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The Law and I
Delve into the riveting memoir of an attorney who navigated the transformative world of litigation law in private practice. Journey back to an era when senior partners donned wing collars and were addressed as clerks by their surnames, and when solicitors weren’t confined to specialisations.
Experience the spectrum of clients he represented, from navigating harrowing cases at police stations – covering everything from murders to activists challenging government departments – all the way to the House of Lords, now known as the Supreme Court.
Beyond the courtroom, he shares insights into his dealings with prisoners, including those under maximum security, managing matters from adjudications to parole requests. Simultaneously, he paints a picture of his life outside the law, tending to an 18-acre smallholding.
As he reflects on his career, the author offers a poignant commentary on the evolving landscape of legal practice, weighing in on the advancements and setbacks since his retirement. This is not just a tale of law but of resilience, adaptability, and profound change.
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The Life and Times of the Knights
Alfred Fredrick John Knight was born in Yeovil to his mother Amelia and father George. When Alfred was three years old, George his father left Amelia telling her that he was taking their son Alfred with him. George took Alfred and in secret eloped with his lover to Wales. Alfred was later adopted and lived with his adopted family talking to the family about emigrating to Canada. He told his family that he wanted to stay in England and try and find his birth mother.
He left home and went back to Yeovil, but there was no trace of his mother, he did manage to find his grandmother Mary, who was still alive. While looking for a job, he saw a sign which read, ‘YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU!’ Alfred then decided that he wanted to become a soldier and join the British Army. After joining up with Prince Albert’s light infantry, the Somerset Light Infantry was sent out to India to fight the rebellion.
Will Alfred ever find his birth mother?
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The Lump
‘The Lump’ started back in the 1950s and possibly even further back in Ireland whereby men worked many hours in tough conditions and were paid cash in hand thus avoiding payment of tax. Bricklaying was one of those trades where there was little in the way of mechanical assistance, as they either didn’t exist yet, or were expensive to hire. For example, elevators, forklift trucks and cranes. Often starting work at 6 am to have everything ready for the bricklayers to start at eight and finishing sometimes at 8 pm, it was down to the hod carriers to carry all the materials up a ladder. There were advantages to this way of life as you will see when reading this book.
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The Most Undeserving Case
The author asks you: Is this a story of the longest standing oppression in the history of humanity?
- …thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. – Genesis 3:16 – c. 1600 BCE.
- …the male is by nature superior, and the female inferior… – Aristotle – c. 340 BCE.
- …even the most undeserving case will win if there is no one to testify against it. – Christine de Pizan. 1405 CE.
- …have they not all violated the principle of equality of rights by quietly depriving half of mankind of the right to participate in the formation of the laws…? – Nicolas de Condorcet – 1790 CE.
- …the adoption of this system of inequality never was the result of deliberation, or forethought, or any social ideas, or any notion whatever of what conduced to the benefit of humanity or the good order of society. – J.S. Mill – 1869 CE.
- ...All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. – Declaration of Human Rights – 1948 CE.
The format of the book is encyclopaedic. Each chapter follows on from the previous one but also is an episode in its own right.
… that our descendants, by becoming more learned, may become more virtuous and happier, and that we do not die without having merited being part of the human race. – Denis Diderot – 1750 CE.
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The Needle and the Damage Done
The Needle and the Damage Done is the story of a boy from a small Irish village who became an adventurer, multi-award-winning doctor and physician to the stars. Part travelogue, part thriller, part celebrity tell-all, the memoir is a whirlwind of adventure and a fascinating insight into the colourful life of Dr Patrick Treacy.
Cosmetic doctor Patrick Treacy grew up in rural Northern Ireland during The Troubles. Determined to become a doctor, he raised money for medical school in Dublin by smuggling cars from Germany to Turkey. He studied biochemistry at Queens University Belfast and medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons. While working in a Dublin hospital, he was accidentally jabbed with a needle from an HIV patient. He took blood test after blood test for many years until he was confirmed negative. Initially overwhelmed by the experience, he moved to New Zealand, away from everyone who knew what he was going through: his girlfriend and his colleagues. Thus, he began a peripatetic existence, working as a doctor around the world. In Saddam Hussein’s Baghdad, Treacy was arrested and imprisoned, spending days wondering whether he was going to be hanged as a spy. He worked as a ship’s surgeon in California and with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Australia. On returning to Dublin, Treacy set up the Ailesbury Clinic where he pioneered the emergent field of cosmetic dermatology, championing treatments regarding the use of botulinum toxin and dermal fillers. His award-winning research brought him numerous international accolades and many celebrity patients, including the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, who came flocking to his door.
Central to this memoir is Treacy’s personal journey: his efforts to escape the conflict of The Troubles, coping with the fear that he may have contracted HIV, getting over his lost love and surviving the crippling Irish recession. Most of all, it gives us a fascinating insight into his award-winning research on the influence of Botox ® on the brain and how he developed protocols to reverse the damage being done to patient’s faces as a result of the complications of dermal fillers.
