Showing results by narrator "Ruth Ann Phimister" in All Categories

When boys act out, get into fights, or become physically aggressive, we can't avoid noticing their bad behavior. But it is easy to miss the subtle signs of aggression in girls: the dirty looks, the taunting notes, or the exclusion from the group, that send girls home crying.

Fragrant blossoms herald spring, but the orchard is also a place of secrets and heartache. After the death of her husband Frank, Eliza is left with three young children and mounting debts. When a gentle stranger enters her orchard, she experiences a peculiar sensation of familiarity with the man. But will his unknown past jeopardize all that she has fought for?

“They’re going to kill me soon,” begins the note Amelia discovers in an antique hurdy-gurdy. From that moment on, the shy young woman finds herself doing all kinds of things she never thought possible. Between newfound intimacies and a risky journey into the past, Amelia comes to see herself in a whole new light. The scrawled note drives Amelia to find out what happened to the person who wrote it, identified only as “Hannah.” Who was Hannah? Was she really murdered? Amelia’s investigation leads her to dizzying new heights of romance and danger. Like a tightrope walker, she must not look down—especially when she finds herself in situations uncannily similar to those Hannah faced just before her murder. Like the Mrs. Pollifax mysteries for which Dorothy Gilman is famous, The Tightrope Walker features a spirited and unpretentious heroine and an intriguing mystery, enhanced by colorful settings and characters. Ruth Ann Phimister’s skillful narration adds a personal dimension, making you care about Amelia and the fascinating and dangerous people she meets.

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, Mother Teresa humbly accepted it on behalf of the poorest of the poor to whom she joyfully dedicated her life. Truly a saint for the 20th century, she taught compassion not only for the sick and destitute, but also for the lonely, neglected, and unappreciated who surround us every day.

In this sweeping saga, three Swedish sisters endure an 1890s Atlantic crossing, an Ellis Island detention, and various other trials as they struggle to find love, faith, and home. First came their mother's death. Then their father's suicide. For orphans Elin, Kirsten, and Sofia, life stretches on like an endless winter. When circumstances become unbearable, they write their Chicago relatives, desperate for a safe haven.

Race Spencer leads a lonely life out west, until he stumbles upon Rebecca Morgan, the only survivor of a terrifying robbery. Sweeping the helpless beauty into his powerful arms, Race carries her away to safety. Rebecca's life is no longer in danger, but her virtue is decidedly threatened. Race arouses feelings in her she never knew she could experience, especially toward such a hardened man.

From the best-selling author of the famous Mrs. Pollifax series comes another delightfully eccentric and sage female sleuth - the exotic Madame Karitska. Although she is a genuine countess, Marina Elena Provovnitchek Gaylord Von Domm Karitska is foremost a psychic. When one of her clients turns up dead, Madame Karitska makes the acquaintance of Detective-Lieutenant Pruden, and an uncanny partnership is born. Madame Karitska forms images with the psychic vibrations she picks up from personal objects.

"When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy. I would figure out this or that way and run it down through my head until it got easy." So begins the tale of Ellen Foster, the brave and engaging heroine of Kaye Gibbons's first novel, which won the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Wise, funny, affectionate and true, Ellen Foster is, as Walker Percy called it, "The real thing. Which is to say, a lovely, sometimes heart/wrenching novel...."

As foreclosure fragments her family, five-year-old Mildred and her three siblings find refuge with her grandparents enjoying a modest retirement. When the "little heathens" flush the seniors and their child-rearing skills out of retirement, the grandparents deploy tough but loving bedtime schedules, Bible and prayer routines, and plenty of character-building chores. Having no electricity or indoor plumbing and with little heat or money on the farm, Mildred learns to find joy in the priceless blessings of life.

Abandoned by their mother while they were still small children, the Mitchell sisters have always felt the pain of rejection. Their search for love and a sense of worth drives them apart by the time they are adults. But when their mother, now a famous actress, suffers an untimely death, the five reunite for the funeral. There, they begin to salvage frayed relationships, held together only by a slender thread.

In Sixteen Brides by Christy Award finalist Stephanie Grace Whitson, Civil War widows living in St. Louis are lured west by promises of prime homesteads in a booming community. When the unsuspecting women arrive at Plum Grove, Nebraska, sparks fly as they meet bachelors convinced they’ve come to marry them. The widows will need all the courage and faith they can muster to survive these unwanted circumstances—especially since appearances are so deceiving.

In the late 1800s Dianne Selby and her family love their simple life in the rugged Montana countryside. But a devastating fire forces them to leave it all behind. She seeks God's help after a cold reception by her husband's family in Kansas causes tension and strain on their marriage. Desperate, Dianne makes a radical decision - one that will affect the lives of everyone she loves.

A Nazi soldier has come to Fort Robinson as a prisoner of war. When he meets the daughter of a local rancher, he falls in love but doubts there can be any future for an American girl and a German POW. Far from home and ostracized by those around him, the soldier comes to know the God who loves unconditionally. Can the woman do so as well?

Charlotte Valentine Bishop has buried her husband. Now she and her son Will are embarking on a trip back to Fort Robinson, Nebraska, to make a new home for themselves with Charlotte's father. Unfortunately, the transition doesn't go as smoothly as Charlotte hopes. Will is young, but out of control with mischief. Their old friend Lt. Nathan Boone is a good role model for him, but what role will the handsome lieutenant play in Charlotte's life?

Dianne and Cole Selby have worked hard to make the Diamond V Ranch a success. But when an aggressive rancher plans to buy up all the land surrounding his own spread, the Selby's beautiful Montana home is at the top of his list. Now Dianne must struggle to keep love in her heart and rely on her faith in God's power.

Best-selling author Stephanie Grace Whitson is a two-time Christy Award finalist. Deep in Lakota Sioux territory in 1878, a torched farmstead is discovered by American soldiers. Hidden in the cellar is Laina Gray, delirious and pregnant. Nursed back to health by a woman who trusts God's healing hand, Laina recovers but continues to closely guard her terrible secrets.

The best-selling author of over 60 books, Tracie Peterson pens soaring works of faith and simple virtue. An addition to her popular Heirs of Montana series, The Coming Storm takes place in the year 1870.

Janet Allen provides an inside look at some of the problems faced by teenagers in the classroom from the viewpoint of a teacher. This practical "how-to" audiobook will appeal to teachers, parents, and anyone else concerned about indifferent or hostile students. The author enters the teaching profession with plans for sharing her love of literature with her high school English class. The first day shatters her dreams. Instead of having a roomful of students eager to learn, she is faced with teenagers who not only never read Shakespeare, they never read anything.

In 1992, Marilyn French was told she had one year to live. A smoker of 48 years she was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, a cancer which is almost always fatal. Five years on, having battled with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, a heart attack and her back breaking, she is very much alive. And - astonishingly - her body shows no sign of cancer.

When Orange County, Florida, began its Literacy Project in 1994, Kyle Gonzalez set out to instill the lifelong joy of reading into her at-risk middle school students. She and Janet Allen delved into research and studied classroom approaches. As they reflected on the results, they discovered effective strategies that turn nonreaders into the most avid bookworms.