Showing results by narrator "Patrick Hopkins" in All Categories

Laney McGregor’s previous holiday season ended in disaster. Add to that her recent Election Day loss, and her spirits are decidedly un-bright. She’s determined to spend a quiet Christmas at home in Mapleton, helping out on her family’s tree farm when needed but mostly keeping to herself. That is, until a job opportunity sweeter than sugar plums gets dangled in front of her … if only she’ll participate in a sequence of Christmas clichés.

Nora Clanton sells caskets. It wasn't her dream job, but it's the family business. She lives in a sleepy town in the middle-of-nowhere, and her only friends are decades older than her. Her life might be comfortable but sometimes she finds herself wanting more. Then Garrett Bishop turns up and sweeps her off her feet. He's handsome, charming and seems to have a good (if vague) job. There is one little thing though . . . death seems to follow him and rumours never stay buried in her tiny town.

In 21st century America, the top 0.1 percent of the wealth distribution have walked away with the big prizes even while the bottom 90 percent have lost ground. What’s left of the American Dream has taken refuge in the 9.9 percent that lies just below the tip of extreme wealth. Collectively, the members of this group control more than half of the wealth in the country - and they are doing whatever it takes to hang on to their piece of the action in an increasingly unjust system.

This definitive history of presidential lying reveals how our standards for truthfulness have eroded - and why Trump's lies are especially dangerous.

It’s been fourteen years since Greer’s older sister Eliza was murdered. Her family has never been the same. Nor has the small town of Ludlow. The killer was convicted and executed but another body has been found. A copycat, according to the authorities, but Greer is convinced there is more to the story. And she is returning to Ludlow in search of the truth.

Deputy Sergeant David Wolf has been waiting 16 years for today's opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his late father - to become Sheriff of Sluice County, headquartered in the small ski resort town of Rocky Points, Colorado. What he's offered, however, isn't quite what he's expecting. And for Wolf, refusing turns out to be harder, and much deadlier, than he could have anticipated.

In 2020, while the COVID-19 pandemic raged, the US was hit by a ripple of political discontent the likes of which had not been seen since the 1960s. The spark was the viral video of the horrific police murder of an unarmed Black man. The killing of George Floyd galvanized a nation already reeling from COVID and a toxic political cycle. Tens of thousands poured into the streets to protest. The entire country suddenly seemed to be roaring for change in one voice. Then nothing much happened. Fredrik deBoer explores why these passionate movements failed and how they could succeed in the future.

A big Irish knight, much beloved by his English men, faces his biggest challenge when an injury nearly claims his life...and his confidence as a warrior.

Climate change is here and we have more tools to combat it than ever before – by cutting emissions in inventive new ways that protect our health and livelihoods, and by repairing the damage we have caused. Into the Clear Blue Sky explores the practical changes that can make drastic improvements to the atmosphere within our lifetime. This visionary and transformative book is the call to action we need right now.

Liberal democracy in America has always contained contradictions—most notably, a noble but abstract commitment to freedom, justice, and equality that, tragically, has seldom been realized in practice. While these contradictions have caused dissent and even violence, there was always an underlying and evolving solidarity drawn from the cultural resources of America’s “hybrid Enlightenment”. James Davison Hunter, who introduced the concept of “culture wars” 30 years ago, tells us in this new book that those historic sources of national solidarity have now largely dissolved.

To dive into Notes to Myself is one of those rare experiences that comes only once in a great while. The editor who discovered the book said, "When I first read Prather's manuscript it was late at night and I was tired, but by the time I finished it, I felt rested and alive. Since then I've reread it many times and it says even more to me now." The book serves as a beginning for the listener's exploration of his or her own life and as a treasury of thoughtful and insightful reminders.

Just for a day, Colorado cop David Wolf trades slogging through murky meltwaters and even murkier small-town politics for an overnight camping trip in the wilderness with his son. But when a man with fresh burns turns up on their trail, falling from the heavy load in his backpack and running wild from something, Wolf suspects his father-son camping trip may have just taken a turn for the worse.

As Lawrence Ingrassia shows in this timely and eye-opening audiobook, a growing number of digital entrepreneurs have found new and creative ways to crack the code on the bonanza of physical goods that move through our lives every day. They have discovered that manufacturing, marketing, logistics, and customer service have all been flattened - where there were once walls that protected big brands like Gillette, Sealy, Victoria’s Secret, or Lenscrafters, savvy and hungry innovators now can compete on price, value, quality, speed, convenience, and service.

A natural history of the wilderness in our homes, from the microbes in our showers to the crickets in our basements Even when the floors are sparkling clean and the house seems silent, our domestic domain is wild beyond imagination. In Never Home Alone, biologist Rob Dunn introduces us to the nearly 200,000 species living with us in our own homes, from the Egyptian meal moths in our cupboards and camel crickets in our basements to the lactobacillus lounging on our kitchen counters. You are not alone.

Unique insights from pioneers of Google’s Startup Accelerator on why building teams is harder than building tech—and a proven way to develop a strong, resilient and effective team.

During one crazy week in January 2021, a motley crew of retail traders on Reddit's r/wallstreetbets forum had seemingly done the impossible - they had brought some of the biggest, richest players on Wall Street to their knees. Their weapon was GameStop, a failing retailer whose shares briefly became the most-traded security on the planet and the subject of intense media coverage. The Revolution That Wasn't is the riveting story of how the meme stock squeeze unfolded, and the real architects (and winners) of the GameStop rally.

When diggers at a high altitude surface mine exhume the corpse of one of their workers, the Sluice-Byron SD is called to the scene. Upon arrival, detectives find answers are hard to come by, but one thing’s for certain — they are looking at murder. David Wolf, now acting interim sheriff, is finding this second time around running the show less desirable than the last, so when a spot opens up in the investigation, he wastes no time jumping into the action.

Inside Hero Maker, Duffy Gaver shares the knowledge and motivational sit-downs that get his stars to take hold of their own bodies. None of these stars bought their way to their impressive physiques; they earned it with old fashioned work and dedication. He will tell you what you need to do to look super heroic, and he will show you how you too can do this if you put yourself to the task. Inside, you will also find some of his game-changing workouts to help get you there.

From trade to technology to military might, competition between the United States and China dominates the foreign policy landscape. But this battle for global influence is also playing out in a strange and unexpected arena: the movies. The film industry, Wall Street Journal reporter Erich Schwartzel explains, is the latest battleground in the tense and complex rivalry between these two world powers. In recent decades, as China has grown into a giant of the international economy, it has become a crucial source of revenue for the American film industry.

A week ago, Ruby Grace was an ordinary girl. Now she’s a wolf shifter, rejected by her fated mate and sent to live with an ancient coven of powerful witches. That’s not even the craziest part. Because Ruby’s been star touched—blessed by the gods with the rare ability to weave illusions with her mind.