Other books that might interest you

• 

  I Could Have Been A Dreamer -...

  Graham Field

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Cycling China in the wrong gear and bound for Thailand 
  In this, the 2nd Audio book of the Rambling On trilogy, the load gets lighter and the speed slower, but Graham Field’s objective remains the same: he is fully focused on making the route to his demise as pleasurable as possible. 
  And so the quest to his Chinese destiny begins. Now relieved of the whiskey, the road nevertheless continues to be an uphill struggle, not helped by the sub-zero winter temperatures. But being towed behind trucks and loaded on to buses evens out the ratio of endurance and pleasure. 
  Along the way, Graham proves that, with a little manipulation, a dream can become a reality. Above the suffocating city pollution, he finds a clearer view of China upon a 2,000-year-old trading route through Shangri-La to Tibet. This revered road tempts with a Chinese whisper: an alluring ascent that calls to be ridden in a solitary trance of wonderment. 
  As the author pushes on, he promises himself, should he reach that pinnacle of personal achievement, the run-off reward will be relaxation. With the descent into Thailand there is a change of gear. The gulf widens as he searches for the perfect beach retreat, refusing to be palmed off as a sex tourist. 
  One day at a time, that’s how a journey progresses, that’s how a diary is written and a tale is told. It’s far less daunting that way. 
  This audio book contains bonus outtakes from the recording sessions

  Show book

• 

  Of Human Bondage

  W. Somerset Maugham

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Of Human Bondage, published in 1915, is considered to be W. Somerset Maugham’s best work. Many believe the novel to be one of the world’s literary masterpieces. 
  The story follows Phillip Carey from early childhood through his 30’s. Orphaned at 9, Phillip spends his early years raised by his childless aunt and uncle. His aunt tries to be a mother to Philip, but she is unsure how to behave whereas his uncle, a vicar, takes a cold disposition towards him. Philip is sent to a boarding school but his shyness and his club foot make it difficult for him to fit in. 
  The novel follows this theme throughout as Phillip travels to Germany, France, and England, makes new acquaintances, searches for his life’s calling, and experiences romantic episodes. Mildred in particular, will leave you wondering about Phillip's obsession and passion for such a woman. More than a few of us have had “our Mildred”. 
  The characters in Of Human Bondage are real-life with faults, qualities, and feelings that Maugham describes so vividly. It would not be unusual that we have encountered individuals with traits similar to the characters in this audiobook. At times the emotions in this novel, so simply but purely written, will leave you either sad or happy and even perhaps, teary-eyed as the enthusiasm of youth is met with reality as Phillip tries to discover the meaning of his  life through the dreams of others. 
  Summary by Tom Weiss

  Show book

• 

  The Anna Karenina Fix - Life...

  Viv Groskop

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  “In this hilarious, candid, and thought-provoking memoir, [Groskop] explains how she used lessons from Russian classics to understand herself better.” —Gretchen Rubin, #1 New York Times–bestselling author 
   
  As Viv Groskop knows from personal experience, everything that has ever happened to a person has already happened in the Russian classics: from not being sure what to do with your life (Anna Karenina), to being hopelessly in love with someone who doesn’t love you back (Turgenev’s A Month in the Country), or being socially anxious about your appearance (all of Chekhov’s work). In The Anna Karenina Fix, a sort of literary self-help memoir, Groskop mines these and other works, as well as the lives of their celebrated creators, and her own experiences as a student of Russian, to answer the question “How should you live your life?” This is a charming and fiercely intelligent book, a love letter to Russian literature and an exploration of the answers these writers found to life’s questions. 
   
  “[Groskop is] a delight, a reader’s reader whose professional and personal experiences have allowed her to write the kind of book that not only is complete unto itself, but makes you want to head to the library and revisit or discover the great works she loves.” —The Washington Post 
   
  “Learn how to hack life nineteenth-century Russian style! You’ll totally be like Anna Karenina without getting (spoiler alert) run over by a train!” —Gary Shteyngart, New York Times-bestselling author 
   
  “For anyone intimidated by Russia’s daunting literary heritage, this humorous yet thoughtful introduction will serve as the perfect entrée.” —Publishers Weekly

  Show book

• 

  Bill Nye's Funniest Thoughts

  Bill Nye

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  This is a hilarious collection of 35 of the master humorist Bill Nye's funniest pieces and stories; originally hundreds of newspaper columns and later assembled into books. Absolutely essential listening for those of us who have a sense of self deprecation and just plain good old sense of humor!

  Show book

• 

  Acharnians (Billson Translation)

  Aristophanes

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Loaded with cryptic, nearly indecipherable inside jokes and double entendres, this early comedy of Aristophanes has a simple, anti-war premise that resounds down the centuries. On flimsy pretexts, greedy politicians have embroiled the nation of Athens in war after war after war. Dicæopolis is Everyman, an ordinary, plain-speaking citizen fed up with the bumbling, belligerence, and insincerity of the professional leaders. He decides on a whim to make a separate peace with Sparta all by himself, returning with a treaty good for thirty years. Envious of the good deal he has made and of the profit he sees from it, other Athenians try to buy packets of his peace from him, with no success. Puffed up with his own cleverness, Dicæopolis spends the final scenes of the play ridiculing the muscle-brained neanderthal General Lamachus for faux patriotism and comic chest-beating heroism.This translation is by Charles James Billson, who admits in his preface with obvious regret that the chilling effect of “modern Protestantism” had forced him to prune out the more risque and bawdy bits of Aristophanes’s lines, particularly most of the “Phallic Hymn.” He tries to make up for this unfortunate lack, however, by filling the play with rhyme patterns and slang borrowed from the “burlesque” halls of the 1880s, hoping to render the difficult Greek humor into the form of “a lively acting play.”( Expatriate)

  Show book

• 

  Isn't That Rich? - Life Among...

  Richard Kirshenbaum

  • 0
  • 2
  • 0

  Celebrated ad man Richard Kirshenbaum, the original New York observer, reveals the fashions, foibles, and outrageous extravagances of the private-jet set Paid friends. Pot dealers draped in Dolce. Divorce settlements that include the Birkins at their current retail price. Air kisses, landing strips, and lounge-chair bribery. For most of us, the idea of life inside the golden triad of Park Avenue, Sagaponack, and St. Barths is just as exotic as the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle. Luckily, Richard Kirshenbaum has a VIP pass to the Upper East Side and is willing to share the wealth—of gossip. His New York Observer column on uptown social life provides a fascinating glimpse behind the gilded curtain into the swanky restaurants and eye-popping vacation destinations where the 1 percent gathers.Isn’t That Rich? features highlights from Kirshenbaum’s monthly column as well as several brand-new essays. From cash-strapped blue bloods willing to trade their good names for a taste of nouveau riche treasure to the fine art of donning a cashmere sweater in Capri, our intrepid correspondent exposes the preoccupations of the posh. His insider sources may be anonymous, but “his up-to-the-minute portrait of today’s 1 percent is both insightful and a joy to read, no matter what tax bracket you’re in.” (Mortimer Zuckerman)

  Show book