Showing results by narrator "J. A. Smith" in All Categories

Destiny Duvalle has it all: money, fame, millions of adoring fans, and loving parents who have managed her music career since she broke into the business at age sixteen. But at twenty-four, Destiny is tired of the hustle and bustle of celebrity life, of constantly being "on", of being international popstar Destiny Duvalle. It's why she's turned down proposals from so many packs—that and her sneaking suspicion that her omega instincts are broken. If she's being honest, Destiny is afraid that without her fame and fortune, her parents will see the real her and find her woefully inadequate.

Perfect for fans of Dogman and The Bad Guys, the popular Lunch Lady graphic novels are now available as two adventures in one audiobook...from the author of National Book Award finalist Hey, Kiddo! Lunch Lady has villains to fight at school and camp in this action-packed book. First, Dee...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding. “What a treat.” —Washington Post “Simply exquisite.” —Liane Moriarty “Nobody understands human...

Learn how to get a fit and functional by training efficiently and effectively using a sandbag!? If you want to build your best body ever, be in the best shape of your life, and do it all in the shortest amount of time possible, then this book is for you. Here’s the deal: Most people are wasting their time when they workout. Fortunately this book will give you the answer for how you need to start working out in order to get the best results with the least amount of time possible.

This book delves into the Iron Age, exploring its origins, its rapid dissemination, and the profound transformations it brought to human societies. This is the story of how iron reshaped the ancient world.

The word "holodomor" derives from a combination of two Ukrainian words: holod (hunger) and mor (extermination). This term is used to describe one of the least-known events of state-sponsored mass starvation: the Great Famine of Soviet Ukraine in 1932-1933. Around four million Ukrainians died during the famine, and yet, the extent of this human catastrophe was virtually unknown in the West. Up to 1991, the Soviet Union refused to acknowledge that any famine had taken place in Ukraine at all.

In the face of ruthless totalitarian rule, it is only the rare few who stand up at risk of their own life to do what is right. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of those exceptional individuals. Even on pain of death, he would not bend, he would not budge - this German pastor fought the Nazi regime with every fiber of his being.

The British Raj refers to the time from 1858 to 1947 when the British Crown directly ruled the Indian subcontinent. During those 90 years, India saw enormous social, political, and cultural upheaval. New systems of education were introduced, and increasing industrialization brought societal change. The British administration also united large numbers of indigenous people, though they were often united mainly by their opposition to the British and their desire for independence.

Barbed wire, trenches, and machine guns are all elements of modern warfare that are mainly associated with the bloody carnage of World War One, yet they were all first used in combination 10 years earlier in a largely forgotten war that was fought in Manchuria and Korea: the Russo-Japanese War.

The history of the Russian Revolution and the subsequent civil war has been well documented in a number of books and documentaries. What has received far less coverage is an almost uncannily similar situation in Finland during the same time period. Starting in 1917, Finland was convulsed by a series of events that provided a direct parallel to those in Russia. The revolution, the civil war that followed, and the impact of the end of World War I all helped to define the modern state of Finland. This is the story of a forgotten conflict, its roots, and its impact on Finland and beyond.

Janis Joplin may have only lived to reach her 27th birthday, but she experienced more in her short life than many of us longer-lived individuals ever will. Growing up in the small town, conservative confines of southern Texas, her native Port Arthur didn’t have a whole lot to offer the artistically inclined. Nevertheless, she was destined to rocket to fame as a musician and cultural icon.

From the late eighth century to somewhere around the middle of the 11th century, the history of Europe was dominated by the people who have become known as the Vikings. The Vikings were among the first global explorers who established territory that stretched from North America in the west to Constantinople in the east, and from the frigid wastes of the Arctic in the north to the warm shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the south.

Richard Pryor was one of the greatest comedic minds of all time, but his stand-up routine was more than just comedy. His deft navigation through the human condition often made it seem like his comic observations were more akin to a cathartic form of group therapy. As Pryor ran through all the ills of human existence, it was as if he were embarking upon a great purging of the psyche for both him and the audience.

Fought from February to December 1916, the Battle of Verdun was intended to “bleed the French white” and bring their army to the point of collapse. Instigated by the Germans under the command of General Erich von Falkenhayn, it became a war of attrition that would benefit neither side. With its devastating death toll and the appalling number of wounded, the Battle of Verdun is one of the deadliest in history.

Jackson Pollock was without a doubt one of the twentieth century’s most controversial painters. He started out painting abstracts in the style of Pablo Picasso but soon branched out, establishing the “drip” method, which entails dripping or flinging paint directly onto the canvas. For this, he was both praised and demonized; still, he persisted on his own chosen path.

The War of the Spanish Succession, which occurred between 1701 and 1714, was fought over who would succeed the childless King Charles II to the throne of Spain. During the early modern era, European countries were almost constantly at war, vying for land, resources, power, and wealth. The succession of the Spanish throne - and everything that came with it - had much of all of those things up for grabs; therefore all of Europe had much to gain, or lose, from the new Spanish ruler. By the end of the war, conflict in Europe was hardly over, but a new, dominant power had emerged.

Rosalind Franklin was what can only be called an overlooked genius. Although she was not fully credited for the feat at the time, her work led to major breakthroughs in our understanding of DNA. In fact, she took the first X-ray photo of DNA in all of its double helix glory. By the time her former colleagues were being showered with accolades for results they made at least partially based on her findings, Franklin would not be around to see it. Sadly, it’s believed that her use of X-ray equipment gave her terminal cancer, cutting her life short at age 37.

Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of America’s most influential writers and also one of the most complex. He was the essential New Englander, a believer in hard work and simple living, and his personality and writing were tremendously influenced by his Puritan ancestry and the Salem Witch Trials. He obsessed over sin and redemption his entire life. Hawthorne’s unequivocal belief in the dark side of humanity proved to be one of the greatest assets of his writing.

This book is the first book of its kind. Joe pulls back the curtain, exposing the truth of what really goes on behind-the-scenes of the glamorous world of dancing. The book, released by the renowned ballroom dancer, is comprised of his collection of case studies through years of teaching. The book examines strategies to utilize asset value based on Joe’s knowledge of the field and specific expertise in this market.

The 1918 outbreak of the H1N1 strain of influenza, popularly known as the Spanish flu, killed more people worldwide than World War I, which ended the same year. It infected nearly one-third of the world's population and killed 10 percent of those it struck. In its wake, schools and businesses closed, hospitals became overwhelmed, and the sick spilled out into makeshift care centers in public spaces. Policemen, public transportation workers, and everyday citizens in face masks were a common - and eerie - sight.