The Book Reader

The Maker of Moons, and Other Short Stories by Robert W. Chambers audiobook. Genre: horror In this eerie early collection from Robert W. Chambers, the everyday world keeps cracking open to reveal hidden rooms of dread, enchantment, and obsession. The stories range from shadowed city streets to lonely country houses, from moonlit gardens to back rooms where forbidden crafts are practiced, and they share a single question: what happens when curiosity draws ordinary people too close to the impossible? Artists, amateurs, and hardheaded witnesses find their assumptions tested by strange rites, uncanny artifacts, and figures who seem to step out of legend but leave very real consequences behind. Chambers writes with a painter's eye for atmosphere, layering sumptuous detail with sudden, unsettling turns, so that beauty and menace arrive hand in hand. Some tales lean toward dreamlike fantasy, others toward supernatural suspense, but all explore the same fragile boundary between what can be explained and what can only be endured. The result is a set of short fictions that invites you to wander, cautiously, into worlds where the moon might be made, remade, or taken away. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:13:28) Chapter 02 (00:24:01) Chapter 03 (00:35:29) Chapter 04 (00:46:11) Chapter 05 (01:03:08) Chapter 06 (01:21:50) Chapter 07 (01:31:07) Chapter 08 (02:03:50) Chapter 09 (02:16:30) Chapter 10 (02:28:46) Chapter 11 (02:37:16) Chapter 12 (02:46:15) Chapter 13 (02:47:40) Chapter 14 (02:54:49) Chapter 15 (03:02:17) Chapter 16 (03:20:13) Chapter 17 (03:28:08) Chapter 18 (03:47:01) Chapter 19 (04:08:26) Chapter 20 (04:24:55) Chapter 21 (04:36:06) Chapter 22 (04:51:56) Chapter 23 (04:59:43) Chapter 24 (05:07:13) Chapter 25 (05:14:53) Chapter 26 (05:29:50) Chapter 27 (05:41:22) Chapter 28 (05:53:30) Chapter 29 (06:03:24) Chapter 30 (06:19:39) Chapter 31 (06:33:59) Chapter 32 (06:55:21) Chapter 33 (07:09:52) Chapter 34 (07:22:16) Chapter 35 (07:34:54) Chapter 36 (07:49:42) Chapter 37 (08:03:31) Chapter 38 (08:30:41) Chapter 39 (08:53:01) Chapter 40 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Dog Crusoe and His Master by Robert Ballantyne audiobook. Genre: adventure In The Dog Crusoe and His Master, Robert Michael Ballantyne spins a brisk, sea-salted tale of hardship, loyalty, and hard-won hope. Set against the vast, unforgiving Atlantic and the rugged coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador, the story follows a young sailor and fisherman who is swept into a chain of misfortunes that strips him of comfort and certainty. Beside him stands his most steadfast companion: Crusoe, a tough, intelligent dog whose courage and devotion become the difference between despair and survival. As storms, hunger, and isolation test them, master and dog must learn to read the moods of wind and water, to labor for every scrap of safety, and to trust each other when no one else is near. Along the way, Ballantyne folds in vivid details of seafaring life, the perilous work of coastal communities, and the moral question of what it means to endure without losing your humanity. At its heart, this is a survival story powered by friendship, resilience, and the fierce will to keep going when the world turns cruel. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:17:18) Chapter 02 (00:37:27) Chapter 03 (00:56:44) Chapter 04 (01:09:09) Chapter 05 (01:33:34) Chapter 06 (01:51:17) Chapter 07 (02:24:03) Chapter 08 (02:49:29) Chapter 09 (03:09:10) Chapter 10 (03:35:05) Chapter 11 (03:58:39) Chapter 12 (04:11:28) Chapter 13 (04:27:24) Chapter 14 (04:39:31) Chapter 15 (05:07:59) Chapter 16 (05:28:05) Chapter 17 (05:42:33) Chapter 18 (06:04:15) Chapter 19 (06:23:51) Chapter 20 (07:00:57) Chapter 21 (07:25:27) Chapter 22 (07:36:42) Chapter 23 (08:02:58) Chapter 24 (08:24:05) Chapter 25 (08:40:03) Chapter 26 (08:53:52) Chapter 27 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My Doggie and I by Robert Ballantyne audiobook. Genre: family In Victorian London, young