The Book Reader

The Thing in the Woods by Margery Williams audiobook. Genre: fantasy Dr. Haverill is asked to fill in as local physician for the skittish Dr. Lennox in a small Pennsylvania town. The locals seem to be a superstitious bunch, prone to fearing traveling in the woods at night and with good reason. It seems a series of vicious attacks have occurred by what appears to be some kind of large animal. As the bodies begin to pile up, Dr. Haverill starts to question whether the responsible party could be something beyond humanity. Writer Margery Williams Bianco (writing here under the pseudonym Harper Williams) is perhaps better known for writing the children's classic 'The Velveteen Rabbit', but this dark slice of mystery horror fiction was found to be admired by none other than H. P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft scholars have noted in particular a distinct influence that this book had on his famous story 'The Dunwich Horror'. Also please note that this book is of its time and features racially insensitive language in the early chapters. Those who are concerned with such language should be advised. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:14:17) Chapter 02 (00:25:09) Chapter 03 (00:47:46) Chapter 04 (01:03:53) Chapter 05 (01:16:23) Chapter 06 (01:25:32) Chapter 07 (01:43:53) Chapter 08 (02:04:54) Chapter 09 (02:17:00) Chapter 10 (02:27:04) Chapter 11 (02:36:49) Chapter 12 (02:45:24) Chapter 13 (02:56:35) Chapter 14 (03:07:54) Chapter 15 (03:25:50) Chapter 16 (03:36:54) Chapter 17 (03:48:14) Chapter 18 (04:07:06) Chapter 19 (04:32:18) Chapter 20 (04:54:47) Chapter 21 (05:17:56) Chapter 22 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Camp Fire Girls at Sunrise Hill by Margaret Vandercook audiobook. Genre: adventure Fifteen-year-old Betty Ashton has everything a girl in Woodford, New Hampshire, is supposed to want-except a sense of purpose. Restless in her old family home, she is stunned when her mother brings in Esther Clark, a blunt, big-hearted girl from the local orphan asylum, to serve as Betty's companion. Esther carries something Betty has never tried before: the Camp Fire Girls' ideals of work, health, and love, along with the practical courage to build a fire, learn outdoor skills, and earn hard-won honors. Soon Betty, Esther, and their friends - including the bright, loyal Polly O'Neill - trade drawing rooms for pine woods and create a summer camp at beautiful Sunrise Hill under the steady guidance of their guardian, Miss McMurtry. But camp life is more than songs and ceremonies. Old grudges and new jealousies follow the girls into the woods, a troubled outsider tests the group's compassion, and rumors of a reckless plan by local boys threaten the safety and unity of the camp. As the season deepens, Betty must decide what kind of leader - and friend - she truly wants to be. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:19:51) Chapter 02 (00:36:20) Chapter 03 (00:53:37) Chapter 04 (01:03:26) Chapter 05 (01:15:09) Chapter 06 (01:27:44) Chapter 07 (01:55:39) Chapter 08 (02:15:48) Chapter 09 (02:42:49) Chapter 10 (03:01:19) Chapter 11 (03:12:35) Chapter 12 (03:35:45) Chapter 13 (03:53:17) Chapter 14 (04:05:08) Chapter 15 (04:22:08) Chapter 16 (04:33:19) Chapter 17 (04:49:52) Chapter 18 (04:57:04) Chapter 19 (05:12:05) Chapter 20 (05:23:09) Chapter 21 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baseball Joe in the Big League by Lester Chadwick audiobook. Genre: adventure 'Baseball Joe' Matson's great ambition is to become a professional baseball pitcher. The Baseball Joe series follows his career as he seeks to attain his goal. In this fifth volume, Joe is drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the major leagues. A successful season of pitching is marred by mishaps beginning with a request for a loan by a has-been ball player and ending with the kidnapping of our hero. Lester Chadwick is one of dozens of house pseudonyms created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate in the early to mid 1900's, to 'author' children's series. Contract writers (whose identities were to remain unknown under tight secrecy) were hired to write the books in the series under the various names, usually multiple writers contributing volumes to a particular series. Howard R. Garis (1873-1962) is thought to have ghost-written most, if not all (sources vary), of the 14-volume Baseball Joe series. