Random Loyal Books Podcasts

A sportsman who doesn’t hunt; a poet who doesn’t write; a lover with no one to love; all three are devoted to their cheerful and benevolent leader, Mr. Pickwick. Join him and his friends, Winkle, Snodgrass, and Tupman, as they tour the country in search of adventures, knowledge, and stories. Along the way, they have their share of mishaps, and meet plenty of interesting characters, both the good and the not so good. (Mr. Pickwick’s dedicated manservant, Sam Weller, is a scene-stealer sure to delight just about everybody.)You may shed a few tears along the way, but usually of the pleasant sort. This is a mostly lighthearted and humorous tale, with a number of subplots woven in, in Dickens’ incomparable style.(Introduction by Debra Lynn) More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Comedy

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Charles Dickens, Comedy, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, humor, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, satire, The Pickwick Papers

The title ‘Anthem’ is derived as an anthem to sense of self and self-governing thoughts. Anthem is a story of Equality 7-2521 who is a young man living in some unspecified future time and place. In this future era freedom and individual rights have been eradicated. The starring character of the novel is an inquisitive street cleaner. He lives in a society where people have lost their knowledge of individualism, to the extreme that people do not know words like ‘I’ or ‘mine’. All the people live and work for their livelihood in collective groups, along with the people with power, namely the ‘Councils’. There are many types of councils namely the Council of Vocations, Council of Scholars etc. The society is where all the terminology of individualism is completely restrained. They emphasize the principle that all are equal and should remain that way. Equality was an outstanding student during childhood and was very interested in learning. He wanted to become a scholar in the Council, but for his thought, he was punished by the Council which is responsible for assigning jobs to each individual. They punished him by assigning him the job of street sweeper. Equality had a thirst for knowledge that he secretly satisfy by sneaking into a tunnel every evening, where he was alone. He used the time to write, think and to perform some scientific experiments. Soon he falls in love with a woman named Liberty 5-3000. The book enumerates the quest for knowledge by this young man who struggles to find answers for many burning questions. These questions lead him to discover the mystery behind his society and the key to freedom. You’ll find the book hard to put down as it tackles the question of expressing love in a society that does not recognize it. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: anthem, audio books, audiobook, ayn rand, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Philosophy, Psychology, romance, science, science-fiction, travel

Published in 1766, The Vicar of Wakefield follows the turbulent shift in the fortune and status of the Primrose family, as they must endure various setbacks that threaten their ultimate wellbeing and prosperity. Focusing on themes including family, prudence, resilience, religion, deception, marriage, and social status, the classic is regarded as Goldsmith’s most notable literary achievement. The novel centers on Dr. Charles Primrose, a benevolent and naive vicar, who together with his wife and six children lives an idyllic and comfortable life in the affluent town of Wakefield, owing their position to a smart investment. The upcoming wedding between their eldest son, George, and Arabella Wilmot, the daughter of a wealthy church dignitary, brings additional joy to the family. However, the potential marriage is threatened when Primrose shares his philosophies concerning marriage with Mr. Wilmot, whose views are contradictory to his own, as he is three times widowed and about to marry for the fourth time. At the same time, their bubble of happiness is burst when news reaches Primrose that he has lost all his money due to his merchant’s embezzlement. Consequently, George’s marriage is called off by Mr. Wilmot, and the Primroses are forced to move to a more humble parish, while sending George to London with the hope that he can earn an income to help his family recover from their financial misfortune. Subsequently, the Primroses settle in a house owned by Squire Thornhill, a roguish young man, who takes an interest in the vicar’s eldest daughter Olivia. Despite Thornhill’s notorious reputation, his interest in Olivia begins to spur hope, as the Primroses believe that such a union would save them from their current misfortune. Furthermore, the vicar befriends the kind but poor Mr. Burchell, who saves his daughter Sophia from drowning, and is promised hospitality. Experiencing the harsh tribulations of life, the Primroses must set aside their pride and remain united through every obstacle. An enduring piece of literature renowned for Goldsmith’s accurate descriptions, gentle irony, satire, and profound wisdom, The Vicar of Wakefield can be read both as a sentimental novel promoting innate goodness, or it can also be understood as a satire on the social and economical inequalities at the time. Nevertheless, the novel is sure to enthrall with its vibrant characters, unexpected twists, and melodramatic occurrences that are generously distributed throughout its pages.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield

