In the thrilling sequel to The Phoenix King, deadly secrets are uncovered, new alliances are forged, and an exiled princess will rise from the ashes of the old world as the burning queen. 

“So what will you become, Elena? Villain, hero, or conqueror?”

Ravence has fallen. Her enemies have ravaged her people. And now Elena Aadya Ravence must decide how far she will go to reap her revenge. As she is pulled into a bitter war that will decide the fate of her kingdom, a new tyrant rises to reclaim his home, and Elena finds that perhaps her hunger isn’t enough.

And his knows no bounds.

Praise for The Phoenix King: 

“Fiery, inventive, and full of yearning and vengeance. A wonderful read.” —Tasha Suri

“Come for the science fantasy worldbuilding and stay for the characters you just can’t get out of your head.” —Vaishnavi Patel

“A heady and seamless blend of sci fi and fantasy infused with Indian inspiration. An engrossing read that will have you quickly turning through the chapters.” —R. R. Virdi

The Burning Queen by Aparna Verma read by Soneela Nankani, Vikas Adam, Deepti Gupta, and Akshay Kumar

Do you ever feel like you’re pretending? Do you ever feel like the “real you” is concealed by the disguise you wear every day? Do you even know who the real you is?
 
Many of us feel confused about who we are and what God created us to be. We go through the motions, doing what’s expected of us, but we feel lost, empty, or just a deep-down sense that there must be more out there for us. We have never taken the time to—or been allowed to—find out who we are at our core. Often, it’s not easy to understand who you are at your core. Sometimes, you have to fight for it.
 
In The Fight to Find Yourself, Pastor Joel Tudman pairs biblical content, practical teaching, and deeply personal stories to help guide readers struggling with grief, confusion, or feeling lost, to move forward into hope, joy, and a better future. He helps readers:

Uncover and face the deeply-held beliefs that have defined you so far
Confront their deepest disappointments and desires and use those to orient their future
Root out false ideas about what you can do, become, and be
Walk through transitions with confidence and boldness
Find mentors to guide and walk with you through this process
Understand the calling God has placed on their lives
Believe that their value lies in who they are, now what they do

When you truly know who God made you to be, you will be able to know yourself, accept yourself, feel like you, and walk out into the world with your head held high, knowing you are a beloved child of God, already loved, already good enough.  This is a powerful and inspiring manifesto to help readers move from being lost, feeling guilty, confused about their callings, or wrestling with grief, to moving forward into healing, health, and happiness in their lives.

The Fight to Find Yourself by Joel Tudman read by Joel Tudman

For readers of What an Owl Knows and The World Without Us, this infectiously impassioned tour of the five New York City boroughs offers jaded city dwellers and bird lovers everywhere an unexpected, delightful new view of the concrete jungle – through its surprisingly enormous and diverse bird population

Ryan Goldberg came to birding unexpectedly, but as many first timers do after seeing their “spark” bird, he fell hard. Enamored by the incredible variety of species that pass through his hometown of New York City, and with the other passionate birders he meets, he embarks on a year of reporting on the natural wonders hiding amidst the skyscrapers. He learns that millions of birds migrate through the city each year – over 400 different species have been found in New York, way more than in Yellowstone National Park.
 
Through the four seasons, Goldberg takes readers to all five boroughs, through the city’s most famous parks and landmarks. He chases rare and common species alike, increasing his count and deepening his understanding of how and why birds make their home in this smoggy, noisy, concrete-coated environment. Along the way, he meets many delightful and idiosyncratic characters, both human and feathered. 
 
Richly textured, informative, and uplifting, Bird City will inspire fast-walking New Yorkers, the ever-growing birding community, and readers everywhere who think of “nature” as just a place to visit on Saturdays, to slow down and look around them. There’s a lot more than pigeons in our city skies.

Bird City by Ryan Goldberg read by Evan Sibley

Set amongst the glittering backdrop of London’s iconic Savoy hotel, a young woman is forced to confront her troubled past as she uncovers the story of the hotel’s first female bartender who has been erased from the history books—”an exhilarating, tender read that will leave you smiling” (Fiona Jackson, bestselling author).
 
