Showing results by narrator "Keith Brown" in All Categories

Lawrence Perelman, an eighteen-year-old aspiring pianist and son of Soviet Jewish immigrants, wrote a letter to William F. Buckley, Jr., the conservative icon, in 1994. A remarkable cross-generational friendship was sparked by Buckley's response. During their friendship Perelman would go on to learn of the timeless elements of Buckley's character and the central role of classical music in Buckley's American vision.

I used to think I was one of the lucky ones. But at 26, I’ve left my “perfect” life in New York behind and ended up in Ireland. When my car hits a ditch, I’m rescued by the three sexiest men I’ve ever seen. The three Irish O’Callaghan brothers. Broad shoulders, strong arms, and accents that make me wet just to hear them. Killian, the bossy one. Fionn, the cheeky one. And Aiden, the silent one with a secret. They all want me. I want them. All of them.

One of the most common occurrences in our society today is acts of relationship unfaithfulness. The percentage of infidelity in committed relationships is staggering. Both men and women cheat, regardless of sexual gender preferences. But why? Keith Battle gives the reasons why most couples break trust and commit various forms of betrayal.

Academy Award-winner Athol Fugard, one of theatre's most acclaimed playwrights, finds humor and heartbreak in the friendship of Harold, a 17-year-old white boy in 1950s South Africa, and the two middle-aged black servants who raised him. Racism unexpectedly shatters Harold's childhood and friendships in this absorbing, affecting coming-of-age play. The play, initially banned from production in South Africa, is a Drama Desk Award winner for Outstanding New Play.

Belfast-born Jimmy Walker is a career criminal, desperate to leave the world of organised crime behind. He’s made just enough money to think about going straight. He wants to be a family man. He wants to stay alive for his wife and son. He wants to be the man they deserve. He reluctantly agrees to one final job with the intention that it will be his last. Little does Jimmy know that he’s been set-up. The sins of his past are about to catch up with him.

Benjamin Franklin was one of the preeminent scientists of his time. Driven by curiosity, he conducted cutting-edge research on electricity, heat, ocean currents, weather patterns, chemical bonds, and plants. But today, Franklin is remembered more for his political prowess and diplomatic achievements than his scientific creativity. In this incisive and rich account of Benjamin Franklin's life and career, Richard Munson recovers this vital part of Franklin's story.

This book is not just a memoir but a confession. In 1994, author Sergey Maidukov accepted an "exciting business offer" from Samvel Martirosyan, later renowned as one of the most brutal and indomitable leaders of the Ukrainian Mafia. Maidukov quickly discovered that his job as "president" of a newly created business was actually a front for Mafia activities. Despite regular attempts to extricate himself, he was told that it was too late in no uncertain terms. Thus ensued five adrenaline-fueled years in a long-term apprenticeship with the Mafia underground.

Eamon Tauk was literally born into the Space Corps. They spent two decades forging him into a Marine. Training him to be a killer. Twisting him into a fanatic. Then they assigned him to protect Dr. Jella Duverii, a mildly subversive alien zoologist who could very well undo all the work they put into him. When the young cadet and his charge crash land on Kanaris with the survivors of their Recon battalion, they find themselves leagues away from their objective, marooned in an environment so hostile even the trees seem hellbent on killing them.

In an era where artificial intelligence can create content indistinguishable from reality, how do we separate truth from fiction? In FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions, cybersecurity and deception expert Perry Carpenter unveils the hidden dangers of generative artificial intelligence, showing you how to use these technologies safely while protecting yourself and others from cyber scams and threats.

On June 26, 1976, Muhammad Ali fought in a mixed-rules contest against iconic pro wrestling champion Antonio Inoki for the so-called "martial arts championship of the world." Broadcast from Tokyo to a potential audience of 1.4 billion in 34 countries, the spectacle foreshadowed and, in many ways, led to the rise of mixed martial arts as a major sport.

Prizewinning historian Michael David-Fox traces the experiences of Smolensk residents between the interwar years and the end of World War II, a period during which the city and region passed from Stalinist rule to Nazi occupation and back. The result is a revelatory examination of choice and power under dueling forms of murderous totalitarianism. Exploring the life-and-death decisions of a fascinating cast of characters, David-Fox shows how deeply the Stalinist and Nazi regimes relied on the co-optation of average citizens motivated by greed and need, but always within the orbit of ideology.

Leaving his homeland for the first time, Jason is thrust into a world teeming with peril. Hunted by the ruthless Lightguard for uncovering their dark plot, he flees deeper into the treacherous Canyonlands. But power is elusive, and the path to it, perilous. The enigmatic Citadel, the very heart of his enemy, holds the key. Deep in the city's ancient bowels, a secret, potent enough to alter the course of history lies hidden. One so dangerous, people are willing to kill to keep it buried.

After thirteen months at war, Vittorio Gandy is haunted by memories. Once a gifted painter, now he can’t bear the vivid, bleeding colors on a canvas. His young son doesn’t remember him, and his wife, Valerie, is scared of him. But the most disconcerting change is in Vitto’s father, Robert Gandy, who has fallen from being a larger-than-life sculptor to a man whose heart has been broken by the death of his muse—Vitto’s mother. When Robert steals away in the night, Valerie, Vitto, and his new acquaintance and fellow veteran John go to the only place Robert might remember.

Climate fiction without apocalypse, set in and around Washington, D.C. Newly minted engineering professor Jake Harper, dealing with issues of mild dyslexia and awkwardness with public speaking, wants to stave off climate weirding by re-engineering the North American electric grids. His pregnant partner Abbey London, sassy but irresistible, starts her practice as an infectious disease specialist, concerned with encroaching tropical diseases. Together they operate her parents' Dragonfly Inn just twenty minutes away in northern Virginia.

It is late June in Michigan's gold coast resort area. The summer residents are settling in for the season and the tourists are beginning to flood the highways and beaches. But the idyllic vision of a summer at the shore is suddenly shattered by a gangland-style shooting. This murder is quickly followed by the deaths of three more summer residents, each taking place under suspicious circumstances.

The wedding would be perfect. Every contingency had been anticipated...except a body. Everything is in place at the Gull Point Estate for the Memorial Day wedding bash - the lawns are perfectly manicured, the caterer is stocked and ready, the champagne is chilled. And the string quartet is brushing up on their Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, and Mozart. But before they end their rehearsal, they’d be well advised to have a version of stormy weather ready to go just in case the day doesn’t go as planned.

It's a tranquil October morning in northwest lower Michigan, a rural paradise of cherry orchards, blue lakes, and sandy shorelines. The serenity of the day - and the season - is shattered when an elderly woman walking her dogs along the beach stumbles upon the bodies of a brutally murdered couple.

Mr. Mary and his wife are being observed from at least three vantage points as they go about their mundane home lives. G, the former gardener, watches them from a garden shed. Mr. Mary's dismissed secretary, S, watches them from the top room of a brick outhouse in the back. The chauffeur, C, who no longer drives, watches the Marys from the garage.

Employing in-depth reporting on cutting edge science and technology, veteran journalist Thomas E. Weber takes us on a tour of how meteorologists, scientists, and officials track and prepare for major weather events. As climate change is altering our planet and making weather events more extreme, Weber introduces us to those on the front lines of weather preparation and prediction.

In the summer of 2015, a young couple—an American and his French wife—undergo fertility treatment in Paris. They settle in to wait for the results as a heatwave paralyzes the city. As the heat rises, a state of emergency is declared and tempers flare, leaving cracks in the foundation of their marriage. In the months that follow, they find themselves navigating a confluence of world crises and historical forces that affect each in ways the other struggles to understand.