Showing results by narrator "Nicky Diss" in All Categories

Twenty-five more timeless Christmas stories from Enid Blyton. The excitement of singing carols, exchanging gifts and a bit of her trademark mischief can all be found in this festive collection. Stories include 'The Pantomime Wolf', 'Christmas in the Toyshop' and 'The Extraordinary Christmas Tree'.

Odile Souchet is obsessed with books, and working at The American Library in Paris for the formidable Director Dorothy Reeder is all she has ever dreamed of. The Library and its thriving community of students, writers, diplomats and book lovers provide her with a safe haven. When war is declared, the Library is determined to remain open. But then the Nazis invade Paris, and everything changes. The Nazi 'Library Protector' changes the rules overnight, declaring a war on words and making the librarians risk their lives to do their jobs.

It's the start of the Easter term, and the twins are looking forward to meeting all their friends at St Clare's once more. They are determined to be obedient and studious, but the new girls prove to be so much fun. Poor Mam'zelle had better watch out. Expect mischief at St Clare's!

From Sulky Susan, whose face is one big frown, to the little boy who can't stop telling fibs, these mischief-makers are up to no good! Ranging from the light-hearted to the deliciously dark, these cautionary tales will delight and intrigue listeners as much today as they did when first published in the mid-20th century. This collection is inspired by Enid Blyton's A Book of Naughty Children, first published in 1944.

Eleven-year-old Casper Tock hates risks, is allergic to adventures and shudders at the thought of unpredictable events. So, it comes as a nasty shock to him when he accidentally stumbles into Rumblestar, an Unmapped Kingdom full of magical beasts. All Casper wants is to find a way home, but Rumblestar is in trouble. An evil harpy called Morg is sending her followers, the Midnights, into the kingdom to wreak havoc and pave the way for her to steal the Unmapped magic for herself.

In Vaxxers, we hear directly from Professor Gilbert and her colleague, Dr Catherine Green, as they reveal the inside story of making the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and the cutting-edge science and sheer hard work behind it. This is their story of fighting a pandemic as ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Sarah and Cath share the heart-stopping moments in the eye of the storm, they separate fact from fiction, they explain how they made a safe vaccine in record time with the eyes of the world watching and they give us hope for the future.

A windowless shack in the woods. Lena's life and that of her two children follows the rules set by their captor, the father: meals, bathroom visits, study time are strictly scheduled and meticulously observed. He protects his family from the dangers lurking in the outside world and makes sure that his children will always have a mother to look after them. One day Lena manages to flee - but the nightmare continues. It seems as if her tormentor wants to get back what belongs to him....

Red's past won't stay hidden. She's now living at Elvesden Manor under her real name, Rowan, and trying to put her terrible adventures behind her. But staying out of trouble isn't as easy as she'd hoped. Haunted by awful dreams of Hedgewitch's cottage - and of Eldritch, who swore revenge when she left him there to die - Red fears the fairy realm is about to draw her back in.... But will she make it back this time? Or will dark forces finally claim her?

Fifty years ago a girl vanished in the woods nearby - a girl Tanya's grandmother will not speak of. Fabian, the caretaker's son, is tormented by the girl's disappearance. His grandfather was the last person to see her alive and has lived under suspicion ever since. Together, Tanya and Fabian decide to find the truth. But Tanya has her own secret: the ability to see fairies. And after disturbing an intruder in the night, it emerges that someone else shares her ability.... The manor's sinister history is about to repeat itself....

Onetime celebrity personal assistant to wild boy of rock Johnny Jefferson, Meg Stiles is now settled and living in the south of France with her doting boyfriend, Christian, and their son, Barney. But they're living a lie - a lie that will turn their lives upside down and inside out because as Barney reaches his first birthday, Meg can no longer deny that her son is growing to look more and more like his rock star father every day and less and less like Christian, and sooner or later the world is going to realise....

