Showing results by narrator "B. J. Harrison" in All Categories

"He wondered idly whether she was a poor conversationalist because she got no attention or got no attention because she was a poor conversationalist." Bernice is having a difficult summer trying to fit in with her popular cousin Marjorie and her friends. But when Marjorie helps her become a society girl and she wins the affections of a certain young man, a battle of wits and wills ensues between the two cousins. In classic 90s makeover movie style, 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair' is the 1920s equivalent of 'She's All That'.

Baron Grogzwig lives a life full of pleasure, drinking and hunting with his friends. But when he decides ´ to marry one of his fellow baron’s daughter, his days change drastically. First he has to send his friends away as per his wife’s demands. Then his responsibilities start growing bigger with time as his wife gifts him with twelve children. When the thirteenth child is on the way, baron Grogzwig’s despair and lack of money become unbearable. He decides to end his life.

Daniel Dravot and Peachey Carnehan are two scruffy adventurers who are planning to conquer Kafiristan - a remote part of Afghanistan. The two men pretend to have signed a contract that neither of them will touch alcohol or women. However, disguised as a priest and his assistant, Dravot and Carnehan depart for Kafiristan, secretly carrying twenty riffles. Why do they want to conquer Kafiristan? Will the make it across the border alive? Find all the answers in Rudyard Kipling’s adventure story "The Man Who Would Be King" from 1888. B. J.

The "League of the Scarlet Pimpernel" is a secret society made up of twenty English aristocrats. The commander is the so-called "Scarlet Pimpernel" but almost nobody knows his real identity. The society aims to defy the French revolutionaries. The main goal is to rescue innocents from the deadly guillotine.

"The Lost Phoebe" is a short story by Theodore Dreiser. Henry is so devastated by the death of his wife that cannot find peace, he finds himself constantly searching for her. He slowly yet inevitably descends into madness. Dreiser’s vivid descriptions of the couple’s happy days offer a sharp contrast to Henry's gloomy present. Set on a dilapidated Midwestern farm during the Big Depression, it as story about love, death, sanity and social inequality. B. J.

What is the worst thing that can happen in a cemetery? "The Dead and the Countess" gives one truly horrific description which will keep you at the edge of your seat until the very end. Now do you really want to know what happened in the Breton cemetery? Its inhabitants’ long sleep has been interrupted and they have become restless. What will follow is still unknown. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

Season Three comes with serious firepower. The genre of adventure, science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, melodrama, and the psychological are all present, turning the collection into a kaleidoscope of characters, plot twists, emotions, and revelations. Magicians hurl lightnings at each other, talking rabbits and vanishing cats talk to a little girl, while mad scientists try to create life from dead body parts. One of the most prominent names in this season is the American master of horror H. P.

While hosting a party, a banker makes a bet with one of his guests, who is a lawyer. The topic of the bet is capital punishment and whether it is worse or better than a life sentence. The banker sees the capital punishment as more humane than life imprisonment, whilst the young lawyer completely disagrees. The bet is as follows: if the lawyer spends fifteen years in complete isolation, the banker will give him two million rubles. As the years pass, the banker realizes that he will go bankrupt if he loses the bet.

The infamous Baron Munchausen is capable of everything and anything. Escaping from a hungry lion’s jaws, shooting a male red deer with cherry stones or climbing a beanstalk all the way to the moon are but a small part of his adventures. Every new one is more surprising and exciting than the previous one. If you want to learn more about Baron Munchausen, do not hesitate to embark on this journey. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

Owen Warland is a genius who wants to create things and break the limitations set by the society and the people surrounding him. He is deeply misunderstood and he often quits his innovative projects when people advise him to take up something more "practical". After many failed attempts to fit in, he finally breaks away from society and finds peace in nature. Will he finally get to finish the creation of his lifetime and will it all have been in vain? Find out in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s "The Mechanical Butterfly". B. J.

