Recommended Reads
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Plague Victim, and Other Stories
An elderly woman recalls being trapped in a remote village as an adolescent. A boy goes exploring on his new tricycle, but what does he discover? Two friends attempt to visit an ancient monument, only to find their plans are disrupted. A librarian is asked to give a lecture on the cataloguing of dreams. A curate’s obsession with an Anglo-Saxon saint causes him to neglect his parish duties.
Most of these 24 stories involve a mystery, sometimes revealed through fantasy or folklore. Memory and a sense of place are common themes of many of them. Some of the places are real and can be visited today; others are imaginary. Three of the stories are very short (about 250 words) and could be classed as flash fiction; another is long enough to be considered a novella.
The stories were written over the last 50 years and reflect the author’s changing interests and his developing ideas of structure. Can you guess which is the earliest story and which the latest?
£9.99 -
It’s Character Building
For as long as I can remember, I have always strived for more.
I recall this from a very young age and this book tries to explain the demons that drove me.
Whilst delving deep into my memory and often with raw emotion, I can now understand and hopefully come to terms with how very much my troubled childhood shaped me throughout most of my adult life.
I was always told it’s character building if I was asked to do or go anywhere outside of my comfort zone… which I took to mean Just have a go—what’s the worst that could happen?
I have used this writing experience to reflect on my life, the highs and lows… and hopefully come out a better person.
£7.99 -
Where Did the Vice President of the United States Go?
A new Republican president comes to power in America and declares that he will do twice over everything that Donald Trump did. As his administration hardens its stance against the transgender community, a full-scale culture war erupts between America and Europe, culminating in a mass demonstration of millions in Amsterdam.
The vice president is sent to the Netherlands in an attempt to broker a compromise, but once there, he vanishes from the watchful eyes of the U.S. Secret Service.
In a breathless political drama, the vice president’s secret summer romance is revealed: a tender, unexpected love affair with a long-haired Dutch schoolteacher whose sister has undergone gender transition. As American Secret Service agents struggle to protect the vice president under impossible conditions, the personal and the political collide.
Can the love story dubbed by the global media as the “Romeo and Juliet of the 21st century” overcome hatred, fear, and the forces determined to tear it apart?
£10.99 -
Beware the Ides
At the local theatre, Shakespeare resonates under the direction of Matthew Rawlings—a retired detective superintendent now engaged to direct Julius Caesar. Then, in a small country village close by, the play becomes a bizarre reality.
Its proud residents are taken completely off guard. The walls of the little country church shudder with the horror that suddenly confronts them. A body is found, and the village is sealed off. Soon to be followed by another death. As the lives behind that cordon begin to unravel, grief, loss, and love gone astray, glimpsed behind half closed doors. To the retired policeman’s eye something is badly wrong.
Yet both the village and its secrets remain beyond his reach. His offers of help are declined; his instincts have nowhere to go. And as the company rehearses Caesar’s warning, Rawlings is close enough to sense the omens—yet powerless to prevent the deaths that will surely follow.
£11.99 -
Charlie and the Whalerman
1890
On the death of her father, ten-year-old Charlotte goes to live with her grandparents in Russell (Kororareka) in the Bay of Islands. Kororareka was reputed to be “the Hell Hole of the Pacific) in its former years.
It is a strange new world for Charlotte to deal with. When attending school, Charlotte is shunned by the other children. Russell is a pretty bay but frequented by sailing ships, their crews intent on drinking and fighting. There is the added hazard of dodging drunken sailors while making her way around. Charlotte meets an old man on the wharf. Sam Salty is an old whaler. An unlikely friendship is formed. Sam teaches Charlotte about the area, tells tales of his lifestyle as a whaler around the New Zealand coast, and also teaches Charlotte a couple of sea shanties. He calls her “Charlie”.
At school when the book ‘Moby Dick’ is studied, Charlie is able to compare Sam’s experiences with those of the story. Although Sam teaches Charlie some self-defence moves, it cannot keep her safe. Then Charlie goes missing …
£6.99 -
Living Under a Cloud
A small factory on Roa Island provided work for many of the islanders, and the island’s future prosperity depended on its success. Originally set up as a private venture by Capt RN (Rtd) William Isherwood, the factory was sold to Ferranti on his retirement. The future looked settled until the workforce was taken by surprise when the business was sold to Black, Black & Blackmore’s, a company that no one had ever heard of.
Work was not the only thing changing on the island. Eight single young women, some of whom worked in the factory, were all in pursuit of romance and their story presents an interesting alternative to industrial matters. Nevertheless, work is never far away.
A Workington firm linked to the factory on Roa serves to introduce another northern community, many of whom struggle to navigate through life without creating drama involving both love and lust. Life, however, goes on, and in one way or another, they survive.
When Black, Black & Blackemore’s took over the factory on Roa, it sent a representative to visit the place, which is what the workforce expected. What was not expected was the astonishing way he arrived, and it started a year of mystery and disbelief.
The mysterious world of Black, Black & Blackmore gradually unravelled as time went by, which should have been reassuring. There is a saying that ‘seeing is believing’, but is it always true?
£10.99 -
REAL Electric Field Lines? - Alternative Physics and Chemistry
This book presents the hypothesis that, in the microscopic domain, “real” lines form between pairs of charges.
These lines exclude forces from other charges and possess their own mechanical properties.
Although highly unusual and speculative, if accepted, this hypothesis yields dramatic and testable consequences:
- It directly suggests the theoretical possibility of cold fusion—specifically, the fusion of deuterium nuclei at room temperature. This could unlock a potential energy source that is green, cheap, and virtually unlimited (using heavy seawater as fuel).
- The electron energies of arbitrary elements can be calculated in a remarkably simple way, using only a pocket calculator. By contrast, traditional quantum mechanics relies on supercomputers and, even then, yields only approximate results.
- A chemical bond can be viewed as a line in the sense defined in this book, meaning only thermal oscillations along the bond are permitted. As a result, calculating specific heat becomes essentially a matter of counting the bonds in a molecule. Consequently, as shown in the book, the specific heat of almost any chemical compound (at room temperature) can be determined quite simply.
£7.99 -
Hanging on the Ledge of Life for God
Villains once plotted to steal Sonny’s business. Life hit him like the story of Job—hard, unfair, and devastating. But just as God restored Job, God restored what evil tried to take from him. This book is a call to rise with courage, truth, and unshakable purpose.
The same courage Sonny needed to stand against the gangsters pictured here in a pub plotting against him is the courage he believes we may all need today—courage to stand firm when governments restrict freedoms and courage to protect our children when schooling leaves out the moral foundations they need to make their own decisions about life and truth.
A true story of loss, faith, and victory, this book reads like a movie—and calls readers to live with the strength of a warrior and the heart of a believer.
£9.99 -
Growing Up
Our hero was born on 24th March 1940, which in that year was Easter Sunday, in the Bird in Hand pub in the village of Stoulton, 5 miles south of Worcester. There was a lot going on in 1940 of which he was totally unaware: the Dunkirk evacuation, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, for starters. On a lesser level perhaps was the suicide of Virginia Woolf. Meanwhile, over in New York, Duke Ellington was composing and recording masterpieces like Take the A Train, Chelsea Bridge and Sepia Panorama.
What follows is our hero’s misadventures in the countryside around the hamlet of Sneachill in rural Worcestershire recounted in this saga.
£7.99 -
The Four Friends Vol. 2
Charlie, Brock, Anna and Spencer return for four more short stories with the following:
Anna – Spencer begins to question whether he sees Anna as more than a friend, especially when the two decide to hang with just each other for a day.
Dumb – Brock is forced to undergo a test or be forced to stay back a year. He fears he isn’t smart enough nor capable to succeed.
Dreams – As the neighbourhood sleeps, vivid dreams form…
Train – Tensions flare high on board a train after a disastrous school trip, made worse when the train breaks down. Could it break the four’s friendship?
£7.99 -
Prison Life Through the Eyes of a Chaplain
This book follows on from Joy’s first book, ‘An Inside Job: The Life of a Prison Chaplain’.
The challenges of prison life are felt by the reader as Joy responds to urgent calls for help. Tension often hangs in the air as tragic incidences take place. Dealing with the aftermath of grief and sadness is often an ongoing support for prisoners and staff. But there are lighter moments too. Marriages can take place in the prison chapel or be civil marriages in one of the administration blocks. These are always happy occasions when it is hoped the marriage will stand the test of time. This book looks into life in prison in its many forms as we journey with Joy in the busy jail. Often a listening ear is vital; compassion, understanding and empathy are necessary, and prayers are often requested.
The reader is invited to join Joy through the highs and lows of prison life and enter into a world often unknown to the public.
£6.99 -
Travellers All
An attractive, personal, superbly curated evocation of the golden age of travel right up to the present day. Travellers All is a meticulously researched work on the history of travel writing and travel writers, and seeks to rekindle a love (and hate occasionally) of the works of our finest writers.
There is a thematic approach which includes twenty-seven chapters of commentary on the experiences of the various authors on such topics as packing, means of travel, attitudes to local people, sex and love on the road, companions, food and drink, reasons for travel etc. Each chapter has sections, for example ‘Everyday Living’ includes a commentary (with short indicative quotes) on accommodation, daily chores, cooking, bugs, sleep (or lack of it), general filth, conversation, entertainment and so on.
A large number of the classic (and sometimes less than classic) travel books are visited and the author reflects on how travel has evolved and changed. It is hoped that brief extracts from illuminates like Cable or Crane, Thesiger or Theroux, Kinglake or Kingsley and Bryson or Bridges will develop, with the commentary, an empathy for the hopes and adventures of some wonderful works. In passing, the marvellous tapestry of past and present corners of our world, as well as of its people, are revealed through different travellers’ eyes.
£33.99
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