A Giraffe Called Stretch

Stretch was a huge, playful, gangly, hungry young giraffe! But he was also nosy, inquisitive, curious and adventurous…his big long neck enabled him to put his nose into places it maybe shouldn’t be put.

He lived in a big safari park in South Africa, and every time he strolled past the Lodge kitchen, Stretch could smell delicious smells coming his way! Even though he knew he shouldn’t put his nose into other people’s business, Stretch just couldn’t help but find a way.

Find out what happens next. What kind of trouble does Stretch get into in the kitchen?

Join Stretch to learn about being nosy.

A Girl Named Elise

On the first day back at school, Olly (15) is introduced to Elise, a girl who shares his obsessions with stories. Their first interaction is Elise sliding a note to him, introducing herself as if she’s telling a story. From that moment on, they build a friendship based on their love of stories and the powerful emotions they convey through them.

A Glimmer of Hope

This is a true account of what I thought was a second chance of love and happiness after a sequence of life altering events. I was ready to begin a new chapter in my life, and that is exactly how it began. Little did I know that my vulnerability was being taken advantage of, for what I thought was a blossoming new relationship quickly turned into a violent and fearful fight for survival after three years.

I have recorded my story in the hope to raise awareness about domestic abuse but to also show any survivors that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Here is my story.

A Glimpse of North Sudan

North Sudan is a largely unknown, thought-to-be-unsafe land. A Glimpse of North Sudan aims to correct that. This book is far more than a travelogue. From diaries and photographs of a safe, non-alcoholic, wonderful holiday, it tells of a short tour of a smiling poor people with an ancient, frequently violent history, pyramids and tombs in royal cemeteries with wonderful paintings and reliefs to behold. It is a largely desert country but where the Blue and White Niles combine to form a majestic life-giving river on its way to the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, there are descriptions of black Sudanese pharaohs of Egypt, the lifestyle of a Bedouin family along with British involvement in ruling the country (a section on the Battle of Omdurman led by Kitchener with a young, ambitious Winston Churchill in the ranks) and of the civil wars since independence in 1956. Finally, it suggests a way out of the cul-de-sac of poverty and deprivation. This book is a must-read for the general-interest reader of a forgotten, though fascinating, land.

A Good Rest for Some

Good Rest Care Home, “A luxury converted manor house where residents are well looked after by experienced, caring and compassionate staff. Let your loved ones stay here in safety, in superbly decorated accommodation single en suite bedrooms are decorated to a high standard and residents are encouraged to bring in their own possessions to personalise their rooms.”

A country home where residents are safe... aren't they?

Things go badly wrong when residents start losing their possessions from their rooms. And when four residents die, the deaths are attributed to natural causes. But three members of staff are not convinced, so they undertake their own investigation.

With an unconcerned manager and a mysterious doctor, the three discover that the residents are not in safe hands and are in danger of dying before their time.

Who is the person or persons responsible? Can the three staff members find out before any more untimely deaths?

A Guiding Light from Heaven

The book is a charming and delightful story involving a mum and her little girl with an important message of courage, love, and belief.

The illustrations are bold and colourful, bringing life to each page in the story. Children will enjoy the book and the message it brings while parents can reinforce the message that they too want to instil in their children. This book is highly recommended for home and school libraries alike.

A Handbook for New Company Directors

Ever wanted to be a company director? Want to find out exactly what company directors do? This is a handbook for new board directors. It gives a thorough grounding in what a new board director (private, government and not-for-profit) needs to know to become and operate as a functioning, professional company board director. It is also a useful handbook and instruction manual for the experienced director to refer to for those complex and difficult decisions.

A Happé Ending

Every life comes to an end. It's inevitable. But not all deaths have to mean the end, they can also create new beginnings. When Nicola met Pete in her local pub, she never thought they'd be married with two kids within three years and she'd be widowed within ten. This is a true story of life, death, sadness, grief, irony and strength. And ultimately happiness. Life isn't easy and dealing with death is even harder.

A Ha’penny Will Do

Love, dreams and destitution.

Three members of one family are linked by their struggle to survive poverty and war at the turn of the century.

Kate, a homesick, lonely Irish immigrant, dreams of being a writer. After difficult times in Liverpool, she comes to London looking for a better life. Hoping to escape from a life of domestic service into marriage and motherhood, she meets charming rogue, William Duffield. Despite her worries about his uncertain temperament, she becomes involved with him. Will it be an escape or a prison?

Fred is a restless elder son, devoted to his mother yet locked in a tempestuous relationship with his father. War intervenes and he secretly signs up to serve abroad. Is his bad reputation deserved? What will become of him?

Joe, too young to sign up for WW1, is left to endure the hardships of war on the home front and deal with his own guilt at not being able to serve. He starts an innocent friendship with his sister-in-law which sustains him through hard times. Will he survive the bombs, the riots, the rationing and find true love in the end?

These are their intertwined and interlocking stories told through the medium of diaries, letters and personal recollections, based on the author’s family history covering the period of 1879–1920. The truth is never plain and rarely simple.

A Heart of Glass

This eclectic collection of poems invites you to sit at a table and feast along at a banquet of thoughts, desires and dreams. Each theme spotlights some untested message about identity, mental health, love and being, giving a lucid perspective to otherwise complex matters. The vulnerable, delicate and emotional poems coupled with the author’s transparency about her own experiences have informed the title A Heart of Glass. She employs simple rhythms and imagery to explore regular but intriguing characters set in plots that allow the richness of their stories to become real. This body of writing comes unrestricted and ready to spark – regardless if it is a conversation, thought or a long-lost memory...

A History of London Boroughs Through Beer Goggles (South East Edition)

Discover facts, fiction, trivia and history of some of London’s boroughs that you may not have known before.

All of this done whilst visiting some very interesting pubs and getting some exercise to boot!

Why not read and discover about a reputed spy for Russia, who lived in a quiet suburb unbeknownst to her neighbours for decades after WWII? Or learn about Her Majesty the Queen’s beasts and what they mean? Find out about the Fighting Temeraire and the part it played in the Battle of Trafalgar. And finally, uncover the Great Fires of London, but not the one everyone talks about.

A wealth of factoids which will astound your friends and family and could very well prepare you for some quiz nights!

A Hitchhiker's Triptych

John Gardiner worked as a journalist and media advisor for more than 40 years. He has travelled extensively across the world throughout his life. His book A Hitchhiker’s Triptych covers six months of his first journey into England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland during the turbulent days of the early 1970s. It was the time of the Troubles in Ireland. The Arabs also were holding the West to ransom with oil embargoes. John wanders head-on into these and other major world issues during his hitchhiking adventures.

His book is a superb exploration of life on the road during the 1970s. How easy it was to hitchhike in those days. Stick out a thumb and land a ride. A Hitchhiker’s Triptych is intriguing. It explores a wanderer’s life during far simpler times. Decades before the internet and instant news feeds. This is a journey pre-digital. A step back in time where adventure is achieved simply by standing beside a highway and sticking out a thumb. Wonders and wisdom found over that next hill.