Random Loyalbooks.com Podcasts

Part of the Voyages Extraordinaires series by French novelist Jules Verne, and also a sequel to his classic science fiction novel From the Earth to the Moon, Round the Moon presents the continuation of the gripping tale which ended with a cliffhanger and left readers to ponder over endless possibilities. Published in 1870, the novel presents an unprecedented journey into space, while focusing on space navigation, scientific calculations, unforeseen circumstances and dangerous encounters, which in turn mark the novel as prophetic of its time. The novel launches with the reappearance of the distinct trio and first space travelers, Barbicane, Nicholl and Ardan, who have been launched out of a projectile and begin their visionary mission of lunar exploration. Having blacked out after being fired out of a space gun, the three adventurers later regain consciousness, extremely lucky to have escaped serious injury. However, their luck and sense of achievement is short-lived after the journey takes a shaky turn of events as an asteroid just barely misses the projectile. Although they escape near collision, the event marks the beginning of the misfortunes fixated on the journey including the death of Ardan’s dog, deviation, and intoxication by gases. Nevertheless, the valiant group maintains a positive attitude as they proceed with their initial objective to unravel the mysteries of space. Abundant in descriptive language, imagery and fantasy, the novel proves to be a successful sequel while additionally providing a resolution to a gripping story. Verne’s Round the Moon only further strengthens his reputation as a visionary adventure novelist, as the novel proves to be a unique representation of space expedition and man’s curiosity about the unknown. Bearing in mind that the novel was written a century before the first lunar mission, the novel provides an interesting contrast between modern and past views concerning the topic of space travel, and demonstrates the extent of technological progression. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, Jules Verne, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Round the Moon: A Sequel to From the Earth to the Moon, science-fiction, Teen/Young adult

Ann Veronica was a controversial book detailing the development of a naive school girl into a “New Woman”. When it was published, the Spectator described it as a “poisonous book … capable of poisoning the minds of those who read it.” Although it is unlikely to offend modern listeners in this way, this novel addresses many feminist issues that are still relevant today.

Categories: Arts

Tags: Ann Veronica, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, H. G. Wells, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Politics, romance

Buddhism and Buddhists in China is an anthropological text describing Buddhism as practiced in China at the beginning of the 20th Century. Interestingly, it also compares and contrasts Buddhism with Christianity with respect to or in response to missionary work.

Categories: Arts, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Buddhism and Buddhists in China, ebooks, free audio books, History, Lewis Hodus, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, religion

Peter Rabbit goes to school, with Mother Nature as his teacher. In this zoology book for children, Thornton W. Burgess describes the mammals of North America in the form of an entertaining story, including plenty of detail but omitting long scientific names. There is an emphasis on conservation. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: animals, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, nature, Non-fiction, science, The Burgess Animal Book for Children, Thornton W. Burgess

The Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is a shortened and simplified version of Hume’s masterpiece A Treatise of Human Nature. It sought to reach a wider audience, and to dispel some of the virulent criticism addressed toward the former book. In it, Hume explains his theory of epistemology, and argues against other current theories, including those of John Locke, George Berkeley, and Nicolas Malebranche. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, audio books, audiobook, David Hume, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy

