Showing results by narrator "Ray Montecalvo" in All Categories

Although Montaigne’s writing resists easy analysis, Montaigne includes seven essays before he even explicitly states the purpose of the Essays. Manent finds in it a subtle unity, and demonstrates both the philosophical depth of Montaigne’s reflections and the distinctive and even radical character of his central ideas.

On the surface, the mountain town of Engelstatt, Austria is picture-perfect. It offers guests stunning views, fresh air, and the chance to experience an Alpine village untouched by time. For university student Jacob Liro, a school shooting survivor and aspiring artist, it is the perfect place to spend spring break with his classmates and a chance to hit the reset button on his life. What Jacob and his class don't know is that beneath its fairy-tale facade, something sinister lies in wait in the salt mines below the town.

On March 20, 1822, the Missouri Republican published a notice addressed “to enterprising young men” in the St. Louis area. “The subscriber,” it said, “wishes to engage one hundred young men to ascend the Missouri River to its source, there to be employed for one, two, or three years. For particulars enquire of Major Andrew Henry…or of the subscriber near St. Louise.” The “subscriber” was General William H. Ashley, and among the “enterprising young men” who embarked with Major Henry less than a month later was 18-year-old James Bridger.

Can a single kiss, a few spoken words, or a redheaded cheerleader alter the course of your life? Confronted with his own mortality, a crumbling economy, and the loss of everything he holds dear, a husband and father of three fears that his troubles are retribution for the sins of his youth—the wrath of consequence. In this thoughtful, funny, and heart-wrenching memoir of bullying, teenage angst, lost innocence, cancer survival, and the triumph of courage over fear, John Daly transforms an ordinary life growing up in 1970s New Jersey into something extraordinary.

In The Devil and Philosophy, 34 philosophers explore questions about one of the most recognizable and influential characters (villains?) of all time. From Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion to Bram Stoker's Dracula to Darth Vader to Al Pacino's iconic performance in The Devil's Advocate, this book demonstrates that a little devil goes a long way.

After the tragedies befalling their parents... siblings Grant Wolfe and Charlotte Greene prepare to return to their broken lives, a continent apart. But when a persuasive associate of their late father asks them to track down a precious gem stolen from his estate, the pair are thrust back together in their first paying job as a private investigation team.

Charlie Greene's life is unraveling…. Dismissed from Scotland Yard, she's jobless, aimless, and living with her father in London. But as she struggles to get her life in order, he mysteriously disappears while on a business trip to Florida. With nothing more than a duffel bag and an uneasy feeling, Charlie flies to Miami and quickly discovers… someone has their sights set on her too.

In Unfriendly to Liberty, Christopher F. Minty explores the origins of loyalism in New York City between 1768 and 1776, and revises our understanding of the coming of the American Revolution.

Caleb Saunders, the elusive ex-government assassin known as Corsair, is navigating the shadows, juggling the responsibilities of protecting not only his daughter but also Khloe—a young woman he rescued from the clutches of the mafia and drug cartels. As he strives to secure new identities for Khloe, Corsair is drawn to Cartagena, Colombia, on an assignment for a skilled counterfeiter. However, in this vibrant city, he unexpectedly crosses paths with an old adversary, Minuit, a former DGSE agent with a personal vendetta against Corsair, further fueled by the bounty on Caleb's head.

James Abijah Brooks (1855-1944) was one of the four Great Captains in Texas Ranger history, others including Bill McDonald, John Hughes, and John Rogers. Over the years historians have referred to the captain as “John” Brooks, because he tended to sign with his initials, but also because W. W. Sterling’s classic Trails and Trials of a Texas Ranger mistakenly named him as Captain John Brooks.

The intriguing story of three famous pirates in history - Scarlet Jack, Red Martin, and Blackbeard - as they terrorized a ship, and took the captain and a young family prisoner. How their lives intertwined throughout this story of swashbuckling buccaneers with romance, savagery, and the heroics of a slave makes this story originally told in the 1800s one of the best historical fiction accounts ever written.

Join this bloodthirsty crew of pirates on ships, including their dying declarations of the most brutal and vicious deeds ever set upon innocent civilians and merchant-ship crews. The Demon Rum is cited as the chief cause by one pirate for his awful and murderous acts. Their day of reckoning came when they faced their final day of judgement when captured in Spain.

In 2017 the Houston Astros won their first World Series title, a particularly uplifting victory for the city following Hurricane Harvey. But two years later, the feel-good energy was gone after The Athletic revealed that the Astros had stolen signs from opposing catchers during their championship season, perhaps even during the playoffs and World Series.

The American Revolution gave birth to a nation, forever changed the course of political thought, and shattered and transformed the lives of the citizens of the new republic. An iconic figure of the Old Northwest, governor, Indian fighter, general in the War of 1812, and ultimately president, William Henry Harrison was one such citizen. The son of a rich Virginia planter, Harrison saw his family mansion burned and his relatives scattered.

When rookie teacher Todd Hunter greets his first class of ninth graders, he sees in half their faces bedtime stories and good-night kisses, piano lessons and 4-H clubs. In the other half, he sees ducking and dodging, last picked and first kicked. At that moment, Todd decides to make the bruised and beaten half of his class as successful as the cheerful, confident half. Somehow, some way, he’s going to help the pelicans soar with the eagles.

The White Cockade is the story of the early days of the American Revolution and of the men and women caught up in it: Josiah, who doesn’t want war but can’t escape it. Hugo, once Josiah’s best friend but now his bitter enemy. Mercy, who dreams of marrying Josiah. Walter, eager to fight the British. Alice, whose desperate love for Josiah knows no limits. Tarleton, the roguish, womanizing British officer. Patrick, who can solve the most complex mathematical equations while living in his own world.

In June 1798, President John Adams signed the now infamous Alien & Sedition Acts to suppress political dissent. Facing imminent personal risks, a gutsy Kentucky newspaper editor ran the first editorial denouncing the law's attempt to stifle the freedom of the press. Almost immediately, government lawyers recommended his arrest and prosecution.

Caleb Saunders was a killer—codenamed Corsair—working for a shadowy government office. Until one day he vanished in the middle of an assignment. Presumed dead, Caleb Saunders assumed a new role—father. When a random crime steals that away, Corsair is unmasked. Now, he's in hiding again, trying to find a new life. But his enemies know he's alive, and they'll stop at nothing to make sure he dies with all his secrets.

Caleb Saunders was a killer—codenamed Corsair—working for a shadowy government office. Until one day he vanished in the middle of an assignment. Presumed dead, Caleb Saunders assumed a new role—father. When a random crime steals that away, Corsair is unmasked. Now, he's in hiding again, trying to find a new life. But his enemies know he's alive, and they'll stop at nothing to make sure he dies with all his secrets.

Blankenship identifies three factors that determine the severity of this burden-sharing dilemma and how it is managed: the latent military power of allies, the shared external threat environment, and the level of a patron's resource constraints. Through case studies of US alliances formed during the Cold War, he shows that a patron can mitigate the dilemma by combining assurances of protection with threats of abandonment and by exercising discretion in its burden-sharing pressure.