Recommended Reads
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The Wild Boy of Van Dieman's Land
What do you think could be the worst thing that could happen to you if you were so hungry you stole a bun?
In Victorian England, any theft at all could see you hung or sent to the other side of the world to a penal colony where you would be taught a lesson you would never forget. Your wickedness must be punished.
Davy’s father dies and he and his family are destitute. In a moment of weakness, ten-year-old Davy steals a bun. Now his troubles really start. He is brutalized and bullied in the prison until his wild behaviour ensures that he is transported to the notorious Van Dieman’s Land. Once he is there, life just gets harder and he begins to earn his name of ‘The Wild Boy.’
Meanwhile, his sister, twelve-year-old Hannah has been left to find work and fend for the family. She takes work in service to the prison chaplain’s family where her ingenuity and courage ensure that she is on the same transportation ship as Davy. Can she save him from life as a convict in the harshest colony of all? Can she ever reunite their shattered family?
£7.99 -
The Wind That Blows
Parul Das is an Indian woman doctor that has had a failed affair in England. She is going back to India hoping to find herself. In doing so, she finds love, a family and peace of mind. Dennis Galvin, an Anglo-Indian, happily married to Susan, lives in Swindon, England, with his twins, Donald and Michael, and wife. However, his happy life is thrown upside down when his wife leaves him for another man. He then takes a ship back to India to meet the love of his life, Parul. Dennis takes his twins to see his parents in Goa. Then, he and his twins visit Parul at the tea plantation just outside Darjeeling, where he meets Sutra, Parul’s aunty. The twins are taught cooking by Sutra. Parul announces that she is emigrating to New Zealand. Sutra, Dennis and the twins go too. They board the cruise ship, Electra, in Calcutta, which is bound for Australia and New Zealand. Whilst onboard the Electra, there are two murders which the three detectives, Parul, Sutra and Dennis, try to solve. The twins meet three young girls on board; Tilly, Bella and Badger. Bella gets jealous and pushes Don into the swimming pool on board. After he is rescued, he reveals the murderers. Once the murderers are caught, everyone looks forward to their new lives in a new land. But still, there lurks hate and murder.
£7.99 -
The Woman from the Other Side
This collection of short stories focuses on the lives of ordinary working-class people from Northern Ireland. It is set against the backdrop of the ‘Troubles’ and the province’s more recent history. Strong female characters often carry the narrative, and the story which gives its title to the collection is that of a Catholic woman from the South who marries a staunch Northern Protestant, and they settle in Belfast. The strife which ensues reflects the divided communities which the rest of the book can testify to.
In their depiction of everyday violence and intimidation, the stories bring to light more latent themes of homosexuality, sexism, and prejudice. A strong focus on family bonds means that the collection provokes a profound resonance with a large number of us who have grown up in tight family circles. In many ways, the ‘Troubles’ serve to underline the tensions inherent in these bonds.
£8.99 -
There was Once a Street in Bethnal Green
Derek Houghton was born and bred in London’s East End, Bethnal Green, when horses and carts were just as predominant on its streets as motorised vehicles. It was at a time when National Health was not even a dream, or any kind of benefit existed, the only benefit available was by taking the “Means Test” (Dole Money) that most East Enders were too proud to take. Poverty was never any stranger to their doors, unemployment was rife, and the pawnshops did a roaring trade. People then could walk the streets in safety, the streets were the children’s playgrounds, where they played unhindered. As hard as times were, neighbours showed great compassion in helping each other. Each street was like a village, where everybody knew everyone else. World War II was to bring about an even stronger bond with each other. Above all, it was the love of a street – “Our Street.”
£12.99 -
There’s a Monster in My Tent
Having been awoken early in the morning by some strange noises downstairs, the little girl goes down to investigate. She is alarmed to find a monster sleeping in her tent and flees to her mother to tell her what she had seen.From the fierce growls coming from inside to his wild, hairy arms and legs, she had never come across anything quite so fearsome; nor quite so startling. Although all is not as it first seems.There’s a Monster in My Tent demonstrates a father’s devotion to his little girl as it details the imagination present in the minds of children. It’s as thought-provoking as it is lively and is aimed at educating and delighting in equal measure.
£9.99 -
There’s a Monster in the Cupboard
Embark on a whimsical adventure and meet Buckeroo, the mischievous monster lurking in the cupboard, eagerly awaiting playtime! But beware when you swing open the door, for he might unleash a fearsome ‘boo-hoo!’ Yet, with a dash of caution and a peek through the crack, you’ll discover that this monster is far from frightful. In fact, he’s friendly and simply seeking amusement.
