Showing results by narrator "Katy Sobey" in All Categories

Discipline is a vital part of child-rearing, but many parents misunderstand how to use it and attempt to control their child's behaviour via a combination of punishment and motivation. Yet while this traditional approach may appear to produce quick results, it can potentially damage the child and, in the long term, leave parents with a far worse problem than they had initially. The Gentle Discipline Book analyses common discipline techniques and explains why so many are ineffective.

Our gut is almost as important to us as our brain, yet we know very little about how it works. Gut: The Inside Story is an entertaining, informative tour of the digestive system from the moment we raise a tasty morsel to our lips until the moment our body surrenders the remnants to the toilet bowl. No topic is too lowly for the author's wonder and admiration, from the careful choreography of breaking wind to the precise internal communication required for a cleansing vomit.

In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal. Nearly 30 years later, Hugo's estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father's funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation.

When Brooke's best friend Noah asks her to pose as his girlfriend for his sister’s resort wedding, she can't refuse. Sure, she’s a lesbian, but it's a free holiday. How hard can it be to fake it for a few days? Harder than Brooke imagined when she meets Noah's mum, Jen. Sophisticated, confident, and utterly gorgeous, Jen is everything Brooke wants.

Rose, Ella, Marta and Carla. In another life we might all have been friends together. But this was Birchwood. As 14-year-old Ella begins her first day at work she steps into a world of silks, seams, scissors, pins, hems and trimmings. She is a dressmaker, but this is no ordinary sewing workshop. Hers are no ordinary clients. Ella has joined the seamstresses of Birkenau-Auschwitz. Every dress she makes could mean the difference between life and death.

When 29-year-old Annie Trebarwith receives an unexpected letter from a great-aunt she’s never known, she leaves her shoebox-size flat in London and catches a train to the rugged Cornish coast. Salt Bay is beautiful, and Annie begins to kindle a bond with her great-aunt Alice. Even though there is zero phone signal and the locals - including the gorgeous but brooding Josh Pasco - can be decidedly grumpy at times, Annie starts to feel at home in Salt Bay.

Will is sleepwalking through life - he’s working in a dead-end job and volunteers at a crisis line, hiding behind the phone and helping others to avoid sorting out his own life, which is stuck in a rut. Annie thought she had a five-year plan all figured out with her steady job and even steadier boyfriend. But when everything starts falling apart, she reaches out for help and just needs someone to listen. Will enjoys talking to the woman who calls herself Pia, and together they start to encourage each other to do brave things and rebuild their lives.

To some, Emri – the adopted heir and daughter of two queens – is just a living reminder that her birth father tried to usurp the Edaran throne. About to come of age, and faced with changes beyond her control, she must also grapple with a Court visit from her estranged cousin, Melisande. But when they’re attacked by a magical force and spirited away, they must put their differences aside when Emri comes face to face with a goddess she’s always considered a myth: Lady Winter.

Sean pulls me to him, and we both laugh happily, as we stroll home from our favorite wine bar. It’s our first evening out since our baby girl was born. I’ve only thought about Kitty a couple of times, wondering if she’s settled without my goodnight kiss. But our perfect night is shattered when I see the police car and the two officers on the front steps of our home....

Norfolk, 1940. In the dark days of the war, Emmeline’s nursery is the only thing giving mothers hope. But how long can she keep that hope alive? An inspiring and emotional story of love and strength in the darkest of times. Emmeline’s daughter, Lydia, has already been evacuated and now, as Emmeline loses neighbours and friends to the bombs raining down around her, she must leave London too – for safety and a fresh start.

All I’ve ever wanted is to be a mother. And as soon as I looked into the beautiful, bright blue eyes of this baby tucked in her blanket, my world felt complete. Stepping into the cold air outside of the hospital doors, a shiver runs through me. I know my life will never be the same again. I slip off her little white medical bracelet and put it in the pocket of my jeans. I think of the woman upstairs in the hospital room who will soon return and find her child gone. I hesitate. Am I doing the right thing?

Kate Collins has been ghosted. She was supposed to be moving in with her new boyfriend, Scott, but all she finds after relocating to Brighton is an empty apartment. Scott has vanished. His possessions have all disappeared. Except for his mobile phone. Kate knows she shouldn't hack into Scott's phone. She shouldn't look at his Tinder, his calls, his social media. But she can't quite help herself. That's when the trouble starts. Strange, whispering phone calls from numbers she doesn't recognize. Scratch marks on the walls that she can't explain.

Isadora Moon is special because she's different. Her mum is a fairy and her dad is a vampire and she's a bit of both. The fourth collection of this beautiful, charming and funny series featuring Isadora Moon - a totally unique half-vampire, half-fairy heroine with an out-of-this-world family!

She’s the shoulder you cry on when the father of your children disappears. She’s the person you turn to when he comes back, begging for forgiveness. She’s by your side when you discover his guilty secrets. She helps rock your babies to sleep when they cry. She’s your friend when you have no one else. She’s the woman upstairs, whose feet you hear treading above as you drift off at night, thankful you aren’t alone.

When a beautiful, red haired nurse’s body is found mutilated in her house in Lawley the morning after a date with Detective Constable Ryan Downey, all eyes turn to him. With a very specific modus operandi, Detective Sergeant Jenna Morgan and her team know exactly who the offender is; the trouble is he’s currently serving a life stretch in HMP Long Lartin. It soon becomes evident to DS Morgan and her team that there may be a copycat killer on the loose.

When Sloane’s life starts to unravel, Salchester Rovers’ new hire, Ella Carmichael, helps her pick up the pieces. But as the lines between their professional and personal lives blur, tensions surface. Now, Sloane’s goal of helping the team win the league and FA Cup has a significant addition: winning Ella’s heart. If you love women’s football, you’ll adore this blistering summer blockbuster oozing with goals, desire, and scorching first kisses. An irresistible romance about the beautiful game!

Botanical artist Jane Saville is devastated when her manipulative mother banishes her to the countryside to cover up a sin committed by her sibling. Isolated far from home, she is forced to live an impoverished, secretive life to save the family public shame. Set in the picturesque English countryside, in a forgotten orchard and beneath the ancient spire of Salisbury Cathedral, this is a heart-wrenching story about a woman who finds that in her darkest hour she can harness her greatest strength.

Harriet Manners knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a “jiffy” lasts a hundredth of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. She knows that bats always turn left when exiting a cave and that peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite. But she doesn’t know why nobody at school seems to like her. So when Harriet is spotted by a top model agent, she grabs the chance to reinvent herself.

England is in the devastating grip of World War Two, and Bethany Merston’s life changes in an instant when bombs screech down over London. Heartbroken, she leaves the shattered ruins of her home behind. In the Sussex countryside, she takes a job as companion to elderly Alice Summer, mistress of the crumbling and over-grown Summerhayes House.

Isadora Moon and the New Girl: When a new girl, Ava, joins her class, Isadora is keen to make friends. But Ava's not interested. She'd much rather be back at her old school with her old friends. Isadora's classmates are happy to leave Ava on her own since she clearly doesn't like them, but Isadora figures out that there's something more going on. Isadora Moon and the Frost Festival: Isadora and her family are visiting the Frost Festival, a huge celebration of the winter fairies! There's ice skating, fairground rides, gingerbread houses and lots of delicious fairy hot chocolate. It's magical!