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

An old carpenter carves a little wooden puppet from a mysterious piece of wood that seems to have the ability to talk! He begins to love the little creature like his own son and names him Pinocchio. But the mischievous fellow runs away from his loving father as soon as he learns to walk. The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi follows the misadventures and naughty exploits of this delightfully “human” puppet who in his heart of hearts longs only to become a real boy. Carlo Collodi was the pen name of a gifted writer of children’s books, Carlo Lorenzini who lived in Florence, Italy, during the late 19th century. He was also a political activist and author of several novels, short novels, articles and sketches for adults. He began writing for children in 1876 and translated children’s literature from other languages into Italian. The Adventures of Pinnochio is meant to be an allegory and a cautionary tale for children. Through the adventures of this playful and headstrong puppet, Collodi provides many valuable lessons for young children. Wonderful characters like the Talking Cricket, the Fox and the Cat, the Fairy with the Turquoise Hair and old Gepetto himself are colorful, memorable and each one contributes to Pinnochio’s final transformation. With plenty of magical moments, fantasy and thrills, the plot provides enough excitement for children of all ages. Since it first appeared in 1883, the book has enjoyed immense fame and popularity. There have been innumerable translations into more than 250 major world languages, making it the most translated book in the world. There have been plenty of adaptations for stage, radio, television and film, including cartoons and merchandise. Pinnochio’s long nose has even become a metaphor for people who tell lies. As a pioneer in the field, Collodi’s works became instantly popular, as children’s literature as a genre was not very prevalent before the 19th century. His easy and engaging style caught the imagination of children instantly and became a benchmark for children’s writers ever since. There are some very endearing and thought-provoking moments and incidents in the story, which make it very memorable for both children and adults. Enduring values of love and loyalty, the essential contradictions that make us human and the transformation of a rebellious, thoughtless, uncaring and self-indulgent youngster into a mature young person are what makes this story so beloved and treasured the world over.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Carlo Collodi, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Adventures of Pinocchio

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s book “A Little Princess” begins as seven year old Sara Crewe is dropped off at a boarding school by her rich father. She has grown up in India and has lived a very pampered life. Even though she is rich, she is very friendly to everyone and the students all love her. Unfortunately, the woman in charge of the school does not like Sara and when her father dies on a business trip, the head mistress is angry that she will not get the money she is owed for Sara’s care. She makes her live in the attic with the maid and to do chores to earn her keep at the school. Sara is mistreated, but still remains kind to others and helps anyone she can. One day, Sara finds some money and buys some food from a bakery. When the baker sees her give away most of the food to a beggar girl, he believes Sara is a princess and invites the little beggar girl to live with his family. Sara continues to teach the smaller children and withstands the abuse from the adults around her. When a strange man moves into the house next door, Sara becomes friends with his servant. He is impressed with how kind she is and is angered about her treatment at the school. He secretly sends her food to help her in some small way. Eventually, Sara discovers something very important about the man who is helping her. A Little Princess is an amazing book that proves again that dreams can come true. It also shows that even when life is not going the way you would like it, you should still treat others the way you want to be treated. The end of the story is very satisfying, but readers will want to know more about this special little girl.

Categories: Arts

Tags: A Little Princess, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Frances Hodgson Burnett, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com

Plato’s Republic is a Socratic dialogue which deals mainly with the definition of justice, the characteristics of a just city state and the just man. Although it was written more than two thousand years ago, many of the ideas and thoughts expounded here are still very much relevant to modern society. This is Plato’s best known work and is also considered his most influential especially when it comes to the fields of philosophy and political theory. The Republic is divided into ten books and in each book Socrates discusses different topics from the immortality of the soul to the meaning of justice with his disciples like Glaucon, Thrasymachus, Adeimantus and others. The first two books focus on justice and its meaning. After hearing the arguments of his disciples, Socrates made a very enlightening statement when he said that it’s the advantage of a person to be just and it’s his disadvantage to be unjust. A statement like this can be very much true today as it is thousands of years ago. After that, they continued their discussions about education and the guardian class. I’m sure many have already heard about the guardians, in this book Socrates referred to them as the ideal rulers of an ideal city. Book eight of the The Republic discusses the different types of government, some of which we’re familiar with today. Socrates referred to the different types of governments as timocracy, oligarchy, democracy and tyranny. It’s interesting to note that he considered these types of governments including democracy as unjust. He said that in a democracy there’s a strong tendency for the poor people to revolt against the rich class because the rich enjoy too much freedom in this kind of government. This work by Plato is a timeless classic and it laid the ground work for many important modern philosophical and political ideas. This book is definitely a good read especially to political science or law students and the philosopher in all of us. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Education, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Classics (antiquity), ebooks, free audio books, Languages, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Plato, Plato's Republic