In this enchanting tale, children will learn a valuable lesson about appearances and fears. Buckeroo’s transformation from a perceived threat to a joyful playmate teaches young readers that things are not always as scary as they may seem. As they befriend the monster, children will understand that fear itself is the true adversary to conquer.
£8.99 -
They Call Me Jake
In this captivating memoir, Jakob, a Welsh-born Australian, takes readers on a remarkable journey that begins with a troubled youth and a life-changing decision. After running into legal trouble as a teenager, his family sends him off to sea on Scandinavian ships, where Jakob finds himself working out of Brooklyn, New York, joining ships engaged in global trade. It’s the era of rock and roll, with an atmosphere of freedom, free-spiritedness, and indulgence. However, tired of the endless partying and constant financial struggle, Jakob sets his sights on a new path.
He travels to England, enrolls in a navigational school, and earns his license as a ship’s deck officer. But his thirst for adventure and reinvention leads him to an unexpected destination - Israel. Jakob’s love for the kibbutz lifestyle and a young woman on the kibbutz captures his heart. However, as war disrupts the region, their relationship crumbles, and Jakob finds solace in a hippie commune on the sunny shores of Eilat. Through ups and downs, Jakob’s journey takes him across continents, from the Canadian Arctic to Thailand and beyond. His tale is one of resilience, self-discovery, and the pursuit of a meaningful life amidst the challenges and uncertainties of a rapidly changing world.
£10.99 -
They Never Reigned
British kings and queens are famous today. But many heirs to the British throne never became the actual king or queen due to various quirks of fate. This is their story. The stories include the oldest son of William the Conqueror, who lost the chance to become king because he was off fighting in the First Crusade; the White Ship disaster of 1120, England’s medieval Titanic, in which the sole male heir to the throne, and many others, drowned; an intrepid woman who nearly became queen in her own right four centuries before a woman actually did so; two princes who should have become a second King Arthur; the romantic warrior known to history as the Black Prince; the Princes in the Tower, who were supposedly murdered by King Richard III; the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots, beheaded by Queen Elizabeth I after an utterly unfair trial; James, who was born the heir and then was overthrown while still a baby, and was later known as the Old Pretender; a beloved Nineteenth Century princess who tragically died in childbirth at the age of 21; and many more.
Who suspected that the heirs who never reigned are every bit as interesting as those who did reign?
£10.99 -
The Bush Wood Valley Gang
This is a tale of a little mouse who, against all odds, survives many dangerous situations. He then discovers a new-found family friendship with a gang of orphans in Bush Wood Valley. Having lost his own near family, he quickly gets acquainted with his new-found family and gains higher status in the gang through his very positive attitude.
£8.99 -
The Last of the Lucky Childhoods
This is the story of my childhood recollections while growing up in Glasgow. The streets were still for kids and we knew how to make our own fun, though some of the mischiefs we got up to may not be classed as fun nowadays.
If we were poor, we didn’t realise it; if we were ill-treated, we thought of it as normal. Kids didn’t complain in those days (or they got a ‘slap across the lug’). Kids knew their place, we just got on with life and enjoyed it to the fullest.
As Billy Connolly would say: “What I’m about to tell you is true…well mostly.”
If any of my old pals, relatives, or friends recognise themselves on these pages, you’re most likely right…but I have changed the names (in some instances) to protect the guilty!
£7.99 -
The Web
In a celestial realm of five planets orbiting four suns, echoes of a bygone civilization wait to be unearthed. The revelation comes when archaeologists stumble upon an enigmatic probe amidst ancient ruins. As they pry open this time capsule, they unveil the chilling tale of a civilization vanished, its demise tied to a rogue blue star mentioned in the ancient texts.
As astronomers cast their gaze towards the cosmos, they are startled to find the same blue star, now drawing closer, heralding changes both mysterious and ominous. The celestial menace, with its destructive energies, threatens to rewrite the destiny of this multi-sunned system.
Faced with a cosmic threat, the realm’s brightest minds rally together to conceive a grand design: a force field monumental in its making, envisioned to shield their world from the star’s ruinous touch. This colossal endeavour births... The Web.
£9.99 -
Thorn's Princess
The people of the Forest Kingdom of Ferinatia are alive with excitement and delight as Princess Ranee of Ebrinatia arrives with her family and nobility for the first meeting with her betrothed, Crown Prince Jarel Whitethorn, the Summer Prince and future king of Ferinatia. Hawthorn, the servant to the royal healer, is neither excited nor delighted and his apprehension grows when he meets his future queen, and his fears are then compounded when unknown men attack him in their attempt to kidnap the crown prince. Then when the princess disappears and the alliance between the kingdoms is threatened, Thorn heads out in pursuit, unprepared for the journey he has begun through strange and perilous lands.
£12.99
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