Without Walls

Without Walls is an interesting memoir from a very interesting figure.

Meet Nilton Toubkin, the founder of the Southbank International School.

His life, was happy though in rather straitened circumstances, when he was born in South Africa.

His life is like that of many people, facing and surmounting a variety of trials and tribulations.

The break-up of his parent's marriage, his mother's suicide attempt and the tragic death of his own daughter at the early age of 19 are some examples.

However, Milton Toubkin is known in the educational world for his creation and operation of the Southbank International School with a number of fellow educationalists.

Even though the school began its life in less than auspicious circumstances (no funding, no financial backing, for example) the school, under his guidance, was able to thrive and prosper, growing in a relatively short period of time into an important place of learning with an International reputation and a unique educational programme.

Milton also tells the story of his marriage to Marj and the joys of becoming a parent and grandparent.

It's an interesting biography and is very well illustrated with a large number of high quality images.

It is published in hardback by Matador at £15.99 and will make an ideal Christmas gift for the biography junkie in your life!

You can buy it here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

Where Peacocks scream

Where Peacocks Scream is a fantastic adventure novel for young adults set on a magical isle not far from the Riverside public house.

The story is told from the point of view of Daniel Williams who lives at the pub with his family.

The pub is connected by a bridge to a path of wild land called The Island. Daniel likes to consider The Island as his own, special domain. He is friends with Josh and Chloe, the daughter of the boatman.

He is also very keen on the peacocks and peahens that live at The Riverside.

The opening of the story is tinged with sadness for Cora, who is Daniel's favourite peahens, has died and Daniel decides that he will bury her on The Island, in secret.

During the summertime, whilst he is on the riverside, fishing, Daniel notices that he is being watch by a mysterious man who habitually wears a white cap. He is photographing Daniel.

It transpires that the man is called Frank Jasper and he turns up The Riverside pub to stay as a guest. Whilst there he begins to make Daniel's life very uncomfortable and miserable indeed.

But why? What is Frank Jasper up to? He brought peacock feathers inot the pub one night. Why did he do that?

Does Frank Jasper have evil designs on The Riverside pub and The Island? If so, what are his plans? Why does he thirst for revenge? And does Frank Jasper know things about the past?

And more to the point, can Daniel thwart his plans for revenge?

Valerie Mendez has done it again with this excellent mystery novel which will be a hit with both young and old.

There are also some interesting subplots and not everyone close to Daniel might be entirely as they seem.

It's an ideal Christmas gift and at £8.99 from the Book Guild, it's worth every penny!

You can buy it here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

Love Never Fails

In his non-fiction book, former nurse Don Snuggs makes an interesting and very compelling account of his experiences as a sole carer.

When he reached 75 years of age, Don Snuggs married a woman who had a progressive medical condition.

She needed a wheelchair to help her get around and requires some assistance with day-to-day tasks and jobs.

Don relates how they were able to cope with life as newlyweds who faced the challenges of their particular lifestyle within the constraints of the health concerns that they lived with.

This book is a well-written account of the triumphs and tragedies  (to coin a phrase!) of the failures and successes.

He also raises the important fact (sometimes unacknowledged by society)  of the sheer dedication and selflessness required of a sole carer.

By now Don is 85 and still caring for his wife. During that time he has come into contact with a number of providers of assistance and support, but unfortunately, some of these encounters have been neither pleasant or positive.

However, Don is taking the time to bring the story of himself and his wife Sandi to the fore so that other sole carers can become aware that they are not alone and that, as Don puts it so well: "love never fails."

This book is published by Matador at £9.99 and should be required reading of everyone in the care industry, who is a sole carer or who has a relative who is a sole carer.

You can buy this book here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

The Last Squadron

The Last Squadron is a Science Fiction novel set not in the far, distant future, but in the near future.

It's 15 years into our future and the world has generated into a messy globe polarised entirely on religious and ethnic lines. Regional wars have rumbled on for the last 35 years.

97 members of an Allied 9th Mountain Squadron are departing the Northern War Front for a much deserved period of leave.

However, they are shot down over the wilderness of the Nordic fastness.

The survivors have no way of communicating with anyone so they are left to their own devices and, under the guidance and leadership of Natasha Kovalsky and the squadron commander, Major Alexander Burton, they manage to escape the icy wilderness.

