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Jade Eye
Embark on a captivating journey through time and place as you delve into the pages of Jade Eye: My Shipping Years in COSCO Shanghai (1968-1987). Li, a Chinese sailor, offers a candid and unfiltered glimpse into his married life, set against the backdrop of the breathtaking cities of Wuxi and Shanghai, China. Through Li’s seafaring adventures, this compelling narrative unravels the profound transformations China underwent from 1968 to 1987, providing readers with an authentic window into the heart of the real China.
Beyond its exploration of China’s metamorphosis, Jade Eye offers a unique perspective on the transient historical landscapes of the countries Li visited during his voyages. For young readers, it offers a fresh angle on their own nation’s history during that brief but pivotal era, while adults will find themselves transported back in time, reminiscing about their own lives during those unforgettable years.
Prepare to be enthralled and enlightened as you immerse yourself in the pages of Jade Eye. Li’s heartfelt storytelling will both delight and captivate you, offering a vivid and unforgettable portrayal of his extraordinary life experiences and the profound insights he passionately shares with readers.
£23.99 -
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.
£11.99 -
Byron and the Kindness of Strangers
In 1938, at the tender age of eighteen months, Byron Stratford Davis, the author of this memoir, first set foot on British soil. Remarkably, from that moment, his memories crystallized with exceptional clarity, etching themselves permanently in his mind.
His mother, with a German lover back in Hamburg, may or may not have come to England as a German spy. The decision of her true intent is left to the reader’s judgment. Raised in Scotland, his mother was far from the endearing or conventional figure one might wish for. By the age of eighteen months, Byron had already developed a deep mistrust of her, and by two, he had resolved to distance himself from her entirely. Hard to believe? That’s for you to judge! This tale unfolds in a modern Dickensian fashion, revealing its truths along the way.
More than just a World War II story, this narrative is unique in its exploration of friendship and the profound impact of the City of Brighton. It’s not only a recounting of survival and self-discovery but also a love story and a heartfelt tribute to the city and its remarkable inhabitants who played a pivotal role in shaping and rescuing him.
£13.99 -
The House Is Burning
It’s the 1950s and mounting political unrest consumes Rwanda. With fading monarchy, intensifying colonial rule and whispers of rebellion, countless native families find age-old traditions under attack.
For Abel A. Nkunda’s family, the shifting climate grows increasingly hostile. As powers vie for control around them, they face a painful choice: take flight to save all they cherish or stay to watch it burn.
Venturing into remote wilds in search of refuge, grandparents lead young Abel towards an uncertain future. With each step into the unknown, doubts arise. Can a foreign haven truly preserve their sacred cattle herding heritage from extinction?
Follow the Nkundas’ quest across a changing landscape where long-held customs blink at the brink. Will new mountains shelter this household from escalating threats? Or will the life they knew go up in smoke? Immerse yourself in one family’s struggle to find safe harbour for endangered livelihoods and identity before the house left behind is reduced to ashes.
£12.99 -
The House Is Burning
It’s the 1950s and mounting political unrest consumes Rwanda. With fading monarchy, intensifying colonial rule and whispers of rebellion, countless native families find age-old traditions under attack.
For Abel A. Nkunda’s family, the shifting climate grows increasingly hostile. As powers vie for control around them, they face a painful choice: take flight to save all they cherish or stay to watch it burn.
Venturing into remote wilds in search of refuge, grandparents lead young Abel towards an uncertain future. With each step into the unknown, doubts arise. Can a foreign haven truly preserve their sacred cattle herding heritage from extinction?
Follow the Nkundas’ quest across a changing landscape where long-held customs blink at the brink. Will new mountains shelter this household from escalating threats? Or will the life they knew go up in smoke? Immerse yourself in one family’s struggle to find safe harbour for endangered livelihoods and identity before the house left behind is reduced to ashes.
£12.99 -
Me
Ron Pearson was born in Bramley, Leeds on August 12, 1924. He began writing this book on August 12, 2021, his 97th birthday. After a childhood beset by illness, he left school at 14, and took a job packing parcels in a multiple tailoring factory, not for him. He moved on to packing parcels general muggins at an advertising agency at 50 pence a week, which he loved. His career in advertising was interrupted by a four-and-a-half-year spell in the army on ‘Special Operations’. Returning to civvy street, his career culminated in being appointed Managing Director and then Chairman of one of Yorkshire’s most respected advertising agencies. He was a local actor for almost 50 years including the renowned Bradford Alhambra and Playhouse.
There are some sad moments outnumbered by many hilarious ones. Ron’s beloved wife, Pat, died in 2017 after 66 years of happy marriage.
The list of ‘celebrities’ he has met is impressive, including Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, Hollywood’s Marlene Dietrich, George Raft, Sir Ralph Richardson, George Best, Jackie Charlton, Harry Worth, Alan Bennett etc.
