Random Loyalbooks.com Podcasts

Regarded as the pride and joy of American literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a picturesque novel depicting Huck’s epic journey from boyhood to manhood and the struggles he must face living in a corrupt society. The novel serves as a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, another famous work by Mark Twain. The plot unfolds in several locations sometime before the Civil War. The book opens with a description of Huck’s new life as he undergoes a process of “civilization” while living with the Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson. Although he dislikes the strict regime of education, manners, church and rigid clothing, which are a necessity to fit into society, Huck prefers anything to his previous life with his drunkard father Pap. However, just as things begin to stabilize, Pap returns to the picture and demands Huck give him the money that he had previously attained during an adventure with his best friend Tom Sawyer. Huck’s refusal to do so only infuriates Pap. Just when things are improving for Huck, he is kidnapped and mistreated by his no-good father. After faking his own death and on the run, he meets Jim who is a runaway slave with a bounty to his name. Huck must decide whether to trust his gut feeling and help an innocent flee slavery, or view the poor man simply as property. Caught up between ethics and legality, Huck must make a decision. The two set out together on a raft, both in search of freedom and experience many challenges on the way whilst at the same time an emotional bond is developed. Twain’s vibrant description of the places and people along the Mississippi River is one of the jewels of the novel, as well as the use of vernacular language and the presence of dialects. Moral and ethics, racism and slavery, and hypocritical society are just some of the targeted issues presented in the novel. Celebrated throughout generations, the slanted tale of adventure does not seize to spark appreciation although simultaneously stirring controversy.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Breckinridge Elkins is the roughest, toughest, fastest-shootin’, hardest-fightin’ feller in the Bear Creek settlement, and probably in the entire Humbolt Mountains. As he travels further from home, he single-handedly takes on outlaws, settles (and starts) feuds and tries his hand at romancing the girls. He also discovers a lot of strange customs among other folks, such as building houses out of boards and wearing clothes that ain’t buckskins. Set in Nevada during the late 1800’s, this collection of stories is a great rollicking romp through the American frontier as seen through the eyes of one of the most enjoyable characters created in the history of tall tales.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Bear Creek Collection, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Robert E. Howard, Short stories, westerns

Villette was Charlotte Bronte’s last published novel. It came out in 1853, just two years before her death in 1855. It is a poignant, strangely lonely and sad work, steeped in conflict between society’s demands and personal desires. Set in the fictional town of Villette in France, it is the story of the young and intelligent Lucy Snowe, the narrator in the book. She is described by another character in the book as having “no beauty…no attractive accomplishments…” and strangely seems to lack a personal history or living relatives. Her godmother Mrs. Bretton looks after the orphaned Lucy, who suddenly leaves the house for a reason that is not made clear to readers. She finds employment as a companion to an elderly widow, Mrs. Marchmont. When her employer dies, Lucy is left without a job or prospects. Impulsively, she decides to travel to Europe and en route, meets the young and spoiled heiress, Ginevra Fanshaw, a student of a girls’ school in Villette. Lucy then travels to Villette to work first as a nanny to the principal’s children and later as a teacher. Here she encounters two men who will play a great role in her life. The young and handsome Dr. John Bretton, her godmother’s grandson, and the arrogant, bad tempered Professor Paul Emmanuel, a fellow lodger at her boarding house who gradually begins to thaw towards Lucy. The rest of the story follows Lucy’s life in Villette. Lucy Snowe is not a very lovable heroine. She is passive, secretive and yet she excites the reader’s interest and compassion and one is compellingly drawn into her story. Villette is also a novel with deep psychological underpinnings. Many have dubbed it even greater than Jane Eyre. It is also one of Bronte’s most autobiographical works. The story harks back to the time when Charlotte and Emily Bronte traveled to Brussels to work in a small pensionnat run by M. Constantin Heger and his wife. Charlotte is reputed to have fallen deeply and hopelessly in love with M. Heger. Paul Emmanuel is said to be based on Heger, while John Bretton is a fictional portrayal of George Murray Smith, her publisher who had once courter her. Villette was written at a time when Bronte was deeply depressed following the deaths of three of her siblings. It was also criticized by contemporary reviewers for its depiction of a woman’s passions and desires, something which Victorian audiences were a little shocked by. For modern day readers, Villette presents a great writer, working at the peak of her powers, overcoming personal tragedy to bring her art to the world.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Charlotte Brontë, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, romance, Villette

Travel along as Mike Vendetti aka miketheauctioneer narrates an outstanding true account of a trip made in 1909 by Zane Grey and a plainsman, Buffalo Jones, through the Grand Canyon to lasso a cougar. That’s right lasso. Throw a rope around. That’s equivalent to catching one by the tail. As I narrated this book, I found fact to be as exciting as fiction. This part of the west was relatively wild and untamed at this time. Wolves, wild horses, buffalo and other wildlife were quite prevalent, and the Indians were not that friendly. This adventure would never make it to “Animal Planet”, or as a National Geographic special, because there is quite a lot of what we would consider cruelty to animals, but this is a true story, and life as it was at the turn of the last century. Parts of this story will offend the sensibilities of some, but it is a glimpse into a world that no longer exists. I was definitely drawn into this story, as I hope the listener will be.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Teen/Young adult, The Last of the Plainsmen, westerns, Zane Grey

This is the story of Rose Campbell, a rich but lonely and sickly girl who has been recently orphaned and sent to live with her maiden aunts. When Rose’s guardian, Uncle Alec, returns from abroad he takes over her care. Through his unorthodox theories about child-rearing and her exposure to the exploits of her seven male cousins and numerous aunts, Rose becomes happier and healthier. At the end of a year, she is given a choice of which relative she is to stay with. Whom will she choose? This is an unabridged recording of Louisa May Alcott’s classic work, originally published in 1874.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Eight Cousins, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Louisa May Alcott, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Teen/Young adult

The Symposium (Ancient Greek: Συμπόσιον) is a philosophical book written by Plato sometime after 385 BCE. On one level the book deals with the genealogy, nature and purpose of love, on another level the book deals with the topic of knowledge, specifically how does one know what one knows. The topic of love is taken up in the form of a group of speeches, given by a group of men at a symposium or a wine drinking party at the house of the tragedian Agathon at Athens. Plato constructed the Symposium as a story within a story within a story. This architecture creates the space for Plato to build his philosophy of knowledge. The speech of Socrates points out that the highest purpose of Love is to become a Philosopher, or Lover of Wisdom. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Education, Society & Culture

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

If you love and cherish old English nursery rhymes and have fond memories of your early childhood years, Our Old Nursery Rhymes by Alfred Moffat published in 1911 is indeed the little book for you! Or as a parent, if you’d like your own children to share the magic, this book provides them all. One of the most appealing aspects of this charming book is that the rhymes are all set to music and if you’re musically inclined, you can certainly keep yourself and your children entertained by playing these pretty tunes. Today, we are much less tolerant of perceived political incorrectness, subtle violence, racism and sexism, but in the era when these rhymes were sung, these ideas were not prevalent and children were exposed to many of the less savory aspects of human life. “Pussy-cat Pussy-cat where have you been” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” “Dickory Dickory Dock” “Polly Put the Kettle On” and others are some of the old favorites featured here. Others like “Yankee Doodle” “O Where is My Little Dog Gone” are American favorites. Modern research has shown that many of these nursery rhymes have a historical basis. Some like “Georgy-Porgy” are comic lampoons of the romantic predilections of George IV of England, while others like “Sing a Song of Sixpence” have historical allusions. “Oranges and Lemons” is a great way to remember the churches in and around London. Rhymes like “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” are really games that young kids enjoy as they sing, “This is the way we wash our face” etc and also learn about their daily routines. Alfred Edward Moffat was a Scottish musician who composed many pieces of classical music. He was also a music historian and folk-song collector. The original version of Our Old Nursery Rhymes was charmingly illustrated by Henriette Willebeek La Mair and is today a collector’s item.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Music

Tags: Alfred Moffat, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, music, Our Old Nursery Rhymes, poetry

Mary Everest Boole (1832-1916) was born Mary Everest in England and spent her early years in France. She married mathematician George Boole. She was the author of several works on teaching and teaching mathematics in particular. This short book, Philosophy and Fun of Algebra, is meant to be read by children and introduces algebra and logic. She uses the word “algebra” broadly, defining it as a “method of solving problems by honest confession of one’s ignorance”. Using this definition, Boole introduces, in a conversational manner, the concepts of logic and algebra, illustrating these concepts with stories and anecdotes, often from biblical sources. At times, her discussion seems somewhat mystical, speaking of the imagination and angels as messengers which guide one toward the next step in a logical investigation. Boole ends the book with a reminder that algebra’s essential element is “the habitual registration of the exact limits of one’s knowledge” and a call for the public to keep this principle in mind when encountering any situation.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Mary Everest Boole, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Philosophy and Fun of Algebra, science

The Blackfeet were hunters, travelling from place to place on foot. They used implements of stone, wood, or bone, wore clothing made of skins, and lived in tents covered by hides. Dogs, their only tame animals, were used as beasts of burden to carry small packs and drag light loads. The stories here told come down to us from very ancient times. Grandfathers have told them to their grandchildren, and these again to their grandchildren, and so from mouth to mouth, through many generations, they have reached our time. (Sibella Denton)

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Blackfeet Indian Stories, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, George B. Grinnell, History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Memoirs, Myths/Legends

Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron is a collection of novellas or short novels written during the 14th century. There are 100 tales contained in the book which is presented together. The book’s title The Decameron combines the two Greek words “deka” meaning ten and “hemera” meaning day. The title can be literally translated as “ten day,” which is also the time frame in which the stories are told by the 7 young women and 3 young men. In the book, each of the ten persons took their turns to tell stories for a day. They did this during their stay at a villa in Fiesole in which they stayed to be safe from the Black Plague. The stories they told vary from love stories, narratives which have tragic endings to erotic tales. This book was originally written in vernacular Florentine and was subsequently translated into many different languages including English. Wayne Reborn’s recent translation of the book into English in 2013 was praised by many critics for being “modern” and it made the book more “readable” to younger audiences. Like most of the literature from the medieval times, this book is full of symbolisms. The book’s subtitle “Prince Galehaut” is an allusion to Galehaut, a character in the tale of King Arthur who made a way for his friend Lancelot and Guinevere to meet and express their love for each other. It was believed that Boccaccio used this subtitle to express his sentiment about women during his time who have no social liberty and can’t freely express themselves. The seven young women in the book are believed to symbolize the four cardinal virtues and the three theological virtues while the three young men represent the classical belief of the Greeks in which the human soul has three parts: reason, spirit and appetite. In the passage of time, other authors eventually borrowed the storylines of the tales told in the book. Modern readers may be amused to learn that the plots of some of the stories they know today were just borrowed from this The Decameron.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Giovanni Boccaccio, History, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Short stories, The Decameron

The Author Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in London, England on the 29th of May, 1874. Though he considered himself a mere “rollicking journalist,” he was actually a prolific and gifted writer in virtually every area of literature. A man of strong opinions and enormously talented at defending them, his exuberant personality nevertheless allowed him to maintain warm friendships with people–such as George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells–with whom he vehemently disagreed. Chesterton had no difficulty standing up for what he believed. He was one of the few journalists to oppose the Boer War. His 1922 “Eugenics and Other Evils” attacked what was at that time the most progressive of all ideas, the idea that the human race could and should breed a superior version of itself. In the Nazi experience, history demonstrated the wisdom of his once “reactionary” views.Chesterton wrote several works of Christian apologetics, the best known of which are “Othodoxy”, “Heretics”, and “The Everlasting Man”. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, G. K. Chesterton, heretics, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, religion

A sequel to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s earlier volume of Greek mythology interpreted and retold for young people, Tanglewood Tales includes more legends and tales of ancient heroes and monsters. In his earlier book, A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, Hawthorne had designed the book to be a book within a book. A young college student keeps a group of young children entertained by retelling Greek myths in a way in which they can easily understand. Nathaniel Hawthorne also wrote a brief introduction to Tanglewood Tales, entitled The Wayside. Eustace Bright, the student in the earlier book, makes an appearance here too and reveals that he has compiled more such stories for his young audience. Tanglewood Tales contains six famous stories. The first one is Theseus and the Minotaur, in which the Greek hero Theseus slays the terrible monster who lives in a Labyrinth below the palace of King Minos. He is helped by Princess Ariadne, who falls in love with the young stranger who comes to slay the fabled creature and deliver the citizens of the land from the evil beast. The second story describes one of the incidents from the Odyssey. The Palace of Circe recounts the legend of the loathsome monster, Circe, who turns all people into beasts. How the brave Ulysses saves his men and other unfortunate people whom Circe has enslaved is told in an entertaining and exciting manner. The legend of Prosperina, her mother Ceres the Earth Goddess and the dark ruler of the Underworld, Vulcan is told in the third story, The Pomegranate Seeds. The story of Antaeus, son of Poseidon and Gaia is retold in The Pygmies. This is a little known story, set in Africa and is based on both Greek and Berber legends. The Dragon’s Teeth is a delightful retelling of the myth of Europa and her brothers. One of the brothers, Cadmus, who is the only one of the family left behind after Zeus abducts Europa, slays a monstrous dragon who preys upon the surrounding villages. The goddess Athena advises Cadmus to sow the dragon’s teeth in the ground and a race of fine warriors springs up, and thus is built the city of Cadmeia the capital of Thebes. The last story is one of the most famous in Greek mythology: Jason and The Golden Fleece. Tanglewood Tales is indeed a charming volume to be read in tandem with the Wonder-book and it will perhaps spur young readers to delve more into the immortal Greek myths and legends of yore. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Classics (antiquity), ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths/Legends, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Tanglewood Tales

Published in 1894, The Yellow Fairy Book is the fourth installment in the series of fairytale collections known as Andrew Lang’s “Coloured” Fairy Books and is comprised of stories collected from various foreign language sources including French, German, English, Scottish, Russian, and Polish. Moreover, the tales not only intend to entertain, but also offer an underlying didactic purpose, as many of the stories place an important emphasis on righteous behavior. Featuring 48 stories, The Yellow Fairy Book includes a number of well-known tales from renowned storytellers Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, which may just ring a bell with titles including “Thumbelina” and “Story of the Emperor’s New Clothes”. A dynamic combination of royalty, dragons, witches, a range of animals, and an unlimited supply of danger and obstacles, the compilation does not cease to amaze with its rich variety of fairy tales. Needless to say, it is a timeless piece guaranteed to enthrall both young and old readers for years to come.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Andrew Lang, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Yellow Fairy Book

This book is “not written for professional musicians, but for untaught lovers of the art”. It gives broad instruction on composers, styles, instruments, venues – and when to believe the critics. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Education, Music

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Henry Edward Krehbiel, How to Listen to Music, instruction, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, music, Non-fiction

Garrett Putnam Serviss (1851-1929) was an astronomer, popularizer of astronomy, and early science fiction writer. Serviss showed a talent for explaining scientific details in a way that made them clear to the ordinary reader. Serviss’s favorite topic was astronomy, as shown by the fact that of the fifteen books he wrote, eight are devoted to that science. He unquestionably was more widely read by the public on that topic than anyone prior to his time. In his private life Serviss was an enthusiastic mountain climber, describing his reaching the summit of the Matterhorn at the age of 43 as part of an effort “to get as far away from terrestrial gravity as possible.” Five of Serviss’s books are science fiction (a term not invented when he wrote).

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Garrett P. Serviss, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, science-fiction, The Moon Metal

The Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers, that is, the philosopher-scientists who lived before or contemporaneously to Socrates, were the first men in the Western world to establish a line of inquiry regarding the natural phenomena that rejected the traditional religious explanations and searched for rational explanations. Even though they do not form a school of thought, they can be considered the fathers of philosophy and many other sciences as we have them now. None of their works is extant, so, in this collection, we present the textual fragments, when existing, of ten Pre-Socratic philosopher-scientists, and quotations and testimonials about them left by later authors. Texts collected by Leni. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: Ancient Greek Philosopher-Scientists, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Essay/Short nonfiction, fiction, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Varous

Inventor, author, printer, scientist, politician, diplomat—all these terms do not even begin to fully describe the amazing and multitalented, Benjamin Franklin who was of course also one of the Founding Fathers of America. At the age of 75, in 1771 he began work on what he called his Memoirs. He was still working on it when he died in 1790 and it was published posthumously, entitled An Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. The book had a complicated and controversial publication history. Strangely enough, the first volume only was first published in French, in Paris in 1791. Later in 1793 a couple of English translations appeared containing the second volume as well. In 1818 Franklin’s grandson brought out a three volume edition, which left out the last unfinished fourth volume. William Temple Franklin also took great liberties with the text and made his own revisions. However, in 1868, publisher John Bigelow purchased the original and complete manuscript and brought out the most complete edition so far. The 20th century saw several scholars bring out more definitive and complete versions. An Autobiography… was written apparently to apprise his son about the events of his life and also meant to be a treatise that would lead to the self betterment of the younger generation. As a book, it is a difficult and complex read. The tone is often meandering, arrogant and condescending in turn and does not have a consistent feel. Written over an extended time period, there are large gaps in sequence and often the author contradicts his own recounting of events. In fact, it ends abruptly, without a shred of information about Franklin’s seminal role in the American Revolution. Yet, two centuries after its debut, it remains widely read and acclaimed, valued for its being almost the first autobiography to have been written in English. Its extensive advice on how to go about achieving a list of virtues is probably the first ever self-help book. As a glimpse of life in 18th century America, it is unrivaled. An Autobiography… also provides readers with the immense possibilities that the New World holds. A poor middleclass youth, one of 10 children, whose parents could hardly afford to send him to school, who attains learning and honest employment by dint of sheer hard work can even today be said to represent the American Dream. With the publication of An Autobiography… it was possible for this new and emerging superpower to establish a history and tradition of its own. As a slice of history, An Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is indeed an interesting and riveting read.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Benjamin Franklin, Biography, ebooks, free audio books, History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Burroughs’ first published book, as well as the first book in the Barsoom series, A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel following the adventures of the heroic John Carter, after he is mysteriously transported to the planet Mars where he meets its divided inhabitants. The novel is considered to be a seminal for the planetary romance, which is a sub-genre of science fantasy. Burroughs’ book has also inspired a number of well known science fiction writers during the beginning of the 20th century. The story sets off with the introduction of Civil War veteran John Carter, who while mining for gold in Arizona, gets into a skirmish with native Indians. Forced to evade inside a mysterious cave, he is mysteriously transported to Mars, or Barsoom as it is called by its inhabitants. Carter discovers that he has immense strength and agility caused by the lower force of gravity on the planet. He then becomes acquainted with the Tharks, a nomadic tribe described as having four arms, a fearsome temperament and mostly distinguished by their green skin. The Tharks first instincts to kill the strange creature are quickly pushed aside as they are amazed by Carter’s super abilities and decide to take him prisoner instead. Carter learns the importance the Tharks place on strength and brutality, and through his new found vigor he rises to earn a respectable place among the tribe. Soon the princess Dejah Thoris, who is a part of the humanoid red race of Helium, is captured by the Tharks. Carter’s attempt to save the princess causes him to be caught up in the politics of the two opposing Martian sides. As an escapist fantasy, the novel contains many imaginative ideas which are successfully portrayed through its depiction of the Red Planet and includes a detailed illustration of alien culture, romance, and action. The detail in which it is written and its fast moving plot is what grabs and maintains the full attention of the reader. A story of loyalty and sacrifice, A Princess of Mars is a masterpiece of its time and an influence for the pulp fiction genre that followed.

Categories: Arts

Tags: A Princess of Mars, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Edgar Rice Burroughs, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com