Showing results by narrator "Graham Vick" in All Categories

Alan S. Blinder - esteemed Princeton professor, Wall Street Journal columnist, and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board under Alan Greenspan - is one of our wisest and most clear-eyed economic thinkers. In After the Music Stopped, he delivers a masterful narrative of how the worst economic crisis in postwar American history happened, what the government did to fight it, and what we must do to recover from it.

The Spy with No Name is the unbelievable true story of Erwin van Haarlem, a Cold War secret agent whose stolen identity broke the heart of an innocent woman - who thought she'd found her long-lost son. In 1977, Johanna van Haarlem, 52, finally tracked down the son she had abandoned as a baby, during the Second World War. She was delighted that he had grown into a charming Dutch waiter in London. But Erwin van Haarlem was actually a dangerous Communist spy who had stolen her son's identity to uncover British and American military secrets.

Witty, romantic and insightful, this novel retells the love affair at the heart of Jane Austen's Persuasion from the perspective of the suitor--Captain Wentworth. Written in the language of the era, Captain Wentworth's Persuasion re-creates the original style, themes and sardonic humor of Jane Austen's novel while turning the entire tale on its head in a most engaging fashion. Listeners hear Captain Wentworth's side of this tangled story while gazing into his thoughts and emotions.

Much of our thinking happens in what is colloquially referred to as our "Lizard Brain." But what does this mean? How do lizards see the world? How do they think? Answering these questions is a crucial step toward understanding how we think, making better decisions, and Wayfinding toward happiness and emotional growth. Join me as we continue this story of self-exploration, and as I take you back to the first sailboat I ever climbed aboard, and how it nearly killed me.

In Handsome Devil, acclaimed journalist Jeff Maysh brings to life one of the 20th century's most unforgettable public enemies, "Count" Victor Lustig, a dashing criminal mastermind and counterfeiter whose fake banknotes threatened to topple America's economy. Written in staggering detail and culminating in a desperate manhunt led by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, Handsome Devil reveals the real man behind the myth: a genius who applied his talents to crime.

Wayfinding is the ancient seafaring art of navigating according to the natural signs. As a self-help philosophy, Wayfinding means being aware of our environment and our responses to outside stimuli. It also means learning about the environment for which we evolved, and how it differs from the environment in which we live. Wayfinding is not a destination. It is a neverending journey. It doesn't have to be yours; it is simply a description of the path that I am on, with all my bumbling and lack of expertise on full display.

In part one of this series, we looked at a series of experiments that called into question the concept of free will. Here, we confront that idea more directly, and the exploration reveals a path whereby we might gain more control over our lives. At the same time, the adventure with Billy continues as the boat breaks down and Douglas and I find ourselves marooned on a strange island in the middle of nowhere.

A shocking discovery in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity proves to be a curious keystone in the author's quest to piece together his identity in one of the most broken parts of the world. Exploring at least five centuries and traveling between four continents, traditions, and taboos, all while applying journalistic rigor and heartfelt charm to a string of mysteries and revelations, the author finds family and connection in the chaos of his - and history's - tangled strangeness.

The volume gathers together fifty-five stories, from "Armistice" (1940) to "Alma Redeemed" (1984), and including the immortal stories from The Magic Barrel and the vivid depictions of the unforgettable Fidelman. It is a varied and generous collection of great examples of the modern short story, which Malamud perfected, and an ideal introduction to the work of this great American writer.

From the author of the award-winning Kindle single, Cornbread, comes a story about Cumberland Bixby, a minor league baseball player turned B-list actor who wakes up on his 34th birthday to find he's been dead for nearly nine hours. Seeking answers, Cumberland crisscrosses Manhattan on foot, his last glimpses of the city disappearing behind him. Happy Birthday, Cumberland Bixby is a story about life and death in the era of self-promotion, and what it means to be truly seen.

In part 6 of this series, I tackle depression, its origins, and techniques for dealing with both it and anxiety.

In part five of this series, we take a step back from examples of the struggles we face and solutions for conquering those struggles and delve deeper into the two levels of thought that are often in conflict. We look at the consciousness and subconsciousness and how the two are in dialog with one another. More importantly, we examine how the consciousness likely formed, and how its adaptation may have been for a different purpose entirely.

In this part, we discuss the most important concept in all of self-help, which is that our brains and bodies expect a much different world than the one in which they find themselves. This mismatch is the source of much confusion and unhappiness. Understanding what our bodies expect to find, and what they encounter instead, is the first step in resolving this inner turmoil.

I've blogged about my fitness routine, and readers have asked for me to go into more detail about how I have gotten in shape and how I maintain that shape. This work is the result of those requests. It is full of controversial claims, so be warned. I truly believe that if people follow the handful of principles in this short read, they will improve their health and change their lives.

Jeremy Corbin and Jacqueline Walls lead a calm life in a New Jersey suburb, then one day everything changes. Eytan Morgenstern returns to save them, and this improbable team must take on the Consortium, leading them on an epic journey from London to Tel Aviv, from the Polish forests to Manhattan high-rises, from the shameful past to the threatening future.

In a quiet room in the White Swan Inn, sunlight slowly breaks through the curtains, revealing two young lovers - an American seamstress and an English officer. They have been brutally, ritualistically murdered in their sleep. It is a grisly scene that can mean only one thing: There is a traitor within the American Revolution.

By day, Sam Smithers was a deacon of his church in Tampa, Florida. But by night, he was a serial killer, who picked up prostitutes and brutally murdered them. This is the story of one man's twisted, double life.

Misfit Jeremiah Rodgers, 21, and racist devil worshipper Jonathan Lawrence, 23, were serving time for petty crimes when they met in a Florida penal-system mental hospital. A friendship grew from their shared lust for sadistic brutality, and once released they teamed up to hunt human prey. In March 1998, in Pensacola, Florida, while quietly watching TV, Leighton Smitherman was shot in the back by assailants hiding outside his home.

Both novellas are completely separate but about putting right the mess two men have made out of their lives.

Can a lone man stop mass destruction looming from the past? Reporter Branislav Poborsky is running away from a bad marriage, when he witnesses the Czech army covering up the extermination of an entire village. Saved in extremis by the gentle-giant Mossad agent Eytan Morgenstern, he is thrown into a troubling race to defuse a larger-than-life conspiracy. After Eytan’s mentor is kidnapped, he must join forces with his arch-rival to put an end to a mysterious group that has weapons of mass destruction.