Showing results by narrator "Michael Gilboe" in All Categories

After the siege of Boston forced the British to evacuate that city in March 1776, Continental Army commander George Washington suspected that the British would move by sea to New York City, the next logical target in an attempt to end a colonial insurrection. He thus rushed his army south to defend the city. Washington guessed correctly, but it would be to no avail. Unlike Boston, New York City's terrain featured few defensible positions. The city lacked a high point from which to launch a siege, as the peninsula of Boston was fortunate to have.

The Gallic Wars, the series of campaigns waged by Julius Caesar on behalf of the Roman Senate between 58-50 BC, were among the defining conflicts of the Roman era. Not only was the expansion of the Republic's domains unprecedented (especially when considering it was undertaken under the auspices of a single general), it had a profound cultural impact on Rome itself as well.

Please note: This is a key takeaways and analysis of the book and not the original book. Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers is based on author Tim Ferriss' interviews with celebrities, thinkers, businesspeople, and creators.

Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793) gave the French Revolution a voice. One of the most memorable and notorious revolutionaries, Marat became one of the Revolution's best-known figures through his speeches, writings, and scathing attacks on everyone he perceived as, "[E]nemies of the revolution". No revolutionary was more passionate, determined, and willing to die for the cause.

Williamsburg got its start as a fortified site, which was vitally necessary for English settlers to heavily outnumbered by nearby Native Americans, many of which were at times hostile. Known originally as Middle Plantation, the site served as the capital of the colony for much of the 18th century, and it bore witness to seminal events in the history of Revolutionary era America, including the Gunpowder Incident, which nearly coincided with the Battles of Lexington and Concord to the north.

Bubba Snoddy is a good old country boy with a big problem. Although he's personable, handsome, and lives in a historical Southern mansion in a small Texas town, he has just discovered the dead body of a woman to whom he was once engaged to marry. His ex-fiancée was responsible for Bubba being thrown out of the military, which in turn caused his shameful return to the tiny town of Pegramville, where everyone is a consummate gossip, and no one has any secrets.

Everyone has heard of the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. However, they have not heard about them this way! The American Founding Fathers had a lot more to deal with at the end of the 18th century than tariffs and tea; avoiding hurled trees from wendigos and gargoyles falling from the sky took a lot of patience. How is Samuel Prescott supposed to hunt the leader of the Rippers when the British keep infringing upon the colonists' rights?

Mark Watney wasn't the mission commander of Ares 3, a month-long expedition to Mars. He was just the science geek, botany guru, and mechanical engineer: the lowest guy on the totem pole and the only one who didn't make it back to the ascent vehicle when the storm hit. Left for dead on the surface of a barren planet, Watney must plumb the depths of his considerable ingenuity and resourcefulness to find a way to survive - and to let the people on Earth know he's still alive.

On Tommy's 14th birthday, his parents tell him of his birthright - he is a powerful wizard whose roots are traced back to the land of Kranta, a faraway place to whichTommy can teleport to in an instant...with the right spell.

It could be curtains for college theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza. With dead bodies popping up all over campus, Nicky must use his drama skills to figure out who is playing the role of murderer before it is lights out for Nicky and his colleagues. Complicating matters is Nicky's huge crush on Noah Oliver, a gorgeous assistant professor in his department, who may or may not be involved with a cocky graduate assistant... and is also the top suspect for the murders!

The Toltec are one of the most famous Mesoamerican groups in South America, but they are also the most controversial and mysterious. The Toltec have been identified as the group that established a strong state centered in Tula (in present-day Mexico), and the Aztec claimed the Toltec as their cultural predecessors, so much so that the word Toltec comes from the Aztec's word Tōltēcatl, translated as artisan.

Four broken strangers are unwittingly tied to a tragic accident that happened more than 50 years ago. Stavic is the small town deputy investigating a series of grisly murders. Willem is still haunted by the disappearance of his abusive father when he was eight. Claire is an alcoholic mother who is hiding a terrible secret. And at the center of it all is David, an elderly man who has returned after a 20 year absence.

By his mid-20s Graham was a Baptist pastor in the Midwest, and throughout the 1940s he began traveling across the country to spread his ministry and message through large gatherings that he termed "crusades". In time these crusades would take place in nearly 200 nations and attract hundreds of millions of people, helping to catapult him to international prominence and making him a household name.

Next to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young is one of the best known Mormon leaders and perhaps the most important. After Smith's death, it was Young who led Mormon pioneers westward in a journey that the Latter Day Saints often likened to the Exodus, and Young became popular as "American Moses". At the same time, Young and his group were involved in a seemingly never ending list of controversies, both of their own making and the misconceptions of so many Americans who were unfamiliar with the religion.

The life story of Ramesses II is voluminously recorded and illustrated through documents and inscriptions, and it is even represented physically through his funerary goods and the well-preserved mummified remains of the man himself. But despite the resources available with which to reason about who Ramesses II was and what his impact might have been, there is also a necessary disconnection between him and those who chronicled his story.

Journalist David Finkel, who had previously written about the experiences of an Army infantry division fighting in Baghdad, now tells the story of soldiers grappling with the after-effects of their service in Iraq. Finkel focuses primarily on Adam Schumann, an extremely capable non-commissioned officer now suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after witnessing several horrific scenes during combat as well as feeling tremendous guilt for missions he didn't go on that resulted in the death of colleagues.

J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy is a memoir about his life growing up in Ohio as the child of a working-class family with roots in Appalachia. Vance uses his experiences in a dysfunctional family to talk about the problems with what he calls hillbilly culture. He says that hillbilly culture is mired in laziness, drug use, and learned helplessness. Hillbillies claim to be committed to hard work, but Vance believes they actually refuse to work at available jobs, miring them in poverty.

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' British Legends series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of Great Britain's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

Please note: This is a key takeaways and analysis of the book and not the original book. This contains: a summary of the book; a review; analysis and key takeaways; and a detailed "about the author" section. The Magnolia Story is a joint biography/memoir of Chip and Joanna Gaines, housing developers, renovators, and designers in Waco, Texas. The book describes their childhoods, their marriage, and how they developed their businesses and came to host the HGTV television show Fixer Upper.

If you already have an interest and perhaps regularly take part in events such as half and full marathons or more challenging events, such as the steeplechase, triathlon, or decathlon, think of obstacle course racing as taking things to a whole new level. Obstacle course races have replaced mere triathlons and the like as the contemporary measure of physical fitness, with a very dominating element of sheer human willpower, teamwork, planning, fun, mental toughness, and a whole lot more.