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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.
£10.99 -
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.
£11.99 -
Weed Out the Scumbags: The Art of Finding Your Soulmate
This book is a testament to the knowing that soulmates do usually find each other, in one way or another, as the universe deems. The author’s story is meant to enlighten and give credence to those who are desperate to encounter their one and only soulmate. Your soulmate is very likely to appear, but the catch is to sometimes make it happen on your own—as this author has done. Had she not ‘bit the bullet’ by taking certain actions to bring her soulmate to her—unbeknownst to him—this book might not have been written. Her tactics were clear and steadfast, and her story is evidence to her truth that almost anyone can find their soulmate, anywhere in the world. She did. Why not you?
£8.99 -
The Chronicles of Donald Drinkwater
Donald invites you along on his diverse travels through life. Experience his humble beginnings and the challenges growing up in post-war Britain. The story is packed with all the thrills and spills of a long and varied career. In these pages you’ll discover:How to identify your own true value and make the best of yourselfHow to stop being the victim of bulliesHow to be a team player whilst maintaining your individualityHow to break free from situations that own youHow to understand other people and their nature.Join him in his work as a hotel porter. Come aboard the ships of the British Merchant Navy and experience his maritime tales that will warm the cockles of your heart. Take the back seat in the Daimler as he chauffeurs you in comfort. Accompany him as he opens a fish and chip shop. For all animal lovers, follow Donald in his crusade to help animals when he enrols as an RSPCA inspector. Travel with him when he comes to the rescue of animals and birds.Work with Donald in his administrative role as marine personnel officer and experience his interaction with many colleagues. Above all, just enjoy!
£9.99 -
Two Lives: A Social and Financial Memoir
Dimitri Yassukovich is exiled by the Bolshevik Revolution, builds a new life and career as a Wall Street investment banker, and lays the foundations in Europe for one of the great investment banking houses of the City. His son Stanislas, after an inglorious youth in the Gatsby land of Long Island, joins his father's firm White, Weld & Co., finds himself at the epicentre of the City's revival from postwar doldrums, and becomes an architect of the Euromarkets. His highly personal and anecdotal chronicle of these two lives leads us through the history of high finance and its revival, and the heady days of the internationalisation of the City, through the ‘Big Bang' and its aftermath. Two Lives is a serious, and yet light-hearted account of a critical period in 20th century finance and of two unusual personalities.
£9.99 -
Memoir – A New Season, Wanting Proof and Get a Life!
In Memoir - A New Season, Wanting Proof and Get A Life!, journey through the captivating life of Odette, a young woman coming of age in 1960s Napier, New Zealand. Initially enthralled by the era’s fashion, Odette finds her priorities quickly shifting when she takes a job as a shorthand typist in an insurance office at seventeen. A once-harmonious workplace transforms into a labyrinth of emotional complexities.
Married by the age of twenty-two, Odette steps into a new season of life filled with both trials and triumphs. This memoir is not just a catalogue of challenges she faces, but a testament to her resilience and adaptability. With each new chapter of her life, from her fashion-obsessed teenage years to the demands of marriage, Odette learns invaluable lessons about what truly matters.
£9.99 -
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.
£9.99 -
Natasha Thom’s Soul Journey
Why am I here? Who am I? What am I?
In search of answers to these existential questions, Natasha Thom travelled and became involved with inquiring young minds who were and are on the same quest, from Southern Africa to England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Poland, and Russia… living in benders, vans, apartments, trains, churches, and nature… sharing their lives, many of whom, like her, became disillusioned and turned to drugs. Let us not condemn them, as we owe to them an awareness of the changes that are so needed in our world. Let us stop, listen and learn and help and join in the pursuit for change.
Art was life for Natasha Naida Thom, and she recorded her life in the form of art, writing, creating from discarded objects, welding sculptures and constructions, and choreographing dances and plays while traveling.
“I have captured my reflections whilst exploring the world, through the use of art. I feel that art is a means through which mankind can illustrate the few small truths that he does perceive, and so build on them. If change is the flow of life, then art is the picture that represents the way life’s river flows.”
She loved life and found beauty in that which others discarded, loving and encouraging those who society rejected, unlovable and fallen people. She always strove to make her environment better, meaningful, and open to man and animal alike. It is a call to join our Creator God who loves us, and those who want a life with meaning, in the fight to save the humanness of humanity.
