Showing results by narrator "P.J. Ochlan" in All Categories

Award-winning author James Alan Gardner evokes a sense of wonder that is synonymous with great speculative fiction. Now, in his first short-story collection, he brings together the numerous tales that have made his reputation, ranging from the everyday experience to the cosmic, from peanut butter sandwiches to space drives. There are stories of wonder, imagination, humanity, and the unknown and tales that remind us of the importance of possibility.

Brother Lawrence, a 17th century cook and shoe repairman in a monastery in Paris, was known for his peaceful devotion to God. Though not formally educated, his life experiences in war and his humble service in the priory led others to look to him for wise counsel. His words were later collected into this marvelous short audiobook that has inspired Christians for centuries. The Practice of the Presence of God has been of great help to believers such as John Wesley and A.W. Tozer.

Berlin does not make it easy to write noir fiction - or perhaps Berlin makes it too easy. Noir tradition casts a long, influential, and even daunting shadow. Neither Döblin nor Benn, Brecht nor Lang, catered to any crime fiction traditions. They merely steeped their literary projects in a great deal of noir. And so it is with most of the stories in our anthology: they do not necessarily follow the usual patterns of crime fiction, but regard noir as a license to write as they wish, a certain way of approaching the city, and a prism through which its nature is viewed....

On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched a massive surprise attack on the Allies: the Battle of the Bulge had begun. Planned by the Germans with the utmost secrecy, the battle was one of the largest and bloodiest fought by the United States in World War II. Near complete surprise crippled the Allied line early on, but fierce resistance and massive air attacks ultimately gave Allied forces the edge. Had Hitler's gambit succeeded, a German victory in the war would have certainly been possible, if not likely.

In the year 2042, Aaron Maxim creates fully immersive virtual reality LitRPG experiences in the cloud. His latest creation, Therion Online, contains a unique character class - the Ale-Chemist. As he gets ready to launch his latest project, forces beyond his control take him in strange new directions. He is trapped inside Therion Online with his memory wiped, playing the Ale-Chemist character class he created. Can he and the friends he meets along the way solve the mystery before it's too late?

Hollywood vs. The Author is a collection of non-fiction anecdotes by authors who’ve had the pleasure of experiencing the development room firsthand - some who have successfully managed to straddle the two worlds, seeing their works morph into the kinds of feature films and TV shows that make them proud, and others who stepped blindsided into that room after selling their first or second novels. All the stories in this collection illustrate the great divide between the world of literature and the big or small screen.

On the eve of the winter solstice, Tokara rushes out into the snowy woods to find her sister's lost puppy. Her daring path takes her far beyond the protection of her mother's castle and brings her face-to-face with a mystery older than the stars. But our girl has a brave heart and an irrepressible spirit, and the longest night of the year still holds many secrets.

China's strategic capabilities and doctrine have historically differed from the United States' and Russia's. China has continued to modernize and expand its arsenal despite its policy of no first use, while the United States and Russia have decreased deployed weapons stocks. This volume brings together an international group of distinguished scholars to provide a fresh assessment of China's strategic military capabilities, doctrines, and political perceptions in light of rapidly advancing technologies.

From the introduction by James Thompson: Finland, the myths and truths. Internationally, it has a reputation as perhaps the best place in the world to live. A great economy. A low crime rate. Good and nearly cost-free health care. The needy are provided for by the state and live in reasonable comfort. Finns: peaceful and quiet people, living in the perfect example of a social democracy functioning as it should. A tourist, or even a person who has lived here for a length of time, might well view Finland as such.

In the great depths surrounding the Lofoten islands in Norway lives the infamous Greenland shark. At 26 feet in length and weighing more than a ton, it is truly a beast to behold. But the shark is not just known for its size alone: Its meat contains a toxin that, when consumed, has been known to make people drunk and hallucinatory.

When incidents of food supply contamination dominate the news media, two investigators - Zol Szabo, a public health doctor, and Hamish Wakefield, a young infectious diseases specialist - come under immense pressure to find the cause of a mysterious epidemic before more victims show up on the autopsy table. In a race against the clock, the two doctors must navigate the treacherous political minefields of the medical community and the media while the disease spreads.

Testosterone propels our drive for exploration and risk, for competition and creation, and even our survival. The effects of testosterone permeate the traditions, philosophy, and literature of every known culture - without it, the world would be a drastically different place. It also has a role in humanity's darker side, contributing to violence, hubris, poverty, crime, and selfishness. Recent revelations of the science of testosterone show that high levels will deplete compassion and generosity, and even reduce the affection we show our children.

Find out what piranhas eat - and don't eat! - in this irresistibly funny book from Aaron Blabey, the best-selling creator of Pig the Pug! Everyone knows that piranhas don't eat bananas - except for Brian. This little fish loves to munch not only on bananas, but on fruit of all kinds! Brian's piranha friends think he's crazy. Piranhas don't eat bananas - their sharp teeth are for eating meat! And there's a scrumptious pair of feet dangling in the water nearby....

In Asia Hand, the second novel in the series, Bangkok is celebrating Chinese New Year when Calvino's revels are cut short. The body of an American, an acquaintance of Calvino's, has been fished out of the lake in Lumpini Park. Around his neck are a string of wooden amulets, the kind upcountry Thais wear to protect themselves from evil spirits. Only rather than saving Hutton, these have killed him.

It is through first contact with an alien species that humanity learns of the Dream. It is a plane of mental existence where people are able to communicate by their thoughts alone - over distances of thousands of light-years. To ensure that future generations will have this ability, human genetic engineering produces newborns capable of finding and navigating the Dream. They become known as the Silent. Rust is just one planet among many in the Empire of Human Unity.

Former DEA agent Leland Hollis wasn't planning on being a hero. Recovering from an injury sustained during a drug bust gone wrong and with more personal demons than he cares to admit, he wants nothing more than peace and a chance to rebuild his life. But when Anna Mercado's crazy ex shows up wielding a baseball bat, Leland can't ignore his instinct to help. And after her son is kidnapped, Leland agrees to deliver the ransom into dangerous territory south of the border.

In this star-studded audiobook commissioned specially for audio, Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s narration is woven together with powerfully acted scenes from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the speeches and writing of Lincoln, Emerson, and others, bringing the Civil War to dazzling, authentic new life. Riveting dialogue, personal letters, and the infamous Lincoln-Douglas debates reverberate with powerful relevance today.

While on vacation on an idyllic island called Miden, a seemingly aimless woman meets an attractive man and leaves her country to be with him. A few months later, newly pregnant and just beginning to feel comfortable in her lover's space, her life is upended when a girl arrives at the door. Slight and pretty, the girl discloses a drawn out and violent affair she's had with her professor, the father of the woman's unborn child. In alternating perspectives, the professor and his girlfriend reflect upon their lives, each other, and their interloper.

With direct access to the top Maoist leadership, Rahul Pandita provides an authoritative account of how a handful of men and women, who believed in the idea of revolution, entered Bastar in Central India in 1980 and created a powerful movement that New Delhi now terms India's biggest internal security threat. It traces the circumstances due to which the Maoist movement entrenched itself in about 10 states of India, carrying out deadly attacks against the Indian establishment in the name of the poor and the marginalised.

A star-studded group of award-winning nonfiction authors and journalists provides something for every listener, all aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Compiled and edited by real-life literature legend Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: True Stories is a mind-blowing collection of essays, biographies, travelogues, and more, all proving that the truth is most definitely out there.