The Book Reader

The Greenstone Door by William Satchell audiobook. Genre: history In William Satchell's The Greenstone Door, an older Cedric Tregarthen looks back on a youth shaped by violence and belonging in mid-19th-century New Zealand. After his family is swept away in frontier conflict, Cedric is taken in by the trader Purcell and grows up under the protection of a powerful Maori community, sharing a wild, close-knit childhood with his foster sister Puhi-Huia and his fierce, complicated friend Rangiora. Deep in a hidden limestone cave, the children bind themselves to a vow of peace - the tatau pounamu, the greenstone door - a symbol meant to close the way to bloodshed forever. But as Cedric is sent to Auckland to be schooled in Pakeha society, the world widens and hardens: colonial politics tighten their grip, loyalties split along race and land, and war begins to press in on every relationship he values. Torn between the people who raised him, the culture he is expected to serve, and a growing love that ties him to the halls of power, Cedric must decide what honor, home, and peace can possibly mean when history itself is marching toward battle. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:01:26) Chapter 01 (00:28:42) Chapter 02 (00:56:20) Chapter 03 (01:35:45) Chapter 04 (02:10:20) Chapter 05 (02:42:55) Chapter 06 (03:12:27) Chapter 07 (03:46:58) Chapter 08 (04:19:49) Chapter 09 (04:46:12) Chapter 10 (05:19:21) Chapter 11 (05:57:56) Chapter 12 (06:32:26) Chapter 13 (07:03:42) Chapter 14 (07:48:16) Chapter 15 (08:10:21) Chapter 16 (08:40:22) Chapter 17 (09:18:48) Chapter 18 (09:46:52) Chapter 19 (10:14:26) Chapter 20 (10:48:28) Chapter 21 (11:29:33) Chapter 22 (11:53:59) Chapter 23 (12:36:45) Chapter 24 (13:09:01) Chapter 25 (13:54:32) Chapter 26 (14:30:20) Chapter 27 (14:47:23) Chapter 28 (14:52:21) Chapter 29 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Silent Witness by R. Austin Freeman audiobook. Genre: mystery On a wet midnight walk near Hampstead, newly qualified physician Dr. Humphrey Jardine comes upon what seems to be the body of an elderly man lying in Millfield Lane. When he returns with the police, the corpse has vanished without a trace. The authorities doubt his story, but Jardine cannot forget the bloodstain, the disturbed ground leading toward the woods, and a small octagonal gold reliquary that feels like the one solid clue in a night that makes no sense. Soon, odd coincidences tighten into something far more alarming: unsettling strangers appear at the edges of his new life, a shadowy woman named Mrs. Samway turns up where she should not be, and Jardine finds himself the target of carefully engineered danger. Out of his depth and running out of time, he turns to his former teacher, Dr. John Thorndyke, a barrister-physician whose calm logic and forensic expertise can make evidence speak when people will not. As Thorndyke reconstructs what happened to the missing man, Jardine is drawn into a London mystery of hidden identities, calculated deception, and science used both to conceal and to reveal the truth. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:19:18) Chapter 02 (00:33:56) Chapter 03 (00:46:32) Chapter 04 (01:18:01) Chapter 05 (01:51:26) Chapter 06 (02:18:49) Chapter 07 (02:39:54) Chapter 08 (03:07:59) Chapter 09 (03:25:44) Chapter 10 (03:44:43) Chapter 11 (04:18:27) Chapter 12 (04:47:24) Chapter 13 (05:25:18) Chapter 14 (06:01:23) Chapter 15 (06:37:14) Chapter 16 (07:27:16) Chapter 17 (08:03:46) Chapter 18 (08:28:46) Chapter 19 (08:56:24) Chapter 20 (09:26:10) Chapter 21 (10:02:59) Chapter 22 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Critical History of Greek Philosophy by Walter Terence Stace audiobook. Genre: philosophy A Critical History of Greek Philosophy by