Essays & Anthologies Audiobooks | Fiction & Literature

Dear Oliver: An unexpected friendship with Oliver Sacks

'Dear Dr. Sacks . . . You asked me if I could imagine what the world would look like when viewed with two eyes. I told you that I thought I could . . . But, I was wrong.' When Susan Barry first wrote to Oliver Sacks, she never expected a response, let alone the deep friendship that blossomed over ten years of letters. Sue, herself a neuroscientist, wrote to share an extraordinary development in her own medical history. Born with problems with her vision, Sue had been told she would never acquire the ability to see in 3D - and yet she did, a development at odds with decades of research. Within days, Oliver replied, 'Your letter fills me with amazement and admiration.' Sharing an interest in visual perception and a deep love of science, Sue and Oliver began writing back and forth, delving deeper into the mysteries of sight and marvelling at the adaptive capacity of the human body. But in a painful twist of fate, as Sue's vision improved, Oliver's declined, and his characteristic typed letters shifted to handwritten ones. Sue later recognised this to be an early sign of the cancer that ultimately ended his extraordinary life. A funny, fascinating, and intimate glimpse of the great Oliver Sacks, Dear Oliver is also a love letter to scientific inquiry, and a testimony to the power of friendship at any time in life.

Susan R. Barry (Author), Jonathan Keeble, Rengin Altay (Narrator)

Audiobook

Invisible Amazon - the whole story

An emotional journey in search of the Brazilian Amazon, its inhabitants and the dangers our forest faces. The Amazon, the largest tropical forest in the world, is burning. It is estimated that 1.8 million hectares have already burned (about the entire territory of Kuwait, for example). The forest has no voice, but the images of fire spreading destruction say a lot. And voices have risen to speak out in the name of the forest. Through Beka, the daughter of a tribal chieftain, we will explore the story of the invisible Amazon.

Estadão (Author), Andréia Lago, Laura Garrastazu, Ricardo Gozzi (Narrator)

Audiobook

Our Ghosts Were Once People: Stories on Death and Dying

‘I would get out of the car at every shopping centre and want to ask the stranger walking by with their trolley: “Why are you still shopping? Someone I love has died.”’ – Dela Gwala Death is a fact of life, but the experience of grief is unique to each of us. This timely collection brings together a range of voices to offer reflections on death and dying, from individual losses to large scale catastrophes. Karin Schimke revisits her troubled relationship with her late father, a Second World War survivor ‘whose brain had been broken by violence’. Madeleine Fullard, the head of South Africa’s Missing Persons Task Team, draws us into the search for activists who were ‘disappeared’ or went missing in political circumstances between 1960 and 1994. Caine Prize winner Lidudumalingani remembers his childhood in a small village in the Eastern Cape, and how his mother always listened to death notices read over the radio as a way of bearing witness to the grief of strangers. The other contributors in this poignant and thought-provoking anthology turn their minds to subjects as varied as the ritual of washing the body of the deceased before burial, the ethics of killing small animals, and the extinction of humankind. In a time of relentless grief, Our Ghosts Were Once People reminds us that one of the small consolations of literature is that all sorrows can be borne.

Bongani Kona (ed) (Author), A Jacobs, A Pearce, C Cosa, M Boraine, N Jamndu, N Mayet, S K Tsubane, S Sebotsane, T Sebe (Narrator)

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The Major and the Missionary: A Love Story

After the death of his brother, Warren Lewis lived at The Kilns in Oxford, edited his famous brother's letters, and did a little writing of his own. Then he got a letter from a stranger on the far side of the world. Over the years that followed, he and Blanche Biggs, a missionary in Papua New Guinea, shared a vibrant correspondence. These conversations encompassed their views on faith, their politics, their humor, the legacy of C. S. Lewis, and their own trials and longings. Their letters paint a colorful portrait that illuminates not only the particulars of distant times and places, but the intimate contours of a rare friendship.

