A Healing Place

In his new book A Healing Place, author Dermod Judge shares with his readers his very personal quest to find his healing place or places.

He points out that we are all born into a large world. And that for all but a privileged few, it's a cruel world.

He also acknowledges that he was born into a privileged family in Ireland, in a modest house in a desirable part of Dublin.

However, he goes on to explain that even the most privileged amongst us can still receive wounds that require a healing place to which we can retire to while we wait for the wounds to heal or for the hurt to fade.

We learn what he was able to learn. That some books are considered dangerous. Including the Bible, which as a child and a troubled teen, he wasn't allowed to read on his own. There wasn't even a Bible in the family home. He realised that he had to have the scriptures filtered through teachers and clerics for him.

This, he concluded, was that because books (such as the Bible) are considered as dangerous because these books had the very dangerous power to change the world.

This is why libraries are always burned and ransacked by the iron men.

In his book he shares a unique and very interesting series of insights into the human situation, drawing upon the combined wisdom of artists, writers, architects, naturalists and thinkers. But not, interestingly enough, not Nietzsche. (You'll find out why when you read the book.)

This is an amazing and invigorating book, which you will be able to use as a guidebook to your own healing places.

It's written with warmth, wit, wisdom and more than a dash of élan. 

There's also a section of notes for further reading. Or as Dermod puts it: "These notes add an embarrassing whiff of scholarship to this work which is no more than the product of a good library, Google and a mind and memory as capacious as a whore's handbag."

You need this book, because it's rather like a chat with the author over a pint of Guinness, Smithwick's Irish ale, or a drop of Irish single malt.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

Nomad Girl

Nomad Girl by Niema Ash is her memoir of life in the fast lane of the swinging sixties and toward more recent times.

A childhood dream of Canadian-born Niema was to travel the world as a genuine child of the sixties, this is exactly what she did.

During her travels round the world, basically from Montreal to Morocco and all points between, she met and became friends with people such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, bluesman John Lee Hooker and the Dalai Lama and had a whole host of adventures some planned but many not.

Whilst traveling across Africa (by hitchhiking) she and her partner Shimon realised that they were expecting a baby, so they returned to her home city of Montreal where they opened The Finjan, a folk and blues club that also served as a coffee house.

And then the adventures really began. There was motherhood, she gave birth to her daughter Ronit. Life with her new family, Shimon, Ronit and herself. But there was something else, something more that Niema needed.

The book is filled with characters that you will already have heard of, Diana Dors and The Bee Gees to name only two, but you'll also learn about characters that probably won't be known to you, such as Pistol Pete, Sonny and Brownie, and many more besides.

Niema introduces you to family, friends and lovers in this enthralling and honest account.

It makes for a remarkable read, although I can't help feeling that the absence of any photographs (save for two modern images on the front a and back covers) is a regrettable one.

The book is published by Matador at £13.99.

Born Together The Story of Conjoined Twins

Born Together The Story of Conjoined Twins is a book by Doctor Michael L. Cox.

In his book Dr Cox takes a detailed and very sensitive look at this very difficult subject.

He looks at the ethics of the birth of conjoined twins. For example could it ever be justified to sacrifice the life of one twin so that the other could live?

Whilst he was an obstetrics and gynaecology specialist at the George Elliot Hospital in Nuneaton, two sets of  were born under his care, which stimulated his interest in this field of medicine, resulting in this very fascinating and eminently readable book.

Dr Cox looks at cases that are still a part of common culture like Change and Eng Bunker.

There are other cases that are less well-known which he draws attention to; Millie and Christine McKoy, born in North Carolina in 1851. Their story is a sad one, as they were born into slavery and were sold as circus exhibits. However, a trip to England was used as an opportunity to reunite them with their mother.

Then there is the case of Sardinia's Ritta and Christina Parodi who were born in Marcy 1829. 

They had double upper bodies, but only one lower body. Sadly they died at eight months of age.

Other cases covered include Myrtle Corbin of Tennessee, who had one upper body and two lower bodies, which was the reason why Myrtle had only one name, unlike most other conjoined twins.

After earning $450 a week, a phenomenal sum of money in the 19th century, she married a Doctor Clinton Bicknell when she was 19.

Readers will learn about Mina and Minnie Finley (a confusing choice of names for conjoined twins one  might think) there was Laloo the India boy, tragically killed in a train crash, Jean Libbera of Rome, the Tocci brothers, Rosa and Josefa Blazek, Daisy and Violet Hilton of England, born in 1908, Simplicio and Lucio Dodiop of the Philippines, also born in 1908, Mary and Margaret Gibb born in Massachusetts in 1912.

Amongst other stories is the heart-breaking case of Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova, born in 1950's Moscow. It has to be said that they were not treated particularly well by the Communist government.

There are a number of modern cases in many of which Dr Cox discusses the medical procedures employed.

He also makes mention of a very rare case of conjoined triplets in Italy in 1831, during which the Doctor decided to amputate two of the heads during the birth. 

Dr Cox covers the known causes of conjoined twins, but in a way that is very readable.

