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Tea with Kong Zi
Do you think hate is a stronger emotion than love? How can I forget my problems? In China, they say that the first bird out of the tree gets shot. “Tea with Kong Zi (Confucius)” is a work of historical fiction based on the great teacher’s Analects in the form of a collection of dialogues between modern-day manager Pete (the book’s author) and Con (Confucius) on topics such as character, loyalty, integrity, success, and greed. Peter Alatsas, an experienced international manager and consummate traveller, has written a simple and pleasant “value guide”. “My inspiration was corruption and lack of ethical moral character in leadership,” he says. He also mentions that Confucius would never have engaged in active dialogue, unlike the Socratic way, because in Chinese culture the master is always above his students. This is one big difference between China and the West. For Confucius, questioning was the role of the teacher. Having studied the Analects and the literature that Confucius based his knowledge on, Alatsas tries to be practical and to the point being of Spartan origin brevity is the philosophy. In the end, Confucianism was more of a pragmatic wisdom than a philosophy. Among the dialogue, the reader can find creative cartoon images that bring the author’s ideas to life.
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Sunrise Over Belet
A somewhat introspective, possibly even a personal account, awaits the reader in James Shapiro’s Sunrise over Belet and one wonders if the author, who shares his name with the principal character in the book, are one and the same, and that James Shapiro is perhaps writing from the heart.Sunrise over Belet recounts one man’s struggle from boyhood through to adulthood with the demon voices in his head. A troubled school life gives rise to academic success and then a career in the city, neither of which assuages the increasingly loud noises in James’ head and which dog James at every turn. The death of a friend propels James rapidly into a new life in another country and so his voyage of self-discovery continues. Sunrise over Belet reflects the struggles of many people, were they to admit it; the self-doubt we all experience and the increasing wonder of the meaning of life as we grow up and grow older. Sunrise over Belet is a fascinating insight into one of the many aspects of the human condition with a brilliantly managed conclusion.
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Square Circles, for Grace
Pop, as his granddaughter Grace calls him, is an advocate of simple living. He believes that ‘for something to have life, something else must give up its life’ and frames his world view on this simple mantra. In his ambitious mission, he draws young Grace into his web.Grace identifies closely with her pop. Despite having all the luxuries of city life and everything in her reach, she finds peace and inspiration in their humble lifestyle. Pop despairs the wastefulness of the 'throwaway economy'. He hopes that his granddaughter, a representative of the young generation, will take a stand and bring change for the better. And avert the disaster her parents’ generation is creating.In a journey spanning four stages of her life, from child to adolescent to adult, we see Grace become a beacon of promise to find the way out of the looming crises.Filled with emotional and intellectual depth, this piece of fiction will take you to the ancient times of human civilisations, and reveal that our present place in history, with all the alarm bells ringing, is just the end of the path humanity has chosen. And… It doesn’t have to be this way!A story that will compel you to think about climate change and its association with modern lifestyle, in a way you have never done before.
£11.99 -
Spitfire Spies
Summer 1940 - Great Britain is in grave peril. With the ‘phoney' war turning into a very real war on the ground and in the air, Hitler's troops storm across an unprepared Europe towards the English Channel. Invasion looms. But the British have a weapon in their arsenal that may be a game changer and bring victory against all odds: the mighty Spitfire.So severe is the threat posed by this remarkable fighter plane that Germany sends two operatives - one a reluctant Englishman, the other a loyal Nazi - on an audacious mission to infiltrate and destroy. Will they achieve their goal or can MI5, with the aid of double agents and a brilliant female pilot, turn the tide of espionage to their advantage? With a literary adroitness reminiscent of an aviator in battle, author John Hughes weaves a tale of intrigue, love and betrayal in a fast-paced thriller of a debut novel which wends its way from the Fatherland via the beaches of Dunkirk to the skies over Southern England.
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Only in India - Stories Untold
India. An exotic land of characteristics and historical tales like no other. From an exposition on chili peppers to an introduction to comedic bridesmaids rituals, from tragic examples of socio-economic prejudices to ironic demonstrations of bureaucratic powers, and from personal reflections on kite flying to factual and clinical addresses on opium, Dr. Jas Singh shows India only as a son of the country can.Only in India—Stories Untold begins with the journey of a young Indian boy learning the differences between men and women, and harboring hopes of seeing movies and experiencing grand adventures in a historical fort. As we follow Singh from his childhood to his teenage years, then his college career, bits of political and war-time lessons, explanations of cultural expectations, and glimpses of life after the independence of British rule are interwoven in this all-encompassing exposure to a country that has been tested, redefined, left behind, missed, but never forgotten.
