Showing results by narrator "Johnny Heller" in All Categories

"A Kidnapped Santa Claus" is a short story by L. Frank Baum, author of the Oz stories. In it, The Daemons of the caves, resentful of Santa Claus, who rebuffs their attempts to subvert him by temptation, capture him in his sleigh on Christmas Eve and imprison him in their caves. Santa's helpers: a fairy, pixie, knook, and ryl, finish his deliveries with a few comical mishaps. Assembling a magical army of good beings, the queen of the fairies leads an attempt to rescue Santa Claus from the clutches of the evil Daemons.

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is a 1902 children's book, written by L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The book is the origin story of Santa Claus and persuasively explains how he began to deliver toys to children, why he arrives via chimney at night, and how he came to travel by a sleigh pulled by reindeer.

When Eddie wakes up in his neighbor the judge's yard after a particularly vivid dream and with no recollection of how he got there, the trouble begins. Someone or something has caused mischief in the judge's chicken coop, harming his prized rooster. No matter what Eddie says, the judge is convinced he is the culprit and must be punished accordingly.

Victor Shmud has been many things: knuckle doctor, a hunter of ghost bears, a tattoo artist, the guy at the restaurant who puts the sugar in those little envelopes, a computer scientist, an octopus wrestler, and a wedding planner. In fact he's been nearly everything (definitely not a guy who cleans up bedrooms yet). But his newest gig is beautifuller (yes, that's a word. He's also a licensed wordmaker). He can make anyone gorgeous with a gob of his beauty treatment (complete with mustard molecules).

Danny Goldberg's new book is a subjective history of 1967, the year he graduated from high school. It is, he writes, "an attempt at trying to remember the culture that mesmerized me, to visit the places and conversations I was not cool enough to have been a part of." It is also a refreshing and new analysis of the era; by looking at not only the political causes, but also the spiritual, musical, and psychedelic movements, Goldberg provides a unique perspective on how and why the legacy of 1967 lives on today.

In this candid, revealing, and entertaining memoir, the beloved New York Yankee legend looks back over his nearly 50-year career as a player and a manager, sharing insights and stories about some of his most memorable moments and some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball. For nearly five decades, Lou Piniella has been a fixture in Major League Baseball, as an outfielder with the legendary New York Yankees of the 1970s, and as a manager for five teams.

Bob Patterson considers himself an everyman - albeit an everyman with a rich, beautiful wife, two good kids, and a mail-it-in job that ignores his law degree. Despite his good fortune, Bob is idling through life, bored at work and at home. In short, he is the proverbial coaster. Bob's wife, Sarah, is the anointed heir to the empire built by her father, Sam, a kind of Kansas City, Missouri, Warren Buffet. Fine by Bob, the family soccer mom, but early one morning he and Sarah awake to terrible news.

From Vietnam vet Ronald Wheatley, A Time for War features in-depth interviews with 65 veterans who served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, as well as stories of veterans from the Revolutionary, Civil, and Cold Wars. These are enlisted men and women, officers and volunteers, connected by a small seacoast town located midway between Boston and Plymouth. A Time for War is a rigorous and moving exploration of what it means to serve in war, from the chaos of combat to the idealism that drives people to enlist.

Set in the lawless Wild West, the hidden world of Victorian London, and the present-day hell of Hollywood, Cry of Thunder: Sherlock Holmes & Kolchak the Night Stalker follows Holmes' trail of a man who was wrongfully - and willingly - imprisoned; a shocking New World Order anarchy; a beautiful woman who needs Kolchak to delve into the surreal past; and the shunned man who holds the key.

Cops in Oakland seldom meet people whose lives are going well. That's certainly the case when homicide sergeant Matt Sinclair recognizes the dead woman hanging from a tree as a teenage runaway named Dawn he arrested 10 years before. And as Sinclair and his partner, Cathy Braddock, soon learn, many of Dawn's clients, not to mention the local and federal officials who protect them, will go to any length to keep the police from digging too deep into her past.

