-
"I Must Live!"
On April 30th 1975, South Vietnam fell into the hands of the Communists from the North. Countless Southerners from various backgrounds were being herded into concentration camps. The author was one of them.
“I MUST LIVE!” was the loudest scream I had ever made, which activated my survival instinct when I was tortured to the point of death. Thanks to these three words, I was able to survive in order to recount the painful and horrifying experiences to share with the readers. It was a type of experience that the readers could not possess and no one wished to have.
In short, this is my experience: Human compassion has its limits, but human evil is boundless, especially when that evil is incited and indoctrinated by the Vietnamese Communist Regime.
I hope the book I MUST LIVE! will give readers a deep insight into the darkest side of life, at the same time as to realize that they are the most fortunate people on earth compared to the life of the author.
£12.99£9.09 -
"Oneness" The Unity of Opposites: Innovative Transformation
This book is a take on ‘Paradise to Hell’ real-life stories, about real-life under-performing businesses located in real-life countries, operating in real-life industries at a time of real-life challenges in the name of innovative transformation. My life as an international business consultant; Impresario. From India to Indonesia. From Bangladesh to Australia. From Silicone Valley to Malaysia. From the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere. From West to East. From on-shore to off-shore. From debt to equity, from low cost, low skilled staff, to high cost, high skilled staff. From single function to multi-function, from life to death. In the life of a ‘dare devil’, frequent flier, international consultant – in what seems like a personal battle with ISIS.
£16.99£11.89 -
284 Munros
Since the Rev A E Robertson first accomplished the feat in 1901, over 6,500 people have registered their “compleation” of the Munros with the Scottish Mountaineering Club. There are records for the fastest round; for “compleating” in a continuous walk, or in a single season; for the greatest number of rounds; etc.
David Barraclough took a more leisurely approach, taking 51 years and 164 days to walk 2,086 miles and climb 690,000 feet between ascents of Sgùrr nan Gillean, his first Munro climbed when he was fourteen, and Beinn Dòrain, his 284th. David’s book is more than a diary of his achievement. He includes descriptions of the often non-standard routes he took to the summits and tries to rationalise the many changes that have been made to the Munro listings over the years. Beyond the mountains themselves, he discusses the effects on both access and the environment of the dams and enlarged lochs associated with hydro-electric power schemes, and the more recent threat to the wildness of Scotland’s more remote areas from industrial-scale wind farms. Throughout the book, David’s lifelong love of the Scottish mountains shines through.
£11.99£8.39 -
50 Shades of Awkward
There comes a time when you look at yourself in a dirty bathroom mirror and think, this cannot be all there is. I am speaking directly to the heart of every woman who, at this very moment, feels invisible, unloved, unworthy, trapped, tired, ugly, awkward, aimless, chubby and old. This book is for you.
Eight years ago, I was married for the third time to a guy I met on the Internet and barely knew. This is a raw look at life through the eyes of a middle-aged woman as she comes to grips with parenting, dating, divorce, dieting, financial and mental health meltdowns, and her brutally honest way of dealing with it all.
Through horrific mistakes, gut-wrenching pain and laugh-out-loud life mishaps, I hope it will help you see that life isn’t at all bad.
£15.99£11.19 -
A Bit of Good Luck
A young man slings his duffel bag over his shoulder and begins a journey of a lifetime.
In this true story, young Frank learns more in a day than all his life up to that point but, ironically, he’s left with more questions than answers! Do lobsters whistle? Are sleep and driving mutually exclusive?
Now, over 50 years later, Frank recalls that day, the highs and lows, the stops and starts and the emotional end to his odyssey. With his mission to meet up with his father at the opposite end of Ireland, this funny, yet poignant story paints a landscape that is fading over time and will leave you wondering where life’s true characters have gone. Have they really disappeared? Or are they waiting patiently, thumbs out, waiting to be picked up again?
Readers will never predict the trials and tribulations of Frank McGurk in 1960s and ’70s Ireland – neither did Frank.
Where exactly is no man’s land? Was the smuggling run ‘a washing machine too far’? And what were Frank’s true dealings with the oil sheikhs from the Middle East?
Potholes without the plot holes, A Bit of Good Luck (and other short stories) evoke a bygone era where a journey was an adventure, and the open road was an open mic for every character to stand up and take a bow.
£8.99£6.29 -
A Boy Full of Emptiness
"Leo tells the stories of his life as though he is living them all over again; it is an extraordinary gift. Every scene comes to life: every fragrance, every bad smell, every delicious morsel of food or stinging slap becomes real.”
Pete Townshend, The Who
This book is rich with the story of a boy born in the 1940s and coming of age in Lucca, a walled town in Tuscany still retaining the feeling of a medieval community. His narrative immerses the reader into the life of funny and sensuous adventures in an Italy suspended between Fascism, the war and the economic boom of the sixties. The story ends with the author travelling to England in search of riches and fulfilment.
