Recommended Reads
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Thor the Walrus, A Story You Will Never Thaw-get
The water is getting warmer, and the ice cap is melting. Thor, the walrus, is at risk of losing his homeland.Thor lives in the seasonally ice-covered waters of the Arctic Circle with his mother, his friends, and the elders. The ice is brittle and breaks easily. Thor hears the elders talk about climate change and wonders what it means. Being named after the god of thunder, Thor decides he is a brave walrus who will one day embark on an adventure to explore far-off lands to find out more. One night, the ice breaks, and Thor floats away, leaving his mother, his friends, the elders, and his homeland behind. Thor’s adventure has begun.As he enters warmer waters, his floating iceberg gradually melts until it disappears. Thor is on his own and swims for hours, looking for food and a place to rest. He visits coastal villages and a herring festival where the air is thick with the smell of fish. Every time Thor stops to rest and regain his strength, a crowd gathers, and Thor wonders why. He feels lost and alone, listening to the crowds. People were excited to see him. Men in orange coats kept the crowds at bay, but Thor was never far from the water’s edge and would grunt if people came too near. He kept hearing the words ‘global warming,’ ‘climate,’ and ‘change.’If people didn’t act, his homeland would be lost. Thor decided that his journey could make a difference. While he majestically and playfully showed himself off, he hoped that Thor the walrus would never be thaw-forgotten.
£7.99 -
Childhood in the Liverpool Slums
The idea of childhood is a social construction. The word means different things to different people. To some it means happy memories, to others it is best forgotten. The childhoods identified here are set in the realms of poverty, bad housing, little material benefits and little prospects for the future. This is a description of fortitude, hope and survival against the odds, of those childhoods that took place in the Liverpool slums. The text contains a background history supported by photographic evidence, of childhood in Liverpool’s slum housing. It covers the culture, events and its music during the 1950s and 1960s. These are interspersed with and linked to, personal experiences of the author and some theoretical perspectives on childhood. To those from Liverpool, it is a reminder of how things used to be in an entirely different age and world. To those not from the area it is a window on a unique way of life that came and went. For researchers it is a supply of rich first-hand data and hopefully, for all, a good, interesting read.
£9.99 -
The Path to Deliverance
This book is a complete guide that touches every aspect of motherhood from child loss, pregnancy, and childbirth to the first months with a newborn. It allows us to prepare deeply and learn to free ourselves from misbeliefs, limitations, anxiety, and fear. The environment in which we give birth, our attitude, have such a big impact on ourselves but also on the future of our children.When I managed to give birth on my own without an epidural for my second child, it struck me, I had just discovered something major! I had just experienced a superpower. I was a new version of myself just as if I had awakened from a long sleep, I had awakened from ignorance. I felt the urge to share my experience on how to live pregnancy and childbirth in the present moment with mindfulness.In this book, all the tools will help you take care of yourself, create a powerful bond with your baby and lead you on the path to deliverance.
£8.99 -
Beside a Stranger
Inspired by the stunning visual landscape and sea views from Christabel Lancing’s family cottage in South Devon, Beside a Stranger is her debut poetry collection. It reflects her personal experiences of love and loss; of pain, longing, and joy, exploring some paradoxical aspects of isolation and connection.The poem Beside a Stranger originated from the 9/11 tragedy and its anniversaries—a reminder and insight into the emotions of those who died alongside people they’d never met. It is a spirit-driven memory, mirroring events and narrating, in parallel themes, the love for someone you have never met.This is an emotive, sometimes metaphorical insight into human feelings and reactions. It resonates deeply and is, at times, unable to be read without a catch in the throat.Beside a Stranger takes readers on a journey of emotional and natural description, relating intimately to the individual. Each poem builds upon the next to create a tumultuous, compelling, and restorative narrative.
£5.99 -
Midnight Train From Georgia
Midnight Train from Georgia chronicles the incredible rise of Gladys Knight and the Pips from their origins singing in a small Atlanta church to their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. When two families’ destinies intertwine at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, they discover the extraordinary musical talents of their children. Young cousins William Guest, Eleanor Guest, Gladys Knight, Brenda Knight, and Bubba Knight unite their heavenly vocals to form The Pips gospel choir.We follow William Guest from his formative years in Atlanta, where his love of music is kindled by evenings listening to his family perform rhythmic gospel songs on their porch. The Pips’ journey takes them from these humble back-porch jam sessions to struggle and sacrifice on the road to stardom. With faith, fortitude and William’s grandmother’s lessons to guide them, the group overcomes adversity through the transcendent power of their music.Midnight Train from Georgia is an inspiring tale about the bonds of family, church and music. It’s a story of poverty to fortune, innocence to experience, and childhood friendship growing into Hall of Fame synergy. Their sweet harmonies touched millions over decades, but it all started with kids finding their voices in a small Georgia choir.
£9.99 -
The Magical Wonky Universe
The Universe can be a curious place, often confounding to ordinary minds. But not to Silicent Fogg’s brilliant mathematical brain. As a magical mathematician, he thrives on the Universe’s befuddlements, claiming he can calculate everything out with his own special brand of magical math.So when Mr. P wakes convinced the whole Universe is out of whack, Silicent jumps at the chance to take the case and raise money to buy his granddaughter a new dress. Now he just needs to factor every possible outcome in a lopsided battle where success is, at best, improbable.Cue a silly vengeance scheme, the Universe’s most ruthless assassins, giant killer butterflies, a train heist, a rabbit costume, and a storyline too absurd to be anything but real. Well, real in the sense that it’s likely implausible, if you catch my drift.