Virginia Woolf is one of the most influential and controversial feminine figures in the literary life of the London society. Night and Day is one of her first novels published in 1919 which displays the moral and spiritual issues that people confront. The author herself was an emotionally unstable person, her episodes of mental illness and suicidal depression being recurrent and always brought into the public attention. The novel revolves around the life of the main character, Katherine Hilbery, a superb girl, free spirited and living in her twenties. Being the only child of a traditional English family, Katherine spends her time surrounded by intellectual ideas, literature, and family duties. The young lady is pursued by two gentlemen, William Rodney and Ralph Denham. The first one sees Katherine as the perfect image of womanhood, a strong feminine figure delimited by strong moral laws. Ralph is different; he is the idealistic kind of person who falls in love with her at a first sight. He is loved, at his turn, by Mary, but Woolf decides to make the narration even more exciting by introducing a new feminine figure, Katherine’s cousin, Cassandra. Virginia Woolf depicts the gender difference by creating female figures like Katherine who consider themselves strong enough to have an independent life. These ladies delay marriage because they follow their own interest, and they see the full satisfaction in the work they do. This novel will hold your attention with the conflict played out between traditional roles and the emerging modern view of Women.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Night and Day, romance, Virginia Woolf

In “The Colors of Space,” Marion Zimmer Bradley tells the story of Bart Steele, a human being who is disguised as a member of an alien species in order to discover the secrets of their space travel. This book is a science fiction novel set in the future, a time when humans can already travel faster than the speed of light and can reach the remote corners of the universe with the help of another type of beings called the Lhari. In the book, the Lhari help the humans to travel faster than light and go to the far corners of different galaxies but are unwilling to give their secrets to them. They constantly tell humans that they need to sleep in order to survive a faster-than-light space travel, but many people like Bart think otherwise. Bart joined a small band of people who want to learn the secrets of Lhari. He disguised himself as a Lhari and boarded a ship that was bound for the Lhari homeland. This was something that no human had ever attempted to do before and Bart had to survive it in order to prove that the Lhari are lying to human beings. Written in the early 1960s-this book has strong messages that were very controversial at the time. The Lhari represented a group of people who possess highly-advanced technology and came from a progressive land. They let human beings use some of their technology but made sure that the humans would not learn any of their secrets to space travel. This also assured their continued domination. Marion Zimmer Bradley narrates the story of “The Colors of Space” in a fast and engaging way. Readers will surely not be bored reading the adventures of Bart Steele and the things that he’ll discover about the Lhari while he was travelling with them. For those who are looking for a good science fiction novel, this book is definitely worth reading. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Marion Zimmer Bradley, science, science-fiction, Teen/Young adult, The Colors of Space

The six Bastable children are plunged into grief when their mother dies and their father’s business partner cheats him of all his money. As a result, he loses not only his fortune but also his good name. However, the children decide to lend a hand. Determined to restore both, the children set out to find some way of making money. A variety of amusing and exciting events follow as they plunge into a series of scrapes in search of a legendary lost treasure. Published in 1899, The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E Nesbit was her first children’s novel. It has had an immense influence on children’s literature and was reputedly JK Rowling’s favorite children’s book. Others like CS Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia) and many other British and American writers were inspired by The Story of the Treasure Seekers. Told from a child’s point of view, the style is witty, amusing and interesting, making it the ideal read-aloud book for both parents and children. One of the interesting aspects of the book is that it is narrated by one of the children, but readers find out which one only towards the end. This child is priggish, arrogant and not always very smart, making his lofty observations and pronouncements even more funny as the reader can see through them quite easily! As with much of Victorian literature, there is plenty in the book that seems dated today. Additionally, E Nesbit’s passionate interest in the Socialist ideology that she and her husband Hubert Bland espoused are subtly yet surely inserted into the conversations and plot of The Story of the Treasure Seekers. However, far from being a dull and depressing tale of do-gooder kids, the novel is often hilariously funny as the children cook up various Quixotic schemes to make money. The child narrator’s voice is itself a piece of subversive humor, as he feels he is the smartest, most powerful person around, hurtling the children into various predicaments. They try speculation, becoming detectives, entering a writing competition among other zany adventures. All through, it is their courage, determination and sense of honor that shine through. The story has been successfully adapted to stage, screen and television several times. If you haven’t encountered this children’s classic yet, it’s a riveting, droll read with an underlying message for those who would like to read between the lines! More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Edith Nesbit, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, History, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Story of the Treasure Seekers

