Audiobooks narrated by Antonia Beamish

God's Own Gentlewoman: The Life of Margaret Paston

The remarkable story of Margaret Paston, whose letters form the most extensive collection of personal writings by a medieval English woman. Drawing on the largest archive of medieval correspondence relating to a single family in the UK, God's Own Gentlewoman explores what everyday life was like during the turbulent decades at the height of the Wars of the Roses. Covering topics including political conflicts and familial in-fighting; forbidden love affairs and clandestine marriages; bloody battles and sieges; fear of plague and sudden death; friendships and animosity; and childbirth and child mortality, Margaret's letters provide us with unparalleled insight into all aspects of life in late medieval England. Diane Watt is a world expert on medieval women's writing, and God's Own Gentlewoman explores how Margaret's personal archive provides an insight into her activities, experiences, emotions and relationships, as well as the life of a medieval woman who was at times absorbed by the mundane and domestic, but who found herself caught up in the most extraordinary situations and events.

Diane Watt (Author), Antonia Beamish (Narrator)

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Iconic: My life in 50 objects

Ella Alexander, Zandra Rhodes (Author), Antonia Beamish, TBD (Narrator)

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Property: The Myth That Built The World

Property carries a great promise: that it will make you rich and set you free. But it is also a weapon, an agent of displacement and exploitation, the currency of kleptocrats and oligarchs. Property is a vivid, far-reaching analysis of our concept of property ownership, from 16th-century feudalism to the present day. It tells powerful stories - of life in the developer-led boomtown of Gurugram in India, of the struggles to form black communities in Missouri and Georgia, of a giant experiment in co-operative living in the Bronx, of the theatrics of developer-kings like President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and the Trump family. Above all, Property asks how we have come to view our homes not as a natural human right, but as investments - and it offers hope for how things could be better, with reform that might enable the social wealth of property to be returned to society.

Rowan Moore (Author), Antonia Beamish, TBD (Narrator)

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Twice Cursed: An Anthology

From the fun of the fair to the depths of hell, experience sixteen more curses in this sequel to the bestselling Cursed: An Anthology. A blend of traditional and reimagined curses from fairy-tales to Snow White, from some of the best names in fantasy. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR Take a trip to a terrifying carnival and uncover the secrets within, solve a mysterious puzzle box and await your reward, join a travelling circus and witness the strangest ventriloquist act you've ever seen. In this follow-up to the bestselling Cursed: An Anthology, you'll unearth curses old and new. From a very different take on Snow White, to a new interpretation of The Red Shoes, the best in fantasy spin straw into gold, and invite you into the labyrinth. Just don't forget to leave your trail of breadcrumbs… Featuring stories from: Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Sarah Pinborough, Angela Slatter, M.R. Carey, Laura Purcell, Helen Grant, Mark Chadbourn, L.L. McKinney, A.K. Benedict, Christina Henry, A.C. Wise, Kelley Armstrong, Katherine Arden, Joanne Harris and Adam LG Nevill.

Joanne Harris, Joe Hill, Katherine Arden, M.R. Carey, Marie O'regan, Neil Gaiman, Paul Kane (Author), Antonia Beamish, Mark Peachey, Melanie Crawley, TBD (Narrator)

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Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery

This is the story of Messalina – third wife of Emperor Claudius and one of the most notorious women to have inhabited the Roman world. The scandalous image of the Empress Messalina as a ruthless and sexually insatiable schemer, derived from the work of Roman historians such as Tacitus and Suetonius, has taken deep root in the Western imagination. The stories they told about her included nightly visits to a brothel and a twenty-four-hour sex competition with a prostitute. Tales like these have defined the empress's legacy, but her real story is much more complex. In her new life of Messalina, the classicist Honor Cargill-Martin reappraises one of the most slandered and underestimated female figures of ancient history. Looking beyond the salacious anecdotes, she finds a woman battling to assert her position in the overwhelmingly male world of imperial Roman politics – and succeeding. Intelligent, passionate, and ruthless when she needed to be, Messalina's story encapsulates the cut-throat political manoeuvring and unimaginable luxury of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in its heyday. Cargill-Martin sets out not to 'salvage' Messalina's reputation, but to look at her life in the context of her time. Above all, she seeks to reclaim the humanity of a life story previously circumscribed by currents of high politics and patriarchy.

