Random Audiobook Podcasts

Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution is a book by Peter Kropotkin on the subject of mutual aid, written while he was living in exile in England. It was first published by William Heinemann in London in October 1902. The individual chapters had originally been published in 1890-96 as a series of essays in the British monthly literary magazine, Nineteenth Century. Written partly in response to Social Darwinism and in particular to Thomas H. Huxley’s Nineteenth Century essay, The Struggle for Existence, Kropotkin’s book drew on his experiences in scientific expeditions in Siberia to illustrate the phenomenon of cooperation. After examining the evidence of cooperation in nonhuman animals, “savages,” “barbarians,” in medieval cities, and in modern times, he concludes that cooperation and mutual aid are as important in the evolution of the species as competition and mutual strife, if not more so.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution, Non-fiction, Peter Kropotkin, Psychology, science

The Last of the Mohicans is an epic novel by James Fenimore Cooper, first published in January 1826.It was one of the most popular English-language novels of its time, and helped establish Cooper as one of the first world-famous American writers.The story takes place in 1757 during the French and Indian War, when France and Great Britain battled for control of the American and Canadian colonies. During this war, the French often allied themselves with Native American tribes in order to gain an advantage over the British, with unpredictable and often tragic results.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, History, James Fenimore Cooper, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Last Of The Mohicans, War stories

A charming little book full of the most gorgeous illustrations. We see a number of stories in which kindness is rewarded and selfishness is punished but Brooke squeezes a number of intriguing and quite bizarre twists and turns into the story so it is not nearly so predictable as you might imagine. Victorian moral fairy tales from a delightfully inventive mind.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Kids, L. Leslie Brooke, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths/Legends, Short stories, The Golden Goose Book

It need hardly be said that the woman by whom these letter were written had no thought that they would be read by anyone but the person to whom they were addressed. But a request, conveyed under circumstances which the writer herself would have regarded as all-commanding, urges that they should now be given to the world; and, so far as is possible with a due regard to the claims of privacy, what is here printed presents the letters as they were first written in their complete form and sequence. From book explaination

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: An Englishwoman's Love-Letters, anonymous, audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, romance

The Last Man is an early post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Mary Shelley, which was first published in 1826. The book tells of a future world that has been ravaged by a plague. The plague gradually kills off all people. Lionel Verney, central character, son of a nobleman who gambled himself into poverty, finds himself immune after being attacked by an infected “negro,” and copes with a civilization that is gradually dying out around him.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, science, science-fiction, Teen/Young adult, The Last Man

Einstein wrote this book for people who are interested in understanding the Theory of Relativity but aren’t experts in scientific and mathematical principles. I’m sure many people have heard about Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, but most of them don’t really know what it is all about. This book gives them a chance to know more about this very famous theory without the need to take a Physics course first. This book is divided into three parts. The first part explains what special relativity is all about. The second part discusses general relativity thoroughly and the last part deals with the considerations of the universe as a whole. The first part explains the principles of the special theory of relativity. Here the relationship between space and time are thoroughly discussed. The derivation of Einstein’s most famous formula which is E = mc2 is also explained in this part in a very simple way. The second part which is about the general theory of relativity is about the generalization of the special theory, Einstein’s thoughts about Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation and how they affect the space time continuum. The last part explains how the universe actually works on a cosmic scale. These things may sound too complicated at first glance but Einstein was able to explain them to his readers in the book without sounding too technical. Reading Einstein’s “Relativity: The Special and General Theory” may not sound very attractive at first. We’ve all heard of Einstein’s equation but how many people can actually explain what it means. This book will elucidate all the iconic thoughts of Einstein without requiring a physics degree from the reader. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: Albert Einstein, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Relativity: The Special and General Theory, science

