Showing results by narrator "Benjamin Mahns-Mardy" in All Categories

When Charlie Lightfoot plays his fiddle, people listen. More importantly, they pay. It could be that music is Charlie’s way out of a tough life on the Backstreets of Calver. There are, however, plenty of people who are only too happy for Charlie to stay exactly where he is. Not only that, they’ll do whatever they can to keep him there. But when Charlie decides to take his future in his own hands, he realizes just how far-reaching the hands of others can be.

When Gregory Hoffenbach unearths a valuable stone while ploughing, he believes it could put an end to all his woes. It doesn't. In fact it's just the beginning. Greg heads into the city of Calver with his brother, Ralph, to try and sell the stone, but soon they discover that there are plenty of people in the kingdom who'd like to own Greg's red stone. Over the next few days, the brothers strike a deal with a prominent crime boss, stumble into a plot to overthrow the king, and have a hand in the death of an overambitious hay salesman.

Do you ever feel that visiting social media is an increasingly negative experience? Social media taps into some of our most profound human weaknesses and makes it almost impossible to live without the temptation of comparing yourself to others, seeking their approval, or arguing with each other. Screen with Envy: How Social Media Culture Is Weakening Our Sense of Belonging and Making Us Lonelier discusses the antisocial ways we're behaving towards each other online and why we need to do better at rediscovering close connections offline instead.

Destined from birth to become a legend, Achilles grew up training to be a warrior to fulfill his prophecy. When the time comes, however, he begins to doubt the heroism of his bloodshed. With war raging all around him, will Achilles find a reason to join the battle?