The raucous and surprisingly poignant story of a young, Russia-obsessed American writer and comedian who embarked on a solo tour of the former Soviet Republics, never imagining that it would involve kidnappers, garbage bags of money, and encounters with the weird and wonderful from Mongolia to Tajikistan. Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Siberia are not the typical tourist destinations of a twenty-something, nor the places one usually goes to eat, pray, and/or love. But the mix of imperial Russian opulence and Soviet decay, and the allure of emotionally unavailable Russian men proved strangely irresistible to comedian Audrey Murray. At age twenty-eight, while her friends were settling into corporate jobs and serious relationships, Audrey was on a one-way flight to Kazakhstan, the first leg of a nine-month solo voyage through the former USSR. A blend of memoir and offbeat travel guide, this thoughtful, hilarious catalog of a young comedian’s adventures is also a diary of her emotional discoveries about home, love, patriotism, loneliness, and independence. Sometimes surprising, often disconcerting, and always entertaining, Open Mic Night in Moscow will inspire you to take the leap and embark on your own journey into the unknown. And, if you want to visit Chernobyl by way of an insane-asylum-themed bar in Kiev, Audrey can assure you that there’s no other guidebook out there. (She’s looked.)

Get the Summary of Audrey Murray's Open Mic Night in Moscow in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. "Open Mic Night in Moscow" by Audrey Murray is a travel memoir that chronicles the author's year-long odyssey across the former Soviet Union. Murray, a stand-up comedian, begins her journey in Kazakhstan, where she performs in front of a drum circle, and continues through Central Asia, delving into the rich history and cultural complexities of each country she visits. From navigating language barriers and political landscapes to engaging with locals and grappling with personal reflections, Murray's adventure is filled with humor, cultural enlightenment, and self-discovery...

‘Dramatic, detailed, and romantic.’ Megan Bradbury, author of Everyone is Watching.  2010. The end of the world has begun, but no one is paying attention. People are unaware of the breaking pandemic, code name, The Epilogue Event. Accidentally finding himself at centre stage, an unlikely and unwilling hero Peter Finch, must, if he is to survive, awaken powers he has been trying to forget for over thirty years. And time is not on his side. A mysterious Artificial Intelligence, the cause of the plague, is slowly gaining control over everyone Peter loves and everything he values. On the streets of West London, the most powerful slave of a New Order, Dr Gordon Langley, is projecting a terrifying message. Unless Peter, aided by a band of misfits and criminals, can confront Langley, and his accomplices at a research facility near Norwich, and discover the meaning of the virus and reverse it, their world will be overcome and those permitted to survive will only endure in a new, previously unimaginable form of slavery.

What's on your list? Do you dream of writing a novel someday? Or of recording an album of your own music? Would you spend a month backpacking through China if you could? Have you always secretly wanted to try skydiving? Or snorkeling? Or snowboarding? Whatever your personal goals or aspirations, no matter how humble or highfalutin, this revolutionary interactive handbook will help you jump-start life changes, and experience this world to the fullest. Perhaps your life is in transition-and, after all, whose isn't? Whether you're changing careers, planning for retirement, or just starting out after graduating from school . . . whether you're plotting to make your mark on the world, contemplating how you might best contribute, or simply wondering what's next in your life . . . 2Do Before I Die will help you set personal priorities, identify life goals, and realize your dreams. Less "how to" than "why not," 2Do Before I Die features eye-opening true stories of people who've changed their lives significantly in small ways (by learning to swim, growing a beard, working in a soup kitchen) or taken great, life-altering leaps (by starting a business, having a baby, traveling the world). With its provocative brainstorming exercises and ingenious practical tips, 2Do Before I Die encourages and enables you to create your own ultimate 2Do list -- one that can serve as your personal road map toward a uniquely rich life.

A photographic look into the world of vinyl record collectors—including Questlove—in the most intimate of environments—their record rooms. Compelling photographic essays from photographer Eilon Paz are paired with in-depth and insightful interviews to illustrate what motivates these collectors to keep digging for more records. The reader gets an up close and personal look at a variety of well-known vinyl champions, including Gilles Peterson and King Britt, as well as a glimpse into the collections of known and unknown DJs, producers, record dealers, and everyday enthusiasts. Driven by his love for vinyl records, Paz takes us on a five-year journey unearthing the very soul of the vinyl community.

