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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.
£14.99 -
From Rehab to Life
Whether in or out of trouble, please say this serenity prayer on a daily basis: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference." Thy will be done.
£12.99 -
Fear, Hunger and Hope
As World War II drew to a close, the German city of Goerlitz became divided along its river; the right bank assimilated into Communist Poland and the left bank into remaining Germany before eventually becoming part of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).Christa-Sheila Duggal was born here a few years before, in 1937. She writes of her formative years under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers' Party and how it impacted her and her family.As her family attempted to piece together their lives after the turmoil of the war, Duggal returned to school to a new message from teachers about the marvels of communism; her city by then was divided more than merely the river which ran through it.In Fear, Hunger and Hope, Duggal uses an intriguing blend of memories and anecdotes and a keen eye for historical fact to craft this fascinating memoir of a childhood lived in a turbulent, divided city. It is a truly unique, first-hand chronicle of 20th century history.
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Daphne Du Maurier: Looking Inward
In this well-researched and crafted study of Daphne du Maurier's novels and short stories, author Teresa Petersen explores the possibility that incest is at the core of du Maurier's craft. Her argument is that the theme of incest occurs so frequently that it is not a coincidence.Weaving an analysis of du Maurier's personal history with her well-known novels and short stories, Petersen contends that the writer's intense relationship with her father, Gerald, and to a lesser extent, her much older cousin, Geoffrey, shaped the narrative of all that she wrote.From the subtle father-daughter marriage in Rebecca to the grotesque infanticide in The Progress of Julius to the revelatory short story, 'A Border-Line Case', Petersen makes a clear argument that will have readers reconsidering du Maurier's works from a completely different angle.
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Burberry Days
At the end of the 1950s the 100-year-old clothing firm Burberry was a troubled company with an uncertain future, whose new owners did not know what to do with it once they had secured it.Brian Kitson joined Burberry in 1958 expecting a temporary summer job and stayed for over twenty years. His research into the company's distinguished past, encouraged by the last Mr Burberry, began to suggest a possible direction for regeneration...Written with great verve and wit, Burberry Days tells of the author's unexpected adventures as an international travelling Burberry salesman throughout the 1960s and '70s, as well as exploring the origins of the company's emblematic trench coat and the familiar house check.The book also offers some controversial reasons why Britain, with so much to offer - from the Savile Row suit, the Jermyn Street shirt and Scottish cashmere to workforce skills and great design talent - can still only count Burberry in the premier league of international fashion houses.
£13.99 -
Beef Cubes And Burdock
The rural landscape of John Phillpott’s boyhood has changed irrevocably over the last half-century.The elm – that celebrated ‘Warwickshire Weed’ of folklore – has been lost to disease, urban sprawl continues apace and motorways now disturb the tranquillity of fields that once knew only the sound of cattle, birdsong and the rumble of the farmer’s tractor.But paradise lost? Not quite, because the river flows on through the valley as it has done for millennia, the rook ‘parliaments’ can still be seen high overhead and the bells of the church that has stood on the hill looking out over the Swift Valley for a thousand years still call out to the faithful.Beef Cubes and Burdock is an affectionate glance over the shoulder back to a time when the pace of life was still dictated by the rhythm of the seasons rather than the touch of a computer keyboard.
£12.99 -
Animal and Client Encounters
Qualifying as a veterinary surgeon over 50 years ago, James has seen enormous changes in his work of a general practitioner. From being a student learning from James Herriot through general practice to involvement with university life, the author has had an extremely busy life that encompassed many exciting, humorous, and quite often dangerous experiences!The elation and satisfaction of successful outcomes as well as the sadness of end-of-life scenarios are all portrayed together with the hardships and rigour of working on farms in adverse weather conditions.This is balanced by the recounting of the many, often self-deprecating, humorous episodes that made up the daily life of this vet. Although gentle fun is conveyed in the majority of the stories, it is not at the expense of nor the dignity of the clients, all of whom were greatly respected.Life was never dull and the unexpected was only ever a phone call away.
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An IT Contractor Life
This book is an excursus of Max’s career in both data and analytics, in general I.T., and the heavy metal underground of Italy in the mid-80s. This dichotomy has characterised Max’s adult life, which is highlighted in the book and everything Max does with his spare time. Sometime filled with sad moments, some hilarious stories and some great advice for I.T. professionals and metal heads alike, it’s mainly the story of a man like you and me who cannot say no to anybody and has a focus and resilience that only a few possess.
