Showing results by author "Os Swift" in All Categories

Here, in this unusual collection, are some of the greatest essays in Western literature. Witty, informative and imaginative, the topics vary from starvation in Ireland, fine China, the extension of railways in the Lake District, and the tombs in Westminster Abbey. A little like after-dinner monologues, they are passing thoughts expressed as journalism. Neville Jason reads with urbane clarity.

A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland From Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Public, commonly referred to as A Modest Proposal, is a Juvenalian satirical essay written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729. Swift suggests in his essay that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling children as food. By doing this he mocks the authority of the British officials.

What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers (1970) guides job-seekers through the process of finding fulfilling careers that utilize their individual talents and skills. First published in 1970, the book has been updated annually since 1985... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more. (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.)

Liverpool is a unique city within the United Kingdom—in terms of its dialect, hedonism, friendliness, rejection of 'Englishness', and most pertinently, its politics. It is bastion of working-class left-wing politics like no other—as evidenced by the suspension of a Liverpool FC match after the death of the Queen, for fear the Liverpool fans would boo the minute's silence. Yet it was not always so, and Liverpool's transformation from a stronghold of working-class Toryism to its current identity is a remarkable remaking.

The weather outside is cold and snowy, but Fuzzy and Coco are as warm as toast in the house, enjoying their favourite TV shows. Fuzzy loves the cookery programmes, while Coco is a huge fan of The Ice Factor, a celebrity skating competition. But some of their furry friends are not so lucky - it's freezing out in the copse, and someone has been stealing the animals' food! Fuzzy and Coco have to do something - can they use the skills they've learnt from their favourite TV shows to help their friends?

For 40 years, Willy Chapman has struck a strange but steadfast bargain between the two poles of his life: his beautiful but emotionally damaged wife and the sweet shop he runs on a South London high street. Devoted to each, he has maintained a delicate, precarious balance. Now, on a hot summer’s day, he attempts to settle his final accounts and reach an understanding with a third, disruptive element in his reckoning: his angry, unforgiving daughter.

On an autumn day in 2006, on the Isle of Wight, Jack Luxton—former Devon farmer, now proprietor of a seaside caravan park—receives the news that his brother, Tom, not seen for years, has been killed in Iraq. For Jack and his wife Ellie, this will have a potentially catastrophic impact and compel Jack to make a crucial journey: to receive his brother’s remains, but also to return to the land of his past and confront his most secret, troubling memories.

The 18th Century Classics Collection steps into the vibrant and tumultuous world of 18th century Europe. With this captivating anthology of some of the most influential works of 1700s literature, we encounter biting satire, passionate romance, and political tumultuousness. From the philosophical musings of Candide to the dark, gothic suspense of The Monk, this collection provides an eclectic mix of narrative styles and genres, capturing the essence of an age marked by intellectual revolution, social upheaval, and profound artistic expression.

The Ultimate Classics Collection: Volume Three is the third instalment of our wide-ranging classic collections. Volume Three features 10 essential works that reach further back into early Greek and Italian stories from Dante, Machiavelli, and Homer, as-well as comparatively modern works from Daniel Defoe, Henry David Thoreau, and others. Read by a cast of incredible narrators including David Rintoul; Daniel Weyman; Rachel Atkins; and more, this is a chance to expand your listening by going back to some of the earliest pieces of classic literature.

The Good Gut: The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health (2015) by Justin Sonnenburg and Erica Sonnenburg explores the fascinating machinations of the human gut. Also known as the microbiome, the gut is teeming with live bacteria that help make or break one’s physical and mental health.

The Ultimate Essays Collection is a wide-ranging collection of 30 classic essays analysing everything from war to love, journalism to race, travel to nature, and much more, read by an award-winning cast of narrators. Included here are essays by some of the greatest writers of all time, including George Orwell; Thomas Paine; Fyodor Dostoyevsky; Henry David Thoreau; Virigina Woolf; Sigmund Freud; Zorea Neale Huston; Langston Hughes; Jack London, and more.

What evil lurks in the depths of the Dark Mountain? In the West Highlands of Scotland, few years after the end of World War One, Brenda and her friends are preparing for an expedition of a lifetime: Climbing An Cailleach, also known as The Witch. But even before they reach the base of the mountain, they realize that something is wrong. Strange apparitions, even stranger locals and ancient superstitions are all signs that they are on a dangerous path. When things take a turn for the worse, will friendship be more important than survival?

Travelers visit many strange places. They see very many wonderful things. When they return home they tell wonderful stories about what they have seen. Thus begins Jonathan Swift’s immortal Lemuel Gulliver in his witty masterpiece, Gulliver’s Travels.

The Hidden Brain (2009) by Shankar Vedantam explores the unconscious inclinations and pre-formed judgments that shape human behaviors. In public policy and in other disciplines that attempt to explain and predict how and why people act, the common assumption is that people make decisions consciously, referring to the facts they know and privileging reason over their emotions. Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more. (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.)

Celtic Poets breathes vitality into the works of Swift, Burns, Wilde, and more. Cosham's finely honed delivery brings verdant valleys, quaint villages, and drunkards' and maidens' conversations to listeners' ears. What is not to love?

Scotland, 1811. Thrown out of a fashionable ball for a stolen kiss, Alison flees from a riot in the notorious Old Town and ends up staying the night with Willie Kemp, an eccentric boatbuilder. While she falls deeply in love with Mr. Kemp, her aunt wishes her to marry the obnoxious but rich John Forres. Alison takes drastic measures to solve her dilemma, including a long trip through the snow-covered Pentland Hills.

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst (2017) explains the numerous biological, cultural, and evolutionary factors that shape human behavior. Neurobiologist Robert M. Sapolsky uses studies from various scientific disciplines, including neurology, psychology, sociology, and anthropology, to explore why humans exhibit variable responses to both provocative and mundane situations.... (Disclaimer: This is NOT the original book. If you’re looking for the original book, it is available from Amazon and Audible.)

Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon (2017) by Joe Dispenza guides listeners through the steps of developing their full potential, which is far beyond what most believe is possible. Bridging science and spirituality, Dispenza outlines principles and practices that can help ordinary people harness the power inside themselves to achieve remarkable outcomes in their daily lives, including drastic improvements in health, mood, finances, and relationships....

One of the great literary classics of Western literature, Gulliver's Travels is a powerful satire on mankind, morals, and social habits, written in the form of a Travel in Wonderland.

The most celebrated novel by Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) is a culmination of his active years in politics with the Whigs and then the Tories.

Adelaide Rechnov. Wealthy socialite and granddaughter of the Architect, she spends her time in pointless luxury, rebelling against her family in a series of jaded social extravagances and scandals until her twin brother disappears in mysterious circumstances. Vikram Bai. He lives in the Western Quarter, home to the poor descendants of storm refugees and effectively quarantined from the wealthy elite. Can Adelaide and Vikram bridge the divide at the heart of Osiris before conspiracies bring them to the edge of disaster?