Having the ability to see fairies means that Tanya Fairchild's life has never been easy. After all, real fairies are nothing like the ones in books, ones that grant wishes or leave money for teeth. Real fairies don't like to be talked about, and they cast spells if Tanya steps out of line. The most she's ever received in exchange for one of her teeth is a chewed up toffee. Of course, it would help if Tanya knew someone - anyone - else who could see them, too....

Thea has a secret. She can tell how long someone has left to live just by touching them. Not only that, but she can transfer life from one person to another – something she finds out the hard way when her best friend Ruth suffers a fatal head injury on a night out. Desperate to save her, Thea touches the arm of the man responsible when he comes to check if Ruth is all right. As Ruth comes to, the man quietly slumps to the ground, dead. Thea realises that she has a godlike power: but despite deciding to use her ability for good, she can’t help but sometimes use it for her own benefit.

Talented yet relatively unknown actress and celebration cake baker extraordinaire Olivia Lambert is running out of time. Approaching 40, she’s yet to land the role that will launch her television career, and she’s desperate to be a mum. Her new man, Phil Grimshaw from the Bluebell Cliff Hotel, seems the perfect match but seems to be in no rush to settle down. Having ditched her childhood sweetheart and fiancé, Tom Boyd, when he backtracked about being a dad, Olivia dreads making the same mistake again.

Jack Dee is here to help. Too often today the emphasis in psychotherapy is on providing clients with a metaphorical hug when what they so clearly need is good slap, so Jack Dee took the matter into his own hands, and whilst everyone else was baking bread and clearing out their cupboards during lockdown, he retrained online as a psychotherapist. After an incredibly gruelling four hours of study, he got his certificate of completion from The Ruislip College of Advansed Learning (sic).

A collection of 29 of Enid Blyton's Christmas stories. Visit Santa's workshop, hang up your stocking and help two naughty goblins make a Christmas pudding in this magical collection from the classic children's author. Stories include 'Mr Icy-Cold', 'The Christmas Party' and 'Rescuing Santa Claus'. A wonderful selection to enjoy and share. Mystery and magic, laughter and mischief, the joy of shared times and plenty of delicious food....

It should have been a fresh start for the Widdershins sisters, Betty, Fliss and Charlie, who have left the misty gloom of Crowstone for a new life in the pretty village of Pendlewick. But all is not as it seems, and as one of their own begins to slip away from them, the sisters find themselves in a race against time to break a dark magic that has cast a spell over the village.

Science and technology have always been central to the plots that make up the world of Bond, and in Superspy Science Kathryn Harkup explores the full range of 007’s exploits and the arms, technologies, tactics and downfalls of his various foes. From the practicalities of building a volcano-based lair, to whether being covered in gold paint really will kill you, and—if your plan is to take over the world—whether it is better to use bacteria, bombs, or poison—this audiobook has all the answers and more.

The fairies stole her brother...and now Red is trapped. In the dangerous fairy realm, she strikes a bargain. Her brother will be returned, but only if she can complete a perilous magical quest in the human world. If she fails, she will lose him - and her own freedom - for ever. With the help of Tanya and Fabian, Red's desperate task begins - but a shocking discovery turns it into a race against time. And even if the friends succeed, will the fairies keep their promise?

Audrey's family are falling apart. Her two grown-up daughters, Jess and Lily, are estranged, and her two granddaughters have never been allowed to meet. One secret that echoes back to 30 years before has splintered the family in two, and is also the one thing keeping them connected. But as tensions reach breaking point, the irrevocable choice that one of them made all those years ago will inevitably rise to the surface and either split them apart for good - or bring them back together. A moving novel full of heart about the people closest to us.

When the Widdershins sisters and Granny are called away in deepest winter to look after cousin Clarissa, it doesn’t take long for adventure—or trouble—to find them. The town of Little Nipping has plenty to explore with its frozen lake and winter market, as well as being haunted by a doomed highwayman, searching for lost treasure. But the legends are true, and seeing a ghostly figure one night, the girls realise that Granny is in terrible danger.