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:13:24) Chapter 02 (00:23:07) Chapter 03 (00:36:15) Chapter 04 (00:46:55) Chapter 05 (00:57:27) Chapter 06 (01:07:38) Chapter 07 (01:16:24) Chapter 08 (01:28:22) Chapter 09 (01:36:42) Chapter 10 (01:49:07) Chapter 11 (02:01:24) Chapter 12 (02:08:48) Chapter 13 (02:19:39) Chapter 14 (02:31:50) Chapter 15 (02:40:22) Chapter 16 (02:53:16) Chapter 17 (03:02:59) Chapter 18 (03:09:13) Chapter 19 (03:20:13) Chapter 20 (03:36:08) Chapter 21 (03:45:32) Chapter 22 (03:56:17) Chapter 23 (04:08:31) Chapter 24 (04:17:20) Chapter 25 (04:28:27) Chapter 26 (04:35:41) Chapter 27 (04:43:42) Chapter 28 (04:50:14) Chapter 29 (04:57:50) Chapter 30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Shall We Do by Leo Tolstoy audiobook. Genre: philosophy A vivid description of wealth and poverty in Russia in Tolstoy's day, an inquiry into the root causes of economic inequality, and a vision of a more just way of living. Tolstoy recounts his own disturbing encounters with extreme poverty in Moscow, his initial idea of making the problem disappear by generous financial contributions, and his subsequent realization that the problem of poverty was much more intractable than he had imagined. He concludes that poverty is fundamentally linked with the luxurious lifestyle to which he and his class were accustomed, and that both are detrimental both to the rich and to the poor. He goes on to investigate the roots of power imbalances, both in the state and in markets, and to make suggestions for a fundamental social and economic reform in the interest of justice and well-being. Both his social critique and his proposed reforms are grounded in a deeply held and somewhat unorthodox religious faith, as well as in a vigorously applied but somewhat unconventional view of science. Unfortunately he also expresses some views on the role and duties of women and the use of birth control which some readers may find offensive. This material is mostly contained in Chapter 40, the last chapter. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:02:59) Chapter 01 (00:11:34) Chapter 02 (00:26:02) Chapter 03 (00:39:32) Chapter 04 (00:46:08) Chapter 05 (00:55:13) Chapter 06 (01:02:15) Chapter 07 (01:08:47) Chapter 08 (01:21:29) Chapter 09 (01:27:34) Chapter 10 (01:39:39) Chapter 11 (01:46:30) Chapter 12 (01:56:06) Chapter 13 (02:12:19) Chapter 14 (02:26:31) Chapter 15 (02:40:26) Chapter 16 (02:51:38) Chapter 17 (03:12:41) Chapter 18 (03:42:49) Chapter 19 (03:56:53) Chapter 20 (04:25:25) Chapter 21 (05:02:03) Chapter 22 (05:13:44) Chapter 23 (05:21:47) Chapter 24 (05:49:46) Chapter 25 (06:10:42) Chapter 26 (06:28:00) Chapter 27 (06:46:00) Chapter 28 (06:57:29) Chapter 29 (07:14:56) Chapter 30 (07:35:30) Chapter 31 (07:50:05) Chapter 32 (08:00:44) Chapter 33 (08:07:02) Chapter 34 (08:30:44) Chapter 35 (08:34:22) Chapter 36 (08:54:21) Chapter 37 (09:10:06) Chapter 38 (09:55:07) Chapter 39 (10:31:12) Chapter 40 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin audiobook. Genre: family Orphaned young but brimming with imagination, Rebecca Rowena Randall is sent from her quiet country home in Maine to live with her two aunts in the village of Riverboro. Aunt Miranda rules her household with strict economy and firm expectations, while Aunt Jane offers gentleness and quiet support. Rebecca, determined to be useful and to win affection without losing her sparkle, must learn the rhythms of a new home where rules feel sharper and approval is hard-earned. At school she meets spirited friends, faces embarrassing missteps, and discovers the pleasures and perils of being noticed for her quick mind and expressive ways. As she grows, Rebecca finds outlets for her creativity in writing, recitation, and performance, and she begins to imagine a future beyond what her circumstances seem to allow. Warm, funny, and heartfelt, this classic coming-of-age story follows a bright girl's struggle to balance duty and dreams, independence and belonging, as she works to shape a life of her own in a world that keeps trying to shape her first. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:02:58) Chapter 01 (00:30:54) Chapter 02 (00:42:37) Chapter 03 (00:59:52) Chapter 04 (01:06:14) Chapter 05 (01:25:59) Chapter 06 (01:41:05) Chapter 07 (01:54:51) Chapter 08 (02:06:15) Chapter 09 (02:20:08) Chapter 10 (02:33:17) Chapter 11 (02:45:35) Chapter 12 (03:04:00) Chapter 13 (03:15:45) Chapter 14 (03:28:40) Chapter 15 (03:41:48) Chapter 16 (03:59:20) Chapter 17 (04:13:06) Chapter 18 (04:29:04) Chapter 19 (04:43:10) Chapter 20 (04:57:01) Chapter 21 (05:16:34) Chapter 22 (05:37:37) Chapter 23 (05:50:32) Chapter 24 (06:05:15) Chapter 25 (06:23:32) Chapter 26 (06:37:43) Chapter 27 (06:54:39) Chapter 28 (07:13:45) Chapter 29 (07:26:45) Chapter 30 (07:37:20) Chapter 31 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trial of a New Society by Justus Ebert audiobook. Genre: philosophy In 1912 textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, mostly immigrants, went on strike in response to a pay cut, speedups, and unsafe working conditions. Representatives from the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW/Wobblies) came in to help organize the strike. The city declared martial law and a tense standoff went on for weeks. National newspapers provided breathless coverage of the strike and painted drastically different pictures of what was happening and who was to blame. When a woman was shot in ambiguous circumstances, strike leaders were tried for murder--not for shooting her, but for purportedly inciting mob violence leading to her death. They were acquitted. This book by an ardent IWW member, which seems to have been written in haste as well as in great enthusiasm, gives a vivid journalistic account of labor conditions, of the strike which was afterward known as the Bread and Roses strike, of the trial of strike leaders Joseph Ettor and Arturo Giovanitti, and of the general strike organized to support them. The linked text includes reproductions of various cartoons, posters, and leaflets from the strike, which have not been read aloud. It also includes many footnotes, detailed citations of sources for quotes, which also have not been read aloud--only those footnotes required to explain quotes which had no attribution in the main text have been included For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:05:32) Chapter 01 (00:37:27) Chapter 02 (00:57:40) Chapter 03 (01:45:57) Chapter 04 (02:10:57) Chapter 05 (02:45:40) Chapter 06 (03:19:46) Chapter 07 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu audiobook. Genre: horror In a lonely Styrian castle, sheltered young Laura lives a quiet life with her father, attended only by servants and the hush of surrounding woods. Everything changes when a carriage accident brings a mysterious girl to their doorstep: Carmilla, elegant, languid, and strangely familiar. As the two form an intense friendship, Laura is drawn into a world of whispered confidences, unsettling dreams, and a growing sense that something in the house is not what it seems. Nearby villages speak of an illness that leaves its victims pale and weakened, and a local investigation begins to circle ever closer to Laura's home. With the help of a blunt-spoken doctor and a determined former soldier, Laura's family must piece together fragments of folklore, half-remembered encounters, and disturbing clues that point to an ancient, predatory secret. Told with a lingering, gothic atmosphere and a steady rise of dread, Carmilla explores desire, identity, and the peril that can hide behind tenderness. As Laura's strength fades, the question becomes whether anyone can name the danger in time - and whether love itself may be part of the trap. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:02:13) Chapter 01 (00:14:11) Chapter 02 (00:31:26) Chapter 03 (00:49:03) Chapter 04 (01:13:33) Chapter 05 (01:22:46) Chapter 06 (01:33:03) Chapter 07 (01:46:10) Chapter 08 (01:54:36) Chapter 09 (02:06:03) Chapter 10 (02:12:54) Chapter 11 (02:22:55) Chapter 12 (02:33:07) Chapter 13 (02:43:56) Chapter 14 (02:53:51) Chapter 15 (03:02:22) Chapter 16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chance by Joseph Conrad audiobook. Genre: drama In Chance, Joseph Conrad turns his maritime world into a tense study of reputation, power, and the precariousness of love. The story is framed by Marlow, who pieces together the fate of Flora de Barral, a young woman left socially stranded after her financier father is disgraced. With few allies and many watchers, Flora becomes vulnerable to exploitation and rumor in a society that treats a woman's future