Ubykh Recordings

A diverse, inclusive reimagining of the bestselling phenomenon The Invisible String that helps more readers than ever feel connected to this transformative, healing story.

For a quarter of a century, The Invisible String has helped comfort and heal millions of readers by easing separation anxiety, loneliness, and loss, while also exploring the intangible yet unbreakable connections between us all. This newly reimagining of this celebration of love answers the call from countless fans for a diverse range of children and families to be included in this contemporary all-ages classic.

When a mom and dad tell their twins that they’re all connected by an Invisible String, the children insist that’s impossible. But still, they want to know more: What kind of string? The answer is one that people around the world have been sharing for a generation, and it’s the simple truth that binds us all: It’s an Invisible String made of love. Even if you can’t see it, you can feel it deep in your heart and know that you are always connected to the ones you love.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025, The Invisible String is truly the perfect gift for all occasions and now more accessible to families of all kinds.

The Invisible String Family Celebration By Patrice Karst

The acclaimed author of Red Clocks returns with a biting, lyrical novel about an intergenerational group home run by an ex-musician determined to make a place for those without one

On a bluff above a river rises The House, where elderly and disabled residents live alongside young people who help out in exchange for free rent. The community is led by a former punk singer who never wanted to be responsible for anyone yet now finds herself the caretaker of this precarious collection of lives. It’s not a family, exactly, but it’s got the complicated, sometimes painful, sometimes hilarious, dynamics of kinship.

When two kids—Nola and her little cousin James—show up on The House’s back porch in need of refuge, the whole experiment is thrown into question. All are welcome here, or that was the idea. But the authorities are looking for these children, and The House’s finances are teetering on the edge. 

Zumas’s long-anticipated third novel wrestles with America’s crisis of care in a taut, aching, polyphonic tale that moves as fast as the crackling comebacks that fly between The House’s residents over breakfast. As the rules of the outside world start to press in on this safe haven, readers will find themselves asking, what would the world look like if everyone had a place to belong?

Wolf Bells By Leni Zumas, Read By Jenn Lee

“Heart-pounding, illuminating, and ominously timeless” (Gina Frangello), this honest and poignant memoir reflects on a woman’s escape from a violent marriage and what it cost to protect her and her family’s safety. 

“Once upon a time, I disappeared.” So begins Karen Palmer’s harrowing and redemptive memoir, She’s Under Here.
 
In 1989, shortly after her second marriage, Palmer and her new husband quit their jobs without notice. They pulled her two young daughters out of school and buckled them into the rear seat of a used car purchased with cash. The trunk was packed with clothing and toys, pillows and blankets, four place settings, one pot, one pan, and a sack that contained every penny they had. Living with the fear of Palmer’s dangerous ex-husband had become untenable: This was DIY witness protection.
 
In this searingly honest and heartwrenching account, Palmer examines why she ended up trapped, how she escaped, and the ongoing perils of life constructed around a false identity. She ruthlessly explores the lines between desire and fear, victim and perpetrator, captivity and freedom, and exposes myriad aspects of what it means to make difficult choices as a woman, when none of the options are good. She’s Under Here is a haunting meditation on themes of disappearance, betrayal, and private violence, and it is utterly unforgettable.

She’s Under Here By Karen Palmer

Take a deep dive into the shadows and light of one of the most subversive, corrosively funny, and beloved suspense thriller masterworks as author Stephen Rebello unravels for the very first time the tense and drama-filled story of the making Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train.

As  entertaining as it is to watch Strangers on a Train, so too is the previously untold backstory that packs all the suspense, drama, and twists of a thriller. After all, what are the hallmarks of a great Hitchcock movie? A larger-than-life, complex cast of characters, each with something to prove, lose, or hide. Check. Tremendous risk, outsized conflict, and emotion as those men and women confront challenges off the set. Check. Feuds, deceptions, unlikely alliances, and double-crosses. Check. Coming off a 5-year-string of flops, Alfred Hitchcock gambled big on adapting Patricia Highsmith's debut novel, which critics called  “preposterous” and “unconvincing," in addition to “unsavory,” and “sick” (1950s code words for “gay” and “perverted”). Each step of the production was fraught with battles, but Hitchcock masterfully stayed two steps ahead of his opponents as he fought to bring his vision to life. Strangers on a Train became not only a creative high-water mark and box-office smash for Hitchcock, but also kicked off his unmatched decade of classics including Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho.  

