-
My Life, and Its Ups and Downs
Who would have thought that growing up could be such fun? Especially in a village where you knew everyone, and we all looked out for each other. It appears with today’s hardships and crime that the fifties were the best years to be alive. It was safe to walk about the streets, even as a five-year-old at school. The pace of life was a lot slower and more genteel. Not so many cars were on the roads, and jobs were easy to change if you didn’t like the one you were in.
In this heartwarming memoir, Anna Goddard takes us through the ups and downs of her life journey, from her humble beginnings in a Kentish village to her varied career pursuits, whirlwind romances, and the joys and challenges of raising a young family. With refreshing candour and humour, Anna reflects on coming of age in post-war Britain, training as a nurse, her unplanned twin pregnancy, and navigating young motherhood. As times change, so do attitudes, fashions, and relationships. Through it all, Anna retains her wit, warmth, and lust for life.
Brimming with nostalgia and hard-won wisdom, this is the story of an ordinary yet extraordinary woman making her way through extraordinary times. Her account offers a window into a bygone era and reminds us of the resilience of the human spirit.
£3.50 -
Hanging on the Ledge of Life
Out of the ranks of the middle class, wise honest leaders will rise.
Truckers, labourers, bikers, night club bouncers, football players and soldiers.
Read this book to see how such people who once lived by a code can make North America great again by embracing new careers in religion and or politics.
£3.50 -
The Essence and Duke Ellington
I worked, toured, and recorded with Duke Ellington for the last two years of his life – a period that was the highlight of my career. In my memoirs, The Essence and Duke Ellington, I aim to convey the spirit within the heart of the jazz musician, particularly Duke Ellington. I want to show what drove him and other musicians, past and present, to play and compose this wonderful music. I also depict Duke Ellington’s greatness as a human being, not as some super-human being, which he may well have been. I recount stories and reflect on my own experiences, expounding on what working with and learning from him and so many other jazz greats has meant to me.
£3.50 -
Yarns and Laughter
Imagine seeing the beauty of an outback sunrise or sunset, native desert animals doing what they do: scaring the hell out of you! While you are reading the yarns I have lived. The desert and the traditional Aboriginal people who live there won my respect and heart. The native animals were delightful to observe in their natural habitat. My favourites are the wedge tail eagles, who fly majestically in the sky, and the emus. The emu has it down pat! The female lays the eggs, and the male takes over from there with the incubating and raising the chicks. Have fun reading my yarns.
£3.50 -
From Crash to Cash, Caravans and Cruises
In this concise yet profound memoir, I share a true and vivid snapshot of a transformative period in my life, spanning from 1993 to the present. This journey begins with a life-altering car crash, an event that reshaped my existence in unimaginable ways. The book candidly explores my arduous path to recovery, weaving together the pain and the unexpected humour that accompanied me along the way.Delving into four key areas of my experiences, I offer a rich tapestry of insights gained. The narrative doesn’t shy away from the raw and real, exploring various behavioural patterns and challenging situations I encountered, and my efforts to understand and confront them.Encouraged by friends and colleagues who found my stories both intriguing and inspiring, I was motivated to pen this book. My aim has been to encapsulate the essence of these experiences, maintaining a gripping narrative that leaves readers eagerly turning each page, hungry for more.
£3.50 -
Hijabs, Hitchhiking and Hangovers: Lessons from Iran
‘Are you foreign? Why would you come to Iran? Please tell your friends back home that we are nothing like the Western media.’
These were among the phrases that Rose would hear almost daily in Tehran.
Hijabs, Hitchhiking and Hangovers: Lessons from Iran is a coming-of-age travel adventure. At the age of 20, Rose was part of the first group of Cambridge students to study in Iran after Iran re-opened its borders to the West. Navigating Foreign Office warnings and nuclear sanctions, she was at first a rather reluctant traveller, overwhelmed by the culture clashes, language barriers and Islamic law.
Through a collection of short stories, Rose tells of how she makes a home in Iran, experiences unexpected kindness and gets to grips with the Farsi language. At times amusing and at others, tragically telling of the harsh realities of Iranian society, Hijabs, Hitchhiking and Hangovers is a gripping account of self-reliance and the often dangerous impact of politics on travel abroad.
£3.50 -
Memories of a Clackmannan Lad 1947 – 1958
A childhood experience, from the 1940s post-war infant years to the raging 1950s. My mother told me that I had actually come into the world with a bang. It happened during one very early morning in 1943 when German bombers were flying overhead, and the spent rounds of anti-aircraft bullets were clattering on the tiled roof above her. Dad also said that he could hear bombs dropping somewhere between Edinburgh and Glasgow. So, it seems that I had come into the world with a bang! A few years later, I was to enter another experience: the teenage years.
£3.50 -
Walking the Camera in the South Pennines
The South Pennines covers the hill country between Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire, easily accessible but less well known than other walking hot spots. This is an area of high moorland with deep, often wooded valleys and drained by fast-flowing rivers such as the Colne and Calder.
Early textile industry took place in isolated farms and small collections of houses dotted around the countryside, where income from farming often marginal land was supplemented by handloom weaving; the workshops often ran along the top storey of a terrace of cottages with the typical rows of mullioned windows.
There were so many of these isolated settlements with people needing to travel between them and to the cloth markets, such as Halifax’s magnificent PIece Hall, that there is a dense network of footpaths, so inviting for exploration on foot.
Later, textile production moved to water-driven mills, now abandoned but providing a unique landscape as they are being reclaimed by nature, such as at Crimsworth Dene or Healey Dell. Steam power using the plentiful water and coal resources meant that huge factories could be built for textile production; these are themselves now being adapted for other uses, including housing such as the Titanic Mill at Slaithwaite.
Stuart and his wife Jean spent many hours walking the paths and byways of this magical area, with Stuart’s camera recording the many beautiful and interesting sights they encountered. This book is a testament to a couple’s love of rambling for almost 40 years in the magical South Pennines.
£3.50 -
The Tale of a Tale
The Tale of a Tale is a companion to The Tale of a Hip (published 2018). It expands on the theme of taking up ballroom dancing seriously in middle age, and the problem of misaligned bones, a limiting factor in many aspects of Pamela’s life, leading ultimately to hip replacement. Despite difficulties, she and John go on to take professional exams in both ballroom and Latin American dancing, and teach for more than twenty years, offering the joy, companionship, and relief from worldly cares they have experienced themselves to a large number of people.
A second strand of the book follows major current events, notably Brexit and COVID-19, and shows an old person’s take on social change, and the march of technology. Controversial issues related to equality and diversity are explored from a then-and-now perspective, with humour, and respect.
£3.50 -
The Story of My Working Life
Embark on a riveting journey of ambition and valour that takes a young sailor from the humblest beginnings in the Merchant Navy to the apex of the marine world. This tale of ascent is punctuated by thrilling perils at sea: accidents, collisions, blazes, and even the perils of war.
As the first North Sea Oil makes landfall in Orkney, our protagonist steers mammoth oil tankers through some of the planet’s most treacherous waters, skilfully averting near-catastrophes and environmental hazards with expertise. His career crescendos as he assumes the mantle of authority over one of the U.K.’s most multifaceted Harbour Authorities, overseeing port operations, towage, ferries, and the burgeoning oil sector.
A highlight of his tenure includes securing the prestigious BP contract to tranship the first North Atlantic Crude Oil into the Flotta Oil Terminal, a testament to his professional acumen. This narrative is a testament to the power of resolve, proving that with unwavering dedication, the path to extraordinary achievement is always navigable.
£3.50 -
To Live a Life
A true story of hope, belief, failure, need and greed – one person’s struggle with addiction and their road to redemption.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live on the ‘other side’ or longed to change your life? In To Live a Life, the author offers an unflinching tale of experimenting with drugs and alcohol in pursuit of getting ‘out there’… only to discover once immersed, there seems no way back.
This raw memoir leads readers on a turbulent journey of addiction battling emotion, clinging to life, and ultimately seeking survival. Travel the so-called ‘rocky road’ of substance abuse leading to utter dependence...when you’d do ‘anything’ to ‘get on,’ followed by the agonizing revelation you’d now give anything to “get off.
More than an addiction story, this is a universal testament to the human capacity for change and the power of community in bettering our lives when we’ve lost our way. There is always hope if we want it badly enough.
£3.50 -
The Importance Of Being Me: A Trans Reality
The Importance of Being Me: A Trans Reality is an essential guide for anyone navigating the complexities of gender identity. Whether you’re a parent of a child questioning their gender, a teenager contemplating a transition, or someone seeking clarity on the gender/sex debate, this book offers valuable insights. It delves into the experiences of those who have journeyed through ‘Transing’ or, as the author terms it, authenticating their true selves. This book is a vital resource for understanding and embracing the nuances of gender identity.
£3.50