£14.99 -
Resilience
A poignant, inspired and assured memoir, Resilience: A Dad’s Journey Through Grief chronicles one father’s intensely personal experience of grief after the passing of his beloved wife. Suddenly a widower and sole parent to three daughters – ages seven, five and four – the author intimately shares his turbulent emotional journey while adjusting to tragedy’s harsh new reality.
This candid, heart-wrenching account provides an authentic window into one man’s personal trauma. By spotlighting the power of inner resilience and maintaining positivity amid adversity, the book carries an uplifting message of hope for any who have endured loss or suffering. His inclination to openly face tribulation makes this grief narrative widely relatable.
While arising from harrowing personal upheaval, the author transforms his poignant tale into a parable of perseverance and grace emerging through life’s darkest moments. His desire to help others reveals that, although pain may carve deep sorrows, the heart always holds hope and inner strength can call us back to life.
£6.99 -
Gemini over the Gulf
In this riveting autobiography spanning generations and continents, Maggie Hamilton shares her extraordinary story of love, loss, and the unbreakable bonds of family. From the turmoil of war-torn London to the sun-drenched shores of the French Riviera, Gemini Over the Gulf follows Maggie’s journey and the parallel life of her twin sister, Katie, separated by a twist of fate in their infancy.
As Maggie navigates the glamorous world of Parisian haute couture and becomes embroiled in a dangerous mission that could change the course of the Gulf War, she uncovers the truth about her past and the sister she never knew. Her journey is filled with passion, heartbreak, and shocking revelations that will keep readers enthralled until the very last page.
Brimming with vivid historical detail and unforgettable characters, Gemini Over the Gulf is a mesmerizing story of resilience, destiny, and the enduring power of sisterhood. Hamilton’s evocative prose and masterful storytelling transport readers to a bygone era and leave them breathless with anticipation as she moves ever closer to an impossible reunion with her long-lost twin. This is an epic and deeply moving autobiography that is sure to resonate long after the final page is turned.
£12.99 -
The Palestinian Tourist
Embark on a riveting journey with Adria Arafat as she shares her extraordinary tale of courage, resilience, and unwavering love in The Palestinian Tourist. Leaving behind the comfort of a small town in northern Utah, Adria and her family dove headfirst into the heart of the first intifada in Gaza. But this daring move wasn’t impulsive; it was preceded by two pivotal trips that laid the groundwork for their life-changing decision.
As Adria navigates the unfamiliar terrain of a foreign land, she faces daunting challenges alone, grappling with language barriers while tackling essential tasks like enrolling her children in school and securing employment. Her husband’s delayed arrival only adds to the complexity, leaving her to shoulder the weight of their new life.
Yet amidst adversity, Adria discovers an unparalleled affection for her adopted homeland, Palestine. Her bond with the land and its people transcends borders, as she embraces its culture and spirit with a fervour unmatched by many natives.
In the midst of her journey, Adria experiences the profound depths of love and loss, giving birth to her fourth child amidst a medical crisis, underscoring the sacrifices made in pursuit of a dream.
The Palestinian Tourist is a poignant testament to the power of love, resilience, and the human spirit, showcasing the extraordinary lengths one woman will go for the place she calls home.
£8.99 -
Growing Up in Wartime London
A country at war is very different from one at peace, a range of social changes quickly emerge. Men are conscripted into the armed forces and are replaced by women. The economy is rebalanced towards defence, and towards the production of war materials. Food and all basic commodities are controlled, and their consumption is rationed. The national culture changes.
The second World War which engulfed the UK and indeed many other countries had all these features, and much is known about the political, social and economic changes of those years in the UK from the adult perspective. Less is known about their effect upon children, and children’s perception of the times.
So how did youngsters adapt to the outbreak of war in September 1939, and what did they make of all the changes? Which were the most significant for them and what attitudes and activities continued as before? The author of this brief account was seven years old in 1939, and with his younger brother lived through the war years in London. The book provides vivid descriptions of life in wartime London as experienced by these two young South London boys, with their fears and excitements, their mischief, and what they made of the changing social environment.
£6.99