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Audiobooks Narrated by Lucy Rayner
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Explore the enchanting world of Welsh fairy tradition as this guide unveils the enduring presence of these magical beings in Celtic myth and folklore. Join Welsh native Mhara Starling as she shares authentic Welsh beliefs, delves into the connection between magical practitioners and the fair family (Tylwyth Teg), and helps you incorporate these mystical entities into your own spiritual practice if you so choose.
Trace the threads of fairy lore from ancient Welsh literature, such as the Mabinogion, to Mhara's contemporary experiences. Uncover the mysteries of the Otherworld (Annwfn), the ethereal realm from which the fae emerge, and meet Gwyn ap Nudd, the Welsh king of fairies. Discover various fairy types and adjacent creatures like goblins and mermaids. More than a collection of stories, this book offers practical guidance and engaging exercises for understanding and interacting with the fair folk.
Zen, haiku, martial arts, sushi, anime, manga, film, video games . . . Japanese culture has long enriched our Western way of life. Yet from a Western perspective, Japan remains a remote island country that has long had a complicated relationship with the outside world.
Japan—an archipelago strung like a necklace around the Asian mainland—is considerably farther from Asia than Britain is from Europe. The sea has provided an effective barrier against invasion and enabled the culture to develop in unique ways. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shoguns successfully closed the country to the West. Then, Japan swung in the opposite direction, adopting Western culture wholesale. Both strategies enabled it to avoid colonization—and to retain its traditions and way of life.
A skilled storyteller and accurate historian, Lesley Downer presents the dramatic sweep of Japanese history and the larger-than-life individuals—from emperors descended from the Sun Goddess to warlords, samurai, merchants, court ladies, women warriors, geisha, and businessmen—who shaped this extraordinary modern society.
Epic poetry and tragic drama provide us with some of the richest ancient Greek depictions of women who are married to soldiers. In tales of the Trojan War, as told by Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, we encounter these mythical warriors' wives: Penelope, isolated but resourceful as she awaits the return of Odysseus after his lengthy absence; the war widow Andromache, enslaved and displaced from her homeland after the fall of Troy; the unfaithful and murderous Clytemnestra; and Tecmessa, a war captive who witnesses her partner's breakdown and suicide in the aftermath of battle. Warriors' Wives compares the experiences of these mythical characters with those of contemporary military spouses. Emma Bridges traces aspects of the lives of warriors' wives-mythical and real, ancient and modern-from the moment of farewell, through periods of separation and reunion, to the often-traumatic aftermath of war, to consider the emotional, psychological, and social impacts of life as a military spouse. By unearthing a wealth of contemporary evidence for the lives of the often silenced and unacknowledged partners of those who serve in the military, and by examining this alongside the ancient stories of warriors' wives, Warriors' Wives sheds fresh light on the experience of being married to the military.
What if the witch gave Merida a different spell? This New York Times best-selling series twists DisneyPixar's Brave into a fast-paced story in which Merida is sent back in time. If you could change your fate, would you? Merida understands that as princess of Clan DunBroch, she has certain obligations—but that doesn’t mean she has to like it. Especially when one of those obligations means losing her freedom by becoming betrothed to a man she has never met. Merida balks at this tradition, but her mother Queen Elinor insists that Merida must do this to embrace her role as future queen. Determined to chart her own path, Merida follows magical wisps to a witch’s cottage, where she is given a magic pastry and promised it will incite “a great transformation” in her mother. But instead of feeding Elinor the pastry, Merida eats it herself. Merida awakens in the past, a now-teenage Elinor holding a knife to her throat and accusing her of espionage. She’s been transported to a time when the Clans MacCameron and DunBroch are bitter enemies. And it just so happens that the timing of Merida’s arrival has kept Elinor and Fergus from meeting. Will Merida be able to bridge the rival clans, help her parents fall in love, and change her own fate?
A terrifying monster of a beast has captured Gervais's lady love, and he will stop at nothing to save his beauty.
Posing as a gardener, the brave and strong Gervais attempts to study the beast that he longs to kill. Isabelle Mercier is the only woman he has ever cared for. When he sneaks his way inside the castle, Isabelle refuses to come with him. Could she have fallen for the beast? Is it too late for Gervais to save her?
Of Rose and Cruelty also includes the short story 'The Cost of Rage'.
The kingdom knows their princess as Snow White, but the Queen Francesia, her stepmother, sees her for what she truly is, a monster.
