Showing results by narrator "Roger Wayne" in All Categories

Is Italian olive oil really Italian, or are we dipping our bread in lamp oil? Why are we masochistically drawn to foods that can hurt us, like hot peppers? Far from being a classic American dish, is apple pie actually...English? Matt Siegel sets out “to uncover the hidden side of everything we put in our mouths”. Siegel also probes subjects ranging from the myths - and realities - of food as aphrodisiac, to how one of the rarest and most exotic spices in all the world (vanilla) became a synonym for uninspired sexual proclivities.

The celebrity dog trainer and Emmy-winning star of the CBS show Lucky Dog shares his training system to transform any dog - from spoiled purebred puppy to shelter-shocked rescue - into a model companion in just seven days.

Black Force is dead. When the shadowy government division's chief operator used Jason King in Russia for her own personal vendetta, it cast far-reaching consequences throughout the secret world. King, Slater, and Isla are held prisoner onboard a US Navy supercarrier while their fate is determined-but they haven't escaped the madness yet. The Russian oligarchs involved in King's previous operation want him silenced, never able to disclose what he uncovered.

In a period of skyrocketing student loan debt without the promise of high-paying employment, and in an economy in desperate need of skilled tradespeople, many are seeking new paths. Ken Rusk, the "million-dollar ditch digger", is here to show you that blue-collar trades are a source of pride and that you can - and will - find your version of happiness by pursuing a good old-fashioned craft. In Blue Collar Cash, Ken shares his insights from more than 30 years working in blue-collar trades as an entrepreneur, mentor, and life coach.

In the 1950s, an obsessive firearms designer named Eugene Stoner invented the AR-15 rifle in a California garage. High-minded and patriotic, Stoner sought to devise a lightweight, easy-to-use weapon that could replace the M1s touted by soldiers in World War II. What he did create was a lethal handheld icon of the American century.

As punishment for plotting with his brothers to steal immortality, Garreth is suffering a freezing torment until the end of time. Again and again his fierce fighter's physique is frozen into a chiseled ice sculpture, his heart hardening like a diamond in his chest - only to thaw and resume the chilling torture. Until, like his older brother, Dethan, he is offered a reprieve from a goddess - in exchange for his allegiance in a celestial civil war.

In this shocking memoir, a former FBI informant reveals what he learned from successfully infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan in the backwoods of the Sunshine State, uncovering details about the hate group’s structure and its modern far-right spinoffs which are operating to achieve the same goal: inciting a second civil war by whatever violent means necessary.

Garth Nix is renowned for his legendary fantasy works, but To Hold the Bridge showcases his versatility, as the collection offers 19 short stories from every genre of literature, including science fiction, paranormal, realistic fiction, mystery, and adventure. Whether writing about vampires, detectives, ancient spirits, or odd jobs, Garth Nix's ability to pull his readers into new worlds is extraordinary.

Martin Torgoff details the rise of early drug culture in America by weaving together the disparate elements that formed this new segment of the American fabric. Channeling his decades of writing experience, Torgoff connects the birth of jazz in New Orleans, the first drug laws, Louis Armstrong, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, swing, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, the Savoy Ballroom, Charlie Parker, the birth of bebop, the rise of the Beat Generation, and the launch of heroin in Harlem.

Technology can now control the spiritual experience. This is a journey through the high-tech aids for psychological growth that are changing our world, while exploring the safety, authenticity, and ethics of this new world. We already rely on technology to manage our health, sleep, relationships, and finances, so it’s no surprise that we’re turning to technological aids for the spiritual journey.

Brody Webb has earned a reputation as a pretty boy who would gladly give you the shirt off his back. In spite of his good looks and big heart, Brody's devotion to the family farm lost him his ambitious wife. When the city girl who bought his uncle's bookshop forms an instant connection with his kids, Brody is smitten despite himself. But he fights tooth and nail not to show it. After all, what would an interesting young woman like Sarah want with a small-town farmer so boring he couldn't even hang onto the mother of his two beloved children?