Richly documented, meticulously researched, and stylishly written, Criss-Cross is more than an authoritative film book. It is a portrait of an especially politically paranoid, misogynistic, and homophobic era in America, a time of dramatic transition in the entertainment industry, and a day of reckoning for Alfred Hitchcock and a few other talents with whom he made a dark, resonant, and prescient work of art.

Criss-Cross By Stephen Rebello, Read By Jefferson Mays

In this officially licensed collection, Marvel Comics heroes Thor and Loki regale us with engaging and fantastical retellings of the classic tales of Norse mythology.

It’s a beautiful day in New York City and the Avengers have arranged a surprise birthday picnic for Peter Parker in Central Park—but the celebration is violently interrupted when a menacing rainbow suddenly crystalizes in the sky, dumping a shellshocked Thor and Loki into the middle of the party with a loud crash. The Avengers swiftly decamp to Stark Tower, where Doctor Strange freezes time to give the heroes a chance to regroup and formulate a plan. Thor and Loki warn the group that Ragnorok, the end of the world, has come, but before they can take action against it, they must understand how the world began.

Thus, the brothers begin the age-old Norse tradition of storytelling. As they verbally joust, spar, and one-up each other over who can spin the most outlandish yarn, Thor and Loki weave the sagas of their people including: The Creation of Man, How Odin Lost His Eye, The Theft of Thor's Hammer, Freyja's Beautiful Necklace, Thor and Geirrod the Giant, Sif's Golden Hair, and many more. They recount the ancient stories of the Nine Realms, the first humans Ask and Embla, and the sacred tree, Yggdrasil. In recounting each tale, the brothers aim to bring the cosmos closer to salvation.

A brilliant melding of the Marvel Comic universe with traditional Norse Mythology, illustrated throughout with full-color plates and black-and-white art, Thor & Loki is a must-read for Marvel fans and mythology lovers alike.

Thor & Loki By Delilah S. Dawson, Read By Cliff Miller

Two of America’s most revered ancient nutrition experts combine forces to give you a holistic plan for creating lasting health and well-being.
 
In this breakthrough book, New York Times bestselling authors and nutrition experts Jordan Rubin and Dr. Josh Axe offer a simple and holistic plan for building strength, health, and longevity. Based on the ancient wisdom of the Bible and confirmed by modern science, The Biblio Diet’s intuitive and easy-to-follow plan invites you to experience a breakthrough in the health of your entire family by learning to eat and live God’s way.
 
In this book, you’ll receive powerful insight on:
 
-  Intermittent fasting for any experience level
-  A daily eating plan that will fuel your body and expand your dietary horizons
-  Meats, veggies, fruits, dairy, spices, salts, and oils that are vital for a truly healthy lifestyle
-  Cancer-fighting nutrition and wellness secrets
-  The best tactics to beat depression and anxiety and improve mental health
-  Common foods in your fridge or pantry that can reduce pain and boost your immune system
-  An easy-to-follow 7-day meal plan (with shopping list)
-  12 new biblically inspired recipes

Experience health and freedom like you never have before when you learn to live the Bibliotarian way.

The Biblio Diet By Jordan Rubin & Joshua Axe, Read By Jordan Rubin

In an article in the July/August edition of Foreign Affairs magazine, “Might Unmakes Right: The Catastrophic Collapse of Norms Against the Use of Force”, Oona Hathaway and Scott Shapiro look at the history of the prohibition of the use of force between states and discuss what they see as the current assault on this prohibition.

To discuss her article, in July 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Oona Hathaway, the Gerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law at Yale Law School. They spoke about the shift in US foreign policy since the return of the Trump administration, the historic move from war being a legitimate diplomatic tool to being constrained by law, and the role of sanctions in enforcing international norms about the use of force.

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Luke Digweed.  

Further reading and resources

•	Follow Professor Oona Hathaway on X (@oonahathaway), Bluesky (‪@oonahathaway.bsky.social‬‬) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/oona-hathaway) 
•	“Might Unmakes Right: The Catastrophic Collapse of Norms Against the Use of Force”, Oona Hathaway and Scott Shapiro, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
•	“The Dangerous Rise of “Dual-Use” Objects in War”, Oona A. Hathaway, Azmat Khan & Mara R. Revkin, The Yale Law Journal, June 2025
•	“War Unbound Gaza, Ukraine, and the Breakdown of International Law”, Foreign Affairs, Oona Hathaway, 23 April 2024
•	The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World Oona Hathaway and Scott Shapiro (Simon and Schuster, 2017)


LSE: The Ballpark | Might unmakes right with Professor Oona Hathaway

A radical new approach to education for learners of any age

How much information is forgotten almost immediately after it is taught? How many students graduate from high school unprepared for careers where lifelong learning is essential to succeed? These problems stem from an educational system that uses time spent in a classroom and the results of standardized, multiple-choice tests as proxies for actual understanding. Educators Tony Wagner and Ulrik Juul Christensen call for a radical new system of learning, where students progress individually when they demonstrate that they can use what they have learned—no matter how long it takes to get there. This is called mastery learning, and it is the future of education.

This book shows how mastery learning is already being put to use in the United States and around the world, from kindergarten to college and in the workplace. Through conversations with teachers, students, parents, policymakers, and employers, Wagner and Christensen show how mastery improves motivation and prepares students for productive work, an engaged civic life, and personal growth and well-being. They also outline the challenges of adopting mastery learning and how to overcome them. Mastery is an urgent call to action to transform education for all.

Mastery By Tony Wagner & Ulrik Juul Christensen, Read By Graham Winton

Selina and Caswell chat with Professor Adrian Isaacs from the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL to talk Frontotemporal Dementia — from how fruit flies are helping, to the role of DNA repeat expansions in disease, and why lipids might protect the brain.

Presenters:  Caswell Barry and Selina Wray
Guests: Professor Adrian Isaacs
Producer: Patrick Robinson

Date of episode recording:  2025-07-28
Duration:  00:38:48
Language of episode: English 


Brain Stories - Episode 21:  Professor Adrian Isaacs on Frontotemporal Dementia

In the course of 6 weeks spent in Turkey in 1974, I made recordings of Circassian (mostly the Abzakh dialect but also some Shapsugh) in the Anatolian village of Demir Kapı and of Ubykh (mostly with Tevfik Esenç in Istanbul but also with some other elderly speakers in the village of Haci Osman Köyü). The recordings posted here represent a selection of those materials.

Hasan's Tale | 3 | Ubykh

Hasan's Tale | 2 | Ubykh

Hasan's Tale | 1 | Ubykh

In the course of 6 weeks spent in Turkey in 1974, I made recordings of Circassian (mostly the Abzakh dialect but also some Shapsugh) in the Anatolian village of Demir Kapı and of Ubykh (mostly with Tevfik Esenç in Istanbul but also with some other elderly speakers in the village
of Haci Osman Köyü). The recordings posted here represent a selection of those materials.

www.georgehewitt.net

Ubykh Sentences

The greeting to Sir Harold Bailey reads (roughly) as follows: ‘My dear friend Bailey. Though I have not seen you, I know you, having heard your name. I am greatly pleased that you work on languages and heartily value that. I send you my best greetings, and, taking your hand, clasp you to my bosom.’ 

***

Turkey, Summer of 1974: http://georgehewitt.net/index.php/articles/linguistics/288

The greeting to Sir Harold Bailey by Tevfik Esenc

B George Hewitt

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