£10.99£7.69 -
A Day in the Life of a Student Nurse
A day in the life of a student nurse, what could possibly go wrong? If you're training to be a nurse right now, or just fancy an insight into what they do, read this book. It will tell you that sleepless nights from constant worrying is absolutely normal. To make mistakes and want the ground to swallow you up then get over them; this is normal. To eat and drink very little all day and suffer with constipation; this is, yes you guessed it: normal.
No one tells you anything when you sign up. In fact, they forget to tell you very important details that actually make you believe you are losing your mind. Delirium is such a thing. But what will come out of this is a degree in nursing, followed by a registration which will give you the entitlement to being called a registered nurse-adults or children’s depends on what you chose. For me it’s an adult registered nurse. Don’t get overly excited you will have to pay £120 every year to have it renewed. You will need to be in a union of some sort, which equals more cost. On a lighter note the memories, the friendships and the experiences you receive, nursing profession: I love you.
£7.99£5.59 -
A Hitchhiker's Triptych
John Gardiner worked as a journalist and media advisor for more than 40 years. He has travelled extensively across the world throughout his life. His book A Hitchhiker’s Triptych covers six months of his first journey into England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland during the turbulent days of the early 1970s. It was the time of the Troubles in Ireland. The Arabs also were holding the West to ransom with oil embargoes. John wanders head-on into these and other major world issues during his hitchhiking adventures.
His book is a superb exploration of life on the road during the 1970s. How easy it was to hitchhike in those days. Stick out a thumb and land a ride. A Hitchhiker’s Triptych is intriguing. It explores a wanderer’s life during far simpler times. Decades before the internet and instant news feeds. This is a journey pre-digital. A step back in time where adventure is achieved simply by standing beside a highway and sticking out a thumb. Wonders and wisdom found over that next hill.
£15.99£11.19 -
A Mother's Tale
Sean Sheridan was born into a poor Irish family in the North of Ireland but was destined to travel. His adult life was spent in the world of investment management in the City of London and Luxembourg, a far cry from his native roots. This is a story about growing up in poverty in a strict Catholic environment during the Troubles where priests, poverty and the police were never too far away. It is also a salute to an indomitable mother who overcame so many challenges and setbacks in life and to those whose lives she touched and enhanced. This is the first of, hopefully, many novels and he is currently working on a play about the ritual of Wakes in rural Donegal in the ’70s that he hopes will make it to the London stage in the near future.
£8.99£6.29 -
A Mother’s Worry
Immerse yourself in the riveting true story of a young maverick’s journey from the gritty slums of Melbourne to the elite ranks of Australia’s Special Air Service (SAS) during the tumultuous 1950s and 60s. Witness the struggles of his mother, wed to an abusive man, and how the hardships of his upbringing influenced his formative years. Leaving school at 14, he delved into the world of firearms and hunting by working in a gun shop, a precursor to his military service.
Enlist alongside him at 17 and endure the gruelling selection process and intense training regimen that propelled him into the SAS, Australia’s pinnacle military unit. Experience firsthand his arduous pre-deployment conditioning in the unforgiving terrains of New Guinea, and feel the adrenaline rush as he was thrust into the heart of the Vietnam War at just 19 years old.
Laced with unfiltered humour and detailing the escapades of the SAS’s hard-living, harder-fighting men, this memoir utilizes Australian War Memorial records to shed light on the innovative tactics and extraordinary kill ratios the unit achieved in Vietnam, despite their primary mission of intelligence gathering.
Chart his meteoric rise from Private to Sergeant in just one year, a promotion that garnered him both awe and animosity from older, yet less aggressive, SAS soldiers. Finally, accompany him as he navigates the tumultuous transition from battle-hardened warrior to peacetime soldier, facing the strictures of a by-the-book Regimental Sergeant Major upon his return to Australia.
£11.99£8.39 -
A Passion to Run
After ten years of six-days-a-week training, she has gained three bronze medals in individual events and three relay medals at World Masters level, yet the competitive fire still burns brightly. She continues to train and now, as a sprint coach, she shares her passion for running to enable others to improve technically and live out their dreams. Speed is always the focus, whether her athletes are training for rugby, football, basketball, netball, hockey, track, tennis or mogul skiing.
£9.99£6.99 -
A Question of Belief
Belief is rarely pure and never simple. This book explores the particular perplexities of belief as experienced by one female vicar in the Church of England. To exercise a public and representational role within any faith community will always bring its own pressures and paradoxes. Here, the author acknowledges and explores her own questions, which cover a wide range of topics from politics to preaching; from science to suffering. A constant theme of the book is the relationship between fact and truth. Fact is, of course, an important vehicle of truth, but not the only one. Symbolism, metaphor, myth, the creative arts have all conveyed the deep truths of Christianity to the author, who remains totally committed to her faith. Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, she takes a non-literalist view of belief, which she accepts will not be shared by some fellow Christians. But in her experience and understanding, to follow Christ means to seek the eternal truth which he embodied, and which will always be more elusive and intriguing than a recital of fact. And – for the author at least – more joy-giving. This is a hopeful book!
£7.99£5.59