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Why We Kiss Under the Mistletoe
- Christmas Traditions Explained
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
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Why We Kiss Under the Mistletoe
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Publisher's summary
From the famed author of international bestseller Drinking with the Saints, every Christmas tradition explained and celebrated, as well as a glimpse into all the sometimes macabre and always fascinating nooks and crannies of the holiday. Deepen your knowledge of and love for Christmas!
The definitive guide to every question you’ve had about the Christmas holiday—and many more you’ve never thought to ask!
In Why We Kiss Under the Mistletoe, bestselling author Michael Foley dives deep into the history of Christmas and the customs that surround this beloved holiday. Learn about the fascinating origins of your favorite Christmas food, drink, observances, and songs. Discover how Saint Nicolas, a fourth-century Catholic bishop, became Santa Clause and who Santa’s global competitors are (some of them will shock you). And dig into the forbidden history of the Yuletide season’s dark and ghoulish side.
Witty, imaginative, and wholly unique, Why We Kiss Under the Mistletoe is the stocking stuffer that will be revisited every year.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
Ancient Greece and its mythology has fascinated people for thousands of years, and few elements have intrigued people quite like the Eleusinian Mysteries, which the Greeks believed transformed the initiates and gave them knowledge that eased both the living of life on earth and allayed fears of death, allowing an acceptance of their ultimate fate. The influence of the Eleusinian Mysteries was also far-reaching.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Not worth a credit or the price
- By James I. Ruff on 08-31-21
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Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms
- Journeys into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East
- By: Gerard Russell
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 96
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 86
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 85
In Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms, former diplomat Gerard Russell ventures to the distant, nearly impassable regions where these mysterious religions still cling to survival. He lives alongside the Mandaeans and Ezidis of Iraq, the Zoroastrians of Iran, the Copts of Egypt, and others. He learns their histories, participates in their rituals, and comes to understand the threats to their communities.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Increase your understanding of the Middle East
- By Shaun on 03-17-15
By: Gerard Russell
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Castles, Customs, and Kings
- True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors
- By: Debra Brown, M.M. Bennetts
- Narrated by: Ruth Golding
- Length: 25 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 70
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 62
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Story4 out of 5 stars 60
A compilation of essays from the English Historical Fiction Authors blog, this book provides a wealth of historical information from Roman Britain to early 20th-century England. Over 50 different authors share hundreds of real life stories and tantalizing tidbits discovered while doing research for their own historical novels.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Historical Tidbits
- By Troy on 08-03-15
By: Debra Brown, and others
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Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea
- Why the Greeks Matter
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 335
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 152
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Story4 out of 5 stars 152
Best selling history writer Thomas Cahill continues his series on the roots of Western civilization with this volume about the contributions of ancient Greece to the development of contemporary culture. Tracing the origin of Greek culture in the migrations of armed Indo-European horsemen into Attica and the Peloponnesian peninsula, he follows their progress into the creation of the Greek city-states, the refinement of their machinery of war, and the flowering of intellectual and artistic culture.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Super super
- By Richard on 12-28-03
By: Thomas Cahill
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The Middle Ages
- By: Morris Bishop
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 192
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 168
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 165
In this indispensable volume, one of America's ranking scholars combines a life's work of research and teaching with the art of lively narration. Both authoritative and beautifully told, The Middle Ages is the full story of the thousand years between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance - a time that saw the rise of kings and emperors, the flowering of knighthood, the development of Europe, the increasing power of the Catholic Church, and the advent of the middle class.
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3 out of 5 stars
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"It's All left to the imagination."
- By Dave Miller on 09-22-17
By: Morris Bishop
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St. Patrick of Ireland
- A Biography
- By: Philip Freeman
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 106
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
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Story4 out of 5 stars 60
Ireland's patron saint has long been shrouded in legend: he drove the snakes out of Ireland; he triumphed over Druids and their super-natural powers; he used a shamrock to explain the Christian mystery of the Trinity. But his true story is more fascinating than the myths.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Wonderful Discription
- By L. Thibodeaux on 08-12-05
By: Philip Freeman
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Classic Christmas Stories
- By: Hans Christian Andersen, Louisa May Alcott, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and others
- Narrated by: Paul Albertson
- Length: 1 hr and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 39
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 28
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Classic Christmas Stories features seven timeless classics, including Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, A Christmas Dream and How it Came True by Louisa May Alcott, A Christmas Inspiration by Lucy Maud Montgomery, The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, A Kidnapped Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum, The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen, and The Three Kings by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Classic Christmas Stories
- By kim on 01-07-17
By: Hans Christian Andersen, and others
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The Colour of Magic
- Discworld, Book 1
- By: Terry Pratchett
- Narrated by: Colin Morgan, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,803
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,583
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,574
Somewhere on the frontier between thought and reality exists the Discworld, a parallel time and place that might sound and smell very much like our own, but which looks completely different. Particularly as it’s carried though space on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown). It plays by different rules. But then, some things are the same everywhere. The Disc’s very existence is about to be threatened by a strange new blight: the world’s first tourist, upon whose survival rests the peace and prosperity of the land.
