Showing results by narrator "LJ Ganser" in All Categories

Since the first humans looked up and saw the sun swallowed by darkness, our species has been captivated by solar eclipses. Astronomer and anthropologist Anthony Aveni explains the history and culture surrounding solar eclipses, from prehistoric Stonehenge to Babylonian creation myths, to a confirmation of Einstein's theory of general relativity, to a spectacle that left New Yorkers in the moon's shadow, to future eclipses that will capture human imaginations.

Singing on stage at the Grammys, getting high inside the Kremlin, driving in a US president's motorcade - Craig Schmell has a world-class talent for talking his way into places he does not belong. But when his self-absorbed life crashes down around him, he finally learns how to be a better man. An inspiring coming-of-age story with cameos by some of the biggest stars of Hollywood and rock 'n' roll. The Uninvited is funny, insightful, and stunningly true.

When she is attacked by a nasty fairy, Clemency Pogue remembers a lesson from Peter Pan. "I don't believe in fairies!" she shouts, seven times before the creature finally drops dead. But then a hobgoblin appears and gives Clemency the bad news. Seven fairies have died, and most of them were good. Now it's up to Clemency to travel the world and make things right.

A new model for productive teamwork that generates wealth. From instincts as ancient as our hunter and gatherer stages, men and women have worked in teams. But what have we really learned about these drives and desires in a lasting way? Does all of the selfishness and scandal in business and government today suggest we have spilt the special sauce of teamwork? Doing More With Teams explores what can be done to encourage a new form of competition so that organizations complete the challenges before them to drive growth and get results.

One of America’s most unique voices, James Hynes taps his dark humor for this startling novel. In the wake of a terrorist attack, neurotic Kevin Quinn flies to Austin, Texas, for a job interview. But when he lands, he finds himself following the beguiling young woman who sat next to him on the plane.

The 19th addition of this annual anthology exhibits a collection of short fiction from award-winning Southern authors and rising stars including Edward P. Jones and Silas House. Each story’s derivation is explained in an illuminating note from the author following the rich and entertaining tales.

Granted unprecedented access to the Los Angeles Juvenile Court, including the judges, the probation officers, and the children themselves, Edward Humes creates an unforgettable portrait of a chaotic system that is neither saving our children in danger nor protecting us from adolescent violence. Yet he shows us there is also hope in the handful of courageous individuals working tirelessly to triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds.

In the pulsepounding thriller White, Whitcomb unleashes a jawdropping account of terrorist plots, CIA executions, and a trail of clues that stretches all the way to the Oval Office.

From a writer whose every book is a literary event, a superbly accomplished work of fiction. Last Night is a spellbinding collection of stories about passion–by turns fiery and subdued, destructive and redemptive, alluring and devastating. In ten powerful stories, Salter portrays men and women in their most intimate moments. A book dealer faces the truth about his life–as it is and never will be again–when he is visited unexpectedly by his brash former girlfriend.

For those chosen to fight terrorism at its source, secrecy is the only imperative, a rule Special Agent Jeremy Waller is about to find out the hard way.

When a down-on-his-luck educational administrator arrives at the makeshift bus shelter of Cow Eye Junction, he finds a drought-stricken town and its community college on the precipice of institutional ruin. Struggling to navigate this strange world of bloated calf scrota, orgiastic math instruction, and onrushing regional accreditors, Charlie must devise a plan to lead Cow Eye Community College through the perils of continuous improvement to the triumphant culmination of world history.

They're some of the toughest and most highly trained fighting men in the world - going where no ordinary soldier would go and doing what no ordinary soldier would dare. Outnumbered and outgunned, operating in small teams of five- or six-deep in enemy territory far from help, they rely on their wits, their skills, and each other to get out alive. Blood Warriors is a penetrating, no-holds-barred account of the training, missions, and history of the military elites who mold America's most dangerous and highly skilled warriors.

Author J. T. Petty has won critical praise for his witty series featuring the exciting escapades of Clemency Pogue: accidental fairy killer, friend to a hobgoblin, and occasional savior of the land of Make-Believe. In this fun adventure, Clemency gets caught up with some of Make-Believe's most interesting denizens, the Scrivener Bees.

It was the U.K.'s worst rail disaster in years. On the morning of October 5, 1999, two rush-hour commuter trains collided just outside London. Hundreds were feared dead. Though he was traveling in the front-most carriage, the novelist Andrew Rosenheim survived the crash. In The Secrets of Carriage H, Rosenheim recalls in heart-pounding detail the events of that day and opens up about the emotional roller coaster that consumed him for months thereafter.

Hurricane Sandy ravages the Jersey Shore while simultaneously providing the backdrop for a horrible crime. A serial killer takes advantage of the night's ferocity and inflicts his own damage. The madman then disappears, leaving a famed FBI agent broken in the process. Frank Sorello retires from the Bureau only to be drawn back into the game after a best-selling novel by a new author raises suspicions about details inside the book. Is the homicidal maniac announcing his return or is it purely a coincidence?

Be careful what you wish for! When Buddy Pancake and his drinking buddies stumble across the Wish List website, they jokingly post their "impossible" wishes. Imagine their surprise when, one by one, the wishes start coming true! But Buddy and his pals neglected to read the fine print explaining the price they must pay for the wishes they've been granted. Wish List is a compelling, nail-biting, laugh-out-loud thriller in the tradition of Saving Rachel.

In The Tenants (1971), Bernard Malamud brought his unerring sense of modern urban life to bear on the conflict between blacks and Jews then inflaming his native Brooklyn. The sole tenant in a rundown tenement, Henry Lesser is struggling to finish a novel, but his solitary pursuit of the sublime grows complicated when Willie Spearmint, a black writer ambivalent toward Jews, moves into the building.

The Art of Raising Hell is a compelling, coming-of-age story that reminds its audience of the difference between chasing life and just living. It captures the essence of being young, green around the gills and always ready to seek out the next adventure, while learning some hard lessons along the way. Newbie Johnson has recently moved to Bunsen Creek, Illinois, when his mother is killed in a tragic car crash. His father does his best to maintain a normal household, but his broken heart is just not up to the task.

Joe Grudeck is a living legend - a first-ballot Hall of Famer beloved by Boston Red Sox fans who once played for millions under the bright Fenway lights. Now, he finds himself haunted by his own history. Horace Mueller is a different type altogether - working in darkness at a museum blacksmith shop and living in a rundown farmhouse. He clings to an anachronistic lifestyle, fueled by nostalgia for simpler times and a rebellion against the sport-celebrity lifestyle of Cooperstown, struggling to bring his baseball prodigy son to his side. Gods of Wood and Stone is the story of these two men.

What if the state as we know it didn't exist? Our air would be poisonous, our votes uncounted, and our markets dysfunctional. Yet across the world, in countries as diverse as Hungary, Israel, the UK, and the US, attacks on the modern state and its workforce are intensifying. They are morphing into power grabs by self-aggrandizing politicians who attempt to seize control of the state for themselves and their cronies. What replaces the modern state once it is fatally undermined is not the free market and the flowering of personal liberty.