Julia Whelan has narrated 233 audiobooks on Listento.it by 218 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.4★ across 20,381 ratings. The most-rated is Educated.
Band of Sisters
Summary
"With heart and humor, Willig explores the complexities of female friendships - feuds, forgiveness, and all. A touching portrait of triumph and found family in the midst of war. Bravo!” (Stephanie Dray, New York Times best-selling author of America's First Daughter and The Women of Chateau Lafayette) A group of young women from Smith College risk their lives in France at the height of World War I in this sweeping novel based on a true story - a skillful blend of Call the Midwife and The Alice Network - from New York Times best-selling author Lauren Willig. A scholarship girl from Brooklyn, Kate Moran thought she found a place among Smith’s Mayflower descendants, only to have her illusions dashed the summer after graduation. When charismatic alumna Betsy Rutherford delivers a rousing speech at the Smith College Club in April of 1917, looking for volunteers to help French civilians decimated by the German war machine, Kate is too busy earning her living to even think of taking up the call. But when her former best friend Emmeline Van Alden reaches out and begs her to take the place of a girl who had to drop out, Kate reluctantly agrees to join the new Smith College Relief Unit. Four months later, Kate and 17 other Smithies, including two trailblazing female doctors, set sail for France. The volunteers are armed with money, supplies, and good intentions - all of which immediately go astray. The chateau that was to be their headquarters is a half-burnt ruin. The villagers they meet are in desperate straits: women and children huddling in damp cellars, their crops destroyed and their wells poisoned. Despite constant shelling from the Germans, French bureaucracy, and the threat of being ousted by the British army, the Smith volunteers bring welcome aid - and hope - to the region. But can they survive their own differences? As they cope with the hardships and terrors of the war, Kate and her colleagues find themselves navigating old rivalries and new betrayals which threaten the very existence of the Unit. With the Germans threatening to break through the lines, can the Smith Unit pull together and be truly a band of sisters?
©2021 Lauren Willig (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers
The Princess in Black and the Giant Problem
Summary
With a noisy giant crashing around the kingdom, the Princess in Black uses the Sparkle Signal to call all her heroic friends together - for the biggest adventure yet. The Princess in Black is ready for her snowy playdate with the Goat Avenger and the Princess in Blankets. It's a perfect day to build snow monsters and battle them for practice. But just when they're about to wage battle, a huge foot smashes their snow monster. "SQUASHY!" It's a giant, and it's smashing everything in its path! The giant is too strong for the three friends, so the Princess in Blankets has an idea: It's time to light the Sparkle Signal and summon help. With a rising crescendo of a plot and a delightfully surprising ending, the latest adventure in the New York Times best-selling series features all the Princess in Black's friends as heroes for the first time.
©2020 Shannon Hale and Dean Hale (P)2020 Listening Library
Unforgotten
Summary
Some memories are better left forgotten. After a daring escape from the Diotech scientists who created her, Seraphina and Zen believe they are finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await them at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness, and Sera's extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden. Meanwhile Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend Sera--a weapon even she will be powerless to stop. Her only hope of saving Zen's life and defeating the company that made her is a secret buried deep within her mind. A secret Diotech will kill to protect. And it won't stay forgotten for long. Packed with mystery, suspense, and romance, Unforgotten is the riveting second installment of Jessica Brody's Unremembered trilogy,and delivers more heart-pounding action as loyalties are tested, love becomes a weapon, and no one's memories are safe.
©2014 Jessica Brody (P)2015 Audible Inc.
Tous tes secrets
Summary
À Melville Heights, il ne se passe jamais rien. Aussi, quand on retrouve dans ce quartier huppé de Bristol, un cadavre lardé de coups de couteau, les résidents sont atterrés. Qui a pu commettre un crime pareil ? Dans le voisinage, tout le monde se connaît : on est entre gens bien. D'ailleurs, on ne fait pas que se côtoyer entre voisins, on s'épie. Josephine développe une véritable obsession pour Tom, le charmant directeur du collège qui vit à deux pas de chez elle. Mais elle n'est pas la seule à guetter ses moindres faits et gestes : Jenna soupçonne le proviseur d'avoir une attirance malsaine pour les adolescentes. Quels sombres secrets cache donc cet homme trop beau pour être honnête ?
