Deirdra Whelan has narrated 11 audiobooks on Listento.it by 9 authors. The most-rated is The Ragged Urchin.
A Practical Guide to CBT for Work
Summary
Maximise your happiness in the workplace. Stop negative thinking and tackle your problems at work using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Learn to control anger and frustration, reduce workplace anxiety and take control of your work-life balance by introducing CBT’s insights into your working day. Full of real-life examples and useful exercises, this practical guide will help you to replace feelings of inadequacy and a lack of motivation with new ways of thinking, to help you work better with others and make you happier and more effective in the workplace.
©2012 Gill Garratt (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd
The Olive Garden Choir
Summary
An evocative novel of secrets, love and redemption under the Greek sun. Perfect for fans of Kate Furnivall and Julia Gregson. On the beautiful island of Santaniki, close to Crete, it's not all white sands and sunshine. When retired bookseller Ariadne Blunt suggests the English residents form a choir, there are groans of resistance. After a little persuasion, the group gather in Ariadne's olive garden to rehearse, but each member of this choir has their own anxieties and secrets. Ariadne's partner, Hebe, is in failing health. Clive struggles to accept the loss of his wife while Della, the Pilates teacher, drinks too much and Chloe, Queen Bee of the village society, faces a family dilemma. Then there is Mel, the real songbird amongst them, English wife of a taverna owner who hides her talent until the choir inspires her to raise her voice once more. In this tiny community, the choir brings the residents together like never before in a bittersweet tale of love and loss - and how life can begin again when you let go of the past.
©2019 Leah Fleming (P)2019 Head of Zeus
The Book of the Earthworm
Summary
Sally Coulthard explores the miraculous world of the earthworm, the modest little creature without whom life as we know it would not be possible. For Charles Darwin - who estimated every acre of land contained 53,000 earthworms - the humble earthworm was the most important creature on the planet. And yet, most people know almost nothing about these little engineers of the earth. We take them for granted but, without the earthworm, the world's soil would be barren and our gardens, fields and farms wouldn't be able to grow the food and support the animals we need to survive. Sally Coulthard provides a complete profile of the earthworm by answering 50 questions about these wiggling creatures, from 'What happens if I chop a worm in half?' to 'Would humans survive if worms went extinct?' The Book of the Earthworm offers a feast of quirky facts and practical advice about the world's most industrious - but least understood - invertebrate.
©2021 Sally Coulthard (P)2021 W F Howes
Trickster
Summary
Georgina Garrett was born to be ruthless and she's about to earn her reputation. As World War One is announced a baby girl is born. Little do people know that she's going to grow up to rule the streets of Battersea. From a family steeped in poverty the only way to survive is with street smarts. With a father who steals for a living, a grandmother who's a woman of the night and a mother long dead, Georgina was never in for an easy life. But after a tragic event left her father shaken he makes a decision that will change the course of all their lives - to raise Georgina as George, ensuring her safety but marking the start of her life of crime.... This is the first book in the thrilling new Georgina Garrett series.
©2019 Sam Michaels (P)2019 Head of Zeus
Monstrous Souls
Summary
What if you knew the truth but couldn’t remember? Over a decade ago, Heidi was the victim of a brutal attack that left her hospitalised, her younger sister missing and her best friend dead. But Heidi doesn’t remember any of that. She’s lived her life since then with little memory of her friends and family and no recollection of the crime. Now, it’s all starting to come back. As Heidi begins retracing the events that lead to the assault, she is forced to confront the pain and guilt she’s long kept buried. But Heidi isn’t the only one digging up the past, and the closer she gets to remembering the truth, the more danger she’s in. When the truth is worse than fiction, is the past worth reliving? An addictive thriller about a case gone cold and the dangers lurking on our doorsteps, Monstrous Souls will have you gripped to the very end.
©2020 Rebecca Kelly (P)2020 W. F. Howes
The Healer's Secret
Summary
All families have secrets. This family has a secret worse than most. Jennifer’s life isn’t going as she planned. Fired from her job and on the brink of divorce, her only salvation lies at the bottom of a wine bottle. When her mother insists she get away from everything, she reluctantly agrees to explore her Italian roots in Tuscany. Staying in her family’s centuries-old cottage, she becomes embroiled in a mysterious tragedy involving her great-grandmother. As she delves further into her ancestors’ history, she discovers there is more to her heritage than meets the eye. Ghosts from the past could give Jennifer something she thought she’d never have: a future. But that depends on whether she can resist temptation and avoid slipping back into her old ways.