In seventeenth century Venice, a wealthy and debauched man discovers that the woman he is infatuated with is secretly married to a Moorish general in the Venetian army. He shares his grief and rage with a lowly ensign in the army who also has reason to hate the general for promoting a younger man above him. The villainous ensign now plots to destroy the noble general in a diabolical scheme of jealousy, paranoia and murder, set against the backdrop of the bloody Turkish-Venetian wars. This timeless tale, Othello The Moor of Venice was one of the ten famous tragedies that William Shakespeare wrote. It is also one of his plays that has the best documented performance history. First staged on 1st November, 1604 at Whitehall Palace, it was regularly performed at the playwright’s own Globe Theater and the Blackfriars Theater in London besides touring the country as part of the repertoire of the King’s Men which was the theatrical company that Shakespeare belonged to for most of his career. Such is the power and appeal of the play that it has remained completely unchanged or unrevised over the centuries, while many other Shakespearean plays were adapted, rewritten or trimmed during the Restoration and the eighteenth century. The doomed figure of the lovely Desdemona who is murdered so cruelly by the ill-fated Othello based on a tragic misunderstanding continues to haunt playgoers and readers the world over even today. Modern performances have explored the race and class aspects of the play. Famous actors like Laurence Olivier have given legendary performances, while opera, ballet, television, film, stage, graphic novels and animation versions have kept the magnificent story alive today for audiences all over the world. Shakespeare was probably inspired by the sixteenth Italian writer Cinthio’s story titled A Moorish Captain. Many scholars have deemed this to be based on a true incident that happened in Venice in around 1508. However, only the mere skeleton of the story has been used by Shakespeare and most of the characters and sub-plots are his own dazzling creations. He may have also been influenced by the delegations from Morocco to Elizabethan England in 1600. For other details like location and manners, he probably used Venetian history books and contemporary sources. Whatever the history and inspiration of the play, it remains one of the most powerful, compelling and towering works in English literature. This tale of deception, heroism, love, hatred and the demonic obsession called jealousy sparkles with brilliant lines that have entered the English language and become immortal. A majestic work by a supreme artist – Prepare to be overwhelmed!

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Othello, play, tragedy, William Shakespeare

A naïve but sincere young lawyer’s assistant who only dreams of marrying his childhood sweetheart and yearns to have a home and family with her. His sharp witted boss keeps the firm going by dint of shrewd business sense and legal talent. When the assistant accidentally stumbles into a murder case, the scene is set for events that change all their lives. Dead Men’s Money by Joseph Smith Fletcher was published in 1920, the era considered to be the Golden Age of detective fiction. Writers like Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy L. Sayers, Raymond Chandler, Ellery Queen, Georges Simenon and many more from different parts of the world were writing hundreds of novels that followed a more or less similar style and pattern. Cozy country houses, remote and lonely locations, a closed group of people, a series of murders, a romantic interest, the incompetence of the local police, an amateur or professional sleuth who successfully unravels the mystery and a final explanation were the elements of most of their books. Though these elements were acknowledged to be clichéd, the charm and appeal of the classic detective story has never waned. Joseph Smith Fletcher was a multi-talented writer. He was a journalist and historian as well as a leading writer of detective fiction during the Golden Age. His books are characterized by memorable characters, solid plot elements, brisk pace and “clean” story telling style. Fletcher also wrote some very notable non-fiction books on history, some novels about rural life, poetry and essays before turning to detective fiction in 1914. The success of his first book encouraged him to write more than 100 whodunits, many of them featuring his fictional sleuth, Ronald Camberwell. Set initially in the quiet environs of a rural small town, Berwick-on-Tweed, bordering Scotland, the plot of Dead Men’s Money takes the reader across many changing locales. It features a hero, Hugh Moneylaws, who is none too bright. His widowed mother runs a small boarding house to supplement the family income. Hugh wants desperately to make some extra cash, so he agrees to run a mysterious errand for one of the lodgers who is apparently too ill to go out. This sparks off a chain of events that impact all of them. Well constructed, exciting and amusing in parts, Dead Men’s Money is indeed a great addition to your library and is sure to appeal to readers of all ages. If you haven’t encountered JS Fletcher before, this could also be the start of a great collection of his novels.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, Dead Men's Money, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, Joseph Smith Fletcher, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, MYSTERY