Its immortal opening lines, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” set the stage for a sweeping narrative that combines drama, glory, honor, history, romance, brutality, sacrifice and resurrection. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is one of the most widely read and famous works of historical fiction in the English language. Dickens had recently launched his magazine All the Year Round in 1859. In the same year, he began featuring A Tale of Two Cities in 31 weekly installments in his new magazine. The book was eventually combined into a single copy and split into three major sections as it is presented today. In this epic tale of love and tragedy set during the turbulent times of the French Revolution in 1789, the motif of two’s appears constantly as opposing sides of the same coin. London and Paris are the two cities, Sidney Carton and Charles Darnay are the two heroes, Lucie Manette and Madame Defarge are the pure and evil women respectively, and these along with shadows and darkness, sacrifice and dishonor, brutality and spirituality form the recurring dual motifs in the novel. Sidney Carton, a young, debauched and dissolute English barrister defends a young French aristocrat Charles Darnay accused of treason in London. The two bear a striking resemblance to each other. Lucie Manette, a lovely young French girl and her father Dr. Manette, who had suffered under the atrocities of the nobility in France, now live a quiet life in London. Charles and Lucie are in love, but Sidney Carton also falls in love with her. Meanwhile in France, the storm of revolution is about to break. A wine store owner and Dr. Manette’s former servant, Monsieur Defarge, leads the revolutionaries. His wife, Madame Defarge is a vicious woman who revels in cruelty. She too has suffered under the aristocratic regime and now seeks to destroy all those who persecuted her. Charles Darnay returns to Paris to rescue an old servant of his who has been captured by the revolutionaries. He is captured by the rebels and condemned to be executed by guillotine. The story then takes several dramatic twists and turns before reaching its final and most unexpected conclusion. As one of the most exciting and deeply moving stories penned by a brilliant and gifted story teller, A Tale of Two Cities is indeed a riveting and unforgettable experience for readers of all ages. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: A Tale of Two Cities, audio books, audiobook, Charles Dickens, Classics (antiquity), ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, History, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com

The intention of this work is to provide a sketch of the History of the Church in the first six centuries of its existence, resting throughout on original authorities, and also giving references to the principal modern works which have dealt specially with its several portions. It is hoped that it may be found to supply a convenient summary for those who can give but little time to the study, and also to serve as a guide for those who desire to make themselves acquainted with the principal documents from which the History is drawn. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, History, History of the Christian church, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, religion, Samuel Cheetham

This wonderful children’s short story tells all about the youth, manhood and old age of Santa Claus and how he became immortal. (Introduction by jedopi) More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Religion & Spirituality

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, holiday, Kids, L. Frank Baum, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

Logan Marshall’s book “The Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters” gives readers a first-hand account of the greatest sea disaster of all time straight from the survivors of the ill-fated sunken ship. Unlike many of the books about the Titanic that was written recently, Logan Marshall was fortunate that he was able to interview the survivors of the Titanic and access to all the important documents about the ship, including the diagrams, maps and actual photographs related to the disaster. With this, he was able to write the best book that has a complete and accurate account of the Titanic and its tragic fate. The Titanic as most people know was the biggest ocean liner during her time and was hailed as “unsinkable” by the company which made it. Officially known as the RMS Titanic, this mammoth ship can carry more than 2,000 passengers and owned by British shipping company White Star Line. The ship has a double-bottomed hull and watertight compartments which make her “unsinkable” according to her owners. But as we all know, this claim was proven to be wrong when she sank in the North Atlantic during her maiden voyage. Logan Marshall did well to make use of all the resources that were at his disposal. Not only was he able to make detailed descriptions of the disaster, he was also able to narrate them well from a human point of view without compromising any truth about the biggest sea tragedy of all time. This book is a must read for anybody who’s deeply interested in the Titanic and its unfortunate end. The movie “Titanic” is now considered as a timeless classic and so is this book. If you’re a fan of the movie which features Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet, you’ll also like reading this book. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: art, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, History, Logan Marshall, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Sea stories, The Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters

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

A heady mix of thrills, mystery, atmosphere and memorable characters, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is a classic adventure story that has enthralled both young and old alike ever since it was first published in 1883. Right from the racy opening chapter where the young hero Jim Hawkins encounters a mysterious guest, Billy Bones, at the Admiral Benbow Inn run by his widowed mother, the tale carries the reader off on an edge-of-the-seat roller-coaster ride of non-stop action and drama. Set in 18th century England and told entirely from Jim Hawkins’ youthful perspective, the novel portrays how he is drawn unwittingly into the dark deeds of pirates and buccaneers on the English coast. The excitement begins when he discovers a cryptic treasure map in Billy Bones’ chest when the secretive Billy succumbs to a fatal heart attack. Jim takes the strange map to trusted elders in the village, Squire Trelawney and Doctor Livesey, who at once guess that the map marks the location of the lost treasure of an infamous pirate Captain Flint. They decide to immediately set sail in search of the fabled riches with Jim being invited to join them! What more could a young boy want! This is the prelude to a journey that will take young Jim and a band of intrepid seafarers half-way across the world. Traveling as part of the crew, in the guise of a ship’s cook, is a sinister yet admirable figure – Long John Silver. This one-legged, ruthless and avaricious man, whose shadowy past hides many a dark and evil secret, is one of the most colorful and remarkable characters in the story. Stevenson endows him with a host of unforgettable qualities – the most famous of which, is of course, the parrot strangely named “Captain Flint” who is constantly on Silver’s shoulder. His villainy gradually unfolds as the voyage progresses. The novel has retained its perennial charm for readers over the centuries and is perhaps one of the most adapted adventure stories on TV, film and stage. Recently, a video game has been created based on this eternally appealing tale. Intrigues, duels, escapades and Jim’s own transformation into a man, make this the ultimate thrills-spills-‘n’-chills fantasy. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sea stories, Treasure Island

