paul, irony and hybridity explore the meaning of sacrifice in modernity, casting off misperceptions of barbarity to reconnect the radical idea to politics and revolution.
©2018 Terry Eagleton (P)2018 Tantor
Evanly Bodies
Summary
Detective Constable Evan Evans and his new bride, Bronwen, are settling into married life in their little cottage above the village of Llanfair when they meet the daughter of one of the village's newest families, a 16-year-old Pakistani girl named Jamila. Bronwen and Jamila are becoming good friends when Jamila finds out from her parents that they have arranged a marriage for her back in Pakistan. Evans tries to convince her family not to enforce the custom, arguing that Jamila is a normal Welsh teenager, but just as the tensions increase, the girl suddenly vanishes. Bronwen is distraught, but there's no trace of her. At work, Evans is investigating the murder of a man shot to death through the open window of his home while eating breakfast. After the man's wife is jailed as a suspect, a second man is killed - and then a third - and Evans and his team are on the hunt for a serial killer. But they can't seem to find any connections between the three men.... In the surprising climax of Edgar Award finalist Rhys Bowen's 10th Constable Evans mystery, Evans risks everything to solve the murders and discover what happened to Jamila. All in all, the novel is a triumph for fans of Bowen's acclaimed Evans series and a wonderful discovery for new listeners.
©2006 Rhys Bowen (P)2020 Audible, Inc.
Poetry
Summary
Poetry, arguably, has a greater range of conceptual meaning than perhaps any other term in English. At the most basic level everyone can recognize it - it is a kind of literature that uses special linguistic devices of organization and expression for aesthetic effect. However, far grander claims have been made for poetry than this - such as Shelley's that the poets "are the unacknowledged legislators of the world," and that poetry is "a higher truth." In this Very Short Introduction, Bernard O'Donoghue provides a fascinating look at the many different forms of writing which have been called "poetry" - from the Greeks to the present day. As well as questioning what poetry is, he asks what poetry is for, and considers contemporary debates on its value. Is there a universality to poetry? And does it have a duty of public utility and responsibility?
©2019 Bernard O'Donoghue (P)2020 Tantor
Skin and Bones
Summary
Teens are turning up dead, and it will take a special team to catch a killer. Derek Doyle has been a member of the Paranormal Investigations Team since the monsters revealed themselves to the world. Considering that he thinks a monster is needed to catch a monster, he's definitely in the right place. As a lone wolf not used to letting many people in, neither man nor beast was prepared for the effect consultant Dr. Ever Chace has on them. Growing up human in a world of supernatural creatures, Dr. Ever Chace has always felt a need to be special, to stand out. When asked to consult on a case where teens are being brutalized, she relishes the chance to make a difference and help stop a monster. But working alongside a wolf who she's so drawn to could be the beginning of something Ever might never have envisioned. Fate and Destiny have a funny way of creeping up on you when you least expect it. With a murderer on the loose, Ever and Derek will have to put their attraction to one another aside while the hunt continues. Easier said than done...right? Contains mature themes.
©2016 Susan Harris (P)2019 Tantor
Smoke and Mirrors
Summary
Ever Chace is a Valkyrie, but not just any Valkyrie - she's a Valkyrie queen in the making. Torn between the past and present, love and obligation, Ever is terrified of saying the words that would break the curse she is bound to. Pushing Derek away hasn't simplified things; it has only made her miserable. With her father waking, and her and Derek's lives on the line, can she really shy away from who and what she is becoming? How long can Ever keep her past lives a secret? Pushing thoughts of his mate aside, Derek tries to focus on the task at hand - tracking down a monster that leaves nothing but a husk behind. But Ever is never truly off his mind, even as two of his own become targets of the unsub. Can he set his personal distractions aside to keep his team alive? Contains mature themes.
©2017 Susan Harris (P)2019 Tantor
Sent to His Account
Summary
One phone call can change everything.... Miles de Cogan thought that he was set to live out a simple life with a cantankerous old lady for his landlord, but this is all turned on its head with a phone call. Inheriting a prosperous estate called County Wicklow and the title to go along with it, Miles learns of the death of his cousin, a baronet. Excited to get started with his new life, Miles is keen to fully immerse himself in village life. Being a generous man of progressive ideas one of Miles's first aims is to develop and improve the village flour mill with the hope of collaborating with the local villagers and soon finds himself starting to envisage his life in among these old funny people. Suddenly, the humdrum simple lifestyle of the Irish village is soon broken - with a murder...Miles's overbearing neighbor Tom Reid is found, having died a painful and horrific death. Is it Reid's plans to build a roadhouse and upset the old tradition of the village that has incurred the wrath of the Dangan residents, or is there something much more underhanded at play? Could it be the ghost of Mile's late predecessor that haunts everyone?
