-
School Shit
Kevin candidly presents the highs and lows of a teaching career spanning four decades, and useful advice on how to motivate children to learn. The book is intended to appeal to practising professionals, anyone considering teaching as a career, and those with an interest in what goes on behind school doors. Kevin's style relies heavily on humour, particularly when recalling children's mischievous natures. The fun element is being systematically squeezed out of learning and teaching. Fear of failure underpins the ethos of many of our schools. Children and teachers too often find themselves operating in a stifling educational culture that prioritises performance data. Educational success is defined by the measurable.Child-centred education has become an anachronism. The case is argued that individual children and their unique talents and abilities matter. Radical changes to school practices are advocated if our institutions are to do justice to school populations of the future.
£3.50 -
Running Wild
I have yet to decipher what the word ‘brave’ truly describes, but one thing is evident to me, judging by the number of things that do scare me, I am no braver than the next person.From his early days at Hartbeespoort Snake and Animal Park, to his military conscription during the late ’70s and up to his internationally renowned TV shows on Animal Planet, herpetologist and wildlife photographer Austin Stevens takes us through his extraordinary encounters with some of the world’s most dangerous creatures.Be it staring down a black mamba or trying to retrieve an escaped chimpanzee, these accounts are often exciting and hilarious in equal measure as Stevens dispels the myths surrounding these widely-feared creatures.Running Wild, Stevens’s fourth book, is reflective and personal. He touches on his relationship with his wife Amy, and describes dealing with depression after suffering a string of terrible misfortunes including a horrific car crash, a vicious knife attack and his struggle to rebuild a shattered life.Running Wild is the captivating story of a restless adventurer as he evolves from curator of reptiles, to wildlife photographer, author and film maker. Having faced adversity and mortality more than once, Austin shares with us his reminiscences of past experiences. With never a dull moment, Running Wild will render the reader both fearful and elated.
£3.50 -
Please, Let Me Sleep
Please, Let Me Sleep is a relatable and humorous take on a topic that will surely resonate with readers. As the author candidly shares her experiences, readers will find themselves nodding in agreement and chuckling at the absurdity of it all. In a world where stress seems to be the norm, from mortgages to job insecurity to global conflicts, this book offers a welcome escape from the chaos.Amidst the challenging times we face today, including the COVID pandemic and the rising concerns about school bullying and drug use, parenting can feel like an overwhelming and joyless task. This book offers a lighthearted look at the ups and downs of parenthood, reminding readers that it’s okay to laugh at the challenges we face.The author’s sense of humour and upbeat attitude are evident throughout the book, making it a perfect antidote to the stresses of daily life. Whether you’re looking for a quick laugh or a way to unwind at the end of a long day, Please, Let Me Sleep is sure to leave you feeling relaxed, refreshed, and ready for a peaceful night’s sleep.
£3.50 -
Peter Philips at the Archdukes' Court: Church Music in the Spanish Netherlands
This is the first published study of the church music of Peter Philips, who in his day was regarded as one of the greatest masters of music in Europe. Philips wrote against a background of the strife between Catholics and Protestants, and – being of the Roman persuasion – he chose to leave his native England and eventually settled at the court of the Archdukes Albert and Isabella in Brussels, where he acted as organist. This study explores the manner in which music changed from Renaissance style to that of the early Baroque.
£3.50 -
Not Without Her Children
Leaving family, friends, and all her belongings behind, single mother Mandy, flees from the Netherlands with her two young children. Secretly emigrating to Australia, she escapes her vicious perpetrator to start a new life in a country she had never set foot in before. Mandy’s story spans the globe. In her childhood, she grew up in Africa and her ex-husband, Janus, originally from India, married Mandy to start a new life in Europe. After ten years of marriage, when Mandy finally announced the divorce, she faced Janus’ faked suicide, attempted kidnapping of their children to India and domestic violence. Mandy shielded her children from the ‘ice aged’ child protection system in the Netherlands, which blindly stood up for Janus’ rights with no regard for the suffering this created. To fight for a new life in Australia with her children, Mandy digs deep inside herself. She faces abuse of international law, fighting every step of the way—for her children. They are her everything. A disaster is inevitable, yet, there is hope…
£3.50 -
Not Abandoned Nor Forgotten
Have you ever wondered if God exists?Has your faith been tested to the limit?Is your life in a dark place despite having faith?Are you waiting for answers to prayers?Are you feeling hopeless, still waiting for breakthrough?Lynn Attwood engages readers through vivid descriptions of rejection, health issues, torment and despair, thwarted opportunities and a life which, essentially, was a ‘wilderness experience’ in which she felt separated from God and isolated from others. Quotations from Scripture illustrate God’s promises and intentions and how these were evident in her life during specific time periods and critical events.Having faith, Lynn persevered in prayer, holding fast to God’s promises. Eventually her life changed. Hope is stirred as Lynn’s experiences unfold to reveal the heart of God.If you want your life to change, draw inspiration from how God turned Lynn’s life around.Through her own story, Lynn illustrates the truth of God’s word in her life – His love, faithfulness, goodness and mercy.
£3.50 -
My Life Without Drink
In My Life Without Drink the author takes the reader through a life where insecurity in childhood is carried forward to the adult years when alcohol is taken up as a means of coping. Through marriage, childbirth, estrangement and brushes with the law, the author slides in and out of dependency but always succumbs to the craving described as trying “to get that ‘high’ feeling again and again but it is well-nigh impossible.”How she turns things around must be an inspiration to those who can see no way out of a terrible ‘disease’ that can afflict anyone at any time.A short book on a long and painful story with an ending full of hope: “I walked out free and have been sober for seventeen years.”The author has also written a delightful children’s story called ‘Bertie the Croc’, which you will find towards the end of this book.
£3.50 -
My Friend the Horse
Alex Atock was born in Dublin in 1932 and graduated from the Veterinary College of Ireland in 1958. His love for all things equine commenced as a small child and continued throughout his life. This book will take the reader through his veterinary life, from his initial years in general practice, to veterinary officer of the Irish Turf Club, head of the Veterinary Department of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), consultant to the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, and, finally, consultant to World Horse Welfare. The latter took him from the elite world of thoroughbred horse racing and international equestrian sport to assisting underprivileged working equines and their owners in developing countries.Throughout his time with the FEI, Alex worked closely with the European Union and was actively involved with the conception of FEI relations with World Horse Welfare, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and the International Federation of Racing Authorities.
£3.50 -
Memories of the Way We Were
I stood in front of the headstone which read ‘Rita Rocca Nee Tomlin (15/6/1942 - 21/10/2020)’ and thought, ‘Is this all there is? Her name on a headstone with mine to follow.’I remembered a warm May Day in 1948, when we both kneeled at the same altar waiting for a priest to give us our first taste of Jesus.She, in her white dress, was wondering if the day would yield enough for a new doll and pram, while I wondered if mine would yield enough for roller skates and maybe a new football.I recalled the honeymoon in Jersey in 1963, Miss World at the Royal Albert Hall in 1980, and the ball that followed at the Savoy Hotel.I said, “Sorry girl, I can’t give you a Taj Mahal, but I will write a book, which will hopefully make us more than just names on a tombstone.”
£3.50 -
Last Touch
Dean Jamieson was murdered on 04/04/2006, leaving an irreplaceable void in the lives of those who held him dear. Dean's mother, Josephine, pens a devastating novel that is a deeply intimate and personal examination of the life and death of her child and the grief that accompanies such a loss.Jamieson critiques the landscape following an untimely death; the support of the social sector and the police, the role of the media and reportage and the effect on family.Jamieson's prose, whilst at times visceral, portrays the emotional weight of burying a child but offers, amongst the darkness, hope. This is a work, whilst being intimate, that transcends the personal and offers solidarity to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one.
£3.50 -
Kommunalka Child
Nine months after she was conceived as a way to contribute to population growth, just like every other Soviet kid, Kommunalka Child was harvested from a cabbage patch. She was brought up in a bilingual family in a communal apartment in Riga. As she was searching for a place in the world, the Soviet way of life slowly collapsed in the face of Western luxuries.Kommunalka Child takes its time-travellers onboard and triggers the reader’s personal memories and senses of smell, taste and touch. The cinematic storytelling in these funny, touching, embarrassing and absurd illustrated micro-memoirs reveals what life was like in the last decade of the Soviet Union, all through the eyes of a Latvian child.
£3.50 -
Kicking on
Kicking On by Andrew Jobling is the account of one man's journey from a very unlikely professional footballer to personal trainer, cafe owner and finally ‘Accidental Author'.Funny, candid and poignant, Kicking On is a fly-on-the-wall account of life as a young sportsman and the personal journey which ensues for Andrew Jobling following his dismissal from the St Kilda Football Club. The author's self-awareness and observation has led to this frank and humorous account of self-development, life's highs and lows, honesty and a desire ultimately to share his experiences and acquired wisdom with the wider world. This is the great debate about how much is fate and how much of life comes down to our own choices. What comes across strongly in Kicking On is the desire to teach, inform and to instruct - because Andrew Jobling has found the true meaning of life and his life in particular, an understanding which many search for and which pass some by completely. Pithy and without self-pity, this book will shed a little light into the lives of everyone who reads it.
£3.50
Discover