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ID: 61904

Title: Click: The Forces Behind How We Fully Engage with People, Work, and Everything We Do

Author: Ori Brafman, Rom Brafman

Narrator: Rob Shapiro

Format: Unabridged

Length: 04:33:00

Language: English

Release date: 06-08-10

Publisher: Random House (Audio)

Genres: Non-Fiction, Health & Wellness, Marriage & Family, Psychology

Summary:

You know the feeling. You meet someone new—at a party or at work—and you just hit it off. There is an instant sense of camaraderie.

 

In a word, you “click.”

 

From the bestselling authors of Sway, Click is a fascinating psychological investigation of the forces behind what makes us click with certain people, or become fully immersed in whatever activity or situation we’re involved in.  

 

From two co-workers who fall head over heels for each other while out to dinner and are married a month later (and fifteen years later remain just as in love), to a team of scientists who changed the world with the magic of their invention, these kinds of peak experiences, when our senses are completely focused on the moment, are something that individuals—and companies—strive to achieve. After all, when you’re in the “zone,” you’re happier and more productive. Why is it that we click in certain situations and with certain people, but not with others? Can this kind of magical connection be consciously encouraged?  Is there a way to create such peak experiences, whether on a date or in your job? 

 

According to Ori and Rom Brafman, there is. 

 

In a powerful, story-driven narrative that weaves together cutting-edge research in psychology and sociology, the Brafmans explore what it means to “click”: the common factors present when our brain and senses are fully engaged. They identify five “accelerators” that increase the likelihood of these kinds of magic connections in our work and relationships.

  

From actors vying for a role on a popular TV series to police officers negotiating with hostage takers, we learn how one can foster an environment where we can click with another person and shape our thinking, behavior, and emotions.

 

A fascinating journey into how we engage with the world around us, Click will transform our thinking about those moments when we are in the zone and everything seems to fall into place.

 

Acclaim for Sway:

“A provocative new book about the psychological forces that lead us to disregard facts or logic and behave in surprisingly irrational ways.” –New York Times

 

“A unique and compulsively readable look at unseen behavioral trends.” –Fortune

'A breathtaking book that will challenge your every thought, Sway hovers above the intersection of Blink and Freakonomics.'--Tom Rath, coauthor of the New York Times #1 bestseller How Full Is Your Bucket?

“[An] engaging journey through the workings—and failings—of the mind…Their stories of senselessness…are as fascinating as the lessons we learn from them.” –Fast Company

'Count me swayed--but in this instance by the pull of entirely rational forces. Ori and Rom Brafman have done a terrific job of illuminating deep-seated tendencies that skew our behavior in ways that can range from silly to deadly. We'd be fools not to learn what they have to teach us.'--Robert B.

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ID: 82849

Title: Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter

Author: Tom Bissell

Narrator: Tom Bissell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 05:30:00

Language: English

Release date: 06-08-10

Publisher: Random House (Audio)

Genres: Non-Fiction, Science & Technology, Social Science, Hobbies & Games, Technology & Engineering

Summary:

Tom Bissell is a prizewinning writer who published three widely acclaimed books before the age of thirty-four. He is also an obsessive gamer who has spent untold hours in front of his various video game consoles, playing titles such as Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, BioShock, and Oblivion for, literally, days. If you are reading this flap copy, the same thing can probably be said of you, or of someone you know.

 

Until recently, Bissell was somewhat reluctant to admit to his passion for games. In this, he is not alone. Millions of adults spend hours every week playing video games, and the industry itself now reliably outearns Hollywood. But the wider culture seems to regard video games as, at best, well designed if mindless entertainment.

 

Extra Lives is an impassioned defense of this assailed and misunderstood art form. Bissell argues that we are in a golden age of gaming—but he also believes games could be even better. He offers a fascinating and often hilarious critique of the ways video games dazzle and, just as often, frustrate. Along the way, we get firsthand portraits of some of the best minds (Jonathan Blow, Clint Hocking, Cliff Bleszinski, Peter Molyneux) at work in video game design today, as well as a shattering and deeply moving final chapter that describes, in searing detail, Bissell’s descent into the world of Grand Theft Auto IV, a game whose themes mirror his own increasingly self-destructive compulsions.

