Special Collections
Human-Narrated Books for Adults
Description: Please enjoy this collection of Bookshare books, now with human narration! #adults
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The Hypocrite
by Jo HamyaWhat happens when we stop idolising the generations above us? Stop idolising our own parents?What happens when we become frightened of the generations below us? Frightened of our own children?The Aeolian islands, 2010. Sophia, on the cusp of adulthood, spends a long hot summer with her father in Sicily. There she falls in love for the first time. There she works as her father's amanuensis, typing the novel he dictates, a story about sex and gender divides. There, their relationship fractures.London, Summer 2020. Sophia's father, a 61-year-old novelist who does not feel himself to be a bad or outdated person sits in a large theatre, surrounded by strangers, watching his daughter's first play. A play that takes that Sicilian holiday is its subject. A play that will force him to watch his purported crimes play out in front of him.
The Darkest Night
by Victoria HawthorneSome secrets last for generations . . .A bewitching and haunting story of family secrets - and the lengths some will go to protect them.When Ailsa Reid becomes the subject of a trial by media after an incident at the school where she works, she escapes to the comfort of her grandparents' house in Fife. But she arrives to find her grandmother, Moira - recently diagnosed with dementia - has gone missing, and her grandfather, Rupert, gravely injured.Desperate to ensure Moira's safe return, Ailsa must rely on the help of her estranged mother, Rowan, who abandoned her at birth. Tensions simmer between the two women as they attempt to piece together the lead-up to Moira's disappearance.But to move forward and find Moira, both Ailsa and Rowan must look to their ancestors, and to a story about witches burned on the hill above the Reid house centuries ago. Can they break the bonds of history in time to save their family? Or will the Reid curse be their undoing?(P) 2023 Quercus Editions Limited
One Girl Began
by Kate Murray-Browne'A beautiful novel . . . reminds us that our streets are thick with history'ROWAN HISAYO BUCHANAN'Both moving and addictive'JOANNA BRISCOE'Terrific'FRANCES QUINNTHREE WOMEN. ONE BUILDING. 111 YEARS . . .East London, 1909. When her family fall on hard times, Ellen finds work in a box factory and is drawn into a tight-knit circle of friendship, one that will transform her life and test her in unexpected ways.In 1984, the factory is now derelict. Eighteen-year- old Frances moves in with a group of squatters and activists who have taken over the abandoned building. As she tries to build a new life, an unsettling relationship develops, forcing her to question who she is and where her loyalties lie.In 2020, the squat is now a gentrified conversion in a fashionable corner of the city. Amanda feels trapped in her tiny flat, overwhelmed by the demands of new motherhood and unsure of what the future holds - until the possibility of an alternative life presents itself . . .From acclaimed author Kate Murray-Browne, One Girl Began is a vibrant, enthralling and moving novel about three women across three very different moments in time, connected by the same building and the forces that shape our lives.
Game On
by Matt CainFrom the author of The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle and Becoming Ted, a brand new enemies-to-lovers romcom for fans of Ted Lasso and Red, White and Royal Blue . . .'Heart-warming and joyful' LORRAINE KELLY 'A great big hug of a book' MICHAEL BALL Toddington FC defender Tom Horrocks is never happier than when he's on the football pitch, but when it comes to love, he's hiding a big secret. Worried about his young daughter and sick father - and with his team finally in the Premier League - he avoids all media.Journalist Cosmo Roberts wants to change the world, so is angry when he's sent to a quiet northern town to cover a sport he sees as anti-gay. Then something about Tom catches his eye.Cosmo hates football. Tom hates journalists.Perhaps this time they've both met their match.'Filled with joy and strength and optimism' RUSSELL T. DAVIES'Romantic and heartbreaking and uplifting' LAURA KAYReader love Matt Cain 'Wonderfully uplifting' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Absolutely brilliant' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I loved every second of this book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Late Bloomer