©2019 Milady (P)2020 Hardigan
A Funny Kind of Paradise
Summary
A poignant, uplifting, brilliantly insightful story of one woman's end-of-life reckoning with her past, her lost daughter, and herself, for fans of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Still Alice, and Elizabeth Is Missing. When her husband left her with a baby, a toddler, and a fledgling business, Francesca managed - she wasn't always gentle or patient, but the business thrived and Chris and Angelina had food to eat. At nearly 70, she feels she's earned a peaceful retirement. But when a massive stroke leaves her voiceless, partially paralyzed, and wholly reliant on the staff of an extended care facility, it seems her freedom is lost. However, Francesca is still clear-headed and sharp, and she knows one thing: She wants to live. She savors her view of a majestic chestnut tree through the hospital window and speaks in her mind to her beloved friend Anna, dead for two years. The daily tasks and dramas of the rotating crew of care aides tether her to the world: Young Lily, eager to fall in love and regularly falling apart when things don't work out; Michiko, with her spiky hair and tattoos and wicked sense of humor; Molly, endlessly kind and skilled in her work; Blaire, cold and enigmatic. Amid the indignities of bed baths and a feeding tube, Francesca is surprised to experience flashes of hilarity and joy, even the blossoming of a new friendship with a fellow patient. But as she reflects to Anna on her dutiful son and her troubled and absent daughter, regrets and painful realizations rise to the surface. For the first time, there is nowhere for Francesca to hide from her own choices, and she must reckon with her past before it's too late. A Funny Kind of Paradise is a warm and insightful novel about one woman's opportunity for reinvention - for unconditional love, acceptance, and closure - in the unlikeliest of places.
©2021 Jo Owens (P)2021 Penguin Random House Canada
Map of Fates
Summary
“A Da Vinci Code-style thriller for teens? Yes please.” (TeenVogue.com) Two weeks. That's how long it took for Avery West's ordinary life to change forever. In two weeks, she discovered she was heiress to a powerful secret society known as the Circle, learned her mother was taken hostage by the Circle's enemies, and fell for a boy she's not allowed to love, just as she found out another was her unwelcome destiny. Now Avery crosses oceans in private jets to hunt for clues that will uncover the truth about the Circle, setting her mom and herself free before it's too late. By her side are both the boys: Jack - steady, loyal, and determined to help her even at the expense of his own duty - and Stellan, whose connection to Avery grows stronger by the day, making her question what she believes at every turn. But at the end of a desperate hunt from the islands of Greece to the red carpet at Cannes comes a discovery that not only changes everything, but could bring the whole world to its knees. And now Avery is forced to face the truth: In the world of the Circle, no one is what they seem.
©2016 Maggie Hall (P)2016 Listening Library
Reunion
Summary
The author of the highly acclaimed The Fates Will Find Their Way returns with a novel about a far-flung family reunited for one weekend by their father's death. Five minutes before her flight is set to take off, Kate Pulaski, failed screenwriter and newly failed wife with scarcely a hundred dollars to her name, learns that her estranged father has killed himself. More shocked than saddened by the news, she gives in to her siblings' request that she join them, along with her many half-siblings and most of her father's five former wives, in Atlanta, their birthplace, for a final farewell. Written with huge heart and bracing wit, Reunion takes place over the following four days, as family secrets are revealed, personal foibles are exposed, and Kate - an inveterate liar looking for a way to come clean - slowly begins to acknowledge the overwhelming similarities between herself and the man she never thought she'd claim as an influence, much less a father. Hannah Pittard's "engaging and vigorous" (Chicago Tribune) prose masterfully illuminates the problems that can divide modern families - and the ties that prove impossible to break.
©2014 Hannah Pittard (P)2014 Hachette Audio
Slasher Girls & Monster Boys
Summary
For fans of Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Lois Duncan, and Daphne Du Maurier comes a powerhouse anthology featuring some of the best writers of YA thrillers and horror. A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea's April Genevieve Tucholke. Each story draws from a classic tale or two - sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not - to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any listener looking for a thrill. Fans of TV's The Walking Dead, True Blood, and American Horror Story will tear through tales by these talented authors: Stefan Bachmann Leigh Bardugo Kendare Blake A. G. Howard Jay Kristoff Marie Lu Jonathan Maberry Danielle Paige Carrie Ryan Megan Shepherd Nova Ren Suma McCormick Templeman April Genevieve Tucholke Cat Winters
©2015 April Genevieve Tucholke (P)2015 Listening Library
Flat-Out Love
Summary
He was tall, at least six feet, with dirty blond hair that hung over his eyes. His T-shirt read Nietzsche Is My Homeboy. So, that was Matt. Who Julie Seagles likes. A lot. But there is also Finn. Who she flat out loves. Complicated? Awkward? Completely. But really, how was this freshly-minted Boston transplant and newbie college freshman supposed to know that she would end up living with the family of an old friend of her mother’s? This was all supposed to be temporary. Julie wasn’t supposed to be important to the Watkins family, or to fall in love with one of the brothers. Especially the one she’s never quite met. But what does that really matter? Finn gets her, like no one ever has before. They have connection. But here’s the thing about love, in all its twisty, bumpy permutations - it always throws you a few curves. And no one ever escapes unscathed.
©2012 Jessica Park (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Cryer's Cross
Summary
The small town of Cryers Cross is rocked by tragedy when an unassuming freshman disappears without a trace. Kendall Fletcher wasnt that friendly with the missing girl, but the angst wreaks havoc on her OCD-addled brain. When a second student goes missingsomeone close to Kendalls heartthe community is in an uproar. Caught in a downward spiral of fear and anxiety, Kendalls not sure she can hold it together. When she starts hearing the voices of the missing, calling out to her and pleading for help, she fears shes losing her grip on reality. But when she finds messages scratched in a desk at schoolmessages that could only be from the missing student who used to sit thereKendall decides that crazy or not, shed never forgive herself if she didnt act on her suspicions. Something's not right in Cryers Cross and Kendall's about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.
©2011 Lisa McMann (P)2011 Simon & Schuster
The Lions of Little Rock
Summary
Everything’s changing for twelve-year-old Marlee. Her brother’s gone off to college and her sister’s moved out of the room they’ve shared since Marlee was born. To Marlee, it feels like her whole world’s falling apart. On top of all that, she’s starting middle school and has to break in new teachers - teachers who don’t yet know Marlee doesn’t talk. At least not until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is she’s brave, brash and always knows the right thing to say, especially to the resident mean girl, Sally. Liz even helps Marlee overcome her fear of speaking. But when Liz leaves school without even a good-bye, the rumor is that Liz was really a colored girl caught passing for white. Marlee decides that doesn’t matter. She just wants her friend back. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are even willing to take on segregation and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families.
©2011 Kristin Levine (P)2011 Listening Library
Flying Lessons & Other Stories
Summary
Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology - written by the best children's authors - celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us. In a partnership with We Need Diverse Books, industry giants Kwame Alexander, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, and Jacqueline Woodson join newcomer Kelly J. Baptist in a story collection that is as humorous as it is heartfelt. This impressive group of authors has earned among them every major award in children's publishing and popularity as New York Times best sellers. From these distinguished authors comes 10 distinct and vibrant stories. Table of contents and cast of narrators: "Foreword", written and read by Ellen Oh "How to Transform an Everyday Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium" by Matt de la Peña, read by Dion Graham "The Difficult Path" by Grace Lin, read by Samantha Quan "Sol Painting, Inc.", written and read by Meg Medina "Secret Samantha" by Tim Federle, read by Julia Whelan "The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn" by Kelly J. Baptist, read by Adam Lazarre-White "Choctaw Bigfoot, Midnight in the Mountains", written and read by Tim Tingle "Main Street" by Jacqueline Woodson, read by Abigail Revasch "Flying Lessons" by Soman Chainani, read by Sunil Malhotra "Seventy-Six Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents", written and read by Kwame Alexander "Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push" by Walter Dean Myers, read by Dominic Hoffman "About We Need Diverse Books", read by Ellen Oh
©2016 Ellen Oh (P)2016 Listening Library
The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare
Summary
It's mayhem at the science fair! A squishy goo monster is a challenge for the Princess in Black - but luckily some science-loving princesses are on hand to help. Princess Magnolia is excited. Excited and nervous. She's going to the Interkingdom Science Fair today to present her poster about seeds and plants, and when she arrives, she sees that her friends are there, too! Princess Honeysuckle made a mole habitat, Princess Sneezewort has built a blanket fort, and Tommy Wigtower has a talking volcano that's saying "EAAAAT!" Wait, what? A surprise goo monster makes this a job for the Princess in Black, and the Princess in Blankets is on the scene to lend a hand. But will two masked heroes be enough to save the science fair? A little scientific problem-solving - and a lot of princess power - will make the sixth entry in the New York Times best-selling series a smash hit.