Diana Pavlac Glyer (Author), Anne Flosnik, Simon Vance (Narrator)

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[Russian] - Событие

В 1963 году двадцатитрехлетняя Анни Эрно обнаруживает, что беременна. Во Франции того времени аборты были запрещены. «Событие», написанное сорок лет спустя, рассказывает о нескольких месяцах, в течение которых она скрывала беременность от родителей, искала помощи у знакомых и врачей и тщетно пыталась сделать аборт вязальной спицей. История, рассказанная в жестокой простоте фактов, показывает нам общество табу и классовых предрассудков, где пережитое героиней становится инициацией. Опираясь на записи в дневнике и память, скрупулезно выстраивая двойную перспективу, Эрно подбирает новое значение для прожитого опыта.

анни эрно (Author), оксана васякина (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - Mitología japonesa: Una aventura épica en el corazón de tradiciones milenarias. Descubre

Este audiolibro está narrado por una voz digital. Si alguna vez se ha sentido atraído por los relatos de los Yōkai, los dioses y guerreros legendarios que impregnan la rica cultura japonesa, y se ha preguntado de dónde proceden estas intrigantes figuras, 'Mitología japonesa: una aventura épica en el corazón de tradiciones milenarias' es el viaje para usted. Las páginas de este libro le transportarán a través de las fascinantes leyendas del Sol Naciente, explorando apasionantes relatos que han conformado la identidad cultural de un país conocido por su impresionante belleza y su historia milenaria. A través de este libro, vivirá experiencias únicas como: - Inmersión en las épicas historias que narran el nacimiento mitológico de las islas japonesas. - El encuentro con las famosas deidades y espíritus mitológicos de Japón, descubriendo quiénes son, sus leyendas e historias. - El descubrimiento de otros mitos y leyendas de Japón, donde se explican en detalle enseñanzas y filosofías, incluidos conceptos como el Ikigai. - La oportunidad de aventurarse en las hazañas de los valerosos héroes de Japón. - Una exploración de los festivales japoneses, para comprender cómo las historias antiguas siguen influyendo en las celebraciones contemporáneas. Por último, pero no por ello menos importante, explorará las filosofías intrínsecas a la cultura japonesa, como el Ikigai, la búsqueda del sentido de la vida, y el Mono no Aware, el profundo compromiso emocional con la magnificencia de la naturaleza y la existencia de los seres humanos. Atravesar el portal místico y sumergirse en las profundidades de un mundo desconocido está a su alcance. Abra este libro y déjese arrullar por las corrientes del mito japonés, una aventura que le ilumina y enriquece en cada página.

Wálter Anselmo (Author), Voz Digital Luis G (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ruthless Vows

TORN APART BY WAR. REUNITED BY LOVE? The epic conclusion to the intensely romantic and beautifully written story that started in Divine Rivals. Two weeks have passed since Iris returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, lost behind enemy lines, with no memory of his past, or Iris. Hoping his memories return, he begins to write again – but this time for the enemy. When a strange letter arrives through his wardrobe door, he strikes up a correspondence with a penpal who seems at once mysterious… and strangely familiar. As their connection deepens, the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war. Praise for Divine Rivals: ‘Rich and romantic – if stories had scent, this one would smell like a mug of black tea, the ink ribbons of a typewriter, and that addictive spice called enemies to lovers’ Shelby Mahurin, New York Times bestselling author of Serpent & Dove ‘A sweeping start to a beautiful and romantic new series. Ross weaves her stories in such a vulnerable and delicate way, truly with a style all her own. I adored this book’ Adalyn Grace, New York Times bestselling author of Belladonna Readers love Iris and Roman: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘The most tender rivals to lovers romance I’ve ever read.’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘My heart by the end couldn't take anymore!’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Easily a top read for me and definitely a new favourite. I will never stop recommending this book.’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘A truly moving story and very unlike anything I’ve read lately.’

