The LibriVox community wants to bring you a special treat for the 2009 Holiday Season. Here is a collection of 30 traditional Christmas carols performed in a variety of styles by our wonderful volunteers. Enjoy!

Genre(s): Music

Language: Multilingual

Keyword(s): Christmas (207), holiday (62), carols (17), songs (12)

Group: Christmas Carol Collections

Carmilla is a Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu. First published in 1872, it tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla. Carmilla predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by over twenty years, had a strong influence on Stoker's famous novel. (Summary from Wikipedia)

Genre(s): Horror & Supernatural Fiction

Language: English

Between the California and Yukon/Klondike gold rushes was the Cariboo Gold Rush in what would become northern British Columbia. The first discovery was made in 1859, but the rush didn't get underway in earnest until 1861. This short work documents the story of this lesser-known era and how it directly affected the development of British Columbia. (Summary by TriciaG)

Genre(s): Modern (19th C)

Language: English

Keyword(s): history (910), Canada (188), Canadian History (21), British Columbia (4), cariboo gold rush (1)

Group: Chronicles of Canada Series

Captives of the Flame

Samuel R. Delany (1942 - )

Chip Delany's 2nd novel -- the first is The Jewels of Aptor (1962) -- published by Ace Books in 1963. Set in the 35th Century, the survivors of a nuclear war live on the coastline and an island in a kingdom ruled by a royal family in disrepair. A young victim -- the son of a wealthy merchant -- of their wrath becomes a working-class hero as he fights to get back his good name, aided by a disaffected member of the royal family. This was later rewritten as Out of The Dead City by Delany as part of the Towers Trilogy, an early masterpiece, IMO. (Introduction by BellonaTimes)

The Captain of the Polestar, and other tales (Pt.2)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930)

This is a collection of early Sir Arthur Conan Doyle short stories. It includes stories of mystery, comedy, shipwrecks and fantasy. (Summary by Richard Kilmer)

Genre(s): Single Author Collections

Language: English

Keyword(s): fiction (1613), adventure (1061), Mystery (800)

The Captain of the Polestar, and other tales (Pt.1)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930)

This is a collection of early Sir Arthur Conan Doyle short stories. It includes stories of mystery, comedy, shipwrecks and fantasy. (Summary by Richard Kilmer)

Genre(s): Single Author Collections

Language: English

Keyword(s): fiction (1613), adventure (1061), Mystery (800)

This is the story of Buck, dog napped from sunny California to snowy Arctic during the Alaska gold rush. This deservedly famous book has been already recorded by LibriVox and downloaded more than 100,000 times. Why, then, would anyone suggest another recording? Because this will be a Solo recording.
One of the joys of LibriVox is also a source of frustration for some listeners. That is, getting used to a narrator just in time for it to change! So, with apologies to Gordon, Kristin, Jean, and Miette, I am doing a solo. (Introduction by Tom Crawford)
Please be aware this book contains graphic descriptions of unspeakable animal cruelty and violence.

Genre(s): Action & Adventure Fiction, Nature & Animal Fiction

Language: English

Keyword(s): fiction (1613), dogs (56), Alaska (44), wolves (8)

A Calendar of Sonnets

Helen Hunt Jackson (1830 - 1885)

Helen Hunt Jackson is probably most famous for her work on behalf of Native Americans’ rights. However, this short volume presents a sonnet for each month of the year, devoted simply and beautifully to the shifting wonder of nature through the seasons.
(Summary by Laura Fox)

Genre(s): Sonnets

Language: English

Keyword(s): literature (1959), poetry (1824)

The Adventures of Buster Bear is another set of children’s stories by the conservationist, Thornton W. Burgess. Buster Bear has many adventures and misadventures as he meets the different characters in the Green Forest near the Laughing Brook. Along the way, we learn about the habits of Buster and his friends and we learn little lessons about life such as the importance of sharing, not stealing, making friends and not sticking one's head into tin pails. (Summary by John Lieder)

Genre(s): Animals & Nature

Language: English

Keyword(s): children (1119), animals (410), Thornton W. Burgess (1)

This was written in the mid 1800’s at time when Australia saw an influx of immigration from Europe and when England was sending some prisoners to Australia rather than to prisons. Haygarth shows us what it is like, and what it takes, to live in the Australian Bush. He shows us about the different life on a cattle/sheep station, living miles from the nearest neighbor, getting to town just a few times a year and that it may be several hundred miles away. From his own experiences relates dealings with BushRangers (thieves), building and running a station, breaking wild horses, helping neighbors in times of need. We learn about how disputes are settled, the wildlife and fauna of the bush, aboriginal customs, festivals and weapons. (Summary Kirk202)

Genre(s): Memoirs

Language: English

Keyword(s): history (910), australia (91)