©1954 Eilís Dillon (P)2019 Tantor
The China Chapter
Summary
Dublin detectives link a local murder to international crime A man is found dead after a house fire. Detective Fiona Moore suspects foul play. It's not the charred remains of Tony Phelan that really trouble Dublin law enforcement or the traces of accelerant, so much as the bullet hole in his chest. When a weapon is recovered at the back of the still-smoldering house, it will be the first clue that the death is connected to China. And when Phelan is identified as an airport worker, the investigation begins to focus on suspicious goings-on in relation to a regular A300 freight flight from Shanghai. But pointing the finger at the Chinese is all the rage and maybe detectives have just been led up the garden path. Could the proximity of the victim's house to prime development land be more relevant? Someone has clearly sought to gain from Phelan's death, but the detectives' job would be easier if they could clarify the motive. Enter a mysterious agent from the US and this case gets enormously tricky for detectives Fiona Moore and Aidan Burke to solve.
©2020 David Pearson (P)2021 Tantor
Collateral Damage
Summary
When Derek Doyle wakes up next to a ripped-apart body, he's terrified he's about to lose everything he holds dear - Ever, his job, and his family. Dealing with his past has never come easy to Derek, especially since he's too afraid of what people would think if they knew exactly what kind of monster he really is. But finding out who's setting him up could be harder than the team thinks. As long as Derek has lived, there's bound to be a long list of enemies. Ever Chace has a lot on her plate. Confronted with the possibility that she is indeed losing her mind, Ever tries to push it aside as they deal with the ramifications of Derek's past. Every new relationship has teething problems, but learning to deal with a mate who's used to being a lone wolf has its own set of issues. Can the team figure out how to save Derek from a swift execution? And just how much strain will the revelations put on Derek and Ever's shiny new relationship? Contains mature themes.
©2016 Susan Harris (P)2019 Tantor
Philosophical Method
Summary
What are philosophers trying to achieve? How can they succeed? Does philosophy make progress? Is it in competition with science, or doing something completely different, or neither? Timothy Williamson tackles some of the key questions surrounding philosophy in new and provocative ways, showing how philosophy begins in common sense curiosity, and develops through our capacity to dispute rationally with each other. Discussing philosophy's ability to clarify our thoughts, he explains why such clarification depends on the development of philosophical theories, and how those theories can be tested by imaginative thought experiments, and compared against each other by standards similar to those used in the natural and social sciences. He also shows how logical rigor can be understood as a way of enhancing the explanatory power of philosophical theories. Drawing on the history of philosophy to provide a track record of philosophical thinking's successes and failures, Williamson overturns widely held dogmas about the distinctive nature of philosophy in comparison to the sciences, demystifies its methods, and considers the future of the discipline. From thought experiments, to deduction, to theories, this very short introduction will cause you to totally rethink what philosophy is.
©2020 Timothy Williamson (P)2020 Tantor
Dead Ground in Between
Summary
From Canada's premier author of historical mysteries, Maureen Jennings, comes the haunting fourth novel in the DI Tom Tyler series. Set in Britain during the darkest days of World War II, this is a must-listen for fans of Foyle's War, Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series, and wartime dramas. It's late 1942; the war is still raging and the upcoming Christmas season looks bleak. Detective Inspector Tom Tyler is settling into his placement in Ludlow, Shropshire, a small town jammed with people sent there by the conflict. On the outskirts is an Italian PoW camp and many PoWs work on local farms where manpower is sorely needed. Fraternizing is forbidden but, as Tyler knows only too well, the human heart has a way of crossing boundaries. Tyler's job is both to keep the peace and to enforce wartime regulations. Magistrate's court is busy. Then a troubled old man goes missing in a winter storm. The next day his body is discovered in a secret hideout supposedly known to very few. It soon becomes clear that a crime has been committed, and there is no shortage of suspects. Tyler senses that the two evacuee children who found the body are not telling the entire truth, but when he goes to question them further, he learns they have taken off from their foster home. It becomes imperative that he find them. Showcasing her characteristic masterful storytelling and deep empathy for her characters - from the bravest and most blameless to the profoundly troubled - Jennings has created another outstanding novel that is both a mystery and a rich, satisfying listening experience.
