Showing results by narrator "Michael Gilboe" in All Categories

Among all the various figures in 19th century America who left controversial legacies, it is hard to find one as influential as Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the founder of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Mormonism, and the Latter Day Saint movement. Revered as a prophet on the level of Moses by some, reviled as a perpetrator of large-scale fraud by others, what everyone can agree on is that Joseph Smith founded a religious movement that played a crucial role in the settlement of the West, especially in Utah.

When Bertram Wiggly leaves his job as an appliance actuary - calculating the life expectancy of major appliances so their warranties expire precisely one day before they implode - he thinks he's found the perfect place to retire in Medville, with its town square, circled by brick-cobbled streets and quaint shops with bright red and white awnings. But then the town rezones itself for musicals. At any moment an invisible orchestra is apt to strike up a melody and the otherwise sane townsfolk of Medville burst into song.

The Olmec people are widely recognized as the first major civilization of Mexico and are thus generally regarded as the mother civilization of Mesoamerica, making them the people from which all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures derived.

Nobody spent more time in the thick of early American political debates than Thomas Jefferson, one of the most famous and revered Americans. Jefferson was instrumental in all of the aforementioned debates, authoring the Declaration of Independence, laying out the ideological groundwork of the notion of states' rights, leading one of the first political parties, and overseeing the expansion of the United States during his presidency.

The life story of Ramesses II is voluminously recorded and illustrated through documents and inscriptions, and it is even represented physically through his funerary goods and the well-preserved mummified remains of the man himself. But despite the resources available with which to reason about who Ramesses II was and what his impact might have been, there is also a necessary disconnection between him and those who chronicled his story.

The Toltec are one of the most famous Mesoamerican groups in South America, but they are also the most controversial and mysterious. The Toltec have been identified as the group that established a strong state centered in Tula (in present-day Mexico), and the Aztec claimed the Toltec as their cultural predecessors, so much so that the word Toltec comes from the Aztec's word Tōltēcatl, translated as artisan.

He listened attentively when Grandpa talked. Curiosity is a terrible curse, he decided. And curious Zander was. He knew that they were considered outsiders on their street even when he was in the second grade. He just knew it even though people were nice to him and to his mother.

The Gallic Wars, the series of campaigns waged by Julius Caesar on behalf of the Roman Senate between 58-50 BC, were among the defining conflicts of the Roman era. Not only was the expansion of the Republic's domains unprecedented (especially when considering it was undertaken under the auspices of a single general), it had a profound cultural impact on Rome itself as well.

Magical industry knowledge is precious and hard to find. Even the most minor spells require enormous nondisclosure waivers. Most of the experts claim the knowledge under patents to ensure they could make the most money possible. The harder that knowledge is to discover, the less competition you have. Magic factories are known to be high risk because of the stigma of sharing information. Unfortunately for the workers at this factory, that includes information on how to be safe.

The Greek god Hades is something of an enigma. On the one hand, people can view him through a lens that was a byproduct of the Christian tradition: as a terrifying lord of death seated upon his ebony throne, an unseen force of power moving through the world. Certainly, many of the ancient Greeks themselves saw the god in this light.

Welcome to Eden, a town teeming with supernatural surprises, quirky characters, and more than a few laughs. The Librarian of the Haunted Library is a rollercoaster ride through a world where nothing is quite as it seems, and everything is laced with a twisted sense of humor. Follow the adventures of the librarian of Eden, the son of Karl—yes, that Karl, who rules Hell—as he navigates a town filled with witches, demons, hellhounds, and angels. Don’t miss out on the series that readers are calling “hilarious,” “enthralling,” and “a refreshing original story.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a summary, analysis, and review of the book and not the original book. In The Future Is Faster Than You Think, authors Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler explore how the convergence of different technologies will revolutionize the way we eat, work, play, and live.

Bubba Snoddy's got some problems. His family has descended for the Christmas holidays and not in a good way. His cousin wants to own the Snoddy Mansion, decrepit, falling down columns, termites, wood rot and all and isn't above using manipulative behavior to achieve his ends. Miz Demetrice is up to nefarious and illegal activities while trying to entertain relatives.

Mark Watney wasn't the mission commander of Ares 3, a month-long expedition to Mars. He was just the science geek, botany guru, and mechanical engineer: the lowest guy on the totem pole and the only one who didn't make it back to the ascent vehicle when the storm hit. Left for dead on the surface of a barren planet, Watney must plumb the depths of his considerable ingenuity and resourcefulness to find a way to survive - and to let the people on Earth know he's still alive.

Williamsburg got its start as a fortified site, which was vitally necessary for English settlers to heavily outnumbered by nearby Native Americans, many of which were at times hostile. Known originally as Middle Plantation, the site served as the capital of the colony for much of the 18th century, and it bore witness to seminal events in the history of Revolutionary era America, including the Gunpowder Incident, which nearly coincided with the Battles of Lexington and Concord to the north.

Get ready to laugh! Get ready to tap your toes! Get ready to take a fresh look at what it means to “love your neighbor” and to “turn the other cheek” (not that one, you nitwit!). Set in ancient Jerusalem, SYMPHONY OF LIFE mostly tells the story of Joel, a corrupt tax collector who’s in desperate need of a swift kick in the pants. But there’s also a cadre of irate marketplace vendors all vying to be the one to deliver the humbling blow; a spunky, young widow who wishes she had more than two pitiful mites to cast into the offering box at the temple treasury; a pair of star-crossed lovers.

In book 4 there’s the librarian, of course, all the main characters from books 1-3, including the town of Eden which is certainly a main character, and a witch. It begins with her asking the librarian to find her Familiar, a cat. It ends with, well, I can’t tell you that. Expect suspense and unexpected twists and turns, odd characters, and the same kind of humor that is in the other novels because I’m pretty much unable to have any other kind. Hope you enjoy it.

Walter "Boomer" Stapleton has good reason to believe that he is the ultimate stereotype: divorced, middle-aged, tired of his job, involved with a much younger woman, and soon to lose his only child to college. He is a Baby Boomer, one of an anonymous seventy-seven million Americans at or approaching midlife. With his fiftieth birthday just around the corner, Boomer is finished being a poster child for his generation and determined to forge a new path despite his progressively shrinking set of life options.

A fun, fast, fantastical listen: After an altercation with a clown, I get lost in the woods and find a strange town. When the librarian of the town dies in front of me, I try on his ring. It fits. I’m declared the new librarian by the mayor and townspeople. I get to live in a houseful of books. But I soon learn the job involves more than just tomes and information. In fact, my first assignment is to discover who murdered my predecessor.

A fun, fast, fantastical listen: In book 1 after an altercation with a clown, I get lost in the woods and find a strange town. When the librarian of the town dies in front of me, I try on his ring. It fits. I’m declared the new librarian by the mayor and townspeople. I get to live in a houseful of books. But I soon learn the job involves more than just tomes and information. In fact, my first assignment is to discover who murdered my predecessor.