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Sixteen Chickens on a Trampoline
Faye Lippitt is a journalist who found her inspiration in the happy chaos that enveloped their home as she and her husband raised their six children. The six arrived in eight years, sometimes arriving two by two, which made for interesting times.
This book is a series of snapshots of the family at their home in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. It is also about choices. As Faye puts it, when chaos rains, your response is your choice. Laugh? Cringe? Cry? Laughter feels a whole lot better.
It’s the author’s hope that busy parents will steal five minutes of the day to read one of the stories, and another five to write their own in the back pages of the book. For time flies, and memories fade and the things our children do and say are crazy enough and precious enough to keep forever.
Faye, and her husband Greg, now live in the Caribbean and are blessed with enough grandchildren to keep the laughter coming.
£7.99 -
From Dhobie’s Bight to Duntroon
Dan Simpkins, although born in Narrandera on the Murrumbidgee River in the south west of New South Wales in 1942, spent his childhood and formative years on the far north coast of the state. Because of his father’s nomadic lifestyle, he attended five different one-teacher bush primary schools, so small that on two separate occasions when larger families relocated and the little schools had to close, his education proceeded by correspondence. Stability was achieved with the award of a state bursary allowing attendance over five years at the Lismore High School. Dan worked as a bank teller in Canberra for twelve months after high school before entering the Royal Military College, Duntroon.
This book commences by tracing Dan’s forbears as they settled into Australia, and then follows his own upbringing from the bush at Dobie’s Bight to the start of his life in the Army. It is another example of the value of hard work and education.
£7.99 -
Finding Myself
In the second book of this ongoing series, Royce continues his journey of self-discovery from age 14 to 18, as trauma lurks trying to hide him from himself.
Navigating life’s pains, strains and hardships while attempting to find oneself is a winding path travelled as best one can. Though often unaware, Royce moves slowly yet steadily forward despite the darkness. Dangers explode without warning - hidden perils that scar his soul and edge him further away from himself.
Not wanting to lose himself, Royce needs his inner warrior. He needs love - for himself and the world around him - though the concept of love remains unclear, given his parents’ hateful expressions of pain. Thankful for what little love comes his way, Royce intuits its importance. For it is love that helps one remember the self that dwells within. Being harsh or unkind to oneself betrays the heart of self-love.
Through his ongoing trials, Royce journeys toward the light of self-understanding. It is only by embracing one’s full humanity that true healing can begin.
£9.99 -
Life After a Craniotomy Operation
Step into the remarkable journey of resilience and hope with Life After a Craniotomy Operation. Our brain, often compared to a computer perched atop our heads, serves as the epicentre of our existence, enabling us to navigate the complexities of modern life and its myriad highs and lows. However, when illness strikes, rendering simple tasks impossible, fear takes hold, and the words of a wise consultant resonate deeply: fright, flight, fight—an embodiment of our struggle.
But what if a dedicated team of neuroscientists offers a lifeline? They extend a helping hand, emphasizing the pivotal word: ‘help.’ In that moment, how would you respond? Would you eagerly embrace the opportunity, exclaiming, ‘Yes, sir!’ Or would you cautiously inquire, ‘Only if it can restore my previous self?’
But pause and consider—what does ‘normal’ truly mean? What matters most is the fundamental question: Will I continue to live?
Life After a Craniotomy Operation invites you to embark on a poignant exploration of life’s fragility and the remarkable resilience of the human spirit. Within these pages, you’ll discover stories of triumph over adversity, the power of medical advancements, and the indomitable will to forge a new path forward. It is a testament to the enduring nature of the human experience and a reminder that life, even after the most challenging of circumstances, can be embraced with renewed vigour.
£7.99 -
Learning from Albi
Scruffy, deaf, and homeless, life on the streets is tough for young Albi. What could the future possibly hold for an abandoned Spanish Podenco puppy that has been hit by a car and can’t hear? Yet despite a traumatic start, Albi’s life changes when he is rescued, brought to the UK, and fostered by Lois Sinclair, founder of the rescue charity, Gracehounds, and a passionate dog lover who has shared her life and home with numerous canine companions. Before long, Lois and Albi’s lives become interwoven.
