Showing results for "John Owen" in Literature & Fiction

Of all of John Irving's books, this is the one that lends itself best to audio. In print, Owen Meany's dialogue is set in capital letters; for this production, Irving himself selected Joe Barrett to deliver Meany's difficult voice as intended. In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys – best friends – are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary and terrifying.

While travelling in central Turkey, Joe Grafton stumbles upon some ancient scrolls that contain a secret so devastating it could shake the foundations of the modern world. Soon, he and the beautiful Turkish girl he has befriended are fighting for their lives, pursued across the country by enemies who will do anything to get their hands on the scrolls.

In a world transformed by global warming and the pandemic, a grieving man goes undercover in search of the racists who murdered his stepson. Meanwhile, with the forces of nationalism on the march, MPs fight to preserve democracy and the rule of law. Gradually the narratives converge and in a thrilling climax, those who would defend liberty must battle for their lives and for the future of the country.

Sometimes we just want the best. But that involves choices, judgements, decisions. And that all depends on our feelings, our mood at the time. Even more so with poetry. Would we like a little more pathos, or love, or humour with that? Can we only choose one Keats? And ’If’? Surely Kipling wrote something else? So difficult to decide. This one or that? Is it easier to choose your 50 favourite poets or your 50 favourite poems?

When young Matthew starts talking to himself, and introduces his invisible friend, Chocky, to the family, his parents decide it's just a phase he is going through. But when Matthew starts explaining binary maths and anti-gravity propulsion, they begin to worry. Is Chocky really just the product of an over-inactive imagination, or something more?

John O’Driscoll is madly in love with Karen Black but is so mesmerised by her beauty that in her presence his brain refuses to function. He walks in fear of school governor Father Kennedy, a man with nasal hair so terrifying it gives grown men nightmares and sends small animals scurrying for cover. And all O’Driscoll’s efforts to impress Karen seem to end in disaster and public humiliation at the hands of the cantankerous cleric. Will O’Driscoll stay out of the pub long enough to win Karen over? Will he stay out of Father Kennedy’s reach for long enough to have his teaching contract renewed?

When action movie star Thor Lobo thwarts a gang of car-jackers on a dark highway near Nero, Florida, he vows to make a movie of his heroics. But before the cinematic blockbuster can show Nero as more than a boring beach town, Thor is killed, struck by lightning on the golf course. The people of Nero insist that since God took their leading man, The Almighty owes them something of comparable greatness.

Martha Walters won’t chance another broken heart. But after escaping from the brothel her ex-fiancé sold her to, she believes only marriage can keep her safe. On the run and desperate to find a potential husband, she takes a risk on a handsome cattle rancher 10 years her senior. Gray Jenkins worries he’s too old to attract a wife. Now in his 40s, the wisecracking farmer with the soft heart takes a longshot and places an ad for a mail-order bride. But he’s stunned when a charming woman a decade younger shows up on his doorstep.

In the aftermath of the horrifying attacks of September 11, 2001, a second wave of attacks is expected to hit the US mainland. The year is 2002. A cabal of elite one-world proponents, in conspiracy with members of the Chinese government, has developed an operation to spark the birth of their new world order. John Powers, ex-Delta Force sniper and CIA operative and the Alpha Team, must act now.

Usually, former Delta Force soldier John Powers is delighted to hear from Casey McBride, the widow of John's brother-in-arms Braden and mother of John's five-year-old godson Ian. But Casey is calling because she has just killed two of three intruders to her Boulder, Colorado home. And when John hears that Ian, under hypnosis to find a cure for his acute aqua phobia, has claimed to be the reincarnation of an assassinated US senator, he tells Casey to get out of the house, now.

The writers group of Ballymun Library in Dublin, Ireland, are publishing some representative samples of their members' work. All the pieces in this abridged version were written (and narrated) by members of the writing group.

An English poet and soldier, Owen depicted more graphically and effectively than any poet before him the horrors and realities of fighting in the trenches. His poignant verse has made him one of the greatest voices to emerge from World War I.

Irish beauty Lucy Magee fears she’ll never shake her bad luck. As though to prove her right, a trip to Montana to meet a dashing doctor results in the accidental death of her coach driver. But when the mail-order bride finally sets sight on her potential husband’s kind face, she’s sure her fortunes have turned.

Of the three range-riding, cattle-busting sisters, only Allegra remains in the saddle, herding the stock to water at the river and protecting them from marauding predators. Now, the moment of Allegra’s destiny is at hand. The decision she made nine months ago, when Bruce Manfield defeated Jude McCann to seal the sisters’ right to run their own ranch, is coming to fruition. The day of her mail-order wedding draws near.

Ce soir, je vous propose de nous plonger dans la nouvelle Le Vampire de John William Polidori publiée en 1819. C’est l’histoire d’un jeune homme, Aubrey, fasciné et envoûté par un mystérieux aristocrate nommé Lord Ruthven, qu'il rencontre lors de ses voyages à travers l’Europe. Charmé par la beauté et l'aura de Ruthven, Aubrey devient rapidement le compagnon de ce dernier, sans savoir qu’il est en réalité une créature maléfique, une figure de la nuit, un vampire.

Colin Greer knows a lot about a lot. His rich life as an educator and author/playwright, immersed in the social and political justice trenches, is reflected in his latest poetry. In this collection, he muses on the human condition through verse, taking the listener through the ordinary, the personal, the sublime and tragic.

A strong, silent stranger rides into the lawless lands of the western frontier, battles horse thieves, deals with unyielding scoundrels, and wins the heart of a schoolmarm. Owen Wister's 1902 classic---the first great novel of the American West---is rich in moral drama and vernacular wit. His hero---like knights of old---lives by an enduring code of chivalry and is governed by quiet courage and a deep sense of honor.

Alan just watched his beautiful girlfriend die from testing an unstable drug. It looks like this drug is still in the process of being released by a renegade doctor, so Alan teams up with an old friend, Ryan, to stop the dangers of the drug from hurting other people. Alan's journey leads him to some new discoveries and some decisions that may leave him in need of a cure himself. When Alan and Ryan team up with an unlikely ally, how far will they go to protect people from this dangerous drug? What more dangers are they going to uncover?

When Alan learns that Michelle is working with a small group to go against the big pharmaceutical company because of a specific drug, Alan is intrigued. For this reason, Alan takes a job offer from Michelle's boss. Not only does he get paid well, he also gets to work with Michelle and help save the world from a dangerous drug. The more Alan uncovers, though, the more questions he has about what's going on and how much time he has.

A collection of the greatest war poetry ever written, read by some of the 20th century’s most renowned actors. Tragedy, war and humanity are played out in these timeless readings of poetry written about, or on, the battlefield.