Special Collections
Human-Narrated Books for Adults
Description: Please enjoy this collection of Bookshare books, now with human narration! #adults
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Phone for the Fish Knives
by Daisy WaughWhen Hollywood wants to do a remake of the film that made Tode Hall famous, India and Egbert are delighted. They envisage a summer of free money and star-studded dinner parties ahead . . . But the Hall is soon overrun by wardrobe trucks and catering tents, and lusty, insecure actors squabbling about nudity clauses. When the movie's producers threaten to sue over the exact colour of Tode Hall's rolling lawns, India and Egbert realise that having a film crew on their doorstep isn't such a breeze after all. With so many egos in one place things were bound to end badly, but no one would have predicted quite so literal a backstabbing…
Plot Twist
by Breea Keenan'A heart-warming bookish romcom . . . perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Catherine Walsh' Sunday Mail What's a love story without a good plot twist . . . ? 'This book honestly had me giddy' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I didn't want to put it down' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Becca and Riley both captured my heart' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐*Becca Taylor is having a bad summer. Her best friend is dead. Her good-for-nothing ex is back in her life. And her career is in freefall.So, when fellow writer Riley O'Connell invites Becca to the charming Irish countryside, she can't pack her bags fast enough, even though they have never met.But happily-ever-after isn't quite so simple.And Riley is not a sensitive female romance novelist like Becca assumed. No, he is definitely a man. A hot, six-foot tall, Irish man.But with their complicated pasts getting in the way, Becca and Riley just can't get on the same page. So can fate give their love story a rewrite?*READERS ARE OBSESSED WITH PLOT TWIST:'I devoured this book, literally could not put it down' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Had me smiling, crying, giggling' ⭐⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I didn't want it to end' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Delightful, I laughed and I cried while reading it, it's everything I could ask for' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
The Prospects
by KT Hoffman'Tenacious, sexy, effervescent, doggedly hopeful, and endlessly charming, with characters to root hard for and an irresistible voice - I completely adored it'Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White & Royal Blue__________Enemies. Rivals. Teammates.It's going to be a hell of a season.Gene Ionescu is content to play in the minor leagues. He's seen teammates get their big breaks, but as the first openly trans man in the world of competitive baseball, he has nearly everything he's ever let himself dream of. When his former teammate and long-time rival, Luis Estrada, is unexpectedly drafted onto the team, the careful equilibrium of Gene's life is destroyed. Luis is standoffish, talented and inconveniently gorgeous, and the two men can barely get through a game together. This is war, and the team pays the price. So when Luis surprises Gene with a softer side to his haughty demeanour, Gene offers an olive branch - for the sake of his teammates. Soon they discover that their chemistry on the pitch might lead them all the way to the playoffs. And their chemistry off the pitch . . . well, that could be enough to change the game for ever.'I can't even express how much I adore this beautiful, joyful book'Alicia Thompson, author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers 'This book is optimism and grit, dedication and unbridled joy . . . An absolute delight' Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of The Ex Talk 'A heart-stealing romance . . . My favourite book - of this and any year' Anita Kelly, author of Something Wild & Wonderful__________Five-star reader reviews of The Prospects:'The romance between Gene and Luis is fire but also achingly tender and sweet. It gave me all the feels' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Funny and sexy and filled with such an incredible amount of hope, optimism, queer and trans joy, and queer found family' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I absolutely loved so much of this book, and it gave me many moments of reading on the couch, feet kicking, and giggling wildly. It was beautiful' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The steam and build of the relationship sucked me in . . . All I want to do is hug these two and live in this book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Stunning, joyful, and romantic as hell' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'It's got boys, it's got baseball, it's got everything you could possibly want. Five stars isn't enough' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Runner
by Stephen LeatherThe explosive new stand-alone thriller from the author of the Spider Shepherd series
Sally Page is an MI5 'footie', a junior Secret Service Agent who maintains 'legends': fake identities or footprints used by real spies. Her day consists of maintaining flats and houses where the legends allegedly live, doing online shopping, using payment, loyalty and travel cards and going on social media in their names - anything to give the impression to hostile surveillance that the legends are living, breathing individuals.
One day she goes out for a coffee run from the safe house from which she and her fellow footies operate. When she comes back they have all been murdered and she barely escapes with her own life. She is on the run, but from whom she has no idea. Worse, her bosses at MI5 seem powerless to help her. To live, she will have to use all the lies and false identities she has so carefully created while discovering the truth . . .(p) 2020 Isis Publishing Ltd
Tell Me Everything
by Laura KayWould you entrust your life choices to someone hell-bent on avoiding theirs?
Natasha has everything under control, at least that's what her clients think. As a therapist, she has all the answers but when it comes to her personal life, she seriously needs to start taking her own advice. Still living with her ex-girlfriend, Natasha's messy love life is made up of dates and one-night stands. After all, why would you commit to one person, when there is an endless stream of people waiting for you to swipe right? Besides, people always leave.
But when Margot arrives on the scene, everything changes. Flailing between mending long broken relationships and starting new ones, Natasha's walking the line between self-actualisation and self-destruction…
With denial no longer an option, it is time for Natasha to take control of her own happiness.
The Three Dahlias
by Katy WatsonIt wouldn't be a country house weekend without a little murder. . .
Three rival actresses team up to solve a murder at the stately home of Lettice Davenport, the author whose sleuthing creation of the 1930s, Dahlia Lively, had made each of them famous to a new generation. A contemporary mystery with a Golden Age feel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Jessica Fellowes - and Janice Hallett and Richard Osman, of course!
In attendance at Aldermere: the VIP fans, staying at house; the fan club president turned convention organiser; the team behind the newest movie adaptation of Davenport's books; the Davenport family themselves; and the three actresses famous for portraying Dahlia Lively through the decades.
There is national treasure Rosalind King, from the original movies, who's feeling sensitive that she's past her prime, TV Dahlia for thirteen seasons, Caro Hooper, who believes she really IS Dahlia Lively, and ex-child star Posy Starling, fresh out of the fame wilderness (and rehab) to take on the Dahlia mantle for the new movie - but feeling outclassed by her predecessors.
Each actress has her own interpretation of the character and her own secrets to hide - but this English summer weekend they will have to put aside their differences as the crimes at Aldermere turn anything but cosy.
Truly, Madly, Deeply
by Alexandria Bellefleur'You can never go wrong with an Alexandria Bellefleur novel' BuzzfeedThe new steamy queer rom-com from bestselling author, Alexandria Bellefleur - perfect for fans of Ashley Herring Blake, Casey McQuiston and Talia Hibbert.As a bestselling romance novelist, everyone thinks Truly Livingston is an expert on happily-ever-afters. Except she just caught her fiancé cheating, her parents are separating and her entire view on love has been shaken to the core.Already committed to recording a podcast sharing relationship advice, Truly hopes it will be the perfect distraction . . . until she meets her co-host. Her first impression of Colin McCory is . . . hot. But then he opens his extremely kissable mouth. Bickering with a cynical divorce lawyer is the last thing Truly needs - so she walks out, with no plans to return.When Colin tracks her down, begging for a fresh start, she reluctantly agrees. And as they turn from enemies to friends, she discovers they have more in common than she ever imagined, including their shared queerness. With their mutual attraction reaching a fever pitch, Truly feels happy for the first time in years. Yet she can't help but wonder . . . is Colin truly, madly, deeply in love with her? Or is it all too good to be true?Why readers love Alexandria Bellefleur . . . 'Everything I want from a rom-com: fun, whimsical, sexy' Talia Hibbert'I was hooked from the very first page!' Christina Lauren'This book is a delight' New York Times Book Review'Sparkles with a delightful mix of wit, humour and good-natured sarcasm' Mia Sosa
Two for Joy
by Adam HensonEver wondered why the dawn chorus is so loud in spring? What makes a summer sunset so special? Where to spot a murmuration of starlings in autumn? Or how to identify trees from just their bark in winter?
In Two for Joy, Adam Henson—much-loved and long-standing presenter of Countryfile—goes on a journey throughout each season to help you to find new and varied ways to reconnect to the British and Irish countryside. Discover what's happening on farms, growing in hedgerows, the stories behind countryside superstitions, how to revive lost traditions, what you might spot when you look up at the sky and stars—and plenty more in this uplifting guide to the nature that surrounds us.
Whether you read this book in the depths of winter in an armchair by the fire, or on a picnic rug in a field on a sunny day, it promises to open your eyes to the awe-inspiring powers of our uniquely British countryside in ways you've never noticed before.
The Underhistory
by Kaaron WarrenPeople come to visit my home and I love to show them around. Of course it's not the original house where it happened. That was destroyed when my entire family died. But I don't think their ghosts know the difference.Pera Sinclair was nine the day the pilot intentionally crashed his plane into her family's grand home, killing everyone inside. She was the girl who survived the tragedy, a sympathetic oddity, growing stranger by the day. Over the decades she rebuilt the huge and rambling building on the original site, recreating what she had lost, each room telling a piece of the story of her life and that of the many people who died, both before and after the disaster. Her sister, murdered a hundred miles away. The soldier, broken by war. Death follows Pera, and she welcomes it in as an old friend. And while she doesn't believe in ghosts, she's not above telling a ghost story or two to those who come to visit Sinclair House.On the day of her last haunted house tour of the season, an unexpected group of men arrive. One Pera recognises, but the others are strangers. But she knows their type all too well. Dangerous men, who will keep an old woman alive only so long as she is useful. But as she begins to show them around her home and reveal its secrets, the dangerous men will learn that she is far from helpless. After all, death seems to followher wherever she goes...Sinister and lyrical, The Underhistory is a haunting tale of loss, self-preservation and the darkness beneath.
