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An Australian Odyssey
This book is the story of an epic journey around Australia undertaken by two adventurous British seniors, Michael and Dawn Franklin-Harris. Their inherent love of nature and wildlife, the people, and the vast sweep of natural history, is plainly obvious in this recorded account of travels in this fascinating country. The duration of the tours described in the book covers four months and six months, coinciding with two consecutive English winters. They were to drive close to 20,000 km in the 10 months they were in Australia, covering north to south and east to west, on this large and varied continent. They were told afterwards by many locals that they had seen more of Australia than many Australians would see in their lifetime.
Despite their age, their past life and experiences had made them eminently suited to take on and record such a journey. Dawn had left England in late 1963 with her first husband and young family on an assisted passage scheme to arrive in Australia in 1964. They spent eight years moving around following the work, periodically returning to their base in Queensland where they settled for a time before finally returning to the U.K. Her love of the country and its people never left her, and she always longed to return under different circumstances to her first experience. With Michael retired, that opportunity presented itself.
Michael had been a Precision Service Engineer, driving on average 35,000 miles per year, both in the U.K. and abroad. Like Dawn, he had a passion for life and new experiences. With his deep interest in literature, he was no stranger to the written word and had published many essays in the U.K., France, and the U.S.A.
£14.99 -
Mountain People
“You have to love the mountains to live here.” Nevertheless, at seventeen Salva left, returning many years later with Àngels to the family farm. Now it’s a holiday centre.
“I was sleeping in the tent. The bear was eating a sheep fifty metres away,” says Mustà, a shepherd who moved to the Pyrenees from Morocco.
“Born here… without doctors, without anything.” Josep has never left his mountain village. Once a secretary in Barcelona, his wife María is now the farmer in the family.
Five in-depth life stories from the fifteen in Mountain People. Stories of hope in the face of adversity, reflecting our common humanity. Stories that, like the surrounding mountains, will ignite your imagination.
£9.99 -
Great Great Aunt Flo's Travels
From Broughty Ferry in Dundee, Scotland to Melbourne, Australia. After working as a governess in London, this adventurous woman travels to India. Full of tales from a woman who wanted to see the world, this book vividly depicts her life journey in the late 1800s to early 1900s.
Born into a successful Scottish family who earned their wealth manufacturing jute in the Dundee mills, she was afforded opportunities to explore. Her stories detail her travels: voyaging between Australia and India by ship and caring for children in the families she worked for along the way.
This memoir provides wonderful insights into how drastically life and travel have changed over the last century. Aunt Flo always kept her passport tucked into her undergarments, sure that if trouble struck, she would be safe. Tales like this give a glimpse into her mindset and spirit.
£6.99 -
Story You Don't Want to Read, About People You Don't Want to Meet
No one dreams of becoming a refugee. I know – I was one, a child fleeing war-torn Sarajevo. Though the Bosnian War has faded from global attention, for those it displaced, the struggle persists. Being a refugee is not a one-time event, but a lifelong series of petty humiliations as you chase the elusive prize of acceptance in a new homeland.
This collection shares raw stories from refugees like me who now call Canada home. On paper, Canada welcomes diversity; in reality, immigrants often face a glass ceiling that excludes us from full participation. With irony, in this multicultural nation we are made to feel like uncomfortable outcasts burdened by our pasts.
You may not want to hear our stories because they highlight bitter truths - that even in an open-armed country, refugees endure judgement and distance. But acknowledging these stories is the first step toward positive change. By reading about our intersecting struggles you become part of the solution helping to shift perspectives and bring us in from the margins. Our histories make some uncomfortable, but are essential to share if we hope to build a more inclusive society.
£7.99 -
Chase, Willow, Tiggy and Barney
Chase, Willow, Tiggy, and Barney is a heartwarming true story that is sure to resonate with cat lovers everywhere. This book takes you on a journey through the lives of four unique cats who brought an array of changes, challenges, and joys to our lives.
The story begins with Tiggy, a confident cat who nonchalantly followed us home one day and decided to make our house her own. Next came Barney, whose initially promising relationship with us took a turn when he began exhibiting aggressive behaviour.
Willow, a shy and timid cat, joined our family and slowly learned the joys of the outdoors, while Chase, the outgoing explorer, preferred the comforts of indoors and needed gentle persuasion to venture outside.
