Showing results by narrator "Kelly Burke" in All Categories

When a New York City literary agent returns to her small hometown to bury her father, murder is the one plot twist she didn't see coming. Allie Cobb thought she'd left Rushing Creek, Indiana, behind for good, carving out a name for herself in Manhattan's literary world, far from her famous father's shadow. But when his sudden death brings her - and her feisty rescue cat, Ursula - back home, Allie's barely unpacked before tragedy strikes again. Her father's bestselling client is found dead under the town's historic bridge, and Allie's childhood friend is the prime suspect.

Death in the United States is undergoing a quiet revolution. You can have your body frozen, dissected, composted, dissolved, or tanned. Your family can incorporate your remains into jewelry, shotgun shells, paperweights, and artwork. Cremations have more than doubled, and DIY home funerals and green burials are on the rise. American Afterlives is Shannon Lee Dawdy’s lyrical and compassionate account of changing death practices in America as people face their own mortality and search for a different kind of afterlife.

This dramatisation of Jonathan Franzen's acclaimed, epic, award-winning novel revolves around the troubles of an elderly Midwestern couple and their three adult children, tracing their lives from the mid-20th century to 'one last Christmas' together near the turn of the millennium. A family saga, that sits against the backdrop of this century's changing face of America, the novel was published 10 days before 9/11 but is widely considered an observation of what happened to the American psyche after 9/11.

Eden Monro came to California for a summer of sun, sand and celebrities - what better way to forget about the drama back home? Until she meets her new family of strangers: a dad she hasn't seen in three years, a step-monster and three stepbrothers. Eden gets her own room in her dad's fancy house in Santa Monica. A room right next door to her oldest stepbrother, Tyler Bruce. Whom she cannot stand. He's got angry green eyes and ego bigger than a Beverly Hills mansion. She's never felt such intense dislike for someone.

It's been a year since Eden last spoke to Tyler. She remains furious with him for his abrupt departure last summer but has done her best to move on with her life at college in Chicago - and she's finally over Tyler...right? As school breaks up for the summer, she's heading back to Santa Monica, but she's not the only one who decides to come home....Despite their breakup, Tyler's determined to rekindle what they once had. Having been left behind to deal with the aftermath of their bombshell revelation and a family torn apart, Eden's not sure she can forgive him.

Everyone thinks my life is bliss. The love of my life, Cary, and I live in our dream home and we have a beautiful little girl, Harper. I may not have given birth to her, but I’m her mommy now. But there’s one thing we never talk about… Cary’s wife before me, Presley, was perfect in every way. But she went missing a long time ago. Cary was distraught when he told me how she was abducted from her car, leaving behind a pool of blood. No one saw a thing. The neighbors are always gossiping about Presley. I try to ignore them, but one day I hear something that makes my stomach flip.

The United States of America has been gone for over a century. In its place, The Unified American Territories—a nation divided, the impoverished and the wealthy are separated by a looming steel wall. In the Northern Territories—The Vault, as it is known by its inhabitants—the government rules with an iron fist: All citizens are tested for intelligence and aptitude, thrust into compulsory higher education and saddled with insurmountable debt.

“Okay sweetheart,” I whisper, giving my little girl Alice a final kiss. “Now remember, after I’ve locked the door, be quiet like a mouse. I’ll come back later, I promise.” Her little face crumples as I turn to leave and my heart breaks. But I have no choice. I have to work, and I have to keep her hidden. It’s just ten days until the new hotel opens. As I push my cleaning cart into the chandeliered honeymoon suite, I wonder how it would feel to stay here as a guest. To watch the sun rise over the ocean, to fall asleep with no fear. I’ll never know, of course.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. They can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. In this Century of profound change for women our Atlantic neighbours produced authors of extraordinary ability that dazzled us all with a range of ideas, characters and stories of such magnificence that literature would never be the same again. Genius is written in their names.

John Reed's first-hand description of the October Revolution was written in early 1918 and published in the USA the following year. The veracity and impact of his dynamic snapshot-style reportage made the book an instant best seller, and it has since become a modern classic, inspiring films including Sergei Eisenstein's October and the Oscar-winning Reds.

When American heiress Gwen Barton aids an injured gentleman in an opera box in London, she shares a kiss with the stranger that changes her life. More determined than ever to be herself, in spite of the limp she's sustained since childhood, she will marry for love and not a title. She also resolves to learn the identity of the man she helped - and kissed. Surely he can't be the irritating Avery Winfield though. But as circumstances continue to throw Gwen and Avery together, she begins to wonder if there is more to this man than she first thought.

A rich and unique collection of folktales and urban legends from around the world. Each story comes with an accompanying brief note to provide context. Including new tales reflecting new concerns; old tales repurposed for new audiences and new ways of telling. The collection illustrates that these stories are now alive across many new media. This is the first such popular book to bring together stories with both traditional and digital media origins and to examine how the phenomenon of social media has affected both the spread of urban legends and their very nature.

Children today grow up in an increasingly volatile, complex and uncertain world. Theirs is a generation disempowered from steering their lives while society’s systems are failing to provide the support they need. Yet, a country only prospers when its children—from all walks of life—thrive, meaning that the United Kingdom now faces some consequential choices. Raising the Nation builds a compelling case showing why we must nurture smart, strong and kind children to one day inherit the stewardship of society.

Throughout the long centuries of human history is the want, and the need, to share information, to exchange ideas and for that knowledge and experience, for curiosity and learning, to be the basis of a civil society. In this volume we offer up a small selection of talents from the literary landscape of American women authors whose time has now come again.

The American literary tradition has, in a far shorter span of time than others throughout history, achieved a glowing and glittering reputation. From its transatlantic roots it has absorbed the sons and daughters of other cultures, other lands and made them part of her own. Within this melting pot of styles, genres and wordplay one fact stands out: In the American short story, literary tradition has a strong, vibrant and almost inclusive history, if you know where to look.

An uplifting audiobook for living in each moment as positively and presently as possible - written by Instagram sensation Dani DiPirro, who, after years of struggling, figured out how to make the most of each day and now shares her tips with others to help them enjoy life more, too. In this practical guide to remaining optimistic in tough times, social media hit Dani DiPirro expands on content from her popular online platforms, exploring how to be more "positively present" in all aspects of life.

After three failed seasons, American heiress Syble Rinecroft is more than ready to move forward to a life of independence and adventure. And what better way to begin than by taking a trip to Egypt with her grandmother and her band of widowed friends to find a hidden tomb? There’s only one catch: the archaeologist the widows insist on employing is none other than the irritating Marcus Brandt whom Syble met years ago on another trip to Egypt.

If Poppy Love could just avoid Ryan Clark, her life would be fine. The brooding photographer hated her on sight when they met at thirteen years old, and the feeling is mutual. And yet somehow he's always . . . there: Poppy's first wedding as a cake designer, the second wedding when a bear ate her cake, and then there was the fifth wedding when. . . well, it's probably best not to mention it, actually. Now her best friend is getting married and moving to the other side of the world.

A 20-year-old local mystery that has never been solved. A bone-chilling VHS tape depicting a horrific crime. Neighbours with something to hide. And a sister who is missing. Emily has to find out the truth. But is her sister Madeline the victim...or the one to blame?

​In The Little Frog Awakes, Eline Snel offers parents of young children advice and tools for responding mindfully and effectively in the moment. These skills help us regain trust in ourselves and in the integral wholeness of our kids. And when we make mindfulness practice a part of daily life, it gives our children a powerful message on how to recognize, name, and deal with emotions and situations. The book includes activities, practices, and stories for both you and for your toddler that cultivate mindful moments and action, and self-compassion.