With Lois’s nursing background and Albi’s intuitive nature, the pair soon find themselves volunteering in the animal healthcare sector. Albi also develops a reputation as a transition dog, offering support to other dogs and their owners during times of loss.
But Albi is a free spirit. He also has health issues. And while his sensitive nature earns him many friends and admirers, there will be challenges ahead, including surgery. As Albi continues to enrich Lois’s life, questions remain. Albi may have found a forever home but can the love and hope which bind him and Lois sustain him? And does this unique animal have the strength to live the life that every dog deserves?
£7.99 -
Riding Through the Storm
During World War Two, a young girl was seen around the Stoke Bishop area of Bristol riding her bike or a pony; climbing trees; building dens, playing with the ‘gang’ in Blaise Castle Woods, and a lot more besides! This seemingly carefree life had its darker side as the storm clouds of war thickened and broke overhead.
Riding Through the Storm recalls the author’s life before, during and after the war. It is tinged with humour and remarkable occurrences and mirrors that time with insights into how people lived during those dark days. Nearly eighty years after the storm subsided, the full significance of what the author had lived alongside came to light and propelled this drama almost into the realms of make-believe!
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A Dyslexic’s Battle
I am now over 80 and a working silversmith. I tell the story of my early life at the end of the Second World War and its aftermath of shortages and rationing. I continue with the great difficulty I had with reading and writing leading to my disastrous failures at school and my first employment as a scientific assistant in the nuclear industry. During my first job my life changed in two major ways while working for the Atomic Energy Research Establishment. Their very forward-looking attitude to further education allowed me to add more ‘O’ levels, including the very important English, but as importantly, during that time I got married and before long had a daughter as well. I then decided to make the leap and try to obtain a medical degree but with only very basic ‘O’ levels I would first have to gain higher qualifications. I left full time employment for a Technical College in an attempt to add the three ‘A’ levels required for admission to Medical School but this was of course complicated by having wife and young daughter. To support us during this time I worked as a toolmaker, chauffeur, gardener and eventually trained as a London Ambulance driver. This very tortuous journey eventually gained me a place at Guy’s Hospital Medical School. I continue the tale with a number of vignettes of life at Guy’s Hospital as a medical student and the many unusual ways I increased my income during my studentship. I cover the time spent after qualification as a houseman in other hospitals. I finish with life as a General Practitioner and in Medical Research where I gained a PhD. I found that the higher up the academic tree I climbed the less my dyslexia, which I discovered I had when a medical student, impinged on my work and life. As an aside I hope that any youngsters with dyslexia reading this account will take heart that being dyslexic is not the end of the world.
£10.99 -
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.
£9.99 -
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.
£8.99 -
My Secret Life
My Secret Life is the author’s account of his personal struggle to overcome societal norms that overwhelmed him throughout his life and almost defeated him.
His struggle, while unique and personal, required courage, resilience, and strength and is one that can be related to and recognized by all. His powerful, open, and compelling account of his battle to overcome the psychological, mental, and emotional effects caused by living a secret life, and how he almost lost that battle, is a story of monumental triumph over adversity.
The informal and very personal writing style draws the reader into a personal, historical, yet contemporary history, very relevant for the times we are living in today. A strong bond is formed between the reader and the author as they share in the moments of despair, pain, and fear, but also hope and joy, climaxing in the triumph of life over adversity.
Like a phoenix from the flames, the author’s captivating, engrossing account of his life hopes to inspire and liberate others, setting them free to live an open, fully authentic life, free from the shame and fear of living with a secret.
£6.99 -
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.
£8.99 -
The Accidental Speech Therapist
For those who feel they are content to be working with the cards that life has dealt them – beware!
I was that person – enjoying my work, enjoying the good salary I earned and enjoying considerable job satisfaction. So why would I throw that away and allow myself to be carried along by curiosity and vanity?
This book is the story of what happened next and of the wonderful variety of people I met along the way.
£8.99