Bret Harte is best known for his stories of the pioneering days in California, so this humorous parody of English Gothic novels is a delightful departure. In this “condensed audiobook” of 9 very short chapters, Harte sets his unlikely tale in Regency England with all the cliches and plot conventions present in abundance. The two main characters Lady Selina and Edgardo hide their amoral pasts from each other, unaware that they’re a perfectly suited couple. In the mix are mysterious villains, dark secrets, past scandals, forbidden romance, hidden panels, murders, and ghosts, all ending with the requisite deus ex machina conclusion. Award-winning narrator Diane Havens performs this small melodrama masterfully.

Audible/Amazon

The themes of shared experience, the relationship of human beings to one another throughout time, and the ultimate power of place are explored in this poem by one of the most revered American poets, Walt Whitman. Its setting of NYC is dear to narrator Diane Havens, a native New Yorker, a Brooklynite. The devastation to the New York area that Hurricane Sandy caused has inspired this reading of “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” and the rebuilding efforts, so that future generations can work, play, live, and love beside these same waters, homes and places of industry for many years to come.

Audible/Amazon

Diane Havens, full-time voice actor, part-time poet, playwright, and educator’s talent as a story teller comes to the fore as she reads from the King James Version of The Book of Ruth and The Book of Esther. An enjoyable and educational hour awaits the listener as Diane reads these two books from the Old Testament.

Amazon/Audible • iTunes

Amazon/Audible • iTunes

Amazon/Audible • iTunes