Showing results by narrator "Lyssa Browne" in All Categories

A tour de force about two women and the piano that inexorably ties their lives together through time and across continents, for better and for worse. In 1962, in the Soviet Union, eight-year-old Katya is bequeathed what will become the love of her life: a Blüthner piano, built at the turn of the century in Germany, on which she discovers everything that she herself can do with music and what music, in turn, does for her. Yet after marrying, she emigrates with her young family from Russia to America, at her husband's frantic insistence, and her piano is lost in the shuffle.

A series of brutal murders has the homicide division of San Francisco's Hub 9 working overtime. But as the bodies mount, they begin to question whether the attacks are random or somehow connected. When one of their own falls victim, Detective Salvi Brentt and her homicide team join forces with the narcotics and cyber divisions to track down those responsible. They soon discover that a volatile new drug-tech experience, involving black market neural implants, has hit the streets, causing the epidemic of violence and missing persons.

"A Hunger Artist" is a short story by Franz Kafka first published in 1922. The protagonist, a hunger artist who experiences the decline in appreciation of his craft, is typically Kafkaesque: an individual marginalized and victimized by society at large. "A Hunger Artist" explores themes such as death, art, isolation, asceticism, spiritual poverty, futility, personal failure, and the corruption of human relationships.

Guinevere thought that her life was over, that she would spend the rest of her days in a convent or hidden away in Avalon, but she was wrong. Cursed by Morgan LeFay, Queen Guinevere is banished from Avalon and must face the ages alone, hiding in the shadows as a vampire. Through the centuries, she's watched Arthur return again and again, but her love and respect for her husband and king has kept her away. Until now. Morgan LeFay has returned with an ominous threat, and once again Guinevere is forced to make an impossible choice.

Five years later, Lincoln Beckett and I are still finding ways to stretch and bend the rules, breaking those that threaten to hinder us. To an outsider, everything looks perfect. But with each day apart, and with each new obligation, I'm learning that even strengths have their weaknesses and perfections have their flaws.

Algernon Henry Blackwood (March 14, 1869 - December 10, 1951) was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The following recording includes the short stories "The Olive" and "Ancient Lights."

Debby's Debut, written in 1863, is a delightful story that smells of the sea and summer, of joy and youthful innocence, of love, tenacity and courage to claim one's ideas, in which the typical themes of Alcott's production—the construction of female identity, the dignity of work, the importance of honesty and always remaining faithful to themselves, the safeguarding of the good values that modern society risks forgetting—find a lively, ironic and absolutely convincing expression. An unmissable gem for Alcott lovers.

Thirteen-year-old Evan Hanson is always the last in her family to know what's going on. Her father, Gene, who's been meaner since he began serving in Vietnam, isn't around much, and she likes it better that way. But then her brother, Adam, gets drafted and her anti-war mother, Endura, takes him across the border to Canada, leaving Evan alone with Gene and her younger, special needs brother, Teddy. When he realizes Endura isn't returning, Gene takes Evan and Teddy to Eat and Get Gas, his mother's cafe and gas station.

Louisa May Alcott's short story "The Brothers" is set during the Civil War. Narrated by a wartime nurse, the story tells of one white brother and the other, who is half black, who meet in a hospital. Due to a previous grudge between them, the black brother tries to kill the white brother. Preaching the religion of humanity and kindness, she draws from her personal experiences to create this amazing work. This piece first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in November 1863.

A Modern Cinderella is a collection of four short stories by Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women. Like her more famous novels, Alcott tells stories of young women interacting with people and events from the late 1800s. Louisa May Alcott bestows a truly amusing and thoroughly modern retelling of The Brothers Grimm's Cinderella. Alcott pokes fun throughout, describing a "cool blonde" as "having many cares those happy little housewives never know."

Susan Lentigo's daughter was murdered twenty years ago and now, at long last, this small-town waitress sets out on a road trip all the way from Upstate New York to North Dakota to witness the killer's execution. On her journey, she discovers shocking new evidence that leads her to suspect the condemned man is innocent and the real killer is still free. Even worse, her prime suspect has a young daughter who's at terrible risk. With no money and no time to spare, Susan sets out to uncover the truth before an innocent man gets executed and another little girl is killed.

Former international flight attendant Annie Taylor is embracing her country roots and racing toward a future with her sustainable farmer fiancé, but wedding plans are complicated by her new job, a mysterious ex-boyfriend, and a narcissistic father. Meanwhile, Annie's old-fashioned grandma, Beulah, is facing a shake-up in the last place she ever thought she would - home. A crisis on May Hollow Road follows a friend's betrayal, challenging Beulah's forgiving nature.

He was the sole survivor when his village was massacred. The boy spends his days alone in the woods, feeling more of a kinship with animals than with the people who took him in but never really accepted him.

Former New York City flight attendant Annie Taylor is adjusting to farm life when her grandmother threatens to tear down the old stone house, unable to finance a restoration after the summer fire. Annie's boyfriend Jake has severed his corporate life in Cincinnati and is jumping headlong into sustainable farming on the land next door. Their new relationship is wonderful - but can it last? As they take steps forward, a paralyzing fear of abandonment threatens to destroy her trust in Jake.

Audacity Jones is an 11-year-old orphan who aches for adventure, a challenge to break up the monotony of her life at Miss Maisie's School for Wayward Girls. Life as a wayward girl isn't so bad; Audie has the best of friends, a clever cat companion, and plenty of books to read. Still, she longs for some excitement, like the characters in the novels she so loves encounter. So when the mysterious Commodore Crutchfield visits the school and whisks Audie off to Washington, DC, she knows she's in for the journey of a lifetime.

What is Reach!? As opposed to reach, Reach!, with an exclamation point, portrays emotion. This book is about magic. It is about creating something out of nothing. It is about bravely closing your eyes, pushing through your fear, and reaching for something that is not yet within your grasp. Once armed with the lessons and stories in this book, you will have the essential skills needed to achieve all of your dreams.

Tessie King has just inherited the biggest casino in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada: the Royal Lakeside. What she didn't bargain for are the problems she'd inherit with it. Having left Tahoe years ago, the underbelly of the casino trade is a far cry from the art world Tessie is used to. High-stakes cons, inside jobs, wise guys... Tessie quickly realizes she's in way over her head. And things go from bad to worse when questions start to arise about the nature of her father's death.

New York City flight attendant Annie Taylor is grounded, putting a halt to weekends in Rome and her jet-setting lifestyle. Soon her noncommittal boyfriend's true nature is revealed, and to top it all off, she loses her apartment. With nowhere else to go, Annie leaves the city for the family farm in Kentucky, a place she's avoided for years. She finds a shotgun-wielding grandmother, a farm in disrepair, and a suspicious stranger renting the old stone house.

Spoiled New York City girl, Hildegarde Graham, is sent to stay with her mother's old nurse in the country. When her parents must take a trip to California, Hildegarde learns the value of simplicity, kindness, and a more democratic sensibility. Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards (Feb. 27, 1850 - Jan. 14, 1943) was born in Boston, Mass., to a high-profile family. During her life, she wrote over 90 books, including children's novels, biographies, and poetry. Queen Hildegarde, published in 1889, was one of her most famous works.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910), better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is also known for his quotations.