The Book Reader

Aniwee - or, the Warrior Queen by Florence Dixie audiobook. Genre: adventure Set amid the wild valleys, apple groves, and snow-bright Andes of Patagonia, Aniwee - or, the Warrior Queen follows a girl scarcely sixteen who has been thrust into power after sudden tragedy. Aniwee, raised among the Araucanian people and bound to them by fierce loyalty, must rule as Queen-Regent for her young child while enemies close in on every side. Beyond the frontier, rival forces and shifting alliances threaten her homeland; within her own camp, proud warriors question a young woman's right to command, and an ambitious chief watches for weakness. When Aniwee's white friends, Harry and Topsie Vane, re-enter her world, their presence brings comfort but also new dangers, drawing outsiders into conflicts they barely understand. Woven through battles, daring rides, and tense councils are the region's legends, including ominous tales of the mysterious Trauco people, blurring the line between folklore and lived peril. Part coming-of-age, part war story, this is an adventurous portrait of leadership under pressure - and of a warrior queen determined to defend her people, her child, and the country she has chosen as her own. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:01:51) Chapter 01 (00:17:31) Chapter 02 (00:30:30) Chapter 03 (00:44:02) Chapter 04 (00:59:42) Chapter 05 (01:15:10) Chapter 06 (01:29:40) Chapter 07 (01:45:42) Chapter 08 (02:02:02) Chapter 09 (02:17:05) Chapter 10 (02:32:59) Chapter 11 (02:48:21) Chapter 12 (03:01:11) Chapter 13 (03:15:11) Chapter 14 (03:30:25) Chapter 15 (03:46:50) Chapter 16 (04:01:48) Chapter 17 (04:18:50) Chapter 18 (04:37:49) Chapter 19 (04:52:12) Chapter 20 (05:06:36) Chapter 21 (05:21:48) Chapter 22 (05:34:56) Chapter 23 (05:49:19) Chapter 24 (06:02:48) Chapter 25 (06:17:03) Chapter 26 (06:31:36) Chapter 27 (06:46:36) Chapter 28 (07:04:17) Chapter 29 (07:18:38) Chapter 30 (07:33:54) Chapter 31 (07:46:04) Chapter 32 (07:53:29) Chapter 33 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Coin Of Edward VII by Fergus Hume audiobook. Genre: mystery A family celebrates Christmas and its flaws are gently exposed by the house guest Mrs. Parry. Giles is engaged to the wealthy Daisy, yet is clearly in love with the governess Anne Denham. Things come to a head when Daisy is murdered. Who would murder her? Perhaps the governess who told her she would kill her and made it clear she wanted to exchange places with her? After all the governess ran away with a mysterious man right after the murder and was not seen again. Or did someone frame the governess? Perhaps it is Mr. Morley, Daisy's guardian, who wanted her money? Or perhaps someone else? After all, Daisy was not popular in the village. Giles, bent on saving the woman he loves, and the detective Mr. Steel go to investigate. This is a detective story in the traditional sense, but it is a host of other things. It is a very strong love story, a story about class and how it influences people's choices, a story about greed, and much more. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:19:20) Chapter 02 (00:41:47) Chapter 03 (01:06:01) Chapter 04 (01:24:48) Chapter 05 (01:40:05) Chapter 06 (01:57:47) Chapter 07 (02:13:56) Chapter 08 (02:30:29) Chapter 09 (02:50:35) Chapter 10 (03:08:26) Chapter 11 (03:29:10) Chapter 12 (03:49:22) Chapter 13 (04:08:07) Chapter 14 (04:25:11) Chapter 15 (04:45:22) Chapter 16 (05:02:35) Chapter 17 (05:22:01) Chapter 18 (05:38:48) Chapter 19 (05:58:07) Chapter 20 (06:17:53) Chapter 21 (06:36:32) Chapter 22 (06:53:09) Chapter 23 (07:13:52) Chapter 24 (07:39:11) Chapter 25 (08:02:04) Chapter 26 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the Sad Young Men by F. Scott Fitzgerald audiobook. Genre: drama First published in 1926, All the Sad Young Men gathers F. Scott Fitzgerald's sharp, glittering stories of ambition, desire, and disillusionment in the Jazz Age. Across a series of vividly drawn settings - country clubs and city apartments, college campuses and European streets - Fitzgerald follows young men and women chasing romance, status, and the promise of a life that will finally feel complete. In tales such as 'Winter Dreams' and 'The Rich Boy,' characters measure themselves against money and lineage, falling in love with ideals as much as with people, and discovering how quickly charm can curdle into regret. Other stories turn inward, tracing private reckonings with faith, identity, and the fear of being ordinary. With Fitzgerald's signature blend of lyrical tenderness and unsparing observation, this collection captures the moment when youthful confidence meets the hard edges of adulthood - and asks what is left when the party ends but the longing remains. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:29:47) Chapter 02 (01:30:59) Chapter 03 (02:25:23) Chapter 04 (02:53:27) Chapter 05 (03:28:39) Chapter 06 (04:09:37) Chapter 07 (04:57:28) Chapter 08 (05:32:01) Chapter 09 (06:06:04) Chapter 10 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fighting the Traffic in Young Girls by Ernest A. Bell audiobook. Genre: history First published in the early 1900s, Fighting the Traffic in Young Girls is Ernest A. Bell's urgent exposé and reformist call to action against what he and his contemporaries termed the 'white slave trade' - the organized recruitment and coercion of young women and girls into prostitution. Writing for parents, clergy, civic leaders, and lawmakers, Bell assembles case examples, courtroom-reported patterns, and investigative accounts to show how traffickers identify vulnerable targets, isolate them from family, and keep them trapped through debt, intimidation, and corrupt networks that span lodging houses, entertainment venues, and transportation hubs. The book moves between warning and instruction: it urges communities to confront the economic incentives behind exploitation, challenges men who bankroll the system through demand, and presses for coordinated policing, tighter regulation, and protective interventions for those at risk. At the same time, Bell frames the crisis as a moral and public-safety emergency, arguing that silence and ignorance leave children unprepared for predatory tactics. Part social document and part crusading manifesto, this is a stark window into Progressive Era vice reform and the language, anxieties, and activism that shaped early anti-trafficking campaigns. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:12:00) Chapter 01 (00:30:04) Chapter 02 (00:58:49) Chapter 03 (01:17:56) Chapter 04 (01:36:46) Chapter 05 (01:45:10) Chapter 06 (02:21:13) Chapter 07 (02:52:46) Chapter 08 (03:07:53) Chapter 09 (03:25:42) Chapter 10 (03:52:12) Chapter 11 (04:04:17) Chapter 12 (04:21:29) Chapter 13 (04:45:46) Chapter 14 (04:59:36) Chapter 15 (05:18:47) Chapter 16 (05:33:15) Chapter 17 (05:50:02) Chapter 18 (06:10:56) Chapter 19 (06:21:12) Chapter 20 (06:50:09) Chapter 21 (07:05:32) Chapter 22 (07:17:32) Chapter 23 (07:32:31) Chapter 24 (07:42:13) Chapter 25 (07:56:08) Chapter 26 (08:26:33) Chapter 27 (08:53:08) Chapter 28 (09:20:45) Chapter 29 (09:45:26) Chapter 30 (10:07:34) Chapter 31 (10:35:06) Chapter 32 (11:02:52) Chapter 33 (11:19:32) Chapter 34 (11:32:48) Chapter 35 (11:39:35) Chapter 36 (11:44:14) Chapter 37 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Literature of Arabia by Epiphanius Wilson audiobook. Genre: folklore The Literature of Arabia, edited and introduced by Epiphanius Wilson, is a gateway into classical Arabic storytelling, poetry, and legend, presented for English readers with guiding notes, context, and biographical sketches. Anchoring the volume is the Romance of Antar, the famed pre-Islamic epic of Antar, a warrior-poet born to an enslaved mother who must win honor among his tribe and fight for a place beside the woman he loves, Ibla, while rival clans and shifting alliances test his courage and reputation. From there, the book broadens into a curated set of Arabian poems, ranging from elegy and satire to reflections on fate, generosity, love, and the hard ethics of desert life, revealing how wit and music of language could be as potent as the sword. The collection then turns to selected tales from the Arabian Nights, where merchants, rulers, wanderers, and tricksters move through worlds of peril, wonder, and sharp moral consequence. Together, these selections form a lively portrait of a literary tradition shaped by oral performance, tribal memory, and the enduring power of narrative. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:06:58) Chapter 02 (00:23:45) Chapter 03 (00:49:09) Chapter 04 (01:39:48) Chapter 05 (02:01:24) Chapter 06 (02:22:49) Chapter 07 (02:40:22) Chapter 08 (03:00:26) Chapter 09 (03:25:29) Chapter 10 (03:53:23) Chapter 11 (04:26:17) Chapter 12 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seen and Unseen by Emily Katharine Bates audiobook. Genre: biography In Seen and Unseen, Emily Katharine (E. Katharine) Bates presents a candid, globe-spanning memoir of her lifelong investigations into psychic phenomena and spiritualism at the turn of the 20th century. Beginning with early memories shaped by family loss and unsettling dreams, Bates traces how private impressions grew into deliberate experiments, from youthful table-turning sessions to more formal sittings and encounters with mediums. As her travels carry her across America, Australia and New Zealand, and onward through places including India, Russia, and beyond, she records a series of vivid episodes: strange premonitions, apparent messages, haunted rooms, and moments that seem to blur the boundary between ordinary life and an unseen realm. Part travel narrative, part casebook, and part spiritual reflection, Bates writes with the curiosity of an investigator and the emotional honesty of someone trying to make sense of grief, faith, and experience. Whether you read her as a careful witness, a believer, or both, this is an intimate portrait of a restless mind asking a single urgent question: what, if anything, survives beyond what we can see? For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:14:00) Chapter 01 (00:31:50) Chapter 02 (01:11:40) Chapter 03 (01:32:38) Chapter 04 (02:09:06) Chapter 05 (02:22:37) Chapter 06 (02:50:38) Chapter 07 (03:15:26) Chapter 08 (03:41:50) Chapter 09 (04:04:26) Chapter 10 (04:33:13) Chapter 11 (04:58:35) Chapter 12 (05:28:55) Chapter 13 (06:04:48) Chapter 14 (06:27:08) Chapter 15 (07:06:15) Chapter 16 (07:28:41) Chapter 17 (08:08:29) Chapter 18 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lords of Creation by Ella Cheever Thayer audiobook. Genre: drama Set in late-19th-century America, Lords of Creation is a brisk, three-act stage drama that brings the early fight for women's suffrage into the parlor, the workplace, and the heart of one divided household. At its center is Kate Grovenor, a sharp-minded young woman unwilling to accept that a woman's only respectable future is marriage and dependence. Her determination to work, to speak for herself, and to claim a citizen's voice collides head-on with the complacent certainty of her father, Mr. Grovenor, and the social ambitions of her sister Alice, who measures security in money and status. Around them, the play threads in lively counterpoints: a son who drifts through privilege, suitors who treat women as prizes, and working women like Lizzie and Jennie whose daily realities expose the cost of being denied rights and opportunity. Told through pointed dialogue, domestic confrontations, and moments of satire, Thayer's drama asks who truly earns the title of 'creator' in society: those who hold power by tradition, or those who insist on shaping a fairer future. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 1 (00:37:35) Chapter 2 (01:05:41) Chapter 3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Really So Stories by Elizabeth Gordon audiobook. Genre: history Really So Stories by Elizabeth Gordon is a lively collection of short, true tales for curious listeners who would rather learn how things began than hear another make-believe adventure. During a summer in the woods, a boy named Billy keeps peppering his companion, Somebody, with questions: Why do we celebrate certain holidays? Where did familiar customs come from? How did everyday inventions and habits become part of life? Each chapter turns Billy's questions into a bite-sized story that mixes cozy conversation, gentle humor, and clear explanations, moving from the mysteries of the calendar and New Year's to the origins of traditions like salutes and Valentines, and onward through American history touchstones, seasonal celebrations, and practical wonders such as the telegraph. Along the way, Gordon also slips in nature and 'how it works' sketches - from pearls and pelicans to carrier pigeons and other small marvels - always keeping the focus on the real world behind the story. Warm, instructive, and briskly paced, this is a listening-friendly sampler of history, customs, and everyday science designed to spark questions long after each chapter ends. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:01:32) Chapter 02 (00:08:00) Chapter 03 (00:11:29) Chapter 04 (00:15:12) Chapter 05 (00:19:05) Chapter 06 (00:25:25) Chapter 07 (00:30:27) Chapter 08 (00:35:08) Chapter 09 (00:39:48) Chapter 10 (00:44:57) Chapter 11 (00:47:05) Chapter 12 (00:50:16) Chapter 13 (00:55:37) Chapter 14 (01:00:46) Chapter 15 (01:05:25) Chapter 16 (01:09:33) Chapter 17 (01:13:43) Chapter 18 (01:17:15) Chapter 19 (01:21:40) Chapter 20 (01:26:00) Chapter 21 (01:30:30) Chapter 22 (01:33:09) Chapter 23 (01:37:32) Chapter 24 (01:41:58) Chapter 25 (01:44:39) Chapter 26 (01:48:49) Chapter 27 (01:53:44) Chapter 28 (01:58:01) Chapter 29 (02:02:55) Chapter 30 (02:07:17) Chapter 31 (02:12:16) Chapter 32 (02:16:33) Chapter 33 (02:23:33) Chapter 34 (02:28:32) Chapter 35 (02:33:24) Chapter 36 (02:37:45) Chapter 37 (02:40:00) Chapter 38 (02:43:01) Chapter 39 (02:47:07) Chapter 40 (02:52:54) Chapter 41 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Soup and Sauce Book by Elizabeth Douglas audiobook. Genre: cooking The Soup and Sauce Book by Elizabeth Douglas is a practical, early-20th-century guide for cooks who want to build real confidence with the two foundations that can transform everyday meals: soups and sauces. Rather than treating recipes as untouchable rules, Douglas focuses on method, teaching you how good stock, careful simmering, and balanced seasoning create depth of flavor with straightforward ingredients. The book moves from clear soups and comforting broths to velvety purees and richer preparations, offering a wide range of options for different seasons, budgets, and appetites. On the sauce side, Douglas breaks down the building blocks of classic cookery: thickening with flour or eggs, enriching with butter or cream, brightening with citrus and vinegar, and finishing with herbs, aromatics, and pan drippings. You will find both hot sauces for roasts, steaks, and cutlets and cold sauces suited to lighter plates, along with guidance that helps you adapt to what you have on hand. Whether you are a curious beginner or a capable home cook looking to refine technique, this book invites you to master fundamentals and then make them your own. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:01:41) Chapter 02 (00:07:52) Chapter 03 (00:13:27) Chapter 04 (00:25:11) Chapter 05 (00:37:31) Chapter 06 (00:43:10) Chapter 07 (00:49:48) Chapter 08 (01:00:57) Chapter 09 (01:13:10) Chapter 10 (01:25:00) Chapter 11 (01:34:30) Chapter 12 (01:44:40) Chapter 13 (01:50:12) Chapter 14 (01:54:44) Chapter 15 (02:03:05) Chapter 16 (02:08:13) Chapter 17 (02:12:51) Chapter 18 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pudding and Pastry Book by Elizabeth Douglas audiobook. Genre: cooking First published in 1903, The Pudding and Pastry Book is Elizabeth Douglas's practical, dessert-focused handbook for the home kitchen, offering clear instruction and a wide range of classic sweets. Douglas begins with a cook's-eye view of technique and preparation - measuring carefully, choosing suitable dishes, and working with heat, steam, and cold to get consistent results. From there, the book unfolds as a well-stocked repertoire: comforting milk puddings and custards, fruit-based dishes, light souffles, set creams and jellies, and chilled treats such as ices, alongside a substantial section devoted to pastry. You will find foundational guidance on keeping ingredients and hands cold, using minimal water, and avoiding overworking dough, plus dependable formulas for plain pastry, rich crusts, short crust, and puff pastry. Whether you are assembling a simple family pudding or planning tarts, tartlets, pies, and molded desserts for guests, Douglas's emphasis is on reliable methods that make old-fashioned favorites achievable. It is an inviting window into Edwardian-era cooking - and a usable collection for anyone who loves traditional puddings and crisp, well-made pastry. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:07:52) Chapter 02 (00:15:15) Chapter 03 (00:19:11) Chapter 04 (00:26:19) Chapter 05 (00:36:29) Chapter 06 (00:41:31) Chapter 07 (00:48:26) Chapter 08 (00:52:07) Chapter 09 (00:58:29) Chapter 10 (01:03:23) Chapter 11 (01:15:53) Chapter 12 (01:25:28) Chapter 13 (01:34:28) Chapter 14 (01:46:23) Chapter 15 (02:00:05) Chapter 16 (02:04:56) Chapter 17 (02:11:31) Chapter 18 (02:18:24) Chapter 19 (02:23:33) Chapter 20 (02:29:29) Chapter 21 (02:35:55) Chapter 22 (02:42:35) Chapter 23 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices