-
Back in Three Months
Join us on a true story of a seven-year cruise from Norwich to Africa aboard a 25-year-old motor cruiser. The decision to sacrifice a comfortable middle-aged life for an impractical and seemingly impossible dream led to many ups and downs, much humour, some drama, and even tragedy. This isn’t a tale of heroics or ocean crossings, but rather the story of two ordinary people who find themselves in a variety of unexpected situations, striving to cope with whatever life throws at them.
The book traces their 1,000-mile journey through the French waterways from Dunkerque to Séte on the Mediterranean. The serene beauty of the rivers and canals was breathtaking, culminating in a winter spent with a small, quirky international boating community in Provence, where they participated in some unexpected activities.
The following spring brought their first taste of the Mediterranean Sea. Wild and unpredictable, it was far from the flat calm pond they had imagined. They encountered rough seas, thick fog, pirates, tsunamis, Spanish paratroopers, and even the French Foreign Legion. A near-death experience and abandoning ships in a marina were certainly not part of their plan. However, the variety of people they met, the places they visited, and the incredible sights of large pods of dolphins, whales, turtles, and a two-ton sunfish made it all worthwhile. The whole experience gave them the best and worst times of their lives.
£9.99 -
A Womb With a View
This book delves into the life of the Church of England at a near grassroots level during a period of seismic change. It seeks to capture the essence of experimental ministry during a time of national uncertainty. While it doesn’t provide definitive answers, it explores various possibilities with honesty and humour. The narrative shares the joys and challenges of parish ministry in diverse settings: from the heart of a bustling city to the serene depths of rural Wensleydale, from a sprawling inner-city housing estate to the hills and coastlands of Cumbria. It enthusiastically engages with ecumenical matters and approaches interfaith diversity with a certain naivety.
“Here are the workings out of a practical theologian – a priest working across disciplines, and most powerfully working with and alongside communities.”
– The Ven. Chris Burke, Archdeacon of Barking.
“He created a platform to build on of the largest centres for social action and community activity in the country… Malcolm is courageous beyond belief and a true advocate of his faith and belief in human kind.”
– Mark Law MBC. Chief Executive, BARCA, Leeds.
“I found this lovely book quite a nostalgic read, because it reminded me of the church into which I was ordained nearly 40 years ago. I also found it deeply moving, endearingly honest, and at times profoundly inspiring. Malcolm - who is a natural entrepreneur – manages to tackle some very serious subjects without ever taking himself too seriously and he enables some powerful reflection on the meaning of ‘success’ in ordained ministry without trying to provide to many answers. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.”
– James Newcome, Bishop of Carlisle.
£9.99 -
Nationality: Medicine
'Medicine transcends all barriers; it knows no frontiers, it respects all credos and, most importantly, it treats all human beings as equals. Despite the tremendous socio-economic inequalities that I encountered and experienced in each one of the four countries where I’ve lived and practised medicine (Peru, United States, Spain and the UK), I’ve always been proud to find that the Hippocratic Oath is unwavering and equally applied to all citizens. My identity never came from having a certain nationality, speaking a specific language or even from my family genealogy. It came (and still does) from the set of values that the medical profession professes and that I, as a doctor, hold close to my heart. These values are the building blocks of society; without them, everything else crumbles. My “nationality” is medicine and my allegiance is to the human race. The lives and the clinical cases in this book are all real and they tell the story of how the Hippocratic Oath prevails even in the most challenging conditions. They remind us that no matter how much adversity lies before us (poverty, socio-economic instability, lack of resources, etc.), with sufficient effort, creativity and perseverance, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. After all, altruism – the bedrock of medicine – is free of charge, independent of location and always available for anyone who’s willing to use it.'
Dr Carlo Canepa£13.99 -
Of Ships and Shoes and Scotland
The author is a Scot from the small (two shop) village of Whins of Milton, two miles south of the Royal Burgh of Stirling. He has always loved the sea and ships, and was master of the first Australian flag anchor handler, operating in offshore oilfields around Australia.
The book covers a wheen o’ topics – growing up in the Whins, then living in Australia, to which he emigrated in 1968 with his wife and family, to his wanderings in the countries of the Pacific Basin. Later, it also makes some comments on Australians, their character and contentment (and pride) as to who they are as a race of people, living under the Southern Cross.
Ships and the sea are never far away. Also part of this story is the Greek Tragedy of the demise of Alfred Holt, the author having been indentured to that heroic and exemplary Liverpool company as a deck apprentice in 1957. The note, Welcome to Country, says it all as to his worldview of Australians, an attitude almost Caledonian in its sense of directness and curiosity, particularly regarding the workings of the vast world which is all around us.
£22.99 -
Recollections
I was born a girl and to my parents, it only meant one thing; I would be a servant to my siblings, husband, dad, in-laws and any other person who crossed my path in life. The happiness of my husband, children, family and extended family was important. I would be a cook, housemaid, sexual object to my husband, a mother, a nurse and all the commitments that come from being a servant wife.
