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Equine Fever
Many children go through a horse mad phase but for some it becomes a lifelong obsession. Although this often meets with parental and educational opposition it is amazing how enriching the horse world can be. First and foremost it “knocks the spots off you,” and if you survive you have to grow up fast. Horses are also a great leveller and no truer saying than “pride goeth before a fall,” as they teach you humility. They also teach patience, the power of love and the value of consistency. Horses, like us, are creatures of habit and as with humans the objective is to create good habits. The bad habits, as we all know only too well, are hard to change.
Apart from personal fulfilment they open all kind of opportunities, to meet interesting people, to observe and learn from the world’s experts, to travel, to enjoy our achievements, to cope with our failures and, above all, to have amazing adventures.
£10.99 -
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley was born on January 8th, 1935, in a shack in Tupelo, Mississippi. Though he was born a twin, his brother – who had been named Jess Garon – was tragically stillborn. Elvis died on August 16th, 1977, at the age of just 42, in his Graceland mansion. His death marked something significant in the collective mind, like the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, or Martin Luther King.
Conspiracy theories took off about the circumstances surrounding his death: Was Elvis murdered by the mob? Was his death faked? Did Elvis commit suicide? Is he still alive? This book sheds new light on many of these questions, while also celebrating his music and legacy.
Elvis Presley played a central and vital role in the development of Rockabilly music, drawing as he did on a vast range of styles, from the Gospel music of his southern youth to the country music of the Midwest. This book is dedicated to Elvis: the artist, the human being, and The King.
£13.99 -
Elgar's Secret Lover
When old friend Arnold Chater Q.C. sends retired Norwegian Judge Christofferson a yellowing manuscript with the mysterious initials G.B. on the first page, the latter starts a quest to seek the truth about British composer Sir Edward Elgar’s secret muse in his masterpiece, the Enigma Variations, and whether he fathered an illegitimate child. Fascinated with riddles and puzzles, the composer was in the habit of leaving a series of codes denoting the inspiration for his timeless compositions. But in the Enigma Variations, Elgar forsook his usual practice of inserting initials to honour his muse, explicitly refusing to name his great love by using a mysterious ellipsis. Cheekily, he gives a clue about his inspiration in the violin concerto with the words, ‘Here is enshrined the soul of …’ Chris Nicholson’s seminal musical thriller weaves an amazing tale with enigmas piled on riddles. He flagrantly delights in leading readers on a breathless chase of the women who were extraordinarily important in Elgar’s life. At the same time, he also unmasks Elgar as a man who hid himself and his intimate affairs behind a mask of respectability. Nicholson is merciless in the details of Elgar’s life, loves and music, deciphering all the clues and delivering the final judgment as only he can.Chris Nicholson is a retired judge and author of seven books.
£11.99 -
Elephant on Main Street
This is this story of Eamon, a little boy growing up in Northern Ireland in the sixties, before he succumbed to Leukaemia, a few months short of his seventh birthday. The book describes specific aspects of his short but remarkable life, all written from his perspective. Each chapter has a footnote which charts the history of the conquest of childhood leukaemia which commenced during his lifetime. The book is based around actual events and things which Eamon said and did which have been passed down. Eamon has the benefit of perspective, so he can describe events that have yet to happen which have a bearing on the life of his family.
£8.99 -
Edward Jenner – the Original Vaccinator
Dr. Edward Jenner was a man who has saved millions of lives due to his discovery of cowpox as the most effective treatment for the killer disease of smallpox.
Born in 1749, he was orphaned at the age of five years, his parents both dying within two months of each other in 1754. He was sent away to boarding school at the age of eight years, and whilst there was subjected to be inoculated with a small amount of smallpox which was the standard treatment of the day, although it was a matter of luck as to whether the patient survived or not. He suffered side effects that haunted him to his dying day.
Luckily for us, he survived his ordeal, and as an adult, he dedicated his life to finding a more effective and much safer cure for smallpox and despite a great deal of opposition from some of his medical colleagues, found the cure and in 1980, the World Health Organisation officially announced that smallpox had finally been eliminated.
There is a statue of him in Gloucester Cathedral and sadly visitors to the cathedral know little or nothing about him. As the 200th anniversary of his death in 1823 approaches, this book attempts to show the reader how much we owe him.
£9.99 -
Drivin’ Daughters and Parkinson’s
“I have Parkinson’s Disease…”
The words kept hitting me like a hammer on my forehead.
Parkinson’s Disease… PARKINSON’S DISEASE… PARKINSON’S DISEASE.
When Marco Preshevski was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, his life fell to pieces. He had just turned 30 years old.
Drivin’ Daughters and Parkinson’s is the remarkable story of Marco’s rollercoaster journey through life before, during and after his diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. Beginning on that fateful day in March 2001, Marco tells the fascinating story of how Parkinson’s Disease slipped into his life, how it made its presence known and the unending battle he has fought balancing symptom relief with side effect control, using various medications and cutting-edge surgery.
