Audio books and Lectures

Leon Egan's gorgeous new YA, Listen Closely

Listen Closely - Leon Egan

Maurice Tuchman, a Guggenheim curator, engages in a discussion of and comparison between Cubist paintings by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. Tuchman introduces what he considers to be the main inspirations of Cubism—Paul Cézanne and what the curator refers to as “primitive” sculpture—and discusses the art movement’s evolution. This lecture took place on March 14, 1964.

Transcript: https://www.guggenheim.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/615213T22_01_On-Cubism.pdf 

"Inaugural Selection" exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1959. Photo: Robert E. Mates © SRGF

Guggenheim Archives

On Cubism by Maurice Tuchman, 1964

What is a pet?  The answer may seem straightforward: they are animals kept in the home for pleasure and companionship. But our interactions with pets are far more complex, rooted as much in ownership and domination as in sentimentality and affection. 

The Cambridge Animal Alphabet series celebrates Cambridge's connections with animals through literature, art, science and society. Here, P is for Pet. Cultural geographer Dr Philip Howell and PhD student Makoto Takahashi examine both the lighter and darker sides of pet keeping as a national obsession.

The scale of contemporary pet keeping is remarkable. In the US, ‘fur babies’ outnumber human babies. In the UK, almost a quarter of households have a dog and almost a fifth owns a cat. Fish (often listed among pets) are even more popular.

The keeping of these pets is one of the most significant of all human-animal relationships. The majority of pets live as part of the family. At the same time, many are poorly treated and animal activists have called into question the legitimacy of keeping pets at all.
- See more at: http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/features/p-is-for-pet#sthash.RU4bwkzl.dpuf

P is for Pet

Call the Midwife meets Dr Barnardo’s in this gritty drama that will appeal to fans of Katie Flynn. St Saviour’s will never turn a homeless child away… 

 When there is nowhere else to turn, St Saviour’s will give them hope…

It’s 1948 and London’s East End is still a bombed-out landscape. Sister Beatrice, who runs the St Saviour’s Children’s Home, knows that life is still a precarious existence for many children and it seems that there is no end to the constant stream of waifs and strays who appear at their door looking for a safe haven.
One such arrival is Mary Ellen whose mother is gravely ill. The one silver lining is her best friend, the tearaway Billy Baggins, also a resident of the home, but Billy seems intent on falling foul of Sister Beatrice’s strict regime.
New arrival on the staff, Angela, admires Sister Beatrice, but can see that the children need love and kindness as well as a strong hand. When an unwelcome face from Billy’s past arrives on the scene, things are brought to a head. Can the two women work together to keep Billy on the straight and narrow – or is it too late?

The Orphans of Halfpenny Street, By Cathy Sharp, Read by Antonia Beamish

Bob Schieffer, Walter Shorenstein Media and Democracy Fellow, veteran CBS reporter and former moderator of “Face the Nation,” discussed his outlook for the 2016 presidential election and the corrosive effects of money in politics.

Bob Schieffer: The 2016 Presidential Election | Shorenstein Center

In episode nineteen we chat with Hugo Larochelle, Ryan introduces us to autoencoders, plus we tackle the question of what is standing in the way of strong AI.

Strong AI and Autoencoders

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas on Audible:
http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B012BTUEVC&source_code=SCLGB9080WS102913

Get this audiobook for free when you try Audible:
http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B012BTUEVC&source_code=SCLGB9080WS102913

Summary:

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire - for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past.... She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight. She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return. 

Buy on Audible

Queen Of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas, Narrated by  Elizabeth Evans

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*A stunning new unabridged recording, available on audio download*

The acclaimed international bestseller of the Tudor court, during the years of Henry VIII’s pursuit of Anne Boleyn – and the revolutionary sequence of events that followed.


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1521. Young Mary Boleyn arrives at court, maid in waiting and favourite to Queen Katherine of Aragon.

Yet Mary catches the eye of the capricious king and – propelled by the ambitions of the powerful Boleyn family – she betrays her queen, and takes her place as Henry VIII’s new mistress.

But while Mary is in childbed, a rival comes to court – her sister Anne, a young woman ruthless in her drive to become queen.

With her own destiny unknown, and the Boleyn enemies gathering, Mary must defy her family – and command her own fate.

With an exclusive afterword written and read by Philippa Gregory, exploring the inspiration behind Mary’s story.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - Exclusive Extract 2

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - Exclusive Extract 5

Publishers of award-winning fiction and non-fiction audiobooks for adults and children. Listen to exclusive clips from our books and free audioook extracts here on Soundcloud.

The Orphans of Halfpenny Street, By Cathy Sharp, Read by Antonia Beamish

HarperCollins Publishers

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