Showing results by narrator "Erin Bateman" in All Categories

This story covers the traditional nativity as told by Santa Claus to Scarlett, the youngest and newest of the colour fairies. He explains how and why Christmas started, why he brings presents, and how it all happens in one night. He also tells her why he no longer wears a green robe but a red one.

Isabel Archer is a young woman who has inherited a large sum of money after the death of her father. She is invited to visit her aunt and uncle’s estate in London, where she is greeted by a cast of eclectic neighbors, many of whom offer her marriage very quickly due to her status. Isabel is set on maintaining independence though and refuses several offers of marriage as she lives in pursuit of her destiny. Eventually, she does fall prey to the people trying to gain her fortune and settles into an unhappy marriage with an egotistical man named Gilbert Osmond.

The main story in this collection is “The Snow Queen”, the story of two children who play together daily and have many fun adventures. Kai, a young boy, is drawn to an icy palace by an evil queen who causes him to forget his friendships and past, keeping him prisoner without fond memories for comfort. His friend Gerda has to go on a daring journey to rescue him from the ice castle and defeat the evil that holds him captive using the strongest power in the world - the power of love.

In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, humankind has entered a dark age at some point in the unspecified future. Individuality is no longer permitted, and people are assigned roles to fulfill in their lives. The work's protagonist, Equality 7-2521, is given an undesirable job as a punishment for thinking for himself and desiring to become a scientist instead. The novella outlines his journey as he starts to commit more “crimes” against society, such as desiring a companion of his own choosing, discovering electricity, and ultimately fleeing from his leaders.

Bambi is the beloved story of a young deer’s childhood and coming of age in a forest with many dangers. Because deer are prey for humans, Bambi is taught from a young age about the dangers he will face and warned to always be cautious. He, and all of the other creatures in the forest, fear humans.

Eight-year-old Princess Irene is everything a princess of her age should be: brave, imaginative, strong-willed, and eager to be a good person. But her situation is not ideal: She lives in a lonely castle separated from her kingdom with her nursemaid, amid mines full of goblins who seek to destroy her and her family.

When five children discover the Psammead - a malevolent sand-fairy - who says he can grant wishes, the children cannot believe their luck! All their wildest secret dreams will come true: beauty beyond compare, riches greater than kings, the ability to fly. But wishes are not always what they seem, and every wish the fairy grants goes wrong for the children.

Originally written as a magazine serial, Railway Children tells the story of a family whose life is upturned when the father is accused of espionage and imprisoned. The man’s wife and three children move to a house near a railroad and befriend their new neighbors, who are able to help reunite the family and prove the father’s innocence.

In Verona, Italy, two young people in love defy the demands of their families and pursue their love for one another above societal expectations. Their decisions and pursuit of love send ripples throughout their family and friend circles, causing controversy and consequences. For centuries, the tale of the young star-crossed lovers has been a mainstay of both the literary canon and popular culture. This is one of William Shakespeare’s most known and beloved works with timeless themes and prose.

A year has passed since I raised a city of solid stone from the ground using the an ancient and powerful artifact. The city has thrived under my rule, aided by my queens, with a strong economy and hopeful souls arriving daily, seeking refuge and a fresh start. But grudges die hard. King Arandal, ever the spiteful one, has finally come to exact his vengeance. His soldiers swarm around my city walls like a plague of locusts and outnumber the stars. Assassins crept through the streets at night, their daggers thirsting for my blood and that of my queens.

Zeke built his reputation as a dependable smuggler one sleepless night at a time. When he finally got a chance at the big leagues, he leaped at the opportunity. He didn't expect it to turn south so quickly, but in the city of Luckhaven, life can change in the blink of an eye—or the pull of a trigger. Armed with his prized pistol and indomitable willpower, Zeke wades through an ocean of deceit in his quest for the truth. When he meets Delila, a beautiful woman hiding valuable information, they piece together a massive conspiracy that could shake the very foundations of the world.

More spirits! More skills! More foes! More battles! The Fringe Wilds are howling! Having recovered from their previous adventure, Blair Blackenskiff and his allies set off, excited to meet the Major Spirit, Merceid, once more and finally recruit her. They need to travel, train, and tame as they cross the perilous Fringe Wilds once more. This time, however, another force of dangerous Prospects lurk behind the scenes. The curtain rises on this, the early stages of the first major conflict of the First Phase!

When the stars vanish and heroes follow suit, it seems there’s no one left to try to stop an unseen power from taking over the world. But nobody was counting on Toby, a seemingly normal man, to get involved. Once upon a time, he might have refused his hero's call. With an overwhelming power of his own and new friends who are counting on him, he's drawn the line in the sand. He will stop this reign of chaos, one way or another.

It’s time to make a weight-loss transformation now! The longer you wait, the harder it will be for you! So, I hope you act with a sense of urgency, with a ticking time bomb, to get the Weight Loss Secrets bundle now!

Lead singer of the start-up band Four Real Tricia Donahue left her hometown with one question: How can you love three men at once? She’s convinced herself it can’t be done - not without living up to her family’s infamous reputation. Now, years later, lead guitarist Michael Hill is touring with world-famous TRE, far removed from the small-town band he once called his family. Home will never be the same until he makes things right. Reunion time for four best friends with unfinished business means they will finally face the music.

Jen got her first taste of being a dominant during an intense relationship with Annabel while attending college, which only ended after graduation due to a misunderstanding. The women maintained a close friendship over the years while Jen concentrated on climbing the ranks in the police department and her former submissive focused on building a lucrative mail-order business. Fifteen years after university, a confluence of events reignites their kinky passions, but with an interesting twist: each of their male partners are included in the mix.

Emory doesn't have it easy. With constant comparisons to her dead sister, she dreads her family, even when she loves them. However, there's something she hates even more than being compared to her sister: or rather someone. Miles. Miles lost the love of his life to childbirth, leaving him with a daughter to care for. Brooklyn, the daughter he didn't know he could ever love so much that her safety was the most important thing to him. He would do anything to keep her safely by his side.

Caledin knew he could never go home. Two decades after losing his family to Zhretennais saboteurs, the former Ajenite naval officer made his living as a pirate, prowling the shipping lanes and picking off rich Zhretennais merchant vessels. For the most part, he’s content, and he tells himself often that the Free Ship Rampart and his crew are all the family he’ll ever need again. But then the Rampart stumbles upon a strange lifepod deep in the black nothingness of space. And against all the odds, the occupant in stasis—a girl named Siolene with ancient, royal DNA—is still alive.

Journey to Oz, a faraway land of magic, mayhem, and danger in this fantastical trilogy by L. Frank Baum. The Library Congress calls this “America’s greatest and best-beloved homegrown fairytale,” and the stories will spark the imagination and wonder as you enter the wondrous Land of Oz. This collection includes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the most well-known of the Oz stories; The Marvelous Land of Oz, following the adventures of a young boy named Tip exploring an Oz post-Dorothy; and Ozma of Oz, where Dorothy Gale is whisked away to a land called Ev.

The Three Bucket Leadership Framework helps leaders understand and overcome disengagement in their teams and organizations. This book is divided into two sections. Part I introduces the Three Buckets—All In, All Out, and The Middle—and shows how our spending of time and energy shapes our level of engagement. It also explores how individual habits and cultural forces lead people into disengagement, and how leaders must take responsibility for their teams’ engagement.