Showing results by narrator "Prendergast Colleen" in All Categories

For Once in My Life is the first novel by British magazine columnist and editor Marianne Kavanagh. For years their friends have been telling them that they are ideal for each other, what with George's love for 1940s jazz music and Tess' preoccupation with vintage fashion. But while they almost encounter each other many times, something (a bout of gastro, a close friend's heartbreak, lost contact lenses) always prevents them from actually meeting.

When 15-year-old Skye's mother finally does something so shocking that it can't be hushed up, the police turn her over to the social workers - and that's when the nightmare begins. No one will let her talk to her father; the woman who is supposed to be helping her dumps her in a terrifying 'home' that's more like a jail. But she still has one friend to turn to: the sympathetic girl she's met in an Internet chat room, the one who seems to have a home life as unhappy as Skye's.

Jo Milne was profoundly deaf from birth, when she also began to lose her sight. Just before turning thirty, Jo was diagnosed with Usher syndrome, a rare genetic and progressive condition that will one day rob her of her sight altogether.

In 2014 she made a life-changing decision to undergo major surgery. She had cochlear implants fitted, allowing her to hear for the first time. Every moment of Jo's days since the operation has become a journey of discovery.

She was only nine when her world fell apart. The struggle to understand took a lifetime.In 1960s Bristol, Susan's family was like any other with its joys and frustrations, and fierce loyalties. Then tragedy struck and left a legacy that was to last a lifetime.Susan was only nine when her mother died. A year later she was sent away to school. She didn't want to go, and didn't understand why she had to. In her struggle to cope with an uncertain world - a world where nothing seemed to make sense any more....

When Rose sees Joe in an Oxford bar, it is instant infatuation. He is everything that turns her on: a gifted musician with wit and high achiever. In her mind, at least, they are ideally matched. But Joe has no intention of settling down.

Amy lies in a coma. Her older sister, Moira, comes to her in the evenings and sits beside her hospital bed. Here, Moira confesses. She admits to her childhood selfishness which deeply hurt her family; to her savagery at boarding school; to the wild, bitter and destructive heart that she carried into her adult life.

What happens when your beloved only daughter's friend turns out to be a destructive cuckoo in the nest? When girlish charm turns to seduction and teenage friendship to manipulation. How can just one teenage girl wreak havoc on a decent, loving household? Envy is a uniquely absorbing novel focusing on two teenage girls. Isabel the charmed, golden daughter of a wealthy, devoted daddy, and Diane, whose bitter, downtrodden mother lives on a rented cottage on Isabel's family's land.

A young Viking girl is swept by a storm on to a desolate English beach. Cruelly orphaned there, Ylva becomes set on revenge, tracking a killer through dangerous hinterland. She wants only the favour of the Norse gods and the comfort of her stories. But when a stranger decides to protect Ylva - seeming to understand her where others cannot - Ylva must decide if her own legend will end in vengeance or forgiveness.

SPLASH! A mysterious thing lands in Rabbit and Bear's peaceful summer lake. Is it exciting, or terrifying? Is it a tiny fluffy owl, or a huge hungry monster? And has Rabbit finally met a creature with worse habits than himself? Rabbit's sure he can solve this mystery. But when he accidentally turns the best day ever into the worst day ever, he needs Bear's help.... From novelist and playwright Julian Gough and the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize Jim Field, this is a tale of friendship, acceptance and what you can do with blueberry poo.

'Peace and quiet,' shouts Rabbit. 'That's all I want.' Owch. He's hurt his own ears again. What with Bear's snoring, and a BANG!BANG!BANG! noise from up in the tree, Rabbit knows that something simply has to be done. But high in the branches, perhaps Bear can show Rabbit how to see the world from a different place....

This is a brilliantly funny story of a rabbit and a bear who discover that things are always better when they're shared with a friend. Bear wakes up early from hibernation. If she can't sleep, then at least she can make a snowman. Rabbit has never made a snowman, but he definitely wants to make one that's better than Bear's. But with an avalanche and a hungry wolf heading his way, Rabbit soon realises that it might be nice to have a friend on his side.

Local journalist Cassie is getting married to reliable hotshot lawyer Timothy, and his 'monster-in-law' mother Sylvia wants to plan the entire wedding. When Sylvia books the exclusive ID images to take photographs of the extravagant wedding, Cassie has no idea what she's walking into.

Twenty-five years in showbiz is a good run, right? Because after tonight, when her small (read: huge) wardrobe malfunction was broadcast to the nation's living rooms, Daisy's time in the spotlight might be over. It's all about damage control now, and Daisy needs an escape route. Especially when her boyfriend publicly announces their engagement - the one she hasn't actually agreed to tell the world about. All she needs is space from prying eyes and time for the press to move on. The only place she can run to at short notice is the Cotswolds cottage she used to own with her ex-husband.

Lifting the Fire Hydrant Lid follows idealistic young recruit Kate Fullen as she negotiates training school and settles into life on the watch. With incidents and routine tasks woven into the fabric of the story, it describes the consuming pressure, emotional turmoil and unpredictable nature of the job. Utilising the rare perspective of a northern, queer, working-class female firefighter, Lifting the Fire Hydrant Lid examines the more intricate difficulties experienced by minority groups and gives a voice to a profession that is seldom heard and rarely seen.

It's the Festival of Pirates in Splottpool, and Limpet is looking after his evil little sister, Eve, whilst his mum helps out with the festival. Mrs Cricket has also asked the kids to mind the fairy garden in the middle of the roundabout while she goes away for a week - to avoid all the piratey chaos. Trouble is brewing as they discover Mr Fluffy's super-healthy sister has opened a smoothie palace, whose healthy fruit smoothies seem to have amazingly magical effects on the customers. But not all is as it seems with the super healthy smoothies and it's up to Limpet to save the day.

Trudy Watts has everything she's ever dreamed of: a job that she loves, a successful boyfriend, and an ultra-modern apartment in one of the most fashionable parts of London. With a long-awaited promotion due to come her way and her wedding just around the corner, Trudy's life is just perfect... That is until catastrophe strikes and her life is turned upside down. She's transferred to Turriff, a remote Scottish town to manage a small, struggling bank branch. Her arrival is traumatic and she wishes she was anywhere but here... Until she sees him, Ethan, the charming pub landlord.

Mara lives with her father in a drought-stricken village, where rain comes at a price controlled by powerful cloud-makers. Without enough water, the village crops, animals and people will continue to suffer. When Mara’s father’s illness takes a turn for the worse, she sneaks to The Cloud Factory in the hopes a healthy cloud will help him. But stealing a cloud isn’t simple, as Mara soon finds – and she begins to discover the secrets behind The Cloud Factory.

After a tumultuous term in Paris, Libby and Connie are looking forward to a quiet Christmas. Along with Libby's aunt, Miss Mousedale, they are to spend the holiday at the Highland estate of Connie's family. But before long they find themselves caught up in strange events. Missing paintings. Lights in the woods in the early hours of the morning. A hidden room behind a wall tapestry. And Connie's parents seem to be keeping an unhappy secret. Can the friends untangle the clues and solve the mystery?

Limpet and his mum run an ice-cream shop, full of her favourite flavours: spaghetti ice cream, anyone? Terrific tomato and parsnip ice cream? But his mum's off for the weekend, leaving Limpet and his dad in charge. What could possibly go wrong? When Limpet finds himself in a giant cucumber costume, defending a fairy fort against a mysterious robber, he knows that things can't possibly get any worse. Can he catch the thief, save the ice cream shop and avoid the dastardly stink eye of Mr A Pigeon?

Let's face it, you work for the best years of your life and spend most of your waking hours on the job, so make sure you are energized, fulfilled, and buzzing. Switched On will help you leap outside your comfort zone and awaken your creativity. Switched On shows you how to think like an entrepreneur—have ideas, spot the opportunities, see the future, and make things happen. The future belongs to fresh thinkers, so turn your receptors on and get ready to bring the real you to work.