 

Blending memoir, criticism, and first-rate reportage, Extra Lives is like no other book on the subject ever published. Whether you love video games, loathe video games, or are merely curious about why they are becoming the dominant popular art form of our time, Extra Lives is required reading.

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 155446

Title: Seeds of Summer

Author: Deborah Vogts

Narrator: Emily Durante

Format: Unabridged

Length: 08:29:26

Language: English

Release date: 06-08-10

Publisher: Zondervan Publishing Company

Genres: Romance, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Religious & Inspirational, Religious Fiction

Summary:

When opposites attract, sparks fly--like an electrical malfunction. That's what happens when former rodeo queen, Natalie Adams meets the new pastor in Diamond Falls. Upon the death of her father, Natalie returns to the Flint Hills to raise her two half-siblings and run the family ranch, giving up her dreams for the future. She soon realizes her time in college and as Miss Rodeo Kansas is not enough to break the bonds that held her as a girl. Jared Logan, a new pastor in Diamond Falls, is set on making a good impression to his first congregation, but finds that change doesn't come easy for some people. In fact, most in his congregation are set against it. Natalie and her troubled family provide an outlet for his energy and soon become his personal mission project. Having raised her stepbrother and sister from an early youth, Natalie's self-sufficient nature isn’t inclined to accept help, especially from a city-boy do-gooder like Jared Logen. Though attracted to him, there's no way she'd ever consider being a pastor's wife. Bible studies and bake sales just aren't her thing. Jared repeatedly comes to Natalie’s rescue, forcing her to see him with new eyes. At the same time, Jared’s plan to plant Christ’s word in Natalie’s heart backfires when he loses his own heart to this wayward family. When problems arise in his congregation, he must face his greatest fears—of letting down God, his congregation, or those he loves. His time with Natalie has shown him the importance of standing by those you love, a lesson he chose to ignore in order to please his father years ago. This is put to the test when Natalie faces a battle of custody of her half-siblings against the mother who abandoned them twelve years ago. Natalie’s fight for the children turns into a fight for custody of her heart as she learns the true meaning of unconditional love. In turn, Jared must decide which dreams are his own—and whether Natalie is part of those dreams.

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ID: 82848

Title: You Don't Know Me: Reflections of My Father, Ray Charles

Author: Mary Jane Ross, Ray Charles Robinson

Narrator: Dominic Hoffman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10:42:00

Language: English

Release date: 06-08-10

Publisher: Random House (Audio)

Genres: Biography & Memoir, Arts & Entertainment

Summary:

A deeply personal memoir of the private Ray Charles - the man behind the legend - by his eldest son.

Ray Charles is an American music legend. A multiple Grammy Award-winning composer, pianist, and singer with an inimitable vocal style and a catalog of hits including 'What I Say,' 'Georgia on My Mind,' 'Unchain My Heart,' 'I Can't Stop Loving You,' and 'America the Beautiful,' Ray Charles's music is loved by fans around the world.

Now his eldest son, Ray Charles Robinson Jr., shares an intimate glimpse of the man behind the music, with never-before-told stories. Going beyond the fame, the concerts, and the tours, Ray Jr. opens the doors of his family home and reveals their private lives with fondness and frankness.

He shares his father's grief and guilt over his little brother's death at the age of five — as well of moments of personal joy, like watching his father run his hands over the Christmas presents under their tree while singing softly to himself. He tells of how Ray overcame the challenges of being blind, even driving cars, riding a Vespa, and flying his own plane. And, in gripping detail, he reveals how as a six-year-old boy he saved his father's life one harrowing night.

Ray Jr. writes honestly about the painful facts of the addiction that nearly destroyed his father's life. His father's struggles with heroin addiction, his arrests, and how he ultimately kicked the drug cold turkey are presented in unflinching detail. Ray Jr. also shares openly about how, as an adult, he fell victim to the same temptations that plagued his father.

He paints a compassionate portrait of his mother, Della, whose amazing voice as a gospel singer first attracted Ray Charles. Though her husband's drug use, his womanizing, and the paternity suits leveled against him constantly threatened the stability of the Robinson home, Della exhibited incredible resilience and inner strength.

