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The best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love (among many other great works) Elizabeth Gilbert talks to Michael about creative process - her own and others who have inspired her in this interview that covers some big topics, peppered with lots of laughs and that unmistakable Gilbert charm.

#1 Elizabeth Gilbert

Listen to an excerpt of Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy, read by the author.

In Furiously Happy, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson explores her lifelong battle with mental illness. A hysterical, ridiculous book about crippling depression and anxiety? That sounds like a terrible idea.

But terrible ideas are what Jenny does best.

As Jenny says:

"Some people might think that being 'furiously happy' is just an excuse to be stupid and irresponsible and invite a herd of kangaroos over to your house without telling your husband first because you suspect he would say no since he's never particularly liked kangaroos. And that would be ridiculous because no one would invite a herd of kangaroos into their house. Two is the limit. I speak from personal experience. My husband says that none is the new limit. I say he should have been clearer about that before I rented all those kangaroos.

"Most of my favorite people are dangerously fucked-up but you'd never guess because we've learned to bare it so honestly that it becomes the new normal. Like John Hughes wrote in The Breakfast Club, 'We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it.' Except go back and cross out the word 'hiding.'"

Furiously Happy is about "taking those moments when things are fine and making them amazing, because those moments are what make us who we are, and they're the same moments we take into battle with us when our brains declare war on our very existence. It's the difference between "surviving life" and "living life". It's the difference between "taking a shower" and "teaching your monkey butler how to shampoo your hair." It's the difference between being "sane" and being "furiously happy."

Lawson is beloved around the world for her inimitable humor and honesty, and in Furiously Happy, she is at her snort-inducing funniest. This is a book about embracing everything that makes us who we are - the beautiful and the flawed - and then using it to find joy in fantastic and outrageous ways. Because as Jenny's mom says, "Maybe 'crazy' isn't so bad after all." Sometimes crazy is just right.

Buy the audiobook!

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, audiobook excerpt

Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut on Audible:
http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B002V1M464&source_code=AUDORWS0227159CU8

Get this audiobook for free when you try Audible:
http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B002V1M464&source_code=AUDORWS0227159CU8

Summary:

Galapagos takes the listener back one million years to AD 1986. A simple vacation cruise suddenly becomes an evolutionary journey. Thanks to an apocalypse, a small group of survivors stranded on the Galapagos Islands are about to become the progenitors of a brave, new, totally different human race.

Kurt Vonnegut, America's master satirist, looks at our world and shows us all that is sadly, madly awry - and all that is worth saving.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Kurt Vonnegut's book, you'll also get an exclusive Jim Atlas interview added to your library.

James Atlas interviews Gay Talese about the life and work of Kurt Vonnegut.

This production is part of our Audible Modern Vanguard line, a collection of important works from groundbreaking authors. 

Buy on Audible

Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut, Narrated by Jonathan Davis

Listen to an excerpt of Jonathan Maberry's Deadlands: Ghostwalkers, read by Ray Porter.

From New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry, the first in a thrilling series of novels based on Deadlands, a hugely successful role-playing game (RPG) set in the Weird, Weird West.

Welcome to the Deadlands, where steely-eyed gunfighters rub shoulders with mad scientists and dark, unnatural forces. Where the Great Quake of 1868 has shattered California into a labyrinth of sea-flooded caverns . . . and a mysterious substance called "ghost rock" fuels exotic steampunk inventions as well as plenty of bloodshed and flying bullets.
In Ghostwalkers, a gun-for-hire, literally haunted by his bloody past, comes to the struggling town of Paradise Falls, where he becomes embroiled in a deadly conflict between the besieged community and a diabolically brilliant alchemist who is building terrible new weapons of mass destruction . . . and an army of the living dead!

Deadlands is one of the most popular RPGs in history, with over a million Deadlands gaming books sold.

Deadlands: Ghostwalkers by Jonathan Maberry - Chapter 1

The groundbreaking #1 bestseller is sure to turn nightly bedtime battles into a loving and special end-of-day ritual. This child-tested, parent-approved story uses an innovative technique that brings a calm end to any child's day. This audiobook features two readings of THE RABBIT WHO WANTS TO FALL ASLEEP—one by Fred Sanders, one by Kathleen McInerney.
 
Do you struggle with getting your child to fall asleep?
 
Join parents all over the world who have embraced THE RABBIT WHO WANTS TO FALL ASLEEP as their new nightly routine.
 
When Roger can't fall asleep, Mommy Rabbit takes him to see Uncle Yawn, who knows just want to do. Children will join Roger on his journey and be lulled to sleep alongside their new friend.
       
Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin's simple story uses a unique and distinct language pattern that will help your child relax and fall asleep--at bedtime or naptime. You can choose which voice works best for your child.  Both editions feature the same relaxing music throughout.  The music is specially composed and uses carefully selected tones to reinforce the story.
       