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Olive
Olive is a story of human endurance spanning over four generations; from the end of the 19th century through to WW-II, during the almost-total destruction of Southampton, a port city in southern England.Olive is the spine of this historical novel. Ostracised at birth by her family, Olive's life is that of an opportunist and black marketeer. She uses her sex, guile and music skills to move up, but there is a price to be paid and the children bear the cost.Olive demonstrates the impact one woman had on those whose lives she touched.
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Napoleon: Uprising
Amidst the turmoil of chaos and revolution, a young Napoleon Bonaparte leaves the safety of his Corsican homeland to be thrust into the corruption of the French aristocracy as he pursues a career in the artillery. Facing riot and rebellion throughout France, Napoleon must fight to protect a society that sees him as an outsider. As the world threatens to crumble around him, Napoleon must prove himself in order to protect his family from those who would destroy all he loves. This outsider, shunned and despised, may well prove to be France’s only hope.
£10.99 -
My Pain, My Country
It is May 1998, and riots have sprung up across Indonesia with attacks targeting the ethnic Chinese. Buildings are being set alight all around as helpless crowds watch their communities burn to the ground. Nina, a young Indonesian woman of Chinese descent, feels compelled to help her fellow student activists but finds herself in harm's way amid the mass gang-raping of Chinese women. Despite the government's best efforts to deny these allegations, the lives of many were dramatically changed by the traumatic events. Nina's heart-breaking experience is laced with cultural imagery and an emotional depth that will leave you awed. 'A powerful and engaging story about a national scandal the nation prefers to deny or forget. A must-read for anyone interested in contemporary Indonesia and her recent past.'Ariel Heryanto, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia 'Dewi Anggraeni creates poignant, interweaving plots of three generations of women in a family struggling to come to terms with a tragedy, which blends unspeakable violence, tormenting guilt, and lingering shame with the beauty of the batik-making art and the poetics of writing, to open up a slippery path toward a healing process that refuses to forget while continuing to move on. The life journey of each of the characters allegorizes the growing pain a nation must experience to fulfil its destiny as a diverse, multilingual and multi-ethnic society against deeply rooted prejudice and bigotry.' Manneke Budiman, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
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Marian
King Richard is on a crusade. Prince John will do anything to take England from him. Someone must take a stand. Marian has been running from her past and started a new life in Nottingham. When the Sheriff dies unexpectedly, her world changes forever. The new Sheriff puts not only Marian but the whole of Nottingham in danger. She must confront her past and step up to protect Nottingham when no one else will. Along the way, Marian makes friends as well as enemies. She meets an old acquaintance, Robin Hood, but things are not what they used to be. They have vastly different lives and responsibilities. Can they overcome their differences and work together? Can Marian be the leader everyone needs? Will she finally find peace?
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Malory's Quest
March 1471, Rogue Malory is dead. His friends, the Newgate Three, set out to fulfil their promise to him to deliver the finished manuscript of Le Morte D’Arthur to the friars of Winchester. But national events intrude and the three find themselves cast out from England. Advised by their old friend, Sir Anthony Tanner, and his betrothed, Margaret Limpsett, they set out to Bruges in Flanders where they seek advice on how to proceed to protect the manuscript. New characters are introduced, including William Caxton who becomes integral to their lives. Previous friends – and enemies – reappear and play their parts. But not all is well. At the end, there is a shocking discovery. Will the quest be fulfilled?
£12.99 -
Leaves in a Holocaust Wind
The Holocaust, the final solution for Jews, is infamous in history. Robert Dawson's Leaves in a Holocaust Wind is the story of another community that suffered in the Holocaust: the Gypsies. Told by Demeter Fox and Zuzzi, Leaves in a Holocaust Wind follows their journey to freedom in the German occupied territory of Slovakia. From the horrors of slaughter in the woods, the lies of a safe future, the concentration camp of Majdanek and the hiding away in the countryside, Fox and Zuzzi must come to terms with what they have witnessed and find the courage to survive until freedom comes. It is a novel of the playful mind-set and culture of the Romanies in the face of a most brutal regime, and in which most of the major events are based on real incidents.
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Lady
On his eighteenth birthday David is given a six-month-old German Shepherd puppy, and immediately a bond is formed between David and Lady, as he calls her. They become inseparable, working together on the family farm in Yorkshire.It is, however, 1944, and the country is still engaged in World War Two so it is only a short time before David receives his call up papers to fight for his country. He wants to do his duty but is worried about leaving Lady behind, David then discovers he is able to enlist her as a guard dog to work alongside him.Although the Germans are in retreat there is still fierce fighting and David, along with Lady, is taken as prisoner of war. Whilst in the camp Lady offers comfort to the internees, and is even a link between the internees and the German guards, and the bond between her and David becomes even stronger.This bond, indeed love, for each other makes them even more inseparable right to the very end.
£6.99
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