©2018 Shannon Hale and Dean Hale (P)2018 Listening Library
Amid the Shadows
Summary
One of the most stunning abilities ever seen...has just been born into the eyes of a six-year-old girl. For one very special reason. Something is about to happen. Something unstoppable, and something terrible. An event that can do more than just change human history. But mankind has a secret. A little girl named Sarah. Afraid and alone, and under the care of an inexperienced social worker. A young woman about to discover that she will do anything to keep Sarah alive. Because there is much more to Sarah than meets the eye. Note to listener: Similar to books by Dan Brown and James Rollins, this story contains a strong religious undertone.
©2013 Michael C. Grumley (P)2015 Podium Publishing
Awakening
Summary
Wicca has changed Morgan’s life. She’s lost old friends, made new ones, and discovered her heritage. She also found love and betrayal. But there’s so much more to learn. She knows Wicca can be used for good or for evil. The hard part is knowing which is which. For now, Morgan is safe from the dark wave that has been attacking witches. Betrayed by her first love, she is trying to come to grips with her Woodbane heritage and with Wicca—its thorn and its rose. Love, betrayal, excitement, distrust…Morgan has experienced them all, and it’s not over yet.
©2001 17th Street Productions, an Alloy company, and Gabrielle Charbonnet (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Don't Stop Believin'
Summary
Keyboardist and songwriter with the band Journey, Jonathan Cain writes this long-awaited memoir about his personal story of overcoming and faith, his career with one of the most successful musical groups in history, and the stories behind his greatest hits including "Don't Stop Believin'." When Jonathan Cain and the iconic band Journey were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cain could say he had finally arrived. But Cain's journey wasn't always easy - and his true arrival in life had more to do with faith than fame. As a child, Cain survived a horrific school fire that killed nearly 100 of his classmates. His experience formed a resilience that would carry him through both tragedy and success. Moving from Chicago to Sunset Boulevard, Cain never let go of his dreams, eventually getting his big break with Journey- and writing the songs that would become the soundtrack of a generation. Don't Stop Believin' is an epic story of one man's dream that takes you from playing old-country songs at an Italian Deli in Chicago and his experiences with a warm, encouraging father who died too soon, to suddenly writing mega-bestselling songs with some of the most talented musicians and performers ever to take the stage of some of the world's largest arenas. He tells of the thrilling moments when the music came together and offers an inside look at why Steve Perry left and the extraordinary story of their gifted new vocalist, Arnel Pineda. Through a wonderful retrospective of music that takes us right to the present, Jonathan Cain reminds us of the melodies and lyrics that serve as milestones for our biggest dreams as they call us to never stop believing.
