Showing results by narrator "Michael Curtis" in All Categories

In ‘Lost But Not Forgotten,’ Sittenfeld gives listeners of her novel Prep a chance to see how our beloved character Lee Fiora is doing twenty years later, when she returns for a school reunion and grapples with memories of an incident that happened while she was a student. In ‘Pretzels are for Biting,’ a woman looks up two best friends that she moved away from after her divorce. In ‘Creative Differences,’ a photographer from the mid-west quickly realizes that the ‘documentary’ she stars in is actually a commercial for a multi-national corporation.

Jason loves his life as a stay-at-home dad, but being a divorced single father wasn't part of the plan. Besides his kids, pies are his passion. He makes and sells his creations at the Heartcraft Market, but it's not enough to live off of. After his father's recent health scare, Nico is determined to help revive their family diner. Then he meets Jason, whose pies are as sweet as he is, and an idea begins to form. Jason's kids are everything to him, but his bed feels empty at night. Nico has always wanted a family, but he has yet to find a man that he could build a life with.

In her second story collection, Sittenfeld shows why she’s as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels. In these dazzling stories, she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends, laying bare the moments when their long held beliefs are overturned.

The lies that brought them together will tear them apart. Alek and Ian's relationship is built on lies and the cracks are starting to show. A pianist gifted with synesthesia, Alek sees sounds and hears colors and transforms all of his emotions into music. But no matter how hard he tries to hide behind a facade of apathy and seduction, he can't escape the dark past that haunts him.

Tyler is my best buddy on the planet. We would move mountains for each other. So when I discover that my girl has been cheating on me, it's my best friend's job to put me back together. His own troubles in the love nest are brewing. His girlfriend is jealous of all the time Tyler spends cheering me up.

Isla Hansen, a mother reeling from a devastating loss, is beside herself when a mysteriously orphaned child appears on the outskirts of the Hansens’ secluded Colorado property. Although strange and unexplainable, the child’s presence breathes new life into Isla. But as the child settles in, Isla’s husband, Luke, and their five children notice peculiarities that hint at something far beyond the ordinary—anomalies that challenge the very fabric of reality itself.

For more than seven decades the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people has raged on with no end in sight, and for much of that time, the United States has been involved as a mediator in the conflict. Khalidi closely analyzes three historical moments that illuminate how the United States' involvement has, in fact, thwarted progress toward peace between Israel and Palestine.

I've been in love with Jordan Mitchell since the moment I saw him. He's smart, handsome, and even funny when he feels like it. He excels at everything; whatever he touches turns to gold. He can't do anything wrong. When our parents got married and merged our broken families, I suddenly had a rival I could never compete with. And a heart-throb I could never be with. And I hate him for it. He doesn't even see me. Until one summer break . . . We're alone in our parents' mountain house. All we do is swim, sunbathe, and fight. And I'd rather be kissing him.

Denver Bryant's passion for pie has sent him across Wyoming in search of the best slices. Though he dutifully posts reviews on his blog, he's never been able to recreate his brief moment of viral popularity, and his trickling income isn't enough to pay rent next month.

I'm left on this strip of sand after my second round of rehab. Father says I should rest and build my strength back, but I know better. Father is launching his campaign of hate and bigotry in a presidential bid, and I am the black hole for his reputation. And not because I'm an addict. I'm radioactive because I like kissing guys and the paparazzi love catching me in the act. I am of such little importance that nobody bothered to find me a private house on this island, and I'm forced to share one with a dangerously handsome Tiago Alvarez.

Years of rivalry and quiet resentment finally come to boiling and one of us isn’t leaving this hotel room alive. Until big words are said. And crazy actions taken. And we’re no longer fighting, even if it sort of looks like a wrestling match. Turns out, I’ve got no problem with Caden kissing guys when I’m the guy he kisses. But… I’m straight, right?

Somewhere within a distant constellation, in adrenaline-filled romps through space, aliens are coupling with human heroines. This science fiction romance collection contains Taken to Heimo, Taken to Kor, and Taken to Lemora.

It was supposed to be nothing more for Lola Larson and TJ Kingston than three days of fake dating before going back to their everyday lives. Not thinking they will see each other again, they part ways without getting each other's last names or phone numbers. Two years later, they're in college, where they meet again. However, their priorities are different from the last time they saw each other.

Zookeeper Fred loves snakes, but his favorite is a tiny green snake named Vern. Vern is sneaky and constantly tries to hide in Fred’s lunch. When Vern gets loose in the zoo and lands atop a boy’s head, it’s trouble! A few citizens demand that all the snakes must go, and the Mayor closes the zoo until City Council decides what to do. Is Vern a menace? Are the snakes a danger to society, or are they a valuable resource for everyone? And who gets to decide? The Questioneers need all their talents to help Zookeeper Fred, but in the end, it’s Aaron’s art that leads the way.

Eighteen-year-old Marine recruit William V. Taylor, Jr. and his brother Marines are assembled into a new reaction force that is immediately tested in the fire of a bloody conflict known as Operation Beaver Cage. After a traumatic first fight, they push through back-to-back operations with little time to rest or reflect. Those who survive will return home ensnared by everlasting memories of a real but entirely surreal nightmare. Now, after more than 50 years of holding everything in, Taylor shares his experience in explicit—and often horrific—detail.

Kyle was the first to detect the incoming threat. As a leading astronomer in the study of Near-Earth Objects, his obsession with a rare asteroid containing three orbiting moons provided the only warning. But it wouldn’t be enough to protect his daughter, let alone the rest of the world. Dallas has committed her life to unraveling the mysteries of deep time and humanity's ancient past. Confronted with its imminent extinction, she’s forced to rely on the relationships made in the present and draws upon her unique skillset to seek unexpected answers.

A team of Oxford-educated Islamic finance gurus deliver a one-of-a-kind investing roadmap for Muslims who want to watch their savings grow while abiding by Islamic law. You'll learn to distinguish between halal and haram investment products, get key strategies for saving on your taxes, learn to build a variety of portfolios, and more.

Dash made bad decisions in the past, ones that he paid for behind bars. He left his old life behind, but the memories linger. He finds a passion for food and sells his smoked meats and sausages at the Heartcraft Market. Evan loves his job as a sonographer, but sometimes, the weight of his work wears on him. He surrounds himself with flowers and pretty things that remind him of the beauty in life. Done with dating apps, Evan hopes to find someone in real life. When the intriguing tattooed man at the market catches his eye, could this be the "meat" cute the vegetarian was hoping for?

Grayson Reed is into me. We are each other's fiercest opponents in the rink. But now, Grayson's eyes are stripping me down whenever we cross each other's paths. I don't mind being the object of another guy's desire, but I also refuse to jump into a stranger's bed so quickly. It's just that I'm not really dating material. And of all the guys on Earth, Grayson Reed is the last person I would give a chance. But if there is one thing everyone knows about Gray, it's that he is not a quitter.

Pretending to be like everyone else is exhausting, but I've mastered it. No one knows what really lurks behind the mask I wear every day. I'm not like others. I don't experience emotions like they do. I have no need for human connection, but when I see Tyshawn, that changes. One look and I know he's mine. It doesn't matter that I've never been with a man before. He makes me want, he makes me burn. When he catches me… working… my second job, he has to decide if he wants to stay with me. I have to convince him that I'm willing to do anything for him… including slaying some of his demons.