Books published by publisher Avid Audiobooks

'An irresistible, laughter-inducing romp' - "Sunday Times Good evening." Ok, this book's a bit hard to describe. There's this gingerbread man with electric muscles, see? And he's as rich as a mushroom, right? And Mr Gum and Billy William are planning to get the cash, yeah? And it's up to Polly to save the day. And there's a funfair and hot dogs, and Friday O'Leary shouts out some crazy stuff, and...hey, that wasn't so hard to describe after all. Mr Gum is back and as nasty as ever in this second hilarious story, read by the author and with music and sound effects.

When Commissario Brunetti is visited by a young bureaucrat investigating the lack of official approval for the building of his apartment years before, his first reaction, like any other Venetian, is to think of whom he knows who might bring pressure to bear on the relevant local government department. But when the bureaucrat rings Brunetti at work, scared, and is then found dead after a fall from scaffolding, something is clearly going on that has implications rather greater than the fate of Guido's own apartment...

This title includes three more original stories from the Reverend W. Awdry's bestselling "Railway Series", read by Michael Angelis, narrator of TV's "Thomas & Friends". "Duck and the Diesel Engine": the other engines are getting a little tired of Duck's know-it-all attitude and are pleased when a smooth-talking engine called Diesel arrives to help out. But when Duck shows him up, Diesel vows revenge. "The Little Old Engine": Skarloey returns from being repaired to discover that there are two new engines on the railway. Rusty the diesel is friendly and helpful - but Duncan is boisterous, careless and rude. "The Twin Engines": the Fat Controller orders an extra engine to help out, but is surprised when two engines arrive instead. Will Duncan or Douglas get to stay? This title includes music, sound effects and original "Thomas" songs.

Far, far away, jutting out into the emptiness beyond, lies the Edge. Filled with strange peoples and terrifying creatures, this is a world unlike any other, where action–and danger–await at every turn. Abandoned at birth in the dangerous Deepwoods, young Twig has been brought up by a family of woodtrolls. He has always thought he was one of them, until, one cold night, he finds out he’s not. Soon he sets off to find out who he really is, and he does the unthinkable–he strays from the path.So begins the heart-stopping adventure that will take Twig through a nightmarish world of goblins and trogs, bloodthirsty beasts and flesh-eating trees. Only two things keep Twig going: the hopes of discovering his true identity and finding his destiny. Step to the Edge and enter a thrilling new fantasy series filled with amazing characters and unimaginable adventures--and see for yourself what lies beyond!

Decline can be avoided.Decline can be detected.Decline can be reversed.Amidst the desolate landscape of fallen great companies, Jim Collins began to wonder: How do the mighty fall? Can decline be detected early and avoided? How far can a company fall before the path toward doom becomes inevitable and unshakable? How can companies reverse course?In How the Mighty Fall, Collins confronts these questions, offering leaders the well-founded hope that they can learn how to stave off decline and, if they find themselves falling, reverse their course. Collins' research project-more than four years in duration-uncovered five step-wise stages of decline: Stage 1: Hubris Born of SuccessStage 2: Undisciplined Pursuit of MoreStage 3: Denial of Risk and PerilStage 4: Grasping for SalvationStage 5: Capitulation to Irrelevance or DeathBy understanding these stages of decline, leaders can substantially reduce their chances of falling all the way to the bottom.Great companies can stumble, badly, and recover.Every institution, no matter how great, is vulnerable to decline. There is no law of nature that the most powerful will inevitably remain at the top. Anyone can fall and most eventually do. But, as Collins' research emphasizes, some companies do indeed recover-in some cases, coming back even stronger-even after having crashed into the depths of Stage 4.Decline, it turns out, is largely self-inflicted, and the path to recovery lies largely within our own hands. We are not imprisoned by our circumstances, our history, or even our staggering defeats along the way. As long as we never get entirely knocked out of the game, hope always remains. The mighty can fall, but they can often rise again.

On the night of the decade's worst blizzard, a local farm boy discovers the naked body of a beautiful young woman in the snow. Seventeen years later, the Virgin of Small Plains has become a local myth. Strange miracles have visited those who faithfully tend to her grave and Small Plains becomes a haven for those hoping the Virgin will cure them. But soon strange and sinister events unfold. What really happened seventeen years ago? And why are some of the town's leading citizens so determined that the truth remain buried?