Random Audiobook Podcasts

The Imitation of Christ is widely considered one of the greatest manuals of devotion in Christianity. The life of Christ is presented as the highest study possible to a mortal, as Jesus’ teachings far excel all the teachings of the saints. The book gives counsel to read the scriptures, statements about the uses of adversity, advice for submission to authority, warnings against temptation and how to resist it, reflections about death and the judgment, meditations upon the oblation of Christ, and admonitions to flee the vanities of the world. A recording of a Dutch translation of this work is also available (Thomas a Kempis was Dutch but wrote in Latin of course). More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Religion & Spirituality

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, religion, The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis

The official audio feed from HolbrookNewMedia.com. Home of the audio version of The Geoff & Jeffrey Weekly Catch Up video show on RelateCasts Network on YouTube, Essays based on quotes from celebrities and historical figures, and sample voice acting audio from Holbrook New Media. Enjoy the performance!

Categories: Arts, Technology

Tags: audiobook, australia, celebrities, essay, holbrook, Philosophy, Podcast, Ponder, Quotes, think, voiceacting

Another delightful and sharply pointed excursion into the topics of the day, and of this day as well, with Gilbert Keith Chesterton. These reprinted magazine articles are filled with his good natured wit, his masterful use of paradox, and devastating ability to use reductio ad absurdum to destroy the popular myths that drive a society driving full-speed into secular humanism. You will come away with a whole new collection of wonderful quotes. (Ray Clare) More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: All Things Considered, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Essay/Short nonfiction, free audio books, G. K. Chesterton, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com

The Joyful Wisdom (later translated as The Gay Science), written in 1882, just before Zarathustra, is rightly judged to be one of Nietzsche’s best books. Here the essentially grave and masculine face of the poet-philosopher is seen to light up and suddenly break into a delightful smile. The warmth and kindness that beam from his features will astonish those hasty psychologists who have never divined that behind the destroyer is the creator, and behind the blasphemer the lover of life. In the retrospective valuation of his work which appears in Ecce Homo the author himself observes with truth that the fourth book, “Sanctus Januarius,” deserves especial attention: “The whole book is a gift from the Saint, and the introductory verses express my gratitude for the most wonderful month of January that I have ever spent.” Book fifth “We Fearless Ones”, the Appendix “Songs of Prince Free-as-a-Bird,” and the Preface, were added to the second edition in 1887.

Categories: Arts, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Friedrich Nietzsche, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Philosophy, poetry, religion, The Joyful Wisdom

H Rider Haggard’s “She and Allan”, first published in 1921 is a gripping adventure about Allan Quatermain, who together with Hans, the Hottentot and, the Zulu-Chief Omslopogaas and at the bidding of the old Witch Doctor Zikali seeks out Ayesha, the daughter of Isis to find answers to their questions about life and death, and their many, sometimes strange, Adventures on their way. Written by Lars Rolander More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, H Rider Haggard, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, She and Allan

This is the story of Harper Rose, a local Sheriff hunting down killers in the United Cities of America. Harper lives in a world set one thousand years in the future, a world ravaged by global warming, but Harper doesn’t know that. In fact, nobody does. In Harper’s world, everyone prays to the Goddess Gara, but no one seems to question why. Season 1 follows Harper as she hunts down a killer that is killing women all over New York City, with the help of law legend Sheriff Kane. In Season 2, Harper is back in her idyllic hometown on the coast, just taking it day by day… until someone goes missing and strange things start happening that no one can quite explain. In Season 3 everything changes and Harper has to come to grips with the fact that the world she once knew, was not what it seemed.

Categories: Fiction, Science, Society & Culture

Tags: Adventure, Apocalypse, audiobook, climate change, ecoreligion, foreshadowing, Gaia, global warming, gospel, horse, murder, murdermystery, MYSTERY, western

A wonderful coming together of two writers who wrote their books more than half a century apart. Neither of them had ever visited the remote islands they were writing about yet they provided inspiration for a couple of exciting adventure tales. In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe published The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. It was the only complete novel published by the American author. It was the story of a young boy who stows away on board a whaling ship and it goes on to relate the events that follow. The novel ends a trifle abruptly, with the hero and his friend Dirk Peters deciding to journey to the South Pole. In 1897, the French writer Jules Verne, who was compiling his Voyages Extraodinaires (a series of 54 books that combined science and literature) took up the threads of Arthur Gordon Pym’s story and wrote a two volume novel called An Antarctic Mystery (Le Sphinx des Glaces in French). Set eleven years after Poe leaves Pym on his way to Antarctica, the book opens with a description of a wealthy American student Jeorling, who is looking for a crew and a ship to take him back to the US after a long sojourn in the Kerguelen Islands in the extreme south of the Indian Ocean. These islands, one of the most remote places on earth, are home to rare flora and fauna, the subject of Jeorling’s study. The captain of the ship turns out to be the brother of William Guy, who had captained the Jane, the ship which carried Pym and Dirk Peters to Antarctica and was presumably lost there. A mysterious sailor joins the crew and he seems over-eager to be on board. Another sailor named Hunt is also on board and there is something strange about him too. The ship reaches the island of Tsalal which was destroyed by an earthquake recently. Here they find remains of people who seemed to have been murdered before the earthquake. They also find Pym’s dog Tiger’s collar, but there is no sign of either Pym or the dog. The rest of the tale races towards an exciting climax which explains the bizarre events. This relatively short novel was written at a time when practically nothing was known about Antarctica. It was translated into English by Frances (Cashel) Hoey an Irish novelist, journalist and translator who translated more than 27 novels from Italian and French into English. An Antarctic Mystery is an exciting and interesting read, especially when read in tandem with Poe’s earlier novel.

Categories: Arts

Tags: Adventure, An Antarctic Mystery or The Sphinx of the Ice Fields, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Jules Verne, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Sea stories

Amidst the fireworks and celebrations of Guy Fawkes Night, a covered wagon winds its way along the dark country heath land. Hidden at the back is a young woman who is running away from a thwarted marriage ceremony with the local innkeeper. The driver of the wagon, a young herdsman, is secretly in love with her but is so devoted that he vows to help her reunite with her useless lover. The opening scenes of Thomas Hardy’s sixth novel The Return of the Native, form the backdrop to this story of a profoundly flawed woman and the men who fall in love with her. The book itself had a controversial debut, something which greeted many of Hardy’s novels at that time. It first appeared in serial form in 1878 in the Belgravia magazine, which was notorious for its risqué and sensational content. The radical themes explored by Hardy in the novel prevented many publishers from daring to accept it. However, today it is considered one of the finest Victorian novels and one that marks a great shift in the moral universe of the time. Set in the famous, fictional Hardy country Wessex, The Return of the Native also takes place here in this imaginary county of his own creation. This novel’s action is focused in Egdon Heath in Wessex, and occurs across the time frame of exactly one year and one day. Probably for the first time in English literary history, a book was written that takes a frank and objective look at concepts like illicit physical and romantic relationships, the conflict between human impulse and societal restraint and the tragedy that awaits those who fly in the face of convention. For Hardy, these were enduring themes that he explored time and again, despite the moral outrage that greeted most of his novels. Unforgettable characters like Diggory Venn, the “reddleman” who rescues his beloved Thomasin Yeobright from a failed elopement, the haughty black haired beauty Eustacia Vye, the bitter and superstitious Susan Nunsuch and many more make this a truly panoramic novel. The novel is also remarkable for its deep roots in country customs, folklore and legends which give it a matchless feel of the atmosphere and authenticity. Hardy’s scrupulous plotting, his compassion and humanity, his own experiences of returning to his native Brockhampton after facing the anger of the moral brigade in London all combine to make this book a most valuable experience.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, romance, The Return of the Native, Thomas Hardy

Here are tales of love and war, modesty and frivolity, laughter and tears. Louisa May Alcott wrote many, many short stories. This collection shares but 7 of them. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, Kids, Literature, Louisa May Alcott, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Shoes and Stockings: A Collection of Short Stories, Short stories, Teen/Young adult

The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The first six of the poem’s twelve books tell the story of Aeneas’ wanderings from Troy to Italy, and the poem’s second half treats the Trojans’ ultimately victorious war upon the Latins, under whose name Aeneas and his Trojan followers are destined to be subsumed. The poem was commissioned from Vergil by the Emperor Augustus to glorify Rome. Several critics think that the hero Aeneas’ abandonment of the Cartheginian Queen Dido, is meant as a statement of how Augustus’ enemy, Mark Anthony, should have behaved with the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.

Categories: Arts, Education

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, Classics (antiquity), ebooks, free audio books, Languages, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths/Legends, poetry, Publius Vergilius Maro, The Aeneid

Underwood and Flinch is a three-time Parsec award-winning vampire audiobook saga by Mike Bennett.

