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Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/421822 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Lives of Lucian Freud: Fame, 1968-2011 Author: William Feaver Narrator: Jonathan Keeble Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 19 hours 56 minutes Release date: January 19, 2021 Genres: Arts & Entertainment Publisher's Summary: The first biography of the epic life of one of the most important, enigmatic and private artists of the 20th century. Drawn from almost 40 years of conversations with the artist, letters and papers, it is a major work written by a well-known British art critic.  Lucian Freud (1922-2011) is one of the most influential figurative painters of the 20th century. His paintings are in every major museum and many private collections here and abroad. William Feaver's daily calls from 1973 until Freud died in 2011, as well as interviews with family and friends, were crucial sources for this book. Freud had ferocious energy, worked day and night, but his circle was broad, including not just other well-known artists but writers, bluebloods, royals in England and Europe, drag queens, fashion models, gamblers, bookies and gangsters like the Kray twins. Fierce, rebellious, charismatic, extremely guarded about his life, he was witty, mischievous and a womanizer.     This brilliantly researched book begins with the Freuds' life in Berlin, the rise of Hitler and the family's escape to London in 1933 when Lucian was 10. Sigmund Freud was his grandfather, and his father Ernst was an architect. In London in his twenties, his first solo show was in 1944 at the Lefevre Gallery. Around this time, Stephen Spender introduced him to Virginia Woolf; at night he was taking Pauline Tennant to the Gargoyle Club, owned by her father and frequented by Dylan Thomas; he was also meeting Sonia Orwell, Cecil Beaton, Auden, Patrick Leigh-Fermor and the Aly Khan, and his muse was a married femme fatale, 13 years older, Lorna Wishart. But it was Francis Bacon who would become his most important influence, and the painters Frank Auerbach and David Hockney, close friends.     This is an extremely intimate, lively and rich portrait of the artist, full of gossip and stories recounted by Freud to Feaver about people, encounters, and work. Freud's art was his life—'my work is purely autobiographical'—and he usually painted only family, friends, lovers, children, though there were exceptions like the famous small portrait of the Queen. With his later portraits, the subjects were often nude, names were never given, and sittings could take up to 16 months with each session lasting five hours, with the subjects rarely bored, as Freud was a great raconteur and mimic. This book is a major achievement, a tour de force that reveals the details of the life and innermost thoughts of the greatest portrait painter of our time. Cover photo: © Estate of Bruce Bernard, courtesy of Virginia Verran.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/420817 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Judy & Liza & Robert & Freddie & David & Sue & Me...: A Memoir Author: Stevie Phillips Narrator: Allyson Ryan Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 9 hours 41 minutes Release date: December 15, 2020 Genres: Arts & Entertainment Publisher's Summary: No star burned more ferociously than Judy Garland. And nobody witnessed Garland's fierce talent at closer range than Stevie Phillips as proven in this revelatory memoir. During the Mad Men era, Stevie Phillips was a young woman muscling her way into the manscape of Manhattan's glittering office towers. After a stint as a secretary, she began working for Freddie Fields and David Begelman at Music Corporation of America (MCA) under the glare of legendary über-agent Lew Wasserman. When MCA blew apart, Fields and Begelman created Creative Management Associates (CMA), and Stevie went along. Fields convinced Garland to come on board, and Stevie became, as she puts it, 'Garland's shadow,' putting out fires--figurative and literal--in order to get her to the next concert in the next down-and-out town. Phillips paints a portrait of Garland at the bitter end and although it was at times a nightmare, Phillips says, 'She became my teacher,' showing her 'how to' and 'how not to' live. Stevie also represented Garland's fiercely talented daughter, Liza Minnelli, as well as Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, George Roy Hill, Bob Fosse, Cat Stevens, and David Bowie. She produced both films and Broadway shows and counted her colleague, the legendary agent Sue Mengers, among her closest confidantes. Now Stevie Phillips reveals all in Judy & Liza & Robert & Freddie & David & Sue & Me..., a tough-talking memoir by a woman who worked with some of the biggest names in show business. It's a helluva ride. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/417232 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Mozart: The Reign of Love Author: Jan Swafford Narrator: Tim Campbell Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 30 hours 22 minutes Release date: December 8, 2020 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4.25 of Total 4 Ratings of Narrator: 5 of Total 2 Genres: Arts & Entertainment Publisher's Summary: From the acclaimed composer and biographer Jan Swafford comes the definitive biography of one of the most lauded musical geniuses in history, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. At the earliest ages it was apparent that Wolfgang Mozart’s singular imagination was at work in every direction. He hated to be bored and hated to be idle, and through his life he responded to these threats with a repertoire of antidotes mental and physical. Whether in his rabidly obscene mode or not, Mozart was always hilarious. He went at every piece of his life, and perhaps most notably his social life, with tremendous gusto. His circle of friends and patrons was wide, encompassing anyone who appealed to his boundless appetites for music and all things pleasurable and fun. Mozart was known to be an inexplicable force of nature who could rise from a luminous improvisation at the keyboard to a leap over the furniture. He was forever drumming on things, tapping his feet, jabbering away, but who could grasp your hand and look at you with a profound, searching, and melancholy look in his blue eyes. Even in company there was often an air about Mozart of being not quite there. It was as if he lived onstage and off simultaneously, a character in life’s tragicomedy but also outside of it watching, studying, gathering material for the fabric of his art. Like Jan Swafford’s biographies Beethoven and Johannes Brahms, Mozart is the complete exhumation of a genius in his life and ours: a man who would enrich the world with his talent for centuries to come and who would immeasurably shape classical music. As Swafford reveals, it’s nearly impossible to understand classical music’s origins and indeed its evolutions, as well as the Baroque period, without studying the man himself. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/421624 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Black Mirror and Philosophy: Dark Reflections Series: #43 of The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series Author: unknown Narrator: Joel Richards, Emily Beresford Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 14 hours 29 minutes Release date: November 24, 2020 Genres: Arts & Entertainment Publisher's Summary: Black Mirror-the Emmy-winning Netflix series that holds up a dark, digital mirror of speculative technologies to modern society-shows us a high-tech world where it is all too easy to fall victim to ever-evolving forms of social control. In Black Mirror and Philosophy, original essays written by a diverse group of scholars invite you to peer into the void and explore the philosophical, ethical, and existential dimensions of Charlie Brooker's sinister stories. The collection reflects Black Mirror's anthology structure by pairing a chapter with every episode in the show's five seasons-including an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure analysis of Bandersnatch-and concludes with general essays that explore the series' broader themes. Chapters address questions about artificial intelligence, virtual reality, surveillance, privacy, love, death, criminal behavior, and politics, including: Have we given social media too much power over our lives? Could heaven really, one day, be a place on Earth? Should criminal justice and punishment be crowdsourced? What rights should a 'cookie' have? Immersive, engaging, and experimental, Black Mirror and Philosophy navigates the intellectual landscape of Brooker's morality plays for the modern world, where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/418400 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The House of Gucci: A True Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed Author: Sara Gay Forden Narrator: Sara Gay Forden, Fajer Al-Kaisi Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 16 hours 20 minutes Release date: November 24, 2020 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 3.74 of Total 38 Ratings of Narrator: 5 of Total 4 Genres: Arts & Entertainment Publisher's Summary: NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE from director Ridley Scott, starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver The sensational true story of murder, madness, glamour, and greed that shook the Gucci dynasty, now fully updated with a new afterword On the morning of March 27, 1995, four quick shots cracked through Milan’s elegant streets. Maurizio Gucci, heir to the fabulous fashion dynasty, had been ambushed, slain on the steps to his office by an unknown gunman. Two years later, Milan’s chief of police entered the sumptuous palazzo of Maurizio’s ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani—nicknamed “the Black Widow” by the press—and arrested her for the murder. Did Patrizia kill her ex-husband because his spending was wildly out of control? Did she do it because he was preparing to marry his mistress? Or is it possible Patrizia didn’t do it at all? The Gucci story is one of glitz, glamour, and intrigue—a chronicle of the rise, near fall, and subsequent resurgence of a fashion dynasty. Beautifully written, impeccably researched, and widely acclaimed, The House of Gucci is a page-turning account of high fashion, high finance, and heartrending personal tragedy