©2016 Maureen Jennings (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
Blitzkrieg
Summary
The successes of the German Blitzkrieg in 1939-41 were as surprising as they were swift. Allied decision-makers wanted to discover the secret to German success quickly, even though only partial, incomplete information was available to them. The false conclusions drawn became myths about the Blitzkrieg that have lingered for decades. It has been argued that German victories in the early part of the war rested less upon newly developed tanks and aircraft and more on German military traditions: Rather than creating a new way of war based on new technology, the Germans fitted the new weapons into their existing ideas on warfare. The conduct of German soldiers, particularly the lower-ranking men, on the battlefield was at the core of the concept, and German victories rested upon the quality of the small combat units. This book focuses on the experience of the enlisted men and junior officers in the Blitzkrieg operations in Poland, Norway, Western Europe, and Russia. Military historian Niklas Zetterling explores how they operated, for example, how a company commander led his tanks, how a crew worked together inside a tank, and the role of the repair services. The author fits these narratives into a broader perspective to give the listener a better understanding of why the Germans were so successful in 1939-41.
©2017 Niklas Zetterling (P)2019 Tantor
Northern Ireland
Summary
From the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century to the entry into peace talks in the late 20th century, the Northern Irish people have been engaged in conflict - Catholic against Protestant, Republican against Unionist. Marc Mulholland explores the pivotal moments in Northern Irish history - the rise of republicanism in the 1800s, Home Rule and the civil rights movement, the growth of Sinn Fein and the provisional IRA, and of the opposition, the DUP, led by Dr. Ian Paisley. His detailed examination of the violent upheaval of the last century, epitomized by the killing of 13 civilian demonstrators on Bloody Sunday, culminates in the controversy surrounding the current ongoing peace process. Over 300 years on, the question still remains: can two identities and national allegiances be accommodated in the same state without oppression, rebellion, or violence?
©2020 Marc Mulholland (P)2020 Tantor
How to Drink
Summary
A spirited new translation of a forgotten classic, shot through with timeless wisdom. Is there an art to drinking alcohol? Can drinking ever be a virtue? The Renaissance humanist and neoclassical poet Vincent Obsopoeus (ca. 1498-1539) thought so. In the winelands of 16th-century Germany, he witnessed the birth of a poisonous new culture of bingeing, hazing, peer pressure, and competitive drinking. Alarmed, and inspired by the Roman poet Ovid's Art of Love, he wrote The Art of Drinking (De Arte Bibendi) (1536), a how-to manual for drinking with pleasure and discrimination. In How to Drink, Michael Fontaine offers the first proper English translation of Obsopoeus' text, rendering his poetry into spirited, contemporary prose and uncorking a forgotten classic that will appeal to drinkers of all kinds and (legal) ages. Arguing that moderation, not abstinence, is the key to lasting sobriety, and that drinking can be a virtue if it is done with rules and limits, Obsopoeus teaches us how to manage our drinking, how to win friends at social gatherings, and how to give a proper toast. But he also says that drinking to excess on occasion is okay - and he even tells us how to win drinking games, citing extensive personal experience.
©2020 Princeton University Press (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
A Fatal Liaison
Summary
Two dead bodies in the Dublin mountains. What's the connection between them? A man is found in his car, having met a painful death. Another man is found in the woods, clearly murdered. DI Aidan Burke seeks to establish the connection between these deaths. The first man is a wealthy property developer. Little is known about the second victim. Burke's sergeant, DS Fiona Moore, sets to work gathering evidence. But the investigation turns up some unusual findings that point to serious organized criminal activity. Soon the race is on to collar suspects who are escaping to mainland Europe and out of their reach. Will the mix of DI Burke's unconventional methods and DS Moore's steady police work catch the culprits?
©2020 David Pearson (P)2021 Tantor
When Irish Eyes Are Haunting
Summary
Devin Lyle and Craig Rockwell are back, this time to a haunted castle in Ireland where a banshee may have gone wild...or maybe there's a much more rational explanation - one that involves a disgruntled heir, murder, and mayhem, all with that sexy light touch Heather Graham has turned into her trademark style.
©2015 Heather Graham Pozzessere (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Ship of Fools
Summary
Between 1995 and 2007, the Republic of Ireland was the worldwide model of successful adaptation to economic globalisation. The success story was phenomenal: a doubling of the workforce; a massive growth in exports; a GDP that was substantially above the EU average. Ireland became the world's largest exporter of software and manufactured the world's supply of Viagra. The factors that made it possible for Ireland to become prosperous - progressive social change, solidarity, major state investment in education, and the critical role of the EU - were largely ignored as too sharply at odds with the dominant free-market ideology. The Irish boom was shaped instead into a simplistic moral tale of the little country that discovered low taxes and small government and prospered as a result.There were two big problems. Ireland acquired a hyper-capitalist economy on the back of a corrupt, dysfunctional political system. And the business class saw the influx of wealth as an opportunity to make money out of property. Aided by corrupt planning and funded by poorly regulated banks, an unsustainable property-led boom gradually consumed the Celtic Tiger. This is, as Fintan O'Toole writes, "a good old-fashioned jeremiad about the bastards who got us into this mess". It is an entertaining, passionate story of one of the most ignominious economic reversals in recent history.