£18.99 -
Heavy Rainbows
An extraordinarily true-life account of a left-handed forklift truck driver who, after a catastrophic life changing accident, became a right-handed professional artist. Heavy Rainbows conveys an honest, no frills autobiographical account of how a single unforeseen event completely changed the direction of Mark’s entire life, and the subsequent adventures that followed involving devastating lows and euphoric highs that are unique, engaging, and inspirational.
Firsthand experiences and events that influenced Mark’s development as a person are told chronologically, culminating in a collection of artworks that convey powerful emotionally charged contemporary issues such as global warming, mental health, and animal welfare. Each chapter incorporates humour and satire, that contrast with episodes of dark, life changing experiences, offering the reader a thought-provoking unpretentious slice of reality, underpinned by art, to convey an in-depth personal story involving triumph over adversity.
£18.99 -
Confidentially It’s Insurance
While real-life dramas often surpass fiction in intrigue, the day-to-day operations in many professions remain largely unnoticed due to their perceived mundanity. Insurance is typically viewed as one such field. However, it’s not without its exceptions. Among the conventional ranks, a handful of field specialists find themselves in thrilling, high-stakes situations across the globe, navigating the complex world of financial coverage and advice.
This book offers a biographical account of one such individual. With nearly four decades of experience, their career spans three of the Western world’s leading and most innovative financial institutions. Their journey is marked by challenges such as navigating hostilities in global hotspots, dealing with civil unrest, overcoming travel barriers imposed by border controls and local laws, all while operating under the constraints of the Official Secrets Act. This narrative sheds light on the unexpected adventures and critical roles played behind the scenes in the world of finance.
£19.99 -
Where's My Leg?
When Flor Morgan mounts her Harley Davidson on what seems like an ordinary Wednesday, she is unaware that this will be her last ride for a decade.
Flor’s journey is one for which she could never have been prepared.
How does one move beyond a head-on motorway collision between a Skoda Fabia and a Harley Davidson?
Who survives, and why?
Flor is a survivor, a fighter. She battles not only to heal her physical wounds but also to overcome the mental and emotional scars that the path to recovery inflicts. Flor knew her recovery would be challenging, but she didn’t anticipate that the very systems meant to aid her would nearly be more lethal than the collision itself.
Initially written to pave her way to healing, Flor now shares her story with the hope of helping others. She recounts her experiences as she has lived them: by finding the good and the humour in the everyday. After all, you can’t lose the plot if you’re laughing, right?
£32.99 -
My Wartime vs. Pandemic
Everyone now knows what life is like during a Pandemic but if you have ever wondered whether living through it is better or worse than living in a World War, this little book is for you.
In this contest of war versus pandemic, personal recollections illustrate what life was like in the years immediately preceding the Second World War and the changes that occurred after the outbreak of hostilities.
It was not a game of two halves. There was a lengthy interval of seventy-five years between the end of one event and the start of the other. In both cases there were some own goals, a lot of off-sides and numerous penalties, but the referee leaves it to the reader to decide which side won, if any.
£11.99 -
American Coastguards, UNST & The B.P. Oily Blacks (1978)
A few stories encountered mainly in the 21st century as a result of working on construction sites. Humour, still having to deal with the good, the bad, and the nasty! 2018 saw the demise of one of the biggest players: Carillion. How many companies went into receivership like my old company? How many others in the 21st century? Was the philosophy Carillion followed replicated by the Post Office?
In 2023, in his autumn statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt highlighted receiving payment times by the big companies. I can remember those immortal words: ‘spell redundant’, ‘P45, boss’. The American eagles were just laid off! Subcontractors are worth more dead than alive.
£10.99 -
Goodbye Mr Krupps
A vivid and entertaining account of one man’s extraordinary life, guided by a love of steam trains and an unerring vision to be an engine driver in the days when steam ruled the rails. See through the eyes of a small boy the first stirrings of this enduring passion as, in rapt fascination, he watches trains on the Hull & Barnsley main line in the 1940s, and witness the bucolic beauty of rural life, allied with the poverty and shear hard graft of farm work during the war years, when it seems his dream will be crushed by the daily grind and drudgery.
Share the author’s exuberance as, having hazarded all, he succeeds in joining the London & North Eastern Railway as a lad porter, before being introduced to the hallowed world of the Locomotive Department, progressing through the ranks to finally fulfil his dream. On this journey share his exhilaration as he thunders down the main line on a locomotive pushed to its limits, spewing fire and brimstone; and witness a host of steam train escapades, adventures, and mishaps, from the farcical to tragic.
Finally, travel with him to exotic Tanganyika/Tanzania in the 1960s where, during 12 years with East African Railways, he experiences the challenges of epic journeys through the heart of the sun-baked bush, breakdowns, derailments, flooded tracks, and violent mutiny, as well as the joy of driving the mighty and exemplary 30 Class, ending with the pinnacle of his career: that of becoming Locomotive Inspector.
£41.99