“The Memoir of my Aunt, Jane Austen, has been received with more favour than I had ventured to expect. The notices taken of it in the periodical press, as well as letters addressed to me by many with whom I am not personally acquainted, show that an unabated interest is still taken in every particular that can be told about her. I am thus encouraged not only to offer a Second Edition of the Memoir, but also to enlarge it with some additional matter which I might have scrupled to intrude on the public if they had not thus seemed to call for it. In the present Edition, the narrative is somewhat enlarged, and a few more letters are added; with a short specimen of her childish stories. The cancelled chapter of ‘Persuasion’ is given, in compliance with wishes both publicly and privately expressed. A fragment of a story entitled ‘The Watsons’ is printed; and extracts are given from a novel which she had begun a few months before her death; but the chief addition is a short tale never before published, called ‘Lady Susan.’ I regret that the little which I have been able to add could not appear in my First Edition; as much of it was either unknown to me, or not at my command, when I first published; and I hope that I may claim some indulgent allowance for the difficulty of recovering little facts and feelings which had been merged half a century deep in oblivion.” – James Edward Austen-Leigh in the Preface to Memoir of Jane Austen More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, free audio books, James Edward Austen-Leigh, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Memoir of Jane Austen, Non-fiction

On Loving God is one of the best-known and most influential works of Medieval Christian mysticism. Written at the request of one of the cardinals of Rome, it describes the four “levels” of love for God, and puts Christian devotion in the context of God’s love for mankind. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Bernard of Clairvaux, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, On Loving God, Philosophy, religion

If you have read DH Lawrence’s The Rainbow, you’d certainly want to read the sequel, Women in Love. Published in 1920, the two books were originally meant to be a single work, spanning several generations of the Brangwen family, especially the women. However, a complicated publishing history, delays and editorial revisions, followed by the hostile reception and controversies that faced The Rainbow led to a gap of five years between the two books. Yet, by 21st century standards, Women in Love seems almost tame, and modern-day readers may well be bewildered by the amount of criticism it generated among the custodians of morals in an earlier age. The moral backlash prevented many readers from appreciating the true nature and depth of this insightful novel. The plot deals with the continuing saga of the Brangwen sisters, Ursula and Gudrun. Gudrun falls in love with a wealthy industrial tycoon, Gerald Crich while Ursula’s heart is captured by a school inspector, Rupert Birkin. However, Birkin is also a passionate and intellectual man, whose unconventional ideas attract Ursula. Spanning the time before and during World War I, Lawrence drew many of the characters from real life. Ursula was based on his own wife, Frieda, while Birkin is a close self-portrait of himself. His friend Katharine Mansfield comes alive as Gudrun and Gerald Crich, her husband John Middleton Murry. Hence, the book is also an invaluable biography of contemporary writers and their lives. Though the book examines physical and emotional love in a frank and fearless way, Lawrence’s critics suggested that it was also told from a male chauvinistic point of view. Lawrence was deeply influenced by Freudian psycho-analysis and also by the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Victorian ideas of a woman’s role, her rights and her expectations were undergoing a sea-change at this time. Her desire to work at a job outside the home, earn an independent living and the blurring of social boundaries are other themes that Lawrence felt deeply about and depicts in this book. The conflict between society’s conventions and individual desires is another theme that runs through Women in Love. The dawn of the Industrial Revolution was about to change the structure of society forever and we find Lawrence’s characters, grappling with changing ideas and vanishing traditions. Women in Love also contains many of the characters who appear in The Rainbow, like Tom, Anna and Billy Brangwen. Tom Brangwen’s struggle with the ideas and ways of his unconventional daughters also forms part of the story. An interesting and absorbing read!

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, D. H. Lawrence, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, romance, Women in Love

