Random Audiobook Podcasts

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on a Maryland plantation. He faced hardship as a child, but later encountered owners who were relatively liberal and allowed him to learn to read, write and be in contact with freed slaves. At the age of 20, he escaped from the plantation and made his way to New York. Though he remained a fugitive, he married and changed his name to avoid being caught. He continued his education and became involved in the Abolitionist Movement. He began touring the country, speaking passionately about the unjust, cruel and inhuman practice of slavery. However, he began to face opposition from quarters that he least expected. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass traces the turbulent, tragic and shameful period in the history of the United States. Douglass was also a gifted and committed public speaker, outspoken in his criticism of this inhuman practice. The book, published in 1845, originally entitled Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written By Himself, was met with disbelief when it initially came out. Few could believe that an African American slave could write so eloquently and have such perfect use of the English language. However, Douglass had used real names, events and places in his story, which could be easily verified and this silenced his critics. Yet, his troubles were not over. His former masters were still entitled to track him down, and fearing capture, he departed for the UK where he was received with great warmth and respect. He stayed for two years till two of his British friends contributed to purchase his freedom. He then returned to America where he arrived at the dawn of the American Civil War. He started a newspaper and campaigned tirelessly for Lincoln and the abolition of slavery. He was also the first African American to be nominated for the post of Vice President of the USA. Narrative… was the first of several autobiographies, in which Douglass documented his eventful life. The book is divided into 11 chapters, tracing Douglass’ childhood on the Maryland plantation, the daily cruelties practiced by slave owners, his move to Baltimore and the consequent experiences there. It is in Baltimore that he encounters more humane white people. However, even after being acclaimed as a speaker, he faced the condescending and patronizing attitude of white people. It was to counter this that he began to write his autobiography. As a slice of history, Narrative… is indeed an interesting and gripping read, and a great addition to your collection.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, Frederick Douglass, free audio books, History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Memoirs, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Non-fiction, Teen/Young adult

The infamous U boats deployed by Germany in the two World Wars have spawned several works of fiction and non-fiction. These deadly vessels were not just efficient and lethal killing machines, but they were also used very effectively in economic blockades. They were positioned primarily to obstruct the conveyance of fuel, food and other essential supplies which the enemy needed to sustain the war effort. In the Diary of a U Boat Commander, the author, Stephen King-Hall draws upon his vast personal experiences as a naval officer in World War I. Writing under the name of the fictitious narrator, Etienne, King-Hall presents the events in the story in the form of a diary that has been discovered aboard a captured German U boat. The diarist is a German nobleman of the rank of Captain in the German Navy. He is drawn in the almost clichéd pattern of German aristocrats of the time—young, handsome, wealthy and immensely arrogant. He is also cultured and skilled in several of the arts like music and literature. His career has been an illustrious one and on several occasions he has outwitted the English navy. On furlough in Bruges, he falls irrevocably in love with Zoe, the Polish mistress of one of his superior officers, and she reciprocates his feelings. However, extraordinary events interrupt their love story and Zoe’s terrible past comes back to haunt them both. William Stephen Richard King-Hall or Baron King-Hall of Headley to give him his full title, came from an illustrious family of artists and writers. At the end of World War I, he resigned from the Royal Navy and went on to become a full time writer. As the author of several successful plays, political and historical works and some children’s books, he gained popularity. He also wrote a scholarly thesis on submarine warfare. He was also a well-known advocate of parliamentary democracy, unilateral nuclear disarmament and non-violent defense against war. He wrote more than fifteen fiction and non-fiction books and was well regarded in his time for being an authority on naval subjects. Diary of a U Boat Commander portrays the excitement, challenges and heartbreak of the situation in a very authentic way. In fact, initially, the reader is almost beguiled into believing that this is indeed a real diary written by a real person—such is the author’s skill. For those who are passionate about sea-faring stories or war sagas, this is indeed a great addition to your bookshelf!

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Diary of a U-boat Commander, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Sea stories, Sir Stephen King-Hall, War stories

Before he wrote the Oz books, L. Frank Baum wrote this book which was the best selling book of 1897. Taking 22 beloved nursery rhymes, he explains their meaning and fascinating history. What is the true story of Little Boy Blue? Why was Mary contrary?As he says in the introduction, “Many of these nursery rhymes are complete tales in themselves, telling their story tersely but completely; there are others which are but bare suggestions, leaving the imagination to weave in the details of the story. Perhaps therein may lie part of their charm, but however that may be I have thought the children might like the stories told at greater length, that they may dwell the longer upon their favorite heroes and heroines. For that reason I have written this book.” L. Frank Baum

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, L. Frank Baum, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Mother Goose in Prose