Rebecca Ross (Author), Alex Wingfield, Rebecca Norfolk (Narrator)

Audiobook

Songs on Endless Repeat: Essays and Outtakes

A Most Anticipated Book of 2023 from: LA Times * Boston Globe * The Millions * LitHub By the New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning AFTERPARTIES comes a collection like none other: sharply funny, emotionally expansive essays and linked short fiction exploring family, queer desire, pop culture, and race The late Anthony Veasna So’s debut story collection, Afterparties, was a landmark publication, hailed as a “bittersweet triumph for a fresh voice silenced too soon” (Fresh Air). And he was equally known for his comic, soulful essays, published in n+1, The New Yorker, and The Millions. Songs on Endless Repeat gathers those essays together, along with previously unpublished fiction. Written with razor-sharp wit and an unflinching eye, the essays examine his youth in California, the lives of his refugee parents, his intimate friendships, loss, pop culture, and more. And in linked fiction following three Cambodian American cousins who stand to inherit their late aunt’s illegitimate loan-sharking business, So explores community, grief, and longing with inimitable humor and depth. Following “one of the most exciting contributions to Asian American literature in recent years” (Vulture), Songs on Endless Repeat is an astonishing final expression by a writer of “extraordinary achievement and immense promise” (The New Yorker).

Anthony Veasna So (Author), Keong Sim (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Black Joy Project

Featuring 117 full-color photos and eight breathtaking essays on a force that fuels Black life all around the globe, this is Humans of New York meets The Black Book 'A patchwork quilt of visually stunning images, captured moments of triumph, antidotes to trauma narratives and rich, ebullient emotional and verbal spice for the soul.' – Michael W. Twitty, culinary and cultural historian, and author of The Cooking Gene and Koshersoul Black Joy is everywhere. From the bustling streets of Lagos to hip-hop blasting through apartment windows in the Bronx. From the wide-open coastal desert of Namibia to the lush slopes of Jamaica’s Blue Mountains. From the thriving tradition of Candomblé in Bahia to the innovative and trendsetting styles of Soweto, and beyond, Black Joy is present in every place that Black people exist. Now—at last—is a one-of-a-kind celebration of this truth and a life-giving testament to one of the most essential forces that fuels Black life: The Black Joy Project. International in the scale, fist-raising in the prose, and chockfull of gorgeous works by dozens of acclaimed artists, The Black Joy Project does what no other book has ever done. In words and art, it puts joy on the same track as protest and resistance … because that is how life is actually lived. Uprisings in the street, with music as accompaniment. Heartbreaking funerals followed by second line parades. Microaggressions in the office, then coming home to a warm hug and a garden of lilacs. The list goes on. Black Joy is always held in tension with broader systemic wounds. It is a powerful, historically important salve that allows us to keep going and reimagine new ways of being. The Black Joy Project captures these dual realities to incredible, unforgettable effect. The brainchild of educator and activist Kleaver Cruz, The Black Joy Project is an extension of a real-world initiative of the same name. It has become a source of healing and regeneration for Black people of all backgrounds and identities. Long overdue and somehow still worth the wait, The Black Joy Project is a necessary addition for any book lover, art enthusiast, or freedom fighter. And begs the question, What does Black Joy mean to you?

Kleaver Cruz (Author), Pascale Armand, Tbd (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Radiant Birth: Advent Readings for a Bright Season

'In Advent we prepare for the coming of all Love.' -Madeleine L'Engle 'At the birth of Jesus, an event of cosmic significance by which we humans still mark our calendars, the invisible and visible worlds come together.' -Philip Yancey 'Help us to realize, as those who love and believe in you that we, too, are pregnant with Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that day by day we are being enlarged.' -Luci Shaw The first Christmas sermon preserved in church history was preached by St. John Chrysostom in AD 386, in which he declared, 'Behold a new and wonderful mystery!' In this volume, the Christian literary writers of the Chrysostom Society reflect on Advent and Christmastide as a bright and meaningful season of anticipation and glory. Through forty-two readings from the first Sunday of Advent through Epiphany, contributors prepare us in watchful waiting for the coming of Jesus. We enter slowly so that the familiar can astonish us and become wondrous once again. Jesus is born in Bethlehem. But not only there. He is also born in us, that we might bear his presence and impart his goodness to the world.