Honor Cargill-Martin (Author), Antonia Beamish (Narrator)

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Humanly Possible: Seven hundred years of humanist freethinking, enquiry and hope

Brought to you by Penguin. The bestselling, prizewinning author of How to Live and At the Existentialist Café brings us a celebration of 700 years of human endeavour and achievement, in which dozens of philosophers, scientists, classicists, architects, educationalists and others explore the art of being human Humanly Possible is a wide-ranging, personal, thought-provoking and entertaining journey through the battle of ideas over some 700 years of history - mostly, but not exclusively, in Europe. Through a mixture of biography and philosophy, Bakewell seeks to understand what humanism is, why it has continued to flourish despite opposition from fanatics, mystics, tyrants and cultural pessimists of all kinds, and exactly why we should value and defend it in the 21st century. © Sarah Bakewell 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023

Sarah Bakewell (Author), Antonia Beamish (Narrator)

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The City of Second Chances

Has she already met The One? What if Mr Right had come along at the wrong time...? Evie Grant is forty-five years old, a widow, and single mum of two children about to leave the nest. Suddenly alone in the family home, Evie realizes she hates her job, hardly goes out and hasn't had a date since who knows when... So it feels like fate when the opportunity arises for a girls trip to New York City. Staying with her sister on the Upper East Side, Evie is enchanted by a snow-covered city consumed by preparing for Christmas. Bobble hat firmly on, Evie is walking through the city one day when she bumps into Daniel Roberts, Hollywood heartthrob and one-time boyfriend of hers. It's now or never for Evie - but she open her heart to the possibility of a new beginnings and true happiness once again...? Funny, real and wonderfully romantic, this is the perfect feel-good read to keep you warm this winter! Praise for Jane Lacey-Crane: 'A beautifully written, emotional tale that will have you captivated from the off!' Rach. 'A story which made me feel all fuzzy inside and smiley on the outside from the first page right up until the end' SC. 'Fantastic read, good storyline, great twists and flowed well... My only complaint is that i got no housework done today as i couldn't put my kindle down!' - Born in London, Jane's writing career began in cable TV, writing true crime documentaries. More recently, Jane has contributed to an anthology of short stories and written two weekly crime serials. When she's not writing, Jane loves to read good books, binge watch TV boxsets and drink tea. And wine.

Jane Lacey-Crane (Author), Antonia Beamish (Narrator)

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The Stone Age: Sixty Years of the Rolling Stones

'However much you thought you knew about The Stones before you read it, afterwards you'll know more. It's glittering' - Simon Napier-Bell 'Special [...] it's brilliant' Johnnie Walker From Sunday Times bestselling author Lesley-Ann Jones On 12 July 1962, the Rollin' Stones performed their first-ever gig at London's Marquee jazz club. Down the line, a 'g' was added, a spark was lit and their destiny was sealed. No going back. These five white British kids set out to play the music of black America. They honed a style that bled bluesy undertones into dark insinuations of women, sex and drugs. Denounced as 'corruptors of youth' and 'messengers of the devil', they created some of the most thrilling music ever recorded. Now, their sound and attitude seem louder and more influential than ever. Elvis is dead and the Beatles are over, but Jagger and Richards bestride the world. The Stones may be gathering moss, but on they roll. Yet how did the ultimate anti-establishment misfits become the global brand we know today? Who were the casualties, and what are the forgotten legacies? Can the artist ever be truly divisible from the art? Lesley-Ann Jones's new history tracks this contradictory, disturbing, granitic and unstoppable band through hope, glory and exile, into the juggernaut years and beyond into rock's ongoing reckoning . . . where the Stones seem more at odds than ever with the values and heritage against which they have always rebelled. Good, bad and often ugly, here are the Rolling Stones as never before.

Lesley-Ann Jones (Author), Antonia Beamish (Narrator)

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Follow the Leader: Detective Allie Shenton Series Book 2

To be bullied or kill your bullies, that is the game. A man's body is found on a canal towpath. In his pocket, a magnetic letter in the shape of an E. Days later, a second victim is murdered, this time with the letter V tucked into her clothing. When the letter E is located near to a third victim, DI Allie Shenton and her colleagues are sent into full alert. Is their killer spelling a word, a name or are the letters an anagram? One thing's for certain as the body count rises - the eerie, childlike clues point to a pattern that doesn't look like stopping. The race is on. Allie and the team must work quickly to determine where the killer will strike next. The rules are simple but deadly—to catch the killer, they must follow the leader. Set within the gritty streets of Stoke-on-Trent, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery with an emotional pull. Follow the Leader is the second novel in the Allie Shenton series of crime thrillers from the million selling British author, Mel Sherratt, and perfect for fans of DS Butler, LJ Ross, Angela Marsons, Joy Ellis, Rachel McClean, Caroline Mitchell and Meg Jolly.

Mel Sherratt (Author), Antonia Beamish (Narrator)

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Taunting the Dead: Detective Allie Shenton Series Book 1

How far would you go to protect the ones you love? And how much further would you go to betray them? Nine out of ten murders are committed by someone the victim knows. So when Steph Ryder is found dead, DS Allie Shenton begins her investigation close to home, starting with Steph's family and friends. Soon the lies, backtracking, and secrets multiply as each of the suspects tries to cover up their actions on that fateful night. Before long, Allie homes in on Steph's ambitious and powerful husband, Terry. Convinced he's hiding something, she interviews him again and again, each time seeing through his smooth charms. As the trail grows hotter, the web of deceit pulls tighter and more bodies pile up. Allie must race against time to uncover the shocking truth of who killed Steph before the suspects get away with murder. Set within the gritty streets of Stoke-on-Trent, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery with an emotional pull. Taunting the Dead is the first novel in the Allie Shenton series of crime thrillers from the million selling British author, Mel Sherratt, and perfect for fans of DS Butler, LJ Ross, Angela Marsons, Joy Ellis, Rachel McClean, Caroline Mitchell and Meg Jolly.

Mel Sherratt (Author), Antonia Beamish (Narrator)

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How to Mend a Broken Heart: Lessons from the World of Neuroscience

'Did you hear Amy has heartbreak?! What bad luck to catch it right at the end of winter.' When Ziella Bryars was in the midst of heartbreak, a conversation with her neuroscientist best friend changed everything. Frustrated by unhelpful advice from magazines and rom-coms, Ziella began diving deep into the latest scientific research to help her understand the pain of heartbreak and find a route to recovery. This warm and witty self-help book outlines the impact a relationship break-up has on our brains and bodies, and explores how a science-based approach can help us heal. Ziella passes on what she learned about how a broken heart can affect everything from our sleep to our digestion; how rejection is represented in the brain in the same way as physical pain; how the brain processes loss; and how a break-up can trigger addiction-like withdrawal symptoms - plus tips for counteracting heartbreak and moving on to acceptance.

Ziella Bryars (Author), Antonia Beamish (Narrator)

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Bad for Good (Unabridged)

Gripping' PETER JAMES 'Thoroughly absorbing' ELLY GRIFFITHS 'Cracking' MARK BILLINGHAM 'Engaging' M.W.CRAVEN How far would you go? The murder of a promising footballer, son of Brighton's highest-ranking police officer, means Detective Superintendent Jo Howe has a complicated and sensitive case on her hands. The situation becomes yet more desperate following devastating blackmail threats. Howe can trust no one as she tracks the brutal killer in a city balanced on a knife edge of vigilante action and a police force riven with corruption.

Graham Bartlett (Author), Antonia Beamish (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Antonia Beamish