The legend of Don Juan is one that’s been told and retold over the centuries by poets and novelists. His life has been the subject of operas, musicals and film. The earliest reference was in a fourteenth century Spanish play and compiled in book form in the seventeenth century. His life continued to fascinate writers like Moliere, Byron, Bernard Shaw, Pushkin, Shakespeare, Jose Saramago and musicians like Mozart, whose Don Giovanni is a brilliant work that still charms audiences and music lovers all over the world. The legend of Don Juan in Spain portrays him as a wealthy and amoral character, who prides himself on his marvelous power to attract women of all ages. He also spends the rest of his time gambling and drinking. Occasionally, he indulges in crimes like murder when thwarted in fulfilling his desires. Don Juan’s name has become synonymous in English and many other languages with being a flirt and a womanizer. However, in Don Juan by George Gordon Byron, the serial heartbreaker is portrayed as a much wronged innocent who is instead easily taken in by women. This epic, satirical poem which runs into more than 16,000 lines remains unfinished as Byron continued to add verses till his death. It is interesting to note that the English pronunciation of Juan is used throughout the poem, to rhyme with words like “ruin” and “true one.” In Don Juan: Canto I, Byron describes the rake’s early years in Seville. The young Juan begins his infamous career at the age of sixteen by launching into a relationship with an older woman. Her outraged husband sets a posse of citizens to investigate the matter and they hope to catch the couple misbehaving. But Juan proves too savvy for them and when they burst into the lady’s bedroom, he conceals himself under the bed! The entire episode is told in a farcical tone and ends with Juan being sent away by his mother to further his education, while his partner in crime is banished to a nunnery! Byron hoped to write something that was similar in form and tone to his earlier work, Beppo, which was much admired. He sourced his material for Don Juan from various Spanish texts and uses a sardonic tone to describe events and people who are really neither admirable nor heroic. After his self imposed exile to Italy and Spain following a scandalous separation from his wife, Byron immersed himself in the works of Italian and Spanish writers. Don Juan is one of the works that arose from this period. It is considered an original, brilliant and path breaking work in English literature and is an entertaining read for Byron enthusiasts.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Don Juan: Canto I, ebooks, free audio books, George Gordon Byron, lord, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, poetry

UTV-founder and pioneer of the media industry, Ronnie Screwvala is one of India’s most successful first-generation entrepreneurs. An avid philanthropist, he has penned ‘Dream with Your Eyes Open: An Entrepreneurial Journey’ as one of the most inspiring entrepreneurial self-help books. Ronnie provides a relentless pursuit of entrepreneurial glory and describes how others can learn from the same. The book is filled with incidents, thoughts and behind-the-scenes anecdotes of Screwvala’s career that would help young business-oriented minds to gain more knowledgeable insight into the ins and outs of entrepreneurship. Through the Dream with Your Eyes Open, Screwvala has presented readers a fighting chance to make dreams come true. Presented here for the first time is the audiobook of ‘Dream With Your Eyes Open’ narrated by Ronnie Screwvala himself.

Categories: Business, Society & Culture, TV & Film

Tags: audiobook, awards, bindaas, business, charity, Disney, dreamwithyoureyesopen, Education, entrepreneur, hungama, inspiration, Japan, kabbadi, Motivation, Movies, ronniescrewvala, rsvp, socialwork, SPorts, travel, tv, utv

Jerusha Abbott, an eighteen year old orphan, faces an uncertain future in the charity home where she has lived all her life. On reaching adulthood, the orphanage can no longer offer shelter to its inmates. Her anxiety leads her into wild speculation when she is summoned to the matron’s office. But a surprise awaits her. One of the visitors, a wealthy Trustee of the orphanage, has offered to fund Jerusha’s college education and fulfill her dreams of becoming a writer. The only condition he makes is that he remain anonymous and that she write to him regularly about her progress. Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster was first published in 1912. It follows an epistolatory format and traces the story through a series of letters exchanged between the youthful heroine, Jerusha and her mysterious benefactor whom she has privately nicknamed Daddy-Long-Legs based on a brief glimpse she caught of him once. The book is a young girl’s classic coming-of-age tale, a genre that includes the Little Women trilogy, the Katy series and the Anne of Green Gables books. Apart from being a heart-warming story, it also reflects the author’s social concerns and her interest in women’s issues and the suffragette movement. It is in a way a Beauty and the Beast fairy tale that reflects the transformation of the characters and their attitudes towards each other and life. Jean Webster was born in New York into a literary family. Her father, Charles Webster was Mark Twain’s business manager and head of Twain’s publishing company, Charles Webster & Co. Her mother was a strong, independent woman, Mark Twain’s own niece, who came from a family of forceful matriarchs. However, after initial success, the publishing business and the relationship with the famous author deteriorated and the family moved back to their old home in Fredonia. She began writing columns for local newspapers while traveling on holiday in Europe and published her first book, When Patty Went to College in 1903. Daddy-Long-Legs is Webster’s most famous and popular novel and first appeared as a serial in the Lady’s Home Journal. So great was its popularity that Jean Webster was commissioned to adapt it for stage in 1913. She toured with the theater company and enjoyed even greater success. Daddy-Long-Legs dolls became all the rage in that era! She died tragically in childbirth in 1916. Daddy-Long-Legs has been adapted to film, stage and television several times all over the world in many different languages and the century-old story still has the power to keep readers, young and old, enthralled.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Daddy-Long-Legs, ebooks, free audio books, Jean Webster, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com

Literary critics see Arthur Machen’s works as a significant part of the late Victorian revival of the gothic novel and the decadent movement of the 1890s, bearing direct comparison to the themes found in contemporary works like Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. The White People is a highly influential horror story of a young girl’s discovery of ancient magic. It was written in the late 1890s as part of a longer unfinished novel, some sketches from which went into his book Ornaments in Jade. Fans of supernatural fiction often cite this story as a classic in the genre. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: Arthur Machen, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Horror/Ghost stories, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The White People

A sprawling science fantasy comedic adventure romance, with goblins and cannons! Johnathan Miller has harbored a secret flame for his childhood friend Merrily Hunter for years, and as Midsummer’s Eve approaches he’s ready to make his move. But when a cranky, sharp-tongued professor of Applied History rides into town looking for a lost book, Johnathan and Merrily quickly find themselves swept up in an adventure that will take them to the very edges of history, language, and probability. They join a host of colorful men, women, goblins, fey, snarfs, horses, and strange outsiders, all set in a world grappling with the consequences of scientific advance, political unrest, and religious debate.

Categories: Arts

Tags: Adventure, audiobook, book, Comedy, fantasy, fiction, romance

Off the coast of Greenland, a man finds a floating thermos bottle. Wedged tightly inside is a sheaf of papers covered with minute handwriting. As he begins to read, a fantastic tale begins to unwind. The writer, on his way to a WWI battlefield was shipwrecked and his entire regiment except for a woman and his faithful dog are killed. The three are rescued by a passing British tug, but fall prey to the schemes of a German spy aboard. They are then captured by the crew of a German U-boat. After many near mishaps, they sail towards Greenland. Stranded, with fuel in short supply, they spot an island that seems washed by a warm-water current. As they sail closer, they spot a decomposing human body. Nevertheless, they decide to disembark. An amazing world greets them – filled with lush tropical vegetation, giant reptiles, exotic species and most frightening of all, a race of sub-human Neanderthals…. First published as a three-part serial in The Blue Book magazine in 1918, The Land that Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs is the first in his Caspak Trilogy. These stories are located in the fictitious island of Caprona, which is called Caspak in the native language of its inhabitants. Similar to the “lost world” novels of Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules Verne, the book would certainly appeal to modern-day Jurassic Park enthusiasts. Burroughs, best known for his Tarzan series undeservedly earned the reputation of being a “pulp-fiction writer” although his books are well-researched and explore the dimensions of their characters. For this trilogy, he researched prehistoric studies, geography, biology and human development. The book has been adapted very successfully for film and has also been released in graphic/animation form, to be enjoyed by generations of readers and viewers. A racy thriller, filled with excitement, adventure and fantasy for all ages!

Categories: Arts

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Edgar Rice Burroughs, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, science, science-fiction, Sea stories, The Land that Time Forgot

Text of famous inspirational lecture and biography of Russell Conwell, a Baptist minister and Temple University Founder

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: Acres of Diamonds, audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, Economics/Political Economy, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, religion, Russell Herman Conwell

The Arabian Nights is a collection of Perso-Arabic folk tales and other stories. The collection, or at least certain stories drawn from it (or purporting to be drawn from it), became widely known in the West from the 18th century, after it was translated from the Arabic — first into French and then into English and other European languages. The first English language edition, based on Galland’s French rather than the original Arabic, rendered the title as The Arabian Nights’ Entertainment – and this, or simply The Arabian Nights, has been the title by which it has been best known to English-speaking people ever since.