£10.99 -
When Ripples Collide
When Ripples Collide is a poignant tale of resilience, chronicling the lives of three formidable young women who defy the odds stacked against them. Cast into the protective arms of child services from troubled childhoods, the novel and its sequel explore their relentless fight for acknowledgment amidst covert biases. Battling the stigma of being raised in care and poverty, they wield an indomitable belief in themselves and a steadfast determination to shed the labels that society has imposed on them.This narrative weaves a rich tapestry of harrowing and complex journeys laden with unexpected twists. The trio confronts danger head-on, from aiding Rosie’s flight from a contemporary enslavement ring to lending their wits and bravery to The Entity, a clandestine organization devoted to repatriating treasures looted by the Nazis. Amidst their endeavours, they navigate a labyrinth of crass political machinations and duplicity, a system designed to guard the interests of an elite few.Their quest for autonomy is a trial by fire, a crucible that forges their identities and moral resolve. As they surmount each obstacle, the chains of their former ‘victim’ status dissolve, allowing them to emerge not as products of their past but as architects of their destiny. When Ripples Collide is an ode to their journey towards recognition and empowerment, proving that their value is defined by their own merits and not by their beginnings.
£9.99 -
Blue Streak
Mark Wyles fell hard as a policeman, demoted, and sent to the isolated Hawker Station on the fringe of South Australia’s Flinders Ranges. However, a missing person creates a surprising opportunity to regain detective status when he and rookie policewoman Katherine Cooper follow a trail of disappearances from outback Hawker to Adelaide. The unlikely pair make a formidable team and unearth a plot involving a network of Communist sympathisers seeking intelligence about British missile tests at Woomera. However, to prevent the intelligence from escaping to the USSR, they must stop a ruthless killer.
“Blue Streak ticks all the boxes of suspense.” Krystyna Duszniak, Lost Histories.
£9.99 -
Life Downside Up
25-year-old Fae finds herself spending Christmas alone, contemplating her struggles with depression and bipolar disorder and how these battles have prised her family apart. She decided to seize her own demons and uprooted her life to Ljianstipol, a place where she spent a lot of her teenage years in an experimental mental healthcare facility.With determination, courage, and a thrust for a ‘normal’ life, not only is she now living in Ljianstipol but also working at the same mental healthcare facility, the hotel Davizioso, However, life is not always so straight forward, and problems arise when asked to document her experiences for a magazine article this only rekindles issues, she has spent years evading.In the midst of a depression and anxiety attack she is befriended by a mysterious passing stranger, who shows Fae that there is a world of friendship, acceptance, hope and just a little bit of magic all waiting for her, even if Fae has lived her Life Downside Up.
£30.99 -
Forgotten
After a harrowing accident leaves her severely injured and abandoned in a ditch, a young woman awakens in a hospital bed, her body battered and her mind a blank slate. Plunged into a coma, she emerges into consciousness with her past erased, her identity lost to the shadows of amnesia.Embarking on a perilous journey of self-discovery, she navigates a labyrinth of unknowns, where each step could reveal startling truths or lead her deeper into a web of lies. Surrounded by faces she cannot trust and memories that refuse to surface, she must summon her inner strength to confront the mysteries that shroud her existence.As she delves into the enigmatic fragments of her life, she encounters a cast of characters whose intentions are as obscure as her own past. Allies or adversaries, saviors or saboteurs, they are the pieces of a puzzle she is desperate to solve. With no guide but her unwavering resolve, she risks everything to uncover the origins of her identity and the events that led to her fateful night in the ditch.What she learns will challenge her understanding of trust, identity, and the very fabric of her being. Changed by her discoveries, she faces the ultimate question: Can she ever truly return to the person she once was, or has her journey transformed her forever? Who is she?
£8.99 -
Parvon Zin Koban Hunter Book 2: Return of the Anunnaki
In Parvon Zin Koban Hunter Book 2: Return of the Anunnaki, the ancient promise of the Anunnaki looms large – their prophesied return to the Adamu, the beings they crafted, has come to pass. However, the sight that greets them sparks divine ire.The Adamu, once compliant subjects, have diverged from their intended path, embracing rebellion over subservience. Faced with this insubordination, the Anunnaki’s verdict is absolute and merciless: the eradication of their wayward creations.As the Anunnaki’s disdain for defiance knows no bounds, they are prepared to extinguish the rogue Adamu without exception. A cosmic conflict looms, and the fate of an entire species hangs in the balance.
£8.99 -
Douglas' Diary
This delightful and imaginative diary is narrated by Douglas, a dog who embarks on a narrowboat journey with his human ‘pets’. Douglas recounts his adventures from his unique canine perspective, bringing humor and whimsy to the tale. Written in engaging diary format, Douglas shares daily events of the journey in his own words. His creative descriptions – referring to the narrowboat as his ‘long-kennel’, the car as his ‘short-kennel’, lifts as ‘magic cupboards’, and more – add a fun touch. As an observant narrator, Douglas provides thoughtful insights into the people and places encountered along the way, while also delighting in simple pleasures like walks, playing ball, and goose droppings. Douglas’ affectionate bond with his Pets shines through. Enhanced by a map and illustrations, Douglas chronicles the English countryside and villages along the winding canals and rivers. This creative and charming travelogue will appeal to dog lovers, canal boat enthusiasts, or anyone who enjoys a heartwarming tale of adventure and friendship. Douglas is a captivating guide on this 500-mile narrowboat voyage around the Pennine Ring.
£8.99
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