A science fiction novel first published in 1895, The Time Machine was the first depiction of time travel, and the reason Wells consequently coined the term “time machine” which is now universally recognized. Furthermore it is considered to be one of the precursors to the science fiction genre and the Dying Earth subgenre. An undeniable classic, the novel offers a gripping plot, speculation, and an innovative portrayal of man’s hopes, fears, and human nature in general. The tale opens with the introduction of an English scientist and inventor, simply referred to as the Time Traveler, who hosts a dinner party for a number of guests. After dinner, the Time Traveler gives a lecture to the present men stating that time is simply a fourth dimension, and that time travel is in fact possible. He proceeds with a demonstration using a smaller model of his time machine and apparently makes it disappear into the future, though the group does not seem convinced. The following week the men return, as does their unkempt host who stumbles in, and subsequently begins the narration of his incredible account. His journey begins when his time machine takes him forward in time to the year 802,701 AD, where he encounters a society of small robed humanlike creatures called Eloi, who although possess beautiful features, are quite delicate. After exploring the area, the Time Traveler returns only to find his time machine missing, and decides to drop the matter for the time being. As the protagonist gets better acquainted with the Eloi, he infers that they lack curiosity and are rather lazy. In addition, he also comes across the bestial subterranean nocturnal Morlocks, who he believes to have taken his time machine. Left among two opposing races in a slowly disintegrating Earth, the Time Traveler must find a way back home, while simultaneously trying to uncover the roots of such a dark future. A great influence on future works alike, The Time Machine in turn encouraged and set the bar for other authors to pursue similar ideas and fuse adventure with philosophical speculation. Exploring various ideas including the repercussions of evolution, capitalism, and social class division, Wells not only creates an entertaining story, but also successfully accentuates the flaws of society. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, H. G. Wells, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, science, science-fiction, Teen/Young adult, The Time Machine, travel

Published in 1903, King Arthur and His Knights by Maude L. Radford is an easy to read version of the Arthurian legends, made simple and interesting for children. Maude Lavinia Radford Warren was a Canadian born American who taught literature and composition at the University of Chicago between 1893-1907. Following the success of some of her books, she left teaching to take up writing as a full time career. She also served as a war correspondent for the New York Times magazine during WWI and contributed several remarkable features on the role of women in the conflict. Some of the books she wrote for adults like The White Flame of France are non-fiction accounts of her wartime experiences in Europe. Some of her other novels like Barbara’s Marriages deal with social issues of the day. The book begins with the traditional childhood invocation so beloved of children all over the world, “Once upon a time…” and opens with the miraculous incident through which young Arthur realizes that he is the heir to the throne and the rightful owner of the fabulous sword, Excalibur. The rest of the chapters deal with several well known stories connected with the legend of Camelot. How each one of the famous Knights of the Round Table arrives at Camelot, Arthur’s marriage to Guinevere, the quest for the Holy Grail and finally, Arthur’s poignant death at the hands of the evil Sir Mordred on the lake isle of Avalon and the final return of Excalibur to the depths of the lake are all dramatically presented. King Arthur and His Knights is indeed a captivating read for children and makes a great read-aloud book for bedtime. For older children, it may perhaps spur them on to further research into this blend of fact and fiction, legend and myth, history and fable. The charming illustrations by Walter J. Enright add to the book’s appeal for children. Maude L Radford wrote several other books for young readers, among them Robin Hood and his Merry Men, Mother Hubbard’s Wonderful Cupboard, Mother Goose and Her Friends, Peter-Peter, Adventures in the Old Woman’s Shoe and many more, making her one of the best loved writers of children’s books in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Though most of her works are forgotten today, her books are sure to capture childhood imagination and are told in a simple, easy to grasp style. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: Adventure, art, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, King Arthur and His Knights, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Maude L. Radford, Myths/Legends

The Discourse on Method is best known as the source of the famous quotation “cogito ergo sum”, “I think, therefore I am.” …. It is a method which gives a solid platform from which all modern natural sciences could evolve. With this work, the idea of skepticism was revived from the ancients such as Sextus Empiricus and modified to account for a truth that Descartes found to be incontrovertible. Descartes started his line of reasoning by doubting everything, so as to assess the world from a fresh perspective, clear of any preconceived notions.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, René Descartes, science