FIRST NEW HONOR HARRINGTON NOVEL IN FIVE YEARS! New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and international best-selling phenomenon David Weber delivers book #19 in the multiple New York Times best-selling Honor Harrington series, the first new Honor Harrington novel since 2013's Shadow of Freedom. HONOR'S FINISHING WHAT SHE STARTED The Solarian League's navy counts its superdreadnoughts by the thousands. Not even its own government knows how enormous its economy truly is. And for hundreds of years, the League has borne the banner of human civilization, been the ideal to which humanity aspires in its diaspora across the galaxy. But the bureaucrats known as the "Mandarins," who rule today's League, are not the men and women who founded it so long ago. They are corrupt, venal, accountable to no one . . . and they've decided the upstart Star Kingdom of Manticore must be destroyed. Honor Harrington has worn the Star Kingdom's uniform for half a century and served her monarch and her people well. In the course of those years, the woman the newsies call the Salamander has grown from a tactically brilliant but politically naïve junior officer to supreme fleet command and a seat on the highest military and political councils of the Grand Alliance. Very few people know war the way Honor Harrington does. Very few have lost as many men and women, as many friends, as much family, as she has. Yet despite that, hers has been a voice of caution. She knows the Mandarins and the Solarian League Navy are growing increasingly desperate as the truth of their technological inferiority sinks home, but she also knows the sheer size of the League. And she knows how its citizens will react if the Grand Alliance takes the war to the League, attacks its star systems, destroys its infrastructure . . . kills its civilians. Today's victory, bought on those terms, can only guarantee a future war of revenge against a resurgent Solarian League and its navy. Honor knows the Grand Alliance must find a victory that doesn't require incursions deep into Solarian space, doesn't leave a legacy of bottomless hatred, and the strategy she supports has been working. The League is sliding towards inglorious defeat as it steadily loses ground in the Protectorates and the Verge. As its central government teeters towards bankruptcy and even some of its core systems opt to secede in the face of the Mandarins' corruption. As the Solarian Navy finally realizes it cannot face an Alliance battle fleet and win. But the Mandarins have embraced a desperate new strategy, and in pursuit of that strategy, the SLN has committed atrocities such as the galaxy has not known in a thousand years. The League have violated its own Eridani Edict against mass civilian casualties, violated the Deneb Accords prohibition on war crimes. And they have finally killed too many of the people Honor Harrington loves. Hers is the voice of caution and compromise no longer, and the galaxy is about to see something it has never imagined. The Salamander is coming for the Solarian League, and Hell is coming in her wake. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About Uncompromising Honor: “…a balanced mix of interstellar intrigue, counterespionage, and epic fleet action…with all the hard- and software details and tactical proficiency that Weber delivers like no one else; along with a large cast of well-developed, believable characters, giving each clash of fleets emotional weight.”—Booklist “. . . moves. . . as inexorably as the Star Kingdom’s Grand Fleet, commanded by series protagonist Honor Harrington. . . . Weber is the Tom Clancy of science fiction. . . . His fans will relish this latest installment. . . .”—Publishers Weekly About Shadow of Freedom, #18 in the Honor Harrington series: “This entry is just as exciting as Weber’s initial offering. . . .The result is a fast-paced and action-packed story that follows [our characters] as they move from reaction to command of the situation. Weber builds Shadow of Freedom to an exciting and unexpected climax.”—Daily News of Galveston About Mission of Honor, #13 in the Honor Harrington series: “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection and a deep understanding of military bureaucracy in this long-awaited Honor Harrington novel…Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice to see Honor back in action.”–Publishers Weekly “This latest Honor Harrington novel brings the saga to another crucial turning point…Readers may feel confident that they will be Honored many more times and enjoy it every time.”–Booklist About David Weber and the Honor Harrington series: “. . .everything you could want in a heroine …. Excellent … plenty of action.”–Science Fiction Age “Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!”–Anne McCaffrey “Compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure.”–Locus “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice . . .”–Publishers Weekly Honor Harrington Main Series: On Basilisk Station The Honor of the Queen The Short Victorious War Field of Dishonor Flag in Exile Honor Among Enemies In Enemy Hands Echoes of Honor Ashes of Victory War of Honor The Shadow of Saganami At All Costs Storm from the Shadows Mission of Honor A Rising Thunder Shadow of Freedom Uncompromising Honor