Showing results by author "ciesse" in All Categories

Liebesgeschichten aus Japan: Am Biwasee, nahe der uralten Kaiserstadt Kioto, haben die Japaner acht Landschaftsgesichter von unsterblicher Leidenschaft entdeckt.Dauthendey hat sich für dieses Buch von einer alten japanischen Tradition inspirieren lassen. Acht Ansichten des Biwa-Sees oder Acht Ansichten von Ōmi (Ōmi Hakkei) ist der Titel vieler Serien von Bildern oder Gedichten, in denen japanische Künstler die Landschaft um den Biwasee darstellen. Die “Acht Ansichten” gibt es seit dem 15. Jahrhundert, sie bestehen aus den festgelegten realen Orten, die Dauthendey zu seine Erzählungen ...

An account of a 1918 journey to Northern China by famed adventurer/paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews. Andrews, who was the inspiration for the many explorer hero characters (including Indiana Jones), wrote this book for the general public, excluding "scientific details" that they might find "wearisome". - Summary by Matthew M. BenzingNOTE: This book contains many accounts of hunting animals for sport and for exhibition in a museum.

Charles Haddon (C.H.) Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) was a British Particular Baptist preacher and is still known today as the "Prince of Preachers". He was a strong figure in the Reformed Baptist tradition, defending the Church in agreement with the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith understanding, and opposing the liberal and pragmatic theological tendencies in the Church of his day. In his lifetime, Spurgeon preached to around 10 million people, often up to ten times each week at different places.In this series of devotionals, he challenges each of us to examine our own ...

The Sager family, including seven children, set out on the Oregon trail in 1844. Accidents and disease made it a dangerous trip, and both parents died along the way. The orphans made it to the Whitman Mission in Walla Walla, Washington, but their lives were still in jeopardy. In 1847, members of the Cayuse tribe attacked the mission and killed the Whitmans and others living there. Catherine was among those who were taken as hostages, and she survived the massacre. She later wrote about these harrowing experiences in this memoir. (Summary by Carol Pelster)

Rather than being a synopsis of the Battle of New Orleans as a military victory, the book also touches upon the greater significance of the conflict by discussing the impact on national identity in the early 19th century. - Summary by Jeffery Smith

Written over a century and a half ago, Madame Bovary is still an extraordinarily fresh, exciting and shockingly frank novel, at once an acute psychological study of a woman drawn into adultery through circumstances we can partly understand, and a sharply-observed comedy that offers a fascinating glimpse of the social and cultural divisions running through French provincial society in the mid nineteenth century. This translation is by Eleanor Marx-Aveling, a prominent social activist and literary translator. She was the youngest daughter of Karl Marx. (Summary by Peter Dann)

A collection of readings in the readers' language of choice.

Daisy Miller is an 1878 novella by Henry James first appearing in Cornhill Magazine in June–July 1879, and in book form the following year. It portrays the courtship of the beautiful American girl Daisy Miller by Frederick Winterbourne, a sophisticated compatriot of hers. His pursuit of her is hampered by her own flirtatiousness, which is frowned upon by the other expatriates when they meet in Switzerland and Italy. (Summary by Wikipedia)CastFrederick Winterbourne: Brett W. DowneyDaisy Miller: Amanda FridayRandolph Miller: Arielle LipshawMrs. Miller: Libby GohnMrs. Costello: Elizabeth ...

Black Beauty is a fictional autobiographical memoir told by a horse, who recounts many tales, both of cruelty and kindness. The title page of the first edition states that it was "Translated from the Original Equine by Anna Sewell." After its publication in 1877, Sewell lived just long enough to see her first and only novel become an immediate bestseller, as well as it encouraging the better treatment of many cruelly-treated animals. Although initially intended for people who work with horses, it soon became a children's classic. While outwardly teaching animal welfare, it also contains ...

A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visitations of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. (Summary by Wikipedia)CastEbenezer Scrooge: Andy MinterFred: mbBob Cratchit: David RichardsonGentleman: Martin LangerJacob Marley: Algy PugGhost of Christmas Past: Tricia GFan/Tiny Tim: rashadaYoung Scrooge/Peter Cratchit: Paul AndrewsSchoolmaster/Man 2: Peter ...

Beatrix Potter's delightful stories come to life in this LibriVox recording of some of her most famous tales. This collection is extra special because it was read by children for children. Come along as we experience the well-loved stories of Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle Duck, Tom Kitten, and many others! Summary by Adele de Pignerolles.The Tale of Peter RabbitNarrator: Adele de PignerollesMrs. Rabbit: RosalynnPeter Rabbit: Johnny Smith Mr. McGregor: Eddy ShermanThe Tale of Benjamin BunnyNarrator: Adele de PignerollesMrs. Rabbit: RosalynnBenjamin Bunny: Eddy ShermanPeter Rabbit: Johnny SmithThe...