Reclaim bedtime today! - See more at: http://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/538390/the-rabbit-who-wants-to-fall-asleep/#sthash.H0tx43UI.dpuf

The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin (Audio Excerpt)

A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire on Audible:
http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B0118JBF1E&source_code=SCLGB90ADWS011614

Get this audiobook for free when you try Audible:
http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B0118JBF1E&source_code=SCLGB90ADWS011614

Summary:

Things are looking up.

For the first time in what feels like years, October "Toby" Daye has been able to pause long enough to take a breath and look at her life - and she likes what she sees. She has friends. She has allies. She has a squire to train and a King of Cats to love, and maybe, just maybe, she can let her guard down for a change.

Or not. When Queen Windermere's seneschal is elf-shot and thrown into an enchanted sleep by agents from the neighboring Kingdom of Silences, Toby finds herself in a role she never expected to play: that of a diplomat. She must travel to Portland, Oregon, to convince King Rhys of Silences not to go to war against the Mists. But nothing is that simple, and what October finds in Silences is worse than she would ever have imagined.

How far will Toby go when lives are on the line and when allies both old and new are threatened by a force she had never expected to face again? How much is October willing to give up, and how much is she willing to change? In Faerie, what's past is never really gone.

It's just waiting for an opportunity to pounce.

A Red-Rose Chain is the ninth installment in Seanan McGuire's urban fantasy October "Toby" Daye series. 

A Red - Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire, Narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Three Little Sontarans: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Dan Starkey.

In an epic battle against a lone Rutan, three Sontarans take up very different strategies to defeat their interminable nemesis, once and for all. 

A captivating fairy tale, read by Doctor Who actor Dan Starkey, and written by Justin Richards.

Three Little Sontarans: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Dan Starkey

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of Cinderella and the Magic Box: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Ingrid Oliver.

Cinderella has lost all hope of attending the royal ball with her stepmother and sisters, when a strange man in a blue box arrives and begins to grant her every wish. But at the palace, Cinderella soon discovers not all the guests are as noble as they seem . . .

A captivating fairy tale, read by Doctor Who star Ingrid Oliver and written by Justin Richards.

Cinderella and the Magic Box: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Ingrid Oliver

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of Andiba and the Four Slitheen: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Yasmin Page.

Out walking in the hills one day, a young woman called Andiba hides when she sees several strange creatures beside an odd metal craft. Can she stop their dastardly plans for the local distillery, before it's too late?

A captivating Doctor Who fairy tale, read by Sarah Jane Adventures actor Yasmin Paige and written by Justin Richards.

Andiba and the Four Slitheen: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Yasmin Paige

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Twins in the Wood: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Anne Reid.

The Emperor of Levithia has been murdered, leaving his two children as heirs to the throne. With treason and traitors around every corner, the children are soon forced to flee into space. What will become of them when they crash-land on a strange planet, full of it's own surprises?

A captivating fairy tale, read by Doctor Who actor Anne Reid and written by Justin Richards.

Twins In The Wood: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Anne Reid

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Grief Collector: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Michelle Gomez.

Melina and Varan are childhood sweethearts. Their wedding day should be the happiest of their lives - but when it all begins to go horribly wrong, can they trust a mysterious stranger in a pin-striped suit to set things right?

A captivating fairy tale, read by Doctor Who star Michelle Gomez and written by Justin Richards.

The Grief Collector: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Michelle Gomez

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Gingerbread Trap: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Samuel Anderson.

Lost in a forest, Everlyne and her brother, Malkus, find a house made out of gingerbread and sweets. But the kindly old woman who lives there is not all she first seems - in fact, with her strange metal craft and mysterious barrels of oil, she might not even be human . . .

A captivating fairy tale, read by Doctor Who actor Samuel Anderson, and written by Justin Richards.

The Gingerbread Trap: A Time Lord Fairy read by Samuel Anderson

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Three Brothers Gruff: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Paul McGann

Three brothers are walking home to their village. One brother is very strong, one is very brave, and the third - although weak and small compared to his brothers - is very clever. What will happen when they encounter a short (but fierce) member of a military clone race?

A captivating Doctor Who fairy tale, read by the Eighth Doctor Paul McGann and written by Justin Richards.

The Brothers Gruff: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Paul McGann

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Sophie Aldred.

The planet Winter was once ruled by an evil tyrant who built a Doomsday Machine. When he was defeated, the machine's seven vital operating keys were hidden across the planet.  Now, a villainous queen is plotting to locate the keys, but Snow White is determined to stop her . . .

A captivating fairy tale, read by Doctor Who actor Sophie Aldred, and written by Justin Richards.

Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Sophie Aldred

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of Sirgwain and the Green Knight: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Andrew Brooke.

The Court of King Halfur is in session, attended by the greatest and bravest knights of the realm, when they have an unexpected visitor. A huge, green warrior clad in reptilian-like armour smashes his way into the chamber - but why does he need their help?

A captivating fairy tale, read by Doctor Who actor Andrew Brooke and written by Justin Richards.

