Donovan Woods | OurVinyl Sessions

Back for the Funeral (OurVinyl Sessions)

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Brought to you by Penguin.

What happens when you find love, but life keeps getting in the way?

When she first meets Adam, Coralie is new to London and feeling adrift. But Adam is clever, witty, and – he insists – half an inch taller than the average British male. His charming four-year-old daughter, Zora, only adds to his appeal.

And yet ten years on, something important is missing from the life Coralie and Adam (though let’s face it, mostly Coralie) have built. Or maybe, having gained everything she dreamed of, Coralie has lost something she once had: herself.

Set against an eventful decade that included the soap opera of five Prime Ministers plus Brexit and Covid, Consider Yourself Kissed puts the subjects of love and family on a grand stage, bringing to life how the intimate drama in our homes inescapably competes for energy and attention with the shared drama of our times.

Consider Yourself Kissed is a captivating portrait of a woman in love which effortlessly balances sweetness with bite, the public with the personal, and humour with heart.


'Deeply appealing . . . At once a smart literary love story and an absorbing family drama' MEG WOLITZER

'Clever, joyful, familiar . . . and so funny' NINA STIBBE

'A beautiful romcom for grown-ups' ELLA RISBRIDGER

© Jessica Stanley 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley, read by Lydia Leonard - 2022 and Chapter 1

Cyrus Chestnut - piano
Stacy Dillard – tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 2, 6 & 7) /     
  soprano saxophone (tracks 3, 4, 5 & 9)
Gerald Cannon – bass (except track 8) 
Chris Beck – drums (except track 8)

Jazz pianist par excellence, Cyrus Chestnut, returns to the HighNote catalog with a superb new piano quartet recording. This highly anticipated album showcases Chestnut's rhythmic precision, emotive touch, and improvisational flair complemented by an ensemble that provides both subtlety and drive. The combination of Chestnut's expressive piano playing with the string bass of Gerald Cannon and the propulsive beats of Chris Beck creates a sound that provides a luxurious background of vibrant color for the saxophone of Stacy Dillard.  Chestnut's previous recordings on HighNote Records, including Kaleidoscope, and My Father's Hands, were met with widespread critical acclaim. JazzTimes lauded his "virtuosic piano playing," while Down Beat declared him “one of the finest jazz pianists of his generation.” This new recording is sure to add to that legacy, as Chestnut and his colleagues offer an imaginative set list comprised mostly of the leader's original works, spotlighting his distinctive compositional voice. It is required listening for anyone who appreciates the extraordinarily communicative depth of piano-led jazz ensembles.  – Ray Osnato for HighNote Records

01 Cured and Seasoned

Listen to an excerpt from MANOR OF DREAMS by Christina Li, read by Catherine Ho. 

MANOR OF DREAMS Audiobook Excerpt

Brought to you by Penguin.

'We love a rags-to-riches story, and we love to see someone triumph through sheer determination. But the story is rarely that simple. My story isn't, anyway.

'As the middle of five kids growing up in dire poverty, the odds were low on Katriona O'Sullivan making anything of her life. When she became a mother at 15 and ended up homeless, what followed were five years of barely coping.

This is the extraordinary story - moving, funny, brave, and sometimes startling - of how Katriona turned her life around. How the seeds of self-belief planted by teachers in childhood stayed with her. How she found mentors whose encouragement revived those seeds in adulthood.

Now an award-winning lecturer whose work challenges barriers to education, Poor stands as a stirring argument for the importance of looking out for our kids' futures. Of giving them hope, practical support and meaningful opportunities.

©2023 Katriona O'Sullivan (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Poor, written and read by Katriona O'Sullivan

Journalist Oneika Raymond reveals the top countries where, as a black woman traveling solo, she feels a cultural appreciation and connection. Then the head of Bread for the World describes how the organization's advocacy work has stepped up its efforts in the face of cuts to government aid programs. And tour guides from Poland give us a look at how the country is modernizing, while retaining what makes it uniquely Polish.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves — including episode descriptions, program archives and related details — visit www.ricksteves.com.

790 Oneika Raymond's Favorite Destinations; US Aid; A Week in Poland

Hannah Macaulay accompanied by Michael Polluck
This is Marguerite's most famous aria from Gounod's Faust. She has just found a casket of jewels left for her by an admirer, and begins adorning herself with them - becoming enchanted with her new appearance.

Jewel Song - Gounod

Hannah Macaulay is a Lyric Soprano from Solihull, who studied in Dublin at the Dublin Institute of Technology Conservatory of Music and Drama and most recently Cardiff at the Wales International Academy of Voice under the tutelage of Dennis O'Neill. Whilst at the academy she was fortunate to participate in masterclasses with internationally renowned performers and conductors such as Soprano Dame Kiri te Kanawa, Conductor Richard Bonynge and Soprano Susan Bullock.
In 2016 Hannah was the young artist Amelia in Fulham Opera's Simon Boccanegra, performed her second Verdi role with the company in December 2017, Desdemona in Otello, receiving high acclaim. Tebaldo, in Don Carlo, marks her third Verdi role with Fulham Opera - and her first foray into trouser roles.
This year Hannah has covered Mimi with Flat Pack Music, submerged herself in Woglinde for Fulham Opera’s orchestral workshop of Wagner's Das Rheigold, and joined the Longborough Festival Opera Chorus for Wagner’s Der  Fliegende Holländer. In December she returns to Flat Pack Music as the Sandman and Dew Fairy in Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel, with copious amounts of glitter involved.
Away from opera Hannah lives in Cardiff with a black cat named Buddy and a very patient boyfriend.

Jewel Song - Gounod

Hannah Macaulay Soprano

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