Showing results by narrator "Carol Monda" in All Categories

Speed: the most demonized - and misunderstood - drug in the land. Deprived of the ingrained romantic mysticism of the opiate or the cosmopolitan chic of cocaine or the mundane tolerance of marijuana, there is no sympathy for this devil. Yet speed - crystal meth, amphetamines, Dexedrine, Benzedrine, Adderall; crank, spizz, chickenscratch, oblivious marching powder, the go-fast - is the most American of drugs: twice the productivity at half the cost, and equal opportunity for all.

In this meditative and flavorful essay, Alexandra Johnson visits Viggiano and the large, extended Italian family that would have been her own - had she married the youngest son, Giorgio, her old boyfriend. Now married to another man, she returns to the house to help Giorgio improve his English as he thinks about leaving southern Italy and its struggling economy behind.

Sex, love, and forgiveness - can they coexist, and can romance author Sarah write them into her life? Although best-selling author Sarah O’Malley is sure her next erotic-romance novel will be another hit, she finds it near to impossible to replicate the same results in her personal life. At 45 years old, Sarah now finds herself divorced and a single mother of two. Sarah journeys back to her childhood home to nurse her mother who is suffering from Alzheimer's, and she inevitably encounters the ghosts of her past.

In the 1970s, New York City hit rock bottom. Crime was at its highest, the middle class exodus was in high gear, and bankruptcy loomed. Many people credit New York’s master builder Robert Moses with turning Gotham around, despite his brutal, undemocratic. and demolition-heavy ways. Urban critic and journalist Roberta Brandes Gratz contradicts this conventional view. New York City, Gratz argues, recovered precisely because of the waning power of Moses.

A series of child abductions in Peru leads an FBI agent and an archaeologist to uncover the ultimate secret of the Inca Empire. On a Peruvian Andes mountaintop, archaeology professor Nina Ramirez and her students make two stunning discoveries: The five-hundred-year-old mummy of an Inca girl, the victim of ritual sacrifice, and in another grave, the corpse of a recently kidnapped boy wearing the same ancient costume. Child abductions are being reported throughout Peru, and when an American boy is snatched in Lima, FBI agent Adam Palma is assigned to the case.

Samantha Johnston, a reporter for the LA Beat, is determined to attend the wedding of one of America’s hottest actors in hopes of learning the identity of his mystery bride. But, not only does Samantha sneak into the church, she ends up saying, “I do.”

When Gustavo Dudamel, at the age of 28, ascended the podium at the Hollywood Bowl for his inaugural concert as conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he immediately captivated the hearts of his audience, just as he had the minds of music critics who designated him a modern-day Leonard Bernstein. In Changing Lives, the maestro's story becomes the entry point to an equally captivating subject: El Sistema, the music education program that nurtured his musical talent, first as a young violinist and then as a budding conductor under the mentorship of its founder, Jos Antonio Abreu.

Could you use another life? This is the story of a woman who has the courage to reinvent herself. Heirs to the Jackson textile mill, designer Dani and her singer/songwriter twin Dylan feel free to follow the siren call of the music world - until they’re interrupted by a car accident. With Dani behind the wheel, her father ends up on a stretcher. Youthful free spirits cut short, Dani swaps her fringed jacket for a business suit, the Red Hot Chili Peppers for the Brandenburg concertos.

Pages magazine says this collection represents “the absolute best in short literary fiction.” This installment exhibits a fresh batch of immensely talented writers, all of whom exemplify the level of accomplishment that has kept this acclaimed series running strong since 1985. Comprising 20 stories, this rich and varied collection features everything from a fresh take on the classic Southern gothic to a velvet-smooth work of erotic suspense.

Acclaimed author Shelby Hearon is winner of an American Academy of Arts and Letters Literature Award and two Texas Institute of Letters fiction awards. Taking place during the 1960s’ rebirth of feminism, The Second Dune is an insightful and emotional tale revealing one woman’s search for independence.

CBA best-selling author Delia Parr, acclaimed for her award-winning historical romances, concludes her Candlewood trilogy with this stirring sequel to Refining Emma. In a quaint 1840s village in Upstate New York, the genteel proprietress of a bustling boarding house must rely on her wisdom, determination, and faith to reconcile the conflicting demands of family, friendship, and love.

Deserts of sand and deserts of the heart, Middle Eastern deserts and American deserts: Two Deserts, a collection of stories, follows the circles of two unforgettable women across cultures and deserts. The Arabian circle includes a 17-year-old girl yearning for freedom and a Muslim mother plotting to rescue her son from a jihadist movement. The American circle includes a hooker who is training her daughter for the life, a priest in love, and a club of women whose husbands are dying.

Justin Childs is handsome, likeable, smart. A devoted son to his mother, Carol; a loving husband to his wife, Annie; and a sure-footed, savvy business partner to his best friend from college, Will. To so many, the perfect man. He’s also a liar. And now he’s dead. When Justin’s body is retrieved from the wreckage of a car accident, his death leaves his loved ones with more questions than answers.

Assemble Artifacts: A short story magazine that assembles a thrilling new mix of stories from genres including horror, science-fiction, comedy, and suspense. Buried at the heart of every story in the magazine is a unique artifact, an object that has inspired our storytellers to create a big idea, an irresistible question, a new immersive world, or a sense of wonder. Unearth your next great listen with Assemble Artifacts.