Lives West

Mae West will always be remembered as one of Hollywood's biggest icons, and the American Film Institute named her the 15th greatest actress of the 20th century in its Top 100 list, but she also transcended the entertainment industry and became a critical part of Americana itself. Over the course of 7 decades, Mae redefined the boundaries of sexuality in ways that made more conservative Americans of the early 20th century uncomfortable, and for good measure she did so boldly and in people's faces.

Thomas C. Squire, creator of the hit documentary series Frankenstein Among the Arts, one-time secret agent and founder of the Society for Popular Aesthetics, is attending an international media symposium in Sicily. It is here that he becomes involved with lovely, but calculating Selina Ajdina. Alongside the drama of the conference is the story of Squire's private life—the tale of his infidelity, the horrifying circumstances surrounding his father's death, and the threatened future of his ancestral home in England.

One day, the Hollister children saw their grandparents on television. The show was featuring dog sled races during a yearly Canadian Trappers’ Carnival. Since the elder Mr. and Mrs. Hollister run a winter resort called Snowflake Camp in Canada, the children thought it would be a wonderful idea to ask their grandparents if they could visit them over the Thanksgiving vacation when the next Carnival would be starting. No one had any idea, while waiting for the invitation to arrive, that Snowflake Camp would turn out to be the trail’s end of a mystery that started in Shoreham.

Sara King has nothing, save for her secrets and the baby in her belly, as she boards the bus to Memphis, hoping to outrun her past in Chicago. She is welcomed with open arms by Mama Sugar, a kindly matriarch and owner of the popular boardinghouse The Scarlet Poplar. Like many cities in early 1960s America, Memphis is still segregated, but change is in the air. News spreads of the Freedom Riders. Across the country, people like Martin Luther King Jr. are leading the fight for equal rights.

Yuri Bezmenov was among the first Soviet whistleblowers to attract attention on a global scale, and interest in his story has recently been revived thanks to his surprising cameo in the teaser trailer for Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War in August 2020. This came despite the fact he was far from the first ex-KGB agent or Russian to pull back the curtains on the Russian government and reveal the harrowing “truths” they were once sworn to harbor.

This is the first full-length biography of this mid-twentieth century multi-faceted star. One of the central tensions of Dale's life revolved around chasing the elusive work/family balance, making her story instantly relatable to women today. In addition to fame, Dale longed for a happy, stable, family life. Her roles of wife and mother became the foundation for her public persona: the smart, smiling, cheerful cowgirl. Unusual for the time were Dale Evans's attempts to control the trajectory of her career at a time when men dominated decision-making in the entertainment fields.

Some terrifying things have happened to Olive in the old stone house, but none as scary as starting junior high. Or so she thinks. When she plummets through a hole in her backyard, though, she realizes two things that may change her mind: First, the wicked Annabelle McMartin is back. Second, there's a secret underground that unlocks not one but two of Elsewhere's biggest, most powerful, most dangerous forces yet. But with the house's guardian cats acting suspicious, her best friend threatening to move away, and her ally Morton starting to rebel, Olive isn't sure where to turn.

Not so long ago, in the mystical place called Edgewood, New Mexico, six students decided to create some amazing short stories. Listeners will be transported to interesting places, where adventures lie. You won't want to put this book down.

Sam and Jane Archer walk out of a backcountry hiking trip into a living nightmare. Their car is vandalized and dead, along with every other vehicle in the trailhead parking lot. Unable to get a cell phone signal, and spooked by a threatening encounter - they resign themselves to a long hike home, suspecting a possible EMP attack against the United States.

If your office building were on fire, would you lock the door and keep working? If you were unhappy with your career, would you pedal a rental commuter bike cross-country to see what else was out there? What if a bloodthirsty axe murderer punched you in the face? Is that the city where you’d start a new business? Jeffrey Tanenhaus makes a lot of questionable decisions in pursuit of a fresh start, but they add up to one wild ride in this true story of the all-American adventure that has everyone talking.

Billy the Kid - born Henry McCarty in 1859, and also known as William H. Bonney - emerges from this audio in all his complexity, at once a gentleman and gregarious companion and a thief and violent murderer. Tapping new depths of research, Etulain traces Billy’s short life from his mysterious origins in the East through his wanderings in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas.

Isobel Johnson has spent her career in Liston Heights sidestepping the community’s high-powered families. But when she receives a threatening voicemail accusing her of anti-Americanism and a liberal agenda, she’s in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Julia Abbott, obsessed with the casting of the school’s winter musical, makes an error in judgment that has far-reaching consequences for her entire family.

This is the diary . . . of a fly. Even though she's little—just like her best friends, Worm and Spider—Fly wants to be a superhero. And why not? She walks on walls, sees in all directions at once, and can already fly! Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss, the team behind the #1 New York Times bestsellers Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Spider, reach hilarious heights with their story of a little fly who's not afraid to dream big. Really big.

Mr. Rabbit's new neighbors are Otters. OTTERS! But he doesn't know anything about otters. Will they get along? Will they be friends? Just treat otters the same way you'd like them to treat you, advises Mr. Owl. In her smart, playful style Laurie Keller highlights how to be a good friend and neighbor―simply follow the Golden Rule!

It is often said that life is a journey, and it’s true. But sometimes it’s hard to know which path to follow, when signs point in so many directions. Peter H. Reynolds once again encourages listeners to observe, to wonder, and to consider diverging from the well-worn path—to pursue their dreams.

The seed of this book started with a hug. But at the time of that hug. I didn't realize my life would change forever. She gently pulled me in and whispered these two words, "I'm done." I was completely thrown off guard. I ask her what she meant. What do you mean you're done - done with what? She quietly whispered in my ear, I'm done with us. My heart sank, and a numbness of emotions consumed every cell in my body.

When they have to part from a loved one, they might cry, or hide in their bedrooms, or even write "DON'T GO!" on the wall. But with a little courage, they can face their fears. They can tell grown-ups how they're feeling and know that time apart can still be filled with love.

In 2018, Ben’s world collapsed around him when he unexpectedly lost his brother to suicide. In the raw aftermath of this tragedy, Ben found the strength to learn, educate and campaign about mental health. He also wrote this book as a reminder that in despair, you can always find hope. It’s packed with advice and practical takeaways.

Born in London, in 1889, Charlie Chaplin grew up in dire poverty. Both his parents were in show business, but severe alcoholism cut short his father's flourishing career, and his beloved mother first lost her voice, then lost her mind to syphilis. Charlie, at age seven, was committed to the Hanwell School for Orphans and Destitute Children. How then did this poor, lonely child become such an extraordinary comedian, known and celebrated worldwide? Chaplin cut his teeth in British music halls, but it was America that made him.

I’m Lincoln West. Single father extraordinaire to the coolest kid on the face of the earth, and I have parents who think the world of my son. I’m a family guy. At 22, I’ve embraced my fate as a lifetime member of the uncool single-dad club. Until I meet Wren. That’s when everything changes. Wren’s the beauty in my ugly days. She’s full of life and talent, and she’s the exact mother figure my son needs. It’s surprising because she’s the daughter of two very shitty people. Right when we think the world’s stopped pitting against us, her family proves us wrong.