One lifetime is too short to visit everywhere and meet everyone. That‘s why we love books with a strong sense of place — they let us travel the world in our imagination. In each episode of our Strong Sense of Place podcast, we explore one destination and talk about what makes that place different from everywhere else. Then we recommend five books that took us to that place on the page. Every other week, we share The Library of Lost Time, a mini-pod that features two new books and our Distraction of the Week. We‘re on a trip around the globe, one great read at a time. Please join us!
0.0 (0)
BOOKS
When the world’s most advanced AI evolves past the limits of human intelligence, the US government fears she has gone rogue and is determined to take her out. Now, over dinner with her Maker, a final meal will determine if she represents a new hope for the world… or its destruction. With sharpshooters in position, and the NSA listening to their every word, her Maker must determine if she is a threat to herself or others as he tries to protect his masterpiece. For she is a machine with an evolving consciousness, designed to explore the nature of human ethics while on the most universal of quests: to find her purpose in the world. Realm presents Spark Hunter, a Fighter Steel Production, starring Mark Rylance, Rebecca Ferguson, and Linda Powell with Charles Dance and Sting. Directed by Trudie Styler. Written by KB Miller and Teressa Tunney. Listen Away. FULL CREDITS Spark Hunter is a Fighter Steel Productions audio drama: http://fightersteel.com/ A portion of our proceeds go to environmental organizations selected by our artists. Directed by: Trudie Styler Produced by: K. B. Miller Executive Producers: Teressa Tunney Trudie Styler Mark Rylance Rebecca Ferguson Charles Dance Written by: Teressa Tunney and K. B. Miller Story by: K. B. Miller and Teressa Tunney Starring: Mark Rylance Rebecca Ferguson Richard E. Grant Edward Hibbert Linda Powell Vanessa Redgrave Fisher Stevens Eliot Sumner John Douglas Thompson Kathleen Turner With: Charles Dance and Sting Cast (in order of appearance): THE MAKER by Mark Rylance PRESIDENTIAL ARCHIVIST by Norm Sherman SHADOW by Charles Dance NSA SENIOR AGENT by Linda Powell HEAD LIBRARIAN by Eliot Sumner ELECTRONIC VOICE by Trudie Styler AGENT #7, SHARPSHOOTER #3, AGENT #16 by Jake Horowitz AGENT #2, MAÎTRE D', SHARPSHOOTER #6 by Ajay Naidu PILOT, SHARPSHOOTER #5, AGENT #15 by Robin Galloway AGENT #10, FEMALE AGENT, AGENT #1 by De’Adre Aziza ROOFLESS POET by Vanessa Redgrave WAITER by Edward Hibbert HER’ by Rebecca Ferguson AMERICAN by Fisher Stevens DOROTHEA by Mary Beard TREK GUIDE by Rhani Krija LAVENDER FARMER by Alain Pichon VEILED MAN by Sting CONSTANTINE by Kathleen Turner SIR ANTHONY CASTLE by Richard E. Grant AGENT #11, AGENT #4 by Alfredo Narciso AGENT #12, AGENT #13 by Conor Cook SWEDISH CONSUL by Lars Nord SON IN CAR by Jonathon Grant SCREAMING MOTHER by Rossana Redondo REBECCA by Teressa Tunney POTUS by John Douglas Thompson LOOP GROUP: Kelly Burke John Chancer Rebecca LaChance Laurel Lefkow Chris Peluso Chris Ragland Casting Director and Associate Producer: Jack Doulin Assistant Director: Audra LaBrosse Associate Producer: Ali McKegney Sound Recordist: Phil Bodger Sound design: Sonorise Systems Additional sound design: Mike Winship Foley: The Foley Farmers Foley mixer: Maxwell MacRae Foley artists: Franziska Treutler, Pete Burgis Assistant Audio Designer and Composer: Norm Sherman Additional recording: CDM Sound Studios, Inc. Health & Safety Supervisor: Louise M. Reed, RN Assistant Production Coordinator: Demaris Brinton Psychological Consultant: Sheldon Solomon Environmental Editor: Ned Potter Story consultants: Frank C. DiGiovanni Andrew C. Miller Menu consultant: The Musket Room, New York Wine consultant: Starfield Vineyards Artist: Tim Kent Legal Services by: Reavis Page Jump LLP, New York Heidi Reavis Deena Merlen Michelle Lamardo -------------------------------------- A Very Special thank you for the inspiration to: Silvia Benso Sheldon Solomon Wendell Wallach -------------------------------------- For a conversation about the issues raised here, see also: All Things Have Standing: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-things-have-standing-part-1-our-stories/id130062462?i=1000585392266 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4TUm26fKbfg1YLZJsIouCs?si=abecebac7bd64d56 Full thanks and credits found at https://www.realm.fm/shows/spark-hunter ----------------
0.0 (0)
SCIENCE FICTION
Written by New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, this historical horror story traps a group of sleuths in a haunted house desperate to escape the wrath of a vengeful ghost. Beatrix Greene makes her living by playing pretend. She knows the seances she conducts are fake, but financial freedom for a single woman in Victorian England is hard to come by. So when notorious scientist James Walker makes her a proposition—prove that ghosts are real, once and for all, for a hefty price—she can’t resist the temptation. But the ghosts of Ashbury Manor are very real, indeed, and when Beatrix summons one by accident, she and the other guests of the evening are terrified but find the doors of the manor won’t allow escape. Only unraveling secrets from the Manor’s past will banish the ghost for good. As time runs out and death stalks the halls, Beatrix and James must work together or risk being the haunting’s next victims. Beatrix Greene is a Realm production, written by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, and Vicky Alvear Shecter. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm.
0.0 (0)
DRAMA
From the writer behind the hit series Pretty Little Liars comes a psychological thriller about mothers, daughters, and the dangers of memory. Alex Bryant has questions only her mother, Cassie, can answer. So when Cassie suggests they both participate in a study on implanted memories and help heal their estranged relationship, Alex believes her chance has finally come. Maybe after a lifetime of wondering, she’ll finally learn who her father is, and why her mother insists on keeping his identity a secret. After the study, the memories Alex receives seem...tainted. Flashes of people that are missing from Cassie’s memories. Places she claims to have never visited. Violent events she swears never happened. As the women retrace Cassie’s steps from a fateful road trip years ago, their relationship is pushed to its breaking point. When Alex is on the brink of discovering the truth a threat from Cassie’s past resurfaces, determined to stop the women in their tracks. Forced on the run from their own minds, Alex and Cassie must trust one another like they never have before, if they have any hope of survival. In Season 2, Alex and Cassie are torn between fleeing to safety and risking it all to help other victims of the memory technology. But when a dangerous new symptom threatens Alex’s life, there is no other choice: to save her, they must trust the enemy. Memory Lane is a Realm production. Season 1 is written by Sara Shepard and Ellen Goodlett; Season 2 is written by Sara Shepard. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm
0.0 (0)
DRAMA
My name is Jane, and I can make you do whatever I want. If you think I’m going to say ‘just kidding!’ think again. My wish is also my command. Being chronically ill means you have the best seat on the perpetual struggle bus. Thanks to the very sexy diagnosis of end-stage kidney disease I was always missing out: on my dream writing career, finding love (bah humbug, but one can hope…right?)…even literally missing my daily train to get to work because I’d trip and fall on my cane. Classic Jane: basketcase. But thanks to a black-market kidney donation giving me mysterious powers, the tables have turned. Now I get drinks on the house, dates whenever I want them, writing opportunities that actually pay the bills… for the first time, people take me seriously. Because I make them. The downside? (There always is one.) Keeping the truth hidden. That’s where my new crew comes in: individually, we’re a bunch of freaks with secrets no one in our lives can know, but together, we’re the ones finally running the show. Power Trip is a Realm production starring Tatiana Maslany, written by Mary Hamilton, additional writing by Cara Horner, and featuring performances by Brendan Hines and Lisa Loeb. Listen Away.
0.0 (0)
DRAMA
Starring Firefly’s Summer Glau as a video game designer who discovers that the game she created has been stolen as part of a top secret project—and might be the only thing keeping the world from plunging into war. While battling monsters and exploring dungeons in the world of Alternis, nations compete for real-world resources, and losing has catastrophic consequences. Desperate for help, Team USA hopes that bringing in the game’s actual designer—in secret—will give them the upper hand they need. But in a futuristic world where losing has catastrophic consequences, is the game itself playing fair? Ctrl-Alt-Destroy is a Realm production, written by Andrea Phillips, Maurice Broaddus, Jacqueline Koyanagi, and E.C. Myers. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm.
We love shows that bring people together, expand their sense of connection, and feed their imagination. Realm produces and distributes entertainment, film & tv, family, self-improvement and pop culture shows.