One of the great literary tragedies of all time, The Hunchback of Notre Dame features some of the most well-known characters in all of fiction – Quasimodo, the hideously deformed bellringer of Notre-Dame de Paris, his master the evil priest Claude Frollo, and Esmeralda, the beautiful gypsy condemned for a crime she did not commit.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, History, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, romance, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo

Further Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery and is a sequel to Chronicles of Avonlea. Published in 1920, it includes a number of stories relating to the inhabitants of the fictional Canadian village of Avonlea and its region, located on Prince Edward Island. The book was published without the permission of L.M. Montgomery, and was formed from stories she had decided not to publish in the earlier Chronicles of Avonlea. Montgomery sued her publishers, L.C. Page & Co, and won $18,000 in damages after a legal battle lasting nearly nine years. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Further Chronicles of Avonlea, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Short stories

Most readers of Stephen Leacock’s works are familiar with his witty and humorous writings, but few may be aware that he was also a gifted teacher, political ideologue, economist and fiction writer. Though he wrote six books on Canadian history, none of them attained the status of a standard text on the subject and were regarded more as opinion pieces without much academic foundation. Yet, the Chronicles of Canada series by Stephen Leacock remains an interesting and entertaining read. In this volume, Dawn of Canadian History: Aboriginal Canada, which is part of a thirty-two book series of short and simple essays, Leacock explores the little known origins of Canada’s past. Leacock begins with his theories on the geological formation of the country and the beginnings of the earth’s structures. The emergence of human beings and the original settlers of the North American Continent, the Native Americans as we know them today, is also well described, though in terms that may seem outdated to modern readers. The “Canadian aborigines” and their culture is also described in terms of the different tribes and their relationship to the Eskimos in the extreme northern part of Canada. The advent of the white races like the Vikings or Norsemen is also one of the important events in Canada’s history, as it changed the course of civilization in this country. Legends of Greenland and Iceland are well retold in the chapter entitled The Legend of the Norsemen. Another crucial event was the arrival of John Cabot of Bristol somewhere on the Labrador coast in the sixteenth century. Politics in the sixteenth and seventeenth century Europe and the rivalry between nations like Spain, Portugal, England and France, seeking to explore new worlds and enrich their own countries is also well described. Leacock ends his book with the arrival of French explorer Jacques Cartier, known today as the Father of Canada. In historical terms, this would be set in the seventeenth century, when another great French explorer, Samuel de Champlain was making the first accurate map of the country. For present day readers, Chronicles of Canada…, is a pleasant blend of facts with myths and legends. It is this quality which makes it much more entertaining than a pure historical account.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Chronicles of Canada -- Dawn of Canadian History: Aboriginal Canada, ebooks, free audio books, History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Stephen Leacock

A woman in prison awaiting a death sentence is given a reprieve because she is pregnant. She migrates to America abandoning the baby to the care of a foster mother. The child, a girl, grows up and begins working as a servant in a wealthy household. Here she is pursued by the two sons of the house and ultimately marries the younger one. When he dies, leaving her with two young children to look after, she begins a life of deception and confidence trickery which ends in great tragedy and disgrace. In her old age, events take a less tragic turn and her redemption comes from sources she least expects. First published in 1762, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe is not as well known as his most famous novel, Robinson Crusoe. However, it gained enormous popularity as a social and psychological document of the traditions, customs and manners of the eighteenth century, and was reputed to be based on a true story. The full title of the book is almost a mini-synopsis! The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. Who was Born in Newgate, and during a Life of continu’d Variety for Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Year a ——, five times a Wife (whereof once to her own Brother), Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv’d Honest, and died a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums. Peopled with a collection of interesting characters, the book is thought-provoking and unusually bold for its time, with the heroine being quite different from the good, chaste, long-suffering lady of that era. However, her boundless optimism, strength, self-assertiveness and matter-of-fact shrewdness are attractive in their own way. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, Daniel Defoe, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, romance, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

