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Audiobooks Narrated by Jilly Bond
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"Drawing on over two decades of research in and on China and on extensive reviews of current scholarship, China: The Basics introduces listeners to the key aspects of Chinese society, culture, and politics.
The book provides an empirically rich overview of China's global position and the challenges posed by urbanization, uneven economic development, and environmental governance. With detailed vignettes giving a flavor of everyday life experiences, China: The Basics challenges simplistic approaches to China as a monolithic political unit by illustrating the nuances of citizens' agency in different realms, including work-based and gender-based inequality, social media activism, environmental protection, illness, and healthcare. It encourages listeners to reflect on the importance of scale across the themes discussed. Cross-cutting referencing between chapters enables listeners to identify cross-cutting themes and to consult chapters in their preferred order.
China: The Basics nurtures a critical and reflexive approach and provides listeners with a conceptual toolkit for engaging with new developments constructively. It will be essential listening for students, lecturers, and anyone curious about contemporary China."
"'Such a heartwarming read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'You just read and escape' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Can a pair of later-in-life lovebirds find their way to one another along the cobbled streets of Oxford? Or will one too many bumps along the way throw their romance off course?
Everyone at St Peter’s College, Oxford adores Reverend Clara Bennett’s speeches, but none more than chorist, Tom Hartley. When Clara speaks to her congregation about seizing every opportunity for happiness, Tom plucks up the courage to ask her out on a date. By some miracle, she says yes.
As they picnic in daisy-strewn meadows and punt down the river Cherwell, sparks fly between the pair. But when a secret from Tom’s past threatens to resurface at the same time that Clara is offered a job in Cambridge, the strength of their connection is put to the test.
Can Tom prevent his past from threatening his future? Or will Clara be pushed away from her beloved Oxford forever?
This charming, Oxford-set romance about faith and finding love where you least expect it is perfect for fans of Sue Moorcroft, Cressida McLaughlin and Philippa Ashley."
"They were best friends forever. Then Kate made one little mistake . . .
Kate thought the spreadsheet was harmless—a private ranking of her four best friends detailing their various strengths and weaknesses. But when it leaks online and goes viral, her carefully curated life implodes.
Social invitations vanish, her business crumbles, even her marriage starts to fall apart. It’s as if the silken thread that has been holding everything together has been pulled, and now it’s all unravelling.
And it gets worse. Someone on the list seems to be out for revenge, determined to destroy whatever is left of Kate’s perfect life. As anonymous threats multiply and her son falls mysteriously ill, Kate doesn’t know where to turn or who to trust.
Then, as the fallout from the list turns deadly, she finally understands that her one little mistake could cost her everything—including her life.
One Little Mistake—the chilling psychological thriller from the bestselling author of The Visitors and Make Her Pay."
"As she approaches her 89th birthday, Dr Miriam turns her attention to an often-overlooked section of society - the over 60s.
Dr Miriam has watched as life for so many in her generation has changed and people are able to live better for longer - something she hopes her advice will help even more people to achieve.
Sex, Drugs and Walking Sticks is a one-stop guide for living well and feeling confident in your older years is a liberating read. It frees you from being what you “ought” to be, to being whatever you like. You’ve earned that freedom.
Dr Miriam’s approach is to get you feeling happy about as many aspects of your life as you want to, whether that be confidence in health, happiness, relationships, looks and more.
After decades on TV, as well as being a columnist and health and relationship expert for the Daily Mirror newspaper, Dr Miriam Stoppard is one of the most recognisable and trusted voices on health, wellbeing, parenting and everything in between."
"In this twisty and action-packed adventure from the BSFA award-winning author of Descendant Machine and Future’s Edge, a crew of bounty hunters find themselves ensnared in a conspiracy on the very fringes of the devastated solar system. Perfect for fans of James S. A. Corey and Adrian Tchaikovsky.
“On Earth, they depicted justice as blindfolded and impartial, but out here on the frontier, she was red in tooth and claw.”