as a negotiable commodity. Her path crosses Captain Roderick Anthony, a principled seaman whose blunt integrity draws him into a conflict he only half understands, and whose ship becomes both refuge and pressure cooker. Around them swirl men who interpret events through pride, jealousy, self-interest, and a desire to control the narrative: protectors who may also be possessors, friends who may become adversaries. Moving between drawing rooms, docks, and the claustrophobic quarters of a vessel at sea, Conrad builds a suspenseful moral drama about what people will sacrifice for security, what they will invent to preserve face, and how a single misjudgment can set lives on a dangerous course. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:39:36) Chapter 02 (00:55:00) Chapter 03 (01:28:09) Chapter 04 (01:54:29) Chapter 05 (02:34:59) Chapter 06 (02:52:46) Chapter 07 (03:14:22) Chapter 08 (03:44:14) Chapter 09 (04:03:03) Chapter 10 (04:32:04) Chapter 11 (04:56:07) Chapter 12 (05:33:18) Chapter 13 (05:55:29) Chapter 14 (06:27:40) Chapter 15 (07:12:24) Chapter 16 (07:37:26) Chapter 17 (08:04:16) Chapter 18 (08:29:44) Chapter 19 (08:46:42) Chapter 20 (09:14:10) Chapter 21 (09:38:17) Chapter 22 (10:23:00) Chapter 23 (10:43:52) Chapter 24 (11:03:31) Chapter 25 (11:16:09) Chapter 26 (11:42:10) Chapter 27 (12:04:36) Chapter 28 (12:29:31) Chapter 29 (12:44:17) Chapter 30 (13:09:46) Chapter 31 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad audiobook. Genre: drama In a remote river settlement in the Malay Archipelago, Dutch trader Kaspar Almayer clings to a single dream: striking it rich and escaping the humid, decaying outpost that has swallowed his youth. Propped up by the lingering promises of his seafaring patron Captain Lingard, Almayer builds a grand, unfinished house the locals mock as his 'folly' - a monument to ambition in a place governed by shifting alliances, rumor, and power. But the fortunes he chases remain out of reach, and the life he has made becomes a tangle of cultural mistrust and private bitterness. Bound to a marriage that has turned into a war of resentment, Almayer pours his hopes into his daughter Nina, believing she will be the bridge to a European future. When Nina is drawn toward the charismatic Dain Maroola and the dangerous currents of local politics, Almayer is forced to confront how little control he has over the people he loves - or over the world he thought he could master. Joseph Conrad's debut novel is a haunting study of colonial illusion, pride, and the slow unraveling of a man living on the edge of someone else's country. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:32:32) Chapter 02 (00:58:02) Chapter 03 (01:26:16) Chapter 04 (01:49:25) Chapter 05 (02:19:16) Chapter 06 (02:47:31) Chapter 07 (03:21:05) Chapter 08 (03:58:54) Chapter 09 (04:37:40) Chapter 10 (05:13:32) Chapter 11 (05:56:54) Chapter 12 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Voice and Public Speaking by John Poole Sandlands audiobook. Genre: self help I write for public speakers. I wish to take them into my confidence. I feel I can do them good. My object is to help them to speak with greater ease and efficiency. When the voice is developed and in a condition to answer the calls made upon it, then it will naturally seek to put its powers into operation.... Develop the powers of the voice and it will not be satisfied till it find scope for their exercise. This is a marvellous feature of the human voice, and yet, perhaps, it is more or less common to all the powers we possess. Whenever we develop a power, whatever it be, nothing gives us greater pleasure than the exercise of it. Every artist thinks his own art the most sublime. The painter prefers painting, and the musician music; yet there does seem a diviner charm and more real pleasure in exercising the powers of the voice. Holding the opinion as I do, that if the voice be developed it will perform its work aright, it will be my object to notice and dilate upon those principles which, when worked out, For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:36:14) Chapter 02 (01:06:10) Chapter 03 (01:16:30) Chapter 04 (01:40:41) Chapter 05 (02:04:03) Chapter 06 (02:19:34) Chapter 07 (02:45:20) Chapter 08 (03:04:47) Chapter 09 (03:30:12) Chapter 10 (03:39:57) Chapter 11 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices