Other books that might interest you

• 

  Am I Alone Here? - Notes on...

  Peter Orner

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  "Stories, both my own and those I've taken to heart, make up whoever it is that I've become," Peter Orner writes in this collection of essays about reading, writing, and living. Orner reads and writes everywhere he finds himself: a hospital cafeteria, a coffee shop in Albania, or a crowded bus in Haiti. The result is a book of unlearned meditations that stumbles into memoir. 
   
   
   
  Among the many writers Orner addresses are Isaac Babel and Zora Neale Hurston, both of whom told their truths and were silenced; Franz Kafka, who professed loneliness but craved connection; Robert Walser, who spent the last twenty-three years of his life in a Swiss insane asylum, working at being crazy; and Juan Rulfo, who practiced the difficult art of silence. Virginia Woolf, Eudora Welty, Yasunari Kawabata, Saul Bellow, Mavis Gallant, John Edgar Wideman, William Trevor, and Václav Havel make appearances, as well as the poet Herbert Morris—about whom almost nothing is known. 
   
   
   
   
  An elegy for an eccentric late father, and the end of a marriage, Am I Alone Here? is also a celebration of the possibility of renewal. At once personal and panoramic, this book will inspire listeners to return to the essential stories of their own lives.

  Show book

• 

  Lionel Barrymore - Character and...

  Kathleen Spaltro

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Once called "the most gifted character actor of our time," Lionel Barrymore (1878-1954) was part of the illustrious Barrymore acting dynasty. Although he garnered success on stage and screen and was a talented actor, writer, director, visual artist, and composer, he never escaped the shadow of his family. Barrymore won the Academy Award for Best Actor in A Free Soul and was nominated for Best Director for Madame X. He is best known for his role as Mr. Potter in It's a Wonderful Life and as the voice of Ebenezer Scrooge. He spent the last two decades of his career playing versions of his signature character—the curmudgeonly but lovable gentleman—in a variety of films. Barrymore worked alongside some of Hollywood's most recognizable names, and his legacy is enshrined at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 
   
   
   
  In Lionel Barrymore, Kathleen Spaltro examines Barrymore as an individual. This comprehensive study divides Barrymore's life into three acts. Act One follows Barrymore's early days. Act Two details Barrymore's establishment as a fixture at MGM. Act Three expounds on Barrymore's curation of his trademark character and his fateful final years. Spaltro unearths Barrymore's personal challenges, recounts his difficulties with his family, and delves into the devastating losses Barrymore suffered. Lionel Barrymore is a multifaceted portrait of a brilliant character actor.

  Show book

• 

  Magical Sense - Living with MS

  Sue Chambers

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Sue has been living with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) since 1985. In this very personal audiobook, she explores how MS has affected her, physically and mentally, and provides valuable advice for others in the same position. Throughout the book, Sue's humour comes through, making this a life-affirming listen. It is a "must read" for anyone affected by MS. A diagnosis of MS was the start of a journey for Sue. This book tells of that journey, from the initial shock of the diagnosis through the education process (and the periods of denial) to an understanding of what it takes to survive and live with MS. 
  No-one in a medical team can explain MS from the perspective of the person with MS. Sue can and does, with personal candour and incredible humour. 
  The initial diagnosis was hard to accept. As Sue puts it, "Once I ran out of things to blame, the shock really took over. My husband, bless him, has a great ability to make people laugh. When I was with him, it wasn't too bad. But when I was alone, the pain of feeling hard done by and victimised really hurt. Like a physical thump in the guts and literally an ache in the heart. And really, even many, many years on, there are still times when I seek out company, so I can't dwell on how hurt I feel." 
  Sue handles a difficult subject sensitively. There is a large body of information in this book, which will be useful to everyone affected by MS, whatever their role. Medical staff will find it useful to gain the perspective of one of their "users" (as Sue describes herself). 
  Sue's sister was diagnosed with MS in 1989, four years after Sue's own diagnosis, and died in 2001. It was only then that Sue realised that MS could be fatal. It was the trigger that inspired the writing of this book.

