Showing results by narrator "Helen Phillips" in All Categories

When two wealthy young men move to the neighbourhood, Mrs Bennet – mother to five unmarried daughters – is thrilled. Surely it is only a matter of time before one of her girls is snapped up! But the course of love does not always run smooth. While Jane and Mr Bingley seem destined for one another, there are those who would wish it otherwise; while Elizabeth and Mr Darcy do not seem destined for one another, somehow their paths must always cross...

After a difficult few months, Karina's looking forward to a short break in Turkey with her husband and four-year-old son, Jacob. The marriage has been showing signs of strain lately, so it'll be a chance to relax. But on their first morning, Karina is startled to discover she's slept in late. Where's Jacob? She rushes to his room, but his bed is empty and he's nowhere to be found in the villa. Frantic with worry, she raises the alarm with her husband—but he stares at her blankly. He says he has no idea what she's talking about. They don't have any children.

In recent years, "white feminism" and girlboss feminism have taken a justified beating. We know that leaning in won't make our jobs any more tolerable and that white women have proven to be, at best, unreliable allies. But in a time of rising fascism, ceaseless attacks on reproductive justice, and violent transphobia, we need to reckon with what Western feminism has wrought if we have any hope of building the feminist world we need.

Violet Zennor was raised fighting in underground arenas. Ruthless and skilled, she becomes an heiress after her father's death. But her freedom is short-lived. Her father planned to send her to the Darklands, where her stillborn brother was sold. Despite pressure, Violet refuses. After an assassination attempt, she realizes she must confront her father's legacy. Seeking help from Miren, Ellie, and Asher, she prepares for the ultimate journey: into the Darklands, to the Anchorhold. This gripping tale explores a sinister fantasy world where blood is power and magic is a weapon.

My little boy is missing—and they think I did it. My husband is always at work, he's basically checked out of our marriage at this point. So I'm stuck at home with three kids under the age of eight for the summer holidays. The boys are my world, I just wish we had the money for activities—eight-year-old Kyle has learning difficulties and they all need a lot of running around. I can't spend another day in this house. The boys are so excited for a bike ride to the woods so we head out. We play hide and seek and Kyle is never very good, bless him.

I used to enjoy my job. I was good at it and felt fulfilled. I also used to enjoy spending time with the people I worked with. They say you spend more time with your work colleagues than you do with your family members, but that was fine by me because I made two very good friends at the office. I also allowed myself to get a little too close to my boss, but I soon realised that was a mistake. Unfortunately, it was too late by then, and as my personal and professional lives quickly blurred into one, that was when everything changed.

Varangantua is in turmoil. After the district of Korsk is obliterated in a fiery cataclysm, the city’s enforcers must pick up the pieces. As sanctioner teams comb the wreckage for survivors, dogged probators such as Agusto Zidarov and Lycia Calix seek to uncover the truth about what happened. Their stories become intertwined with those of petty criminals and desperate citizens, even drawing the vaunted attention of agents beyond Alecto itself, painting a picture of sprawling conspiracy.

The Metamorphosis, first published in 1915, has captivated readers and artists for 100 years. Studio 360's Kurt Andersen leads spirited conversation exploring the classic story and its impact on arts and culture with guests Ben Marcus ( Leaving the Sea), Helen Phillips ( The Beautiful Bureaucrat), Eric Jarosinski ( NeinQuarterly), and translator Susan Bernofsky. With a reading by Heather Burns ( Bored to Death).

In 21st century Britain, what does it mean to be working class? This book asks 24 working class writers to examine the issue as it relates to them. Examining representation, literature, sexuality, gender, art, employment, poverty, childhood, culture and politics, this book is a broad and firsthand account of what it means to be drawn from the bottom of Britain's archaic but persistent class structure.

When three girls are stranded at the grand Bramble Estate in the middle of a snowstorm, they stumble into a murder plot. Someone has poisoned wealthy Emily Vanforte in the middle of a family dinner - which means Devi, Lizzie and Jayne are trapped in the house with a killer and a mystery to solve. With knives under floorboards, vanishing guns and secret passages in the walls, no one is safe and everyone is a suspect. But in a house of liars and corruption, will the girls save themselves...or learn to fit in?

Indigo and Rusty might live in a funeral parlour, but they don't believe in ghosts. That is, until Indigo knocks over an old urn, accidentally releasing the Cinderman: a terrifying ash monster, who will smother their town in ashes and turn everyone into zombies, unless they can stop him by sunset. Using their newly awakened Spooksmith skills, Indigo and Rusty set out to enlist the help of other ghosts. But can the Blasted Banshee and Chuckles the Phantom Toddler really help them find the Cinderman's true name and put him in his grave for good before Ashmageddon strikes?

Steph, an advice columnist, is stuck in a stagnant life, while lonely architect Harry dreams of rediscovering his passion. Despite a chance encounter in New York sparking a magical connection between them, fear and past wounds keep them apart. But when Steph's daughter, Lola, enters the picture, their paths intertwine in unexpected ways. As Steph fights to save her community's beloved park and confronts her past, she must choose between safety and taking a leap of faith.

Are we more like a coffee bean, a carrot or an egg? What happens to us when we are boiled in the trials and tribulations of life? Jessica Miller is fascinated by the somewhat perplexing tendency of humans to end their own lives, but she secretly believes such acts may not be that bad after all. Jessica is coming to terms with her own relationships, and reflecting on what it means to be queer, when a single event throws everything she once believed into doubt. Can she still defend the act?

Twenty-nine-year-old teacher Emily needs her father to believe her life is a success. He may have walked out on the family when she was a child and let her down when she needed him most, but her life is perfect despite him.

Old friends Shelley, Lena and Pearl have reached their limit with the festive preparation that has always fallen to them, and five days before Christmas, they’ve booked a mini break… without their families. Up until Christmas Eve, they’ll be sipping prosecco in the Highlands while their kids wrap bacon around 100 chipolatas and their partners brave the supermarkets. It’s exactly what they need… until they’re snowed in. Facing the prospect of Christmas 500 miles from home, each woman is forced to confront her real reasons for needing to escape.

Sick of indecent proposals from untrustworthy rakes? Be more discerning with your dance card and swipe right on only the most eligible and dashing suitors. Whether you want to avoid scandal, or embrace it, keep your name out of the gossip sheets and group chats with this modern take on the rules of polite society. Putting a fresh spin on real Regency etiquette advice, A Regency Guide to Modern Life is a tongue-in-cheek guide to navigating friendship, dating, work, summer holidays, social events, self-confidence and more.

I always thought I was going to be a girl who did something. I was going to run my own business and find fame and fortune! Fall in love… But here I am. Still waiting for it all to happen, sitting on the floor, surrounded by lilies and roses, trying to do my best friend’s wedding flowers because – in her words – ‘how hard can it be, Frankie?’. The answer is actually ‘very hard’ but it’s not the only thing that’s tough right now. My boyfriend won’t commit, I barely have a job, and once again I have the hangover from hell… What I don’t know is that life’s about to throw me a curveball.

1838, England: When eighteen-year-old Frances Dickinson impulsively marries Lieutenant John Geils, all her hopes for her future are quickly shattered as she finds there is much about her husband she did not know. A cruel and violent man, John keeps Frances in isolation on his family's estate, while spending her fortune and preying upon their maids. Frances yearns to break free from her marriage but the law is not on her side. Only when John's abuse escalates can she set in motion a daring plan to secure her freedom.

When Christmas-hating Sam moves to Holly Cross, he thinks he's found the perfect home, until he discovers that, each year, Holly Cross transforms into the most Christmassy village in the whole country... Blythe is just one sale away from being Real Estate Agent of the Month, so she twists the truth to sell a home to city boy Sam, who is looking for the perfect house in the perfect location. Little does he know he's just bought a cottage in the middle of the most Christmassy village in the country. And if there's one thing Sam loathes, it's Christmas.

When Lucy and Alpha's parents split up, they move with mom to their grandad's home in the forest. Mom has a new job at a rewilding center, reintroducing wolves to the wild. Lucy loves the forest where she can stargaze with her telescope. But Alpha hates the forest and hates dad. All she wants is for life to go back to normal. Things between Lucy and Alpha have never felt worse. When a new wolf cub arrives at the center, Lucy names him Claw and they form a special bond. But Alpha thinks he should roam free, and together with her friends, they plot to release him.