©2018 Jonathan Cain (P)2018 Zondervan
Make Your Kid A Money Genius (Even If You're Not)
Summary
From Beth Kobliner, the author of the best-selling personal finance bible Get a Financial Life - a new must-have guide showing parents how to teach their children (from toddlers to young adults) to manage money in a smart way. Many of us think we can have the "money talk" when our kids are old enough to get it...which won't be for years, right? But get this: Research shows that even preschoolers can understand basic money concepts, and a study from Cambridge University confirmed that basic money habits are formed by the age of seven. Oh, and research shows the number one influence on kids' financial behaviors is mom and dad. Clearly, we can't afford to wait. Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You're Not) is a jargon-free step-by-step guide to help parents of all income levels teach their kids - from ages 3 to 23 - about money. It turns out the key to raising a money genius isn't to teach that four quarters equal a dollar or how to pick a stock. Instead it's about instilling values that have been proven to make people successful - not just financially but in life: delaying gratification, working hard, living within your means, getting a good education, and acting generously toward others. More specifically, you'll learn why allowance isn't the Holy Grail when teaching your kid to handle money and why after-school jobs aren't always the answer either. You'll discover the right age to give your kid a credit card and learn why doling out a wad of cash can actually be a good parenting move. You don't need to be a money genius to make your kid a money genius. Regardless of your comfort level with finance - or your family's income - this charming and fun book is an essential guide for passing along enduring financial principles, making your kids wise beyond their years - and peers - when it comes to money. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2017 Beth Kobliner (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc.
The Vine of Desire
Summary
The beloved characters of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's best-selling novel Sister of My Heart are reunited in this powerful narrative that challenges the emotional bond between two lifelong friends, as the husband of one becomes dangerously attracted to the other. Anju and Sudha formed an astounding, almost psychic connection during their childhood in India. When Anju invites Sudha, a single mother in Calcutta, to come live with her and her husband, Sunil, in California, Sudha foolishly accepts, knowing full well that Sunil has long desired her. As Sunil's attraction rises to the surface, the trio must struggle to make sense of the freedoms of America - and of the ties that bind them to India and to one another.
©2002 Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Cloudmaker
Summary
From the nationally best-selling author of Painted Horses comes a soaring, spirited novel set during the summer of Amelia Earhart’s final flight, a tale of American ingenuity and optimism set against the backdrop of a deepening Great Depression. The summer of 1937 will be a turning point for 14-year-old Houston “Huck” Finn. When he and a friend find a dead body in a local creek, a rare Lindbergh flight watch on its wrist, it seems like a sign. Huck is building his own airplane, a fact he has concealed from his mother. That summer also marks the arrival of his cousin Annelise, sent to live with the family under mysterious circumstances. As it turns out, she has had flying lessons - another sign. As Huck’s airplane takes shape, so does his burgeoning understanding of the world, including the battle over worldliness vs. godliness that has split Annelise from her family and, in a quieter way, divides Huck’s family too. And meanwhile, there is the matter of the watch, which the dead man’s cohort of bank robbers would very much like back. In Brooks’s trademark “lush, breathtaking prose” (San Francisco Chronicle) and with a winking nod to the Sam Clemens who inspired its hero’s nickname, Cloudmaker is a boisterous, heartfelt novel that brings to life the idealism, inventiveness, traditionalism, and deep contradictions of the American spirit.
©2021 Malcolm Brooks (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing
A Fine Imitation
Summary
Set in the glamorous 1920s, A Fine Imitation is an intoxicating debut that sweeps readers into a privileged Manhattan socialite's restless life and the affair with a mysterious painter that upends her world, flashing back to her years at Vassar and the friendship that brought her to the brink of ruin. Vera Bellington has beauty, pedigree, and a penthouse at The Angelus - the most coveted address on Park Avenue. But behind the sparkling social whirl, Vera is living a life of quiet desperation. Her days are an unbroken loop of empty, champagne-soaked socializing while her nights are silent and cold, spent waiting alone in her cavernous apartment for a husband who seldom comes home. Then Emil Hallan arrives at The Angelus to paint a mural above its glittering subterranean pool. The handsome French artist moves in to the building, shrouds his work in secrecy, and piques Vera's curiosity, especially when the painter keeps dodging questions about his past. Is he the man he claims to be? Even as she finds herself increasingly drawn to Hallan's warmth and passion, Vera can't suppress her suspicions. After all, she has plenty of secrets, too - and some of them involve art forgers like her bold, artistically talented former friend, Bea, who, years ago at Vassar, brought Vera to the brink of catastrophe and social exile. When the dangerous mysteries of Emil's past are revealed, Vera faces an impossible choice - whether to cling to her familiar world of privilege and propriety or to risk her future with the enigmatic man who has taken her heart. A Fine Imitation explores what happens when we realize that the life we've always led is not the life we want to have.
©2016 Amber Brock (P)2016 Random House Audio