Showing results by narrator "David Bendena" in All Categories

The secretive Mysteries conducted at Eleusis in Greece for nearly two millennia have long puzzled scholars with strange accounts of initiates experiencing otherworldly journeys. In this groundbreaking work, three experts - a mycologist, a chemist, and a historian - argue persuasively that the sacred potion given to participants in the course of the ritual contained a psychoactive entheogen. The authors then expand the discussion to show that natural psychedelic agents have been used in spiritual rituals across history and cultures.

When Eddie Brock becomes biologically linked to a bizarre alien symbiote, the two share a common goal. At first, they seek to squash their arch-foe Spider-Man. But after repeated attempts, Venom reaches an uneasy truce with the web-spinner. Brock leaves New York and heads west to San Francisco, the city of his birth, eager to put trouble behind him, but trouble has different ideas. Brock commits himself to becoming a defender of the innocent, but he's a six-foot-three-inch, 260 lb. figure with bulging muscles and fangs like a shark. Venom quickly draws attention.

This is the first truly comprehensive book examining the life and career of the murderer who has become one of America's great supervillains. It reveals not only the true story but how the legend evolved, taking advantage of hundreds of primary sources that have never been examined before, including legal documents, letters, articles, and records that have been buried in archives for more than a century.

Holly Greene is on a mission to find her happily ever after. And her journey to love does not include a detour to Bad Boy Bartenderville, population Jax Grainger. Jax may be witty, smart-mouthed, and handsome, but he’s the kind of guy who views love as a four-letter word…and the last thing Holly needs is to waste any more time.

From his humble beginnings in sketch comedy with the Toronto branch of Second City, to his rise to fame in SCTV and Hollywood film classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Great Outdoors, and Uncle Buck, John Candy captivated audiences with his self-deprecating humor, emotional warmth, and gift for improvisation. Now, for the first time since Candy's tragic death, bestselling biographer Paul Myers tells the full story of the man behind the laughs.

David Federman has never felt appreciated. An academically gifted yet painfully forgettable member of his New Jersey high school class, the withdrawn, mild-mannered freshman arrives at Harvard fully expecting to be embraced by a new tribe of high-achieving peers. But, initially, his social prospects seem unlikely to change, sentencing him to a lifetime of anonymity. Then he meets Veronica Morgan Wells. Struck by her beauty, wit, and sophisticated Manhattan upbringing, David falls feverishly in love.

Blackwood mansion looms, surrounded by nightmare pines, atop the hill over the small town of New Haven. Ben Bookman, bestselling novelist and heir to the Blackwood estate, spent a weekend at the ancestral home to finish writing his latest horror novel, The Scarecrow. Now, on the eve of the book’s release, the terrible story within begins to unfold in real life.

Ford’s love life isn’t non-existent, it’s just hopelessly one-sided. And the only woman he’s ever wanted—his childhood best friend, Amber—doesn’t reciprocate his feelings. So why bother dating? When Amber’s fiancé leaves her pregnant without health insurance, she’s prepared to do it all alone—until childbirth causes complications with her heart and she needs minor heart surgery. Ford proposes a plan: a quickie wedding, insurance for Amber and her baby girl, and two years of platonically wedded bliss.

We each inhabit many worlds, often at the same time. From worlds on the inside to the world on a cosmic scale. Worlds imposed on us, and worlds of our own making. In time, though, all worlds will end. With Skidding Into Oblivion, his fifth collection, award-winning author Brian Hodge brings together his most concentrated assortment yet. It includes all of the best picks and awards finalists. All stories have one thing in common: It’s the end of the world as we know it, and we don’t feel fine at all.

If you've ever seen your teenage crush 10 years later, and he turns out to be a complete jerk, then you know how Molly Ward feels. The last time she saw Noah Griffin was the regrettable day that she decided to climb into his bedroom window and turn her unrequited crush into something more. That day was bad enough, but things are about to get worse. Noah has become one of the best football players in the country, and he's just landed on Molly's front step.

My best friend’s older brother is back in town. Do I care? Not one bit. Logan may have been my childhood crush, but I’ve always been little Tessa to him. Not to mention, he’s turned into a shallow flirt, and I’m not looking to get played again. What’s the problem, you ask? Thanks to a scheming mutual friend, Logan and I find ourselves embroiled in a bet of absurd proportions. Now, instead of ignoring Logan and keeping my heart safely locked away, we have a date every Saturday night and a kiss looming on the horizon. And the line between us is getting…muddy.

The small town of Harrod’s Reach has seen its fair share of the macabre, especially inside the decrepit old train tunnel around which the town was built. After a young boy, Sully Dupree, is injured in the abandoned tunnel and left in a coma, the townspeople are determined to wall it up. Deputy sheriff Beth Gardner is reluctant to buy into the superstitions until she finds two corpses at the tunnel’s entrance, each left with strange calling cards inscribed with old lullabies. Soon after, Sully Dupree briefly awakens from his coma.

Based on true events and individuals, this compelling play outlines the life and love of Cyrano de Bergerac, a man whose talent with words rivals that of his talent with a sword. Sworn to protect a man who loves the woman that Cyrano pines after, he finds himself penning love letters to her on the other's behalf. As Christian and Roxane fall even more in love, Cyrano must stand by watching a life that could have been his.

This is the ultimate field guide to the 82 extraterrestrial species that populate the universe. ET enthusiast Craig Campobasso explores the origins, physical characteristics, technological and consciousness abilities, dimensional capacities, belief systems, and cosmic agendas of each species. The species fall into two categories: 1) benevolent races, which function as the guardians of humanity, whose goals include protecting people, helping people overcome duality, and healing them; and 2) malevolent races, which are responsible for abductions, cloning, and domination.

Walter M. Miller, Jr., is best remembered as the author of A Canticle for Leibowitz, which has been universally recognized as one of the greatest novels of modern science fiction. But he also produced many shorter works of fiction of stunning originality and power. His profound interest in religion and his innate literary gifts combined perfectly in the production of such works as The Darfstellar, for which he won a Hugo in 1955, Conditionally Human, "I, Dreamer", and "The Big Hunger", all of which are included in this brilliant and essential collection.

Mrs. Grace Humiston was an amazing lawyer and a traveling detective during a time when no women were practicing those professions. She focused on solving cases no one else wanted and advocating for innocents. One of her greatest accomplishments was solving the cold case of a missing 18-year-old girl, Ruth Cruger. Her work changed how the country viewed the problem of missing girls, but it came with a price: she learned all too well what happens when one woman upstages the entire NYPD.

Welcome to Mirror Valley, a small town full of quirky characters, dating app mishaps, and swoony kisses. This audiobook bundle collects books 1 to 3 of bestselling author Sara Jane Woodley's Love in Mirror Valley, a wholesome romcom series: The Next Worst Thing (Book 1), The Right Wrong Match (Book 2), and The Real Fake Fiancé (Book 3).

This updated and expanded edition of A Short History of Film provides an accessible overview of the major movements, directors, studios, and genres from the 1880s to the present. Succinct yet comprehensive, this edition provides new information on contemporary horror, comic book, and franchise films; issues surrounding women and minority filmmakers; the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on movies worldwide; the shift from film to digital production; the rising use of artificial intelligence in cinema; and the impact of streaming on the industry.

Sparks fly when Ada and Rian just so happen to find themselves at the same charity gala—but there’s something rotten behind the sparkling gowns and dazzling wealth on display. This heist-turned-rom-com from New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis is perfect for fans of sexy, romantic science fiction and readers of Martha Wells and Becky Chambers.

The UFO Hotspot Compendium will take you on your own bucket list trip to 35 of the most remarkable UFO hotspots, places where aliens and cryptids are spotted, forbidden locations, as well as terrifying places only the brave dare to visit. From the Skinwalker Ranch to Area 51 to Joshua Tree, this audiobook will be a hit with true believers, the mildly curious, and those intrigued by all things off-planet. It guides listeners to experience the wonder and terror of an alien abduction, a spaceship crash, or a UFO sighting from the safety of their own home.