Audiobooks narrated by Luis Moreno

After the Worst Day Ever: What Sick Kids Know About Sustaining Hope in Chronic Illness

For those who care for chronically ill children, a new understanding of hope that equips adults to better nurture pediatric hope among sick kids-articulated by the children themselves As anyone with a chronic illness knows, hope can sometimes be hard to come by. For parents and caregivers of children with serious illness, there can be a real struggle to move beyond one's own grief, fear, and suffering to see what hope means for these kids. Duane Bidwell, a scholar, minister, and former hospital chaplain who has struggled with serious illness himself, spent time with 48 chronically ill children in dialysis units and transplant clinics around the United States. Chronically ill kids, he found, don't adhere to popular or scholarly understandings of hope. They experience hope as a sense of well-being in the present, not a promise of future improvement, an ability to set goals, or the absence of illness and suffering. With this mindset, these kids suggest a new understanding of pediatric hope, saying hope becomes concrete when they (1) realize community, (2) claim power, (3) attend to Spirit, (4) choose trust, and (5) maintain identity. Offering textured portraits of children with end-stage kidney disease, After the Worst Day Ever illustrates in their words how sick children experience, maintain, and turn toward hope even when illness cannot be cured and severely limits quality of life. Their insights reveal how the adults in a sick child's world-parents, chaplains, medical professionals, teachers, and others-can nurture hope. They also shift our understanding of hope from an internal resource located "inside" an individual to a shared, communal experience that becomes a resource for individuals. Rich and moving, Bidwell's work helps us imagine anew what it means to sustain hope despite inescapable suffering and the limits of chronic illness.

Duane R. Bidwell (Author), Luis Moreno (Narrator)

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Greatest Hits

A collection of award-winning short stories by Harlan Ellison, an eight-time Hugo Award winner, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, and four-time Nebula Award winner Harlan Ellison’s work shaped the science-fiction, fantasy, and horror genres in the twentieth century, and this collection of his best-known and most-acclaimed stories is a perfect treasury for old Ellison fans as well as listeners discovering this zany, polyphonic writer for the first time. Featuring these stories and many more: “‘Repent Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” - Hugo Award winner“Jeffty Is Five” - British Fantasy Award winner“The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” - Edgar Allan Poe Award winner

Harlan Ellison (Author), Angelo Di Loreto, Dion Graham, Edoardo Ballerini, Grover Gardner, Hillary Huber, Luis Moreno, Neil Hellegers, Robert Fass, Scott Brick, Stefan Rudnicki, Steven Jay Cohen, TBD, Tim Lounibos (Narrator)

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Conquistadors and Aztecs: A History of the Fall of Tenochtitlan

Five hundred years ago, a flotilla landed on the coast of Yucatán under the command of the Spanish conquistador Hérnan Cortés. While the official goal of the expedition was to explore and to expand the Christian faith, everyone involved knew that it was primarily about gold and the hunt for slaves. That a few hundred Spaniards destroyed the Aztec empire—a highly developed culture—is an old chestnut, because the conquistadors, who had every means to make a profit, did not succeed alone. They encountered groups such as the Tlaxcaltecs, who suffered from the Aztec rule and were ready to enter into alliances with the foreigners to overthrow their old enemy. In addition, the conquerors benefited from the diseases brought from Europe, which killed hundreds of thousands of locals. Drawing on both Spanish and indigenous sources, this account of the conquest of Mexico from 1519 to 1521 not only offers a dramatic narrative of these events—including the fall of Tenochtitlan and the flight of the conquerors—but also represents the individual protagonists on both sides, their backgrounds, their diplomacy, and their struggles. It vividly portrays the tens of thousands of local warriors who faced off against each other during the fighting as they attempted to free themselves from tribute payments to the Aztecs. Written by a leading historian of Latin America, Conquistadors and Aztecs offers a timely portrayal of the fall of Tenochtitlan and the founding of an empire that would last for centuries.

Stefan Rinke (Author), Luis Moreno (Narrator)

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The Stolen Throne

My twin sister is the true queen of Aryd. She survives, hiding and clinging to life in the desert, while I reign as the false queen alongside the monstrous King Eidolon. There’s only one escape from this gilded prison: Reven. My Shadowraith. My heart. Only the shadows that he struggles to control are growing more sinister, more powerful. It’s just a matter of time before they turn on him … and on me. Even escape doesn't mean true freedom, though, when we're still on the run from Eidolon’s unstoppable armies. And when we discover there’s a traitor among us, I have no choice … I must become the queen I was never meant to be. Because as one evil hunts me, the other loves me more than himself. And my fate lies with both.

Abigail Owen (Author), Luis Moreno, Samara Naeymi (Narrator)

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Slippage

With this, his bestselling and most critically acclaimed collection ever, Ellison celebrates four decades of brilliant, outrageous writing. The award-winning novella Mefisto in Onyx is the centerpiece of an irreverent and wildly imaginative book that the San Diego Union-Tribune called 'electrifying … Ellison is back, as unsettling as ever.'