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day… Written in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit, or, How Toys Become Real is the tale of a sweet unassuming toy rabbit who questions what it is to live and to love. It was the first children’s title written by Margery Williams (1881 – 1944), who had previously created only for adults. This story eclipsed all others, to become her most famous work, and an ever adored classic for all ages. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Margery Williams, Teen/Young adult, The Velveteen Rabbit

A story for children about a little bear with no name, “there were not enough names to go round,” and his adventures in finding one. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: animals, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Laura Rountree Smith, Little Bear, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com

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

At one time Race Cargill had been the best Terran Intelligence agent on the complex and mysterious planet of Wolf. He had repeatedly imperiled his life amongst the half-human and non-human creatures of the sullen world. And he had repeatedly accomplished the fantastic missions until his name was emblazoned with glory. But that had all seemingly ended. For six long years he’d sat behind a boring desk inside the fenced-in Terran Headquarters, cut off there ever since he and a rival had scarred and ripped each other in blood-feud. But when THE DOOR THROUGH SPACE swung suddenly open, the feud was on again—and with it a plot designed to check and destroy the Terran Empire. (Original book blurb)

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Marion Zimmer Bradley, science, science-fiction, Teen/Young adult, The Door Through Space

A collection of classic Christian hymns spanning the centuries. Some of the hymns are read; others are sung. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Music, Religion & Spirituality

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Hymns of the Christian Church, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, music, poetry, religion, various

A collection of ten short essays or other short nonfiction works in the public domain.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Essay/Short nonfiction, fiction, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Politics, science, Short Nonfiction Collection, various

His family name is derived from a Greek craftsman who created the Labyrinth and designed wings for himself and his son to fly away from the island they were imprisoned in. But Stephen Dedalus, the young hero of James Joyce’s first novel, is a young man who rises above his baser instincts and seeks a life devoted to the arts. This quintessential coming of age novel describes the early life of Stephen Dedalus. It is set in Ireland during the nineteenth century which was a time of emerging Irish nationalism and conservative Catholicism. Highly autobiographical in nature, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man draws heavily on real events and characters from Joyce’s own life, though he adopts an ironical and often satirical tone. The book is also notable for its being the first one in which Joyce uses innovative “Stream of Consciousness” writing style. A Portrait… follows Stephen Dedalus from his babyhood into early adulthood. One of the most remarkable things about Joyce’s style is that the early chapters are expressed in child like language. For instance, the famous opening lines of the book are, “Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down the road….” These are lines from a story that Stephen’s father tells him as a baby. The final lines “Welcome, O Life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience…” Between these two lines lies the story of Stephen’s growth and development. He goes through phases of religious obsession, where he passionately follows his church’s teachings and is often racked by guilt and despair. However, as he attains manhood, his rational, adult faculties begin to emerge and he goes forth to meet life as a fully conscious, aware individual, enriched by all that has happened to him. Joyce explores the ideas of the over riding role of religion in the life of the Victorian Irish people, their extremism and their fanaticism. He also explores the role of the artist in society and their responsibilities. Finally, Joyce delves into the larger questions of Irish nationalism and their need for self government. A Portrait… is a book that young people should read for its passionate optimism and older people should read for the recollections it evokes of their own past. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, james joyce, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com