But when they reach civilisation, they find that there is now no such thing as civilisation. In their enforced absence, a genetically modified and weaponised viral attack has wiped out the human race.

The world that they knew, flawed though it might have been, has ceased to exist.

This is a stunning debut novel, it grabs a hold of you and refuses to let go. It's clear that the author, Dan Jayson has a military background as he uses his knowledge and experience to bring a nobel that is not only exciting but technically right, too.

Although it is Science Fiction it is of broad interest to all overs of good adventure yarns and I can highly recommend this novel to anyone.

It's from Matador and costs a very reasonable £7.99 and will be a fantastic stocking filler this Christmas. You can order your copy here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

Journey Out Returning

Journey Out Returning is a book by William Fell-Holding that recalls an interesting time in recent social history, the brief but influential flower power period of the 1967.

The book is told in diary form, for it is, essentially, the tale of the era as seen through the eyes of the author.

There's the amazing music scene, the fashions, a time of youthful bliss, of mind expansion and learning of new ways of living that supplanted the older order of things, of vibrant colours, of life and loves, of sexual awakenings and a veritable smorgasbord of new experiences that were all for the taking.

And yet, all is not well with our protagonist. He feels that his life, far from being at the zenith of the flower power year of 1967, is actually stagnating. That he is, emotionally, beginning to falter and collapse.

Can there be too much of a good thing, even in the realm of the expansion of the conscience? It would appear so and it is the simple arrival of a letter from his mother that set William off on the next part of the journey of his life.

And so it is that, perhaps a wiser man, he returns to Lancashire, his home county, in particular the Fylde coast,  where he is able to enter a new chapter in his life and renewal of his self, his own identity, aided by his mother, the community in which he had grown up and new friendships which all helped him to recuperate.

Eventually, a wiser and more fulfilled person, William returns to London.

I can't help thinking that there is much more to come from the author as he definitely leaves his readers wanting to learn more about his subsequent life. 

The book is published by Matador at £8.99 and can be obtained here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

The Nokka

Jenifer and Jory are two fairly ordinary children who fall prey to some extremely extraordinary magical adventures.

They discover a complicated riddle and eventually manage to solve the riddle. The sollution to the riddle gives them the ability to discover a hidden, secret underground passage in the nearby woods.

This tunnel leads them to a magical world that is parallel to our own Earth, yet which is entirely different. 

For in that world, magic exists and fairies, real fairies, not the fairies of Earthly fairytales, actually exist.

But things in life are often not quite what they appear to be at first sight and after an unfortunate chain of events, Jenifer and Jory seem to be trapped in the parallel world, perhaps forever.

But what if they are given a chance to escape, but which, if accepted, might bring about a terrible dilemma of an unimaginable kind?

This fantasy novel by respected children's fantasy author K. K. Nikolaou, is a must buy Christmas present for the fantasy loving young person in your life, though you might like to read it yourself, too!

It is published by The Book Guild at £7.99 and can be bought here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

The Spark

The Spark is a new and compelling read from author Trevor Stubbs.

It addresses a range of issues that are, unfortunately, all too common in this day and age. Mental health, post traumatic stress disease (PTSD) and the identity of the self.

It is the aim and the intention of Trevor Stubbs to celebrate what he describes  as: "the indestructible spark of love which offers an opportunity for healing."

The Spark tells the continuing story of the White Gates Adventures series of novels.

In it we meet Shaun who is now 20 years of age. Shaun is a good chap. OK, he might not be quite as quick or as confidant as his older sister, Kakko, and perhaps he is not as clever as Randi, his younger brother, but Shaun is known for being steady and of a quiet nature.

He decides that he will continue his studies and decides that he will follow a pathway of  youth and community studies.

But it's sometimes said that a person's plans are what they do whilst they are waiting for everything to go wrong.

And as far as poor Shaun is concerned, things do go wrong. Horribly and disastrously wrong.

But how can Shaun cope when vicissitudes and circumstances conspire to utterly destroy his chosen way of life?

 However, there is something that can help Shaun, if he is able to accept it. It is the gift of love that brings with it the promise and potential of healing and redemption.

It's a fantasy novel that is aimed at younger readers and will make a super Christmas present.

It is published by Matador at £8.99 and can be bought at https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.