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/414928 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Young Bucks: Killing the Business from Backyards to the Big Leagues Author: Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson Narrator: Roger Wayne Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 9 hours 44 minutes Release date: November 17, 2020 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4.38 of Total 13 Ratings of Narrator: 4.6 of Total 5 Genres: Arts & Entertainment Publisher's Summary: ''The Young Bucks are two guys who not only beat the odds to become one of the greatest, most popular tag teams ever, but also two industry changing visionaries. Matt and Nick are two of the smartest, hard-working, passionate individuals I’ve met during my 28 year career. With the creation of AEW, The Bucks will definitely leave the pro wrestling industry in a much better place then they discovered it in.'' —Matt Hardy, multiple-time world tag team champion The electric and daring independent wrestling tag team tells their inspiring story, revealing how two undersized, ambitious amateur athletes from Southern California became the idols of millions of popular sports fans and coveted among the ranks of AEW’s elite wrestling lineup.  Famous for their highflying moves, Superkicks and viral videos, Matt and Nick Jackson are two of the hottest and most talented competitors in professional wrestling today. Known as the Young Bucks, this pair of ambitious brothers are an inspiration to both fans and aspiring wrestlers worldwide due to their message of resilience and determination. That they are also faithful family men devoted to their loved ones gives them additional appeal.  A warm, heartfelt story of hope, perseverance, and undying ambition told with the brothers’ wit and charm, Young Bucks begins in Southern California, where two young boys grew up dreaming of success and fame. Matt and Nick look back on the sacrifices they made to achieve their ambitions, from taking odd  jobs to pay for their own wrestling ring to hosting backyard events with friends. They share their joy at being recruited into the amateur California circuit and the work it took to finally make it professionally, and speak frankly about what it means to have the support of millions of fans cheering their talents in arenas nationwide. The Young Bucks talk endearingly about their sport, their faith, and their families, sharing personal reflections and behind-the-scenes anecdotes while paying tribute to the wrestling acts and inspirations that came before them. They also elaborate on this historical time in the evolution of wrestling, as the sport and its culture dramatically change day by day. Alternating between each brother’s perspective from chapter to chapter, this entertaining memoir is a complete portrait of what it means to grow into—and give back to—wrestling, the sport and profession they embody and love.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/423418 to listen full audiobooks. Title: I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are Author: Rachel Bloom Narrator: Rachel Bloom Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 4 hours 51 minutes Release date: November 17, 2020 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4.5 of Total 24 Ratings of Narrator: 4.71 of Total 7 Genres: Arts & Entertainment Publisher's Summary: From the charming and wickedly funny co-creator and star of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a collection of hilarious personal essays, poems and even amusement park maps on the subjects of insecurity, fame, anxiety, and much more. Rachel Bloom has felt abnormal and out of place her whole life. In this exploration of what she thinks makes her 'different,' she's come to realize that a lot of people also feel this way; even people who she otherwise thought were 'normal.' In a collection of laugh-out-loud funny essays, all told in the unique voice (sometimes singing voice) that made her a star; Rachel writes about everything from her love of Disney, OCD and depression, weirdness, and Spanx to the story of how she didn't poop in the toilet until she was four years old; Rachel's pieces are hilarious, smart, and infinitely relatable (except for the pooping thing).