Six years ago, Cinnamon Scott was a young writer on the rise in New York City. But since the sudden loss of her parents, she’s been stuck in place, retreating to a life of endless partying—made possible by the massive fortune she’s inherited. Despite their tragic loss, she and her older sister Rosemary have always had each other to lean on. But now, with Rosie living in London and about to give birth to twins, Cinnamon feels more lost than ever.

When Rosie is put on bedrest, Cinnamon flies to her sister’s side, where she’s temporarily living at The Savoy. Immediately swept away by the beauty and history of the legendary hotel and its famed American Bar, Cinnamon finds ample opportunity to distract herself. When the late shift bartender tells her the story of Ada Coleman, the woman who crafted the cocktail recipes The Savoy popularized in its famous handbook a century ago, Cinnamon is inspired by the bartender’s vivid stories of Ada’s fearlessness and can’t understand why Ada’s name is nowhere to be found.

After meeting a handsome historian researching the hotel and realizing that Ada is likely to be once again overlooked, Cinnamon must decide if she can overcome her demons and stand up for Ada’s story. And, along the way, she might just save her own story too.

Last Call at the Savoy by Brisa Carleton read by Christine Lakin

From the legendary film director Martin Scorsese, a book in which he and Father Antonio Spadaro discuss the visionary filmmaker’s relationship to faith throughout his life.

From his Italian-American upbringing as a Catholic in New York to the meditations on religion, belief, and the divine found in his filmography, Martin Scorsese’s relationship to his faith has touched every aspect of his life and work. 

When Italian journalist Father Antonio Spadaro and Martin Scorsese first sat down together in Scorsese’s home, neither could have predicted the depth of the conversation, intellectual exchange, or friendship that would result. While discussing the acclaimed director’s film Silence, about the persecution of Jesuits in Japan, they began a dialogue about faith that continues to this day.

In their often-profound conversations, he and Father Spadaro have left no stone unturned, discussing this relationship along with everything from Scorsese’s childhood to the concept of the soul. And as a result of their long friendship and communication, Scorsese met with Pope Francis. Readers will gain new insight into one of the most famous directors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in these honest, moving, and ultimately inspiring Conversations on Faith.

Conversations on Faith  Contributors By Martin Scorsese with Antonio Spadaro read by Paul Bellantoni and Brian P. Craig

“La poderosa e inédita historia de la revolución de 1950 en Puerto Rico y la larga historia de la intervención estadounidense en la isla, que el New York Times dice “no podría ser más oportuna.”

En 1950, después de cincuenta años de ocupación militar y gobierno colonial, el Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico montó una fallida revolución armada contra Estados Unidos. La violencia arraso con la isla: comandos nacionalistas fueron enviados a Washington a ajusticiar al presidente Harry Truman, se desataron tiroteos en ocho municipios, se incendiaron cuarteles policiacos y oficinas de correo. Para sofocar esta insurrección, el Ejército de Estados Unidos desplegó miles de tropas y ametralló dos pueblos desde el aire, marcando la primera vez en su historia que el gobierno estadounidense atacó de esta forma a sus propios ciudadanos.

Por medio de narraciones orales, entrevistas personales, relatos de testigos oculares, testimonios del Congreso de Estados Unidos y archivos recientemente liberados al público por el FBI, Guerra Contra Todos los Puertorriqueños nos relata la historia de una revolución olvidada y su contexto en la historia grande de Puerto Rico, desde la invasión estadounidense de 1898 hasta la lucha actual por la plena autodeterminación de los puertorriqueños.

Guerra Contra Todos los Puertorriqueños by Nelson A Denis read by Gerardo Ortiz

A major new biography of Francis Crick, codiscoverer of the structure of DNA, pioneering neuroscientist, and twentieth-century genius 

What are the moments that make a life? In Francis Crick’s, the decisive moment came in 1951, when he first met James Watson. Their ensuing discovery of the structure of DNA made Crick world-famous. But neither that chance meeting nor that discovery made Crick who he was. 