Categories: Arts, Education, Kids & Family

Tags: Andrew Lang, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Languages, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Short stories, The Arabian Nights

A life lived backwards, with events happening in reverse order forms the strange and unexpected framework of one of F Scott Fitzgerald’s rare short stories. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was published in Collier’s in 1927 and the idea came to Fitzgerald apparently from a quote of Mark Twain’s in which he regretted that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worst at the end. Fitzgerald’s concept of using this notion and turning the normal sequence of life on its head resulted in this delightful, thought provoking fantasy tale. The story was later incorporated in a Fitzgerald anthology, Tales of the Jazz Age. The story opens with a young, high society couple who are shocked beyond belief when they discover that their much awaited first born child resembles an elderly gent of seventy, complete with a white beard and whiskers, sitting up and querulously demanding to know, “Are you my father?” Their young son is born to live out a peculiar destiny. And so begins a grotesque journey through life, with the child, Benjamin “growing down” instead of up. Set in the Baltimore of the 1860s the story is also a satire of contemporary American society of the time. Though Fitzgerald maintains a cool and light tone throughout the story, it is in fact, deeply reflective and a very interesting take on the human condition. For contemporary readers who are familiar with the problems of aging and “second childhood” Benjamin Button’s difficulties with dealing with the demands of his chronological age vs his mental age are extremely interesting. As we find more and more older people succumbing to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, requiring the kind of care that an infant does, the story is strangely prophetic of the condition of geriatric care in our century. The plot is not exactly new to literature, with several stories and novels being written on a similar theme by many other writers. However, Fitzgerald’s take on growing old and how we humans deal with it is what sets The Curious Case of Benjamin Button apart. The style is extremely readable, the premise is intriguing and refreshingly different and appeals to readers of all ages. The story was adapted into a film in 2008 and continues to fascinate Fitzgerald fans the world over. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Comedy

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Comedy, Dramatic Works, ebooks, F. Scott Fitzgerald, fiction, free audio books, humor, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Short stories, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

A collection of my favorite short children’s stories and rhymes.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: animals, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Kayray's Storytime, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Teen/Young adult, various

Stories of King Arthur and His Knights. Retold from Malory’s “Morte dArthur”. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: art, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths/Legends, romance, Stories of King Arthur and His Knights, U. Waldo Cutler

Awaiting his trial on charges of impiety and heresy, Socrates encounters Euthyphro, a self-proclaimed authority on matters of piety and the will of the gods. Socrates, desiring instruction in these matters, converses with Euthyphro, but as usual, the man who professes to know nothing fares better than the man who claims to be an expert. One of Plato’s well-known Socratic Dialogues, Euthyphro probes the nature of piety, and notably poses the so-called Euthyphro Dilemma: Do the gods love a thing because it is holy, or is a thing holy because it is loved by the gods? More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Education, Society & Culture

Tags: Ancient Texts, audio books, audiobook, Classics (antiquity), ebooks, Euthyphro, free audio books, Languages, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Plato

Buccaneers and Pirates of our Coasts is a non-fiction, rolicking story of the origins of piracy and of the famous pirates of the coasts of the United States. The stories don’t cast pirates in the glowing light of modern day renditions – in Stockton’s stories, pirates are bad guys! – but the dramatic style makes them good fun to read, anyway! (Summary by Sibella Denton)

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts, ebooks, fiction, Frank R. Stockton, free audio books, History, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com

A selection of twenty hymns sung in this recording. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Music, Religion & Spirituality

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Hymn Collection, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, music, poetry, religion, various

Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul are two books of poetry by the English poet and painter, William Blake. Although Songs of Innocence was first published by itself in 1789, it is believed that Songs of Experience has always been published in conjunction with Innocence since its completion in 1794. Songs of Innocence mainly consists of poems describing the innocence and joy of the natural world, advocating free love and a closer relationship with God, and most famously including Blake’s poem The Lamb. Its poems have a generally light, upbeat and pastoral feel and are typically written from the perspective of children or written about them. Directly contrasting this, Songs of Experience instead deals with the loss of innocence after exposure to the material world and all of its mortal sin during adult life, including works such as The Tyger. Poems here are darker, concentrating on more political and serious themes. Throughout both books, many poems fall into pairs, so that a similar situation or theme can be seen in both Innocence and Experience. Many of the poems appearing in Songs of Innocence have a counterpart in Songs of Experience with opposing perspectives of the world. The disastrous end of the French Revolution caused Blake to lose faith in the goodness of mankind, explaining much of the volume’s sense of despair. Blake also believed that children lost their innocence through exploitation and from a religious community which put dogma before mercy. He did not, however, believe that children should be kept from becoming experienced entirely. In truth, he believed that children should indeed become experienced but through their own discoveries, which is reflected in a number of these poems. Blake believed that innocence and experience were “the two contrary states of the human soul”, and that true innocence was impossible without experience. The Book of Thel is a poem by William Blake, dated 1789 and probably worked on in the period 1788 to 1790. It is illustrated by his own plates, and is relatively short and easy to understand, compared to his later prophetic books. The metre is a fourteen-syllable line. It was preceded by Tiriel, which Blake left in manuscript. A few lines from Tiriel were incorporated into The Book of Thel. This book consists of eight plates executed in illuminated printing. 15 copies of original print of 1789-1793 are known. Two copies have watermark of 1815, which are more elaborately colored than the others.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Poems of William Blake, poetry, William Blake