Harlan Ellison (Author), Cindy Kay, Luis Moreno (Narrator)

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The Liar's Crown

Everything about my life is a lie. As a hidden twin princess, born second, I have only one purpose—to sacrifice my life for my sister if death comes for her. I’ve been living under the guise of a poor, obscure girl of no standing, slipping into the palace and into the role of the true princess when danger is present. Now the queen is dead and the ageless King Eidolon has sent my sister a gift—an eerily familiar gift—and a proposal to wed. I don’t trust him, so I do what I was born to do and secretly take her place on the eve of the coronation. Which is why, when a figure made of shadow kidnaps the new queen, he gets me by mistake. As I try to escape, all the lies start to unravel. And not just my lies. The Shadowraith who took me has secrets of his own. He struggles to contain the shadows he wields—other faces, identities that threaten my very life. Winter is at the walls. Darkness is looming. And the only way to save my sister and our dominion is to kill Eidolon … and the Shadowraith who has stolen my heart.

Abigail Owen (Author), Luis Moreno, Samara Naeymi (Narrator)

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The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything

Apple Books: Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2022 Amazon: Editors' Choice in Nonfiction Fast Company: Selected Among 11 Best Technology Books of Summer 2022 Tim Sweeney (CEO of Fortnite-maker Epic Games): “Matthew Ball’s essays have defined, analyzed, and inspired the Metaverse for years. His book is an approachable and essential guide to the strategic, technical, and philosophical foundations of this new medium.” “This book feels like a rare achievement?a definitive statement about an emerging phenomenon that could shape the digital world, the global economy, and the very experience of human consciousness.” ?Derek Thompson, Atlantic staff writer and national best-selling author of Hit Makers From the leading theorist of the Metaverse comes the definitive account of the next internet: what the Metaverse is, what it will take to build it, and what it means for all of us. The term “Metaverse” is suddenly everywhere, from the front pages of national newspapers and the latest fashion trends to the plans of the most powerful companies in history. It is already shaping the policy platforms of the US government, the European Union, and the Chinese Communist Party. But what, exactly, is the Metaverse? As pioneering theorist and venture capitalist Matthew Ball explains, it is a persistent and interconnected network of 3D virtual worlds that will eventually serve as the gateway to most online experiences, and also underpin much of the physical world. For decades, these ideas have been limited to science fiction and video games, but they are now poised to revolutionize every industry and function, from finance and healthcare to education, consumer products, city planning, dating, and well beyond. Taking us on an expansive tour of the “next internet,” Ball demonstrates that many proto-Metaverses are already here, such as Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox. Yet these offer only a glimpse of what is to come. Ball presents a comprehensive definition of the Metaverse before explaining the technologies that will power it?and the breakthroughs that will be necessary to fully realize it. He addresses the governance challenges the Metaverse entails; investigates the role of Web3, blockchains, and NFTs; and predicts Metaverse winners and losers. Most importantly, he examines many of the Metaverse’s almost unlimited applications. The internet will no longer be at arm’s length; instead, it will surround us, with much of our lives, labor, and leisure taking place inside the Metaverse. Bringing clarity and authority to a frequently misunderstood concept, Ball foresees trillions of dollars in new value?and the radical reshaping of society.

Matthew Ball (Author), Luis Moreno (Narrator)

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Troublemakers: Stories

In a career spanning more than 50 years, Harlan Ellison has written or edited 75 books, more than 1700 stories, essays, articles and newspaper columns, two dozen teleplays, and a dozen movies. Now, for the first time anywhere, Troublemakers presents a collection of Ellison's classic stories-chosen by the author-that will introduce new readers to a writer described by the New York Times as having 'the spellbinding quality of a great nonstop talker, with a cultural warehouse for a mind.'

Harlan Ellison (Author), Luis Moreno (Narrator)

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Run Rose Run: The most eagerly anticipated novel of 2022

Brought to you by Penguin. FIND A FUTURE. LOSE A PAST. She's a star on the rise, singing about the hard life behind her. She's also on the run. Nashville is where she's come to claim her destiny. It's also where the darkness she's fled might find her. And destroy her . . . RUN ROSE RUN: a story glittering with danger and desire. Also available: an album of 12 original Dolly Parton songs made for the novel! 'Like having Dolly in the room with you' VAL McDERMID 'Unforgettably good stuff' TONY PARSONS 'One great read' LISA GARDNER 'Enthralling, terrifying, moving' LEE SMITH 'A thrilling journey' KATHLEEN GRISSOM 'This is going to be BIG' THE TIMES READERS ARE LOVING RUN ROSE RUN: 'It feels so authentic' 'I would give the novel ten stars were it possible' 'A great read, fabulous characters, short sharp chapters . . . A terrific collaboration' 'Beautifully written' 'A wonderful story . . . redemptive and inspiring' 'A true page-turner' 'I didn't want to put it down' © Dolly Parton & James Patterson 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Dolly Parton, James Patterson (Author), Dolly Parton, Ella Turenne, Emily Woo Zeller, James Fouhey, Kelsea Ballerini, Kevin T. Collins, Luis Moreno, Peter Ganim, Robert Petkoff, Ronald Peet, Soneela Nankani (Narrator)