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3 out of 5 stars
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TERRIBLE Narration!
- By Kayla I on 07-08-22
By: Terry Pratchett
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Asian Journals
- India and Japan (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)
- By: Joseph Campbell
- Narrated by: Fred Stella
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 40
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
At the beginning of his career, Joseph Campbell developed a lasting fascination with the cultures of the Far East, and explorations of Buddhist and Hindu philosophy later became recurring motifs in his vast body of work. However, Campbell had to wait until middle age to visit the lands that inspired him so deeply. In 1954, he took a sabbatical from his teaching position and embarked on a year-long voyage through India, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and finally Japan.
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5 out of 5 stars
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What a journey!
- By Anonymous User on 08-11-18
By: Joseph Campbell
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Primitive Mythology
- The Masks of God Series, Volume I
- By: Joseph Campbell, David Kudler - editor
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 136
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 116
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 116
The author of such acclaimed books as The Hero With a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth discusses the primitive roots of mythology, examining them in light of the most recent discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, and psychology.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Epic speculation into the origins of our mythic consciousness
- By BGZ on 01-10-19
By: Joseph Campbell, and others
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Smith of Wootton Major
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
- Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 675
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 603
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 599
Tolkien's acclaimed modern classic 'fairie' tale, read by Derek Jacobi. Smith of Wootton Major journeys to the Land of Faery thanks to the magical ingredients of the Great Cake of the Feast of Good Children.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Charming
- By Babbi on 01-18-17
By: J. R. R. Tolkien
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A House Full of Females
- Plural Marriage and Women's Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835-1870
- By: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 19 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 180
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 157
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 159
A stunning and sure to be controversial book that pieces together, through more than two dozen 19th-century diaries, letters, albums, minute books, and quilts left by first-generation Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, the never before told story of the earliest days of the women of Mormon "plural marriage", whose right to vote in the state of Utah was given to them by a Mormon-dominated legislature as an outgrowth of polygamy in 1870, 50 years ahead of the vote nationally ratified by Congress.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Well-behaved women seldom write in diaries
- By Darwin8u on 01-13-17
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Greek Mythology
- Classic Stories of the Greek Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters (Classic Mythology, Book 1)
- By: Scott Lewis
- Narrated by: Madison Niederhauser
- Length: 3 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 36
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 34
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Story4 out of 5 stars 34
This captivating audiobook will take you on a beautiful journey through the fascinating world of Greek mythology. From the beginning of the cosmos to the Odyssey, be ready to venture into an exciting world of love, loyalty, infidelity, vengeance, deception, and intrigue!
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5 out of 5 stars
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A great way to gain insight to Ancient Greece
- By cosmitron on 07-27-18
By: Scott Lewis
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Life in a Medieval City
- By: Frances Gies, Joseph Gies
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 100
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 84
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 83
Life in a Medieval City is the classic account of the year 1250 in the city of Troyes, in modern-day France. Acclaimed historians Frances and Joseph Gies focus on a high point of medieval civilization - before war and the Black Death ravaged Europe - providing a fascinating window into the sophistication of a period we too often dismiss as backward. Urban life in the Middle Ages revolved around the home, often a mixed-use dwelling for burghers with a store or workshop on the ground floor and living quarters upstairs.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Troyes, an old town but a new city
- By Darwin8u on 04-02-18
By: Frances Gies, and others
What listeners say about Why We Kiss Under the Mistletoe
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kara L. Kirby
- 12-13-22
A Curiouser Christmas
The world of Christmas traditions is a far more strange, dark, and utterly delightful realm than I ever imagined. As a convert to Catholicism, my awareness of the range and depths of the holiday was, I thought, already greatly expanded from my sweetly simple childhood understanding of the Nativity story and cultural indoctrination in material gluttony and hollow nostalgia that all good Americans possess. I had NO IDEA what I was in for when I started this book.
First off, the charming cover and title are somewhat misleading. This is a through-the-looking-glass book where you meet so many odd, delightful, and disturbing characters (real and imagined), historical events, and funny practices that began innocently enough, but spun and whirled out of all recognition, it is a wonder the history is traceable at all! Barbara branches, the Devil's Funeral, the Gavle Goat, Dickensian goblins, cannabalistic Christmas werewolves, Chestertonian illuminations, Shakespearian explications, and encyclopedia of Christmas carol origins and another of foods, Miracle plays, and yes, the mistletoe... it's all here to sample or read right through. Untangling origin stories is Foley's strong suit and drink, and he delivers them with his signature flair, wit, attention to detail, and delight in storytelling. While I must admit I rather hoped Foley would be the reader for the audiobook, the narrator does a wonderful delivery.
This is not the flattened Christmas you've seen on TV. It's a bullseye shot straight through to its true heart. It is living, glorious, earthy, mould-laden, fire-sparking, piercing light, pure joy in fullness.
A thousand thanks, Michael Foley, and a Merry Christmas.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Alexander B. Bethke
- 12-20-23
Wrong voice for Christmas
The narrator was the wrong voice for this type of Christmas story - he would have been better in a drama or murder mystery. Never really got through that.
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