Walter Terence Stace is a clear, rigorous guide to the thinkers who shaped the Western tradition of reasoned inquiry. Moving from the early cosmologists who first asked what the world is made of, through the moral revolution of Socrates, and into the grand systems of Plato and Aristotle, Stace explains not only what these philosophers argued but why their problems still matter. With a teacher's instinct for the central point, he traces how ideas about knowledge, reality, ethics, and the good life developed under the pressures of politics, science, and religious change. The story continues into the Hellenistic era, where Stoics, Epicureans, Skeptics, and later currents respond to a world that feels less stable and more personal. Throughout, Stace offers critical commentary that tests each doctrine for coherence and consequences, helping listeners see Greek philosophy as a living debate rather than a museum of names and quotations. This is an accessible road map for newcomers and a sharpening companion for readers who want a disciplined, big-picture understanding of what Greek philosophy tried to achieve. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:12:52) Chapter 01 (00:46:21) Chapter 02 (00:53:55) Chapter 03 (01:01:07) Chapter 04 (01:06:02) Chapter 05 (01:07:52) Chapter 06 (01:26:02) Chapter 07 (01:32:54) Chapter 08 (01:52:07) Chapter 09 (02:09:07) Chapter 10 (02:33:45) Chapter 11 (02:51:23) Chapter 12 (03:01:01) Chapter 13 (03:15:59) Chapter 14 (03:40:18) Chapter 15 (04:22:17) Chapter 16 (04:42:46) Chapter 17 (05:03:20) Chapter 18 (05:15:20) Chapter 19 (05:20:22) Chapter 20 (05:23:53) Chapter 21 (05:49:45) Chapter 22 (06:00:26) Chapter 23 (06:22:23) Chapter 24 (06:50:39) Chapter 25 (07:15:30) Chapter 26 (07:42:10) Chapter 27 (07:48:59) Chapter 28 (08:11:59) Chapter 29 (08:20:54) Chapter 30 (08:25:13) Chapter 31 (08:55:15) Chapter 32 (09:26:35) Chapter 33 (09:48:50) Chapter 34 (10:26:58) Chapter 35 (10:46:03) Chapter 36 (11:00:32) Chapter 37 (11:14:33) Chapter 38 (11:23:13) Chapter 39 (11:28:01) Chapter 40 (11:34:04) Chapter 41 (11:45:36) Chapter 42 (11:52:22) Chapter 43 (11:57:11) Chapter 44 (12:04:36) Chapter 45 (12:08:32) Chapter 46 (12:11:50) Chapter 47 (12:19:21) Chapter 48 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The War Trail by Thomas Mayne Reid audiobook. Genre: adventure On the uneasy borderlands of the Rio Bravo, not long after the Mexican War, Captain Warfield leads a hard-riding troop of American rangers assigned to keep a fragile peace: protect isolated settlements, guard uneasy allies, and face the constant threat of raiders and guerrilla bands. From the rooftop of a dusty frontier village, Warfield glimpses the nearby hacienda of Don Ramon de Vargas and soon meets the Don's spirited daughter, Isolina, a young woman whose pride and courage match the wild country around her. But politics and personal grudges ride alongside romance. A bitter enemy, the dangerous Rafael Ijurra, moves in the shadows, and old scores within the ranger troop threaten to flare when duty demands ruthless choices.When talk turns to a legendary mustang - the snow-white 'white steed of the prairies' - Warfield joins a reckless hunt across open savannah and thorny chaparral. The chase becomes more than sport: it pulls the rangers onto a perilous trail where every hoofprint may lead to ambush, betrayal, or a fight for survival. Sweeping, vivid, and relentlessly suspenseful, The War Trail blends frontier action with questions of honor, loyalty, and love in a land still at war with itself. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 001 (00:08:44) Chapter 002 (00:18:54) Chapter 003 (00:33:40) Chapter 004 (00:45:37) Chapter 005 (00:54:21) Chapter 006 (01:11:53) Chapter 007 (01:28:07) Chapter 008 (01:38:56) Chapter 009 (01:52:58) Chapter 010 (02:07:02) Chapter 011 (02:25:48) Chapter 012 (02:38:08) Chapter 013 (02:55:44) Chapter 014 (03:05:13) Chapter 015 (03:16:47) Chapter 016 (03:30:51) Chapter 017 (03:37:14) Chapter 018 (03:51:00) Chapter 019 (04:00:53) Chapter 020 (04:10:53) Chapter 021 (04:21:53) Chapter 022 (04:37:02) Chapter 023 (04:46:52) Chapter 024 (05:00:11) Chapter 025 (05:14:34) Chapter 026 (05:26:51) Chapter 027 (05:43:17) Chapter 028 (05:58:38) Chapter 029 (06:12:24) Chapter 030 (06:25:04) Chapter 031 (06:34:34) Chapter 032 (06:45:13) Chapter 033 (07:01:49) Chapter 034 (07:13:06) Chapter 035 (07:22:20) Chapter 036 (07:33:38) Chapter 037 (07:43:59) Chapter 038 (07:55:12) Chapter 039 (08:12:13) Chapter 040 (08:21:35) Chapter 041 (08:30:07) Chapter 042 (08:40:01) Chapter 043 (08:54:31) Chapter 044 (09:04:40) Chapter 045 (09:21:54) Chapter 046 (09:35:04) Chapter 047 (09:51:05) Chapter 048 (10:00:49) Chapter 049 (10:12:42) Chapter 050 (10:27:18) Chapter 051 (10:35:15) Chapter 052 (10:48:52) Chapter 053 (11:01:06) Chapter 054 (11:10:44) Chapter 055 (11:19:40) Chapter 056 (11:30:27) Chapter 057 (11:40:13) Chapter 058 (11:47:08) Chapter 059 (11:55:37) Chapter 060 (12:02:43) Chapter 061 (12:11:02) Chapter 062 (12:18:30) Chapter 063 (12:28:27) Chapter 064 (12:37:45) Chapter 065 (12:47:05) Chapter 066 (12:54:19) Chapter 067 (13:05:14) Chapter 068 (13:14:49) Chapter 069 (13:23:15) Chapter 070 (13:31:40) Chapter 071 (13:43:58) Chapter 072 (13:51:31) Chapter 073 (14:00:41) Chapter 074 (14:09:25) Chapter 075 (14:20:55) Chapter 076 (14:31:53) Chapter 077 (14:40:39) Chapter 078 (14:49:53) Chapter 079 (15:02:38) Chapter 080 (15:14:18) Chapter 081 (15:24:05) Chapter 082 (15:33:40) Chapter 083 (15:41:05) Chapter 084 (15:53:13) Chapter 085 (16:01:43) Chapter 086 Max Character Limit reached Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Follies of a Day by Pierre Beaumarchais audiobook. Genre: comedy This is Thomas Holcroft's English translation, obtained by attending Pierre Beaumarchais' French play nine times in Paris during its original official staging in 1784. Beaumarchais' play was the basis for Mozart's 1796 opera, and is a satire about lovers' misdoings and French society. Because of its rebellious themes, presented during the troubling times leading up to the French Revolution, Beaumarchais had a very difficult time getting his play past the censors. Once staged, the play was enormously popular with audiences, including the aristocracy despite their understanding of the underlying themes. It was shocking that an commoner could contend directly with a nobleman. Louis XVI was not amused with Beaumarchais and imprisoned him for a few days. In our play, staged in London in 1785, Figaro is engaged to be married to Susan, who has caught the eye of Count Almaviva . . . (Holcroft Anglicized Suzanne's name so that English audiences would better accept her.) The Marriage is part of a trilogy, following The Barber of Seville and preceding The Guilty Mother. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:08:29) Chapter 01 (00:46:20) Chapter 02 (01:34:00) Chapter 03 (02:07:58) Chapter 04 (02:34:49) Chapter 05 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Art of Dying Well by St. Robert Bellarmine audiobook. Genre: religion In The Art of Dying Well, St. Robert Bellarmine - a leading Catholic theologian and pastor of souls - offers a clear, steady guide to facing lifes most unavoidable moment with faith rather than fear. Written for ordinary Christians as well as clergy and caregivers, the book treats death not as a taboo subject but as a spiritual reality that can be met wisely through daily preparation. Bellarmine leads the listener through the habits that shape a peaceful conscience: prayer, repentance, humility, detachment from passing