For years, Walmart and Amazon operated in separate spheres—one a massive brick-and-mortar retailer, the other an online giant. But in 2016, Walmart aggressively moved into the world of e-commerce, while Amazon made big bets in physical retail. The resulting rivalry is a bare-knuckle power struggle as each titan tries to outmaneuver the other to become the biggest omnichannel retailer in the world. As the two megacorporations have consolidated power, troubling consequences have also emerged.

Thea Villalobos has long since given up trying to be what others expect of her. So in Elijah Sorensson she can see through the man of the world to a man who is passionate to the point of heartbreak. But something inside him is dying. Elijah Sorensson has all kinds of outward success: bespoke suits, designer New York City apartment, women clamoring for his attention. Except Elijah despises the human life he's forced to endure. He's Alpha of his generation of the Great North Pack, and the wolf inside him will no longer be restrained.

In 1935, nine-year-old George Weyerhaeuser, heir to one of the wealthiest families in America, is snatched off the streets two blocks from his home. The boy is kept manacled in a pit, chained to a tree, and locked in a closet. The perps - a career bank robber, a petty thief, and his 19-year-old never-been-in-trouble Mormon wife - quickly become the targets of the biggest manhunt in Northwest history. The caper plays out like a Hollywood thriller with countless twists and improbable developments. Perhaps the most astonishing thing of all, though, is how it all ends.

These stories attest to the generous compass of Thomas McGuane's fellow feeling, as well as to his unique way with words. In this collection, filled with grace and humor, the ties of family make for uncomfortable binds: A devoted son is horrified to discover his mother's antics before she slipped into dementia, and a father's outdoor skills are no match for a change in the weather. But complications arise equally in the absence of blood, as when lifelong friends on a fishing trip finally confront their deep dislike for each other.

By looking at what separates the extremely successful from the rest of us, we learn what we can do to be more like them - and find out, in some cases, why it's good that we aren't. Barking up the Wrong Tree draws on startling statistics and surprising anecdotes to help you understand what works and what doesn't, so you can stop guessing at success and start living the life you want.

Falling in love was never in the cards for Leonidas. An angry witch made sure of that-if he loses his heart, he loses his life. But the treaty guaranteeing peace will die with him, unless he wins the true love of a woman and she bears him a dragonling. When a fiery red-headed witch comes along with plans of her own, 500 years of guarding his heart and opening his bed might not be enough to protect him. Because love is magic...and the fate of the mortal and immortal worlds depends on Rosalyn and Leonidas not only opening their hearts, but surviving a love that's true....

Ander Rade is a super-soldier, a genetically engineered living weapon, and has been dutifully following orders since he gave himself to Scythe Industries’ Gene-Mod Program several years ago. But when a mission goes sideways, he’s captured, imprisoned, and forced into brutally violent fighting pits for the better part of the next decade…until agents from the Genetic Compliance Department of the United American Provinces appear in the visitors room.

When Dr. Kellan Webb is offered the opportunity to trade in his job at a fancy city hospital and take over the small practice in his hometown, he's overjoyed. Working one-on-one with patients and raising his son close to his family will more than make up for the pay cut. And Kellan always has a plan for the future. Sure, his brothers might tease him for being so serious all the time, but Kellan knows there's nothing funny about shouldering his responsibilities like a man. Then, a beautiful young pregnant woman arrives at his house in the middle of the night.

Veteran Lieutenant Ralph Hague and his platoon have completed far more dangerous assignments fulfilling the Berserker’s contract with Biodyne Industries. When an army of radical cultists, the Immortals, arrive in search of Biodyne’s research on a life-extending drug, Hague and his troops are redirected into the heart of a war-torn planet to rescue Biodyne personnel and their data from a secret research facility called Outpost 16. There he witnesses horrors that shock him to his very core. Surrounded by hostile forces, he must choose between his duty and his conscience.