The Truth About Death, the title novella of this virtuosic collection, is a masterpiece of sardonic humor that confronts Death head-on and emerges bloody but unbowed. Simon, an undertaker, embalms his own father and faces his own death. Louisa, Simon's mother, makes peace with her husband over his dead body in a cooler in the basement of the funeral home. Simon contemplates the mystery of death over a plate of spaghetti cacio e pepe in Rome with an Italian undertaker.

Leo never imagined that time travel might really be possible, or that the objects in H. G. Wells' science fiction novels might actually exist. And when a miniature time machine appears in Leo's bedroom, he has no idea who the tiny, beautiful girl is riding it. But in the few moments before it vanishes, returning to wherever - and whenever - it came from, he recognizes the other tiny rider: himself!

Palmer LaRue is running out of birthdays. For as long as he can remember, he's dreaded the day he turns ten - the day he'll take his place beside all the other ten-year-old boys in town, the day he'll be a wringer. But Palmer doesn't want to be a wringer. It's one of the first things he learned about himself and it's one of the biggest things he has to hide. In Palmer's town being a wringer is an honor, a tradition passed down from father to son.

Audie Award-winning narrator Johnny Heller is Huckleberry Finn in this brand-new edition of the classic American story. Huck's understanding of the world around him evolves as he and Jim, a runaway slave, travel the Mississippi River. A coming-of-age journey for both Huck and listeners alike for over 100 years and counting.

Every year, people ask Groundhog the same, boring old question. Is spring around the corner? Or are we doomed to more winter? Sure, they care about his shadow, but what about him and his interests? He's had enough! Groundhog packs his bags and sets out for a much-needed vacation. Now the town is holding auditions to find someone to fill his spot. None of the animals seem right for the job, though. Not Elephant, not Ostrich, and most certainly not Puppy.

A young woman found naked and stabbed to death in her apartment - it's the type of case that should be perfect for Stanley Hastings. Instead it's his nightmare. It's a sensational murder trial. The woman was the girlfriend of Hastings' boss, Richard Rosenberg, and the hotshot lawyer is charged with killing her. Now Richard's in court fighting for his life, and Stanley's out on the firing line trying to dig up some evidence in his favor. It won't be easy.

Pulitzer Prize-winning best-selling novelist Blake Tanner, former Spec Ops and longtime CIA, travels to Egypt, along with his team, to deliver a message to the Egyptian president of an assassination plot under the guise of an interview for the Associated Press. Blake and his team are soon caught up in a conspiracy that extends far beyond the briefing intel. Split up and on their own, Special Agent in Charge Maren Dey must make the most difficult decisions of her career, if she is to survive and keep her team alive.

When a teenager from a wealthy suburb outside Oakland is dumped at an inner city bus stop, homicide detective Matt Sinclair catches the case. It's his first since being bumped to desk duty for a bust that went south - fast. With few leads and plenty of attention, it's the worst kind of case to help him get back up to speed. And it only gets worse as the bodies start to pile up - first at the same bus bench, then around the city. Sinclair is unable to link the victims to each other, and the killer is just getting started.

A frank and hilarious guide to every man's mind-numbing nemesis: Shopping.Guys, spent one too many Saturdays marooned at the mall? This indispensable sanity-saver exposes the hidden history and insidious psychology of shopping. Hint: it's crazy. Plus, this book cool-headedly guides you through the treacherous, credit card-melting mazes.

Stosh thought he was finished traveling back in time. But then Ralph Branca shows up in his room one night, begging for Stosh's help. In 1951, Branca pitched a ball to Bobby Thomson that would become the "Shot Heard Round the World", a home run that won the National League pennant for the New York Giants and changed the lives of Branca and Thomson forever. Branca says the Giants were cheating, and he needs Stosh to use his power with baseball cards to go back in time and set things right.