goods, and a renewed focus on the last things - judgment, eternity, and the hope of salvation. Along the way, he explores the inner obstacles that make death frightening, including anxiety, unfinished sins, and misplaced confidence, and he proposes practical remedies drawn from Scripture, the saints, and the Churchs sacramental life. Both bracing and consoling, this work invites a reordering of priorities now so that the final hour is not ruled by panic or regret. It is a concise spiritual companion for anyone seeking to live more deliberately by remembering that how one lives is inseparable from how one dies. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:14:44) Chapter 01 (00:19:38) Chapter 02 (00:34:30) Chapter 03 (00:49:02) Chapter 04 (01:07:59) Chapter 05 (01:19:15) Chapter 06 (01:33:20) Chapter 07 (01:54:59) Chapter 08 (02:11:26) Chapter 09 (02:33:00) Chapter 10 (02:47:04) Chapter 11 (02:55:22) Chapter 12 (03:07:37) Chapter 13 (03:21:52) Chapter 14 (03:35:37) Chapter 15 (03:51:36) Chapter 16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anne of Geierstein, Volume 1 by Sir Walter Scott audiobook. Genre: history In Anne of Geierstein, Volume 1, Sir Walter Scott transports listeners to late-15th-century Europe, where the clash between the rising Swiss Confederacy and the power of Burgundy turns travel into peril and diplomacy into a game of survival. A young English traveler, Arthur Philipson, and his older companion and guide, Dr. Hendrik, set out across the Alps on a journey that is part pilgrimage, part secret errand, and wholly dangerous in a continent fractured by war, shifting loyalties, and suspicious borders. Their path leads them to the rugged stronghold of Geierstein and to Anne, the Baron's remarkable daughter, whose courage and enigmatic reputation draw Arthur into a world where local custom, fierce independence, and whispered legends carry real political weight. As Arthur and his mentor seek safe passage and trustworthy allies, they must navigate hostile soldiers, wary towns, and the long reach of Burgundian ambition, all while guarding their own purpose from prying eyes. Volume 1 lays the groundwork for a sweeping historical romance and adventure about identity, honor, and the price of freedom. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:38:55) Chapter 02 (01:24:13) Chapter 03 (02:20:00) Chapter 04 (02:41:08) Chapter 05 (03:20:45) Chapter 06 (03:47:24) Chapter 07 (04:22:22) Chapter 08 (04:38:04) Chapter 09 (05:14:58) Chapter 10 (05:54:46) Chapter 11 (06:36:15) Chapter 12 (07:19:14) Chapter 13 (07:50:39) Chapter 14 (08:31:19) Chapter 15 (09:13:42) Chapter 16 (10:02:29) Chapter 17 (11:06:27) Chapter 18 (11:53:46) Chapter 19 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gertrude's Diary, and The Cube by Pansy audiobook. Genre: religion Gertrude's Diary, and The Cube gathers two spirited tales for young listeners from beloved Christian author Pansy (Isabella Macdonald Alden). In Gertrude's Diary, sensible, outspoken Gertrude Morrison agrees to a challenge set by her pastor, Mr. Neale: she and her closest friends, Ruth, Namie, and Prissy, will keep daily journals and measure their choices against a new Bible 'golden text' each month. What begins as a curious assignment quickly turns searching and personal, as Gertrude's honest entries expose careless words, small selfish habits, and the quiet struggles of trying to be a doer of the Word at home, at school, and with friends. In The Cube, a lively circle of twenty-seven cousins and companions forms a society for 'entertainment and improvement,' staging short scenes and tableaux that the rest must identify from history. Planning costumes, keeping secrets, and working together under pressure, the young performers discover that learning can be both playful and humbling, and that character matters as much as cleverness. Together, these stories offer warmth, humor, and gentle conviction about faith lived in everyday life. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:12:08) Chapter 02 (00:20:25) Chapter 03 (00:26:02) Chapter 04 (00:35:52) Chapter 05 (00:45:01) Chapter 06 (00:53:41) Chapter 07 (01:04:42) Chapter 08 (01:14:35) Chapter 09 (01:20:50) Chapter 10 (01:28:41) Chapter 11 (01:37:26) Chapter 12 (01:45:20) Chapter 13 (01:53:21) Chapter 14 (01:59:44) Chapter 15 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

His Wisdom, the Defender - A Story by Simon Newcomb audiobook. Genre: scifi Set in a near-future America imagined from the turn of the 20th century, His Wisdom, the Defender is presented as a later historical account of how the world was pushed toward an uneasy peace. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, the brilliant and intensely private Professor Campbell makes a breakthrough that promises effectively limitless power, then withdraws from academia and becomes the wealthiest man alive almost overnight. But money is only a tool for his real ambition: ending war itself. When Campbell unveils a second, even more astonishing discovery that makes controlled flight possible, he begins building fast aerial craft and, in absolute secrecy, a disciplined corps of young recruits trained to operate them. Their most startling equipment is a protective, human-shaped flying rig: part vehicle, part armor, and wholly unprecedented. As governments, militaries, and newspapers react with suspicion, awe, and fear, Campbell is forced to defend his inventions from theft and weaponization while deciding how far one man should go to impose peace on the world. Blending techno-wonder with political tension, Newcomb's novel explores the seduction of benevolent power, the fragility of international order, and the price of a utopia enforced from the skies. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:02:31) Chapter 02 (00:21:32) Chapter 03 (00:42:30) Chapter 04 (00:56:51) Chapter 05 (01:24:02) Chapter 06 (01:33:44) Chapter 07 (01:55:08) Chapter 08 (02:07:08) Chapter 09 (02:29:15) Chapter 10 (02:59:10) Chapter 11 (03:25:40) Chapter 12 (03:52:40) Chapter 13 (04:16:56) Chapter 14 (04:35:13) Chapter 15 (04:59:24) Chapter 16 (05:18:01) Chapter 17 (05:41:27) Chapter 18 (06:02:58) Chapter 19 (06:16:21) Chapter 20 (06:28:03) Chapter 21 (06:41:59) Chapter 22 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Lying by Saint Augustine of Hippo audiobook. Genre: philosophy In On Lying, Saint Augustine of Hippo tackles a question as practical as it is unsettling: can a lie ever be justified? Writing as a pastor, teacher, and philosopher, Augustine examines the everyday ways people bend the truth and the serious spiritual and social consequences that follow. With a careful, step-by-step method, he defines what counts as a lie, explores the role of intention and speech, and tests common excuses: protecting someone from harm, avoiding shame, helping a friend, or defending the faith. Along the way, he presents vivid scenarios drawn from family life, civic affairs, and religious controversy, asking listeners to weigh mercy against integrity and short-term outcomes against the formation of character. More than a list of rules, this concise treatise is a disciplined inquiry into conscience, responsibility, and the meaning of truthful communication. Augustine challenges the listener to consider how truth shapes trust, how habits of deception distort the self, and what it means to live with a steady heart when the cost of honesty feels too high. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:53:13) Chapter 02 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices