Showing results by narrator "Matt Addis" in All Categories

Sebastian has long been haunted by the disappearance of his father, Jack Messenger: celebrated travel writer, potential spy and murder victim, his absent presence and equivocal past continue to cast inescapable shadows over his son, who must also contend with his ageing mother's fragmented memory and his own dereliction of a partner. So who is the stranger that buttonholes Sebastian at an academic conference on the Welsh coast, and reveals lies and transgressions neither outgrown nor comprehended? How does he know Sebastian, and what are his connections to Jack Messenger?

These two autobiographical essays by Douglas Harding were written 30 years apart. Harding wrote the first one in the 1960s when he was in his early 50s. He wrote the second one, "On Having No Head," when he was 80. They are instructive, insightful, and entertaining.

If these tales were by an unknown author, they would be no more than reflections on a childhood in the early 20th century. But they gain in interest because of who wrote them, for they provide insight into the young life and mind of a great philosopher and spiritual teacher: Douglas Harding (1909-2007), author of The Hierarchy of Heaven and Earth, On Having No Head, and other books. The stories open a window on Harding's early life; their autobiographical nature is only thinly disguised. After listening to them, you will understand Harding in a new and more intimate way.

If Aiden Manchester had to have a superpower, why couldn't it be something useful like predicting the future? Or Jedi mind tricks? Instead, he's afflicted with manifestations - balls of goo which materialize in midair while he sleeps. But then, Aidan learns he was a "Quiver Kid", one of seven orphaned babies drafted for an illicit experiment at Tau Nine-One.

Shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year Arrest Me, for I Have Run Away is a stunning short story collection on human nature and identity. Stevie Davies' latest work, it is bound to captivate and charm the listener.

All the beloved, irascible Auntie Poldi wanted from her Sicilian retirement was time to enjoy the sunshine, a free-flowing supply of wine, and a sultry romance with Chief Inspector Vito Montana. But then her idyll is rudely disrupted by the last person she wants to see on her doorstep: John Owenya, detective inspector with the Tanzanian Ministry of Home Affairs, who is also her estranged lying cheat of a husband. Not only is John's sudden reappearance putting a kink in Poldi's dreamy love affair with Montana, but his presence also comes with a plea for help.

What if your past came back to haunt you and stalked the present until it became your worst nightmare? J.J. Hughes explores the lengths to which we'll go to keep the past from overshadowing the present and destroying the future.

Sensational books like Freakonomics have shown how human behaviour follows predictable patterns. But how do you take these radical ideas and apply them to your business? How do you make money from them? Secrets of the Moneylab sets out what business can learn from the findings of the new economics and social psychology. It shows how you can shape desires, use incentives and reduce risks to consistently improve the bottom line.