Learning respect and obeying was why I was sent to a convent for my schooling. My brothers were more important than me and when the time came I was prevented from becoming a teacher because I was a girl and that would not be my role in life. I was made to believe that my happiness was not important, only the happiness of others. My mum had been my role model and I firmly believed all that rubbish until my husband died. I was finally out of the cage and into a future of freedom and possibilities. To be able to learn who I was and what I liked. Finally, I was able to think of myself.
My life from the age of two has been a huge rollercoaster and one that I never got the chance to get off until I was 64. I have kept a lot of my experiences to myself as I believed them to be my fault. I yearned for someone to love me and not abuse me and to be my friend and my confidant. The only unconditional love I ever got was from my two boys (my dogs Max and Sam) who left me when they were 16. I cherish and feel blessed by my two wonderful children’s love but it’s not the same.
£9.99 -
Scallywag – My Duvet Diva
Scallywag – My Duvet Diva is a true story about a man trying to rebuild his life, and a dog in need of a second chance.
It tells of their adventures together ashore and aboard their canal boat “Bluebell”, of their developing relationship and of their deepening companionship.
Atmospheric, funny, and sometimes sad, it will make you both laugh and cry.
Keep the tissues handy!
£8.99 -
Shikari Shaitan
This book is an account of four and a half years spent hunting man-eaters in the jungles of southern India. It also mentions some of the people the author met. There is also a description of the areas mentioned in the book. Finally, the book is a plea to the world that no effort should be spared in preserving the panthers and tigers of the Indian subcontinent.
£8.99 -
Taxi to Broadway
“Hey, did anyone tell you look like James Dean!”
It happened once in a while. I had just lit a cigarette… (can’t resist the slice of ham). Drawing into myself; playing the dead actor behind the wheel, cigarette dangling loosely from my pouting lips; angry at life… scowling at the world!
Christy Jones was no James Dean, but he could proudly tell people in his taxi that he was an actor nonetheless. And driving wasn’t the only time he could play a character.
The author of this memoir found a passion for acting and made it to Stella Adler’s Academy for Theater in the early ’60s. But to make a decent living he drove a taxi across New York for six years. Christy never had an accident, though he had plenty of narrow escapes during his six years of driving. He preferred driving at night, so he could make the rounds of agents and producers during the day. But the streets can be treacherous... and dangerous. A cab only lasts a couple of years on New York City streets. After a long time spent dropping people off at their destinations, he finally arrived at his own: Broadway.
Taxi to Broadway is a story of fleeting conversations and adventurous nocturnal driving, but in the end, it is what all great stories should be – a tale about following your passions.
£10.99 -
The Gift
Sixteen-year-old Anne faces radical change in her life after a supernatural encounter. When an unusual person makes an unexpected visit, Anne finds she is linked to a decision that was made three hundred years earlier, and her peaceful and predictable life is shaken. She must respond to a complicated request that challenges her own sense of morality and integrity. Anne seeks out help from a local seer and healer who reveals secrets about her birth and her destiny. But will this guidance be enough to help Anne see through the deceptions and traps that have been set for her by nefarious forces?
Behind the pastoral loveliness of the Vermont hills, Anne experiences an invisible world, populated by both good and evil presences who vie for her very soul. A special gift has been given to Anne, but her use of this gift can bring either joy to others or be a curse to all.
£5.99 -
The Tale of a Hip
The Tale of a Hip is an account of the author’s 80-year life to date, through a period of huge social change, during which, technology has taken over from nature. It is the story of true love lasting six decades, despite the fact that physical aspects of the relationship were less good than they might have been, due to an unsuspected structural problem that only came to light when Pamela and her husband, John, took up dancing in their 40s.
The mystery of Pamela’s shifting bones is unravelled piece by piece, from art-influenced early years in Yorkshire, through the excitement and romance of working in a burgeoning post-war London, to marriage and, later, to obsession with dancing, resulting in back and hip issues for many years.
£7.99 -
Waters of Love
This is the untold story of an unknown, illegitimate, poor, working class East London woman, happily married with children, and her friendship with a well-known, wealthy, South African Jew who became a celibate Anglican priest, also a doctor, pathologist, retreat conductor, spiritual director and confessor, author and deliverance minister, with her mystical visions supporting his ministry and his pastoral care.
£9.99 -
What Now
What Now is written to assist people through times of change. It’s particularly relevant in these very trying times of COVID-19. It is not a how-to manual; it’s an entertaining and humbling account of how one person discovered the most powerful transformation force of all! How he recreated himself after being unceremoniously sacked from the job he had dreamed about as a teenager.
What Now tells the story of how a barefoot and frightened little boy from the remote bush of Australia went on to play State of Origin for Queensland, represent Australia and achieve his dream of being a Head Coach, leading the London Broncos alongside Sir Richard Branson onto the hallowed turf of Wembley Stadium. After tragically losing his father at the tender age of three, he unconsciously sought out older people as role models.
In his story, Dan Stains reflects on his quest in search of the most powerful transformational force available. The lessons he uncovered on this journey lead the reader on a path to reveal their own What Now. The rollercoaster ride takes the reader on a sometimes uneasy and humbling path. From the foothills of East Cooyar, to the raucous applause of screaming fans at the best football stadiums in the world, Dan discovers that the ‘open sesame’ to change is by simply loving all of life, including and especially yourself, and the rest is taken care of.
£9.99