Told with deep love and fearless candor, You Don't Know Me is the powerful and poignant story of the Ray Charles the public never saw — the father and husband and fascinating human being who also happened to be one of the greatest musicians of all time.

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ID: 90837

Title: Running Out of Time

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Narrator: Kimberly Schraf

Format: Unabridged

Length: 05:23:00

Language: English

Release date: 06-08-10

Publisher: Listening Library (Audio)

Genres: Kids, Health & Family, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Mystery & Fantasy

Summary:

Jessie lives with her family in the frontier village of Clifton, Indiana. When diphtheria strikes the village and the children of Clifton start dying, Jessie’s mother sends her on a dangerous mission to bring back help.

But beyond the walls of Clifton, Jessie discovers a world even more alien and threatening than she could have imagined, and soon she finds her own life in jeopardy. Can she get help before the children of Clifton, and Jessie herself, run out of time?

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 61965

Title: Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures

Author: John Shiffman, Robert K. Wittman

Narrator: Mark Deakins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 09:30:00

Language: English

Release date: 06-01-10

Publisher: Random House (Audio)

Genres: Biography & Memoir, Law & Politics

Summary:

The Wall Street Journal called him “a living legend.” The London Times dubbed him “the most famous art detective in the world.”

 

In Priceless, Robert K. Wittman, the founder of the FBI’s Art Crime Team, pulls back the curtain on his remarkable career for the first time, offering a real-life international thriller to rival The Thomas Crown Affair.   

 

Rising from humble roots as the son of an antique dealer, Wittman built a twenty-year career that was nothing short of extraordinary. He went undercover, usually unarmed, to catch art thieves, scammers, and black market traders in Paris and Philadelphia, Rio and Santa Fe, Miami and Madrid.

 

In this page-turning memoir, Wittman fascinates with the stories behind his recoveries of priceless art and antiquities: The golden armor of an ancient Peruvian warrior king. The Rodin sculpture that inspired the Impressionist movement. The headdress Geronimo wore at his final Pow-Wow. The rare Civil War battle flag carried into battle by one of the nation’s first African-American regiments.

 

The breadth of Wittman’s exploits is unmatched: He traveled the world to rescue paintings by Rockwell and Rembrandt, Pissarro, Monet and Picasso, often working undercover overseas at the whim of foreign governments. Closer to home, he recovered an original copy of the Bill of Rights and cracked the scam that rocked the PBS series Antiques Roadshow.

 

By the FBI’s accounting, Wittman saved hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art and antiquities. He says the statistic isn’t important. After all, who’s to say what is worth more --a Rembrandt self-portrait or an American flag carried into battle? They're both priceless. 

 

The art thieves and scammers Wittman caught run the gamut from rich to poor, smart to foolish, organized criminals to desperate loners.  The smuggler who brought him a looted 6th-century treasure turned out to be a high-ranking diplomat.  The appraiser who stole countless heirlooms from war heroes’ descendants was a slick, aristocratic con man.  The museum janitor who made off with locks of George Washington's hair just wanted to make a few extra bucks, figuring no one would miss what he’d filched.

 

In his final case, Wittman called on every bit of knowledge and experience in his arsenal to take on his greatest challenge: working undercover to track the vicious criminals behind what might be the most audacious art theft of all.

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 283950

Title: Lips Unsealed: A Memoir

Author: Belinda Carlisle

Narrator: Belinda Carlisle

Format: Abridged

Length: 05:07:23

Language: English

Release date: 06-01-10

Publisher: Random House (Audio)

Genres: Biography & Memoir, Non-Fiction, Arts & Entertainment, Art & Music

Summary:

The women of the iconic eighties band the Go-Go’s will always be remembered as they appeared on the back of their debut record: sunny, smiling, each soaking in her own private bubble bath with chocolates and champagne. The photo is a perfect tribute to the fun, irreverent brand of pop music that the Go-Go’s created, but it also conceals the trials and secret demons that the group—and, in particular, Belinda Carlisle—struggled with.

Leaving her unstable childhood home at the age of eighteen, Belinda battled serious weight issues and grappled with her confusion about being deserted by her biological father. This talented but misguided teen found solace in the punk rock world that so openly welcomed misfits—even though acceptance had its price.

