“Alexander hurls the reader into the white-hot swirl of combat…[With] both Japanese and American characters, the alternating points of view offer a multidimensional feel to the conflict. Military fiction addicts will happily find their fix here.” —Publishers Weekly
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- Shattered Jade
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Read by Brian Nishii and John Pirhalla
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Release Date: 3/19/24
Formats: cpid_11
From New York Times bestselling author Larry Alexander comes a gritty historical novel of World War II, told through the eyes of soldiers on both sides of the firing line.
Tarawa was hell but Saipan is worse.
For Sergeant Pete “Hardball” Talbot, recently returned from being wounded on Tarawa seven months earlier, Saipan is just another battle as the United States leaps island to island toward an invasion of the Japanese homeland.
But the Japanese have learned, all too well, how to defend their islands, with carefully constructed and concealed bunkers and machine gun nests. Talbot and the dozen men of Second Squad have no idea they are running headlong into thirty-five thousand Japanese soldiers who have sworn to fight to the last man.
In vivid, startling detail, Shattered Jade explores the strategy and horror of battle in one of World War II’s most brutal conflicts and illuminates the extraordinary courage of ordinary young men.
- Shattered Jade
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Read by Brian Nishii and John Pirhalla
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Release Date: 3/19/24
Formats: cpid_11
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- Have You Eaten Yet?
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By Cheuk Kwan
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 1/03/23
Formats: Digital Audy
From Haifa, Israel, to Cape Town, South Africa, Chinese entrepreneurs and restaurateurs have brought delicious Chinese food across the globe. Unraveling a complex history of cultural migration and world politics, Cheuk Kwan describes a fascinating story of culture and place, ultimately revealing how an excellent meal always tells an even better story.
Dotting even the most remote landscapes, family-run Chinese restaurants are global icons of immigration, community, and delicious food. The cultural outposts of far-flung settlers, bringers of dim sum, Peking duck, and creative culinary hybrids like the Madagascar classic soupe chinoise, Chinese restaurants are a microcosm of greater social forces—an insight into time, history, and place. From Africa to South America, the Jade Gardens and Golden Dragons reveal an intricate tangle of social schisms and political movements, offering insight into global changes and diasporic histories, as the world has moved into the twenty-first century.
Author and documentarian Cheuk Kwan, a self-described “card-carrying member of the Chinese diaspora,” weaves a global narrative by linking the myriad personal stories of chefs, entrepreneurs, laborers, and dreamers who populate Chinese kitchens worldwide. Behind these kitchen doors lies an intriguing paradox which characterizes many of these communities: how Chinese immigrants have resisted—or often been prevented from—complete assimilation into the social fabric of their new homes, maintaining strong senses of cultural identity, while the engine of their economic survival—the Chinese restaurant and its food—has become seamlessly woven into cities all around the world.
An intrepid travelog of grand vistas, adventure, and serendipity, Have You Eaten Yet? charts a living atlas of the global Chinese migration, revealing the synergies of politics, culture, and family.
- Have You Eaten Yet?
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By Cheuk Kwan
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 1/03/23
Formats: Digital Audy
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- The Night When No One Had Sex
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Read by Emily Lawrence, Brian Nishii, Frankie Corzo, Caitlin Davies, Feodor Chin, and Lindsey Dorcus
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Release Date: 10/18/22
Formats: Digital Audy
A sex-positive all-in-one-night romp told from four different perspectives.
It’s the night of senior prom, and eighteen-year-old Julia has made a pact with her friends. (Yes, that kind of pact.) They have secured a secluded cabin in the woods, one night without parental supervision, and plenty of condoms.
But as soon as they leave the dance, the pact begins to unravel. Alex’s grandmother is undergoing emergency surgery, and he and his date rush to the hospital. Zoe’s trying to figure out how she feels about getting off the waitlist at Yale―and how to tell her girlfriend. Madison’s chronic illness flares, holding her back once again from being a normal teenager. And Julia’s fantasy-themed role-play gets her locked in a closet.