As Matthew Cobb shows in Crick, it is another chance encounter, with a line from the writing of Beat poet Michael McClure, that reveals Crick’s character: “THIS IS THE POWERFUL KNOWLEDGE,” it shouted. Crick, having read it, would keep it with him for the rest of his life, a token of his desire to solve the riddles of existence. John Keats once accused scientists of merely wanting to “unweave a rainbow,” but it was an irrepressible, Romantic urge to wonder that defined Crick, as much as a desire to find the basis of life in DNA and the workings of our minds.  

For the first time ever, Cobb presents the full portrait of Crick, a scientist and a man: his triumphs and failings, insights and oversights. Crick set out to find the powerful knowledge. Almost miraculously, he did. 

Crick by Matthew Cobb read by Neil Gardner

A mysterious door stands open, inviting a boy who’s been brutally bullied all his life to take a courageous step forward into the unknown. On the other side, he finds a hoard of priceless artifacts and a world as filled with magic as it is with monsters. The most shocking revelation, however, is that he can bring whatever he wants back with him when he returns to Earth. It won’t be long before this double life changes him forever...

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too Vol 1 by Miku read by Curtis Michael Holland

Go behind the scenes of the Great White Way with this illustrated guide to the Theater District’s hidden history–an essential book for your explorations of the district from a seasoned Broadway guide.

Broadway is one of New York’s greatest treasures, and where there is treasure, there is a backstory. When it comes to Broadway, that backstory is fittingly juicy, dramatic, and unexpected. And no one knows these hidden histories like Teale Dvornik, who has been leading Broadway fans on tours of the theater district since 2017. With her immense knowledge and passion for the theater, Dvornik now takes readers on her one-of-a-kind tour of Broadway, “stopping” at each of the 41 theaters to tell us fun facts, lesser-known history, ghost tales, and interesting stories about actors, performances, stage flukes, blunders, and more, involving the biggest names and productions in theater history. 

Learn about the Tiffany chandeliers of the Belasco Theater, the trove of hidden jewels at the Gershwin (which houses years of history from the beloved musical Wicked), and the impresarios and players who influenced Broadway. Readers will also learn the fascinating back stories of theater myths, legends, and traditions. Where did the stage ghost light come from? What started the tradition of intermissions? Which theaters have secret connecting hallways? And much, much more!  Along the way, Teale takes detours to explain stage lingo and dives into some of Broadways most popular shows, including CATS, Hello, Dolly!, and Rent. 

History Hiding Around Broadway by Teale Dvornik read by Teale Dvornik and James Monroe Iglehart

History Hit podcast presenter Dr Anthony Delaney reveals the real people that inspired Gentleman Jack and the gay romances in Bridgerton, long written out of the nation's story and now lovingly restored.

Mother Clap's Holborn coffee house is open to all comers, a place of companionship and community, until a tip-off leads to a midnight raid.

Two women, exiled from their families, set up a utopian homestead in a remote Welsh cottage, inspiring a generation of Romantic poets.

The celebrated Chevalier d'Éon, soldier, diplomat and spy, challenges a rival to a fencing match. The sweepstake is not over who will win, but whether the Chevalier is a man or a woman.

In this dazzling work of restorative history, Dr Anthony Delaney has traced the stories of people daring to challenge society's expectations, unearthing archives and court records to reveal the tragedies and the joys of queer life three centuries ago. Breathing new life into the forgotten and offering radical new interpretations of celebrated figures such as Anne Lister, Queer Georgians is an invitation to view our shared history in a whole new light.

Queer Georgians, written and read by Anthony Delaney

Play this quiz here: www.sporcle.com/games/amaranth/clip_tvii

Play my other quizzes here: www.sporcle.com/user/amaranth/contributed

DISCLAIMER: All rights belong to the original owners of these songs. This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only.

tvquiz2

amaranth_sporcle2