The Values Compass
by Mandeep RaiBroadcast journalist Mandeep Rai takes us on a journey to 101 countries around the world, highlighting a single, unique value that has defined each nation's history, culture, and global influence - and how we can apply them to better our own lives and make decisions more effectively.
Every day, whether we acknowledge it or not, we make decisions based on what we believe in. The choices, challenges, or opportunities facing us - and how we engage with them - in politics, family, relationships, work, and play reveal something important about our character, desires, and personality to ourselves and to others. When those values align and are shared by a single population, they have the power to transform a nation and teach the world valuable lessons about success.
From India's 'faith' to Vietnam's 'resilience', Argentina's 'passion' to Singapore's 'order', Australia's 'mateship' to Uganda's 'heritage' and from Malta's 'community' to Sri Lanka's 'joy', we may all find something of ourselves in others and succeed together as a result.
This is an insightful collection of profiles that open our eyes to the world around us, and in turn help us reflect on which values matter, last, and have the power to create change.
The View from the Cheap Seats
by Neil GaimanThe View from the Cheap Seats draws together myriad non-fiction writing by international phenomenon and Sunday Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman. From Make Good Art, the speech that went viral, to pieces on artists and legends including Terry Pratchett and Lou Reed, the collection offers a glimpse into the head and heart of one of the most acclaimed writers of our time.'Literature does not occur in a vacuum. It cannot be a monologue. It has to be a conversation'Welcome to the conversation. Neil Gaiman fled the land of journalism to find truths through storytelling and sanctuary in not needing to get all the facts right. Of course, the real world continued to make up its own stories around him, and he has responded over the years with a wealth of ideas and introductions, dreams and speeches. Here 'we can meet the writer full on' (Stephen Fry) as he opens our minds to the people he admires and the things he believes might just mean something - and makes room for us to join the conversation too.(P)2016 HarperCollins Digital
Witness X
by Se MoorheadFrom one of the most original new voices in fiction comes a startling vision of a world where hero Kyra must fight the past to save our future. She's the only one who can access the truth...
Fourteen years ago, the police caged a notorious serial killer who abducted and butchered two victims every February. He was safe behind bars. Wasn't he? But then another body is discovered, and soon enough, the race is on to catch the real killer.
Neuropsychologist Kyra Sullivan fights to use a new technology that accesses the minds of the witnesses, working with the police to uncover the truth. Will Kyra discover the person behind the murders, and if so, at what cost? And how far will she go to ensure justice is served?
The Year Without Summer
by Guinevere Glasfurd1815, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia
Mount Tambora explodes in a cataclysmic eruption, killing thousands. Sent to investigate, ship surgeon Henry Hoggcan barely believe his eyes. Once a paradise, the island is now solid ash, the surrounding sea turned to stone. But worse is yet to come: as the ash cloud rises and covers the sun, the seasons will fail.
1816In Switzerland, Mary Shelley finds dark inspiration. Confined inside by the unseasonable weather, thousands of famine refugees stream past her door. In Vermont, preacher Charles Whitlock begs his followers to keep faith as drought dries their wells and their livestock starve.
In Suffolk, the ambitious and lovesick painter John Constable struggles to reconcile the idyllic England he paints with the misery that surrounds him. In the Fens, farm labourer Sarah Hobbs has had enough of going hungry while the farmers flaunt their wealth. And Hope Peter, returned from the Napoleonic wars, finds his family home demolished and a fence gone up in its place. He flees to London, where he falls in with a group of revolutionaries who speak of a better life, whatever the cost. As desperation sets in, Britain becomes beset by riots—rebellion is in the air.
The Year Without Summer is the story of the books written, the art made; of the journeys taken, of the love longed for and the lives lost during that fateful year. Six separate lives, connected only by an event many thousands of miles away. Few had heard of Tambora—but none could escape its effects.
Zarifa
by Zarifa Ghafari and Hannah Lucinda SmithZarifa Ghafari was three years old when the Taliban banned girls from schools, and she began her education in secret. She was seven when American airstrikes began. She was twenty-six when she became mayor of Maidan Wardak, Kabul. An extremist mob barred her from her office; her male staff walked out in protest; assassins tried to kill her six times.
Through it all, Zarifa stood her ground. She ended corruption in the province, promoted peace, and tried to lift up women, despite constant fear for herself and her family. When the Taliban took Kabul in 2021, Ghafari had to flee. But even that couldn't stop her. Six months later, she returned, to continue her work empowering women.
Zarifa is an astonishing memoir that offers an unparalleled perspective of the last two decades in Afghanistan from a citizen, daughter, woman and mayor. Written with honesty, pain, and ultimately, hope, Zarifa describes the work she did, the women she still tries to help as they live under Taliban rule, and her vision for how grassroots activism can change their lives and the lives of women everywhere.