Alternating between each character’s perspective and their ridiculous group chat, The Night When No One Had Sex finds a group of friends navigating the tenuous transition into adulthood and embracing the uncertainty of life after high school.
- The Night When No One Had Sex
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Read by Emily Lawrence, Brian Nishii, Frankie Corzo, Caitlin Davies, Feodor Chin, and Lindsey Dorcus
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Release Date: 10/18/22
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Golden Age
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By Wang Xiaobo
Translated by Yan Yan
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 7/26/22
Formats: Digital Audy
Like Gary Shteyngart or Michel Houellebecq, Wang Xiaobo is a Chinese literary icon whose satire forces us to reconsider the ironies of history.
Wang Er, a twenty-one-year-old ox herder, is shamed by the local authorities and forced to write a confession of his crimes, but he instead takes it upon himself to write a modernist literary tract. Later, as a lecturer at a chaotic, newly built university, Wang Er navigates the bureaucratic maze of 1980’s China, boldly writing about the Cultural Revolution’s impact on his life and those around him. Finally, alone and humbled, Wang Er must come to terms with the banality of his own existence.
But what makes this novel both hilarious and important is Xiaobo’s use of the awkwardness of sex as a metaphor for all that occurred during the Cultural Revolution. This achievement was revolutionary in China and places Golden Age in the great pantheon of novels that argue against governmental control.
A leading icon of his generation, Wang Xiaobo’s cerebral and sarcastic narrative is a reflection on the failures of individuals and the enormous political, social, and personal changes in twentieth-century China.
- Golden Age
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By Wang Xiaobo
Translated by Yan Yan
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 7/26/22
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Colorful
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By Eto Mori
Translated by Jocelyne Allen
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 7/20/21
Formats: Digital Audy
A beloved and bestselling classic in Japan, this groundbreaking tale of a dead soul who gets a second chance is perfect for readers of The Midnight Library.
“Congratulations, you’ve won the lottery!” shouts the angel Prapura to a formless soul. The soul hasn’t been kicked out of the cycle of rebirth just yet—he’s been given a second chance. He must recall the biggest mistake of his past life while on ’homestay’ in the body of fourteen-year-old Makoto Kobayashi, who has just committed suicide. It looks like Makoto doesn’t have a single friend, and his family don’t seem to care about him at all. But as the soul begins to live Makoto’s life on his own terms, he grows closer to the family and the people around him, and sees their true colors more clearly, shedding light on Makoto’s misunderstandings.
Since its initial release over twenty years ago, Colorful has become a part of the literary canon, not only in Japan—where it has sold over a million copies—but around the world, having been translated into several different languages. Now, Eto Mori’s beloved classic is finally available in English.
- Colorful
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By Eto Mori
Translated by Jocelyne Allen
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 7/20/21
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Hello, Habits
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By Fumio Sasaki
Translated by Eriko Sugita
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 1/05/21
Formats: Digital Audy
The internationally bestselling author of Goodbye, Things shares insights and practices to help us embrace habits and become the best versions of ourselves.
Fumio Sasaki changed his life when he became a minimalist. But before minimalism could really stick, he had to make it a habit. All of us live our lives based on the habits we’ve formed, from when we get up in the morning to what we eat and drink to how likely we are to actually make it to the gym. In Hello, Habits, Sasaki explains how we can acquire the new habits that we want—and get rid of the ones that don’t do us any good.
Drawing on leading theories and tips about the science of habit formation from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and sociology, along with examples from popular culture and tried-and-tested techniques from his own life, he unravels common misperceptions about “willpower” and “talent,” and offers a step-by-step guide to success. Ultimately, Sasaki shows how ordinary people like himself can use his principles of good habit-making to improve themselves and change their lives.