Sanger Rainsford and Whitney are two friends, who are on their way for a jaguar hunt in the Amazonian rainforest. The two men discuss how the world consists of predators and prey, and that they are from the first type. While debating, the two men hear gunshots. Rainsford climbs onto the yacht’s rail and accidentally falls overboard. Thankfully, he manages to save himself and swims to an island called Ship-Trap, which is famous for its countless shipwrecks. There he meets General Zaroff and his gigantic servant, Ivan.

Jeremy Garnet is a writer living peacefully in London with his wife when he is presented with a somewhat a peculiar opportunity. His old friend is starting a chicken farm and invites Jeremy to come along. Yet what he imagines to be a relaxing environment soon turns out to be something quite different. This novel by P. G. Wodehouse dating back to the early 20th century features that classic Wodehouse humor and is full of sticky situations. Hear the classic as read by the priceless narration of B. J. Harrison. B. J.

B.J. Harrison narrates "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" by author Louisa May Alcott. Thanksgiving is here, but the mother and father of seven children are called away to the bedside of an ill grandmother. The farm is left in charge of the eldest child and the children decide to whip up a Thanksgiving dinner that will make their parents proud, but the task turns out to be more difficult than they had imagined.

An Englishman stops at an inn during his trip through Transylvania. He decides to wander around in a carriage despite the approaching night; darkness doesn't seem to worry him. He sets off but after a while the horses get scared by howling wolfs. The Englishman continues by foot and suddenly finds himself in a snowy and gloomy cemetery. This would not be that big of a problem if this specific night was not the so called Walpurgis Night, or in other words the time when spirits leave their graves to haunt the living.

Lionel Dacre is a young man who lives in a small house in Paris. Because of his large interest in the occult, Dacre has gathered a huge library of occult literature and many mysterious items. One of these items is a leather funnel next to which the young man sleeps. The strange thing is that in his dreams, Lionel can see exactly how the funnel has been used.

Fleete is an Englishman who is traveling to India. Unfortunately, the poor man has no prior understanding or respect for Indian culture and ends up desecrating a holy statue in the local temple. Fleete can give no reasonable explanation for his actions and is declared bewitched by the "Silver Man". Why is Fleete in India? Who is the "Silver Man"? What will happen to Fleete? Find all the answers in Rudyard Kipling’s adventure story "The Mark of the Beast" from 1890. B. J.

"You see, this is the beauty I want. Beauty has got to be astonishing, astounding--it's got to burst in on you like a dream, like the exquisite eyes of a girl." Ardita, a beautiful and bored young Flapper, is hanging out on her uncle's yacht when it's suddenly captured by pirates. When Ardita meets and falls in love with the charming captain she knows she's been right to reject the boring and rich society men. But a truth lurks around the corner that will make her question everything she thinks she knows.

Dr. James Mortimer asks Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for advice, after finding his friend Sir Baskerville dead. According to the official version, Baskerville died from a heart attack, but Mortimer thinks that something terrible happened to his friend. He believes the supernatural hound that has been chasing the Baskerville family down for many years is responsible for his death. Sherlock Holmes takes on the difficult task of solving the mystery surrounding Sir Baskerville’s death.

An Adjutant-crane, a jackal and a giant crocodile are talking by the river, under a newly built railway bridge. The crocodile remembers the good old days, when he used to catch and devour the villagers as they tried to pass through a ford. He also remembers a boat sailing down the river, on which was a white child whom the crocodile tried to catch, but got shot with a revolver instead. Soon the reptile falls asleep, when two men with riffles cross the bridge.

Aristide Valentin holds a dinner party in his secret garden, which only has one main entrance. Many people are invited. Julius K. Brayne, one of Valentin’s rivals, is of the party as well. Everything goes as planned until one group of guests finds a beheaded corpse and the dinner turns into an investigation. Many questions begin to arise: How could someone be killed in a closed back garden without anyone noticing? Who is the victim? Who is the murderer? Where is the head? Find out the answers in "The Secret Garden". B. J.