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The Compleat Glass Teat

The Glass Teat: Essays The classic collection of criticism about television and American culture from the late, multi-award-winning legend. From 1968 through 1972, Harlan Ellison penned a series of weekly columns, sharing his uncompromising thoughts about contemporary television programming for the Los Angeles Free Press, a.k.a. "The Freep," a countercultural, underground newspaper. Sitcoms and variety shows, westerns and cop dramas, newscasts and commercials, Ellison left no pixilated stone unturned, expounding on the insipidness, hypocrisy, and malaise found in the glowing images projected into the faces of American audiences. The Glass Teat: Essays of Opinion on the Subject of Television collects fifty-two of Ellison's columns-including his 2011 introduction "Welcome to the Gulag," his unapologetic commentary about how cellphones and the internet have extended television's reach, eroding intelligence and freedom and creating a legion of bloodshot eyed zombies unable to communicate beyond their screens or think for themselves. Provocative and prescient, irreverent and insightful, Ellison's critical analyses of the glowing box that became the center of American life are even more relevant in the twenty-first century. The Other Glass Teat: Essays The late, multi-award-winning author of The Glass Teat continues his critical assault on television in this second collection of classic criticism. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, there were only three major television networks broadcasting original programs and news. And there was only one Harlan Ellison taking them all to task in a series of weekly essays he wrote for the countercultural, underground newspaper, the Los Angeles Free Press, a.k.a. "The Freep." For nearly four years, he channel surfed through the mire of ABC, CBS, and NBC, finding little of value but much to critique. No one offered a more astute analysis of the idiot box's influence on American culture, or its effects on the intelligence and psyche of viewers. The Other Glass Teat: Further Essays of Opinion on the Subject of Television collects Ellison's final fifty columns, presenting his thoughts on everything from dramas and sitcoms to game shows and roundtable discussions, unleashing his fury against sponsors, the nightly news, and the broadcasts of President Nixon-warning readers about the commander-in-chief's war against the media long before the Watergate scandal broke. As television has evolved into wireless streaming services and digital interactions on portable devices, Ellison's timeless rage against the machine has become prophecy. His plea to unplug is an even more necessary call to action in the face of the twenty-first century's media onslaught.

Harlan Ellison (Author), Luis Moreno (Narrator)

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Tales of Power

Carlos Castaneda (Author), Luis Moreno (Narrator)

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American Dementia: Brain Health in an Unhealthy Society

For decades, researchers have chased a pharmaceutical cure for memory loss. But despite the fact that no disease-modifying biotech treatments have emerged, new research suggests that dementia rates have actually declined in the United States and Western Europe over the last decade. Why is this happening? And what does it mean for brain health in the future? In American Dementia, Daniel R. George, PhD, MSc, and Peter J. Whitehouse, MD, PhD, argue that the current decline of dementia may be strongly linked to mid-twentieth century policies that reduced inequality, provided widespread access to education and health care, and brought about cleaner air, soil, and water. They also explain why Alzheimer's disease, an obscure clinical label until the 1970s, is the hallmark illness of our current hyper-capitalist era; reveal how the soaring inequalities of the twenty-first century-which are sowing poverty, barriers to health care and education, loneliness, lack of sleep, stressful life events, environmental exposures, and climate change-are reversing the gains of the twentieth century and damaging our brains; tackle the ageist tendencies in our culture, which disadvantage both vulnerable youth and elders; make an evidence-based argument that policies like single-payer health care, a living wage, and universal access to free higher education and technical training programs will build collective resilience to dementia; and promote strategies that show how local communities can rise above the disconnection and loneliness that define our present moment and come together to care for our struggling neighbors. Ultimately, American Dementia asserts that actively remembering lessons from the twentieth century which help us become a healthier, wiser, and more compassionate society represents our most powerful intervention for preventing Alzheimer's and protecting human dignity. Exposing the inconvenient truths that confound market-based approaches to memory enhancement as well as broader social organization, the book imagines how we can act as citizens to protect our brains, build the cognitive resilience of younger generations, and rise to the moral challenge of caring for the cognitively frail. A supplemental PDF is included with this audiobook.

Daniel R. George, Peter J. Whitehouse (Author), Luis Moreno (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Luis Moreno