- Hello, Habits
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By Fumio Sasaki
Translated by Eriko Sugita
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 1/05/21
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Black Wind
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Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 3/17/20
Formats: Digital Audy
F. Paul Wilson’s powerful World War II novel is an unforgettable historical saga of passion and terror, the ravages of war, the pain of betrayal, and the glory of love.
At the heart of the story are four people torn between love and honor: Matsuo Okumo, born in Japan, raised in America, and hated in both lands; Hiroki Okumo, his brother, a modern samurai sworn to serve a secret cult and the almighty Emperor; Meiko Satsuma, the woman they both love; and Frank Slater, the American who turned away when Matsuo needed him, and who now struggles to repay his debt of honor.
- Black Wind
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Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 3/17/20
Formats: Digital Audy
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- The Tale of Genji, Volume 2
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Translated by Dennis Washburn
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 12/17/19
Formats: Digital Audy
Murasaki Shikibu, born into the middle ranks of the aristocracy during the Heian period (794–1185 CE), wrote The Tale of Genji―widely considered the world’s first novel―during the early years of the eleventh century. Expansive, compelling, and sophisticated in its representation of ethical concerns and aesthetic ideals, Murasaki’s tale came to occupy a central place in Japan’s remarkable history of artistic achievement and is now recognized as a masterpiece of world literature.
The Tale of Genji is presented here in a flowing new translation for contemporary listeners, who will discover in its depiction of the culture of the imperial court the rich complexity of human experience that simultaneously resonates with and challenges their own. Washburn embeds annotations for accessibility and clarity and renders the poetry into triplets to create prosodic analogues of the original.
- The Tale of Genji, Volume 2
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Translated by Dennis Washburn
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 12/17/19
Formats: Digital Audy
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- The Tale of Genji, Volume 1
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Translated by Dennis Washburn
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 11/12/19
Formats: Digital Audy
Murasaki Shikibu, born into the middle ranks of the aristocracy during the Heian period (794–1185 CE), wrote The Tale of Genji―widely considered the world’s first novel―during the early years of the eleventh century. Expansive, compelling, and sophisticated in its representation of ethical concerns and aesthetic ideals, Murasaki’s tale came to occupy a central place in Japan’s remarkable history of artistic achievement and is now recognized as a masterpiece of world literature.
The Tale of Genji is presented here in a flowing new translation for contemporary listeners, who will discover in its depiction of the culture of the imperial court the rich complexity of human experience that simultaneously resonates with and challenges their own. Washburn embeds annotations for accessibility and clarity and renders the poetry into triplets to create prosodic analogues of the original.
- The Tale of Genji, Volume 1
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Translated by Dennis Washburn
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 11/12/19
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Be Angry
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By His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as told to Noriyuki Ueda
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 3/01/19
Formats: Digital Audy
Simple and accessible wisdom from His Holiness the Dalai Lama on how to use compassionate anger for social transformation
In the real world, exploitation exists. In the real world, there is a huge and unjust gap between rich and poor. The question, from a Buddhist perspective, is how should we deal with inequality and social injustice? His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches that it is wrong for a spiritual person to remain indifferent; we must struggle to solve these problems. These problems are brought to our consciousness because they anger us, and this little book teaches us how to deal with that anger.
There are two types of anger. One type arises out of compassion and is useful and must be encouraged. The other type arises out of jealousy and envy and results in hatred, ill will, and harm. Here you will learn the Buddhist path to compassionate anger—a motivating force that can transform the negative into the positive and change the world.
- Be Angry
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By His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as told to Noriyuki Ueda
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 3/01/19
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Alita: Battle Angel
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By Pat Cadigan
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 2/19/19
Formats: Digital Audy
The official novelization of the highly anticipated film
From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (Avatar) and Robert Rodriguez (Sin City), comes Alita: Battle Angel, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment.
When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories.
But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past—she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family, and the world she’s grown to love.
- Alita: Battle Angel
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By Pat Cadigan
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 2/19/19
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Alita: Battle Angel—Iron City
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By Pat Cadigan
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 11/20/18
Formats: Digital Audy
The official prequel novel to the highly anticipated film
A long time ago there was the Great War. The reasons for the war have been lost to time. On the shattered surface of the Earth, there is a metropolis that lives amidst the garbage thrown down from the inhabitants of a sky city floating above it. Welcome to Iron City.
A lonely doctor specializing in cyborg repair, Ido, is doing his best to help the citizens of Iron City. But Ido has a double life, another persona born from the pieces of his broken heart.
Hugo, a young man surviving on a life of crime, spots the ultimate steal: an object that will unearth secrets from his own past.
And Vector, the most powerful businessman in the city, has his sights set on a new technology that will change the future of Iron City forever …
- Alita: Battle Angel—Iron City
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By Pat Cadigan
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 11/20/18
Formats: Digital Audy
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- The Lonesome Bodybuilder
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Translated by Asa Yoneda
Read by various narrators
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Release Date: 11/06/18
Formats: Digital Audy
A housewife takes up bodybuilding and sees radical changes to her physique―which her workaholic husband fails to notice. A boy waits at a bus stop, mocking businessmen struggling to keep their umbrellas open in a typhoon―until an old man shows him that they hold the secret to flying. A woman working in a clothing boutique waits endlessly on a customer who won’t come out of the fitting room―and who may or may not be human. A newlywed notices that her husband’s features are beginning to slide around his face―to match her own.
In these eleven stories, the individuals who lift the curtains of their orderly homes and workplaces are confronted with the bizarre, the grotesque, the fantastic, the alien―and, through it, find a way to liberation. The Lonesome Bodybuilder is the English-language debut of one of Japan’s most fearlessly inventive young writers.
- The Lonesome Bodybuilder
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Translated by Asa Yoneda
Read by various narrators
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Release Date: 11/06/18
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Musashi
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Translated by Charles S. Terry
Foreword by Edwin O. Reischauer
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 8/28/18
Formats: Digital Audy
The classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman
Miyamoto Musashi was the child of an era when Japan was emerging from decades of civil strife. Lured to the great Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 by the hope of becoming a samurai—without really knowing what it meant—he regains consciousness after the battle to find himself lying defeated, dazed, and wounded among thousands of the dead and dying. On his way home, he commits a rash act, becomes a fugitive, and brings life in his own village to a standstill—until he is captured by a weaponless Zen monk.
The lovely Otsū, seeing in Musashi her ideal of manliness, frees him from his tortuous punishment, but he is recaptured and imprisoned. During three years of solitary confinement, he delves into the classics of Japan and China. When he is set free again, he rejects the position of samurai and for the next several years pursues his goal relentlessly, looking neither to left nor to right.
Ever so slowly it dawns on him that following the Way of the Sword is not simply a matter of finding a target for his brute strength. Continually striving to perfect his technique, which leads him to a unique style of fighting with two swords simultaneously, he travels far and wide, challenging fighters of many disciplines, taking nature to be his ultimate and severest teacher and undergoing the rigorous training of those who follow the Way. He is supremely successful in his encounters, but in the Art of War he perceives the way of peaceful and prosperous governance and disciplines himself to be a real human being.
He becomes a reluctant hero to a host of people whose lives he has touched and been touched by. And, inevitably, he has to pit his skill against the naked blade of his greatest rival.
Musashi is a novel in the best tradition of Japanese storytelling. It is a living story, subtle and imaginative, teeming with memorable characters, many of them historical. Interweaving themes of unrequited love, misguided revenge, filial piety, and absolute dedication to the Way of the Samurai, it depicts vividly a world Westerners know only vaguely. Full of gusto and humor, it has an epic quality and universal appeal.
- Musashi
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Translated by Charles S. Terry
Foreword by Edwin O. Reischauer
Read by Brian Nishii
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Release Date: 8/28/18
Formats: Digital Audy