by Mazey EddingsMazey Eddings' signature sparkling voice shines through in this sexy, sapphic, opposites-attract romance!'A magnificent story about queer joy, queer love, and the power of queer community . . . this book is a must-read' ALISON COCHRUNWinning the lottery ruined Opal Devlin's life. She may have been able to leave her dead-end job, but now she's getting endlessly bombarded with people knocking at her door for a handout . . . and she can't seem to stop saying yes.Opal realises she has a chance to follow her own dreams, and decides to spend almost all her new money on a failing flower farm in North Carolina where she can start her painting business. But her plans for isolation soon go hopelessly awry when an angry (albeit gorgeous) Pepper Boden is waiting for her at her new farm. Pepper states that she's the rightful owner of Thistle and Bloom Farms, and she isn't moving out.There's not much else they can do except strike up an agreement of co-habitation, but they're soon butting heads at every turn. While they each have a reason to stay, can these two opposites find a way to plant some roots? Or will their combustible arguing (and growing attraction) burn the whole place down?Amazing praise for Mazey Eddings:'So freaking cute. . .Tilly in Technicolor will have you aching with love for these characters while swooning at their awkward adorableness together. I want to hug this book to my chest' CHLOE GONG'Mazey Eddings's writing is authentic, emotional, and intensely romantic! To me, it's like a Taylor Swift song in book form' ALI HAZELWOOD'Blends sweetness, breathless romance, and moments of striking vulnerability' HELEN HOANG'Prepare to smile, laugh, and cry your way through this witty, fast-paced rom-com' EVIE DUNMORE'Laugh-out-loud funny, almost unbearably cute' ROSIE DANAN'A contemporary romance masterpiece . . . The most intoxicating slow burn I've read in ages' RACHEL LYNN SOLOMON'Funny and cute while also exploring serious topics, powerfully underscoring the truth that relationships require work, and that happy endings are for everyone' SARAH HOGLE'Brims with emotional depth, whip-smart banter, and sizzling chemistry' CHLOE LIESE
Dead Animals
by Phoebe Stuckes'Searing' Observer'A blistering, unbearably tense read' i'Wonderfully chilling . . . a delectable slice of defiantly queer menace' Leon Craig, author of Parallel HellsThere is something creeping at the edge of your vision, lingering somewhere just out of focus. All it would take is to let your mind wander, to let it come into view.A young woman wakes after a house party with scratches and bruises - and a gap in her memory. As the violent truth comes back to her - a series of events she struggles to name - her anger grows.Solace comes in the form of enigmatic, captivating Helene, who knows what the man at the party did, has suffered at his hands too. An act of violence demands one in return and Helene is planning revenge. But who can afford to ask for justice, when the cost is murderously high?'A brilliant, chilling, furious novel. Real, relatable, and unputdownable'Rachel Long, author of My Darling from the Lions'A brutal, blistering horror story about precarious lives. Part Eileen, part Carrie. I gulped it down'Clare Pollard, author of Delphi
The Underhistory
by Kaaron WarrenPeople come to visit my home and I love to show them around. Of course it's not the original house where it happened. That was destroyed when my entire family died. But I don't think their ghosts know the difference.Pera Sinclair was nine the day the pilot intentionally crashed his plane into her family's grand home, killing everyone inside. She was the girl who survived the tragedy, a sympathetic oddity, growing stranger by the day. Over the decades she rebuilt the huge and rambling building on the original site, recreating what she had lost, each room telling a piece of the story of her life and that of the many people who died, both before and after the disaster. Her sister, murdered a hundred miles away. The soldier, broken by war. Death follows Pera, and she welcomes it in as an old friend. And while she doesn't believe in ghosts, she's not above telling a ghost story or two to those who come to visit Sinclair House.On the day of her last haunted house tour of the season, an unexpected group of men arrive. One Pera recognises, but the others are strangers. But she knows their type all too well. Dangerous men, who will keep an old woman alive only so long as she is useful. But as she begins to show them around her home and reveal its secrets, the dangerous men will learn that she is far from helpless. After all, death seems to followher wherever she goes...Sinister and lyrical, The Underhistory is a haunting tale of loss, self-preservation and the darkness beneath.