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/419218 to listen full audiobooks. Title: This Was Hollywood: Forgotten Stars and Stories Series: Part of Turner Classic Movies Author: Carla Valderrama Narrator: Carla Valderrama Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 7 hours 3 minutes Release date: November 17, 2020 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 3.5 of Total 4 Ratings of Narrator: 4 of Total 3 Genres: Arts & Entertainment Publisher's Summary: In this one-of-a-kind Hollywood history, the creator of Instagram's celebrated @ThisWasHollywood reveals the forgotten past of the film world in a dazzling visual package modeled on the classic fan magazines of yesteryear. From former screen legends who have faded into obscurity to new revelations about the biggest movie stars, Valderrama unearths the most fascinating little-known tales from the birth of Hollywood through its Golden Age. The shocking fate of the world's first movie star. Clark Gable's secret love child. The film that nearly ended Paul Newman's career. A former child star who, at ninety-three, reveals her #metoo story for the first time. Valderrama unfolds these stories, and many more, in a volume that is by turns riveting, maddening, hilarious, and shocking. Drawing on new interviews, archival research, and an exhaustive library of photographs, This Was Hollywood is a compelling and visually stunning catalogue of the lost history of the movies.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/423426 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Seekers: Meetings With Remarkable Musicians (and Other Artists) Author: John Densmore Narrator: John Densmore Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 5 hours 57 minutes Release date: November 17, 2020 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 1 Ratings of Narrator: 5 of Total 1 Genres: Arts & Entertainment Publisher's Summary: The iconic drummer of The Doors investigates his own relationship with creativity and explores the meaning of artistry with other artists and performers in this compelling and spellbinding memoir. Whether it's the curiosity that blossoms after we listen to our favorite band's newest record, or the sheer admiration we feel after watching a knockout performance, many of us have experienced art so pure-so innovative-that we can't help but wonder afterwards: "How did they do that?" And yet, few of us are in a position to be able to ask those memorable legends where their inspiration comes from and how they translated it into something fresh and new. Fortunately for us, this book is here to offer us a bridge. In The Seekers, John Densmore—the iconic drummer of The Doors and author of the New York Times bestseller Riders onthe Storm—digs deep into his own process and draws upon his privileged access to his fellow artists and performers in order to explore the origins of creativity itself. Weaving together anecdotes from the author's personal notebooks and experiences over the past fifty years, this book takes readers on a rich, thought-provoking journey into the soul of the artist. By understanding creativity's roots, Densmore ultimately introduces us to the realm of everyday inspirations that imbue our lives with meaning. Inspired by the classic spiritual memoir Meetings with Remarkable Men, this book is fueled by Densmore's abundant collection of transformative experiences—both personal and professional—with everyone from Ravi Shankar to Patti Smith, Jim Morrison to Janis Joplin, Bob Marley to Gustavo Dudamel, Lou Reed to Van Morrison, Jerry Lee Lewis to his own dear, late Doors bandmate Ray Manzarek. Ultimately, the result is not only a look into the hearts and minds of some of the most important artists of the past century—but a way for readers to identify and ignite their own creative spark, and light their own fire.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/417281 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Toymaker: The autobiography of the man whose designs shaped our childhoods Author: Tom Karen Narrator: Mike Grady Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 9 hours 12 minutes Release date: November 12, 2020 Genres: Arts & Entertainment Publisher's Summary: Step inside his home and you'll see papier-mâché birds, a life-sized cardboard tiger, model cars; his work bench a vibrant collage of creativity, from hand-drawn maps and postcards to newly devised toys for his beloved grandchildren. Tom Karen is a toymaker, creative genius, award-winning designer and one of the world's most remarkable inventors. From inventing the Marble Run to designing the iconic Raleigh Chopper bike and creating the Bond Bug, Tom's designs are cherished the world over, but behind these fantastical creations lies an equally remarkable life. Born in the 1920s into a wealthy family and raised in Czechoslovakia by nannies, Tom had a lonely upbringing and longed for pencils, paper, paints and brushes. His childhood was short-lived when Tom and his family had to flee for their lives following the rise of Nazi Germany. It was this formative experience that would transform Tom's life. Arriving in the UK, Tom would establish himself as a creator slowly building the career that would see him dubbed 'the man who designed the seventies'. Told through the prism of Tom's incredible designs, Toymaker is a story about life, about imagination, about being in the present and existing in the past; about painting, drawing, chopping and changing; about thinking, discussing, arguing and listening. Tom's life is a tale of a century of creativity and how 'things' come to define who we are - and help us look ahead to where we're going.