Showing titles in Animals

The Metamorphosis tells the unsettling story of Gregor Samsa’s transformation into something entirely unexpected: “a monstrous insect.” This is not just a novel about physical transformation but also a deep reflection on alienation and loneliness. The listener will not only to enjoy Kafka’s incomparable style but also to confront the vital questions that only a masterpiece can provoke.

It was always Samantha's dream to run her beautiful rescue centre, Hedgehog Hollow, full-time. But just as her wish comes true, she becomes a victim of her own kindness when she finds herself with a house full of guests - all with their own problems and secrets - looking to her for support. When her self-absorbed cousin, Chloe, unexpectedly turns up at the farm - swiftly handing over her baby to Samantha to care for - trouble is definitely brewing. Especially as Chloe won’t tell anyone why she’s left her husband, James.

Christopher Webb, the Amazing Spider-Mage, brings his exotic arachnid performers aboard the 1940s-themed Pacific Dream cruise for what should be a week of elegant entertainment. But beneath his stage confidence lies a secret terror—one that makes his career choice both ironic and perilous. When Christopher catches the eye of Cleo Laveau, the ship’s mysterious psychic medium, their attraction ignites something unexpected. Cleo’s theatrical mysticism hides genuine power, and a moment of jealous rage unleashes forces neither of them understands.

As Samantha Wishaw watches the love of her life marry another woman, she’s ready to give up hope of finding her happy ever after. But when a chance encounter leads Sam to find friendship in Thomas - a lonely, grumpy elderly widower living at derelict Hedgehog Hollow - her life is about to change forever. Glad to have a distraction from family feuds and match-making, Sam vows to fulfill Thomas and his wife Gwendoline's dreams of restoring Hedgehog Hollow to its former glory, and to open a hedgehog rescue centre.

Based on true events, rooted in the stunning Southern California landscape, and populated with vivid characters, American Tiger is about more than a frantic tiger hunt. It’s about a child’s quest for self-discovery, her stoic father’s struggle to come to terms with their past, and the innate wildness of every living thing.

Following the unexpected death of her mother, and the breakdown of her relationship, animal loving idealist Jade Foster, uses her inheritance to buy a smallholding in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside hoping to realise her dream of providing a sanctuary for unloved animals in need of a new home. Jade employs the enigmatic Finn McTaggart to help out at Duck Pond Lane Rescue and forms a friendship with both Finn and her local Vet, Aiden Southerland. But Finn is running from his own demons and Aiden longs for a more romantic relationship with broken-hearted Jade.

Juno is feeling ready – at last – to start dating again, after losing her husband some years ago. She is sure she can make time from being a Village Detective, indeed it might help distract her from her crush on hunky (but far-too-young!) pub landlord – Mil. So she’s signed up to an exclusive new dating app and cannot wait. But when one of the founding investors in that same dating app drops dead in front of fellow Village Detective Phoebe in a nearby hotel, Juno knows she’ll have to put her love life on hold.

Emma is having a fresh start. After a successful teaching career, an exciting new chapter awaits Emma – helping her fiancé Grayson run one of Beatrix Potter's farms. While imagining days spent supporting Grayson with his dream, working the land and helping with the animals, Emma harvests a dream of her own – to set up an alpaca-walking business around the farm. But working together isn’t as easy as Emma expected. Soon her dreams are in tatters and, broken-hearted, she must start over yet again.

An empress demands her birthright . . . The Air War is the eighth book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky. All is in turmoil as the world moves towards war. In Solarno, spies eye one another and ready their knives – while the people of Myna...

It had always been Tabby's dream to work with cats and an inheritance from her beloved nanna has finally made that a reality. Idyllic Castle Street in Whitsborough Bay couldn’t be a better place for pastry chef Tabby to open a cat café with her boyfriend, Leon. But when Leon leaves her in the lurch, the pressure mounts for Tabby. With Christmas fast approaching, she has to open the café on her own – a daunting prospect, especially when she's been hiding her health issues from the ones she loves.

In South London, England, a serial killer appears to be on the loose. Victims have been cruelly slain, bodies are piling high and fear grips the community. But the victims aren’t humans - they’re domestic cats, cute little kitties! The killings spark a relentless investigation by animal rescue group SNARL, led by the formidable Boudicca Rising, her partner Tony and rock musician Rob. Acclaimed journalist Nancy Miller - who helped track down the infamous Golden State Killer - journeys from the US to help the amateur sleuths crack the case.

As World War 3 looms, How to Prepare Your Cat for World War 3 by Cornelius Capybara delivers a rigorous survival manual to transform your feline companion into a battle-ready operative. Spanning eleven chapters, this guide instructs on constructing cat-sized bunkers, rationing resources, crafting protective gear, and training for espionage, scavenging, urban navigation, chemical detection, and evacuation leadership. Tested with the author’s own General Whiskers, the methods adapt military tactics to household materials—cardboard, foil, laser pointers—ensuring resilience amid chaos.

A city makes its last stand . . . War Master’s Gate is the ninth book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The Empire’s mighty imperial armies are marching on Collegium once more. They’ve learnt from past failures and this time their...

Moving to the little village of Budbury, Zoe hopes the crisp Dorset sea breeze and gentle pace of life will be a fresh start for her and her goddaughter, Martha. Luckily for them both, the friendly community at the café provide listening ears, sage advice, shoulders to cry on and some truly excellent carrot cake. And when Martha's enigmatic, absent father suddenly turns up, confusing not only Martha but Zoe too, the love and support of their newfound friends is the best present they could ask for. Have Zoe and Martha truly found their home at the Comfort Food Café?

New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath continues her Once Upon a Dukedom series with this lush love story of a duke who discovers what he desires in a wife may not be what he needs… Hugh Brinsley-Norton, the Duke of Kingsland, is in need of a duchess. However, restoring the...

Tolkien’s acclaimed modern classic ‘fairie’ tale, read by Derek Jacobi. While on holiday in 1925, four-year-old Michael Tolkien lost his beloved toy dog on the beach at Filey in Yorkshire. To console him, his father, J.R.R.Tolkien, improvised a story about Rover, a real dog who is...

Maple Tree Lodge has been the home of the Jackson family for over a century. But the hotel has never been a success and, following the sudden loss of his father, architect Ben Jackson soon discovers the hotel is close to financial ruin. Ben has to make some tough decisions if the hotel is to survive and his family are to keep a roof over their heads.

On his thirty-sixth birthday, Travis Cornell hikes into the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. But his path is soon blocked by a bedraggled Golden Retriever who will let him go no further into the dark woods. That morning, Travis had been desperate to find some happiness in his lonely, seemingly cursed life. What he finds is a dog of alarming intelligence that soon leads him into a relentless storm of mankind’s darkest creation....

Faced with an increasing body count, our feline detectives sharpen their claws and set out to catch a serial killer. Did Pomadora Moseley really murder her family on the rollercoaster at Butlins? Is Clara Toddlebury's Country Dance Class under threat? And why does Mr Whisker lock himself in his headmaster's study?

19-year-old Phoebe and her courier father Al have recently moved to Devon, to a small cottage with a river at the end of the garden. Struggling with her health, Phoebe doesn't go out much these days. Instead, she spends her time playing detective—trying to deduce from her father's deliveries what kinds of lives her neighbours lead. When Phoebe finds an abandoned baby otter by the river, it's just the push she needs to finally step into her new community. Taking the otter to the local sanctuary, she feels a joy that she has not felt in a very long time.