medical student John Mellon prides himself on being practical, but his life is quietly transformed the moment he takes home a small, shaggy dog with a comically unglamorous look and an outsized spirit. John names him Dumps (also called Pompey), and the pair become inseparable as John makes his rounds in the struggling streets around Whitechapel, where illness, poverty, and loneliness press in on every doorstep. What begins as a light, affectionate portrait of a man and his dog soon widens into a chain of encounters: a fiercely independent street waif with a sharp tongue, an elderly woman who needs more than medicine, and a handful of ordinary people trying to do right in a hard city. Through mishaps, narrow escapes, and small acts of courage, Dumps proves to be more than a pet. He becomes the living thread that draws wounded lives together and tests what John believes about duty, kindness, and faith in action. Warm, humorous, and earnest, this classic tale celebrates companionship and the surprising ways compassion can travel on four muddy paws. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:19:19) Chapter 02 (00:38:38) Chapter 03 (00:57:31) Chapter 04 (01:15:04) Chapter 05 (01:36:04) Chapter 06 (01:52:55) Chapter 07 (02:11:21) Chapter 08 (02:28:59) Chapter 09 (02:49:00) Chapter 10 (03:09:28) Chapter 11 (03:28:57) Chapter 12 (03:46:28) Chapter 13 (04:05:41) Chapter 14 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by Plunkitt audiobook. Genre: history Part memoir, part political primer, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall captures the voice of George Washington Plunkitt, a colorful, plainspoken power broker from New York City's Tammany Hall machine. In a series of candid conversations and speeches, Plunkitt lays out how ward politics really works - from turning out votes and settling neighborhood disputes to rewarding loyalty with jobs and favors. He proudly explains his famous idea of 'honest graft,' arguing that there is a practical difference between profiting from inside knowledge and outright theft, and he dares the reader to decide where the line should be drawn. As reformers, reporters, and rival factions circle, Plunkitt defends the machine as a force that feeds families, keeps order, and gives immigrants a foothold in American life, even as its methods raise urgent questions about corruption and democracy. Witty, blunt, and unexpectedly shrewd, this short classic offers an unvarnished look at patronage, persuasion, and the everyday bargaining that shaped urban politics at the turn of the twentieth century. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:05:28) Chapter 01 (00:12:58) Chapter 02 (00:21:16) Chapter 03 (00:32:22) Chapter 04 (00:39:49) Chapter 05 (00:47:10) Chapter 06 (00:55:06) Chapter 07 (01:02:56) Chapter 08 (01:11:17) Chapter 09 (01:18:13) Chapter 10 (01:25:26) Chapter 11 (01:34:22) Chapter 12 (01:41:02) Chapter 13 (01:46:47) Chapter 14 (01:54:28) Chapter 15 (02:02:04) Chapter 16 (02:07:50) Chapter 17 (02:15:12) Chapter 18 (02:22:57) Chapter 19 (02:29:32) Chapter 20 (02:35:04) Chapter 21 (02:41:57) Chapter 22 (02:45:41) Chapter 23 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Many-Sided Franklin by Paul Leicester Ford audiobook. Genre: biography A fast-paced, somewhat racey look into the life, accomplishments and idiosyncrasies of Benjamin Franklin. Acclaimed biographer Paul L. Ford uses Franklin’s letters, papers and journals to step us through Franklin's many adventures, to reveal intimate details of his personal life - relations with siblings, wife, children, friends, business partners; his physique, health, illnesses, schooling, personal habits and goals; his opinions on education, philosophy, religion, friendship, industry; his library; his career as printer and publisher, writer and journalist, politician and diplomat, scientist, humorist, jack of all trades; and his relations at home and abroad with the “fairer sex“. Goes beyond the official Autobiography. A must read for Franklin devotees. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:25:24) Chapter 02 (00:53:10) Chapter 03 (01:12:06) Chapter 04 (01:35:52) Chapter 05 (01:58:56) Chapter 06 (02:26:14) Chapter 07 (02:56:16) Chapter 08 (03:16:28) Chapter 09 (03:38:52) Chapter 10 (03:59:51) Chapter 11 (04:29:18) Chapter 12 (05:00:46) Chapter 13 (05:25:22) Chapter 14 (05:52:32) Chapter 15 (06:10:35) Chapter 16 (06:34:00) Chapter 17 (06:55:45) Chapter 18 (07:20:35) Chapter 19 (07:41:34) Chapter 20 (07:57:22) Chapter 21 (08:21:20) Chapter 22 (08:45:47) Chapter 23 (09:10:50) Chapter 24 (09:36:53) Chapter 25 (09:58:14) Chapter 26 (10:19:28) Chapter 27 (10:42:42) Chapter 28 (11:06:22) Chapter 29 (11:28:08) Chapter 30 (11:50:29) Chapter 31 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Patanjali audiobook. Genre: philosophy A foundational text of classical yoga, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali distills the path of inner mastery into brief, potent aphorisms meant to be contemplated, practiced, and lived. Attributed to the sage Patanjali, this compact work maps the workings of the mind and the sources of human suffering, then offers a disciplined method for steadiness, clarity, and liberation. Through its four sections, listeners encounter the central problem of restless thought, the ethical and practical commitments that support change, and a systematic framework for meditation that includes attention, breath, posture, and the deepening stages of concentration. Patanjali also explores the obstacles that disrupt practice, the habits that keep us entangled, and the kinds of insight that arise when awareness becomes unwavering. Rather than presenting yoga as exercise, the sutras present it as a rigorous philosophy and psychology of transformation: a guide for anyone seeking to quiet inner turbulence, cultivate compassion and self-control, and experience reality with greater freedom. Whether approached as a spiritual manual, a meditative roadmap, or a philosophical study, this audiobook invites repeated listening and reflection, turning concise lines into a lifelong practice. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:40:51) Chapter 02 (01:35:12) Chapter 03 (02:45:19) Chapter 04 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christie's Christmas by Pansy audiobook. Genre: religion Twelve-year-old Christie Tucker has been counting the days until Christmas, which is also her birthday. On their modest farm, every penny matters, but a new railroad line has finally made a dream possible: Christie's parents can save enough to send her on a one-day trip to visit her well-to-do Uncle Daniel and his family in the city. For Christie, the journey itself feels like a grand adventure - her first time away from home, her first time on a train, and her first glimpse of a faster, louder world. But the day refuses to unfold according to her careful plans. Unexpected delays, uncomfortable encounters, and one memorable run-in with an intimidating dog test her courage and her manners, and force her to decide what sort of girl she wants to be when no one from home is watching. As Christie moves through train cars and unfamiliar streets, she meets people from different walks of life, each carrying private worries into the holiday. With warmth and gentle humor, Pansy builds a Christmas story about choices, compassion, and the quiet ripple effects of doing the right thing. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:21:51) Chapter 02 (00:40:37) Chapter 03 (00:59:49) Chapter 04 (01:18:32) Chapter 05 (01:36:01) Chapter 06 (02:00:49) Chapter 07 (02:29:34) Chapter 08 (02:45:28) Chapter 09 (03:03:40) Chapter 10 (03:20:36) Chapter 11 (03:39:53) Chapter 12 (04:00:37) Chapter 13 (04:21:00) Chapter 14 (04:41:34) Chapter 15 (05:01:42) Chapter 16 (05:23:52) Chapter 17 (05:43:19) Chapter 18 (06:07:16) Chapter 19 (06:31:39) Chapter 20 (06:53:31) Chapter 21 (07:16:57) Chapter 22 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Inimitable Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook. Genre: comedy