Jupiter and Saturn are gone, and a mysterious force has built a huge habitable sphere from their ashes. When criminals try to lose themselves on this new frontier, bounty hunters like Copernicus Brown and the crew of his sentient ship Jitterbug get paid to hunt them down. But when Brown rescues Amber Roth, sole survivor of a pirate attack, the Jitterbug and her crew find themselves the target of powerful political factions who want control of the data chip hidden in Roth’s stomach.
And all the while, something vast and ancient creeps towards them from the depths of space…"
"A richly atmospheric fantasy set across one day, as a ballet troupe of lost souls perform an ancient dance for the faerie realms, knowing they could be snatched away by their audience of faerie princes, imps and sprites at any moment.
As dawn breaks on All Souls Day, the lingering mists part to unveil an unending vista of serried gravestones. Between them looms a theatre like a haunted house and the sleek iron carapace of a steam train–the Pearl. On board are the cast, orchestra, and crew of a traveling ballet company, performing The Apple and the Pearl.
As he stumbles toward the restaurant car the lighting director, Zach, asks the new recruit, Lara, 'Have you ever worked in ballet before?'
'Have you had any contact with the supernatural?'
Everyone from the principal ballerina to the first violinist, from the wardrobe mistress to the newest members of the corps de ballet, have committed their lives to the perfection of the show. But every night they must also confront the malevolent glamor of their audience of Fae creatures only too eager to snatch them away into the Otherworld."
"Bloomsbury presents Life in a Cold Climate by Laura Thompson, read by Jilly Bond.
'The book is a gem: fresh, intelligent and assured' Sunday Times
Nancy Mitford was, in the words of her sister Lady Diana Mosley, 'very, very complex'. Her biographies and novels, her journalism, and the vast body of letters to her family, friends such as Evelyn Waugh, and to the great love of her life, Gaston Palewski, all tell an intriguing story. Drawing from these, as well as conversations with Mitford's two surviving sisters and colleagues, prize-winning author Laura Thompson has fashioned a portrait of a contradictory and courageous woman.
Thompson approaches her subject with wit, perspicacity and affection, while eschewing clichés about the eccentricities of the Mitford clan. Life in a Cold Climate is full of the sound of Mitfordian laughter; but tells also the often paradoxical and complex story beneath the smiling and ever elegant façade.
'A brilliant study, original, perceptive, passionate' Selina Hastings
'Well-nigh perfect' Diana Mosley, Literary Review C 2015 Laura Thompson P 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"
"Bloomsbury presents Take Six Girls by Laura Thompson, read by Jilly Bond.
'Wonderfully readable... Emphasises their sheer extraordinariness and celebrates them' MAIL ON SUNDAY.
The eldest was a razor-sharp novelist of upper-class manners; the second was loved by John Betjeman; the third was a fascist who married Oswald Mosley; the fourth idolized Hitler and shot herself in the head when Britain declared war on Germany; the fifth was a member of the American Communist Party; the sixth became Duchess of Devonshire.
They were the Mitford sisters: Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah. Born into country-house privilege, they became prominent as 'bright young things' in the high society of interwar London. Then, as the shadows crept over 1930s Europe, the stark – and very public – differences in their outlooks came to symbolise the political polarities of a dangerous decade.
The intertwined stories of their lives – recounted in masterly fashion by Laura Thompson – hold up a revelatory mirror to upper-class English life before and after World War II. C 2015 Laura Thompson P 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"
"Bloomsbury presents Power, Grit and Glamour by Tamara Sturtz-Filby, read by Jilly Bond.
An intimate look at the Halstonettes—the women who inspired legendary fashion designer Halston.
One of the greatest fashion designers of all time, Halston defined and dominated the 1970s. He was America's first fashion superstar, a groundbreaking craftsman and a pioneering businessman who also exuded glamour, wit and charm. More important than the million-dollar success and the movie-star status though was the powerhouse of incredible women that he surrounded himself with. This is the untold story of those women.
