Showing results by narrator "Simon Vance" in All Categories

On Christmas Eve 1914, a group of German soldiers laid down their arms, lit lanterns, and started to sing Christmas carols. The British troops in nearby trenches responded by singing songs of their own. The next day, men from both sides met in No Man's Land. They shook hands, took photos, and exchanged food and souvenirs. Some even played improvised football games, kicking around empty bully-beef cans and using helmets for goalposts. Both sides also saw the lull in fighting as a chance to bury the bodies of their comrades.

Liam Mulcahey, a reclusive, shell-shocked veteran, remembers little of the Great War. Ten years later, when he is caught in a brutal attack on a Chicago speakeasy, Liam is saved by Grace, an alluring heiress who's able to cast illusions. Though the attack appears to have been committed by the hated Uprising, Grace believes it was orchestrated by Leland De Pere - Liam's former commander and the current president of the United States. With Grace's help, Liam begins to regain his abilities, but when De Pere learns of it, he orders his militia to eliminate Liam at any cost.

Soon, the dormouse must hibernate, and the friends will part. As the time for sleep nears, the fox tries to keep the dormouse awake. Sleep indeed must come, but not before the two friends have shared one last story, knowing they will be together again in the spring. This gentle friendship story is the perfect allegory for a bedtime ritual. And the reassuring message is clear: “I will be there for you when you wake.”

Known as an actor-manager, Sir Henry Irving (1838-1905) took complete responsibility for season after season at London’s Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as representative of English classical theater. Beginning in 1878, author Bram Stoker worked for Irving as a business manager at the Lyceum for much of Irving’s career. Stoker revered Irving, and when he began writing Dracula, Irving was the chief inspiration for the title character.

Kaith knows he’s been luckier than most. Born to a blacksmith, he’s grateful that hard work and good fortune granted him a position as a man-at-arms in the countess’ service. But when he accompanies her entourage to a joyful annual festival, the young man is shocked to find the village besieged, cursed...and Her Ladyship’s knights slaughtered. Taking shelter in the now-helpless town, Kaith feels unworthy as he and his fellow armsmen are charged with repelling the demonic enemy.

What 21-year-old swordsman would choose the cloistered life of a priest over one of sharp steel and high adventure? Not Alden Havenwulf. As the prince of Corland, the mightiest kingdom on Reven, his world is driven by ancient traditions and rigid obligations. But instead of the twisted politics of the royal court, Alden chooses exile, wandering the world in search of riches enough to buy his own estate.

V. S. Naipaul's legendary command of broad comedy and acute social observation is on abundant display in these classic works of fiction - two novels and a collection of stories - that capture the rhythms of life in the Caribbean and England with impressive subtlety and humor.

Wisdom in Exile provides a new insight into Buddhism's encounter with Western culture and the Western mind in the early 21st century. Jampa Thaye has trained for over 40 years with some of the foremost lamas of Tibetan Buddhism, yet is a Westerner, living in Britain, teaching Buddhism to students throughout Europe and North America. He draws on that knowledge and experience to explain the space that now exists for Buddhism in the West, and identifies critical conflicts and tensions that must be resolved for modern Westerners to grasp the essence of the Buddhist teachings.

An aristocratic Russian doctor races to contain a deadly plague in an outpost city in Manchuria - before it spreads to the rest of the world. 1910: people are mysteriously dying at an alarming rate in the Russian-ruled city of Kharbin, a major railway outpost in Northern China. Strangely, some...

At the age of 17, Adolfo Kaminsky had narrowly escaped deportation to Auschwitz and was living in Nazi-occupied Paris, using forged documents to hide in plain sight. Due to his expert knowledge of dyes and his ability to masterfully reproduce official documents with an artistic eye, he was recruited to join the Jewish underground. He soon became the primary forger for the Resistance in Paris, working tirelessly with his network to create papers that would save an estimated 14,000 men, women, and children from certain death.

South Pole Santa is a story listeners of any age can enjoy, and one parents will love listening to with their children and grandchildren. Join 12-year-old Amanda Krumwerth and her family, who spend more time with their electronics and social media than they do with each other, and Marmel, Santa's head labeling elf, who wants to make sure the Krumwerths never get off the naughty list, to see if they can all find their way back to Christmas, with the help of flying penguins, Santa's younger brother, and an aging heavy metal rock star.

"If a fable is a legendary story of supernatural happenings," Mr. Swann says, "or a narration intended to enforce a useful truth, then these four are fables - which shouldn't be confused with fairy tales targeted only for children. These, then, are tales for kind and loving people of all ages." These fables came to Ingo Swann as a gift from a part of himself: He awoke four mornings in a row and literally had to write them.

Julian Raines was one of the first Englishmen to volunteer for the international brigade in Spain. The British Secret Service suspect that the flamboyant Raines was recruited for the KGB by the Bolsheviks during his student days at Oxford and send Robert Florry, a struggling young writer, to Spain after Raines with orders to eliminate him. Florry was an old school chum to Raines and had every reason to hate him. But. the British are not alone on Raines' trail.

Julian Raines was one of the first Englishmen to volunteer for the international brigade in Spain. The British Secret Service suspect that the flamboyant Raines was recruited for the KGB by the Bolsheviks during his student days at Oxford and send Robert Florry, a struggling young writer to Spain after Raines with orders to eliminate him.

Season Tickets to a Crime Carnival: A woman's scream pierced the silence, and the tent erupted into chaos. I grabbed Watson's coat to steady myself as the audience swarmed down the platform and towards the exits. I could scarcely believe the reaction.

Welcome to a London on the cusp of the 21st century. And meet Anthony, Alison and Lucy. Anthony is the disillusioned junior partner of a city insolvency firm; Alison is his PR-director wife; Lucy is the girl he has secretly been in love with for the past 17 years. This is the story of how Anthony and Lucy are brought together again and the emotional consequences for the people involved.

From the internationally best-selling author of SARAH'S KEY comes an irreverent yet heartfelt collection that examines our most intimate and forbidden desires Late nights at the office... Hotel rooms and secret rendezvous... Lingering perfume... Sizzling texts... What takes place in Paris when...

In 1904 the Scottish town of Selkirk held a three-day event to raise funds to replace a wooden bridge destroyed in a flood two years earlier. As part of the event, the organizers sold a story collection called The Book o' the Brig. Most of the stories were written by locals - but one stood out because it starred Holmes and Watson.

Mary and Joe are young people just graduating from their General Lessons. It is time for them to go to their first Project Day and choose the first Project they will to join. Mary wants desperately to get her boyfriend Joe to join her in the NutriSuit Project, but Joe wants just as desperately to do a Journalist Project because a major event is happening and Joe has an opportunity to play an important role.

Nick Thorneycroft is a British headhunter working in Luxembourg. His company asks him to recruit a high-flying executive for the company's Russian business. The best candidate turns out to be smart, beautiful...and mysterious. Soon the effects of Russia’s political upheaval, and the arrival of an ex-girlfriend who won’t leave him alone, make Nick’s Luxembourg life increasingly perilous; worlds collide in this gripping, atmospheric tale.