He also mentions Ambrose Pare, the chief surgeon to Charles IX and Henri III and William Smellie (1697 to 1762 who, in his book, A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Midwifery covered what he described as "twins and monsters."

Even astrology has been mentioned as a factor, at least by Leslie Fiedler.

There have also been epidemics of conjoined twin births, possibly resulting from environmental factors, genetic factors or random chance.

There are also historical conjoined twins such as Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst who were born in 1100 in the Kentish village of Biddenden. The plague twins of Kingston Upon Hull, the Scottish brothers of the 1500s, the girls of Worms in Germany on 1495, etc.

He also covers fictional accounts of conjoined twins from the writings of Mark Twain, Brian Aldis, Irvine Walsh, Alexandre Dumas. He also covers dramas, radio, stage, TV and cinema, including The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy.

This book is a fascinating read for the layman, the medical student and nurses and doctors who might have to help parents cope with a conjoined birth.

It is published by The Book Guild at £10.99.

Sorry about the hiatus

 Sorry about the hiatus in publishing book reviews. This is because my wife and I were both fell victim to the Coronavirus which laid us both up for a while.

However, we are recovering and book reviews will commence being published very soon.

Walking Football Imrove Your Life

There are two wonderful types of exercise, walking and football.

What if someone could combine the two together? In actual fact. that has already happened. And in his book Walking Football Improve Your Life Tom Moran explains it all and how you can get involved with the new sports hit, walking football.

Tom lives in Middlesex and is a Walking Football player himself, for Barnet. In fact he is also a member of the WFA (Walking Football Association) England over-60s international squad.

Walking Football is thundering across the landscape of Britain and beyond, with some 1,200 clubs, an estimated involvement of 40,000 players and international teams being formed globally.

It is aimed at people who are 50s plus, who want to continue being involved in football, or who just want a way to keep fit or to become more fit. Perhaps they are recovering from a heart attack, surgery or just want a gentle and comparatively easy way to burn off some calories.

The NHS is now involved and medical professionals are prescribing Walking Football and other community-based health activities, so it's receiving more publicity amongst the general public.

In his book Tom introduces his readers to the concept of Walking Football, how you might be able to get involved, what to do when you get involved and what you can expect from it and what can be expected of you.

Tom also covers the rules and regulations of Walking Football and some information about the sport's governing body, the WFA.

He also includes anecdotes from a wide range of other Walking Football players including Sid Tobias, who can still play a good game at 84, Keith who is 67, Kevin who first heard about Walking Football from a friend from Portugal and Paul Murtagh who had his football career cruelly cut short before it had even began, when he had a severe knee injury at age 15.

Tom also includes tips on how to play the game and also features a very useful list of teams from around the UK including the Birmingham WFC, the Bury Relics and AFC Blackpool Senior Seasiders.

Got an older family member in your life who you think could benefit from getting involved in Walking Football? Then this book will make a first rate Christmas present for them.

It's published by The Book Guild at £7.99.

The Lodge

Got a horror fiction fan that you need to buy a Christmas present for? Then you should buy them Chris Coppel's new horror novel The Lodge.

There's a remote hunting lodge in the hills of the Sottish Highlands. It's the Christmas holidays and there has been a report of an accidental death at the Lodge, so the local police, in the form of a young constable, PC Andrew Whiting, from the nearest police station is called out to the lodge to make preliminary enquiries.

As he drives toward the lodge he finds himself driving through an ever-worsening blizzard. 

When he reaches the Lodge he finds himself trapped there along with the surviving guests. But for how long would any of them survive? Was the death really as accidental as it had first appeared? Or was it a deliberate act of malice? And if that was the case, how many more of the residents of the Lodge would be killed before the culmination of the hellish nightmare that was to befall them?

But who or what was targeting the residents of the Lodge? What if the hunted animals had decided to return and seek a bloody, violent revenge? If so, how could they undertake their brutal vengeance?

This is a truly bloodthirsty book, so will be a real hit with the horror thriller fan in your life.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

The Mersey Estuary a Travel Guide

 The Mersey Estuary a Travel Guide is a wonderful new book from Kevin Sene.

When people think of the Mersey Estuary it often brings to mind The Mersey Tunnel, the ferry, the iconic Liverpool waterfront and the Liver Building.

But as Kevin shows his readers in his book there is so much more to the Mersey Estuary than that. All 30+ miles of it.

You will learn of places to visit in Cheshire, Widnes, Warrington, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Port Sunlight including the museum and the Lady Lever Art Galley.

There are many museums to visit including the International Slavery Museum, the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the National Waterways Museum, Birkenhead Priory and many more throughout the area.

There are nature reserves, plus places for birdwatching, working canals, country walks, National Trust properties and coastal resorts such as New Brighton. 

Plus shopping from Liverpool's famous shopping quarters to traditional markets. Also a bewildering range of places to dine at.

The reader will also find guided walks and cycle routes throughout the area in this wonderful book.

The book is well illustrated with photographs and maps.

From how to travel in the area to the amazing superlambanas, from Fiddler's Ferry to the iconic Liver Building, there's just about everything in this amazing book which will make a stunning and very welcome Christmas gift.

It's published by Matador at £19.99.