Showing results by narrator "Jane McDowell" in All Categories

In The Assistant Principal 50, award-winning, four-time principal Baruti Kafele presents reflective questions that encompass the breadth and depth of the assistant principalship—from finding your leadership lane to thriving and being an asset to your principal.

Stella has life under control - and that's the way she likes it. For 25 years, she's been the trusted assistant to a legendary fashion designer, but after her boss dies suddenly, she's left with nothing to do apart from clear the studio. It seems as though the life she wanted has vanished. She is lost - until one day she finds a house swap website and sees a beautiful old villa in a Southern Italian village. Could she really exchange her poky London flat for that?

The Mind of the Maker will be relished by those already in love with Dorothy L. Sayers and those who have not yet met her. A mystery writer, a witty and perceptive theologian, culture critic, and playwright, Dorothy Sayers sheds unexpected new light on a specific set of statements made in the Christian creeds. She examines anew such ideas as the image of God, the Trinity, free will, and evil, and in this text, a wholly revitalized understanding of them emerges.

Pieta Martinelli's sister is getting married. Since she is a bridal designer it falls to her to make the wedding gown. But Pieta is distracted by a series of unanswered questions. Why is her father feuding with another Italian in the neighbourhood? Why is her mother so faded and sad? And could the man she's always held a torch for really be getting married to someone else? As Pieta stitches and beads her sister's wedding gown she uncovers the secrets that have made her family what it is and that stand between her and happiness.

‘He invented a whole cat world’ declared H. G. Wells of Louis Wain, the Edwardian artist whose anthropomorphic kittens made him a household name. His drawings were irresistible but Catland was more than the creation of one eccentric imagination. It was an attitude – a way of being in society while discreetly refusing to follow its rules. As cat capitalism boomed in the spectacular Edwardian age, prize animals changed hands for hundreds of pounds and a new industry sprung up to cater for their every need. Cats were no longer basement-dwelling pest-controllers, but stylish cultural subversives.

From the moment recent Oxford graduate Philip takes the helm of a new marine life institute in Palm Beach, his presence revives old feuds and sparks rivalries among the wealthy resident snowbirds, many of whom have invested heavily in a biotech company soon to be exposed for insider trading. It quickly becomes clear that Philip's quest for atonement on the behalf of his father will embroil many of the community's most prominent members.

In Curlew Moon, Mary Colwell takes us on a 500 mile journey on foot from the west coast of Ireland to the east coast of England, to discover what is happening to this beautiful and much-loved bird. She sets off in early spring, when the birds are arriving on their breeding grounds, watches them nesting in the hills of Wales and walks through England when the young are hatching. She finishes her walk on the coast of Lincolnshire when the fledglings are trying out their wings. This is also the place many curlews will return to for the winter months.

In a prison cell in the US, a man stands trembling, naked, fearfully waiting to be shipped to Guantánamo Bay. How did it come to this? he wonders.... August 9th, 1945, Nagasaki. Hiroko Tanaka takes in the view of the terraced slopes leading up to the sky. Wrapped in a kimono with three black cranes swooping across the back, she is twenty-one and in love with the man she is to marry. In a split second, the world turns white.

When a serial killer strikes across a series of towns, and the only potential witness is unable to speak, it is up to FBI special agent Riley Paige to enter the mind of this complex man and learn what, if anything, he knows. What do these victims have in common? What exactly did this man witness? In this dark psychological suspense thriller, Riley Paige must battle her own demons as she is summoned to solve a crime that leaves all others stumped - one that will force her to enter too deep into the mind of a psychopath.

Faye Wilderpath, age 20, leaves her grandmother and village behind to attend Thornhaven, a magical academy set in a dangerous jungle compound that trains students to combat the Netherkin, invaders intent on terraforming the continent with dark magic. As Faye struggles to adapt to the academy’s brutal training regimen and treacherous environment, she finds herself making enemies and friends alike—and torn between her affections for the prodigious hunter Callum, and the charming, magically-tattooed Ren.

When Faye Wilderpath stumbles upon patterns in the Netherkin's terraforming destruction that echo Thornhaven's mysterious past, she is thrust into a new epic quest that will challenge everything she believes about her world. With magic and mayhem entwined, she and Ren face an enemy driven by a terrifying purpose—a revelation that could ignite a war or unlock a legacy lost in time.

A serial killer is striking seemingly at random, first killing a man in his fifties, then a woman in her fifties. The only thing that links them is the lone souvenir he took: a dining chair. What is the meaning? Are the murders random after all? FBI special agent Riley Paige must fend off her own demons and her own dysfunctional family life as she races against time to enter the mind of a diabolical killer who is sure to strike again.

After lying dormant for 10 years, an elusive serial killer strikes again, leaving few clues, and the only way for FBI special agent Riley Paige to catch him in the present is to solve the riddles of the past. Women are turning up dead, and in this dark psychological thriller, Riley Paige realizes she is in a race against time.

Naomi and I are best friends. School runs, dog walks, a shoulder to cry on over a glass of wine - we’re inseparable. But now my husband has walked out, I need her more than ever. I know she will help me pick up the pieces. Because she knows about the lie I told to protect her. She knows how much I’ve sacrificed for this friendship. And she’d never let anyone hurt me. Would she?

Escape to Italy with this sumptuous story of secrets and friendships under Mediterranean skies. A recipe for life should be a simple thing: love and happiness, family, friends and a little food. But life is rarely straightforward.... Alice wants to make the most of life - after all, she knows how fragile it can be - and knows she never feels more alive than when she's cooking. Babetta has spent a lifetime tending the garden of her tiny house on the Italian coast, supplying food to feed a family now grown and gone.

She was young and beautiful, married to a famous author. They were celebrating their anniversary at their stunning country estate. So why did Julia Blake walk out of her perfect life, apparently leaving no trace? Seren, a junior reporter for the local paper, can't believe her luck when she lands an exclusive with Julia's husband, Max. But as Seren spends more time at the couple's remote mansion, probing ever deeper into the case, dark questions await.

Even the most glamorous stately homes hide secrets and lies from the past... When Flora receives a shocking telegram about her father’s sudden death in a riding accident, she rushes back to her childhood home, Cleeve Abbey. Once a governess to young Eddy, Viscount Trent, and daughter of the Earl’s trusted butler, Flora finds the house steeped in unease. Her plans to lay her father to rest beside her mother, Lily, are upended when mystery surrounds Lily’s final resting place.

In her final year at Thornhaven, Faye Wilderpath emerges as one of their most promising warriors. She uncovers a long-buried secret about the academy's founding and the true nature of Fluxbeasts, a secret that could turn the tide against the Netherkin. As she prepares for her final trial, the solo Netherkin Hunt, Faye must reconcile her desire for vengeance with her duty to protect—as well as her love for not one but two men in her life. The fate of Thornhaven, her loved ones, and possibly the entire world hangs in the balance as Faye faces her ultimate challenge.

Far too often, our students attain only a superficial level of knowledge that fails to prepare them for deeper challenges in school and beyond. In Teaching for Deeper Learning, renowned educators and best-selling authors, Jay McTighe and Harvey F. Silver propose a solution: teaching students to make meaning for themselves.

As a fourth-year student at Thornhaven, Faye Wilderpath steps into a leadership role, commanding teams on high-stakes missions. She struggles with the weight of responsibility and the harsh realities of sacrifice in battle. Her romantic entanglements with Callum and Ren reach a boiling point, forcing her to confront her feelings amidst the chaos of war, even while a major Netherkin offensive threatens to overwhelm Thornhaven. Faye must rally her fellow students to defend their home—or risk losing everything to an enemy more terrifying than she ever imagined.