Chase’s story takes a touching turn when, after a change in my work schedule left him alone for longer periods, he began to visit local shops, people’s homes, and most notably, a nearby care home. His presence there became so cherished that one of the residents, deeply missing him after his unfortunate accident, requested a special visit. The reunion between Chase and the resident, brought together in her wheelchair, was a profoundly emotional moment.
This book is a tribute to the deep bond between humans and their feline companions, celebrating the unique personality of each cat and the indelible mark they leave on our hearts. Join us on this journey filled with laughter, challenges, and poignant memories, as we recount the unforgettable impact of Chase, Willow, Tiggy, and Barney.
£8.99 -
The Enlightened Self
Calin Wheeler was an ordinary kind of guy living an ordinary life until he ventured high up into the Moroccan Atlas Mountains. It was there that he was woken up by a Voice and a light that connected him to God.
What he thought he knew about himself, and life was so far removed from the reality of what it is. And that the change that took place was so profound that it when he came down the mountains noy only did he leave the old version of himself of what he once was he became a new person entirely.
£7.99 -
Sleep with the Holy Ghost
“Do you think, Sir, that Ireland should have joined the war against Germany?”
“I mean, Sir, that the married women in Ireland, like me Ma, and lots of other fellas’ mothers have loads of babies and are always having to go into hospital to have them or have to feed them and wash them. The mothers have stacks of work to do all the time and they’re always carrying babies around in their bellies or in their arms.”
Patsy Fagan, growing up in Dublin in the 1950s, asks awkward questions of his schoolteacher, Mr Bambrick.
A reflective memoir that touches on the impact of history, war, death of a young sister, religion, and schooling on the lives of the characters.
Patsy, falling in love as a teenager, facing the uncertainty of having to leave Dublin to live in England. This tender, amusing, sharp and gloriously sparkling work will appeal to a wide audience who enjoy engaging with the full range of human emotions.
Striking, thoughtful, funny; guaranteed to keep you reading – a book to relish.£9.99 -
Macdonald of Aird, Macdonald of the Isles and A Voyage of Discovery
Like so many people who grew up not knowing their parents, it becomes something of a life’s journey to discover who they were, what kind of personality they had or anything that could explain one’s own personality traits. This book covers the human conditions of a broken bond between mother and child, the First World War, PTSD, and my discovery of my belonging to an important Scottish Clan. The fact that my mother never bonded with her own mother was perhaps the reason she fell for a smooth talking, well-educated man 20 years older than herself, who flattered her, made her feel special, but carefully concealed his own damaged personality. So, I start my journey with the birth of my mother. If there is such a thing, then my young mother certainly chose an unfortunate time to be born.
£9.99 -
The Tramcar will Return
Electric tramways formed the backbone of most towns and cities in the first half of the twentieth century. But when they got in the way of cars, they had to go. People loved their trams, they took them to school, to work, to go shopping, to the cinema and to football matches. When the last Glasgow tram ran in 1962, a quarter of a million Glaswegians braved the pouring rain to say goodbye.
Thirty years later, trams were re-invented to help combat congestion and environmental impacts of the car. Both eras are covered in this book by an engineer who witnessed the demise of the tram and its revival, playing a major role in getting trams onto the streets of Manchester in 1992. Now trams are running again in London, Edinburgh and cities in between.
This is a personal story about the last tramways in Britain and the new generation of light rail systems, a term invented to avoid any confusion with old double deckers clanking down the middle of the road. It is interlaced with stories of tramways in the UK, Europe and beyond, gained when working as an international light rail consultant.
£15.99 -
The Longing
Mary Earle’s memoir, The Longing, is a poignant testament to resilience, born out of a desire to shed light on a dark chapter of history that mirrors her own turbulent past. Born in 1947, Mary’s childhood was overshadowed by a dysfunctional family and a father known for his explosive temper. A harrowing incident at fifteen plunged Mary into a world rife with abuse and suffering, threatening to lead her down a path of despair and depression. Her father forbid her to ever speak of this incident, and it becomes locked inside her. Yet, Mary’s spirit remained unbroken. Her story is one of remarkable transformation. In her forties, having escaped a violent marriage, Mary embarked on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, travelling solo to India. Today, she stands as a beacon of hope and strength, a counsellor and trauma specialist, healer and clairvoyant dedicated to helping others.
With an ‘eternally optimistic’ outlook, Mary shares her journey in The Longing, not just as a tale of survival, but as a source of inspiration and courage for anyone striving to overcome their own adversities.
£8.99