£11.99 -
An Austro-German as an Englishman. A Life, Times, and Commentaries
Through three distinct stages of his life the author narrates his compelling story through the complex and fascinating prism of an Austro-German heritage and psyche, transposed onto an English environment and upbringing. This Autobiography charts a life from 1938 till 2014 and takes stock, with forensic and contemplative detail, of 20th- and 21st-century politics and their wider implications seen today. Now in his seventies von Maltzahn looks back. The book is a living testimony to a life that has witnessed the world, its global political structure and his own immediate environment, change immeasurably. These pages serve as a personal reconciliation and a means by which to understand this ever changing world and his place within it.
£35.99 -
A Traveller in Fujian Province, China
It is said that travel broadens the mind. This is true, but it does not happen automatically. One must make the effort to observe and appreciate. One must allow oneself to be affected and changed. During his four and a half years living in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, Greg McEnnally endeavoured to do just that, helped enormously by the people he met – and hence this book is dedicated to them. He also read as much as he could, and this also helped him come to a greater understanding and appreciation.This book describes places: cities and towns, mountains and rivers, islands and countryside, but it also endeavours to present the people and their customs. The author found the whole experience exhilarating, informative and always interesting. It is hoped that the reader will share in this.
£33.99 -
Nadine Gordimer's Fiction
Nadine Gordimer’s Fiction is a major study of the life and writings of Nadine Gordimer, a towering figure in the literary and cultural life of South Africa in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, recognised for her fiction through several prizes, most notably the 1991 Nobel Prize for Literature. It has the makings of a guide, taking the reader through the complexities in Gordimer’s life, literature, and society, backed by academic research (doctoral and postdoctoral) and informed by Dr. Mazhar’s study visit to South Africa, including a face-to-face interview with Gordimer. The reader gets a rich picture mediated by the author’s own intellectual journey from Pakistan – the country of her birth – and the United Kingdom. Dr. Mazhar maps the complexities of colonialism in South Africa and beyond in different forms, most notably in the legislated discrimination based on race/ethnicity, Apartheid (1948–1994). Covering the literary writings and political activism of Gordimer both during and after Apartheid, the book provides the reader with a detailed account of individual works of fiction, and vistas of critical thought and action that serve as their source and backdrop.Dr. Mazhar draws on the cultural theories of Homi Bhabha, especially on the notion of The Third Space, a fictional space/borderland between social and political polarisations, which allows for reflection, refinement, and re-action that is transformational and psychologically uplifting. She demonstrates that Gordimer takes her characters through such spaces, which allow for a transformational experience that leads to perspectives/realisations that were missing as a result of constraints that were externally imposed by law and tradition and interiorised as a survival mode. Dr. Mazhar concludes that Gordimer gracefully articulates her vision for a world free of complexities, which one must strive for.Although the book presents the academic analysis of Gordimer‘s fiction and the memoir as separate parts, there are organic connections between the two, which link the social ethos, political struggles, varied ideological perspectives, and ethnic and trans-ethnic identities from which Gordimer draws her subjects and their lives and depicts them through appropriate narrative techniques.Nadine Gordimer’s Fiction is a welcome addition to books on author studies, literary criticism, and South African culture and society. It offers excellent material for both academic and non-academic readers. The style of writing used in the book is clear and simple, yet powerful. This can help the reader to appreciate the enormous achievement of Gordimer, which has established her as a major literary figure in South Africa and beyond.Dr. Balasubramanyam Chandramohan PhD (Shef), FHEA, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London
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Endeavour to Rise – Misdemeanours, Musings, Meditations, Mistakes and Mastery
Autobiography by way of a confessional, this book is a ramble through the author’s experiences, impressions, opinions and ideas formed over seven decades. This autobiography sees the author regret her failed relationships, financial mismanagement, folly and fecklessness. It also sees her celebrate success, achievements, courage and a lifetime of service as a nurse.This book is a call for you to recognize yourself as a unique miracle of creation. It offers some cautionary tales and urges you to rid yourself of guilt, blame and shame and to think for yourself.Exploring the eternal questions about the meaning of life e.g. ‘Why are we here?’, ‘Is there a God?’ and ‘Why is there so much suffering?’, this book invites you to reflect on your own life, your truth and your reality so you can shell your emotional baggage. It can also be seen as an exercise in vanity and self-indulgence.
£11.99
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