©2020 Helen Pryke (P)2021 W F Howes
The Christmas Locket
Summary
Heart-warming Victorian historical fiction by Lynette Rees - author of the best-selling book, The Workhouse Waif. Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Maggie Hope. A baby girl, just a few months old, is discovered wrapped up in a shawl on a wooden bench at Itchy Park, Spitalfields. It's a frosty December evening just before the Christmas of 1861. The infant is rescued by a lady called Bessie Harper, who has her own pie making business. Bessie names the young child, Lucy, and in later years, deceives the child by telling her that her mother died years ago, not to upset her with the revelation she'd been left to the elements. Bessie has no idea who the child’s mother really is but clutched tightly in the baby's hand, she discovers a silver locket which has the name "Adella" inscribed on it and a lock of hair inside. Bessie vows one day she’ll help the child find her mother and tell her the truth regarding the circumstances of how she found her. Bessie’s husband, however, becomes jealous and mean to the child, so as soon as she's old enough, he encourages his wife to send her out to work. Lucy begins work as a maid at a coaching inn called "The Horn and Bugle" near to Bessie’s home, where she also resides on the premises. But there, she discovers that light fingered hands are at work and she wants no part of it. Smithy, who works helping the ostlers at the inn, introduces her to Archie Ledbetter, a young street urchin, who is on the run from a chimney sweep who has been forcing him to work in an inferno of hell. Lucy feels sorry for the lad particularly when a serious accusation is made which involves the police being called to the inn. Lucy and Archie are destined to become friends for life but will soon be parted by circumstance, which leads Lucy into the path of a mysterious benefactor from Dunraven House, a stately home. The house holds many secrets and Lucy is itching to get into the attic to discover what mystery it holds. Unfortunately, someone has the key and keeps it closely guarded. Can Lucy discover what's going on at the house which might lead her to discover more about her past or is she destined to remain in the dark forever?
©2019 Lynette Rees (P)2020 Lynette Rees
Rivals
Summary
The streets of Battersea are about to get a new leader, one who will rule with an iron fist. It's the 1930s, and Georgina Garrett has risen up from her tough beginnings to become the new boss of the Battersea gang. But not everyone is pleased with a female taking charge. With rival gangs trying to steal her turf, untrustworthy men in her midst and her dad lost deep in the bottle, Georgina has a lot to tackle. With her friends and family in constant danger and those closest to her questioning her leadership Georgina must use her wits to show that she's made for this job. The Garrett name is one to be feared, and Georgina will begin to change the face of Battersea forever.
©2019 Sam Michaels (P)2019 Head of Zeus
Gamble
Summary
Would you risk everything to protect your family? Carla Andrews and Lorraine West are work colleagues and best friends. They socialise together, they work in the same bookmakers and they support each other as only best friends can. Then they are murdered together. When DI Tom Fowler is handed the case, he discovers a journal that Carla has left and must unpick the secrets Lorraine has kept hidden. Soon Carla’s and Lorraine’s husbands become the main suspects. It’s usually the spouse who is responsible, isn’t it? The investigation progresses until Isaac West, Lorraine’s 16-year-old son, disappears. Will the truth ever emerge? Will Isaac ever be found? And is knowing the truth always worth the sacrifice?
©2020 Anita Waller (P)2020 W F Howes
Outbreaks and Epidemics
Summary
For centuries mankind has waged war against the infections that, left untreated, would have the power to wipe out communities or even entire populations. Yet for all our advanced scientific knowledge, only one human disease - smallpox - has ever been eradicated globally. In recent years, outbreaks of Ebola and Zika have provided vivid examples of how difficult it is to contain an infection once it strikes and the panic that a rapidly spreading epidemic can ignite. But while we chase the diseases we are already aware of, new ones are constantly emerging, like the coronavirus that spread across the world in 2020. At the same time, antimicrobial resistance is harnessing infections that we once knew how to control, enabling them to thrive once more. Meera Senthilingam presents a timely look at humanity’s ongoing battle against infection, examining the successes and failures of the past, along with how we are confronting the challenges of today and our chances of eradicating disease in the future.
©2020 Meera Senthilingam (P)2020 W. F. Howes Ltd
The Ragged Urchin
Summary
A heartwarming saga, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Maggie Hope. Orphaned at the age of 10, Archie Ledbetter is forced to live with his uncle in his very grand house. Uncle Walter seems emotionless, exhibiting little feeling towards the young lad. If it wasn't for some of the staff at Huntington Hall, Archie's life would be a complete misery. There's a dark secret that Cook hints at as to why Archie's mother left her lavish lifestyle behind and ended up settling in the East End of London, scraping a living selling cakes and confectionery from the back of a barrow in the marketplace. Archie's never known his father and wonders who he is. Just as he's settling in at the house, someone comes along and seizes the opportunity to kidnap Archie, forcing him to work as a chimney sweep, navigating searing hot chimney breasts in an inferno of hell. As if life couldn't get much harder for boy, he cries himself to sleep at night praying for the angels to take him so he can finally see his mother once again in heaven.... Will Archie finally find the love he's looking for?
©2018 Lynette Rees (P)2019 W. F. Hows Ltd