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844–1900) was a nineteenth-century German philosopher. He wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy and science, using a distinctive German language style and displaying a fondness for aphorism. Nietzsche’s influence remains substantial within and beyond philosophy, notably in existentialism and postmodernism. Thus Spake Zarathustra is a work composed in four parts between 1883 and 1885. Much of the work deals with ideas such as the “eternal recurrence of the same”, the parable on the “death of God”, and the “prophecy” of the Overman, which were first introduced in The Gay Science. Described by Nietzsche himself as “the deepest ever written”, the book is a dense and esoteric treatise on philosophy and morality, featuring as protagonist a fictionalized Zarathustra. A central irony of the text is that the style of the Bible is used by Nietzsche to present ideas of his which fundamentally oppose Judaeo-Christian morality and tradition. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Friedrich Nietzsche, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Psychology, religion, Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None

This story opens with a lovely, poor and proud young woman who lives with her aunt. The young woman saves the life of a farmer who subsequently falls in love with her. However, the young woman inherits a fortune and moves away. On the flip side the farmer loses everything he has and travels around the country seeking employment. One evening the farmer helps to put out a blazing fire in a lonely farm. When the veiled owner comes out to thank him, he discovers that she is none other than the beautiful woman who once rejected him and moved away. Thomas Hardy was brought up in rural Dorset and was the son of a humble stonemason. He suffered from life long ill health and was schooled at home till he was sixteen. He then trained to be an architect and began writing poetry. He wrote his first novel The Poor Man and The Lady in 1867 but met with little success. Hardy destroyed the manuscript and worked on two others which were published but anonymously. In 1873, he published A Pair of Blue Eyes, to which he put his own name and this book was relatively more successful. In fact the term, “cliff-hanger” which refers to stories in which the reader is left in suspense till the next chapter originated with the book which originally appeared in serial form in a magazine. Far From the Madding Crowd was Hardy’s fourth novel and gave him his first taste of literary and commercial success. It also laid the foundation for several themes that Hardy would continue to use. The concept of Wessex itself was an important Hardy motif in which he contrasts the rural setting against a rapidly industrializing urban England. In many of his novels, his characters are unable to stem the flow of events. The effects of overwhelming passion, women’s rights, society’s constraints and demands which clash with individual wants and desires, are some of the themes explored in his work. The beautiful and proud Bathsheba Everdene, Gabriel Oak, the man who loves her, the rich, lonely and strait laced William Boldwood, the dashing and debonair Sergeant Troy, the tragic Fanny Robin are all memorable characters who make Far From the Madding Crowd an absorbing and thought provoking read.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Far From the Madding Crowd, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Thomas Hardy

Published in 1904, The Marvelous Land of Oz is the second book in Baum’s Oz series and follows the adventures of Tip, a young boy who travels the mystical Oz after running away from the terrifying witch Mombi. Furthermore, the novel reunites readers with familiar characters including the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Glinda the Good Witch, while also introducing bright new characters who deem to be just as memorable. Unlimited action, intense magic, captivating characters, and an unexpected twist, the adventure novel has remained a classic for generations, and has only strengthened the series appeal with its fresh intake on the familiar set. The novel begins with the introduction of young protagonist Tip, who after a failed effort to frighten the wicked witch Mombi is threatened to be turned into a marble statue as retribution. Feeling he has no other choice, Tip decides to run away from Gillikin Country and from the person to whom he has been both ward and servant as long as he can remember. Consequently, Tip sets out to Emerald City accompanied by his trusted companions Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse, who were both brought to life with the help of a magical powder obtained by Mombi from a sorcerer. However, as the group gets separated, Tip is caught up in a revolt organized by an all-girl army led by General Jinjur who plans to overthrow the current ruler of the Emerald City. After one event leading to another, the protagonist and his companions, who now also include the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, find themselves in a mission to overtake Emerald City. With the help of Glinda the Good Witch, the group must defeat the evil Mombi while also attempt to quash the rebellion and restore rule to its rightful heir. Baum cleverly weaves adventure, wit, endearing characters and suspense into one extraordinary piece, as he effectively depicts a broader view of the magical land and adds a bit of history, hence creating an original plot separate from its renowned prequel. Fortified by new literary elements, The Marvelous Land of Oz is the chance to rediscover Oz and reaffirm the author’s imaginative capabilities, as the novel is not to be taken simply at face value but admired for its hidden worth.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, Kids, L. Frank Baum, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths/Legends, The Marvelous Land of Oz