Silver footed, fair haired Thetis, Ares the God of War, Nike the Goddess of Victory, The Furies and The Muses, Zeus the presiding deity of the Universe and the magical, mysterious Olympus, are some of the amazing, mythical Greek and Roman deities you’ll encounter in this book. Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by EM Berens was originally intended for young readers. Written in an easy and light style, the author attempts to bring the pantheon of gods into a comprehensible format. He organizes them into different dynasties and chronologies to make it easier for the reader to understand the labyrinthine relationships and connections between the various gods, heroes, minor divinities, mythical figures and legendary creatures. Greek and Roman legends form the base of all European art, literature and civilization itself. Since the advent of Christianity, the so called Pagan religion which dominated all of Europe for thousands of years were eclipsed but the study of the Classics as part of the education in Greek and Latin kept them alive. Today there’s hardly a serious student of English or art who does not encounter some reference to an ancient Greek or Roman myth or deity somewhere in literature and the Western languages. A visit to any of the museums or classical art galleries in Europe would be one that’s filled with allusions and depictions of Greek or Roman legends. For modern day readers, the book is a mine of information about the lineage of the gods, forms of worship, festivals and temples devoted to them. It is interestingly chronicled, right from the primordial legend of Uranus and Gaia to the Creation of the Earth, through the dynasties of the Gods, heroes and divinities of the Night and the Sea, right up to the Trojan War where the Gods played a most important role in the destiny of humans. The section on temples and worship is especially interesting for students of archeology and history. It also includes statues, augurs, soothsayers, temple architecture, altars, priests and sacrifices. The extensive footnotes and author’s notes for each chapter add value and interest while the charming illustrations make it attractive for younger readers. Anyone who is interested in exploring the ancient legends of two of the oldest Western civilizations would certainly find Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E.M. Berens a source of hours of reading pleasure and a valuable addition to their bookshelf. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Education, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Classics (antiquity), E.M. Berens, ebooks, Fairy tales, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, instruction, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome, Myths/Legends, religion, Teen/Young adult

The sequel to Plague Ship, Voodoo Planet finds the Solar Queen banned from trade and starting her supposed quiet two-year stint as an interstellar mail carrier. But instead her crew accepts a visit to the safari planet of Khatka, where they find themselves caught in a battle between the forces of reason and the powers of Khatka’s mind-controlling wizard.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Plague Ship, science, science-fiction, Teen/Young adult, Voodoo Planet

John Wesley Powell was a pioneer American explorer, ethnologist, and geologist in the 19th Century. In 1869 he set out to explore the Colorado and the Grand Canyon. He gathered nine men, four boats and food for ten months and set out from Green River, Wyoming, on May 24. Passing through dangerous rapids, the group passed down the Green River to its confluence with the Colorado River (then also known as the Grand River upriver from the junction), near present-day Moab, Utah. The expedition’s route traveled through the Utah canyons of the Colorado River, which Powell described in his published diary as having …wonderful features—carved walls, royal arches, glens, alcove gulches, mounds and monuments. From which of these features shall we select a name? We decide to call it Glen Canyon. (Ironically, now almost completely submerged by Lake Powell, behind the Glen Canyon Dam.) One man (Goodman) quit after the first month and another three (Dunn and the Howland brothers) left at Separation Rapid in the third, only two days before the group reached the mouth of the Virgin River on August 30 after traversing almost 1,500 km. The three who left the group late in the trip were later killed—probably by Indians. Powell retraced the route in 1871-1872 with another expedition, producing photographs, an accurate map, and various papers, including ethnographic reports of the area’s Native Americans and a monograph on their languages.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Canyons of the Colorado, ebooks, free audio books, History, John Wesley Powell, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Memoirs, nature, Non-fiction, or The exploration of the Colorado River and its Canyons, science, travel