Showing results by narrator "Kristin Atherton" in All Categories

The village of Nether Appleford calls itself ‘England’s Kindest Village’. Overseen by the Kindness Committee, this close-knit community strives to live their lives with kindness at the heart of everything they do. Just Be Kind. It’s as simple as that. But what is kindness? Is it doing something to help someone else? Is it giving up your time to help your community? Or, perhaps it’s something a lot less obvious.

For Ruth, a new mother recovering from postpartum psychosis, every day is difficult and, after months spent hearing voices in the walls and trusting no one, she’s no longer confident in her own judgement. Neither, it seems, is anyone else. So, when she hears a scream from the local petrol station one night, she initially decides it must be her mind playing tricks again.

For Maddie Lincoln, returning to her childhood home was an opportunity to retake control. Instead, she becomes trapped in an ancient struggle between mythic forces. A struggle in which her life—or death—might be the deciding factor. Pursued through Nottingham's mist-shrouded streets, Maddie is drawn into Eventide: a realm where legends walk and perception shapes reality. As the hidden dangers of Eventide bleed into the material realm, Nottingham falls under the sway of a vengeful, malevolent queen. It falls to Maddie to stop the chaos from spreading.

The online phenomenon taking over the world, ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, is a form of sound healing often described as ‘brain tingles’. With psychological benefits similar to mindfulness and meditation, it can make you feel sleepy, relaxed and totally present in the moment. Unwind Your Mind reveals how you too can use its quiet power to find calm in a busy world. In this practical guide ASMRtist Emma WhispersRed takes you through the three stages of ASMR awareness: how to connect with objects, notice their sounds and use them to empty your mind.

1990. Harriet is a journalist. Her job takes her to dangerous places, where she asks questions and tries to make a difference. But when she is sent to Romania, to the state orphanages the world is only just learning about, she is forced to rethink her most important rule. 2018. Ellie is a gardener. Her garden is her sanctuary, her pride and joy. But, though she spends long days outdoors, she hasn’t set foot beyond her gate for far too long. Now someone enters her life who could finally be the reason she needs to overcome her fears.

Vanessa and Kate live a glamorous life in the South of France helping the rich stay richer by hiding their money. While they know it's wrong, that their clients are corrupt, they are professionals and good at their jobs. Plus, there is the money... When their boss draws them deeper into his web of corruption, the chic veneer of their existence falls away, along with their excuses, leaving both women dangerously exposed to the lures of greed, gambling and hazardous liaisons.

All Jen had ever wanted was a big, happy family. And when she married Jason and became part of the Masterson clan that's exactly what she got. For years everything was perfect. But then Jen sees something that she was never meant to see; unearths a secret she was never supposed to discover. If she tells, then her idyllic life might be over. But can she really keep it to herself?

Nick and Anna work the same summer job at their local cinema. Anna is mysterious, beautiful and from a very different world to Nick. She's grown up preparing for the end of days, in a tightly controlled existence where Christmas, getting drunk and sex before marriage are all off-limits. So when Nick comes into her life, Anna falls passionately in love. But Anna, on the cusp of adulthood, is afraid to give up everything she's ever believed in and everyone she's ever loved. She walks away and Nick doesn't stop her.

When Zoe Stamper, specialist in Ancient Greek Tragedy, meets fellow academic Dr Penny Cartwright at a faculty music recital, she seems impossibly glamorous to Zoe, who is, after all, several rungs down the academic pecking order - and a nervous ingénue as far as Penny’s sophisticated circle is concerned. But Penny leaves Zoe a cryptic note, and a passionate affair ensues . . .

Through entertaining stories, surprising real-world examples and a cast of unforgettable characters, Mapmatics helps us to appreciate the mathematical methods and ideas behind maps. And, by illuminating how our world works, leaves us better equipped to understand and look after it.

In a city rocked by catastrophe, home-grown terrorism, shortages and wildfires, Cass is quietly raising three small children by herself. Her husband, Nathaniel, has left to serve as a medic. As life in the city becomes increasingly impossible, Cass knows she can no longer wait for Nathaniel’s return. Packing up their lives, she and the children set off in search of a place of greater safety. But Cass will learn that not all sanctuaries are what they seem – and as the fires around them begin to close in, she’ll discover just how far she’ll go for her children in a world teetering on apocalypse.

Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death. Each night, one thorn witch - and only one - must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch draws on their magic to return. Failure to follow the rules risks the veil and risks them all. But one morning, Penny's favourite sister Ella doesn't return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules. She burns in secret. And she discovers that all isn't as it seems in Life or Death.

Twelve has become a hunter and chosen a new name to reflect her elemental power: Phoenix. Three months after the destruction of the Hunting Lodge, a witch arrives from the frost palace of Icegaard, desperate for Phoenix’s help. Icegaard is in grave danger from an evil force called the Shadowseam, and if the witch-palace falls, all the clans of Ember will fall with it. Travelling north, Phoenix and her friends, Five, Six and Seven, must battle frightening new monsters and find a way to defeat the Shadowseam.

When journalist Rachel Carmedi is kidnapped and murdered by a Colombian drug cartel, her lover and partner Tom Chambers, racked by guilt, vows to avenge her death. Ellen Shelby and Michael McCann want to turn Rachel's story into their first Hollywood movie, whilst Chambers agrees to track down the killers. But his need for vengeance soon overrides their desires. In London, high-flyer Sandy Paul, helping to raise finance for the film, still harbours a fierce passion for Michael, and aims to remove Ellen from his life.

1976. Loo and her sister Bee live in a run-down cottage in the middle of nowhere, with their artistic parents and wild siblings. Their mother, Cathy, had hoped to escape to a simpler life; instead the family find themselves isolated and shunned by their neighbours. At the height of the stifling summer, unexplained noises and occurrences in the house begin to disturb the family, until they intrude on every waking moment....

1938: Lady Vita Goldsborough lives in the shadow of her controlling older brother, Aubrey. Trapped and isolated on the East Anglian coast, Vita takes solace in watching the birds that fly over the marshes. But then she meets local artist Dodie Blakeney. The two women form a close bond, and Vita finally glimpses a chance to escape Aubrey’s grasp and be as free as the birds she loves.

Clare arrives at the University of Edinburgh with a secret. This is her chance for a blank slate—to finally become who she was meant to be. And then she meets Tabitha. Tabitha is charismatic, beautiful and intimidatingly rich. Soon Clare is sucked into her enigmatic circle of friends and their dizzying world of champagne on rooftops and summers in France. Her new life has begun. Then Tabitha reveals the little project they're working on, a project they need Clare's help with. And Clare can't say no.

Gwen has had quite the year. Newly single and in trouble at work, a family Christmas could be exactly what she needs – fresh country air, piles of presents and festive films. But since when were families relaxing? Between her parents interfering in her love life, fighting with her sister and an awkward run-in with Dev, the boy next door, Gwen is grateful that Christmas only comes but once a year. But when someone in her family makes a Christmas wish, she wakes up to discover she has to relive the day all over again.

King Leonte's jealousy causes his sweet wife, Hermione to die and their baby daughter, Perdita to be exiled. Can the king learn the error of his ways? Will he ever get to meet Perdita again?

Helsingør, Denmark, 1943. In the midst of the German occupation during World War Two, Inger Bredhal joins the underground resistance and risks her life to save members of Denmark’s Jewish community and help them escape to Sweden. Copenhagen, 2018. Inger’s granddaughter Cecilie Lund is mourning her death when a mysterious discovery while cleaning out Inger’s flat leads past and present to intersect. As long-held secrets finally see the light of day, Cecilie learns the story of her grandmother’s courage and bravery.