Showing results by narrator "Ruth Sillers" in All Categories

Although now beloved and revered by millions as the greatest composer who ever lived, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) was best known in his lifetime as an organist, and was eclipsed in fame as a composer by two of his twenty children. For the last twenty-seven years of his life he was a schoolteacher and choir director whose duties extended to meal supervision and dormitory inspection. Yet throughout his career he composed a vast body of music which is amongst the most joyful, dancing and enrapturing ever written.

In 1913, in a quiet corner of London, the three Fry sisters are coming of age, dreaming of all the possibilities the bright future offers. But when war erupts, their innocence is shattered and a new era of uncertainty begins.

Living busily on Planet Earth, we rarely remember that we actually inhabit only a miniscule part of the universe. In The Planets and the Solar System, Jen Green paints the wider picture, and takes us on a journey across billions of kilometers in our galaxy, from our Sun to near and distant planets. Some, like Mercury, have a molten core surrounded with crust and spins quickly; Jupiter, on the other hand, is a big ball of gas.

What happens to you in life matters less than the way you feel about life; that's the message of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). If you've ever tried to change something about yourself - your mood, your weight, your behavior - you'll have noticed that change often hurts, so you stop trying. CBT can help you when change starts to hurt. In the revised and updated edition of this best-selling title, professional CBT practitioner Avy Joseph shows you how to challenge negative thoughts and unhealthy beliefs to improve your outlook in your personal and professional lives.

Ivor Tesham is a handsome, single, young Member of Parliament whose political star is on the rise. When he meets a woman in a chance encounter–a beautiful, married woman named Hebe–the two become lovers, obsessed with their illicit and adventurous trysts. But when Ivor plans for a surprise daring sexual adventure as a birthday present for Hebe, things take a disastrous turn it's late spring of 1990 and a love affair is flourishing.

Lucy has been forced to run away from home, as she fears for her safety from her drunken father. She is taken on as a maid at the house of Dr Dee, court magician, upon whom Elizabeth I relies heavily, even down to advising the date of her coronation. The household is strange and sinister, and Lucy has a nose for intrigue.... And she has more than enough to satisfy her: Lucy stumbles across a plot to assassinate the queen and has to find means to warn her....

Velvet is a laundress in a Victorian steam laundry. With both her mother and father dead, she is an orphan and has to rely upon her own wits to make a living. The laundry's work is back-breaking and Velvet is desperate to create a better life for herself. Then Velvet is noticed by Madame Savoya, a famed medium, who asks Velvet to come to work for her. Velvet is dazzled at first by the young yet beautifully dressed and bejewelled Madame.

Simple, effective techniques for developing a healthier attitude toward life and finding the confidence you need to achieve your goals. Offering simple, time-tested techniques for zeroing in on and rewriting negative, self-destructive patterns of thought and behavior that a person can acquire over a lifetime, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a powerful therapeutic approach that has been proven to be highly effective in helping overcome an array of psychological and behavioral problems, from eating disorders and drug addiction to low self-esteem and phobias.

"Stand and deliver! Hand over your valuables if you value your life!" Sophia's duty is clear: look pretty, behave well, and find a husband as soon as possible. But Sophia hates the social whirl of balls and masquerades. So under the cover of darkness, she secretly swaps her ball gowns for breeches, and turns to highway robbery. When one man begins to take a keen interest in her, Sophia must keep her distance - or risk him unmasking her secret life.

It is 1943, and three very different girls are longing to do their bit for the war effort. Frances - her life of seeming privilege has been a lonely one. Brave and strong, stifled by her traditional upbringing, she falls for a most unsuitable man Prudence - timid and conventional, her horizons have never strayed beyond her job as a bank clerk in Croydon until the war brings her new experiences Rosalind - a beautiful, flame-haired actress who catches the eye of Frances's stuffy elder brother, the heir to an ancestral mansion.

Lucy is still working for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I, and her romance with Tomas, the queen’s fool, seems to be flourishing – or it is until Mistress Juliette, the new lady-in-waiting, arrives and Tomas pays her far too much attention for Lucy’s liking. But then Lucy realises that Juliette is telling lies and is not what she appears to be. Lucy fears for the safety of the queen, but how will she convince Tomas of her fears when he just teases her and tells her that she is simply jealous?

Lucy has become a firm fixture in the household of Dr Dee, court magician and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. In return for saving the queen’s life, Lucy has been told that she is to work as a spy for Her Grace and that she is to remain where she is and await further instruction... And then Lucy hears ghostly cries in the house. Convinced that the doctor and his companion, Mr Kelly, are planning a new deception, Lucy sets out to uncover the magician’s dark secrets.

When Caitlin Morland wins an art scholarship to Mulberry Court School, she's delighted to be befriended by the glamorous Izzy Thorpe and the intriguing Summer Tilney. Caitlin is determined to uncover the secrets surrounding Summer - but then an invitation to join the Tilneys on holiday in Italy shows her that things are very rarely all they seem.

An Anthology of Poetry and Prose written by Women in the First World War. War Girls is a commemoration and celebration of the remarkable, often deeply moving and largely unsung experiences of women in the First World War told in their own words. Through poetry, journals and letters this audio book documents the contribution made by women from all walks of society - from campaigning for peace to working on the home front and in the services.

Rose is a young Romany gypsy girl who travels around Romania and Europe in a caravan with her family. Playing music - on their own or with extended family and friends - her life is happy, until Rose suddenly finds herself an orphan after a dreadful car accident. This is the beginning of many changes for Rose as she is forced to adapt to another country and a new family, and she realises that she's not sure of her identity. A powerful novel of loss and growing up from acclaimed author Sally Grindley.

When Emily arrives at the church for her Great Aunt Mary's funeral, she has no idea that her life is about to change completely. Still grieving for her broken relationship with Ted, she sobs her heart out in the church.

When Holly wakes up and sees the whale on the beach, she can hardly believe her eyes. Soon she is at the forefront of an island-wide movement to save the whale. But things are not as simple as the young girl would like, and she has to deal with the ambitions of a wide group of people. Laced throughout with the important theme of death, this is a powerful and hugely enjoyable novel by Smarties Gold Medal winning author Sally Grindley.

She lived only for pleasure...until war forced her to find courage she did not know she had, and love where she least expected it.It is 1941, and while Britain is in the grip of war, life in the Far East is one of wealth and privilege. In Singapore Susan Roper, secure in the supremacy of the British Empire, enjoys dancing, clothes and fast cars, tennis and light flirtations with visiting naval officers - her life is devoted solely to pleasure.

When the engaging Tom Grainger moves into each of three women's lives, things start to change. The women, whose paths have already crossed, find their fates are about to collide.

Committed eco-worriers Evie and Lola are very, very concerned about green issues-much to the irritation of their gas-guzzling families! So when they find a penguin chick in the garden they are really worried. Have the ice caps finally melted and the poor penguins been forced into new lands? It turns out that this penguin has been taken from the local wildlife park. Could the penguin-napping be linked to the awful rumours circulating about the park? Lola and Evie investigate.