Barr, Niall. Eisenhower’s Armies: The American-British Alliance During World War II. Dreamscape. ISBN 9781682620687. Reader TBA.
The Anglo-American relationship from 1941-1945 proved to be the most effective military alliance in history. Yet there were also constant tensions and disagreements that threatened to pull the alliance apart. This book highlights why the unprecedented level of cooperation between the very different American and British forces eventually led to victory but also emphasizes the tensions and controversies that inevitably arose. Based on archival research on both sides of the Atlantic, this work considers the breadth and depth of the relationship from high-level strategic decisions, the rivalries and personalities of the commanders, and the ordinary British and American soldiers who fought alongside one another.
Coveney, Michael. Maggie Smith: A Biography. Macmillan Audio. ISBN 9781427271525. Read by Sian Thomas.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith. Coveny’s biography shines a light on the life and career of a truly remarkable performer, one whose stage and screen career spans six decades. From her days as a West End star of comedy and revue, Dame Maggie’s path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Paradoxically she remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public. This biography, written with the actress’s blessing and drawing on personal archives, as well as interviews with immediate family and close friends, is a portrait of one of the greatest actors of our time.
Cuddy, Amy. Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges. Hachette Audio. ISBN 9781478930150. Reader TBA.
We often approach challenging situations—job interviews, difficult conversations, speaking up for ourselves—with anxiety and leave them with regret. Moments that require us to be genuine and powerful instead cause us to feel phony and powerless, preventing us from being our best selves. Harvard professor Cuddy shows that we need to stop worrying about the impression we’re making on others, and instead change the impression we’re making on ourselves. Cutting-edge science reveals that if we adopt behaviors reflecting power and strength, we liberate ourselves from the fears and doubts that obstruct us. By redirecting our thoughts, actions, and even physiology, we free ourselves to be our best.
Downs, Paul. Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business. Recorded Books. ISBN 9781490698250. Reader TBA.
In 1986, fresh out of college, Paul Downs opened his first and last business, a small company that builds custom furniture. As his business began to grow, he had to learn about management, cash flow, taxes, and so much more. Furthermore, globalization and the arrival of the internet made a big impact on the economy, causing him to have to re-evaluate, restructure, and reinvent. Downs writes about hiring employees, providing motivation to get the best job out of them and incentive to maintain their loyalty and respect, and the difficult decisions he’s made to let some of them go. Downs also looks outward to his dealings with vendors, clients old and new, negotiating contracts, and providing each client with exemplary customer service along each step of the way, from first sales pitch to final delivery.
Dvorak, John. The Last Volcano: A Man, a Romance, and the Quest to Understand Nature’s Most Magnificant Fury. Tantor. ISBN 9781494567156. Read by Tom Perkins.
Volcanoes have fascinated—and terrified—people for ages. They have destroyed cities and ended civilizations.Here Dvorak looks into the early years of volcanology and its “father,” Thomas Jaggar. Jaggar was the youngest of five scientists to investigate the explosion of Mount Pelee in Martinique, which leveled the city of St. Pierre and killed its entire population in two minutes. Jaggar became obsessed with understanding the force of nature that could do this. Falling in love with a widowed schoolteacher who shared his passion, Jaggar devoted his life to studying volcanic activity and the mysteries beneath the earth’s surface. From their precarious perch, this dynamic husband and wife duo would discover a way to predict volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, promote geothermal energy, and theorize new ways to study the ocean bottom.
Hodes, Martha. Mourning Lincoln. HighBridge. ISBN 9781681680729. Reader TBA.
The news of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination on April 15, 1865, just days after Confederate surrender, astounded the war-weary nation. Public responses to the assassination have been well chronicled, but this book is the first to delve into the personal and intimate responses of everyday people—northerners and southerners, soldiers and civilians, black people and white, men and women, rich and poor. Through deep and thoughtful exploration of diaries, letters, and other personal writings penned during the spring and summer of 1865, Hodes captures the full range of reactions to the president’s death.
Lambert, Craig. Shadow Work: The Unpaid, Unseen Jobs that Fill Your Day. Recorded Books. ISBN 9781501904868. Read by James Jenner.
Shadow work includes all the unpaid tasks we do on behalf of businesses and organizations. It has slipped into our routines stealthily; most of us do not realize how much of it we are already doing, even as we pump our own gas, scan and bag our own groceries, execute our own stock trades, and build our own unassembled furniture. But its presence is unmistakable, and its effects far-reaching. Fueled by the twin forces of technology and skyrocketing personnel costs, shadow work has taken a foothold in our society. Lambert examines its sources in the invasion of robotics, the democratization of expertise, and new demands on individuals at all levels of society.
MacQuarrie, Kim. Life and Death in the Andes: On the Trail of Bandits, Heroes, and Revolutionaries. Tantor. ISBN 9781494563851. Read by Jonathan Yen.
The Andes Mountains are the world’s longest mountain chain, linking most of the countries in South America. MacQuarrie takes listeners on a historical journey through the region, bringing fresh insight and contemporary connections to such fabled characters as Charles Darwin, Pablo Escobar, and Che Guevara. He introduces us to a Patagonian woman who is the last living speaker of her language, as he explores the disappearance and sometimes surprising resiliency of indigenous cultures throughout the Andes. He meets a man whose grandfather witnessed Butch Cassidy’s last days in Bolivia, tracks down the ballet dancer who once hid the leader of the brutal Shining Path in her home, and hears a harrowing story from the school teacher who gave Che Guevara his final meal.
Mesler, Bill & H. James Cleaves II. A Brief History of Creation: Science and the Search for the Origin of Life. Blackstone. ISBN 9781504657587. Read by Sean Runnette.
In this history of Western science, tracing the trials and triumphs of the iconoclastic scientists who have sought to uncover the mystery of how life first came to be, Mesler and Cleaves examine historical discoveries in the context of philosophical debates, political change, and our evolving understanding of the complexity of biology. The story they tell is rooted in metaphysical arguments, in a changing understanding of the age of the earth, and even in the politics of the Cold War. It has involved exploration into the inner recesses of our cells and scientific journeys to the farthest reaches of outer space.
Starita, Joe. I Am a Man: Chief Standing Bear’s Journey for Justice. Blackstone. ISBN 9781504651783. Read by Armando Durán.
In 1877, Chief Standing Bear’s Ponca Indian tribe was forcibly removed from their Nebraska homeland and marched to Oklahoma in what became the tribe’s own Trail of Tears. This work chronicles what happened when Standing Bear set off on a 600-mile walk to return the body of his only son to their traditional burial grounds. Along the way, it examines the complex relationship between the United States government and the small, peaceful tribe and the legal consequences of land swaps and broken treaties.
Zuckoff, Mitchell. Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II. Blackstone. ISBN 9781504653190. Read by the author.
On May 13, 1945, 24 American servicemen and WACs boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley deep within the jungle-covered mountains of Dutch New Guinea. But the pleasure tour became an unforgettable battle for survival when the plane crashed. Miraculously, three passengers pulled through. Emotionally devastated, badly injured, and vulnerable to the hidden dangers of the jungle, the trio faced certain death unless they left the crash site. Drawn from interviews, declassified U.S. Army documents, personal photos and mementos, a survivor’s diary, a rescuer’s journal, and original film footage, this work recounts the incredible true-life adventure.