When either Bertie Wooster or his friends found themselves in the soup or in dangerous proximity to the tureen, the instinct of one and all was to turn to Jeeves - Bertie's Man. He understood human nature, especially that of gilded youth. It did not matter if the hope of an ancient house had fallen in love with a waitress, or if Bertie's cousins Claude and Eustace had been playing dido; Jeeves never failed. His was a sound brain. The only thing in which Jeeves failed, that is in his master's eyes, was that he could not always go the whole way with him in the matter of spats, socks and ties, particularly in the Spring - Jeeves was a purist. In this volume are told some of Jeeves more remarkable achievements For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:18:48) Chapter 02 (00:35:45) Chapter 03 (00:50:35) Chapter 04 (01:14:34) Chapter 05 (01:31:52) Chapter 06 (01:45:03) Chapter 07 (01:57:14) Chapter 08 (02:16:22) Chapter 09 (02:36:09) Chapter 10 (02:58:57) Chapter 11 (03:21:50) Chapter 12 (03:38:57) Chapter 13 (04:16:54) Chapter 14 (04:54:17) Chapter 15 (05:37:24) Chapter 16 (06:17:33) Chapter 17 (06:34:14) Chapter 18 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carry On, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook. Genre: comedy 'Leave it to Jeeves' was Bertie's motto, be the question one of a colour of a tie, the style of a hat, the cut of a coat. Jeeves was always right. There was no one like him to placate rich uncles or indignant mammas. He said just the right thing at just the right moment. What did it matter that Jeeves was somewhat of a tyrant, and that without his approval Bertie could not grow so much as a moustache? Was he not always there to lean on in moments of stress? And moments such as these were frequent in the life of Bertie and his friends. Jeeves service was extended to them all. 'Carry On, Jeeves' is a collection of ten short stories, many of which had previously appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, and some were rewritten versions of stories in the collection My Man Jeeves. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:49:20) Chapter 02 (01:27:47) Chapter 03 (02:18:50) Chapter 04 (03:00:13) Chapter 05 (03:43:41) Chapter 06 (04:24:04) Chapter 07 (05:16:25) Chapter 08 (05:57:51) Chapter 09 (06:55:23) Chapter 10 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Age of the Condottieri - A Short History of Mediaeval Italy from 1409-1530 by Oscar Browning audiobook. Genre: history Italy from 1409 to 1530 is synonymous with the Renaissance, but this was also the age of the condottieri, Italian captains of mercenary companies and multinational armies who fought in the service of city states, monarchs, and the Pope. Some like Ludovico Sforza in Milan seized power and founded dynasties in their own right. The merchant princes of the Medici family reached their apogee in Lorenzo the Magnificent in Florence, but faltered in the Papacy; Leo X proved no match for Martin Luther and Clement VII was powerless to avert the sack of Rome in 1527. Venice lost her overseas empire to the Turks, while proud King Francis I, defeated by the Emperor Charles and a prisoner in Madrid, was eventually forced to relinquish all hope of Italian conquest. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:16:22) Chapter 02 (00:27:37) Chapter 03 (00:43:47) Chapter 04 (01:02:19) Chapter 05 (01:18:21) Chapter 06 (01:39:07) Chapter 07 (01:55:07) Chapter 08 (02:06:46) Chapter 09 (02:25:11) Chapter 10 (02:39:22) Chapter 11 (02:57:32) Chapter 12 (03:12:40) Chapter 13 (03:28:03) Chapter 14 (03:43:25) Chapter 15 (03:55:15) Chapter 16 (04:13:31) Chapter 17 (04:30:33) Chapter 18 (04:50:22) Chapter 19 (05:01:06) Chapter 20 (05:13:37) Chapter 21 (05:28:08) Chapter 22 (05:45:10) Chapter 23 (06:03:38) Chapter 24 (06:22:27) Chapter 25 (06:40:51) Chapter 26 (06:57:32) Chapter 27 (07:15:35) Chapter 28 (07:28:08) Chapter 29 (07:41:04) Chapter 30 (07:59:53) Chapter 31 (08:12:10) Chapter 32 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices