Showing results by narrator "Katie Haigh" in All Categories

"The Fairies" is a classic folk tale by Charles Perrault. Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters. The elder was often mistaken for her mother, so like her was she both in nature and in looks. Both of them were so disagreeable and arrogant that no one could live with them. The younger girl, who was a true likeness of her father in the gentleness and sweetness of her disposition, was also one of the most beautiful girls imaginable. The mother doted on the elder daughter naturally enough, since she resembled her so closely; and she disliked the younger one just as intensely.

The Renaissance was a time of tremendous intellectual activity, with breakthroughs in science, arts and philosophy. Discover its immense creativity through three of its greatest thinkers, the French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, the English scientist Sir Francis Bacon, and the Italian political thinker Niccolò Machiavelli. Montaigne is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre; his style merges casual anecdotes and autobiography with deep intellectual insights.

Hatha yoga is the branch of yoga using asanas, that is to say with an emphasis on the physical exercises aiming to bring the practitioner closer to spiritual health, mastery and enlightenment. These 100 quotes by masters and practitioners alike will help you find the right balance and inspire your physical practice with the spirituality that has always been its true goal.

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is an American children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum. The story chronicles the adventures of a young farm girl named Dorothy in the magical Land of Oz, after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their Kansas home by a cyclone. The book is one of the best-known stories in American literature and has been widely translated. The Library of Congress has declared it "America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairy tale."

French philosophy has been led on by three most influent thinkers, each one bordering on literature and bringing new understandings to politics, philosophy, and religion. Michel de Montaigne is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre; his style merges casual anecdotes and autobiography with deep intellectual insights. His "Essays" are among the most influential ever written; one can recognize Montaigne's direct influence on great literary figures all over the world.

Victor Hugo is one of the best-known French writers, and is part of the greatest literary figures of all time. His poetry made him famous very early, cementing his reputation as one of the greatest lyric poets when he was only 20 years old. He was also a novelist and a dramatist, and furthered the cause of Romanticism, this exalted artistic movement, which toyed with Sublime and soared on the winds of emotion. The high-achieving poet was also actively involved in politics, defending the poor until his last breath; he was even forced into exile, from which he kept on writing, beloved by the masses he stood up for. When he died, it was an intense day of mourning in France, and more than two million people joined his funeral procession to the Panthéon. Today, most large towns in France have at least a street named after him.

"The Story of Peter Pan", by James M. Barrie, is one of the most famous tales about youth and dream-like adventures; this classic adaptation of Barrie's play will let you fly on the wings of your imagination. "The History of Tom Thumb" was the first fairy tale ever printed in English. "The Three Sillies" is a very old folktale, and has been handed down over the centuries for its entertainment value. "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" is a classic folktale of which numerous versions are known; they all delight and educate children about the importance of boundaries and personal property. Last but not least, "Jack the Giant Killer" is a fascinating folk tale coming from the Middle Ages, set during King Arthur's reign; it shows how a young man uses clever tricks to outwit terrible giants and rid England of their terrible threats.

Shyness, social anxiety or social phobia is linked to low self-esteem and a higher than usual fear of what other people will think of a person's behavior. It can lead sufferers to avoid social situations in order to keep from feeling uncomfortable; but this leads to perpetuation of anxiety as it doesn't address the underlying tension causing it. This series of exercises has been designed to provide you with proven and efficient tools for overcoming shyness through deep relaxation and relief techniques for obsessing thoughts.

Sir Francis Bacon had a tremendous impact on science and philosophy during the scientific revolution in XVIIth-century England. He was the first to argue for a skeptical and methodical approach in science, based on careful observation of events in nature, and founded on induction. His work, firmly grounded in empiricism to prevent projection of one's preferred hypothesis, made him the father of scientific method. This was a groundbreaking turn of events at the time, and is still the basis of the scientific framework today.

We have selected for you nine of the best Japanese myths and fairy tales. Not unlike the western folk tales compiled by the Brothers Grimm, these stories faithfully preserve the spirit of medieval Japan, while rendered in a translation accessible to all ages.

"The Snowman" is maybe one of the most touching stories by Hans Christian Andersen. It is a tale about unrequited love, and an occasion of reflection on the mysteries of existence and passion. In a small winter garden, a snowman glimpses a stove glowing by the window of the nearby house. He soon falls in love, and longs for the stove's companionship despite the warnings of his friend, the dog, who say the stove's heat would melt him.

Enjoy the short stories of three of the greatest writers of French literature, for the first time assembled together in audiobook and narrated in a lively way. Guy de Maupassant was an absolute master of the short story genre, delighting in clever plotting, concise style, and efficient storytelling, which he used to produce stunning pieces in a very condensed format. He produced more than 300 short stories; we selected for you nine of the most bizarre, influent, humorous or plain shocking.

Victor Hugo is one of the best-known French writers, and is part of the greatest literary figures of all time. His poetry made him famous very early, cementing his reputation as one of the greatest lyric poets when he was only 20 years old. He was also a novelist and a dramatist, and furthered the cause of Romanticism, this exalted artistic movement which toyed with Sublime and soared on the winds of emotion.

Viking Tales, 10 classic children's stories. Myths & Legends from the Land of Ice and Fire : The Sea Fight, Olaf's Fight With Havard, The Tooth Thrall, The Baby, Harald is King, Harald's Battle. "King Halfdan lived in Norway long ago. One morning his queen said to him: "I had a strange dream last night. I thought that I stood in the grass before my bower. I pulled a thorn from my dress. As I held it in my fingers, it grew into a tall tree. The trunk was thick and red as blood, but the lower limbs were fair and green, and the highest ones were white.

Ali Baba is a poor woodcutter who discovers the secret of a thieves' den, entered with the phrase "Open Sesame". The thieves learn this and try to kill Ali Baba, but Ali Baba's faithful slave-girl foils their plots. Ali Baba gives his son to her in marriage and keeps the secret of the treasure. This story is included in many versions of the "One Thousand and One Nights". It is one of the most familiar of the "Arabian Nights" tales.

The Scripture is an endless source of inspiration. Quotes from the Bible give a glimpse of our ancestor's lives and habits, and they are food for thought in our modern lives as they provide answers to our innermost questions. They are also precious occasions to reflect deeper on what it means to have faith, be Christian, or simply human.

We have selected for you 100 great quotes about love. The range of authors of those 100 quotes about love is very wide : from Marilyn Monroe to William Shakespeare, from Lao Tzu, of course, to Jane Austen, Mahatma Gandhi, Charlotte Brontë, Oscar Wilde, from Mother Teresa to Victor Hugo or Charles Dickens.

"King Kojata" is a Slavonic fairy tale. A king and a queen had no children. One day, the king was travelling and grew thirsty. He found a spring with a cup floating in it. He did not succeed at trying to grab the cup: it always evaded his hands. When he dropped to drink directly, a creature in the well grabbed his beard and would not free him until he promised to give it something he knew nothing about, and which he would find on his return home.

Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, strategist, and philosopher. He is credited with one of the most influential military treatises ever written, The Art of War. Countless leaders have drawn inspiration from this work, from Mao Zedong to General Douglas MacArthur. It is so powerful and straightforward that it is still influencing many domains other than military thinking, like business tactics, legal strategy, entrepreneurship, and beyond. We have selected from you 100 of Sun Tzu's most powerful quotes, for you to gain a new understanding in interpersonal dynamics, strategy, and everyday life.

The story tells of a prince who wants to marry a princess, but is having difficulty finding a suitable wife. Something is always wrong with those he meets, and he cannot be certain they are real princesses. One stormy night a young woman drenched with rain seeks shelter in the prince's castle. She claims to be a princess. But how can the prince ascertain she really is? This classic tale tells the story of how he put her to the test.