Episodes

  • Magnolia, by Thomas Fargnoli

    Magnolia, by Thomas Fargnoli
    Nov 23 2024
    This book is about a man's journey from his hospital bed to his small hometown of Magnolia, New Jersey, where his journey to heaven begins as his guardian angel helps him answer questions that we all have about heaven. Questions such as: What will heaven be like? Will we meet relatives and friends there? Will there be food and wine? Will there be sex? Will we see our pets? How will we get around? Will we have bodies? In Magnolia, by going back there from my deathbed (or Lou’s deathbed), I am setting up his journey to heaven – a new journey where time and life change. A joyful change. Guided by his guardian angel (Micah), Lou starts afresh, yet that start, for him, is very similar to the joys he experienced in Magnolia when he was nine years old. I don’t go deep into religion or scripture in this book, rather I decided to “show” the reader via Lou’s journey through the first stage of heaven – a stage that is almost comprehensible to us in the earthly realm.
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    16 mins
  • Water Drumming In The Soul, by Eric Madeen

    Water Drumming In The Soul, by Eric Madeen
    Nov 23 2024
    In this fiery love story set in equatorial Africa, Peace Corps volunteer David Fields in on mission: to build a medical dispensary in a remote village where he seldom has his bearings and must fight a cocktail of tropical maladies and cultural taboos. He throws himself into work, which he’s deliciously distracted from in his pursuit of a gorgeous African lady. In her vitality, Assam rocks with the energy of a dozen women and bye and bye David becomes the hunter captured by the game. And what a rollicking game of love it is with delicious “distractions” keeping the reader spellbound. With its hunting ventures into rainforest and original Bantu folktales recounted fireside, this is a novel that, in its haunting end, will strum elegiacally at your heartstrings. Resonating with Nabokov’s truism, “The finest art is not simple and sincere but rather complex and deceitful.” Think of the Mona Lisa’s smile. Think of Water Drumming in the Soul ... Your soul.
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    16 mins
  • From Budapest To Hollywood, by Katherine MK Mitchell

    From Budapest To Hollywood, by Katherine MK Mitchell
    Nov 23 2024
    ‘From Budapest to Hollywood: Searching for the Promised Land’ is a story of resilience, hope, and the pursuit of a better life. Katherine MK Mitchell’s memoir begins with her birth in Nazi-occupied Hungary. From there she survived war, the ill-fated S.S. Exodus, and communism before fleeing her home country once the Russians crushed the Hungarian Revolution. Her journey as a refugee brought her to New York, where she overcame countless challenges, ultimately making a name for herself in Hollywood. Katherine worked as an agent, writer, and story analyst, earning membership in the Writers Guild of America West. Throughout her life, Katherine has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to honing her craft, sharing her stories, and inspiring others to live authentically and with purpose. Her memoir is a testament to what one can achieve when they refuse to give up hope and continue moving forward.
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    14 mins
  • Memories of MK ULtra, by Bill Yarborough

    Memories of MK ULtra, by Bill Yarborough
    Nov 18 2024
    The mystery of what they endured as young children took a lifetime to unravel. MK-ULTRA, a covert CIA mind-control program, forces Tommy, Beth, and Curtis Matthews to take part in life-altering experiments during the late 1950s. The experience dramatically impacts their lives, but they don’t remember it. As they come of age through the turbulent 60s and into the 80s, invisible strings pull them toward their preordained destinies. The Nazi-trained psychiatrist in charge of their CIA program harbors a secret agenda to turn Tommy into a future world leader, but forces surrounding him compromise his work. When the MK-ULTRA project is aborted, the siblings are left deeply damaged without access to the memories that can free them. It takes Curtis's psychotic breakdown and Beth's startling vision to open up the pathways to their buried past. These developments lead to the detective work of a diligent therapist. But will it be enough to unravel the hidden tapestry of deception?
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    16 mins
  • The Happiness Formula, by Alphonsus Obayuwana, MD PhD CPC

    The Happiness Formula, by Alphonsus Obayuwana, MD PhD CPC
    Nov 6 2024
    To help people learn how to flourish, Alphonsus Obayuwana, MD, PhD, CPC, has developed a five-minute tool that can assign a numerical happiness score to any individual—whether a peasant or a millionaire—using a universal unit of measure called Personal Happiness Index (PHI). The scale was introduced in Dr. Obayuwana’s new self-help book, The Happiness Formula, which teaches people how to create a self-help routine for achieving and maintaining true happiness. “Unlike other books about happiness, which are too often filled with dos and don’ts, wishful thinking, and empty aphorisms, The Happiness Formula breaks new ground,” said Dr. Obayuwana. “Despite its title, The Happiness Formula is much more than a mathematical equation for measuring happiness. It is a book about life, the relationship between human hope and happiness, one’s overall feeling of personal satisfaction and subjective well-being.”
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    13 mins
  • Guile, by Craig Snyder

    Guile, by Craig Snyder
    Nov 5 2024
    As November approaches, two near opposites clash for the nation's highest office. It's Ven Hess, firebrand populist breaking all the old rules, known as "The Hessian" for his intimidating tactics on the pitcher's mound, versus Democrat Alec Maynard, an African American Admiral with his own flaws but who offers the nation at least some hope of normalcy. Pete Vankov, a political operative known as the "Dark Angel" because of his reputation for winning at all costs, spearheads the Hess campaign. Meanwhile, an estranged colleague, David Gruber, together with The Globe's political reporter, Jane Berglund, devises a plan to thwart Vankov's march towards a dirty and dangerous victory. Who wins? With Guile, veteran political strategist Craig Snyder has written a thriller exposing the dark underbelly of American politics, a novel rich in suspense and intrigue that will have readers turning its pages quickly in rueful anticipation of the next election.
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    14 mins
  • Trauterose: Growing Up in Postwar Munich

    Trauterose: Growing Up in Postwar Munich
    Oct 30 2024
    What was it like to be orphaned at birth in the winter of 1942 in Munich, to spend the next eleven years as a foster child in the family of a former SS-officer? What was it like, after the death of my foster mother, to live for seven years in a home for children under the aegis of Catholic Sisters? What was it like to immigrate to the United States at age eighteen without family support or knowledge of English? In telling my story, I draw portraits of people that have affected my life for good or ill. I describe the rooms and furniture as silent witnesses to our family’s daily struggle. I book-ended my work with critical thoughts about nationality: Being considered German in the United States versus being American in Germany. I close with reflections on today’s Germany, with the past intruding on the present, and with my inherited trauma and inherited guilt still pursuing me.
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    15 mins
  • Gideon the Sound and the Glory, by Joseph Ganci

    Gideon the Sound and the Glory, by Joseph Ganci
    Oct 28 2024
    Unsung heroes and murderous villains, hidden forever in ancient shadows, now leap to life - blazing onto the pages of revelation. Gideon, a lowly woodcutter, is blessed by an angel to be the savior of all Israel. He does not know why or how and shrinks from this dangerous mission. The commandment to conquer the Midian Empire as one man seems all but impossible. But Gideon's confidence grows as God guides his every step until he stands fearless and faithfully fulfills his destiny as "A mighty man of valor." The fierce warriors, burning towers, and devastated cities contained in Gideon's Journey are but silver threads that weave into a sweeping tapestry of ancient intrigue. Running through and stitching together the entire saga is The Lord of the Covenant, or The Baal-Berith, also known as Gideon's mysterious Ephod of Gold. The Canaanite age of iron finds a simple woodsman lost in the forest of fear and doubt, challenging Ba'al, the Amorite god, to rescue his one true love.
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    16 mins