Showing results by narrator "Fiona" in All Categories

What gifts are you planning to give this year? Need help with your gift ideas? They say, "'Tis the season to be jolly." Well, nothing is jolly when you receive a gift that sucks! This is the season, no matter what your religious or non-religious persuasion may be, to give and receive gifts. This book is a short 18-minute read about gifts that people give and/or receive, but don’t have the guts to say how they really feel or what the true spirit is behind their gift giving.

A girl with a clockwork heart makes every second count. When Penny Farthing nearly died, the brilliant surgeon Calvin Warwick managed to implant a brass “Ticker”, transforming her into “the first of the Augmented”! But soon it was discovered that Warwick kidnapped and killed dozens of people striving to perfect another Ticker for Penny.

William ist fünf. Er hat den Kindergarten fast hinter sich und kommt nach den Sommerferien in die Schule. Er ist noch recht klein für sein Alter. Das ärgert ihn und er kann es kaum erwarten, größer zu werden. Seine Freunde, Luke und Oliver, sind schon etwas älter und gehen bereits zur Schule. Allerdings lachen sie nur, wenn William sie fragt, ob sie den Unterricht denn mögen. Er macht sich große Sorgen. Was geschieht in einer Schule? Wird es ihm dort gefallen? Und wird er in der Schule dann tatsächlich ein großer Junge sein, wie seine Eltern immer sagen? Fragen über Fragen. William will es ganz genau wissen und schreibt gemeinsam mit seiner Mutter Robby einen Brief, der auf wundersame Weise seinen Weg findet.

"A Good Brandy", by John Bunting: James Branding has been Prime Minister for only three weeks, when his phone rings late one night. As he answers it, little does he know that in the next few hours he will be fighting to save the nation from the gravest danger it has faced for over 70 years. Also includes "The Ambassadors", by Janet Gogerty; "The Duck and Thistle", by Bridget Arregger; and "Esther", by Paul Cassidy.

In a kingdom long ago, a young handsome prince travels the countryside incognito taking the census. His travels are filled with adventure, colorful characters and mystery as he falls into a deceitful plot by a neighboring Lord. Deep within the dark woods he stumbles upon a country girl with deep secrets to hide. A beautiful lady trying to win his heart. A noble knight in search of dragons to slay and a Chinese tailor with a special talent that could change a kingdom and the prince's heart.

Just So Stories - Amusing and fanciful answers to questions of how animals obtained their individual characteristics. "How the Alphabet Was Made"; "How the Camel Got His Hump"; How the First Letter Was Written"; "The Butterfly That Stamped"; "The Cat That Walked by Himself"; "The Crab That Played with the Sea"; "The Elephant's Child"; "The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangeroo"; "How the Leopard Got His Spots"; "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin"; "How the Whale Got His Throat"; "The Beginning of the Armadillos".

Every traveller to Scotland is enthralled not only by the spectacular scenery, but also the wealth of wildlife in the country and its surrounding islands. Wild Scotland brings together a selection of 30 of the most vocal and representative species of this region, some of which can only be found in this area of the British Isles.

The blackbird is one of the most familiar of all British birds and its song is a great favourite. Enjoy the beautiful melodies created by this much-loved songbird in the British Library's new collection of recordings, which reveal the extraordinary virtuosity, splendour, and magic of its song. From the poet Edward Thomas to the Beatles, the blackbird has been an inspiration to writers, composers, and the wider public for many centuries.

With her stunning beauty and impeccable reputation, Lady Eleanor Beckett is a society darling to emulate. But Eleanor's seemingly perfect life is marred by a dark secret. Determined to know happiness and passion just once, she travels to the infamous Lavender Hills Estate, a brothel that caters to women. There, she meets strikingly handsome and completely inappropriate James McKinnon, a man who may be just what she needs to melt the ice surrounding her broken heart.

A post-apocalyptic, poetic dream...an encounter in a land beyond time.... Three young women reside in a beach house, isolated from the rest of the world by sheer strength of will. And three fighter pilots are on an endless routine sweep for anything out of the ordinary.

Grace Brisbane will do anything to save her family from poverty, even marry for money. But to catch the eye of a worldly noble, inexperienced Grace will need to learn the secrets of seduction. And who better to teach her than a man whose life is devoted to pleasure? Alex Weston is the top attraction at Lavender Hills, the all-male brothel that caters to the desires of London’s most fashionable women. His beauty and sexual prowess are legendary, yet his seemingly charmed life masks an ugly truth. Alex is a prisoner in a gilded cage, blackmailed into service. He wants only freedom - until the night Grace Brisbane walks through his door.

Come away with us now to the far off future days of AD 1985, after men have landed on the moon! When Space Marshal Rory Rammer, and his sidekick, "Skip" Sagan, guard the rule of law and the rights of the innocent from the skies of Earth to the orbit of the moon!

Matilda Tucker's life is falling apart. Her fiance left her five weeks before their wedding - with a non-refundable honeymoon looming over her head. Luckily, Jack, her best friend's brother and her old crush, steps into take his place. Only the sexy Aussie wants Mattie to pretend to be his wife on the trip. Reluctantly, Mattie agrees. Jack shows her a world of exotic beauty and desire she never dared dream, but if she gives in to his advances she might get her heart broken all over again.

In a moonlit garden, three women with disturbing smiles wait. Their eyes gleam like opals and the only color in the silver night is the red of their lips. They long for what they wait for. Here is an erotic and unsettling retelling of the Bram Stoker classic from a different point of view. This isn't your parents' Dracula.

Young and beautiful Violetta may be of royal blood, but her kingdom is in shambles when she arrives in London on a mysterious mission. Her journey has been long and her adventures many, but it is not until she meets the playwright William Shakespeare that she gets to tell the entire story from beginning to end. Violetta and her comic companion, Feste, have come in search of an ancient holy relic that the evil Malvolio has stolen from their kingdom. But where will their remarkable quest - and their most unusual story - lead?

More than eight million people live in the sprawling metropolis that is London. This vast area is also home to a wide variety of wild animals, from birds and mammals to amphibians and insects. From renowned spectacles such as the Red Deer rut in Richmond Park to more everyday sights and sounds, such as Red Foxes patrolling our streets after dark, London offers a diverse range of potential wildlife encounters.

This is the story of four remarkable women. Dorrie, who in the dying years of the 19th century, dares to defy the conventions of her time by running away with an artist. The ambitious Roberta, who rides roughshod over all opposition in her single-minded desire to reach her goals. The gentle Louise, who defies her own nature to find the strength to pursue her personal happiness. And finally Ruth, who survived the terrors of the Second World War only to be trapped in a loveless marriage.

Stranded with an inn-full of travelers, Jenny Prydd finds herself embroiled in Emily Pellering's reluctant elopement. When she realizes that Emily's having second thoughts Jenny finds it impossible not to interfere. With the help of her fellow travelers - enigmatic Peter Teverley and his nephew Dominic - Jenny foils a fortune-hunter's plans. That should be the end of it, but when they reach London matters grow more complex: the fortune-hunting Adrian Ratherscombe still has his eye on Emily. Dominic Teverley has a tendre for Emily, but she only has eyes for Peter.

This short novel, set after the events of The Book of Deacon, follows the blessed and cursed life of Jade Rinton. Stripped of her family and kept in a tall tower by a fierce dragon due to the scheming of a mysterious stranger, Jade seems to be living in a twisted fairy tale. She soon learns, though, that fate has its own ideas of who should play each part, and that family is where you find it.

All human foibles can be found in these classic short stories. Great stories, simply told with fresh voices. Shortalk - moving words off the page.