©2010 Fintan O'Toole (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
A Deadly Dividend
Summary
A promising young banker is killed in a Dublin alleyway. Two very different detectives try to find the murderer. A night out turns into a nightmare for a young man who is killed in Dublin's city center. Once a street brawl or mugging is ruled out, it begins to look like he was targeted. But why? DI Aidan Burke struggles to get anything useful out of the man's friends and family, so the investigation leads to his workplace. It is here that they establish he was in a relationship with a coworker. And when his girlfriend is attacked in her home and narrowly escapes with her life, detectives become certain the death was not random. The inquiry meets a brick wall of financial secrecy. To no avail, DI Burke tries unconventional methods to break it. Could the softer touch of his sergeant, the unassuming DS Fiona Moore, provide the key? What did the victim know that required his death? And just how far will the criminals responsible go to protect their secrets?
©2020 David Pearson (P)2021 Tantor
Death in the Quadrangle
Summary
Since his retirement from King's University, life has been rather quiet for Professor Daly . . . . In fact, a peaceful retirement, even when that retirement has been punctuated by helping the police to solve the odd crime, may be slightly over-rated: at least in Daly's opinion. So when he is invited back to King's University to deliver a series of prestigious lectures, his heart leaps. But on arrival he discovers that he has not been called back to the university on account of his literary knowledge.... On the contrary, he has been called upon purely because the retired professor has experience of solving crime. And somebody has been sending the president of King's threatening letters. Somebody within the university, it seems, wants him dead. Perhaps aware of his own arrogant, materialistic, and bullying nature and the effects it may produce, President Bradley seems genuinely worried for his safety. And so Daly, assisted by Inspector Mike Kenny, sets about finding the author of the poison pen letters. Until Bradley dies. Poisoned. At which point, Daly and Kenny find themselves seeking a murderer among the university's population.
©1956 Eilís Dillon (P)2019 Tantor
Humour
Summary
A compelling guide to the fundamental place of humor and comedy within Western culture - by one of its greatest exponents. Written by an acknowledged master of comedy, this study reflects on the nature of humor and the functions it serves. Why do we laugh? What are we to make of the sheer variety of laughter, from braying and cackling to sniggering and chortling? Is humor subversive, or can it defuse dissent? Can we define wit? Packed with illuminating ideas and a good many excellent jokes, the book critically examines various well-known theories of humor, including the idea that it springs from incongruity and the view that it reflects a mildly sadistic form of superiority to others. Drawing on a wide range of literary and philosophical sources, Terry Eagleton moves from Aristotle and Aquinas to Hobbes, Freud, and Bakhtin, looking in particular at the psychoanalytical mechanisms underlying humor and its social and political evolution over the centuries.
©2019 Terry Eagleton (P)2019 Tantor
The Silence of Ghosts
Summary
Those who live in silence hear them best... Dominic Lancaster hoped to prove himself to his family by excelling in the Navy during World War II. Instead he is wounded while serving as a gunner, and loses his leg. Still recovering from his wounds and the trauma of his amputation when the Blitz begins, Dominic finds himself shuffled off to the countryside by his family, along with his partially deaf sister, Octavia. The crumbling family estate on the shores of Ullswater is an old, much-neglected place that doesn’t seem to promise much in the way of happiness or recovery. Something more than a friendship begins to flourish between Dominic and his nurse Rose in the late autumn of that English countryside, as he struggles to come to terms with his new life as an amputee. Another thing that seems to be flourishing is Octavia’s hearing. As winter descends, sinister forces seem to be materializing around Octavia, who is hearing voices of children. After seeing things that no one else can see and hearing things that no one else can hear, Octavia is afflicted with a sickness that cannot be explained. With Octavia's help, Dominic sets out to find the truth behind the voices that have haunted his sister. In doing so, he uncovers an even older, darker evil that threatens not only Octavia, but Rose and himself. Jonathan Aycliffe delivers a disturbingly tense ghost story set in the middle of World War II during England’s darkest hour, demonstrating that some fears are timeless....
©2013 Jonathan Aycliffe, First Night Shade Books edition 2015 (P)2014 Audible Inc.