Showing results by narrator "Caroline Collins" in All Categories

I’m so looking forward to meeting Aunt Maura, my mother’s twin sister who lives on the rugged west coast of Ireland. With my own mother dying so suddenly, and my sweet baby daughter arriving, I need family around me. But instead of arriving at Maura’s house safe and sound, I wake up in hospital, badly injured. Then I remember the crash. Where is my baby?

A radically new understanding of and practical approach to climate change by noted environmentalist Paul Hawken, creator of the New York Times bestseller Drawdown Regeneration offers a visionary new approach to climate change, one that weaves justice, climate, biodiversity, equity, and human...

"Anarchy" (1907) is a political classic written by famous anarchist Errico Malatesta. "Anarchy is a word which comes from the Greek, and signifies, strictly speaking, without government: the state of a people without any constituted authority. Before such an organization had begun to be considered possible and desirable by a whole class of thinkers, so as to be taken as the aim of a party (which party has now become one of the most important factors in modern social warfare)."

"Hide and Seek" (1854) is a story with an intricate plot, in two parts: the history of "Madonna" Grice and Matthew Grice's discovery of her. Mary Grice is courted and seduced by a man. Mary's sister, Joanna drives the pregnant, unmarried Mary from the family home. Mary gives birth to a daughter and dies miserably, attended only by performers from a travelling circus. Martha, wife of one of the clowns, adopts the baby (also Mary), who becomes a circus performer and is struck deaf and dumb after a riding accident.

Darcy Hogan’s perfect life is all over social media. She’s beautiful, she’s successful, and she and her childhood sweetheart are about to become parents for the first time. But behind all the followers and the superficial likes lurks a darker truth. In reality, Darcy feels isolated and afraid. Her difficult pregnancy has her confined to the house, she’s being harassed online, and out-of-control debt threatens to ruin everything she’s worked so hard for.

"God's Fool" (1892) is a novel by Maarten Maartens, set in a fictional Dutch town. The novel's "hero", Elias Lossell, becomes deaf and blind from an accident when he is nine years old. The people around him can communicate with him by writing letters with a finger on the palm of his hand. Although communication is possible, mentally he always remains a boy of nine. Thanks to a somewhat thoughtless testament, Elias becomes the rightful owner of a tea-merchant firm.

"Looking Backward" is a futuristic novel by Edward Bellamy. It tells the story of Julian West, a young American, who, towards the end of the 19th century, falls into a deep, hypnosis-induced sleep and wakes up one hundred and thirteen years later. He finds himself in the same location (Boston, Massachusetts), but in a totally changed world: it is the year 2000 and, while he was sleeping, the United States have been transformed into a socialist utopia.

"The Awkward Age" reveals a general treatment of decadence and corruption in English 'turn of the century' life. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Brookenham host an effete, rather corrupt social circle. Their children are worthless Harold and sweet but knowledgeable Nanda (age 18). Vanderbank, a young civil servant with little money, admires both Mrs. Brookenham (nicknamed "Mrs. Brook") and Nanda. Mrs. Brook seems to want an affair with "Van" but he appears more interested in Nanda. Mr. Longdon promises him a dowry if he marries Nanda.

"Patricia Brent, Spinster" is a novel by Herbert George Jenkins. Patricia Brent is a "paying guest" at the Galvin House Residential Hotel. One day she overhears two of her fellow "guests" pitying her because she "never has a nice young man to take her out". In a thoughtless moment of anger, she announces that on the following night she is dining at the Quadrant with her fiancé. When in due course she enters the grillroom, she finds some Galvin guests there to watch her.

"Malcolm Sage, Detective" is a novel by Herbert George Jenkins. "'What are you going to do for Mr. Sage, now that Department Z is being demobbed? You know you like him, because you didn't want to ginger him up, and you mustn't forget that he saved your life, ' she added. 'Sure!' 'Don’t say 'sure', John,' she cried. 'You're a British baronet, and British baronets don't say 'sure', 'shucks' or 'vamoose'. Do you understand?' He nodded thoughtfully. 'I like Mr. Sage,' announced Dorothy."

"The Secret of the Silver Car" (1922) is a novel by Wyndham Martyn, in which Trent, the master criminal solves a case as a detective. Excerpt: "Stop him," the second officer yelled, "he's going to jump overboard!" The man who dashed past him and through a group of passengers waving hands at friends on the deck below, was too quick for those who sought to stay him. He balanced himself for a moment on the rail and then jumped ten feet down to the pier. The gangplanks had already been withdrawn and the great liner bound for New York was too mighty a piece of momentum to pause now.

"The Further Adventures of Jimmie Dale" is a novel by Frank L. Packard. Jimmie Dale is a wealthy playboy by day, but at night he puts on unremarkable clothes and becomes "The Gray Seal", who enters businesses or homes and cracks safes, always leaving a diamond shaped, gray paper "seal" behind to mark his conquest, but never taking anything. He was just doing it for "the sheer deviltry of it" at first, but when a woman known only as Tocsin catches him, she blackmails him to war on certain crime organizations.

Product text: "The Return of Alfred" is a novel about a man returning from the war, whose identity is mistaken. Excerpt: Direct Action planted James Smith, suit-case, and a raincoat in the middle of the county of Norfolk at ten o'clock one night, with rain imminent. After wandering aimlessly about, he approached a large house and rang the bell. The butler immediately recognized him as Mr. Alfred, the missing son of the house. From that point, "Smith" found himself in for an exciting time.

"The Rain-Girl (1919) " by Herbert George Jenkins is a romantic novel about a World War I veteran. After returning from the war, Richard Beresford cannot find his place in society any more. He is not interested in family, work, leisure or pleasure: he sells his belongings and starts wandering. During these wanderings, he meets a kindred spirit: the mysterious but happy Rain-Girl.

"In Brief Authority" (1915) by F. Anstey is a satiric comedy about a British newly rich family. They are taken in a car drawn by storks to Märchenland - Fairyland, practically. The father and mother have been made King and Queen, and they are keen to practice their new authority to establish their customs in their new reign. The inhabitants of Fairyland - a dragon, a fairy godmother, giants, gnomes, etc. do not really like the new rich as the new rulers. Will there be a magic insurgency? Listen to the recording to find it out!

"The Grand Babylon Hotel" is a novel by Arnold Bennett about the mysterious disappearance of a German prince. The protagonists are an American millionaire, Mr. Racksole, and his daughter Nella. While staying at the supremely exclusive Grand Babylon Hotel, Nella asks for a steak and Bass beer for dinner, but the order is refused. To get her what she wants, Racksole buys the entire hotel. Strange things are happening in the there.

"Anthony Trent, Master Criminal" (1918) is a novel by Wyndham Martyn. Conington Warren, one of the most popular men in society, member of the desirable clubs, millionaire owner of thoroughbreds was victim of a burglary of ten thousand dollars' worth of valuables. His flawless butler seems to be deceived by the crook, since Warren was at a dinner while the butler thought he was smoking in the library. The crook looked like a gentleman who might belong to Warren's clubs, and spoke like one, and had a handwriting exactly like Warren.