Showing results by narrator "Jeff Woodman" in All Categories

The Greeks are considered the first people in the ancient Western world to record their own history, and remnants of their cultural, philosophical, political, and architectural advances remain to this day. Homer, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Socrates, Aristotle and Plato set the ground rules for modern literature, theater and philosophy. The Parthenon still stands as an example of structural ingenuity. And many countries still practice democracy. From everyday life to political upheaval their influence is still present today.

Mangus has been under house arrest for confessing to be a magician, and he cannot imagine why the king is calling for him. But magic is exactly what the king needs. He wants Mangus to free his daughter from the torment of a terrifying ghost. Mangus's life will depend on his success.

For much of American history, evangelicalism was aligned with progressive political causes: nineteenth-century evangelicals fought for the abolition of slavery, universal suffrage, and public education. But contemporary conservative activists have defaulted on this majestic legacy, embracing instead an agenda virtually indistinguishable from the Republican Party platform.

Seven-year-old Henry Day is kidnapped and renamed "Aniday" by changelings, ageless beings who inhabit the woods near his home. The changelings also leave behind one of their own, who flawlessly impersonates Henry except for one noteworthy detail: the new Henry is a prodigiously talented pianist.

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life and his most precious secret are put in jeopardy.

In which Lord John, anticipating a voyage home to England after his brief stint as military Governor of Jamaica, instead finds himself on his way to Cuba, where the British navy is preparing to lay siege to Havana - and where the Dowager Duchess of Pardloe (aka John’s mother) is a guest (and potential hostage) of Governor Juan de Prado.

Fabrizio, Magnus the Magician's new servant boy, must prove his master's innocence after he is accused of plotting to overthrow the king in this suspenseful new prequel to Midnight Magic from a Newbery Medalist.

Shandee finds a friendly arm at a granite quarry. Ned drops down a hole in a golf course. Luna meets a man made of light bulbs at a tanning parlor. So begins Nicholson Baker's fuse-blowing, sex-positive escapade, House of Holes. Baker returns to erotic territory with a gleefully over-the-top novel set in a pleasure resort, where normal rules don't apply. Brimful of good-nature, wit, and surreal sexual vocabulary, this is a modern-day Hieronymous Boschian bacchanal that is sure to surprise, amuse, and arouse.

It would take a miracle to keep Dortmunder out of jail. Though he cased the electronics store perfectly, the cops surprised him, turning up in the alley just as he was walking out the back door, a television in each hand. Already a two-time loser, without divine intervention he faces a long stretch inside. Then God sends J. Radcliffe Stonewiler, a celebrity lawyer who gets Dortmunder off with hardly any effort at all. Stonewiler was sent by Arnold Chauncey, an art lover with a cash-flow problem. He asks the thief to break into his house and make off with a valuable painting in exchange for a quarter of the insurance money.

Oksi - the daughter of the legendary falcon, Frightful - does things her own way. And when a poacher climbs the steel girders of a bridge to Frightful's nest, Oksi's refusal to act like her brothers keeps her from being captured. Unfortunately Frightful (who can't count) thinks the man has stolen all of her babies, and she abandons the nest. Luckily Frightful's friend, Sam Gribley, comes to Oksi's aid.

Liam Mulligan is as old school as a newspaper man gets. His beat is Providence, Rhode Island, and he knows every street and alley. He knows the priests and prostitutes, the cops and street thugs. He knows the mobsters and politicians--who are pretty much one and the same. Someone is systematically burning down the neighborhood Mulligan grew up in, people he knows and loves are perishing in the flames, and the public is on the verge of panic.

Cliff Abernathy is 11 years old, but he's not an ordinary elementary school kid. As the oldest in a family of six children, he has a lot of responsibilities - and patience. When Cliff looks back over the last year, he has plenty of stories to tell about his parents, his four brothers, and his sister, especially since the Abernathys like to do everything together.

As they begin fifth grade, Rupert and Amelia discover that their teacher, Miss Switch, is a witch. Using his scientific mind, Rupert helps her solve a spooky dilemma. In return, the witch teaches Rupert and Amelia some magic. But soon Miss Switch disappears, and another teacher takes her place. One night that winter, a dark figure delivers a strange bottle to the children. Scientific curiosity leads Rupert to take the cork out. Suddenly, the bottle releases an ugly demon, Mordo, who plans to kidnap a whole class from Pepperdine Elementary School.

In this riveting sequel, Neff expands on the world of his first novel and pens a work of even greater scope and complexity. When evil forces conspire to wield the Book of Toth, chaos breaks out - leaving the only hope for the future in the hands of the Rowan Academy's Max McDaniels and his trusted friend David Menlo.

Since his father died, Daniel Martin looks forward to summers with his uncle in the mountains. They have a great time practicing outdoor survival skills. But this summer his mother is sending him to Camp Eagle Nest. When he boards the camp van, Daniel’s heart sinks. Three boys from school - who always tease him - are going to camp, too. Soon the driver gets lost. As the van is crossing a rickety bridge, the wooden planks break, plunging the van into the river! Will Daniel be able to save himself and his classmates with his outdoor training?

John Ceepak and Danny Boyle return with the hunt for a long-dormant serial killer who might be ready to strike again. An innocent discovery on the beach in Sea Haven pits Ceepak against a killer with a code just as rigid as his own. When the killer targets his next victim, the consequences becomes dire for Ceepak and Boyle. This is a game they must win.

Saddam Hussein is gone. Yasser Arafat is dead. A New Iraq is rising. Now White House advisors Jon Bennett and Erin McCoy find themselves facing a terrifying new threat triggered by an ancient mystery.

The year is 3149, and a vast paper destroying blight-papyralysis-has obliterated much of the planet's written history. However, these rare memoirs, preserved for centuries in a volcanic rock, record the strange life of a man trapped in a hermetically sealed underground community.

The classic story of wilderness survival continues in this action-packed sequel. Filled with authentic woodland lore and exciting adventure, On the Far Side of the Mountain takes listeners back to Sam Gribley's treehouse in the Catskill Mountains, where he begins a dangerous fight for his pet falcon's freedom.

Reissued on the 10th anniversary of its publication, this classic work on our environmental crisis features a new introduction by the author, reviewing both the progress and ground lost in the fight to save the Earth. This impassioned plea for radical and life-renewing change is today still considered a groundbreaking work in environmental studies. McKibben's argument that the survival of the globe is dependent on a fundamental, philosophical shift in the way we relate to nature is more relevant than ever.