Showing results by narrator "Sam" in All Categories

Through the seventies and into the mid-eighties, a cohort of young climbers challenged the siege mentality of their seniors on high mountains in the Greater Ranges with fast moving, lightweight expeditions run on a shoestring. Brian Hall was one of them and, in High Risk, he describes their daring adventures and the counterculture they lived within, their rivalries and relationships, and the terrible price many of them paid.

This superlative collection of children's stories brings together a feast of fantastic fiction, read in full by a host of top narrators and with a comprehensive track listing for ease of listening. Comprising everything from fairytales for little ones to thrilling adventures for pre-teens, these unabridged readings are ideal for families to keep, treasure and dip into as their children grow.

A 1920s Easter Murder Mystery in the depths of rural Yorkshire A scoundrel lies dying, he makes his confession; his sins were despicable, and he wants to atone for his wasted life. He bequeaths an invaluable gift to Monks Hood Abbey, an ancient monastery set in a lonely corner of the Yorkshire moors. But sin throws a long shadow and corruption crawls in its shade.

Carlos Ghosn always wanted more. Born in the Amazon, raised by a well-off—if scandalized—family in Beirut, and educated in Paris, Ghosn rose to prominence at Michelin in the United States, Renault in France, and Nissan in Japan. Along the way he earned monikers of Le Cost Killer, for his incisive business savvy, and Mr. 7-Eleven, for the hours he devoted to his work.

In Tell Me the Planets, Ben Platts-Mills tells stories about his work with survivors of brain injury, offering a rare glimpse into the world as seen through their eyes: charismatic Danny, whose criminal past has left him paralysed down one side, but who now helps others worse off than himself; Sid, whose memory for the present lasts only moments; and Liah, who is caught in a battle with the care system threatening to make her homeless.

Dave Pigeon and his trusty sidekick, Skipper, are minding their own business in the garden shed when they see Mean Cat behaving very strangely... And why is she multiplying? The arrival of some very cute kittens is disastrous news! More cats? Ugh. But then the kittens come under threat... Are Dave and Skipper coldhearted enough to leave them defenseless? Especially when one looks a teeny, tiny little bit like Dave?

A treasure chest of timeless short stories by some of the world's greatest authors.

Former soldier and elite CIA operative Ryan Drake is heading out for dinner when he witnesses a sniper attack on a crowded freeway. A motorcade full of Russian Federal Security Force members has been ambushed. Many have been killed and, worst of all, Drake discovers that the leader of the strike team was Anya - the dangerous and enigmatic woman he once risked everything to protect. Drake cannot believe her capable of such an atrocity, but with the Russians baying for blood and tensions rising, Drake and his depleted team head for Siberia to discover the truth.

Will Fairweather is getting old. His back aches, his bowels misbehave if he eats spicy food and he’s completely lost his sense of rhythm. Life has taught him not to take risks, but even that hasn’t stopped his marriage hitting the rocks too. The last thing he needs is a surprise call from Red Fairweather, devil-may-care rock god—and the father Will hasn’t seen for thirty years. If Will’s old before his time, Red’s the boy who won’t grow up.

For five hundred years the robot waited to encounter a human. When it finally did, it probably wished it was a different human. Nelson Newman was destined to be the first person to set foot on Mars. Instead, he finds himself transported across the galaxy and pitched into a battle of wits against a ruthless enemy, who will do whatever it takes to safeguard their people and their power.

At least one battalion of flame-throwers is swinging around like a pack of crazy wild boars. Long, flaming red tongues of fire are hissing from the towers, charring every living thing. From the GPU-prison stream shoals of red prisoners. A barrage of incredible dimensions is hammering down behind the Germans. It seems like the Russians have guessed that they are pondering an escape and want to stop it with an impenetrable wall of fire, spreading as far as the eye can see.

Men today are starved for sexual formation. They've been failed by parents, churches, and culture alike, leading to widespread shame, confusion, and brokenness in the area of sexuality. In The Sex Talk You Never Got, therapist Sam Jolman helps men reconnect their God-given sexuality with innocence, awe, and joy, and shows listeners how to celebrate--instead of struggle against--the gift of sexual desire.

With enemies closing in, time is running out for Ryan Drake. Shaken by a personal tragedy that forces him to return to the UK, he is presented with a dangerous offer – to travel to Libya and kidnap a high-ranking officer in Gaddafi’s much-feared intelligence service. In exchange, Drake will be given everything he needs to destroy the CIA’s corrupt deputy director, Marcus Cain. Drake gathers a group of trusted allies and embarks on his most difficult mission yet. But with the desert heat blazing and a civil war looming, events soon spiral out of control.

Archie Colbrook spends his time writing letters. Letters to the stranger to who he committed terrible harm. Archie knows he doesn’t deserve forgiveness. Yes, he didn’t mean to hurt anyone. But does that matter? He still did it. Claudia Winters hopes to feel safe for the first time in years, it’s her chance for a new beginning. But Claudia knows that the past won’t stay hidden for long - and she can’t help but feel that it’s all about to catch up with her.

Best-selling author David Gillespie turns his attention to a phenomenon that damages businesses, seeds mental disease and discomfort and can bring civilisations to the brink of implosion - the psychopath. Psychopaths are often thought of as killers and criminals, but actually 5 to 10 percent of people are probably psychopathic without ever indulging in a single criminal act. These everyday psychopaths may be charming in the early stages of relationships or employment, but, Gillespie argues, their presence in your life is at best disruptive and at worst highly dangerous.

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Paul Gallico’s The Snow Goose by Nick Warburton, starring Steven Mackintosh.

When Open Book asked various authors to champion a favourite neglected classic on the programme, Michael Morpurgo chose The Snow Goose - perhaps no surprise, with his own story 'War Horse' depicting a friendship between a boy and his horse which takes them both into the horror of World War I.

Between dog and human there is a special bond. A bond that must never be broken. Pup and his boy are inseparable. But both their worlds change forever when Pup is cruelly taken away and abandoned in Dead Dog Alley. With nowhere else to turn, Pup joins a pack of misfit Street Dogs, who help him learn to fight for survival on the streets. Pup holds on to the hope of one day being reunited with his boy. But as that hope shrinks with every passing day, Pup begins to wonder if their bond is irreversibly broken.

Women over 40 are the most ignored demographic in society. And yet this is the time when you are likely to have the most freedom, power, confidence and self knowledge than ever before. Some serious life has been lived: there have been great loves, heartbreaks, births, marriages, careers, betrayals, bereavements and survival. So what now? What happens when the narrative given to you by society - husband, babies, house - runs out and you become storyless? Writer and journalist Sam Baker seeks to empower and give voice to women to create a new narrative....

It seemed that everyone in the bleak little village of Thornwich had been honored with the most obscene poison pen letters imaginable. And they showed no signs of letting up. So off goes Chief Inspector Dover of Scotland Yard, his unfortunate young colleague MacGregor in tow, to track down the source. Not-so-comfortably ensconced in the miserable lodgings of the Jolly Sailor, Dover's easy confidence is quickly shaken when he suddenly has to deal with two suicides – one attempted, the other all-too-successful – black-market babies, and various bowel disorders.

According to head teacher Mrs Bottomley-Blunt, 4B is the worst class in the world. She says school is not about footling or fiddle-faddling or fun. It is about learning, and it is high time 4B tried harder to excel at it. But Stanley and Manjit didn’t literally mean to flood the toilets when they should have been monitoring the playground. And they definitely didn’t literally mean to bring a penguin home from the zoo on their school trip. These things just happened even though they had a foolproof plan to get away with them.