Sirgwain and the Green Knight: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Andrew Brooke

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of Helana and the Beast: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Pippa Bennett-Warner.

Kept captive in a castle by a terrible beast, Helana befriends the castle's only other resident - it's grumpy, grey-haired librarian. Will the Beast and the librarian turn out to be more than meets the eye?

A captivating fairy tale, read by Doctor Who actor Pippa Bennett-Warner and written by Justin Richards.

Helana And The Beast: A Time Lord Fairy Tale read by Pippa Bennett-Warner.

Listen to an excerpt of Guy de Maupassant's classic short story The Necklace, read by Barbara Rosenblat, as heard in Sloane Crosley's debut novel The Clasp.

Part comedy of manners, part treasure hunt, the first novel from the writer whom David Sedaris calls "perfectly, relentlessly funny"

Kezia, Nathaniel, and Victor are reunited for the extravagant wedding of a college friend. Now at the tail end of their twenties, they arrive completely absorbed in their own lives-Kezia the second-in-command to a madwoman jewelry designer in Manhattan; Nathaniel the former literary cool kid, selling his wares in Hollywood; and the Eeyore-esque Victor, just fired from a middling search engine. They soon slip back into old roles: Victor loves Kezia. Kezia loves Nathaniel. Nathaniel loves Nathaniel.

In the midst of all this semi-merriment, Victor passes out in the mother of the groom's bedroom. He wakes to her jovially slapping him across the face. Instead of a scolding, she offers Victor a story she's never even told her son, about a valuable necklace that disappeared during the Nazi occupation of France.

And so a madcap adventure is set into motion, one that leads Victor, Kezia, and Nathaniel from Miami to New York and L.A. to Paris and across France, until they converge at the estate of Guy de Maupassant, author of the classic short story "The Necklace."

Heartfelt, suspenseful, and told with Sloane Crosley's inimitable spark and wit, The Clasp is a story of friends struggling to fit together now that their lives haven't gone as planned, of how to separate the real from the fake. Such a task might be possible when it comes to precious stones, but is far more difficult to pull off with humans.

Excerpt: The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

Hollywood Witch Hunter by Valerie Tejeda  on Audible:
 http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B013I698AK&source_code=AUDORWS0807159EJ6

Get this audiobook for free when you try Audible:
http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B013I698AK&source_code=AUDORWS0807159EJ6

Summary:


From the moment she first learned the truth about witches...she knew she was born to fight them. Now, at sixteen, Iris is the lone girl on the Witch Hunters Special Ops Team. But when Iris meets a boy named Arlo, he might just be the key to preventing an evil uprising in Southern California. Together they're ready to protect the human race at all costs. Because that's what witch hunters do. Welcome to Hollywood.

Hollywood Witch Hunter By Valerie Tejeda, Narrated by Connor Eiding

All Wrapped Up by Kimberly Kincaid on Audible:
http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B015NNYG12&source_code=AUDGBWS031914990D

Get this audiobook for free when you try Audible:
http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B015NNYG12&source_code=AUDGBWS031914990D

Summary:
    

Talk about a hot lead.... Christmas is coming to Pine Mountain - and it has a way of stirring up memories, good and bad.

Nick Brennan may manage the Double Shot bar smooth as good whiskey, but his past is a hot mess. When he runs into a burning building to save a little boy, some people start thinking there's more to his heroism than holiday spirit. And then the local reporter assigned to the story turns out to be gorgeous Ava Mancuso, the girl who got away.

Ava knows what it's like to have a past. But the changes she's seen in Nick since she knew him do more than set off her natural curiosity - his warm eyes and gruff charm have her instincts fired up. Still, all the chemistry in the world doesn't erase history, even when Nick invites her to his little sister's mistletoe wedding. Does he have a heart under all those secrets? Or is this going to be just another Christmas past? 

All Wrapped Up by Kimberly Kincaid, Narrated by Chelsea Hatfield

Listen to an excerpt of Jocko Willink and Leif Babin's Extreme Ownership, read by the authors.

In Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin share hard-hitting, Navy SEAL combat stories that translate into lessons for business and life. With riveting first-hand accounts of making high-pressure decisions as Navy SEAL battlefield leaders, this book is equally gripping for leaders who seek to dominate other arenas. Jocko and Leif served together in SEAL Task Unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated Special Operations unit from the war in Iraq. Their efforts contributed to the historic triumph for U.S. forces in Ramadi. Through those difficult months of sustained combat, Jocko, Leif and their SEAL brothers learned that leadership--at every level--is the most important thing on the battlefield. They started Echelon Front to teach these same leadership principles to companies across industries throughout the business world that want to build their own high-performance, winning teams. 
This audiobook explains the SEAL leadership concepts crucial to accomplishing the most difficult missions in combat and how to apply them to any group, team, or organization. It provides the reader with Jocko and Leif's formula for success: the mindset and guiding principles that enable SEAL combat units to achieve extraordinary results. It demonstrates how to apply these directly to business and life to likewise achieve victory.

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