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The Padre was a Hooker
The commandment “Thou shalt not kill,” would seem to make it unlikely that a committed Christian would ever choose to pursue a career in the armed forces, where killing the enemy is, at the very least, a real possibility.
Becoming an army chaplain might well be seen as an even more astonishing choice for someone seeking to serve God.
And yet, the British armed forces have had chaplains since the beginning of warfare itself. Men and women from the traditional established churches who accompany the troops into the very face of the foe, seeking to care for the spiritual and moral welfare of the troops.
Despite all the changes in the society and warfare, the decrease in church attendance and the weakening of the spiritual profile of our nation, military leaders still want a padre to accompany them into action.
For 40 years, Stephen Blakey was one of these padres. With humour and insight, he shares the joys and the struggles of being the ‘man of God’ amongst what is sometime a pretty ungodly community.
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The Road to Westminster
Nothing in life is impossible provided you never lose sight of your goal and are willing to be flexible at all times and totally dedicated to achieving your aims. Setbacks crop up at the most inconvenient times, but they give you the opportunity to make changes, accept new challenges and achieve your targets in ways you could never have thought possible.
Never give up, never lose sight of your objectives. Be ruthless when assessing your progress. Take chances when you need to. Everyone needs to speculate to accumulate. Go for it at all times.£3.50 -
The Secret Back Door
In this gripping autobiography, I share my experience of holding on when everyone else let go. With every ounce of strength, I gripped tight, silently screaming on the inside, unable to surrender or relinquish my right to live my own life. Despite the choices of those around me, I had none of my own.
My sanity teetered on the edge between a frenzied, rabid dog and an existence of task-oriented groundhog days. I didn’t recognize myself, yet the merry-go-round kept turning, and I couldn’t step off. I had already witnessed more than my eyes should have seen, but leaving wasn’t an option.
The reason why? She devoted her life to protecting me from bullies, silently absorbing their scorn. Now the tables have turned, and it’s my turn to protect her. No matter the cost, I vowed to love her, keep her safe, and give her my undivided attention and lifelong support. We’re in this together, no matter how long it takes.
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The Story of Lord Leon and the Gaffer Above
The Story of Lord Leon and the Gaffer Above is a true story to inspire you on the journey of life. Leon Parrish’s story will show you that anybody can transform their own world.
If you have ever wished that you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, then the author has a simple message for you: why spend your life wishing when you can fulfil any dream by just doing things yourself?
So jump aboard the train of self-belief and make it happen. Enjoy Leon’s journey, and more importantly, find ways to enjoy your own. And always keep smiling.
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The Unspoken Identity
What will you do upon waking up and discovering that you have two vaginas, two cervixes and two wombs? How would you feel? How do you explain it to your friends and family?
This and many other questions led to the story you are about to read. Elizabeth a young vibrant lady, full of life was just like many of you. However, she never knew that her challenging health journey as a young woman growing up was all part of the big discovery that would unfold later in her adult life.
Elizabeth, curious in her nature, decided to seek answers for her chronic pains, fatigue and recurrent infections. She knew something was not quite right but could not confirm what it was. Read her story to discover how she was diagnosed with this rare biological abnormality and her quest to share her findings with the rest of the world.
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The Voice, the Face
This is a quite extraordinary story. Martin Muncaster describes his life experiences in a way which has surprises in every chapter. He writes in detail, often with very personal and emotional descriptions, about many aspects of his family. The book starts with a life-threatening road accident followed by even more challenging incidents. He goes on to describe how, as a young man from a somewhat aristocratic family background, he had to adjust himself to life on the ‘lower deck’ for part of his National Service in the Royal Navy, but eventually, after much hard work and perseverance, acquired the coveted commission (and cap badge!). And it was this same determination and personal strength which carried him through the ups and downs of his life and his career in broadcasting.
Along the way, there are many lighter anecdotes, starting from his early days at stage school, then working as an actor in Canada before returning to pursue his career in television and radio. As a well-known presenter, he had an insight into the world of both commercial television and the BBC, and he describes his encounters with many well-known people including Sir Laurence Olivier and Richard Dimbleby. In the background throughout the book is the inspiration provided by his father, the renowned marine and landscape artist, Claude Muncaster.
There are also vivid descriptions of travel experiences in South Africa, Canada and Scotland, but it is all interspersed with family and personal tragedies which remind the reader that even familiar faces and voices have another private life we don’t know of.
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The Weird Way Round
A 40-year-old Sydney-based Englishman at a personal and professional crossroads in his life embarks on four months of solo global travel, which he resolutely refuses to accept might be best described as an exercise in ‘finding himself’. Epic landscapes, humorous encounters with an eclectic mix of Airbnb hosts, a late-in-life induction into dating apps and a keen eye for the curious and bizarre combine to turn the trip into a thought-provoking adventure. From unexplained crimes in Panama, sex tourism in Costa Rica and disastrous dating in Guatemala through to hire-car burial in the Californian desert and an encounter with a toothless lady in a bar in San Francisco, it’s a story about strange and unpredictable things that happen when you hit the road in search of the unknown.
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