Audiobooks narrated by Karen Gundersen

Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her

“Barbie and her creator, the sharp-elbowed gal who built the biggest toy company, have a story to tell.” —Time Barbie and Ruth is the remarkable true story of the world’s most famous toy and the woman who created her. It is a fascinating account of how one visionary woman and her product changed an industry and sparked a lasting debate about women’s roles. At once a business book, a colorful portrait of an extraordinary female entrepreneur, and a breathtaking look at a cultural phenomenon, Barbie and Ruth is a must read for anyone who ever owned a Barbie doll. This is the entwined tale of two exceptional women. One was a voluptuous eleven-inch-tall beauty who debuted at the 1959 Toy Fair in New York City and quickly became the treasure of 9 out of 10 American girls and their counterparts in 150 countries. She went on to compete as an Olympic athlete, serve as an air force pilot, work as a boutique owner, run as a presidential candidate, and ignite a cultural firestorm. The other was Ruth Handler, the tenth child of Polish Jewish immigrants. A brilliant, creative, ruthless, and passionately competitive visionary, Ruth was a mother and wife who wanted it all—a masterful entrepreneur who, together with her curvaceous plastic creation, changed American business and culture forever.

Robin Gerber (Author), Karen Gundersen (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Magical Universe: Collection One

Far from earth on a beautiful planet with several moons, this collection of nine short stories takes you to The Magical Universe. Hear the bell from the sunken tower and meet the dreams not yet lost and forgotten, look in the mirror and see how the future might play out, and wonder if you would prefer not to know what happened with the old lady. The Magical Universe Collection One is the first nine short stories from The Magical Universe. All stories from The Magical Universe are self-contained and can be read independently. Each story is a thousand words and is also characterized as Flash Fiction. 'What inspired me to write this series is the storytelling of H. C. Andersen, a Danish author who wrote The Little Mermaid and the short gruk by Peit Hein. Gruks are small stories, almost quotes, and always contain some kind of wisdom. The figurative language of The Magical Universe is deeply inspired by Akira Kurosawa's imagery and the stunning images in Chinese films like Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon.' Author Tina Lindegaard

Tina Lindegaard (Author), Karen Gundersen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Dexter the Very Good Goat

Dexter is the top goat at the petting zoo, but he's not the bravest, much to his embarrassment. He has the longest, smoothest, and straightest horns of all eleven goats, and he's very good at using them to keep the others in line. He's also a very good boy. Dexter never grabs the paper maps out of visitors' hands or sneaks into the alpaca pen for an afternoon grain snack. But he's secretly afraid of some things, like the generator, the big green ball, and--horror of horrors--having his hooves trimmed. Follow the zoo-yard adventures of this irascible goat and find what goes on inside his head as he learns to overcome his fears.

Jean M. Malone (Author), Karen Gundersen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Last Blue Christmas

The only case they haven't cracked is how to be together. Not on Officer Maggie Kyle's Christmas bingo card: a homemade bomb in a bus station locker; a child, the prime suspect in the bombing; her partner of ten years abandoning her to solve the case on her own. Max St. James might be the worst cop in the world—or at least in Toronto: he fell in love with his partner; he's the reason she never became a detective; he doesn't much care who planted the bomb. The IED's blast ignites years of tension, sending Maggie and Max careening in opposite directions—but opposites still attract. Can they find a way to come together to solve the case before another bomb goes off? And will it mean another ten years sacrificing the future they want for the partnership they already have?

Rose Prendeville (Author), Karen Gundersen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Summer with the Leprechauns: A True Story

An Irish Jewel, far more than a fairy tale. A good humored, true account of Tanis’ summer in a cottage in Ireland where the resident leprechaun taught her about the evolution of elementals (fairies, elves, leprechauns). In the author’s re-edited and revised classic you can hear the leprechaun’s voice in all his mischievous wisdom. Summer with the Leprechauns is an astonishing true story about one woman’s journey to Ireland where she lived in a cottage with leprechauns. These seldom-seen beings taught her about the evolution of elementals – the race to which leprechauns, faeries, elves, trolls belong. They explained the importance of humans and elementals working together for the betterment of both of their races and the Earth. Praise for Summer with the Leprechauns “Tanis Helliwell is a spiritual evocateur and deep seer who opens us up to other voice…other realms…” Jean Houston, author of Search for the Beloved “This delightful book is not only great fun to read, but makes most interesting and intelligent suggestions about the reality and work of this particular branch of the nature world. It can help us open our minds to fascinating dimensions that do exist on the planet.” Dorothy MacLean, co-founder of Findhorn and author of To Hear the Angels Sing “Opening this book opens a door in the imagination. Whether you take it as fact or fiction, this book carries a message of planetary priorities.” Julia Cameron, An Artist’s Way Tanis Helliwell, M.Ed., is the founder of The International Institute for Transformation (IIT). She has experienced and later worked with elementals, angels, and master teachers on other planes since childhood. Living on the sea coast north of Vancouver, Canada, she is the author of Pilgrimage with the Leprechauns, Hybrids, High Beings of Hawaii, Manifest Your Soul's Purpose, Embraced by Love, and Decoding Your Destiny: Keys to Humanity's Spiritual Evolution. Visit www.iitransform.com

Tanis Helliwell (Author), Karen Gundersen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Straining Forward: Minh Phuong Towner's Story

In the early morning hours of January 31, 1968, New Year fireworks gave way to gunfire and bombs. Eleven-year-old Minh watched in horror as her father and two siblings were gunned down by the Vietcong in their backyard. Though she escaped death that night, abuse, prison, and torture would follow. A dramatic escape by boat on the South China Sea finally takes Minh out of communist Vietnam, but the tragedy of her childhood would continue to haunt her. From France to Australia to the United States, Minh struggles to find her place in a country she does not call home, in a world she does not understand. While each journey leads her to question God's very existence and purpose for her life, they also draw her into a closer relationship with Him and toward a vocation in ministry. Minh's powerful story of escape, as well as dangerous and unhealthy relationships, is told with raw sincerity. Straining Forward is a riveting spiritual journey of hope and healing that reminds readers that we are more than victims of circumstance and that even in our loneliest and most desolate moments, we are never truly alone.

Michelle Layer Rahal (Author), Karen Gundersen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Isabella and the Slipper

When Isabella accidentally switches phones with Chase Hawkins, the hottest guy in school, she finds herself making an unexpected connection with her secret crush. There’s only one problem: her awful stepmother and two horrible stepsisters would freak out if they knew. Plus, she’s sure Chase will run if he finds out he’s been texting the school nobody. But things get interesting when he gets paired up with her in physics class. Will it blow her cover?

Victorine E. Lieske (Author), Karen Gundersen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Karen Gundersen