“If you think vampire tales are a worn-out genre, Underwood and Flinch will shock and delight you.” Walt Kolenda, Examiner.com

For hundreds of years, the eldest-born male of each generation of the Flinch family has been servant and guardian to the vampire, Lord Underwood.

While the Flinches have changed through the generations, Underwood has remained eternal. David Flinch had hoped to be spared the horror of serving his family’s lord and master, but when he is summoned to the Flinch home in Spain by his dying older brother, he knows his luck has run out.

After fifty years of slumber, Underwood is to be resurrected from the grave in a ritual of human sacrifice, and David, by right of succession, is to be his resurrector. But there is another Flinch, one who craves the role of guardian to the vampire: David’s sister, Lydia. It’s a job she means to have, even if it means making David’s the first blood shed in this new age of Underwood and Flinch.

This feed has all of Mike Bennett’s public podcasts in one place: Three seasons of Underwood and Flinch; the thriller, One Among The Sleepless; his short stories; his readings of classic stories, including 18 from H.P. Lovecraft; and his complete and unabridged reading of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

“Bennett’s ‘Underwood and Flinch’ saga is the best hidden literary gem in existence. Experience the same thrill you have when you find an unsigned underground band that blows your mind.”
P.J. Parrish. Editor-in-Chief: Tennessee Valley Business Journal

This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5773332/advertisement

Categories: Arts, Fiction

Tags: audiobook, bennett, dracula, Flinch, free, horror, Lovecraft, mike, novel, Podcasts, Underwood, vampire

The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas is part of the novel The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years After, published in serial form between 1857-50. It is also the last of the D’Artagnan stories written by Dumas and the three musketeers are the real heroes of the story, though the title is given to the man in the iron mask. The story opens with Aramis (one of the musketeers who is now a priest) taking the last confession of a prisoner who is condemned to be executed soon. His confession comes as a thunderbolt to the former musketeer. This mysterious person is actually the identical twin brother of Louis XIV. He was ordered to be killed by his own parents, Louis XIII and Anne of Austria, to prevent any future challenge to the throne. However, he is ultimately thrown into prison and has lived there ever since. Now that Louis has ascended the throne, he is condemned to die. Aramis is not one to let such a crime go unpunished. He enlists the help of Porthos. He feels that Phillipe being the older twin and thus entitled to reign should be restored to the throne and along with this, Aramis himself can also become the Cardinal of France. Devious plots are meanwhile underway, launched by the evil Superintendent of Finance, Fouquet. Aramis brings Phillipe to the palace, kidnaps Louis and substitutes one twin for another. And the story races to its gripping climax. In The Man in the Iron Mask, the final moments of some of musketeers is depicted very poignantly. Alexandre Dumas’ story is based on some interesting historical facts. A mysterious prisoner called Eustache Daugher was held in several prisons across France and Italy, for 34 years under the custody of the same jailer who moved with him constantly. The French novelist Voltaire was the first to speculate about the possible identity of Daugher. However, nothing has been proven conclusively, though the story provided rich material for many conspiracy theories and novels. As a fast paced Three Musketeers adventure, The Man in the Iron Mask is indeed an exciting and interesting read.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: Adventure, Alexandre Dumas, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, History, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, romance, The Man in the Iron Mask

“THE study of history, like the study of a landscape, should begin with the most conspicuous features. Not until these have been fixed in memory will the lesser features fall into their appropriate places and assume their right proportions. The famous men of ancient and modern times are the mountain peaks of history. It is logical then that the study of history should begin with the biographies of these men. Not only is it logical; it is also pedagogical. Experience has proven that in order to attract and hold the child’s attention each conspicuous feature of history presented to him should have an individual for its center. The child identifies himself with the personage presented. It is not Romulus or Herecules or Alexander that the child has in mind when be reads, but himself, acting under similar conditions.”(Excerpt from the Preface of “Famous Men of the Middle Ages”) More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, Famous Men of the Middle Ages, free audio books, History, John H. Haaren, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction

A selection of Beethoven’s letters from the compilation by Dr. Ludwig Nohl and translated by Lady Grace Wallace.