Leslie Leyland Fields (Author), Kellye A. Saunders, William Sarris (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Die Akte Tengelmann und das mysteriöse Verschwinden des Milliardärs Karl-Erivan Haub: Wel

Die Geschichte liest sich wie ein Hollywood-Thriller, ist aber wahr: Am 7. April 2018 verschwindet der deutsch-amerikanische Milliardär Karl-Erivan Haub im Gletschergebiet am Matterhorn. Der bestens trainierte Extremsportler hinterlässt keine einzige Spur, keinen Hilferuf, kein Zeichen eines Überlebenskampfes. Im Oktober 2018 wird die Suche nach ihm offiziell eingestellt, seine Leiche wird nie gefunden. Ein Bruder Haubs lässt den Unternehmer für tot erklären, was seine Macht in einem Firmenimperium sichert, zu dem unter anderem OBI, KiK und Teile von Zalando gehören. Die Investigativjournalistin Liv von Boetticher hat den Fall jahrelang recherchiert. Obwohl ihr jede Menge Steine in den Weg gelegt wurden, erhielt sie Zugang zu streng vertraulichen Akten privater Ermittler. Sie lassen den Schluss zu: Der Verschwundene könnte noch leben – und zwar in Russland. Viel spricht dafür, dass der frühere Chef des Tengelmann-Imperiums seit Jahren in äußerst dubiose Geschäfte in Russland verstrickt und vermutlich deswegen auf das Radar der amerikanischen Bundespolizei FBI und der CIA geraten war. Eine spannende Lektüre aus der Welt von Reichen, die sich mit den falschen Leuten eingelassen haben.

Liv Von Boetticher (Author), Katja Amberger (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - Por qué volvías cada verano

El libro que terminó con el secreto alrededor del abuso y se convirtió en clave de cientos de denuncias. «Hay libros que son hechos. Este es uno: se puede leer como una novela, como una denuncia, como la propia construcción. Porque es todo eso: una novela polifónica, el relato de un abuso padecido en la adolescencia en manos de un hombre armado, un tío poderoso, el macho de la familia y del pueblo. Y un hecho: acá está la mujer que fue la nena que ese tipo quiso romper para su uso personal. Y está toda entera, fuerte, hablando de lo que da tanta vergüenza hablar. Escribiendo contra todos los que intentaron callarla. Contra sí misma, incluso, a veces. Este libro es una batalla: la que ganó Belén López Peiró iniciando un juicio, buscando asesoramiento legal en un sistema que no les prodiga justicia a las víctimas, contándoles a todos sus parientes y vecinos, obligándolos a ver lo que no querían ver. Y escribiendo, haciendo de su propia experiencia una obra exquisita, una intervención política poderosa. Y muy necesaria». Gabriela Cabezón Cámara La crítica dijo: «El mapa de aquello que nos sucede, por fin al completo. Imprescindible». Brigitte Vasallo «Para mí un libro definitivo sobre el abuso sexual, además del descubrimiento de una voz de la que quiero leer mucho más». Nuria Labari «No, no es un libro para disfrutar. Es un libro para entender, para empatizar, para hacer real lo que no muchas se atreven a decir en alto». Andra.eus «Por eso la forma de este libro es tan perfecta o precisa para abordar la violencia machista, porque consigue hacer emocionalmente muy palpable la complejidad del entramado que sostiene la impunidad, el ruido de los juicios de los otros en la cabeza de una víctima, cuando no hay jerarquías, ni valoraciones, ni justicia. Solo la nítida ajenidad de todos ante la experiencia propia de la vulnerabilidad». Gabriela Wiener, elDiario.es «Belén López Peiró relata el abuso sexual sin ambigüedades, pero con mucha literatura». Mauro Libertella

Belén López Peiró (Author), Belén López Peiró (Narrator)

Audiobook

Essays & Anthologies Audiobooks in Fiction & Literature