The Fates
by Rosie GarlandThree sisters battle against their Nyx-given powers. Can they, the rulers of Fate, escape their own destiny?You've heard the legends, now hear their truth . . .Before Gods and mortals, there were The Fates - three sisters born out of Nyx's darkness, destined to weave the lives, and deaths, of humankind for eternity.But immortality is a heavy burden, and Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos are captivated by the gloriously human lives of the mortals below, especially those of the great warrior Atalanta and her ill-fated lover, Meleager.However, being a Goddess of Fate doesn't make you a master of it. Will these three sisters find a way to free the couple, and themselves, from their destinies? Or will they be bound by Fate forever?(P) 2024 Quercus Editions Limited
The Prospects
by KT Hoffman'Tenacious, sexy, effervescent, doggedly hopeful, and endlessly charming, with characters to root hard for and an irresistible voice - I completely adored it'Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White & Royal Blue__________Enemies. Rivals. Teammates.It's going to be a hell of a season.Gene Ionescu is content to play in the minor leagues. He's seen teammates get their big breaks, but as the first openly trans man in the world of competitive baseball, he has nearly everything he's ever let himself dream of. When his former teammate and long-time rival, Luis Estrada, is unexpectedly drafted onto the team, the careful equilibrium of Gene's life is destroyed. Luis is standoffish, talented and inconveniently gorgeous, and the two men can barely get through a game together. This is war, and the team pays the price. So when Luis surprises Gene with a softer side to his haughty demeanour, Gene offers an olive branch - for the sake of his teammates. Soon they discover that their chemistry on the pitch might lead them all the way to the playoffs. And their chemistry off the pitch . . . well, that could be enough to change the game for ever.'I can't even express how much I adore this beautiful, joyful book'Alicia Thompson, author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers 'This book is optimism and grit, dedication and unbridled joy . . . An absolute delight' Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of The Ex Talk 'A heart-stealing romance . . . My favourite book - of this and any year' Anita Kelly, author of Something Wild & Wonderful__________Five-star reader reviews of The Prospects:'The romance between Gene and Luis is fire but also achingly tender and sweet. It gave me all the feels' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Funny and sexy and filled with such an incredible amount of hope, optimism, queer and trans joy, and queer found family' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I absolutely loved so much of this book, and it gave me many moments of reading on the couch, feet kicking, and giggling wildly. It was beautiful' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The steam and build of the relationship sucked me in . . . All I want to do is hug these two and live in this book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Stunning, joyful, and romantic as hell' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'It's got boys, it's got baseball, it's got everything you could possibly want. Five stars isn't enough' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Library Thief
by Kuchenga ShenjéAn extraordinary historical debut for any reader who loves gothic mysteries like Rebecca and Fingersmith, and fiction which shines a light on untold stories.'Intriguingly and superbly plotted . . . Shenjé weaves race, identity, feminism, sexuality and class into a beguiling mystery' WOMAN & HOMEThe library is under lock and key. But its secrets can't be contained.After he brought her home from Jamaica as a baby, Florence's father had her hair hot-combed to make her look like the other girls. But as a young woman, Florence is not so easy to tame - and when she brings scandal to his door, the bookbinder throws her onto the streets of Manchester. Intercepting her father's latest commission, Florence talks her way into the remote, forbidding Rose Hall to restore its collection of rare books. Lord Francis Belfield's library is old and full of secrets - but none so intriguing as the whispers about his late wife. Then one night, the library is broken into. Strangely, all the priceless tomes remain untouched. Florence is puzzled, until she discovers a half-burned book in the fireplace. She realises with horror that someone has found and set fire to the secret diary of Lord Belfield's wife - which may hold the clue to her fate . . .'A tantalising read that swells with secrecy and intrigue. It's hard to believe that Kuchenga Shenjé writes of the past, and not of the present. A beautifully and skilfully written debut' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS, author of Queenie'Powerful, gorgeously absorbing and wholly original'JOANNE BURN, author of The Hemlock Cure'Threads in themes of identity, sexuality and a woman's impossible choices into an intricate web of mysteries that would not let me go'CARI THOMAS, author of Threadneedle'I was swept up with the mystery. A beautifully crafted story full of nuanced characters, gothic undertones and plenty of heart'STACEY THOMAS, author of The Revels'Atmospheric and compelling. Victorian gothic with a fresh twist'FREYA BERRY, author of The Birdcage Library'Filled with fantastically drawn characters and with a love of books that shines through the prose'KATIE LUMSDEN, author of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
Emma, Disappeared
by Andrew Hughes'Compelling, unsettling and very creepy' Catherine Kirwan'Atmospheric and filled with twists and turns ... a fantastic read' Patricia GibneyEveryone is talking about the disappearance of Emma Harte.A high-achieving university graduate and young entrepreneur, she was last seen in the early hours of the morning on grainy CCTV footage in Dublin's city centre before vanishing into thin air. While a national debate about women's safety rages, eyes turn to Emma's boyfriend, Tom - who is nowhere to be found.Meanwhile, archivist James Lyster is following the story with undue interest. When a comment he makes about Emma goes viral on social media, he finds himself drawn into the world of a group of idealistic university students involved in the search - and attracting the attention of the police detective in charge of Emma's case.Then a body is discovered in scrubland near James' flat ... As the police get closer to finding out what happened to Emma Harte, James' life begins to unravel. Is he a victim or murderer? Feminist ally or callous liar?For it turns out that James isn't the only one with secrets ...
Just For The Summer
by Abby JimenezPraise for Abby Jimenez:'Literally the best book I ever read'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'This author has blown me away before but this book . . . I can't even. I will need some serious time to recover. It was everything and more'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'OK, this is the best romance I've ever read. I loved everything about it'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'This book deserves all the stars in the universe'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Things I loved about this book . . . I mean it's literally everything. Not a single flaw'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Wow. wow. WOW. Every book I've read of Abby's just gets better and better'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ .........................To find their soulmates, all they need is four dates, a kiss and a breakup . . .Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other's out, and they'll both go on to find the love of their lives. It's a bonkers idea . . . and it just might work. Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected - including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?A sharp and scintillating summer novel that will make readers laugh out loud and cry happy tears from the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.'Abby Jimenez's words . . . sprinkle humour and warmth all over my life' ALI HAZELWOOD.........................FIND OUT WHY READERS ARE FALLING IN LOVE WITH ABBY JIMENEZ . . . 'Sweet and achingly romantic - a truly wonderful love story' BETH O'LEARY'Full of fierce humour and fiercer heart' CASEY MCQUISTON'A deliciously hot, sweet debut. This book is an absolute treat' L. G. SHEN
Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction
by Ann LeckieHugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winner Ann Leckie is a modern master of the SFF genre, forever changing its landscape with her groundbreaking ideas and powerful voice. Now, available for the first time comes the complete collection of Leckie's short fiction, including a brand new novelette, Lake of Souls.Journey across the stars of the Imperial Radch universe.Listen to the words of the Old Gods that ruled The Raven Tower.Learn the secrets of the mysterious Lake of Souls.And so much more, in this masterfully wide-ranging and immersive short fiction collection from award-winning author Ann Leckie.Contents:The Lake of SoulsStories from the world of the Imperial RadchNight's Slow PoisonShe Commands Me and I ObeyThe Creation and Destruction of the WorldStories from the world of The Raven TowerThe God of AuThe NalendarThe Snake's WifeMarsh GodsThe Unknown GodBeloved of the SunSaving BaconSci-FiFootprintsHesperia and GloryThe Endangered CampAnother Word for WorldThe JustifiedFantasyBury the DeadThe Sad History of the Tearless Onion
Plot Twist
by Breea Keenan'A heart-warming bookish romcom . . . perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Catherine Walsh' Sunday Mail What's a love story without a good plot twist . . . ? 'This book honestly had me giddy' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I didn't want to put it down' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Becca and Riley both captured my heart' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐*Becca Taylor is having a bad summer. Her best friend is dead. Her good-for-nothing ex is back in her life. And her career is in freefall.So, when fellow writer Riley O'Connell invites Becca to the charming Irish countryside, she can't pack her bags fast enough, even though they have never met.But happily-ever-after isn't quite so simple.And Riley is not a sensitive female romance novelist like Becca assumed. No, he is definitely a man. A hot, six-foot tall, Irish man.But with their complicated pasts getting in the way, Becca and Riley just can't get on the same page. So can fate give their love story a rewrite?*READERS ARE OBSESSED WITH PLOT TWIST:'I devoured this book, literally could not put it down' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Had me smiling, crying, giggling' ⭐⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I didn't want it to end' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Delightful, I laughed and I cried while reading it, it's everything I could ask for' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