  Show book

• 

  A Dead Secret - From their pens...

  Lafcadio Hearn

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Lafcadio Hearn was born on the 27th June 1850 on the Ionian isle of Levkás in Greece to a British Army officer and a Greek Mother. 
  His father, fearing for his career prospects at being married to a Greek Orthodox wife, sent them to Dublin whilst he continued to advance his career with further postings.  Life there was difficult for mother and son.  His father returned, wounded and traumatised, when Lafcadio was three.  He annulled the marriage and she remarried but had to give up care of Lafcadio to her sister-in law.   
  After brief periods for Catholic education in England and France he emigrated to Ohio in the United States when he was 19, taking on a series of casual jobs before embarking on a career as a journalist, publishing poems and essays in Cincinnati.  It was whilst here that he began a side-line in translating, starting with Gautier and Flaubert.  He married in 1874 to a 20 year old African-American woman in violation of Ohio's anti-miscegenation law.  The marriage soon failed. 
  In 1877 he relocated to New Orleans to write on a variety of themes before picking up a two year assignment from Harper’s to write in the West Indies, where he also wrote his first novel. 
  In 1890 Harper’s sent him to Japan.  Here he left journalism and took the remarkable decision to become a schoolteacher in the north of Japan.   Enraptured by the culture he was driven to explain it in various Western publications to those who had little, if any, knowledge of its culture.  Within the year he had fallen in love with, and married, a high-born Japanese lady, together they would have four children.   
  In 1895 he became a Japanese national and took the name Koizumi Yakumo, Koizumi being his wife’s family name. 
  The following few years, whilst a professor of Literature at the Imperial University of Japan, were his most creative and admired period.   
  Lafcadio Hearn died of heart failure on the 26th of September 1904, in Tokyo, Japan shortly before leaving to deliver a series of lectures at Cornell University in New York State.  He was 54.

  Show book

• 

  ISRO - The Space Leader

  Akshat Kesarwani

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  ISRO: The Space Leader is a powerful and inspiring audiobook that takes you through the extraordinary journey of India’s space agency — the Indian Space Research Organisation. From launching its first rocket from a small church in Kerala to making history with Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan, ISRO’s story is one of determination, innovation, and national pride. 
  Written in simple, engaging language, this audiobook dives deep into:The visionary leadership of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and pioneers like Dr. A.P.J. Abdul KalamISRO’s major milestones — Aryabhata, SLV-3, PSLV, GSLV, Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan, and moreBehind-the-scenes stories of failure, perseverance, and ultimate triumphFuture missions like Gaganyaan, Aditya-L1, and ShukrayaanThe transformation of ISRO into a global leader in affordable and effective space technology 
  Whether you’re a space enthusiast, student, or just curious about India’s scientific achievements, this audiobook will not only educate but inspire. Each chapter brings to life the real challenges, the unsung heroes, and the scientific brilliance that placed India among the world’s top spacefaring nations. 
  Join author Akshat Kesarwani on a journey through one of the most remarkable success stories in science and space history. Perfect for young minds, curious listeners, and anyone who believes that no dream is too big — not even the sky.

  Show book

• 

  Gods Of Fire - My Journey...

  Charles Maree

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Awesome! A memoir of a black man in a cultural journey from childhood to a successful career in the fire service. This “journey” is a powerful story of guts peppered with a dose of determination and is anything but an ordinary. Although wrought with both self-inflicted and societally applied barriers his career spanned 30 years. Thus he became the one of only three District chiefs (in the department’s 100+ year history.) He became the first black Chief of Rescue. He became the first black commander of the Hazardous Materials Team. the first black Assistant Fire Chief of ERD (this division was responsible for all firefighting, rescue, dive, and hazardous materials emergencies and constitutes the bulk of personnel employed by the fire department (approximately ¾ of the firefighters and paramedics employed). And all of this on a predominately white fire department. He held the position of Assistant Fire Chief until he retired.

  Show book