Categories: Arts, Music, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Ludwig van Beethoven, Memoirs, music, Non-fiction, Selected Letters of Beethoven

An epistolary novel written by renowned French novelist Balzac, who is regarded as one of the founders of realism and a significant influence to later novelists, the novel focuses on two young women who preserve their friendship through regular correspondence. Originally published in the French newspaper La Presse in 1841 as a serial, the piece later became a part of Balzac’s distinguished novel sequence La Comédie Humaine, or The Human Comedy. Furthermore, Letters of Two Brides surrounds intriguing topics including love, romance, confusion, duty, and the complexity of relationships. The novel begins when two young women, Louise de Chaulieu and Renée de Maucombe, befriend one another during their time at a convent and accordingly agree to stay in touch after they leave. Soon after her departure from the convent, Louise receives a substantial inheritance from her grandmother, which is intended to secure her financial independence and sustain her ambitious lifestyle. This freedom allows her to move to Paris where she devotes her time to exciting social events and also meets Felipe Henarez, who later wins her affections with his romantic perseverance. Her marriage to him provides her with passionate love and a seemingly endless supply of happiness, though it is in fact short-lived. Renée on the other hand, does not see love as a prerequisite for marriage and for that reason marries a man quite her senior, with the belief that he will care for her and fulfill her desire to become a mother. While Renée is satisfied with the love she receives as a mother and the respect of her husband, Louise devotes her time to finding a man who will promise her both love and passion. Interestingly, despite the fact that each woman tries to sway the other to adapt their standpoint, they nevertheless continue to offer sincere advice to one another. Though their lives lead them in opposite directions, as Louise is guided by passionate romance, while Renée takes a more sensible approach, both women still maintain their friendship through frequent letters detailing their lives. Balzac effectively presents the ideals of the two contrasting women, as he gives each a distinctive voice, allowing them to precisely express their thoughts and emotions. A gripping novel sure to fuel interest with its opposing images of the feminine mind, Letters of Two Brides additionally offers a vivid insight into 19th century society.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Epistolary fiction, fiction, free audio books, Honore de Balzac, Letters of Two Brides, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com

Famous Men of Modern Times is a series of biographical sketches written for the purpose of making the study of history lively and interesting by giving insight into the men who lived during this time. Summary by Laura Caldwell More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Famous Men of Modern Times, free audio books, History, John H. Haaren and A.B. Poland, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction

Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is a book about the life of Catherine Morland and her romantic relationships. The novel is divided into two parts; the first part begins with Catherine’s visit to Bath and her relationship with Henry Tilney and the other people she met there, and the second part starts with the arrival of Frederick Tilney and her visit to Northanger Abbey. This book alongside Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility is considered one of the major works of Jane Austen. The novel had undergone many revisions before its publication and it was even originally titled “Catherine.” It adopted the title Northanger Abbey when it was published posthumously in 1817. Catherine Morland, the main character in the book is an attractive girl in her late-teens who was invited by her family’s friends, the Allens to go with them to Bath for a holiday. There she discovered many things in life which she hasn’t known before. She met many new friends there including Isabella, who became her close friend and rival to some of her relationships. Aside from her, she also met Henry Tilney, a person who turned out to be very special to her. Catherine also met John, Isabella’s brother who’ll later attempted to propose marriage to her. Meanwhile, her brother James met Isabella during their vacation and eventually had a serious relationship with her. Northanger Abbey isn’t just a novel about the romantic relationships of the different characters in the story. It also discusses other issues in society at that time like marriage for property and financial gain and the shallow attitude of some people have when it comes to love. Many critics also call this book a “Gothic parody.” For sure, people who have already read “Sense and Sensibility” or “Pride and Prejudice,” will also love this book. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Comedy

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Comedy, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Horror/Ghost stories, jane austen, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Northanger Abbey, romance, satire

The world you know has changed. Science has been replaced by dark, supernatural forces and those that know how have harnessed them to control the world. You no longer have the right to believe what you want. You do not have the right to choose the kind of life you will live. But you have a choice: you can surrender and live in fear, or you can join the resistance. As part of Red Horizon, a quickly-growing resistance movement, Gibson Craig has devoted his life to opposing these dictators. But he is not the only one. There are numerous rebel factions hidden underground, as much at war with each other as they are with the government, but in the struggle for freedom, they must unite or be crushed. As they move closer, events spin into motion the most epic of battles the United States, and the world, has ever seen. “ETERNITY”, by debut author, Casey S Townsend, is a fast-paced thriller filled with action, mystery, and romance and is the first in a four-part series of novels that blows apart the boundaries of belief. Welcome to Eternity.

Categories: Arts

Tags: apocalyptic, audiobook, book, casey, Craig, demons, eternity, Gibson, government, heaven, Hell, novel, Podcast, post, serialized, Series, spiritual, supernatural, Townsend