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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 -
#The Travelling Panda
Keep your eyes open. Life can be a rollercoaster, but it’s always an adventure! From car beds to tents, pain to padded pants, middle-aged housewife to a traveling Panda… there are many roads to travel, sights to see, and adventures to be had. Do you need to seek them out or simply fall into them?
What adventure awaits around the next corner or across Europe? The only real limitations are those you place on yourself, so live each day to the fullest and revel in every moment; memories are what we leave behind.
#The Travelling Panda is a story of plans gone awry, unexpected escapades, and finding the extraordinary in the everyday. Join Panda and be inspired to uncover your next adventure… or recognize that it’s already happening!
After all, it’s your road, but where will it take you?
£11.99 -
Dad’s New Dress
An email wings its way across the sea and the desert arriving in Suzie's inbox one normal Wednesday afternoon.
What she discovers about her father in this email comes as a surprise to say the least.
Follow her story as she struggles to cope with her emotions in the present and her memories of the past.
Feel her turmoil as she examines her family relationships and tries to cope with the changes in her life.
Will Suzie come to terms with her new-fangled father? Will they start to rebuild a relationship?
Find out in this story, full of light and dark moments, about an ordinary woman with an extraordinary father.
£10.99 -
Over the Hill
This book tells the story of modern day pioneering. It chronicles a family’s move to rural Ireland in the last decade of the twentieth century, and describes their struggle to begin with nothing and build a home on the side of a valley in the hills of County Clare, using a mixture of stones gathered from the fields and concrete.
The family were determined to grow their own food and live as self-sufficiently as was practical, despite the poor soil. It also shows the attitudes of the time, and the generosity, hospitality, and sense of community of their Irish neighbours.
All of life is here and the book is sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic, and always inspiring.
£6.99 -
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.
£6.99 -
Don't Worry, He Doesn't Bite
The vets on TV are always depicted as perfect clinicians, with sunshine and rainbows bursting out from their individual patients. But what media companies fail to show you are the more ‘uncommon’ cases, like a dog eating some used condoms, for example. This book aims to rectify this perception, specifically taking the reader on a journey through what life is like graduating as a veterinary surgeon. You will read about some pretty stupid cases my colleagues and I have experienced, all of which are true, though I must admit, I do have a habit of not letting the truth get in the way of a good story. So, sit back, relax, and take a break from this mundane existence we call life, as I show you the world through the eyes of a newly graduated veterinary surgeon.
£10.99 -
Diary of a Wartime Unmarried Mother
This diary gives a remarkably vivid description of the life of Doreen Bates, a professional young woman, who went against the social norms of her time to intentionally have twins fathered by an older married, but childless, colleague in the Inland Revenue, where they both worked as Income Tax Inspectors. At the time the twins were born Doreen did not know if their father could, or would, form part of the family. In the event, he was able to make frequent visits and helped practically, emotionally and financially with the childrens’ upbringing.
The diary commences a few months after the twins were born. Doreen lived with them and a live-in nanny in South London where they experienced relentless days and nights of enemy bombing. In 1944 the twins and their nanny were evacuated to the incomparably safer and beautiful rural setting of a Wiltshire village where Doreen joined them for every weekend.
In contrast to the chaos and fear that accompanied the wartime conditions, Doreen’s emotional life is much less turbulent than in the previous volume of her diary. This reflects the profound satisfaction she felt as a result of achieving her dream of having children. She was a remarkably enlightened parent. Her recording of their lives in this diary is detailed, intimate, and often humorous. Historical happenings are mentioned, but form only the incidental backdrop to her domestic and professional life.
“Brimming with soul, passion, candour and wit, the diaries of Doreen Bates are an extraordinary read, giving a vivid insight into the life of a woman unvanquished by her time, a woman who leaps from the page so strikingly that you feel your pulse beating in time with hers. Edited in an act of great love and generosity by her children, they should take their place as one of the essential diaries of the twentieth century for the window they offer into another world, another heart.”
– Lucy Caldwell
£10.99 -
Maxamillion the Great
Drawing on countless real-life stories from his embattled life, Maxamillion the Great is a captivating and moving autobiography told in the only way it could be, through the eyes of his beloved owner, author Barbara Goodier.
Taking the reader through the lows of his joyless puppyhood into the highs of his new found family, it persuades us to revisit the idea that miracles really do exist and sometimes even more than once.
Creative in its narration and affecting in its story, it will move you to re-evaluate what is important in your own life, will make you cry when you least expect it and lay bare the unbreakable bond between a dog and his mum.
£9.99 -
Nobody Cares
In a world where the judgments and opinions of others often seem overwhelming, Nobody Cares offers a refreshing insight – the empowering realization that the thoughts of others have no control over your path. This memoir invites you into the author's compelling life, revealing their unvarnished experiences from a sheltered childhood to the unexplored realms of adulthood.
With raw honesty, the narrative traverses the peaks and valleys that epitomize human life, encompassing thrilling international escapades, the complexities of heartbreak, and the hope of second chances. The book intertwines humorous anecdotes and moving stories, crafting a tale that is as relatable as it is eye-opening.
Nobody Cares is a call to embrace your imperfections, celebrate your triumphs, and let go of the oppressive weight of external expectations. More than just a personal account, this book is a journey towards authenticity that will resonate with every reader. It’s an encouragement to cast off societal judgment and uncover the strength of self-acceptance, embarking on a journey that promises to transform your viewpoint, one unabashed step at a time. In the end, what truly counts is the narrative you choose for yourself.
£9.99 -
You Won't Believe This, But ...
Jane McCulloch was once dubbed a ‘Renaissance woman’ by the great American soprano Jessye Norman, and her long career as a playwright, theatre and opera director, producer, lyricist, poet and latterly novelist is certainly testament to this.
Jane’s has been ‘a life not without incident’ – to quote her husband, the theatre director Toby Robertson. Growing up with fiercely gifted but troubled parents, she found herself with a front-row seat during a golden age of British theatre before forging her own career, running theatre companies both in the UK and abroad and working with the likes of Derek Jacobi and Judi Dench.
Inheriting her father’s ability to ‘collect’ celebrities (to the occasional exasperation of her children), Jane proves a born raconteur, describing, amongst other things, how she met Jackie Kennedy Onassis in an accidental Valium haze or managed to charm both Noël Coward and John Betjeman while still a teenager. Beyond the clear-eyed, often moving stories, however, what emerges is an inspirational tale of a woman’s fight for her survival in a very tough profession.£10.99 -
The Dublin Marilyn House
Jackie Devoy, the ‘Dublin Marilyn,’ invites you into her vibrant world filled with color, passion, and a touch of Hollywood glamour. In The Dublin Marilyn House, Jackie shares her inspiring journey of self-discovery, resilience, and the pursuit of dreams.
From her humble beginnings in Dublin’s inner city to her adventures on reality TV and her unique Marilyn Monroe-themed homes, Jackie’s story is a testament to the power of embracing individuality and finding joy in life’s unexpected turns. With heartwarming anecdotes, design tips, and a sprinkle of Irish charm, this book will leave you feeling uplifted, inspired, and ready to create a life as colourful as Jackie’s.
£7.99