None other than the queen can see beyond the illusion of beauty. None see that she appears to be bone and ashes. No one else realizes that the child drinks blood and even kills.
As the child grows, so does her thirst. Francesia knows she must stop Bone Ash, lest the princess devastate the entire realm. One will be the harbinger of the other's death, but who will survive?
Of Bones and Ashes also includes the short stories 'The Cost of Treachery' and 'The Cost of Enchantment' as well as an alternative ending.
An imp named Ryszard Poppart can spin straw into gold, but can he outsmart the evil king who wishes to marry the miller's daughter?
Ryszard loves Saxonia and desires to save the kingdom from the evil king. The miller's daughter, Galiana Mueller, agrees to help expose the king's terrible, selfish ways. As Ryszard spins gold for her to tempt the king with, he cannot help falling in love with her himself.
The king soon demands Galiana's hand, wishing for more straw-spun-gold, more wealth, and more power. As he becomes corrupt entirely, Ryszard must utilize a power stronger than his magic, that of love or perhaps hope.
Of Gold and Deceit also includes the short stories 'The Cost of Dominance' and 'The Cost of Intolerance'.
Cinderella's powers will destroy the Kingdom of Fantasia, and the only one who can save the kingdom is her 'wicked' stepmother.
Lady Angelique puts her second husband to rest then tries to do right by her step-daughter Eleonore, but when Eleonore's mystical abilities put Angelique's own daughters' lives at risk, she makes the difficult decision to lock the girl in the tower to keep the family safe.
After Eleonore's devil-bird minions unleash her on an unsuspecting royal ball, Angelique must join forces with the king to save Fantasia before Eleonore destroys it.
At only sixteen years of age, she is a beautiful terror, with her wavy blond locks and her shockingly violet eyes. Her skin is as fair as she is foul. Only I can stop her. Only I dare to rise up against her, for the sake of a kingdom that is not my own.
Others may scorn me for interfering, but interfere I must. I will not allow this exquisite monster to harm more than she already has.
Some might call me the monster, but I? I know the truth, and I will not hesitate to do what I must.
This gripping retelling will make you question if perhaps the fairy had the right of it for placing the princess under the sleeping curse.
The volume contains 'Of Slumber and Discord' and 'The Cost of Magic'.
The essential self-help guide to living in Ancient Rome, covering all areas of everyday life in this ancient civilization, from religious beliefs and travel through to what to wear.
Imagine you were transported back in time to Ancient Rome and you had to start a new life there. How would you fit in? Where would you live? What would you eat? Where would you go to have your hair done? Who would you go to if you got ill, or if you were mugged in the street?
All these questions, and many more, will be answered in this new how-to guide for time travelers. Part self-help guide, part survival guide, this lively and engaging book will help the listener deal with the many problems and new experiences that they will face, and also help them to thrive in this strange new environment.
1326 was one of the most dramatic years in English history. The queen of England, Isabella of France, invaded the country with an army of mercenaries to destroy her husband's powerful and detested lover, Hugh Despenser the Younger, and brought down her husband, King Edward II, in the process.
It was also a year, however, when the majority of English people carried on living their normal, ordinary lives: Eleyne Glaswreghte ran her own successful glass-making business in London; Jack Cressing the master carpenter repaired the beams in a tower of Kenilworth Castle; Alis Coleman sold her best ale at a penny and a half for a gallon in Byfleet; and Will Muleward made the king 'laugh greatly' when he spent time with him at a wedding in Marlborough. England sweltered in one of the hottest, driest summers of the Middle Ages; a whale washed ashore at Walton-on-the-Naze; and the unfortunate John Toly died when he relieved himself out of the window of his London house at midnight, and lost his balance.
Living in Medieval England: The Turbulent Year of 1326 tells the true and fascinating stories of the men and women alive in England in this most eventful year, narrated chronologically with a chapter devoted to each month.
Ven has her future all planned out. Her dance group is going places and so is she . . . Then she collapses. On stage.
In hospital, Ven discovers that she has a medical condition-one that threatens to ruin everything. No more dancing . . . walking is challenging enough. But she doesn't want your pity. Ven is determined to have a big, exciting life. Sure, her future might be different, but it's not over . . . Because if you can't dance, you can always sing!
Refreshing, uplifting and original, Sing if you Can't Dance is the unforgettable story of a teenager living life on her own terms.