Power, Grit and Glamour: The Women Behind Halston highlights the entourage of women who not only worked with, accompanied, and supported Halston at every turn, but were fiercely loyal and loved him deeply. Beginning with Eleanor Lambert, the ‘Godmother of Fashion,’ Tamara Sturtz-Filby charts the rise of Halston from every socialite's hatmaker to creating his own named label, introducing readers to the women who guided him every step of the way to fame and stardom. He had loyal friendships with Liza Minnelli and Elizabeth Taylor. His close confidantes included “Halstonettes” Elsa Peretti and Chris Royer, as well as models and actresses including Bianca Jagger, Marisa Berenson and Pat Ast. He had invaluable relationships with Vogue editors Diana Vreeland and Grace Mirabella, and a long-term collaboration with America's doyenne of dance, Martha Graham. These are just a few of the women Sturtz-Filby profiles. Featuring exclusive interviews and quotes from those who worked with and knew Halston this is the story of fashion’s formidable women, without whom there would be no 'Halston'."
"Maggie in the Middle -A poignant and moving romantic comedy
When Maggie King turned sixty, she thought her life complete.
Now she’s sixty-one, and everything has gone horribly wrong.
Husband Greg has abruptly upped and left leaving Maggie bewildered. But there’s no time to question his departure because her ancient parents are all-consuming.
Once fondly referred to as the Golden Oldies, they’re now the BOBs – Bad-Tempered Old Buggers.
Sister Freya is never available to help, and Maggie is rapidly reaching the end of her tether.
She wants her life – and husband – back.
Instead, she’s trapped in what has been coined the Sandwich Generation – supporting both children and parents – except this particular sarnie is in danger of falling apart.
Maggie needs to learn that when life is like a club sandwich, it needs the best ingredients – and that includes lashings of love and some knee-trembling romance!"
"Stars Can't Shine Without Darkness...
49-year-old Tilly Thomas would never have known any different if she hadn’t unexpectedly turned up at hubby Robin’s office to surprise him with an off-the-cuff evening at the theatre. Instead, the surprise is on Tilly when she interrupts Robin and his young PA in a compromising situation.
Stumbling from the office, blinded by tears, Tilly thanks God she was never gifted the children she once craved and is spared explaining why Mummy and Daddy will now be living apart. Instead, Tilly has an adopted daughter – but this little girl has a wet nose and warm heart.
Mongrel Cindy is privy to all her mummy’s hopes and dreams as Tilly prepares to start over in the village of Starlight Croft. Thank goodness a dog can’t speak because Cindy knows things her mistress has never shared, including a secret that once broke Tilly’s heart.
As Tilly prepares to embrace an unknown future and make peace with her past, she discovers that sometimes difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations…"
"Isabela’s Way is a coming of age tale, set during a dangerous time in early 17th century Portugal, Spain, France and Germany. 14-year-old Isabela, an obedient Catholic girl with a talent for needle work, believes she has nothing to fear from the Inquisition. But when a mysterious woman arrives with a message from Isabela’s traveling father, the girl must leave her home and embroider her way along a clandestine network of sanctuaries created to conduct Conversos, or secret Jews, to safety.
A host of supporters, as well as one special young man, assist Isabela as she eludes the Inquisitors and makes her way across countries and cultures. She learns of the danger and importance of her secret work, with its coded symbols, and is shocked to discover her family’s true origins. Isabela’s Way explores the magic of a young adult overcoming peril and challenge, as one hidden circumstance after another is revealed.
Barbara Stark-Nemon weaves a beautiful tapestry of stories, as elegantly embroidered as the linens that Isabela weaves. Reminiscent of Rachel Kadish's The Weight of Ink, Isabela's Way is a meticulously researched and elegantly written novel of secret histories, fierce determination and ultimately love. – Mary Morris, author of Gateway to the Moon
Isabela's Way powerfully evokes the era of the Inquisition in Portugal and the courage of the conversos who lived between faiths as they risked their lives to make their way to freedom. Both informative and deeply moving, this is a book that makes a lasting contribution to Sephardic literature.
--Ruth Behar, author of Across So Many Seas"
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