Courage follows the story of Courage, a young 12-year-old orphaned girl, who adapts to to meeting and living with new people. She lives up to her name . . . but, what becomes of her in the end? - Summary by bhavyaCourage: Elsie SelwynLarry: Larry WilsonSylvia: LikeManyWatersMiss Julia: Beth ThomasMary Duff: FoonGentleman/David/Mr. Everett: TriciaGJohn: Josh KibbeyCelia Thaxter: Leanne YauBig Bob: Campbell SchelpMan, Captain, Man 2: BhavyaBoy: William WhiteDick, Father, Bruce: Elijah FisherMrs. Everett: Anita Sloma-MartinezBig Girl: Evie MariaSmall Girl: Zoe TrangIrishman: ChadH94Narrator: ...

Venus and Adonis is Shakespeare's narrative poem about the love of the goddess Venus for the mortal youth Adonis, dedicated partly to his patron, the Earl of Southampton (thought by some to be the beautiful youth to which many of the Sonnets are addressed). The poem recounts Venus' attempts to woo Adonis, their passionate coupling, and Adonis' rejection of the goddess, to which she responds with jealousy, with tragic results. This recording features three different readers performing the narration, Venus, and Adonis. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)Read by Elizabeth Klett, Arielle Lipshaw, Bob ...

Agnes Grey is the daughter of a minister, whose family comes to financial ruin. Desperate to earn money to care for herself, she takes one of the few jobs allowed to respectable women in the early Victorian era, as a governess to the children of the wealthy. In working with two different families, the Bloomfields and the Murrays, she comes to learn about the troubles that face a young woman who must try to rein in unruly, spoiled children for a living, and about the ability of wealth and status to destroy social values. After her father's death, Agnes opens a small school with her mother and ...

A collection of short Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Dedicated to Beth Thomas. Summary by kathrinee. Cast List: Cast Sherlock Holmes: Peter Yearsley Dr. John Watson: johnnyenglish, and Tomas Peter Various other roles read by: Larry Wilson, Beth Thomas, Amelia Chesley, Adrian Stephens, Algy Pug, Lola Janie, Leanne Yau, Max Körlinge, chuckconvr, Bernd Ungerer, Nemo, Rafe Ball, Foon, KHand, Rob Marland, TJ Burns, Zames Curran, and thestorygirl. Edited by: Peter Yearsley and johnnyenglish Proof listeners: Beth Thomas, johnnyenglish, Peter Yearsley, and Linette.

Growing up on the banks of the Mississippi river, a mischievous boy named Tom Sawyer spends his days getting into one scrape after another. Tom's constant cleverness, superstition, trickery, and daring make him a handful to raise, and his Aunt Polly declares that she has "never seen the beat of that boy!" Tom is essentially good-hearted, however, but when he is witness to a horrible crime, his courage and integrity are tested beyond anything he ever expected. A note to parents: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is considered a children's classic, but contains racial slurs which, although "...

This classic tale by Lewis Carroll has delighted children for generations. Alice falls down a rabbit hole and encounters a wide variety of strange and wonderful creatures in all manner of bizarre situations. Join Alice as she journeys through Wonderland, trying to make sense of what she finds there. This version is read dramatically, with different readers voicing the different characters. (Summary by Lucy Perry) CastNarrator: David GoldfarbAlice: Miss AvariceThe White Rabbit: BellonaTimesMouse: cher0520Lory: AvailleDuck: Jessamy GloorDodo: Tim FerreiraEaglet: Dennis D.Old Crab: Joshua ...

The Age of Innocence centers on an upper-class couple's impending marriage, and the introduction of a woman plagued by scandal whose presence threatens their happiness. Though the novel questions the assumptions and morals of 1870s' New York society, it never devolves into an outright condemnation of the institution. In fact, Wharton considered this novel an "apology" for her earlier, more brutal and critical novel, The House of Mirth. Not to be overlooked is Wharton's attention to detailing the charms and customs of the upper caste. The novel is lauded for its accurate portrayal of how the ...

In order to escape his cruel father, and led by a thirst for adventure, Huck Finn sets off down the Mississippi River with Jim, an escaped slave. But trouble is never far behind them, and their adventures are only beginning when they meet up with two men who claim to be a duke and a king! And that’s before Jim gets captured by none other than Tom Sawyer’s aunt and uncle… who mistake Huck for Tom. The hilarious adventures and scrapes of Huck, Jim, Tom, and others are brought to life in this dramatic reading. - Summary by Rachel Cast Huckleberry Finn: Patrick Saville Tom Sawyer: TenorBoy ...

Scenes of Clerical Life, which appeared in book form in 1858 (after serial publication in the previous year), was the first published fiction by George Eliot, the pen name for Mary Anne Evans. It consists of three novellas based on the lives of country clergymen and their communities. These characters interest Eliot not for their theology — she had abandoned conventional Christian belief — but for their humanity. In these stories, we find the earliest signs of the narrative voice, the humanism, and the realism that would make George Eliot one of the greatest novelists of the 1800s. (...