Not long after forming, the Go-Go’s became queens of the L.A. punk scene. With a chart-topping debut album, Belinda found herself launched to international superstardom—and with that fame came more access to A-list parties, and even more alcohol and drugs to fuel Go-Go’s mania. Inevitably, Belinda began to self-destruct.

This spellbinding and shocking look at her rise, fall, and eventual rebirth as a wife, mother, and sober artist will leave you wistfully fantasizing about the eighties decadence she epitomized, but also cringing at the dark despair hidden behind her charming smile. Lips Unsealed is ultimately a love letter to music and the story of a life that, though deeply flawed, was, and is still, fully lived.

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ID: 162586

Title: Predator: A Novel

Author: Terri Blackstock

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 08:55:55

Language: English

Release date: 06-01-10

Publisher: Zondervan Publishing Company

Genres: Romance, Religion & Spirituality, Fiction & Literature, Mystery, Religious Fiction, Religious & Inspirational

Summary:

Bestselling author Terri Blackstock presents another unabridged audio download of her newest standalone novel, Predator. The murder of Krista Carmichael’s fourteen-year-old sister by an online predator has shaken her faith and made her question God’s justice and protection. Desperate to find the killer, she creates an online persona to bait the predator. But when the stalker turns his sights on her, will Krista be able to control the outcome? Ryan Adkins started the social network GrapeVyne in his college dorm and has grown it into a billion-dollar corporation. But he never expected it to become a stalking ground for online Predators. One of them lives in his town and has killed two girls and attacked a third. When Ryan meets Krista, the murders become more than a news story to him, and everything is on the line. Joining forces, he and Krista set out to stop the killer. But when hunters pursue a hunter, the tables can easily turn. Only God can protect them now.

Contact: [email protected]

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ID: 62069

Title: Necromancer

Author: Michael Scott

Narrator: Paul Boehmer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11:14:00

Language: English

Release date: 05-25-10

Publisher: Listening Library (Audio)

Genres: Teen, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Tough Topics

Summary:

Nicholas Flamel appeared in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter—but did you know he really lived? And his secrets aren't safe! Discover the truth in book four of the New York Times bestselling series the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. 

The Belief: Sophie and Josh are the twins of prophecy.

The Reality: Nicholas Flamel has been wrong before.

Sophie and Josh Newman are finally home, but they're both more confused than ever about their futures.

   Neither of them has mastered the elemental magics they'll need to protect themselves from the Dark Elders, they've lost Scatty, Macchiavelli is coming to unleash on their city the menagerie of monsters imprisoned in Alcatraz, and they're still being pursued by Dr. John Dee. And most disturbing of all is that now they must ask themselves, can they trust Nicholas Flamel?

   Worse, can they trust anyone?

“The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel has everything you loved about Harry Potter, including magic, mystery, and a constant battle of good versus evil.”—Bustle

Read the whole series!

The Alchemyst

The Magician

The Sorceress

The Necromancer

The Warlock

The Enchantress

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ID: 157614

Title: Somewhere More Holy: Stories from a Bewildered Father, Stumbling Husband, Reluctant Handyman, and Prodigal Son

Author: Tony Woodlief

Narrator: Tony Woodlief

Format: Unabridged

Length: 04:46:55

Language: English

Release date: 05-25-10

Publisher: Zondervan Publishing Company

Genres: Religion & Spirituality, Biography & Memoir, Christianity, Religious & Inspirational, Counseling & Inspirational

Summary:

Acclaimed columnist Tony Woodlief pens the poignant and powerful story of his search for meaning in the midst of tragedy. When he and his wife lost their adored little girl, his trust in God turned to bitter anger. As he and his wife struggled to save their marriage and his faith, they discovered that home is more than just rooms and a roof. Home is a place where people are sometimes wounded or betrayed. Home is also where God is strong in the broken places. Woodlief takes readers through his house, room by room, showing that home is: Where we cry out to God as we seek him in the small things Where the sacred and the mundane meet The place that makes us better than we could ever be on our own More than the place where we eat and sleepit is where we learn graceWoodliefs heart-touching stories leavened with humor will appeal to a wide audience, especially those trying to reconcile the idea of a loving God in a broken world.

Contact: [email protected]