Marco explains in detail the destructive psychological consequences he experienced at the hands of Parkinson’s and the devastating effect this had on his personal relationships. Often going into deep, intimate detail, Marco tells us how Parkinson’s Disease drove him to the edge of his life, until he discovered the reason for his existence on earth.
Told through the eyes of an ‘ordinary’ man, Drivin’ Daughters and Parkinson’s is a fresh look at personal experience of this difficult-to-handle medical condition. Hilarious, wholly inspirational and at times difficult to believe, this book should be read by anyone whose life has been touched by Parkinson’s, by those who want to understand the disease better and by those who want to appreciate the patient’s point of view.
£9.99 -
Driving a Cat to Portugal and Building a House When We Get There
While waiting to board a plane for our annual holiday, my wife and I exchanged a few words,
Me: ‘Where’s Faro?’
Wife: ‘Portugal.’
Little did we know, that fleeting conversation would lay the blueprint for our future. Soon, the allure of Portugal would not only inspire our next holiday destination, it would beckon us to transform a passing fancy into a permanent address in the sun-kissed hills of São Brás de Alportel.
Amidst our major life decisions, the laughs, the frowns, the ups and downs, Marli (our much loved cat, who was prone to car sickness) takes centre stage. From her early years in Slaithwaite, Huddersfield, UK, to her sunlit retirement in Portugal, Marli’s journey mirrors our own, from idealism to realism, (with pit-stops at Bafflement, Bliss, Disappointment and Delight).
Follow our tale from whimsical date-night daydreams to the concrete steps of buying land and building a home in a foreign country. This narrative isn’t just about relocating- it’s a candid and humorous exploration of love, hope, challenges, and the sheer unpredictability of life.
We had a dream, we had each other, and we had Marli.
What could possibly go wrong?
£9.99 -
Dreams, Disasters and Joy
This is a book written on a spur of the moment and under unique circumstances which led to a totally out-of-character plan to travel the world on a shoe-string budget. This book recounts the triumphs and travails of this two-year idea becoming a reality. Their extravagant plan was entirely out of the ordinary for a teacher and a probation officer, as neither had been particularly adventurous beforehand. But sometimes dreams can be a powerful driving force, and one which led these two on one of the most fantastic, and chaotic, journeys that they could ever have imagined.
£7.99 -
Dreams of Taboo
This book will entertain, inform, and emotionally move its reader and provide healing. It certainly is not a lecture but a look at a survivor’s struggle with certain areas in life that are not so easy for an abuse victim. It is a look at a person’s career in a very competitive job and spiritual growth. This is a troubling subject treated with sensitivity along with down-to-earth humour along the way. It would clear some of our jails and make a safer world, for our children. We’ve recognised, more or less, the existence of institutional abuse of children, but have a long way to go on the subject of familial abuse. It is prevalent and it won’t leave our lives unless light is shone on this subject, which nobody really wants to look at. We will, I’m sure.
£14.99 -
Drawn to the Light
Drawn to the Light is a captivating memoir that chronicles the life of an empathic child born into a loving and psychic family. From the author’s birth, readers will follow her journey of discovering spirituality and finding her place in the spiritual world.
This book is a collection of powerful experiences, ranging from psychic and spiritual to the everyday moments that shape us into who we are. Through sharing her story, the author hopes to inspire others who are also on their spiritual path.
While the author’s spiritual journey began in earnest when she joined a Spiritual Development and Meditation Group in 2001, her growth has continued to flourish in the years since then. In this book, readers will find inspiration and guidance for their own spiritual journey.
With quotes from spiritual luminaries like Neale Donald Walsh and Natasha Hoffman, Drawn to the Light offers a unique perspective on the difference between religion and spirituality, and how finding one’s own spiritual truth can unite us all. This memoir is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of their own spiritual path.
£6.99 -
Drawing Breath
A book of memories.
Growing up in the 1950s and 60s, childhood is peppered with untold freedom and strict codes of behaviour. There are fears of not being accepted, not conforming and for those suffering from gender dysphoria, there is nowhere to turn.
A convent education brings Jennifer intense friendships, unrequited love and tussles with belief and disbelief in a higher being. She finds diversion in play acting and searching for adventure in the role of her alter ego.
Emerging from the protective arms of a white middle class family, she confronts the harsh realities of life with a charismatic young man as her cicerone. After four years of teaching bring feelings of inadequacy, of not being up to the job and finding no place in heterosexual British society, Jennifer decides to start afresh and to leave England.
£9.99 -
Don't Take Care, Take Risks
Having lost the love of my life and feeling my world had ended, I asked God, “Lord, is this all you have for my life?” and two weeks later, Canon Andrew White, the vicar of Baghdad, asked me to ring. I didn’t know him but I rang and he asked me if I had heard of Saddam Hussein and explained that the judge who sentenced him to death, minster of justice for Iraq, Mr Raouf was coming to Spires Hospital Southampton for an operation and God told him I was to host him and his family. I thought it was windup, but I was to find out it was true…and this began a journey and friendships that are still ongoing ten years later. Read the story and find out what happened.
£13.99