Grossmith’s comic novel unveils the daily chronicles of the pompous and clumsy middle-aged clerk Charles Pooter, who has just moved to the London suburb of Holloway with his wife Carrie. Nonetheless, the family’s fresh start is not quite what they had in mind. Set in the late Victorian era, the diary accurately documents the manners, customs, trends and experiences of the time. First appearing in Punch magazine through the years 1888-89, The Diary of a Nobody was first published in book form in 1892 and has entertained readers ever since. Written as diary entries, the novel records the daily mishaps and follows the humiliations of the Pooter family. Life in the Pooter household consists of busy interactions, endless renovations and mundane chores, giving the impression of an ordinary functioning family. However, it is this simplicity that ignites humor as the scenarios are played out. The social ladder is of key importance in the novel, as the Pooters high social aspirations are depicted through their humorous attempts to conceal their lower middle class status. Unsurprisingly, their attempts backfire and only make them look more ridiculous in the eyes of their acquaintances. Pooter’s obliviousness and pretentious behavior is often the core of his minor feuds and public acts of humiliation. Moreover, fuel is added to the fire when the reckless Lupin suddenly appears at his parent’s doorstep and merely sheds more light and embarrassment on the household. Throughout the satire, Pooter is nothing less than a magnet for trouble and must face the never ending cycle of social gatherings, home renovations and finding solutions to work and family differences. Victorian society, social class and self-importance are just some of the themes explored in these humorous, yet strikingly familiar everyday situations. The wits and creativity with which Grossmith cautiously illustrates Victorian society and its synthetic values throughout the novel, is what truly marks the novel as a work of genius. For it is the empty vessels that make the most sound.

Categories: Arts, Comedy

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Comedy, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, George Grossmith, humor, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Diary of a Nobody

Dickens thought it was “in a hundred points, immeasurably the best” of his stories. Yet it was also one of his greatest flops. Compared to his other novels, The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit was a dismal failure in terms of sales and the main reason for Dickens falling out with his long term publisher Chapman & Hall. They invoked a penalty clause and demanded that he pay back a portion of the advance which he refused. Martin Chuzzlewit was also dimly received in Dickens friendly America. Its vitriolic satire of American customs and manners was met with astonished rage on the other side of the Atlantic and Dickens began to receive masses of hate mail from offended Americans. The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, His Relatives, Friends and Enemies, comprising All His Wills and Ways… The Whole Forming a Complete Key to the House of Chuzzlewit is the original title, in typical elaborate Dickensian overkill. In fact, in his almost apologetic preface to the first edition, he justifies it. He declares, “What is exaggeration to one class of minds and perceptions is plain truth to another…” and goes on to testify that some of the events and characters in his works are based on reality and not wholly imagined. Martin Chuzzlewit is the tale of a most unprepossessing set of Chuzzlewits. Martin senior, a miserly millionaire has adopted a young girl with the idea of having free help around the house. His grandson falls in love with this hapless orphan whose employment and connection to the house is to last only as long as the old man lives. Young Martin rebels and leaves the house to seek employment with a crooked and greedy architect, Seth Pecksniff (one of Dickens’ most memorable villains) Meanwhile, more Chuzzlewits emerge in the form of Anthony and his son Jonas who have concocted a nefarious Ponzi scheme. Young Martin travels to America and almost dies in a malaria ridden swamp. This is the turning point of Martin’s life and he becomes a changed man. The rest of the story follows quintessential Dickensian twists and turns. Some of the most hilarious passages in English literature are contained in Martin Chuzzelwit. It also features two of Dickens’ wickedest villains, Pecksniff and Jonas Chuzzlewit. In Tom Pinch and Mark Tapley, the reader finds much to commend, while Sairey Gamp is one of Dickens’ most famous female villains. Martin Chuzzlewit is one of the best of Dickens and indeed a great addition to your bookshelf! More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Comedy

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Charles Dickens, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, humor, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, satire, The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit