Bringing Un-prosecuted Crimes aboard Cruise Ships to Light-In her mystery adventure series, author http://ArleenAlleman.com uses fiction to address this serious issue.
As ABC News’s 20/20 illustrated in the piece “Cruise Ship Confidential” on the January 20th episode, cruise ship safety is a growing concern. We are quickly approaching the date set by President Obama that will change the nature of luxury cruising immensely by mandating that cruise personnel must report serious crimes to the FBI and the Coast Guard, among other stipulations; however, whether or not American law will have any bearing on international cruise lines with no intention of entering American ports has yet to be seen, it is reported by the media.
In her Darcy Farthing mystery adventure series, author Arleen Alleman uses fiction to treat this series issue, bringing the unprosecuted crimes at sea to light through dynamic stories centred around her pragmatic protagonist, Darcy Farthing, and her adventures aboard the Sea Nymph. In the first novel, Currents Deep and Deadly, Darcy overhears a discussion of a murder for hire plot and members of the crew begin to die under circumstances that are nothing less than suspicious.
After confronting a vicious killer in the first novel, Darcy believes that all of the madness aboard cruise ships is behind her; however, nothing could be further from the truth. In Currents of Vengeance, Darcy and company return to the Sea Nymph to conduct a Government Accountability Office/FBI Congressional investigation of unprosecuted crimes on cruise ships.
Their investigation hopes to bring ruthless Las Vegas casino owner, Paul Denezza, to justice after eluding prosecution for the violence on the previous cruise. In the second novel, Darcy will come face to face with even more madness.
While Alleman’s stories are both fictional, they both highlight the very real possibility of a ruthless killer eluding prosecution under the current laws. Currents Deep and Deadly and Currents of Vengeance not only entertain their readers, but they also call attention to the oft-overlooked issue of crimes at sea, making a serious case for significant change.
The Darcy Farthing Mystery Adventure Series
Alleman’s series centres around Darcy Farthing, a pragmatic woman in her forties, who readers were first introduced to in Currents Deep and Deadly. After coming face to face with a vicious murderer in the first novel, she wrote a book about the madness she confronted, which completely changed her life, both personally and financially. The third instalment in this page-turning series, Current Assets, is slated for release in Autumn of 2012. To watch the book trailers, visit www.arleenalleman.com/trailer.htm.
FACTFILE:
Arleen Alleman spent 21 years as an analyst for the US Government Accountability Office. After retiring from the GAO, Alleman and her husband became avid cruisers, which inspired her to write stories set on cruise ships. In her two six-week cruises around Cape Horn; the first was spent writing her book and the second was spent doing book signings and promoting her books. For more about Arleen Alleman, visit her website www.ArleenAlleman.com or follow her on Twitter @AAllemanWrites.
Book review blog site, with some entertainment material from time-to-time.
Sunday 19 February 2012
Gunpowder, TREason or Plot, or How We Dug Up The Ancestors
Gunpowder, TREason or Plot, or How We Dug Up The Ancestors is a new book by respected historical writer Allan Frost.
But Gunpowder, TREason or Plot, or How We Dug Up The Ancestors tends to be a little more hysterical than historical.
In this fictional book, Tim Eason, (described as an unconfirmed batchelor!) visits Priorton in pursuit of a new lead on England's infamous Gunplowder Plot, he could not have anticipated just how close his relationship would become with the pub landlady, Sarah Brewer. But an elderly juke box in he corner of the bar seemed to have some sort of an inkling!
Nor did Tim quite realise that his research work would attract the attention of bungling conspirators Frank Fiddlit (a dubious solicitor), Tom Bleak (of Bleak Homes Limited) and Nevil Strubble (hapless Council Planning Officer).
Tim digs up enough information to attend a court hearing to determine ownership of Prioton Hall. However, Judge Sir Cedric Foot-Wart seems strangely preoccupied. Until an unexpected witness appears...
This somewhat explosive novel, set in an English town ignored by progress and time itself, will keep you intrigued and interested as its thickening plot and unforgettable characters interact.
You'll be chuckling from start to finish as farcical situation follows farcical situation!
This book is released via Amazon Kindle. You can buy it via the That's Books Amazon-powered bookshop. Just look for the Amazon Search Box to the right of That's Books.
But Gunpowder, TREason or Plot, or How We Dug Up The Ancestors tends to be a little more hysterical than historical.
In this fictional book, Tim Eason, (described as an unconfirmed batchelor!) visits Priorton in pursuit of a new lead on England's infamous Gunplowder Plot, he could not have anticipated just how close his relationship would become with the pub landlady, Sarah Brewer. But an elderly juke box in he corner of the bar seemed to have some sort of an inkling!
Nor did Tim quite realise that his research work would attract the attention of bungling conspirators Frank Fiddlit (a dubious solicitor), Tom Bleak (of Bleak Homes Limited) and Nevil Strubble (hapless Council Planning Officer).
Tim digs up enough information to attend a court hearing to determine ownership of Prioton Hall. However, Judge Sir Cedric Foot-Wart seems strangely preoccupied. Until an unexpected witness appears...
This somewhat explosive novel, set in an English town ignored by progress and time itself, will keep you intrigued and interested as its thickening plot and unforgettable characters interact.
You'll be chuckling from start to finish as farcical situation follows farcical situation!
This book is released via Amazon Kindle. You can buy it via the That's Books Amazon-powered bookshop. Just look for the Amazon Search Box to the right of That's Books.
Be That Writer: Competition entry is done!
Be That Writer: Competition entry is done!: My competition entry for a novel writing competition is ready to post off. The top prize is a £20,000 advance and the chance to have my no...
Saturday 18 February 2012
The Ten Questions to Ask For Success
The Ten Questions to Ask For Success is a very lively and helpful book by acknowledged expert Phil Parker.
What use is a self help book that doesn't give you any answers?
In his latest book, Phil points out that the most important discovery he has made in over two decades of working in the field of personal development is this: providing solutions, advice suggestions or answers does not always help everyone.
Phil opines that there can be a problem with just providing the answer to a particular problem, or set of problems. Because if people do not go through the process of finding their own solution, the next time they are faced with another problem, they will tend to turn for help again. (EDITOR: I think it is also referred to as 'learned helplessness'.)
Parker takes the position that learning the skill of creating our own solutions lets us become more independent and skilled at finding and making the right choices and decisions for ourselves, not merely relying on other people for the answers all the time.
Parker points out that it is all about learning to ask what he describes as the key questions, at the right time in order for us to reach the right solution.
He has distilled these to a list of ten key questions. Questions which will, argues Parker, prove to be powerful tools to enable you to draw on the fields of personal and spiritual development, business, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, hostage negotiation (yes, really!) that should see you equipped to make "great decisions" in all aspects of your life.
Parker has used these techniques to help thousands of his clients to help themselves or other people to rid them of stress, worry, feeling dis-empowered, unmotivated or frustrated and can help them identify and counter self-sabotage.
Parker feels that if you read his book you will be able to feel more motivated, be better able to motivate others, find solutions in a calm, collected manner, even when under extreme stress, design your dreams and achieve them, ensure all the relationships in your life (be they work or life related) work well, flourish and fulfil you.
You'll also be able to manage your business affairs in a more effective way. Whilst also offering assistance to others to help them, too.
The book is out now. It is published by Hay House in paperback at £10.99.
The author Phil Parker is a qualified NLP practitioner, osteopath, hypnotherapist and an executive coach.
He operates a private practice in London. You can visit his website at www.philparker.org
What use is a self help book that doesn't give you any answers?
In his latest book, Phil points out that the most important discovery he has made in over two decades of working in the field of personal development is this: providing solutions, advice suggestions or answers does not always help everyone.
Phil opines that there can be a problem with just providing the answer to a particular problem, or set of problems. Because if people do not go through the process of finding their own solution, the next time they are faced with another problem, they will tend to turn for help again. (EDITOR: I think it is also referred to as 'learned helplessness'.)
Parker takes the position that learning the skill of creating our own solutions lets us become more independent and skilled at finding and making the right choices and decisions for ourselves, not merely relying on other people for the answers all the time.
Parker points out that it is all about learning to ask what he describes as the key questions, at the right time in order for us to reach the right solution.
He has distilled these to a list of ten key questions. Questions which will, argues Parker, prove to be powerful tools to enable you to draw on the fields of personal and spiritual development, business, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, hostage negotiation (yes, really!) that should see you equipped to make "great decisions" in all aspects of your life.
Parker has used these techniques to help thousands of his clients to help themselves or other people to rid them of stress, worry, feeling dis-empowered, unmotivated or frustrated and can help them identify and counter self-sabotage.
Parker feels that if you read his book you will be able to feel more motivated, be better able to motivate others, find solutions in a calm, collected manner, even when under extreme stress, design your dreams and achieve them, ensure all the relationships in your life (be they work or life related) work well, flourish and fulfil you.
You'll also be able to manage your business affairs in a more effective way. Whilst also offering assistance to others to help them, too.
The book is out now. It is published by Hay House in paperback at £10.99.
The author Phil Parker is a qualified NLP practitioner, osteopath, hypnotherapist and an executive coach.
He operates a private practice in London. You can visit his website at www.philparker.org
Thursday 16 February 2012
A Dictionary of Forensic Science
A Dictionary of Forensic Science is an important book on this very diverse field.
There are over 1,300 entries, some with very helpful illustrations and the book is written in a very clear and entertaining way by Dr Suzanne Bell, one of the leading experts in the field.
If you are a student of forensic science, a forensic scientist or technician, a law student, a barrister, a solicitor, a police officer (long-served or a cadet) a journalist or an author needing to do research for a novel, or even just a fan of CSI on the TV, then this book is one that must be on your bookshelf or in your work bag.
It not only covers forensic terms it also covers relevant jurisprudence terms, engineering references, case histories, biographies of leading figures from the field and gives clear and concise explanations of what the terms used mean.
It also tells you what Luminol is and how it works its apparent magic with blood stains.
It also contains a bibliography for further reading and identifies links to useful websites throughout the book, yet in a way that is totally non-intrusive.
It's out this month in paperback and costs £12.99.
Students should be aware that this is probably a book that you will use until you retire from your chosen field, it really is that good a book, in the opinion of your reviewer.
There are over 1,300 entries, some with very helpful illustrations and the book is written in a very clear and entertaining way by Dr Suzanne Bell, one of the leading experts in the field.
If you are a student of forensic science, a forensic scientist or technician, a law student, a barrister, a solicitor, a police officer (long-served or a cadet) a journalist or an author needing to do research for a novel, or even just a fan of CSI on the TV, then this book is one that must be on your bookshelf or in your work bag.
It not only covers forensic terms it also covers relevant jurisprudence terms, engineering references, case histories, biographies of leading figures from the field and gives clear and concise explanations of what the terms used mean.
It also tells you what Luminol is and how it works its apparent magic with blood stains.
It also contains a bibliography for further reading and identifies links to useful websites throughout the book, yet in a way that is totally non-intrusive.
It's out this month in paperback and costs £12.99.
Students should be aware that this is probably a book that you will use until you retire from your chosen field, it really is that good a book, in the opinion of your reviewer.
“Bird flu will remain a threat as long as factory farms exist” claims author of new book on public health
The author of a pioneering new book on animals and public health, published this month, claims that “as long as factory farms exist; we will continue to be at risk from bird flu”.
Dr Aysha Akhtar, the author of 'Animals and Public Health: Why treating animals better is critical to human welfare', considers that while Bird Flu is currently receiving much attention owing to recent deaths in Vietnam and its potential use in bio-terrorism “We don't need a terrorist to wreak havoc. By confining billions of animals on factory farms, we have created a worldwide natural laboratory for the rapid development of a deadly and highly infectious form of the virus. The stressful and crowded conditions make a perfect breeding ground for new infectious diseases that can harm humans."
The book reveals how the link between how we treat animals and human health goes far beyond bird flu, however. "A significant number of the most urgent health issues we face today are intricately linked with poor treatment of animals.”
The book to be published on 17 February is the sixth volume published as part of the Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics book series in partnership with the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. In a lively manner, this book describes the link between the way we treat animals and human health across a wide range of health topics.
Dr Akhtar explores the lives of animals in violent homes, factory farms, experimental laboratories, the entertainment industry and the wildlife trade. She reveals how their treatment is related to issues as diverse as domestic violence, the obesity epidemic, the world's most ominous infectious diseases, animal attacks, high-profile drug failures and climate change.
In the first academic text to address the relationship between animals and public health, Dr Akhtar argues that "... public health has long-ignored the relationship between our health and animal treatment, largely owing to a misconception that animal welfare is in opposition to human welfare”.
Using a wealth of scientific information, the book demonstrates that in order to best promote human health, we have to improve our treatment of animals. Dr Akhtar hopes that this book will lead to a new public health paradigm, one that considers animals as part of the "public" in public health.
Aysha Akhtar, M.D., M.P.H., is a neurologist and public health specialist and a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. She works for the Office of Counter-terrorism and Emerging Threats of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The book is written in her personal capacity and is the result of many years of scientific research.
The Palgrave Macmillan book series is jointly edited by the internationally known theologian the Reverend Professor Andrew Linzey, Director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and Professor Priscilla Cohn, Emeritus Professor in Philosophy at Penn State University and Associate Director of the Centre.
Commenting on the publication of Dr Akhtar’s Animals and Public Health, Professor Linzey says, “This is a must read for all those who think caring for animals is a separate issue from human welfare. The scientific evidence marshalled in this book ought to dispel any lingering doubts that a world in which animal abuse goes unchecked is a less safe world for human beings. This first book linking animals to public health is truly ground-breaking."
'Animals and Public Health: Why treating animals better is critical to human welfare', is published on 17 February in both the U.S. and the U.K. priced $85 / £50.
Dr Aysha Akhtar, the author of 'Animals and Public Health: Why treating animals better is critical to human welfare', considers that while Bird Flu is currently receiving much attention owing to recent deaths in Vietnam and its potential use in bio-terrorism “We don't need a terrorist to wreak havoc. By confining billions of animals on factory farms, we have created a worldwide natural laboratory for the rapid development of a deadly and highly infectious form of the virus. The stressful and crowded conditions make a perfect breeding ground for new infectious diseases that can harm humans."
The book reveals how the link between how we treat animals and human health goes far beyond bird flu, however. "A significant number of the most urgent health issues we face today are intricately linked with poor treatment of animals.”
The book to be published on 17 February is the sixth volume published as part of the Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics book series in partnership with the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. In a lively manner, this book describes the link between the way we treat animals and human health across a wide range of health topics.
Dr Akhtar explores the lives of animals in violent homes, factory farms, experimental laboratories, the entertainment industry and the wildlife trade. She reveals how their treatment is related to issues as diverse as domestic violence, the obesity epidemic, the world's most ominous infectious diseases, animal attacks, high-profile drug failures and climate change.
In the first academic text to address the relationship between animals and public health, Dr Akhtar argues that "... public health has long-ignored the relationship between our health and animal treatment, largely owing to a misconception that animal welfare is in opposition to human welfare”.
Using a wealth of scientific information, the book demonstrates that in order to best promote human health, we have to improve our treatment of animals. Dr Akhtar hopes that this book will lead to a new public health paradigm, one that considers animals as part of the "public" in public health.
Aysha Akhtar, M.D., M.P.H., is a neurologist and public health specialist and a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. She works for the Office of Counter-terrorism and Emerging Threats of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The book is written in her personal capacity and is the result of many years of scientific research.
The Palgrave Macmillan book series is jointly edited by the internationally known theologian the Reverend Professor Andrew Linzey, Director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and Professor Priscilla Cohn, Emeritus Professor in Philosophy at Penn State University and Associate Director of the Centre.
Commenting on the publication of Dr Akhtar’s Animals and Public Health, Professor Linzey says, “This is a must read for all those who think caring for animals is a separate issue from human welfare. The scientific evidence marshalled in this book ought to dispel any lingering doubts that a world in which animal abuse goes unchecked is a less safe world for human beings. This first book linking animals to public health is truly ground-breaking."
'Animals and Public Health: Why treating animals better is critical to human welfare', is published on 17 February in both the U.S. and the U.K. priced $85 / £50.
Monday 13 February 2012
Slanguage classes from a master! The Life of Slang
The Life of Slang by Julie Coleman is the type of book I adore, because it covers a subject I am passionate about, the use of language.
A quote from the book: "Slang is a subject that provokes strong emotions. If you use slang, you run the risk of being judged crass, uneducated, stupid, or hopelessly out of date, but the rewards are great: used correctly, slang will easy your entry into the social circles you want to mix in, increase your attractiveness to the opposite sex, and even save your life."
In this very interesting and linguistically important book Julie Coleman (who is a professor of English Language at the University of Leicester) traces the development of English slang words from the earliest know records to some pretty modern examples by way of the Tweets of today.
It examines how slang is used, why it is used and where it is used. It looks at how slang developed amongst the English-speaking populations of the world.
As part of her research tools Julie Coleman has gone through the records of the Old Bailey and searched through the electronic archives of newspapers which, she points out, have provided a wealth of new information and facts about historical slang. Blogs and other online sites and tweets are a very valuable source of information for studying contemporary slang.
The Life of Slang does not make the mistake of some academic works, it does not assume that the reader is an old hand in the field. It covers slang from the Old English period down through the ages to the modern world.
It's an entertaining and informative read (though based on impeccable scholarly sources) and will teach you exactly what people are saying. You will know the "word on the street and on the tweet". It will teach you some new and interesting words. Some of which are best not used in polite society! Unless you really want ot, of course!
The use of slang can be a jolly good show, make you seem the cat's pyjamas, which might make someone ROFL!
The book will be published on 22 March in hardback by the Oxford University Press at a modest £14.99 or $27.95. Although it should be available for a discount through the That's Books online bookshop.
A quote from the book: "Slang is a subject that provokes strong emotions. If you use slang, you run the risk of being judged crass, uneducated, stupid, or hopelessly out of date, but the rewards are great: used correctly, slang will easy your entry into the social circles you want to mix in, increase your attractiveness to the opposite sex, and even save your life."
In this very interesting and linguistically important book Julie Coleman (who is a professor of English Language at the University of Leicester) traces the development of English slang words from the earliest know records to some pretty modern examples by way of the Tweets of today.
It examines how slang is used, why it is used and where it is used. It looks at how slang developed amongst the English-speaking populations of the world.
As part of her research tools Julie Coleman has gone through the records of the Old Bailey and searched through the electronic archives of newspapers which, she points out, have provided a wealth of new information and facts about historical slang. Blogs and other online sites and tweets are a very valuable source of information for studying contemporary slang.
The Life of Slang does not make the mistake of some academic works, it does not assume that the reader is an old hand in the field. It covers slang from the Old English period down through the ages to the modern world.
It's an entertaining and informative read (though based on impeccable scholarly sources) and will teach you exactly what people are saying. You will know the "word on the street and on the tweet". It will teach you some new and interesting words. Some of which are best not used in polite society! Unless you really want ot, of course!
The use of slang can be a jolly good show, make you seem the cat's pyjamas, which might make someone ROFL!
The book will be published on 22 March in hardback by the Oxford University Press at a modest £14.99 or $27.95. Although it should be available for a discount through the That's Books online bookshop.
Sunday 12 February 2012
Charles Dickens's Networks
Despite the somewhat wonky title (I was always taught that if it was something 'owned' by Dickens, it should be rendered thus: Dickens') this is a extremely readable and very interesting book by Jonathan H. Grossman.
It is an innovative examination of the novels of Charles Dickens, their interesting, multilevel and criss-crossing plots and how the burgeoning transport networks of that time impacted on the novelists of the Victorian era.
It's an original work, which employs a novel approach to literary history with a thought-provoking look at the 19th century novel from the perspective of the transport networks of that time.
It theorises how passenger networks operate and how narrative forms a part of imagining public transport networks.
The author points out that at the same time as Dickens was writing his first novel, The Pickwick Papers, the first railway line in London opened for business.
Charles Dickens's Networks examines the rise of the global, high-speed passenger transport networks of the 19th century and the important impact they made on the works of Charles Dickens.
It looks at the advent of the stagecoach network, the railways and ocean-going steam liners and how they made transport easy for everyone, but also more affordable, too. Journeys that once seemed unattainable could be made in less than a day. And the strict timetables of the railway companies made such travel predictable and reliable, in the main part.
The railway timetables also changed how time was looked at. Before the advent of the railway, each town had its own, separate time. If it was noon in Birmingham it might be 12.15 in London and 12.10 in Manchester. But to avoid railway accidents the whole rail network must run at precisely the same time, so the standardised railway time was introduced which very quickly became the same standardised time for the whole country. We were all synchronised and are to this very day.
Grossman takes a literary microscope to three of the so-called road novels of Charles Dickens and uses them as a sort of a lens to examine the history of how the public transport network changed how we perceive time and how this impacted on community and how the novelist played a key part in bringing this all together and helping us to have some understanding of it.
It is an extremely important book for Dickens lovers, people who enjoy finding out about how the Victorian era is still impacting on our lives today and students of transport history.
The book will cost £25 in hardback and is published on 1 March.
In association with the Oxford University Press, readers of That's Books can have FREE access to the life of Charles Dickens in the prestigious Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Just visit www.oxforddnb.com/public/dnb/7599.html This free access will last for six months.
It is an innovative examination of the novels of Charles Dickens, their interesting, multilevel and criss-crossing plots and how the burgeoning transport networks of that time impacted on the novelists of the Victorian era.
It's an original work, which employs a novel approach to literary history with a thought-provoking look at the 19th century novel from the perspective of the transport networks of that time.
It theorises how passenger networks operate and how narrative forms a part of imagining public transport networks.
The author points out that at the same time as Dickens was writing his first novel, The Pickwick Papers, the first railway line in London opened for business.
Charles Dickens's Networks examines the rise of the global, high-speed passenger transport networks of the 19th century and the important impact they made on the works of Charles Dickens.
It looks at the advent of the stagecoach network, the railways and ocean-going steam liners and how they made transport easy for everyone, but also more affordable, too. Journeys that once seemed unattainable could be made in less than a day. And the strict timetables of the railway companies made such travel predictable and reliable, in the main part.
The railway timetables also changed how time was looked at. Before the advent of the railway, each town had its own, separate time. If it was noon in Birmingham it might be 12.15 in London and 12.10 in Manchester. But to avoid railway accidents the whole rail network must run at precisely the same time, so the standardised railway time was introduced which very quickly became the same standardised time for the whole country. We were all synchronised and are to this very day.
Grossman takes a literary microscope to three of the so-called road novels of Charles Dickens and uses them as a sort of a lens to examine the history of how the public transport network changed how we perceive time and how this impacted on community and how the novelist played a key part in bringing this all together and helping us to have some understanding of it.
It is an extremely important book for Dickens lovers, people who enjoy finding out about how the Victorian era is still impacting on our lives today and students of transport history.
The book will cost £25 in hardback and is published on 1 March.
In association with the Oxford University Press, readers of That's Books can have FREE access to the life of Charles Dickens in the prestigious Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Just visit www.oxforddnb.com/public/dnb/7599.html This free access will last for six months.
Saturday 11 February 2012
The Oxford Book of Parodies edited by John Gross
The Oxford Book of Parodies edited by John Gross is what it says on the tin. A collection of parodies, edited by the late John Gross and published by the Oxford University Press.
Nobody is safe from the mordant wit of the satirical parodist! There are well in excess of 120 victims,if one can use that word in this context. The parodied range from Geoffrey Chaucer to John Dryden, from Swift to Lord Chesterfield, from Wordsworth to Cobbett and in more recent times from Clive James to J. K. Rowling and from Amis (that's Martin, not Kingsley) to Leonard Cohen.
Who are the parodists? old hands at the genre like the irrepressible Sellar and Yeatman, with their witty and well-educated parodies of history teaching (1066 and All That) appear in the book as do others who might not be so well-known. There is a parody of Virginia Woolf by Mark Crick, in which he imagines how she would have handled a recipe for a dish involving black cherries and a parody by J. C. Squire of a poem in the style of G. K. Chesterton.
Some of the parodies are splendid and really do capture, but in a slightly warped form, the true essence of the subject who is being parodied, yet some seem to miss the mark and in some instances quite badly, too. The parody of Chesterton by Squire sadly falls into the latter category.
The book is in two parts, part one starting with Anglo-Saxon and Medieval. Ezra Pound's take on Summer is Icumen In is worthy, although perhaps slightly too long, whilst Murie Song by A. Y. Campbell based on the same song is, to be honest, appallingly bad, especially when one considers that he was a poet in his own right!
Part two contains a collection of nursery rhymes, ripostes, stage and screen, and so forth.
This book will keep you amused, bemused and perhaps just a tad confused for many, many hours. It is published in paperback at £9.99 or $17.95. It is, of course, available through the That's Books book shop.
Sadly the editor of the anthology of parodies died in January of this year.
Nobody is safe from the mordant wit of the satirical parodist! There are well in excess of 120 victims,if one can use that word in this context. The parodied range from Geoffrey Chaucer to John Dryden, from Swift to Lord Chesterfield, from Wordsworth to Cobbett and in more recent times from Clive James to J. K. Rowling and from Amis (that's Martin, not Kingsley) to Leonard Cohen.
Who are the parodists? old hands at the genre like the irrepressible Sellar and Yeatman, with their witty and well-educated parodies of history teaching (1066 and All That) appear in the book as do others who might not be so well-known. There is a parody of Virginia Woolf by Mark Crick, in which he imagines how she would have handled a recipe for a dish involving black cherries and a parody by J. C. Squire of a poem in the style of G. K. Chesterton.
Some of the parodies are splendid and really do capture, but in a slightly warped form, the true essence of the subject who is being parodied, yet some seem to miss the mark and in some instances quite badly, too. The parody of Chesterton by Squire sadly falls into the latter category.
The book is in two parts, part one starting with Anglo-Saxon and Medieval. Ezra Pound's take on Summer is Icumen In is worthy, although perhaps slightly too long, whilst Murie Song by A. Y. Campbell based on the same song is, to be honest, appallingly bad, especially when one considers that he was a poet in his own right!
Part two contains a collection of nursery rhymes, ripostes, stage and screen, and so forth.
This book will keep you amused, bemused and perhaps just a tad confused for many, many hours. It is published in paperback at £9.99 or $17.95. It is, of course, available through the That's Books book shop.
Sadly the editor of the anthology of parodies died in January of this year.
InteractBooks Releases Bill the Fish it's Latest Interactive Book for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch
In the interactive children’s e-book, Bill the Fish, graphic artist Brett Curzon invites young readers to join him in a delightful journey under the sea, where Bill rides his bike and interacts (virtually!) with a wide range of quirky sea friends. Against a backdrop of beautiful acrylic paintings, the book contains a series of interactive elements and hidden treasures on each page, but with one simple message: Being different is okay.
“Bill the Fish celebrates individuality,” explains Curzon. “It teaches children through a series of wildly differing aquatic characters that we are all meant to be different. It’s okay to be yourself. Quirks and all.”
Curzon had developed a hard copy of the story in 2007 as part of a homework assignment for a graphic design class. He was to create something that could be sold, so he published Bill and brought 100 copies to a local artisan market. The books sold out within a few hours, and Curzon realised that he would need a larger platform for his creativity.
“I began searching for companies that could create an app for me,” said Curzon. “It quickly came to my attention that most companies were going to charge me a large sum of money and heavy residuals in order to send my project off to be coded by programmers in a far-away country.”
With more research, Curzon came across InteractBooks, which features the InteractBuilder tool: “I immediately recognized that there were two distinct advantages to working with InteractBooks. For one, the tool was easy to use and allowed me to retain control over the output; I was able to focus on the creative side without worrying about the technical aspect. And two, the team at InteractBooks made a concerted effort to help me however they could. It’s really more than a company; it’s a community.”
The Background
“My original intent was to write something for my kids,” explains Curzon, whose three children range in age from 10 to 14. “I wanted to help them become more confident and help them deal with challenges in school. When I developed Bill and his relationship to the other characters, I wanted to make the point that they’re all different. Feeling out of place is part of everyday life.”
Curzon is no stranger to the “fish out of water” feeling. A native Australian, he was deeply impressed by the blatant discrimination aimed at his grandmother, who was an aboriginal at a time when that wasn’t accepted: “She was treated quite terribly because of her colour.”
After moving away from home at age 16, Curzon went through an important period of discovery during his early adulthood, exploring a number of countries on several continents. Over the course of six years, Curzon found himself in Indonesia, Peru, Bolivia, Fiji, Samoa, Malayisa, Mexico, Canada, and the United States (California). He learned an important lesson along the way.
“I made friends with people who were living in abject poverty, including a close friend who lived with his mother in a cardboard box,” Curzon recalls. “They are the happiest people you meet. They aren’t concerned with accumulating wealth; they are family-orientated.”
He married his soul mate, Tracy, and moved back to Australia, settling into his role as a construction worker, despite what he describes as “miserable” circumstances. Curzon was forever changed when he was injured on a construction site where he had been a day labourer for eight years. Once a sponsored surfer, he was devastated that he could no longer surf, and he was forced to make a career change that didn’t involve manual labour.
Curzon was accepted into a graphic design program at The Hunter Institute of Technology with the help of a little white lie: “Ironically, I was applying to a school of technology, but I had never actually turned on a computer prior to joining the programme,” he recalled. Nevertheless, he completed the two-year programme successfully, ranking second in a class of 60 students.
A lifelong painter and visual artist, Curzon found graphic design a manageable trade, more in line with his creative instincts than the construction field. Yet, designing CD covers and returning commissioned art remained a profitable trade and not a source of enjoyment.
With the unflappable support of his family, Curzon discovered that writing children’s books was the best antidote for dealing with the fast-paced nature of the world. “Kids don’t complicate things. Writing these books reminds me that there’s a beautiful simplicity to life, and it’s just beneath the surface.”
The importance of individuality is equally simple, but not always obvious. “If a diver were to judge an oyster by its shell on the outside, he might never discover the beautiful pearl inside,” Curzon relates. “I like to remind my young readers of the importance of this idea, so I sign their books with this message. I say: ‘Always look a little deeper.’”
About InteractBooks, LLC.
InteractBooks provides tools for non-programmers to create high-quality e-books, and other media in an interactive format that make effective use of touch-screen tablets and smartphone devices. Currently available for the iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone devices, the app will soon be running on Android devices including the Amazon Kindle Fire, Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet. The app is also being ported to run on Windows Phone devices later this year.
The InteractBooks App is available as a free downloadfrom the Apple iTunes App Store. Browsing the InteractBooks Store directly from the App, users can download from a growing library of interactive children's e-books (also known as InteractBooks), there are a couple of free books available for download too.
The InteractBuilder is also a free software download which runs on Macs and Windows PC's that works in conjunction with the InteractBooks App allowing users to create their own interactive books. With the help of a comprehensive library of video tutorials and a network of technical support, the tool has become the most effective resource for children’s book authors, illustrators and presenters wishing to enter into the wonderful world of interactive media. In addition to featuring books in it's own interactive book store, InteractBooks also offers the ability to publish interactive books as stand alone apps. www.interactbooks.com
“Bill the Fish celebrates individuality,” explains Curzon. “It teaches children through a series of wildly differing aquatic characters that we are all meant to be different. It’s okay to be yourself. Quirks and all.”
Curzon had developed a hard copy of the story in 2007 as part of a homework assignment for a graphic design class. He was to create something that could be sold, so he published Bill and brought 100 copies to a local artisan market. The books sold out within a few hours, and Curzon realised that he would need a larger platform for his creativity.
“I began searching for companies that could create an app for me,” said Curzon. “It quickly came to my attention that most companies were going to charge me a large sum of money and heavy residuals in order to send my project off to be coded by programmers in a far-away country.”
With more research, Curzon came across InteractBooks, which features the InteractBuilder tool: “I immediately recognized that there were two distinct advantages to working with InteractBooks. For one, the tool was easy to use and allowed me to retain control over the output; I was able to focus on the creative side without worrying about the technical aspect. And two, the team at InteractBooks made a concerted effort to help me however they could. It’s really more than a company; it’s a community.”
The Background
“My original intent was to write something for my kids,” explains Curzon, whose three children range in age from 10 to 14. “I wanted to help them become more confident and help them deal with challenges in school. When I developed Bill and his relationship to the other characters, I wanted to make the point that they’re all different. Feeling out of place is part of everyday life.”
Curzon is no stranger to the “fish out of water” feeling. A native Australian, he was deeply impressed by the blatant discrimination aimed at his grandmother, who was an aboriginal at a time when that wasn’t accepted: “She was treated quite terribly because of her colour.”
After moving away from home at age 16, Curzon went through an important period of discovery during his early adulthood, exploring a number of countries on several continents. Over the course of six years, Curzon found himself in Indonesia, Peru, Bolivia, Fiji, Samoa, Malayisa, Mexico, Canada, and the United States (California). He learned an important lesson along the way.
“I made friends with people who were living in abject poverty, including a close friend who lived with his mother in a cardboard box,” Curzon recalls. “They are the happiest people you meet. They aren’t concerned with accumulating wealth; they are family-orientated.”
He married his soul mate, Tracy, and moved back to Australia, settling into his role as a construction worker, despite what he describes as “miserable” circumstances. Curzon was forever changed when he was injured on a construction site where he had been a day labourer for eight years. Once a sponsored surfer, he was devastated that he could no longer surf, and he was forced to make a career change that didn’t involve manual labour.
Curzon was accepted into a graphic design program at The Hunter Institute of Technology with the help of a little white lie: “Ironically, I was applying to a school of technology, but I had never actually turned on a computer prior to joining the programme,” he recalled. Nevertheless, he completed the two-year programme successfully, ranking second in a class of 60 students.
A lifelong painter and visual artist, Curzon found graphic design a manageable trade, more in line with his creative instincts than the construction field. Yet, designing CD covers and returning commissioned art remained a profitable trade and not a source of enjoyment.
With the unflappable support of his family, Curzon discovered that writing children’s books was the best antidote for dealing with the fast-paced nature of the world. “Kids don’t complicate things. Writing these books reminds me that there’s a beautiful simplicity to life, and it’s just beneath the surface.”
The importance of individuality is equally simple, but not always obvious. “If a diver were to judge an oyster by its shell on the outside, he might never discover the beautiful pearl inside,” Curzon relates. “I like to remind my young readers of the importance of this idea, so I sign their books with this message. I say: ‘Always look a little deeper.’”
About InteractBooks, LLC.
InteractBooks provides tools for non-programmers to create high-quality e-books, and other media in an interactive format that make effective use of touch-screen tablets and smartphone devices. Currently available for the iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone devices, the app will soon be running on Android devices including the Amazon Kindle Fire, Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet. The app is also being ported to run on Windows Phone devices later this year.
The InteractBooks App is available as a free downloadfrom the Apple iTunes App Store. Browsing the InteractBooks Store directly from the App, users can download from a growing library of interactive children's e-books (also known as InteractBooks), there are a couple of free books available for download too.
The InteractBuilder is also a free software download which runs on Macs and Windows PC's that works in conjunction with the InteractBooks App allowing users to create their own interactive books. With the help of a comprehensive library of video tutorials and a network of technical support, the tool has become the most effective resource for children’s book authors, illustrators and presenters wishing to enter into the wonderful world of interactive media. In addition to featuring books in it's own interactive book store, InteractBooks also offers the ability to publish interactive books as stand alone apps. www.interactbooks.com
Calling All Rugby Coaches And Players
Calling all Rugby coaches and players. Getting tired of the same old moves? Struggling to beat defences and need new ways to break down the opposition? Take a look at the latest book on attacking play, "Rugby Backs Moves", for inspiration.This new release (colour edition) talks you through a variety of plays, ranging from the classic switch to moves that really stretch defenders, with in-depth detail on all the moves and diagrammatic illustrations of how to perform them.
The book, "Rugby Backs Moves", is designed to give players and coaches some ideas for your back-line to try out, while if you already know any of the moves then the book gives you some very helpful ‘dos and don'ts'. It's an ideal companion for use on the training ground or in team meetings.
The book has received excellent reviews:- a "superb" and "easy to read" book, which "guides you through more than 50 different moves".
Check out the book and its reviews at www.facebook.com/pages/Rugby-Backs-Moves/140708799364831 or purchase on-line at www.authorsonline.co.uk/book/1034/Rugby_Backs_Moves/
'The Austerity Olympics' - When The Games Came To London In 1948
The 1948 London Olympics demonstrated what a fantastic Games could be organised on just £760,000 - and still make a profit. The main stadium was cleared of greyhound racing to allow great athletes such as Emil Zatopek and Fanny Blankers-Koen to thrill the indomitable Londoners who cheerfully overcame every obstacle, from food rationing to terrible weather.
Entertaining, revealing and highly-readable, this meticulously researched book is full of first-hand interviews, hilarious anecdotes, and spirited athletic feats. The Austerity Olympics is a fascinating book about an extraordinary event.
Published to coincide with BBC film based on the book - Bert & Dickie airing in May
Contains over 200 original interviews with entertaining anecdotes that make great material for review, extract and radio coverage.
Shortlisted for William Hill Sports Book of the Year
Janie Hampton has written over 15 books, from biography to fiction. She is the author of the critically acclaimed biography of Joyce Grenfell; and appears regularly on radio, in print and at literary festivals.
She is the leading authority on the social history of the Olympic Games in London and is Olympics Correspondent of The Oldie Magazine. She lives in Oxford.
The Austerity Olympics by Janie Hampton is published by Aurum Press on
20th February 2012 priced £8.99.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall The Revolutionary Legacy of 1989
The Fall of the Berlin Wall The Revolutionary Legacy of 1989 is a very interesting book. It is edited by Jeffrey A. Engel and is a collection of essays on the subject, written by people who are acknowledged as experts in their fields. Chen Jian, holder of the Michael J. Zak chair of history for U.S. -Chinese relations, Cornell University; Melvyn P. Leffler, Edward Stettinius Professor of American History, University of Virginia; Sventlana Savranskaya, director of Russia Programs, National Security Archive, George Washington University; James J. Sheehan, Dickason Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Modern European History, Emeritus, Stanford University; William Taubman, Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science, Amherst College.
Two of the most momentous events of the late 20th century were the construction of the Berlin Wall, the other was the demolition of that same wall.
The erudite and well-argued essays examines how the Berlin Wall came to be removed all at once in 1989, and why nobody had foreseen this epoch making event.
The book details how the events of the days and weeks leading up to the fall occurred, how a frightened and desperate DDR leader Erich Honecker ordered his troops to open fire on the generally good natured but vocal crowds of demonstrators that were protesting against Honecker's autocratic rule. They declined to accept his order. Something that would have been utterly unthinkable, even months earlier. The party sacked Honecker and thus was the beginning of the end of not only the cursed wall. but of the entire DDR itself.
The book points out that these results came about as a result of the changes that had swept through neighbouring Poland and Hungary. Soon, revolt and revolution took not only the Communist Party of East Germany but also the rest of the Warsaw Pact member states.
The book looks at what happened next, and raises issues about what could happen in the future in this, the Post Wall period.
This book is a must have for any serious student of political or social history.
It is published by the Oxford University Press in paperback at $19.95.
Two of the most momentous events of the late 20th century were the construction of the Berlin Wall, the other was the demolition of that same wall.
The erudite and well-argued essays examines how the Berlin Wall came to be removed all at once in 1989, and why nobody had foreseen this epoch making event.
The book details how the events of the days and weeks leading up to the fall occurred, how a frightened and desperate DDR leader Erich Honecker ordered his troops to open fire on the generally good natured but vocal crowds of demonstrators that were protesting against Honecker's autocratic rule. They declined to accept his order. Something that would have been utterly unthinkable, even months earlier. The party sacked Honecker and thus was the beginning of the end of not only the cursed wall. but of the entire DDR itself.
The book points out that these results came about as a result of the changes that had swept through neighbouring Poland and Hungary. Soon, revolt and revolution took not only the Communist Party of East Germany but also the rest of the Warsaw Pact member states.
The book looks at what happened next, and raises issues about what could happen in the future in this, the Post Wall period.
This book is a must have for any serious student of political or social history.
It is published by the Oxford University Press in paperback at $19.95.
Shakespeare, Sex and Love
In his book Shakespeare, Sex and Love noted Shakespearean expert and author Stanley Wells takes on a fairly big task.
He examines how Shakespeare dealt with the subjects of sex and romantic love in his plays and his other written works.
In doing this, Wells undertakes a detailed analysis of the works of Shakespeare, which, of course, one would expect.
But Wells does more than this. He examines the sexual morays of the times in which William Shakespeare lived. How the contemporary folk of the day viewed sex and sexual matters.
He explores the use of sexual imagery in Elizabethan poetry, how some apparently innocent phrases would have possibly had another, more titillating meaning that would have been all too clear to the groundlings who attended the performances of the plays.
Wells also points out that some modern critics simply do not 'get' Shakespeare, failing to understand some of the points he was making, or at least, illustrating.
The text is assisted by some photographs of the plays of Shakespeare, which are most helpful.
A very interesting book from dramatical and historical viewpoints.
It is published by the Oxford University Press in paperback at £10.99 or $17.95. However, it might well be available at a discount through the That's Books bookshop, which is powered by Amazon.
He examines how Shakespeare dealt with the subjects of sex and romantic love in his plays and his other written works.
In doing this, Wells undertakes a detailed analysis of the works of Shakespeare, which, of course, one would expect.
But Wells does more than this. He examines the sexual morays of the times in which William Shakespeare lived. How the contemporary folk of the day viewed sex and sexual matters.
He explores the use of sexual imagery in Elizabethan poetry, how some apparently innocent phrases would have possibly had another, more titillating meaning that would have been all too clear to the groundlings who attended the performances of the plays.
Wells also points out that some modern critics simply do not 'get' Shakespeare, failing to understand some of the points he was making, or at least, illustrating.
The text is assisted by some photographs of the plays of Shakespeare, which are most helpful.
A very interesting book from dramatical and historical viewpoints.
It is published by the Oxford University Press in paperback at £10.99 or $17.95. However, it might well be available at a discount through the That's Books bookshop, which is powered by Amazon.
The Aztecs, A Very Short Introduction
Who were the Aztecs? In this riveting little book David Carrasco takes us back to the time of the Aztecs. Although the book is short, it is very heavy on content, drawing on a wide variety of sources.
From contemporary accounts by the Aztecs themselves (although they attempted to destroy all of the pictorial records of the Aztecs the Spaniards failed in this aim) from the Spanish invaders, from archaeological excavations, etc, Carrasco is able to provide detailed accounts of how the Aztecs lived, their religious practices including ritual sacrifices of humans and the ritualistic consumption of human flesh.
He explores the rich cultural heritage of the Aztecs (tracing them back through earlier kingdoms such as the Toltecs) their history, their religious ceremonies, their foods, the banqueting habits of their rulers, their agriculture, their understanding of and use of astronomical phenomena and so forth. It also contains interesting snippets of information. For example we find out that the first Spaniards to arrive their were not who we have probably have been taught. And that there was at least one example of a Spanish soldier who fought on the side of the Aztecs, against his fellow Spaniards.
He explores how and why the empire failed and died.
Carrasco also takes time to look at the Aztecs of today, and how there is even something of a return of the Aztecs.
The book contains many useful and interesting drawings and photographs. Curiously, all are rendered in black and white.
The book is published by the Oxford University Press in paperback and costs £7.99 or £11.95.
From contemporary accounts by the Aztecs themselves (although they attempted to destroy all of the pictorial records of the Aztecs the Spaniards failed in this aim) from the Spanish invaders, from archaeological excavations, etc, Carrasco is able to provide detailed accounts of how the Aztecs lived, their religious practices including ritual sacrifices of humans and the ritualistic consumption of human flesh.
He explores the rich cultural heritage of the Aztecs (tracing them back through earlier kingdoms such as the Toltecs) their history, their religious ceremonies, their foods, the banqueting habits of their rulers, their agriculture, their understanding of and use of astronomical phenomena and so forth. It also contains interesting snippets of information. For example we find out that the first Spaniards to arrive their were not who we have probably have been taught. And that there was at least one example of a Spanish soldier who fought on the side of the Aztecs, against his fellow Spaniards.
He explores how and why the empire failed and died.
Carrasco also takes time to look at the Aztecs of today, and how there is even something of a return of the Aztecs.
The book contains many useful and interesting drawings and photographs. Curiously, all are rendered in black and white.
The book is published by the Oxford University Press in paperback and costs £7.99 or £11.95.
How to Think Like a Neandertal by Wynn and Coolidge
How to Think Like a Neandertal by Thomas Wynn and Frederick L. Coolidge is an extremely interesting book.
"Oh,your such as Neandertal!" Will shriek some man or woman when they are criticising the behaviour of someone they know.
Yet if they were challenged and asked: "OK, who were the Neandertals? Where did they live? How did they live? How did they treat sick members of their group? Did they have any concept of religion?" they would be utterly and entirely clueless, as their views on Neantertal society were probably based on a hodgepodge of vague ideas from seeing a model of a caveman in a dusty, somewhat grim museum, and Raquel Welch in a fur bikini.
Wynn and Coolidge have examined many branches of science to work out how Neandertals lived, worked, played and prayed. Or at least, how they dealt with the death of a family member or of a member of their group.
The book is fascinating and very readable. Unlike many other books of the academic rigour of How to Think Like a Neandertal, the authors want to share their discoveries with their readers. This is no dry as dust worth tome! It's a highly readable worthy tome!
They explore and explain how and what Neandertals ate, how they hunted, the types of work they did, the average length of their lives, how they reacted and inter-reacted with each other, their concepts of an afterlife, how they tended the sick and the elderly, how they thought, how they communicated, etc. They also showed that although Neantdertals and humans did intermarry, that the relationship between humans and Neandertals was not always a happy one.
They also explore several interesting concepts. For example, did Neandertals have a sense of humour? Did they dream? What happened to them?
The book is published by the Oxford University Press in hardback. It is, of course, available from the That's Books bookshop.
I can heartily recommend it to academic and general reader.
"Oh,your such as Neandertal!" Will shriek some man or woman when they are criticising the behaviour of someone they know.
Yet if they were challenged and asked: "OK, who were the Neandertals? Where did they live? How did they live? How did they treat sick members of their group? Did they have any concept of religion?" they would be utterly and entirely clueless, as their views on Neantertal society were probably based on a hodgepodge of vague ideas from seeing a model of a caveman in a dusty, somewhat grim museum, and Raquel Welch in a fur bikini.
Wynn and Coolidge have examined many branches of science to work out how Neandertals lived, worked, played and prayed. Or at least, how they dealt with the death of a family member or of a member of their group.
The book is fascinating and very readable. Unlike many other books of the academic rigour of How to Think Like a Neandertal, the authors want to share their discoveries with their readers. This is no dry as dust worth tome! It's a highly readable worthy tome!
They explore and explain how and what Neandertals ate, how they hunted, the types of work they did, the average length of their lives, how they reacted and inter-reacted with each other, their concepts of an afterlife, how they tended the sick and the elderly, how they thought, how they communicated, etc. They also showed that although Neantdertals and humans did intermarry, that the relationship between humans and Neandertals was not always a happy one.
They also explore several interesting concepts. For example, did Neandertals have a sense of humour? Did they dream? What happened to them?
The book is published by the Oxford University Press in hardback. It is, of course, available from the That's Books bookshop.
I can heartily recommend it to academic and general reader.
Eminent Victorians on American Democracy, The View From Albion, by Frank Prochaska
What, exactly, DID eminent Victorians think of the American democracy?
In this likely and thought provoking book, Frank Prochaska explores how things looked in this fledgling democracy. Or rather, how they looked to outsiders, many of whom had firm views of how government should work in the modern, Victorian era.
I had hoped that the book would be a collection of essays, perhaps with notes and an explanation of each essay, how the author of the book understood the eminent Victorian to mean.
However, the book in question is not that book. The author of the book tells the reader what HE thinks -for example- Bagehot, Mill, Bryce, etc., meant, rather than letting the eminent Victorians actually say it in their own words and allowing the reader to form their own conclusions. Guided with footnotes, etc.
It is a good book, but it could have been a great book. However, students of modern politics and of history of the Victorian era will find it eminently useful.
It is published by the Oxford University Press in hardback.
In this likely and thought provoking book, Frank Prochaska explores how things looked in this fledgling democracy. Or rather, how they looked to outsiders, many of whom had firm views of how government should work in the modern, Victorian era.
I had hoped that the book would be a collection of essays, perhaps with notes and an explanation of each essay, how the author of the book understood the eminent Victorian to mean.
However, the book in question is not that book. The author of the book tells the reader what HE thinks -for example- Bagehot, Mill, Bryce, etc., meant, rather than letting the eminent Victorians actually say it in their own words and allowing the reader to form their own conclusions. Guided with footnotes, etc.
It is a good book, but it could have been a great book. However, students of modern politics and of history of the Victorian era will find it eminently useful.
It is published by the Oxford University Press in hardback.
A Child of the Jago by Arthur Morrison
Look at any map or Atlas of the Victorian era and you will not find The Jago. However, every large city and town and even some smaller towns throughout Britain had their own Jago, an area of streets for which the word "mean" really comes nowhere near descriptive enough.
The Jago of Arthur Morrison in his work A Child of the Jago is based very closely on the worst part of the East End of London.
His description of the hovels the people of the East end occupied, of the filth, the dirt and the squalor are very well realised.
There are certain little facts that he salts his novel with that make its reading even more compelling. For example, did you know that people residing in slum areas such as the Jago often had to keep a light on all night, to ensure that their sleep was not disturbed by being attacked by rats?
Morrison tells the tale of young Dicky Perrott, who is the child of the Jago. His mother reminds him that they are not like the other people of The Jago, although when his father returns home with a cosh covered in the blood and hair of a victim of a coshing robbery, the reader is forced to conclude that perhaps she is not really even fooling herself. Street robberies and urders punctuate the book like grimy comas.
Dicky knows what he wants out of life. He wants to become a leading criminal, in the parlance of the area, a High Mobsman.
But due to the herculean efforts of Father Sturt, it eventually becomes clear to Dicky that perhaps there is another way? Another path that might not lead him ever downwards to the prison cell or even the gallows? Or worse?
Some novels that told of the life of the Victorian working classes were sentimental and mawkish. This novel, however, is not. Its attention to detail and its realism set it high above novels by Morrisons well-meaning but lesser fellow contemporaries.
Although Morrison gives a warts and all description of what was the worst part of the East End of London, a place where even some criminals would fear to visit, let alone the police officers who would only ever visit it in threes, he also showed that the denizens were capable of normal acts of human kindness. One example of this is the obvious love that Dicky Perrott showed to his baby sister, early in the novel.
This edition caries a very good introduction which gives a background to the area upon which The Jago is based. It also provides as much biographical detail of the author as is to hand. Which is not much. Morrison was an extremely private man whose desire for privacy seemed deep-rooted. He felt that he had enemies who would use information from his past against him.
The book also contains a very helpful glossary of terms used in the book.
The Appendix also includes a chapter on Morrison and his Critics,
It is published by the Oxford University Press in paperback at £8.99 and is available via the That's Books bookshop and all good bookshops.
The Jago of Arthur Morrison in his work A Child of the Jago is based very closely on the worst part of the East End of London.
His description of the hovels the people of the East end occupied, of the filth, the dirt and the squalor are very well realised.
There are certain little facts that he salts his novel with that make its reading even more compelling. For example, did you know that people residing in slum areas such as the Jago often had to keep a light on all night, to ensure that their sleep was not disturbed by being attacked by rats?
Morrison tells the tale of young Dicky Perrott, who is the child of the Jago. His mother reminds him that they are not like the other people of The Jago, although when his father returns home with a cosh covered in the blood and hair of a victim of a coshing robbery, the reader is forced to conclude that perhaps she is not really even fooling herself. Street robberies and urders punctuate the book like grimy comas.
Dicky knows what he wants out of life. He wants to become a leading criminal, in the parlance of the area, a High Mobsman.
But due to the herculean efforts of Father Sturt, it eventually becomes clear to Dicky that perhaps there is another way? Another path that might not lead him ever downwards to the prison cell or even the gallows? Or worse?
Some novels that told of the life of the Victorian working classes were sentimental and mawkish. This novel, however, is not. Its attention to detail and its realism set it high above novels by Morrisons well-meaning but lesser fellow contemporaries.
Although Morrison gives a warts and all description of what was the worst part of the East End of London, a place where even some criminals would fear to visit, let alone the police officers who would only ever visit it in threes, he also showed that the denizens were capable of normal acts of human kindness. One example of this is the obvious love that Dicky Perrott showed to his baby sister, early in the novel.
This edition caries a very good introduction which gives a background to the area upon which The Jago is based. It also provides as much biographical detail of the author as is to hand. Which is not much. Morrison was an extremely private man whose desire for privacy seemed deep-rooted. He felt that he had enemies who would use information from his past against him.
The book also contains a very helpful glossary of terms used in the book.
The Appendix also includes a chapter on Morrison and his Critics,
It is published by the Oxford University Press in paperback at £8.99 and is available via the That's Books bookshop and all good bookshops.
Friday 10 February 2012
Virgin To Veteran: How To Get Cooking With Confidence - New Release From our Most Prolific Young Culinary Writer
From mastering the basics to insider tips and techniques, this book will teach you everything you need to become a confident cook. From fast food to slow, food to go or eat in, healthy to greedy, there's something in the over 100 Masterclass recipes featured to match every mood, budget and lifestyle.
Core dishes are accompanied with advice on saving cash, time, and delicious and wide-ranging variations that will expand your cooking repertoire in the blink of an eye - if the exotic Hot Mixed Mushroom Bruschetta is not to your taste, you can opt for the more homely topping of Broad Bean and Wensleydale instead. If a formal dinner isn't your style, convert your refined fillet steak into a fast and fabulous BBQ treat. The possibilities are endless.
Sam's passion for making the kitchen accessible to all is reflected through diagrams, step-by-step guides and the Virgin Kitchen Set-Up (the stuff you need to know to set up a workable kitchen). In no time at all, relevant skills such as knife work, sauce making and baking can be picked up with ease and placed at your disposal, while such necessities as sourcing and substituting ingredients, seasonality and the secrets of great presentation are also covered.
This wealth of information, accompanied by stunning photography that gets right to the heart of Sam's delicious cooking, is presented in such an engaging way that it will have you turning out brilliant meals without too much fuss, cost or effort before you know it.
20-year-old Sam Stern is studying Politics, Sociology and Business at Edinburgh University. He is also the author of 5 bestselling cookbooks which currently dominate the teenage market, and has been cooking for as long as he can remember.
What started as a personal passion for cooking (and fierce kitchen competition with his older brother) turned into a mission to inspire his generation to cook. Cooking Up A Storm (2005), Real Food Real Fast (2006), Get Cooking (2007), Sam Stern's Student Cookbook (2008) and Eat Vegetarian (2010) were published by Walker Books to great critical acclaim while Sam was studying for his GCSE's and A levels.
Cooking up a Storm has been translated into 14 languages, with worldwide sales nudging 700,000 copies. The books and associated activity have attracted global media attention and have given Sam a unique status as the voice for aspiring young cooks.
www.quadrille.co.uk.
Core dishes are accompanied with advice on saving cash, time, and delicious and wide-ranging variations that will expand your cooking repertoire in the blink of an eye - if the exotic Hot Mixed Mushroom Bruschetta is not to your taste, you can opt for the more homely topping of Broad Bean and Wensleydale instead. If a formal dinner isn't your style, convert your refined fillet steak into a fast and fabulous BBQ treat. The possibilities are endless.
Sam's passion for making the kitchen accessible to all is reflected through diagrams, step-by-step guides and the Virgin Kitchen Set-Up (the stuff you need to know to set up a workable kitchen). In no time at all, relevant skills such as knife work, sauce making and baking can be picked up with ease and placed at your disposal, while such necessities as sourcing and substituting ingredients, seasonality and the secrets of great presentation are also covered.
This wealth of information, accompanied by stunning photography that gets right to the heart of Sam's delicious cooking, is presented in such an engaging way that it will have you turning out brilliant meals without too much fuss, cost or effort before you know it.
20-year-old Sam Stern is studying Politics, Sociology and Business at Edinburgh University. He is also the author of 5 bestselling cookbooks which currently dominate the teenage market, and has been cooking for as long as he can remember.
What started as a personal passion for cooking (and fierce kitchen competition with his older brother) turned into a mission to inspire his generation to cook. Cooking Up A Storm (2005), Real Food Real Fast (2006), Get Cooking (2007), Sam Stern's Student Cookbook (2008) and Eat Vegetarian (2010) were published by Walker Books to great critical acclaim while Sam was studying for his GCSE's and A levels.
Cooking up a Storm has been translated into 14 languages, with worldwide sales nudging 700,000 copies. The books and associated activity have attracted global media attention and have given Sam a unique status as the voice for aspiring young cooks.
www.quadrille.co.uk.
Wednesday 8 February 2012
Mridula Baljekar Launches Her Latest Book
Mridula Baljekar's latest book, The Food and Cooking of India, has been published by Lorenz Books (an imprint of Anness Publishing).
In this book, Mridula takes the reader on a gastronomic journey through India, explaining along the way, the culture, history, geography, religious and social customs and uncovers unknown territories of this fascinating country.
An authoritative explanation unites the myriad strands of Indian culinary heritage and offers you the ultimate taste of this world-famous cuisine in 150 exquisite recipes accompanied by 850 stunning colour illustrations.
Ranging from simple street foods to luxurious curries fit for a Maharaja's table, delectable marinades, exquisite kebabs and exotic vegetables, the book captures the diversity of Indian cuisine in an evocative and enticing manner.
Mridula will be officially launching her book at the prestigious Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey www.wentworthclub.com) on 21st February 2011. Wentworth is famous not just for golf championships; it also offers excellent facilities for fitness, social events, tennis and fabulous cuisine influenced by London's renowned Caprice Group.
In this book, Mridula takes the reader on a gastronomic journey through India, explaining along the way, the culture, history, geography, religious and social customs and uncovers unknown territories of this fascinating country.
An authoritative explanation unites the myriad strands of Indian culinary heritage and offers you the ultimate taste of this world-famous cuisine in 150 exquisite recipes accompanied by 850 stunning colour illustrations.
Ranging from simple street foods to luxurious curries fit for a Maharaja's table, delectable marinades, exquisite kebabs and exotic vegetables, the book captures the diversity of Indian cuisine in an evocative and enticing manner.
Mridula will be officially launching her book at the prestigious Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey www.wentworthclub.com) on 21st February 2011. Wentworth is famous not just for golf championships; it also offers excellent facilities for fitness, social events, tennis and fabulous cuisine influenced by London's renowned Caprice Group.
Sunday 5 February 2012
The Battle of Midway by Craig L. Symonds
A great deal has been written on the Battle of Midway, some good and some not so good. The Battle of Midway by Craig L. Symonds has to be one of the most definitive works on the Battle of Midway. And one of the better books on this subject by a long way.
The Battle of Midway. Was it a miraculous event, as some see it? Or a culmination of tactics and weapons?
Craig L. Symonds takes a long view of this key battle in World War 2. He traces the origins of some of the points that would be of vital importance, back to the latter years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century.
He examines the military careers of the Japanese officers and the American officers from their earliest days at their military academies, teasing out facts that would prove important in the roles they played in the battle of Midway.
He also examined how blunders on both sides cost many lives and could have impacted on the outcome of not only the Battle of Midway but on the outcome of the war itself.
He points out that the decisions of Japanese officers was often coloured by their very real fear of being murdered by their subordinates, of how hundreds of US pilots were sent to their deaths because their planes had dreadful design faults or their torpedoes just did not work.
Apparently the US government in pre-war days did not want to 'waste money' on testing the new design of torpedo, so the many faults in the design were not discovered in a timely manner and corrected. Instead they chose to blame the pilots, many of whom lost their lives attempting to launch useless, inert torpedoes. The torpedoes used by the US Navy submarines were just as bad.
The Japanese side was no better. They failed to provide adequate damage control facilities on their warships, so that a fairly minor explosion or fire could result in the loss of a ship and the subsequent unnecessary loss of many lives. Symonds also points out that the Japanese were doomed to fail by their desire for quality in pilot training and the construction of ships, planes, etc.
Symonds looks afresh at what we thought we knew about the progress of the battle, and has discovered that some of it was flawed due to error and that other information was simply wrong due to what appeared to be covering up by some persons involved.
The book is superbly illustrated with battle maps and photographs. These appear throughout the text, so do help to tell the story.
Although very readable indeed, the book will make a most suitable textbook for students of World War 2. The footnotes, appendixes, notes and index are worth their weight in gold.
It is 452 pages long and published in hardback by the Oxford University Press at $27.95.
I can heartily recommend this book to old servicemen, their families, students of military history and serving forces personnel.
The Battle of Midway. Was it a miraculous event, as some see it? Or a culmination of tactics and weapons?
Craig L. Symonds takes a long view of this key battle in World War 2. He traces the origins of some of the points that would be of vital importance, back to the latter years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century.
He examines the military careers of the Japanese officers and the American officers from their earliest days at their military academies, teasing out facts that would prove important in the roles they played in the battle of Midway.
He also examined how blunders on both sides cost many lives and could have impacted on the outcome of not only the Battle of Midway but on the outcome of the war itself.
He points out that the decisions of Japanese officers was often coloured by their very real fear of being murdered by their subordinates, of how hundreds of US pilots were sent to their deaths because their planes had dreadful design faults or their torpedoes just did not work.
Apparently the US government in pre-war days did not want to 'waste money' on testing the new design of torpedo, so the many faults in the design were not discovered in a timely manner and corrected. Instead they chose to blame the pilots, many of whom lost their lives attempting to launch useless, inert torpedoes. The torpedoes used by the US Navy submarines were just as bad.
The Japanese side was no better. They failed to provide adequate damage control facilities on their warships, so that a fairly minor explosion or fire could result in the loss of a ship and the subsequent unnecessary loss of many lives. Symonds also points out that the Japanese were doomed to fail by their desire for quality in pilot training and the construction of ships, planes, etc.
Symonds looks afresh at what we thought we knew about the progress of the battle, and has discovered that some of it was flawed due to error and that other information was simply wrong due to what appeared to be covering up by some persons involved.
The book is superbly illustrated with battle maps and photographs. These appear throughout the text, so do help to tell the story.
Although very readable indeed, the book will make a most suitable textbook for students of World War 2. The footnotes, appendixes, notes and index are worth their weight in gold.
It is 452 pages long and published in hardback by the Oxford University Press at $27.95.
I can heartily recommend this book to old servicemen, their families, students of military history and serving forces personnel.
Thursday 2 February 2012
Explore the Humorous Side of Life with “Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun” A Collection of Aphorisms and Cartoons
Can people handle the truth or will it be too painful? When faced with the easy or hard decision, do people take the easy way out even though it doesn’t give them their desired result? Aleksandar Krzavac releases his new book, “Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun”.
Are you a person who always sees the bright side of every challenge? Are you the person who is seen as the one who always makes lemonade out of lemons?
For the individual who likes to think and live outside of the box, Aleksandar Krzavac has just the e-book for you, “Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun” which is humorous and illustrated with cartoons.
Krzavac says he wrote “Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun” to challenge people to think out of everyday convenient life. However, a result is achieved even if readers have great fun reading the book.
Some of the aphorisms contained in the book are: “Survival skills have nothing to do with morals. Force is a side effect of ruling. Fight for the future, do not adopt it.”
“Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun” contains 401 aphorisms and approximately 77 cartoons.
“Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun” addresses almost all issues people are annoyed with, no matter what their economic status, education level or race. Sub-genre but not sub-culture, that keeps our eyes wide open revealing the extent of self-delusion in everyday life we are exposed to.
Author Krzavac states, “Once you read this e-book, the reader will figure out what the side effect of sex is, what real engine of revolution could be and even why communism failed or the real reason we vote for democracy.
In “Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun”, each single aphorism or cartoon is a world unto itself. It will literally draw the reader in and expand their thinking about the circumstances and world around them. Readers are encouraged to face the truth, no matter how painful it can be.
About Aleksandar Krzavac
Aleksandar Krzavac was born in 1959 in Belgrade, the former Yugoslavian capital, where he spent his teenage years and his thirties in what is referred to in the West as a Communist dictatorship. Holder of a University degree in economics, e-book author Aleksandar Krzavac does not object to wasting his time writing aphorisms and drawing cartoons.
Krzavac has published his aphorisms and cartoons in highly regarded Belgrade newspapers and magazines and a selection of Krzavac's cartoons are published on the Aydin Dogan Vakfi website. Aphorisms of Aleksandar Krzavac have appeared in the New York Times bestselling author James Geary's website at www.jamesgeary.com.
Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun can be purchased at Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Lulu.
Are you a person who always sees the bright side of every challenge? Are you the person who is seen as the one who always makes lemonade out of lemons?
For the individual who likes to think and live outside of the box, Aleksandar Krzavac has just the e-book for you, “Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun” which is humorous and illustrated with cartoons.
Krzavac says he wrote “Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun” to challenge people to think out of everyday convenient life. However, a result is achieved even if readers have great fun reading the book.
Some of the aphorisms contained in the book are: “Survival skills have nothing to do with morals. Force is a side effect of ruling. Fight for the future, do not adopt it.”
“Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun” contains 401 aphorisms and approximately 77 cartoons.
“Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun” addresses almost all issues people are annoyed with, no matter what their economic status, education level or race. Sub-genre but not sub-culture, that keeps our eyes wide open revealing the extent of self-delusion in everyday life we are exposed to.
Author Krzavac states, “Once you read this e-book, the reader will figure out what the side effect of sex is, what real engine of revolution could be and even why communism failed or the real reason we vote for democracy.
In “Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun”, each single aphorism or cartoon is a world unto itself. It will literally draw the reader in and expand their thinking about the circumstances and world around them. Readers are encouraged to face the truth, no matter how painful it can be.
About Aleksandar Krzavac
Aleksandar Krzavac was born in 1959 in Belgrade, the former Yugoslavian capital, where he spent his teenage years and his thirties in what is referred to in the West as a Communist dictatorship. Holder of a University degree in economics, e-book author Aleksandar Krzavac does not object to wasting his time writing aphorisms and drawing cartoons.
Krzavac has published his aphorisms and cartoons in highly regarded Belgrade newspapers and magazines and a selection of Krzavac's cartoons are published on the Aydin Dogan Vakfi website. Aphorisms of Aleksandar Krzavac have appeared in the New York Times bestselling author James Geary's website at www.jamesgeary.com.
Close Your Eyes the Future Has Just Begun can be purchased at Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Lulu.
Sunday 29 January 2012
Your Head Here: Your Guide To Real Bedroom Feng Shui By Sherwin Ng
This is THE book to clear all your doubts on Bedroom Feng Shu- the bed is regarded as the mountain within the house, and as such, a good bed location enhances good health, generates meaningful relationships, as well as augments power and authority.
Are you sleeping in the right sector?
In his highly-anticipated first book. Sherwin Ng introduces to you the importance of mountains in Feng Shui, and how these mountains affect your house and your bedrooms specifically. Transforming Classical concepts into modern application. this second book of the Fengshuilogy series gives you a fun, easy way to Feng-Shui-It-Yourself by just turning to the page you need.
This is perfect for both the layperson interested to know if they have their beds in the right sector, and for the student of Classical Feng Shui looking for an alternative perspective on the simple but profound effects of mountains and the Feng Shui of the bedroom.
In this book: A concise, complete introduction on bedroom Feng Shui; An introduction to mountains and external Feng Shui; A complete chapter of bedroom rules in Feng Shui -- and WHY; All 16 Flying Stars chart for Period 7 and Period 8 houses; Technical commentary on the different bed locations for all 16 Flying Star charts in Period 7 and Period 8.
www.gazellebooks.co.uk
Are you sleeping in the right sector?
In his highly-anticipated first book. Sherwin Ng introduces to you the importance of mountains in Feng Shui, and how these mountains affect your house and your bedrooms specifically. Transforming Classical concepts into modern application. this second book of the Fengshuilogy series gives you a fun, easy way to Feng-Shui-It-Yourself by just turning to the page you need.
This is perfect for both the layperson interested to know if they have their beds in the right sector, and for the student of Classical Feng Shui looking for an alternative perspective on the simple but profound effects of mountains and the Feng Shui of the bedroom.
In this book: A concise, complete introduction on bedroom Feng Shui; An introduction to mountains and external Feng Shui; A complete chapter of bedroom rules in Feng Shui -- and WHY; All 16 Flying Stars chart for Period 7 and Period 8 houses; Technical commentary on the different bed locations for all 16 Flying Star charts in Period 7 and Period 8.
www.gazellebooks.co.uk
Midlands Footy: 1980-2011 By Steve Brooke
This book looks back at the teams, players, managers and rivalries between all the Midlands clubs since 1980.
Over the last 30 years of great games there are many true icons who will never be forgotten and Midlands football fans have voted for the top 5 players from each of their clubs.
Featuring every result of every Midlands derby ever played and in-depth profiles of 100 Midland club legends - this is a celebration of one of the world's football hotbeds.
Features: Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Burton Albion, Cheltenham Town, Coventry City, Derby County, Kettering Town, Kidderminster Harriers, Leicester City, Northampton Town, Notts County, Nottingham Forest, Port Vale, Shrewsbury Town, Stoke City, Tamworth, Telford United, Walsall, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
www.gazellebooks.co.uk
Over the last 30 years of great games there are many true icons who will never be forgotten and Midlands football fans have voted for the top 5 players from each of their clubs.
Featuring every result of every Midlands derby ever played and in-depth profiles of 100 Midland club legends - this is a celebration of one of the world's football hotbeds.
Features: Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Burton Albion, Cheltenham Town, Coventry City, Derby County, Kettering Town, Kidderminster Harriers, Leicester City, Northampton Town, Notts County, Nottingham Forest, Port Vale, Shrewsbury Town, Stoke City, Tamworth, Telford United, Walsall, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
www.gazellebooks.co.uk
Canadians At The Table: Food, Fellowship & Folklore - A Culinary History Of Canada
This is an introduction to the diverse culinary history of Canada. We learn about the lessons of survival of the First Nations, the foods that fuelled the fur traders, and the adaptability of the early settlers in their new environment.As communities developed and transportation improved, waves of newcomers arrived, bringing their memories of foods, beverages, and traditions they had known, which were almost impossible to implement in their new homeland. They learned instead to use native plants for many of their needs.
Community events and institutions developed to serve religious, social, and economic needs -- from agricultural and temperance societies to Women's Institutes, from markets and fairs to community meals and celebrations.
One New World food, pemmican -- a light, durable, and highly nourishing blend of dried and powdered buffalo, elk, or deer meat that is mixed with dried berries, packed into a leather bag, then sealed with grease -- was introduced by the First Nations to the fur traders coming to Canada.
Small amounts of pemmican replaced large amounts of regular food, freeing up precious hunting and food preparation time and allowing more space to carry additional furs and trade goods. From the self-sufficient First Nations and early settlers to the convenience foods of today, this book gives us an overview of one of the most unique and fascinating food histories in the world and how it continues to change to serve Canadians from coast to coast.
www.gazellebooks.co.uk
Wednesday 25 January 2012
RIT English Professor's New Book Explores History and Evolution of ‘Mania’
Lisa Hermsen reveals her personal struggle with mental illness and traces the multiple ways in which the word “mania” has been used by popular, medical and academic writers in her just-released book, Manic Minds: Mania’s Mad History and its Neuro-Future.
“I am bipolar and have a medical diagnosis. And I am a freak; I am mad. There are no two options; I am both and more. I can have it both ways. And…I can tell a good story.” Lisa Hermsen, associate professor, Rochester Institute of Technology
Mania. Throughout centuries, the word has been synonymous with madness, fury, rage and frenzy. Although its meanings have shifted over time, the word has remained connected, even in clinical descriptions, to the same madness and rage. As a result, it is profoundly affecting individuals living with medical and psychological conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety.
In her latest book, Manic Minds: Mania’s Mad History and its Neuro-Future, Lisa Hermsen, associate professor and chair of Rochester Institute of Technology’s English department in the College of Liberal Arts, traces the multiple ways in which the word “mania” has been used by popular, medical and academic writers. She also explains the way medical professionals analyzed the manic condition during the 19th and 20th centuries.
“Today, we don’t classify people using the terms lunacy, insanity or melancholy, but the word ‘mania’ still appears as a diagnosis,” says Hermsen. “The problem with the world ‘mania’ is that it carries madness with it. Madness lingers with mania and can’t be shaken. The purpose of this book is to talk about what kind of language we can use to change how we think about madness. The word mania and the baggage that comes along with it interfere with people’s ability to manage their disorders.”
Hermsen, who teaches courses at RIT in the rhetoric of science and the history of madness, knows firsthand about the struggle with the perception of mania. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her early 20s. Many of her colleagues and students had formerly been unaware of her diagnosis, but Hermsen believed that her admission was necessary to include in the book.
“My husband and I talked about whether I should ‘out myself’ in the book as someone who lives with bipolar disorder,” says Hermsen. “I feared that my colleagues and students would look at me differently if they knew—and maybe some will. But if my intention is to help others understand the history of their disease and learn that it can be managed, lived with and that these individuals can become successful, then I knew there was no way I could leave it out.”
Throughout the book, Hermsen offers in-depth analysis of contemporary figures that have written from within the illness itself, as well as her thoughts on her personal experiences with mania. Hermsen’s story was included in the book based in part on a note that was sent to her from an RIT alumnus who experienced a serious depression that temporarily interrupted his studies. The note says, “I’m glad to see someone like us chairing the English department.”
Hermsen writes: “By emerging from this diagnostic silence, I am able to tell a story beyond my own limited narrative. There were certainly times during the writing when I had to come to terms with the debilitating effects of a manic episode—the bodily reality of psychic tension, times when linguistic power eluded me. But in the end, I hope to have written with the confidence and credibility of one who possesses a dynamic relationship to mania.”
Hermsen’s book is available for $23.95 at http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu or www.amazon.com.
“I am bipolar and have a medical diagnosis. And I am a freak; I am mad. There are no two options; I am both and more. I can have it both ways. And…I can tell a good story.” Lisa Hermsen, associate professor, Rochester Institute of Technology
Mania. Throughout centuries, the word has been synonymous with madness, fury, rage and frenzy. Although its meanings have shifted over time, the word has remained connected, even in clinical descriptions, to the same madness and rage. As a result, it is profoundly affecting individuals living with medical and psychological conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety.
In her latest book, Manic Minds: Mania’s Mad History and its Neuro-Future, Lisa Hermsen, associate professor and chair of Rochester Institute of Technology’s English department in the College of Liberal Arts, traces the multiple ways in which the word “mania” has been used by popular, medical and academic writers. She also explains the way medical professionals analyzed the manic condition during the 19th and 20th centuries.
“Today, we don’t classify people using the terms lunacy, insanity or melancholy, but the word ‘mania’ still appears as a diagnosis,” says Hermsen. “The problem with the world ‘mania’ is that it carries madness with it. Madness lingers with mania and can’t be shaken. The purpose of this book is to talk about what kind of language we can use to change how we think about madness. The word mania and the baggage that comes along with it interfere with people’s ability to manage their disorders.”
Hermsen, who teaches courses at RIT in the rhetoric of science and the history of madness, knows firsthand about the struggle with the perception of mania. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her early 20s. Many of her colleagues and students had formerly been unaware of her diagnosis, but Hermsen believed that her admission was necessary to include in the book.
“My husband and I talked about whether I should ‘out myself’ in the book as someone who lives with bipolar disorder,” says Hermsen. “I feared that my colleagues and students would look at me differently if they knew—and maybe some will. But if my intention is to help others understand the history of their disease and learn that it can be managed, lived with and that these individuals can become successful, then I knew there was no way I could leave it out.”
Throughout the book, Hermsen offers in-depth analysis of contemporary figures that have written from within the illness itself, as well as her thoughts on her personal experiences with mania. Hermsen’s story was included in the book based in part on a note that was sent to her from an RIT alumnus who experienced a serious depression that temporarily interrupted his studies. The note says, “I’m glad to see someone like us chairing the English department.”
Hermsen writes: “By emerging from this diagnostic silence, I am able to tell a story beyond my own limited narrative. There were certainly times during the writing when I had to come to terms with the debilitating effects of a manic episode—the bodily reality of psychic tension, times when linguistic power eluded me. But in the end, I hope to have written with the confidence and credibility of one who possesses a dynamic relationship to mania.”
Hermsen’s book is available for $23.95 at http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu or www.amazon.com.
Sunday 22 January 2012
Galileo Selected Writings
The book, Galileo, Selected Writings is a masterful new translation by William R, Shea and Mark Davie.
The book is not just a collection of the writings of a great man. Shea and Davie are able to put Galileo and his writings into the context of the times in which Galileo lived.
It touches on the financial problems that beset Galileo when, on the death of his father, he became the breadwinner and the man of the house. He had dowries to fund for his sisters and his mother to provide for. Problems which meant that Galileo needed to earn a goodly income to provide for his family.
Galileo made a substantial income by selling a geometrical and military compass of his own design, which is referenced within this book, together with information on his work to construct the best telescope in existence at that time.
The book also points out that Galileo did not quite use the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the way that is generally depicted to prove his theory of gravity.
The book contains a wide and deeply fascinating collection from a range of Galileo's writings. From letters to important figures of his day, including nobles and royalty, his observations on the Copernican Theory, details of his trial and his statement of abjuration.
It contains his Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems (see above) A Sidereal Message and much more besides.
This book is not only a testament to the brilliance of Galileo it is an interesting thought-provoking work.
It contains copious and highly useful notes, explanatory notes and a detailed and most helpful index.
It is an ideal book for the student and for those curious to learn more about Galileo.
It is available in paperback at £10.99 published by the Oxford University Press.
The ISBN is 978-0-19-958369-0.
It is, of course, available from the That's Book bookshop, which is powered by Amazon.
The book is not just a collection of the writings of a great man. Shea and Davie are able to put Galileo and his writings into the context of the times in which Galileo lived.
It touches on the financial problems that beset Galileo when, on the death of his father, he became the breadwinner and the man of the house. He had dowries to fund for his sisters and his mother to provide for. Problems which meant that Galileo needed to earn a goodly income to provide for his family.
Galileo made a substantial income by selling a geometrical and military compass of his own design, which is referenced within this book, together with information on his work to construct the best telescope in existence at that time.
The book also points out that Galileo did not quite use the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the way that is generally depicted to prove his theory of gravity.
The book contains a wide and deeply fascinating collection from a range of Galileo's writings. From letters to important figures of his day, including nobles and royalty, his observations on the Copernican Theory, details of his trial and his statement of abjuration.
It contains his Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems (see above) A Sidereal Message and much more besides.
This book is not only a testament to the brilliance of Galileo it is an interesting thought-provoking work.
It contains copious and highly useful notes, explanatory notes and a detailed and most helpful index.
It is an ideal book for the student and for those curious to learn more about Galileo.
It is available in paperback at £10.99 published by the Oxford University Press.
The ISBN is 978-0-19-958369-0.
It is, of course, available from the That's Book bookshop, which is powered by Amazon.
Be That Writer: How to publish a book with Kindle
Be That Writer: How to publish a book with Kindle: Publishing a book with Kindle is relatively easy. First make sure your manuscript is finished and typo free. Then check it again. Also ens...
My first book published!
I have published my first book. It is available for purchase on Amazon. www.amazon.com/dp/B0070DA1PO
It is a somewhat eclectic collection of short stories covering a wide range of genres, including a Christmas time murder, horror, science fiction and "slice of life" stories.
Some of them are straight stories, others a little quirky.
It is a somewhat eclectic collection of short stories covering a wide range of genres, including a Christmas time murder, horror, science fiction and "slice of life" stories.
Some of them are straight stories, others a little quirky.
That's Food and Drink: Food expert and top chef publishes new lab-inspire...
That's Food and Drink: Food expert and top chef publishes new lab-inspire...: Gurpareet Bains, celebrated chef and author of the No. 1 best-selling Indian Superfood, presents Indian Superspices: lab-inspired recipes t...
Thursday 19 January 2012
New book from personal development expert Phil Parker shows how to be successful by asking yourself 10 questions
What use is a self help book that doesn’t give you any answers?
In his new book, The 10 Questions to Ask for Success (Hay House, £10.99), Phil Parker explains that the most important discovery he has made in over two decades of working in the personal development field is this: providing solutions, advice, suggestions or answers doesn’t really help anyone.
If we are provided with the answer to a problem we don’t go through the important process of finding a solution for ourselves and so, when faced with another problem, we turn to ask for help again. Parker argues that learning how to create our own solutions allows us to “be more independent and skilled at finding and making the right decisions for ourselves”, helping us to be successful. Instead of answers we need questions!
Although not just any old questions; as Parker explains it is about: “asking the key questions, at the right time, in order to get to the solutions”. The ten questions in this book will enable you to do this and are powerful tools – drawing on the fields of personal and spiritual development, business, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and even hostage-negotiation – that will help you to make great decisions in all aspects of your life.
Thousands of Parker’s clients have already used the tools in this book to help themselves or others to stop being stressed, stuck, over-worried, disempowered, unmotivated, frustrated and self-sabotaging and achieve success with issues such as weight loss, anxiety and low self esteem. You will learn how to:
• motivate yourself and others
• calmly find solutions even in the most stressful of times
• design and achieve your dreams
• ensure that your relationships work well, flourish and are fulfilling
• manage your business more effectively
• assist others on their paths away from conflict and wasted time and energy, and towards transformation and fulfillment.
The 10 Questions to Ask for Success is a wonderfully practical and clear book that will help you come up with all the right questions to ask yourself in any given situation and realise that all the answers are within you.
SEE BELOW FOR FIVE TIPS TO HELP YOU BE MORE SUCCESSFUL RIGHT NOW
Phil Parker is an internationally renowned lecturer, therapist and innovator in the field of personal development. His training as a hypnotherapist, executive coach, certified master practitioner of NLP and osteopath give him a unique ability to provide new solutions to meet the challenges and opportunities of life in the 21st century. Phil's hugely successful process for change, the Lightning Process, has already transformed and enhanced the lives, health and success of thousands of people around the world. He runs a private practice in London and is principal and director at the Phil Parker Training Institute.
‘Astonishing, swift and simple’ The Independent
The 10 Questions to Ask for Success by Phil Parker is published by Hay House on 6th February 2012, £10.99 pb, also available as an eBook.
Watch a video of Phil
Five Tips to Help You be More Successful Right Now! Extracted from The 10 Questions to Ask for Success by Phil Parker (Hay House, £10.99)
1) Success and happiness are interlinked, so set aside some time each day for five days to write a happiness checklist. What percentage of your time is spent doing things that you love to do? If it is less than 50 per cent, then you need to reassess things; if it's over 70 per cent you're doing really well!
2) What if? Use this question to reinvigorate your future. Many of us spend too much time limiting ourselves; telling ourselves things just aren't likely to work out. Even if we have ideas about how to make changes and be more successful, we will often strangle these ideas straight away. Let your dreams breathe and live a little using the ‘what if?' question to imagine a brilliant future. Ask yourself ‘if everything that I put my hand to today turned out just perfectly, what would I do today?’
3) Stop blaming. Frustration is as linked to blaming, as success is linked to being able to let go of the past. Remember: whatever happened, happened. The question is not who was right and who was wrong, but how do you want your future to be now? Ask yourself ‘who or what do I need to stop blaming to have a great future?’
4) What do I want? A key secret of success is to get really clear about what you want – but be careful you don't get sidetracked by focusing on what you don't want. The more you think about something, the more your brain focuses on making it happen. So instead of thinking about what you don’t want, use your brain as an ally and think about what you DO want.
5) Sabotage. Unfortunately, it is often ourselves that stand in the way of our own success: whether it’s self-doubt, procrastination, a lack of motivation or just not following through. If you find yourself doing any of these, there are three things you can do. Firstly, stop beating yourself up and be kind to yourself instead. Often just doing this changes what happens next, as when we treat ourselves with compassion we allow ourselves to stay calm and find solutions. Secondly, ask yourself ‘what exactly am I committed to, what’s really important here?’ Finally, ask yourself ‘how am I going to make this easy?’ Successful people see their challenges as opportunities to creatively move things forward, and that makes everything seem easier.
In his new book, The 10 Questions to Ask for Success (Hay House, £10.99), Phil Parker explains that the most important discovery he has made in over two decades of working in the personal development field is this: providing solutions, advice, suggestions or answers doesn’t really help anyone.
If we are provided with the answer to a problem we don’t go through the important process of finding a solution for ourselves and so, when faced with another problem, we turn to ask for help again. Parker argues that learning how to create our own solutions allows us to “be more independent and skilled at finding and making the right decisions for ourselves”, helping us to be successful. Instead of answers we need questions!
Although not just any old questions; as Parker explains it is about: “asking the key questions, at the right time, in order to get to the solutions”. The ten questions in this book will enable you to do this and are powerful tools – drawing on the fields of personal and spiritual development, business, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and even hostage-negotiation – that will help you to make great decisions in all aspects of your life.
Thousands of Parker’s clients have already used the tools in this book to help themselves or others to stop being stressed, stuck, over-worried, disempowered, unmotivated, frustrated and self-sabotaging and achieve success with issues such as weight loss, anxiety and low self esteem. You will learn how to:
• motivate yourself and others
• calmly find solutions even in the most stressful of times
• design and achieve your dreams
• ensure that your relationships work well, flourish and are fulfilling
• manage your business more effectively
• assist others on their paths away from conflict and wasted time and energy, and towards transformation and fulfillment.
The 10 Questions to Ask for Success is a wonderfully practical and clear book that will help you come up with all the right questions to ask yourself in any given situation and realise that all the answers are within you.
SEE BELOW FOR FIVE TIPS TO HELP YOU BE MORE SUCCESSFUL RIGHT NOW
Phil Parker is an internationally renowned lecturer, therapist and innovator in the field of personal development. His training as a hypnotherapist, executive coach, certified master practitioner of NLP and osteopath give him a unique ability to provide new solutions to meet the challenges and opportunities of life in the 21st century. Phil's hugely successful process for change, the Lightning Process, has already transformed and enhanced the lives, health and success of thousands of people around the world. He runs a private practice in London and is principal and director at the Phil Parker Training Institute.
‘Astonishing, swift and simple’ The Independent
The 10 Questions to Ask for Success by Phil Parker is published by Hay House on 6th February 2012, £10.99 pb, also available as an eBook.
Watch a video of Phil
Five Tips to Help You be More Successful Right Now! Extracted from The 10 Questions to Ask for Success by Phil Parker (Hay House, £10.99)
1) Success and happiness are interlinked, so set aside some time each day for five days to write a happiness checklist. What percentage of your time is spent doing things that you love to do? If it is less than 50 per cent, then you need to reassess things; if it's over 70 per cent you're doing really well!
2) What if? Use this question to reinvigorate your future. Many of us spend too much time limiting ourselves; telling ourselves things just aren't likely to work out. Even if we have ideas about how to make changes and be more successful, we will often strangle these ideas straight away. Let your dreams breathe and live a little using the ‘what if?' question to imagine a brilliant future. Ask yourself ‘if everything that I put my hand to today turned out just perfectly, what would I do today?’
3) Stop blaming. Frustration is as linked to blaming, as success is linked to being able to let go of the past. Remember: whatever happened, happened. The question is not who was right and who was wrong, but how do you want your future to be now? Ask yourself ‘who or what do I need to stop blaming to have a great future?’
4) What do I want? A key secret of success is to get really clear about what you want – but be careful you don't get sidetracked by focusing on what you don't want. The more you think about something, the more your brain focuses on making it happen. So instead of thinking about what you don’t want, use your brain as an ally and think about what you DO want.
5) Sabotage. Unfortunately, it is often ourselves that stand in the way of our own success: whether it’s self-doubt, procrastination, a lack of motivation or just not following through. If you find yourself doing any of these, there are three things you can do. Firstly, stop beating yourself up and be kind to yourself instead. Often just doing this changes what happens next, as when we treat ourselves with compassion we allow ourselves to stay calm and find solutions. Secondly, ask yourself ‘what exactly am I committed to, what’s really important here?’ Finally, ask yourself ‘how am I going to make this easy?’ Successful people see their challenges as opportunities to creatively move things forward, and that makes everything seem easier.
Wednesday 18 January 2012
Seeds of Fiction
Seeds of Fiction: Graham Greene's Adventures in Haiti and Central America, 1954 - 1963 by Bernard Diederich.
In June 2012, Peter Owen Publishers will be publishing a major new biography of Graham Greene - Seeds of Fiction: Graham Greene's Adventures in Haiti and Central America, 1954 - 1963. In 1965, Graham Greene joined journalist Bernard Diederich in the Dominican Republic to embark on a tour of its border with Haiti, then ruled by 'Papa Doc' Duvalier. They were accompanied by an activist priest, Jean-Claude Bajeux.
The famous novelist was 61 and depressed having struggled to finish A Burnt-Out Case and was being plagued by religious doubt; Bajeux, meanwhile, had been informed that his family had been 'disappeared' by Duvalier's henchmen. As this trio travelled along the border they met a number of rebels and other characters later fictionalized in Greene's most politically charged novel, The Comedians, published the following year.
This major new biography finally and fully illuminates a pivotal episode in Greene's life and career in the kind of detail that will sate any fans of Graham Greene's work, but also provides a fascinating glimpse into a writer's life, making it an essential purchase for fans of literary biography. Including extensive new archive material on Greene and exclusive, never-before-seen photographs of Greene on his travels - some of the most remarkable portraits of Greene seen for years - Seeds of Fiction tells the story of how a series of extraordinary and often hair-raising journeys gave one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century new inspiration in his writings.
www.peterowen.com
In June 2012, Peter Owen Publishers will be publishing a major new biography of Graham Greene - Seeds of Fiction: Graham Greene's Adventures in Haiti and Central America, 1954 - 1963. In 1965, Graham Greene joined journalist Bernard Diederich in the Dominican Republic to embark on a tour of its border with Haiti, then ruled by 'Papa Doc' Duvalier. They were accompanied by an activist priest, Jean-Claude Bajeux.
The famous novelist was 61 and depressed having struggled to finish A Burnt-Out Case and was being plagued by religious doubt; Bajeux, meanwhile, had been informed that his family had been 'disappeared' by Duvalier's henchmen. As this trio travelled along the border they met a number of rebels and other characters later fictionalized in Greene's most politically charged novel, The Comedians, published the following year.
This major new biography finally and fully illuminates a pivotal episode in Greene's life and career in the kind of detail that will sate any fans of Graham Greene's work, but also provides a fascinating glimpse into a writer's life, making it an essential purchase for fans of literary biography. Including extensive new archive material on Greene and exclusive, never-before-seen photographs of Greene on his travels - some of the most remarkable portraits of Greene seen for years - Seeds of Fiction tells the story of how a series of extraordinary and often hair-raising journeys gave one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century new inspiration in his writings.
www.peterowen.com
Tuesday 17 January 2012
Eat London
“2012 is rather an important year for London and the UK as we will be welcoming the world to our cities, so it is just as well that there has been something of a revolution in the UK – it is called the Café, Food and Restaurant Revolution. Even in these dire economic times they open every day of the week by keen young people for whom food has become a religion.” Terence Conran
This year all eyes will be on London. As host of the Olympic Games and centre of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, locals and visitors alike will be seeking out the best that London has to offer. Wallpaper Magazine recently named London the best city on the planet and it is now considered to be one of the most important food destinations in the world.
There have been many gastronomic changes in the capital since the first edition of Eat London was published in 2007. This completely revised and updated edition presents new entries highlighting the very best food stops not to be missed on a tour of London in 15 chapters.
The book is more than just a restaurant guide and provides a personal view of London’s food culture from a dream team of authors. Terence Conran and Peter Prescott share their passion for the city and make you feel like they are showing you around themselves. From cafes to bakeries, fishmongers to butchers, the food markets and pop-ups of east London to haute cuisine in Mayfair, entries are selected for their food quality and originality, as well as their decor, convivial ambiance, sense of tradition, and wonderful personalities.
www.octopus-publishing.co.uk
Eat London 2
All about food
Peter Prescott & Terence Conran
Published by Conran Octopus
April 2012 - Price £20
Each chapter encompasses a specific area of London with full address listings for every entry and suggestions of itineraries or fun things to do – for example the perfect Saturday in Notting Hill, or Flâneur Sundays in east London. More than 60 recipes appear throughout the book by some of Britain' s top chefs including for example Bruno Loubet, Pierre Koffman, Yotam Ottolenghi, Giorgio Locatelli and Bryn Williams. As well as signature dishes from restaurants such as Bocca di Lupo, Hawksmoor, Moro, Polpo, St John and many others.
Every entry has complete listings and can be located on the fold-out maps. All photographs are specially shot throughout by photographer Lisa Linder, illustrating London’s unique street-life and food culture.
THE AUTHORS
Terence Conran is one of the world’s leading restaurateurs and has transformed the experience of eating out in London with his many acclaimed restaurants. He is Chairman of Conran Holdings, the parent company of his retail and restaurant businesses, and Chairman of Conran & Partners, his architectural and design practice. His books include The Essential House Book; The Ultimate House Book; Chef’s Garden; Classic Conran and Terence Conran on London.
Peter Prescott has worked with Terence Conran since 2001 for the Conran Restaurants group. Before this he garnered experience at Claridge’s and Grosvenor House on Park Lane. In 2006 Peter and Terence formed a new company called Prescott & Conran Ltd., the venture responsible for the award-winning Boundary Hotel, Restaurant and Rooftop, plus Albion Café, Bakery and Shop, and Lutyens Restaurant, Bar and Cellar Rooms in London’s Fleet Street.
Praise for the first Eat London:
“This ingenious paperback will become as indispensable as a well-thumbed A-Z.” So London
“A handsome, detailed guide to shopping and eating out.” Rose Prince, Daily Telegraph
‘An essential for anyone who lives around London or simply visits and loves food” Woman & Home
This year all eyes will be on London. As host of the Olympic Games and centre of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, locals and visitors alike will be seeking out the best that London has to offer. Wallpaper Magazine recently named London the best city on the planet and it is now considered to be one of the most important food destinations in the world.
There have been many gastronomic changes in the capital since the first edition of Eat London was published in 2007. This completely revised and updated edition presents new entries highlighting the very best food stops not to be missed on a tour of London in 15 chapters.
The book is more than just a restaurant guide and provides a personal view of London’s food culture from a dream team of authors. Terence Conran and Peter Prescott share their passion for the city and make you feel like they are showing you around themselves. From cafes to bakeries, fishmongers to butchers, the food markets and pop-ups of east London to haute cuisine in Mayfair, entries are selected for their food quality and originality, as well as their decor, convivial ambiance, sense of tradition, and wonderful personalities.
www.octopus-publishing.co.uk
Eat London 2
All about food
Peter Prescott & Terence Conran
Published by Conran Octopus
April 2012 - Price £20
Each chapter encompasses a specific area of London with full address listings for every entry and suggestions of itineraries or fun things to do – for example the perfect Saturday in Notting Hill, or Flâneur Sundays in east London. More than 60 recipes appear throughout the book by some of Britain' s top chefs including for example Bruno Loubet, Pierre Koffman, Yotam Ottolenghi, Giorgio Locatelli and Bryn Williams. As well as signature dishes from restaurants such as Bocca di Lupo, Hawksmoor, Moro, Polpo, St John and many others.
Every entry has complete listings and can be located on the fold-out maps. All photographs are specially shot throughout by photographer Lisa Linder, illustrating London’s unique street-life and food culture.
THE AUTHORS
Terence Conran is one of the world’s leading restaurateurs and has transformed the experience of eating out in London with his many acclaimed restaurants. He is Chairman of Conran Holdings, the parent company of his retail and restaurant businesses, and Chairman of Conran & Partners, his architectural and design practice. His books include The Essential House Book; The Ultimate House Book; Chef’s Garden; Classic Conran and Terence Conran on London.
Peter Prescott has worked with Terence Conran since 2001 for the Conran Restaurants group. Before this he garnered experience at Claridge’s and Grosvenor House on Park Lane. In 2006 Peter and Terence formed a new company called Prescott & Conran Ltd., the venture responsible for the award-winning Boundary Hotel, Restaurant and Rooftop, plus Albion Café, Bakery and Shop, and Lutyens Restaurant, Bar and Cellar Rooms in London’s Fleet Street.
Praise for the first Eat London:
“This ingenious paperback will become as indispensable as a well-thumbed A-Z.” So London
“A handsome, detailed guide to shopping and eating out.” Rose Prince, Daily Telegraph
‘An essential for anyone who lives around London or simply visits and loves food” Woman & Home
Sunday 15 January 2012
Squires Kitchen's Guide To Making Sugar Figures By Jan Clement-May
Popular sugar artist, Jan Clement-May, shows you how easy it is to model and personalise figures in Sugar Dough using just a handful of basic tools. After explaining the essentials of modelling in sugar, she covers three popular subject matters - occupations, hobbies and celebrations - and presents an imaginative selection of figures within each chapter.
So whether you're making a bride and groom for a wedding cake (complete with jolly vicar!), a cute baby boy or girl for a christening or baby's birthday, a cub scout or brownie for a children's party, or a cake for a sportsperson, this book is for you! Plus, if you're looking to make party bag treats, wedding favours or if you're simply short of time, there are quick and easy cupcake designs to accompany every figure.
Author Profile
Jan Clement-May started sugarcrafting in 1995 after being inspired by a novelty cake book.
Having originally qualified as a graphic designer, Jan applied her artistic talent and creative flair to cake decorating and began to make cakes for her two children, as well as for other family members and friends. In 2001, she set up The Too Good to Eat Company from home and shortly afterwards began to contribute projects to Cakes & Sugarcraft magazine.
Since then, Jan has become a tutor at the Squires Kitchen International School of Cake Decorating and Sugarcraft. She has established herself as a popular contributor to Cakes & Sugarcraft magazine and continues to run her successful business. She has written three other books, Merry Christmas Cakes, Bob the Builder™ Celebration Cakes, and Squires Kitchen's Guide to Animal Modelling (B. Dutton Publishing Ltd.).
• Learn how to model 23 fun figures in sugar, great for decorating party cakes or for personalised edible gifts.
• An enjoyable activity for modellers of all ages, perfect for keeping little hands busy.
• Step-by-step instructions and full-colour photographs throughout.
Squires Kitchen's Guide to Making Sugar Figures by Jan Clement-May is published in March 2012 by B. Dutton Publishing Ltd., RRP £12.99. Available from bookshops (including the That's Books bookshop) and direct from the publisher at www.squires-shop.com.
ISBN 978-1-905113-32-3.
A Very Peculiar Talent
When Tessie runs away from home she doesn’t want her mother to find her, but disappearing is easier than she had thought possible. Just what is her peculiar talent? An intriguing mystery which will keep you guessing.
Seventeen-year old Tessie runs away to London, away from home and an abusive step-father. She wants to go missing because she has taken all the money she could find.
On the train, she meets what turns out to be her saviour, a young man whose sister is in need of domestic help.
As she and his family become intertwined, the unlikely Tessie finds herself with two suitors. She marries, but a series of tragedies ensure that she once again disappears. Inspector Wilson and DC Sloane investigate, until a dead body turns up. Can this be Tessie’s final disappearance?
Action, intrigue and character drive the plot to a surprising conclusion.
An extract from A Very Peculiar Talent by Charlotte A Hutt is available to read at www.authorsonline.co.uk
Imprint: Bright Pen
Published: 5 December 2011
ISBN: 0755213939
RRP: £9.99 paperback, £3.95 ebook
Available from the That's Books Amazon book shop on this site.
Seventeen-year old Tessie runs away to London, away from home and an abusive step-father. She wants to go missing because she has taken all the money she could find.
On the train, she meets what turns out to be her saviour, a young man whose sister is in need of domestic help.
As she and his family become intertwined, the unlikely Tessie finds herself with two suitors. She marries, but a series of tragedies ensure that she once again disappears. Inspector Wilson and DC Sloane investigate, until a dead body turns up. Can this be Tessie’s final disappearance?
Action, intrigue and character drive the plot to a surprising conclusion.
An extract from A Very Peculiar Talent by Charlotte A Hutt is available to read at www.authorsonline.co.uk
Imprint: Bright Pen
Published: 5 December 2011
ISBN: 0755213939
RRP: £9.99 paperback, £3.95 ebook
Available from the That's Books Amazon book shop on this site.
Monday 9 January 2012
That's Parenting: The Great Book Exchange At Early Learning Centre
That's Parenting: The Great Book Exchange At Early Learning Centre: It's always good to start the New Year with a positive approach and 2012 is no exception. On 4th January 2012, Early Learning Centre will b...
Sunday 8 January 2012
ANGLE OF ATTACK - Author Lee Baldwin Launches Flying-oriented Adventure Mystery Title on Amazon for Kindle
Author Lee Baldwin has announced the release of his flying-oriented adventure mystery novel, ANGLE OF ATTACK, on Amazon.com for Kindle e-Readers. Vintage warplanes, extreme flying, quirky women, and diamonds diamonds diamonds blend in a fast-moving tricky plot.
Angle of Attack brings the reader to adventure and intrigue in a world of extreme flying, quirky women, and the power they covet.
Pilot Cicero Clay is a researcher of vintage WWII warbirds, a glider flight instructor, and an accidental convict. First, someone tries to kill him. That same day a former girlfriend becomes his shiny new Parole Officer.
This story is not about exploding cars and guys chasing about shooting at each other. These are more skillful and adventurous scenes of piloting gliders, flying WWII warplanes such as the P-51 Mustang, about an ordinary guy trying to get out from under the parole system. It's about an unsolved historical diamond theft, and pieces of a past Clay thought was gone forever.
While Clay pursues proof that he was framed and tries to stay alive, he struggles to complete his mission: piloting a stolen vintage fighter across three states to a secretive buyer. Added challenge: Clay has never flown powered aircraft.
To survive, Clay must deduce the motivations of shadowy characters, and face challenges that push him beyond his comfort zone. In action typical of the story’s unique action scenes, Clay finds out the hard way that a glider can become a murder weapon. And how to fix it before he hits the ground.
Amid the action, a charming personal story emerges, as Clay discovers a love he never imagined.
When asked how he conceived Angle of Attack, Baldwin said, "The core ideas came while studying to be a glider pilot. I found everyday flights in powerless gliders to be thrilling high adventure, so what would it be like to push that experience to extremes, such as using a seemingly passive aircraft as a murder weapon? This event became a key plot departure from the get go."
SPECIAL PROMOTION
During the weekend of January 7 and 8, Angle of Attack was available as a free Kindle download, a promotion of Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing programme. It now costs $3.05, but is still excellent value for money.)
(EDITOR: I am reading this book, now. Get a copy. Seriously. Get it from Amazon, this minute!) You can use the That's Books Amazon Shop, if you like, just get it!)
Angle of Attack brings the reader to adventure and intrigue in a world of extreme flying, quirky women, and the power they covet.
Pilot Cicero Clay is a researcher of vintage WWII warbirds, a glider flight instructor, and an accidental convict. First, someone tries to kill him. That same day a former girlfriend becomes his shiny new Parole Officer.
This story is not about exploding cars and guys chasing about shooting at each other. These are more skillful and adventurous scenes of piloting gliders, flying WWII warplanes such as the P-51 Mustang, about an ordinary guy trying to get out from under the parole system. It's about an unsolved historical diamond theft, and pieces of a past Clay thought was gone forever.
While Clay pursues proof that he was framed and tries to stay alive, he struggles to complete his mission: piloting a stolen vintage fighter across three states to a secretive buyer. Added challenge: Clay has never flown powered aircraft.
To survive, Clay must deduce the motivations of shadowy characters, and face challenges that push him beyond his comfort zone. In action typical of the story’s unique action scenes, Clay finds out the hard way that a glider can become a murder weapon. And how to fix it before he hits the ground.
Amid the action, a charming personal story emerges, as Clay discovers a love he never imagined.
When asked how he conceived Angle of Attack, Baldwin said, "The core ideas came while studying to be a glider pilot. I found everyday flights in powerless gliders to be thrilling high adventure, so what would it be like to push that experience to extremes, such as using a seemingly passive aircraft as a murder weapon? This event became a key plot departure from the get go."
SPECIAL PROMOTION
During the weekend of January 7 and 8, Angle of Attack was available as a free Kindle download, a promotion of Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing programme. It now costs $3.05, but is still excellent value for money.)
(EDITOR: I am reading this book, now. Get a copy. Seriously. Get it from Amazon, this minute!) You can use the That's Books Amazon Shop, if you like, just get it!)
That's Pets: Communication Bible for Pet Owners Débuts
That's Pets: Communication Bible for Pet Owners Débuts: "Secrets of a Pet Whisperer: Stop Telling Your Animals to Misbehave" offers a simple, effective approach to helping your pets be good instea...
Hot New Theological, Political, and Legal Thrillers On E-Book Critics Are Raving About
Three international thrillers released E-books in time for the New Year by best-selling author, filmmaker, and child advocate Peter Thomas Senese have top book critics raving about the writer's geopolitical must read, inspirational thrillers.
Peter Thomas Senese's geopolitical novels include CHASING THE CYCLONE, THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, and CLONING CHRIST written by best-selling geopolitical thriller writer Peter Thomas Senese. All three titles are available in E-book. Chasing The Cyclone will be released in hardcover mid-January, while both CLONING CHRIST and THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN are presently available in hardcover.
Peter Thomas Senese commneted, "I am pleased to know readers from around the world have found great entertainment value while also embracing the messages or meaning of these three uniquely different stories. I write thrillers that are based on historical possibilities and truths. So in this sense, my books are intended to make readers think about the inevitable 'what if?"
Amazon's renown HALL OF FAME reviewers are praising best-selling author's Peter Thomas Senese's recently released E-book international legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONEas an electrifying story fans of high suspense thrillers should read. CHASING THE CYCLONE, presently available exclusively as an E-book on Amazon in E-book, is the story of a father's search for his internationally abducted child inspired by the author's own experience chasing the cyclones of abduction.
Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley commented, "Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Peter Thomas Senese has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated..."
Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Harriett Klausner added, . . . "This is an exciting cautionary thriller that grips readers from the onset . . . "Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset..."
Dr. Grady Harp, a highly respected Amazon Hall Of Fame book reviewer said, "Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas Senese demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book..."
In the wake of recent international events, including Iran's capture of a U.S. drone spy plane by possible cyber-hacking combined with Russia's immediate protective agreement to develop major oil fields in southern Iran, along with the death of North Korea's isolationist dictator, Kim Jong, II, author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce the release of his geopolitical thriller The Den of the Assassin on e-book.
The multi-dimensional plot is set on Wall Street and is based upon historical events that jettison the reader on a thrilling global geopolitical journey into the hidden and unseen worlds that exists within nations that have different global agendas than the United States and the West, including but not limited to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Most concerning, as each nation has become more reliant on one another in our global society, a new level of extraordinary vulnerability to our national security has been created, one perhaps we may not be prepared for. In The Den of the Assassin, believe readers will find the uniquely accurate information on this subject that is carefully weaved through an intricate, entertaining storyline to be quite fascinating - and disturbing.
Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley stated, "This is one seriously good thriller. Billed as "a novel of international finance and espionage," Den of the Assassin is a super-realistic exploration of frightening possibilities, unsurpassed heroism, Lucifer-like evil, and terrorism of the worst kind . . . Peter Thomas Senese does a masterful job traversing the inner hallways of diverse institutions as he slowly brings all of these diverse elements together for a slam-bang climax ... "Peter Thomas Senese displays a wealth of knowledge of geopolitics, espionage, and international finance, describing all the technical intricacies of the story's elements and implications with great attention to detail -without ever letting the pace get bogged down or become confusing to the reader. He also keeps a number of secrets close to the vest, saving them for just the right time in the story . . . Many a writer of thrillers seem to drop the ball somewhere in the middle of their novels, but Peter Thomas Senese's' knowledge of geopolitics, international finance, and 21st century terrorist threats keeps the fires of detailed complexity and story evolution stoked and red-hot for the entire ride. Tyler Boxter is no James Bond, but Den of the Assassin proves to be just as exciting as any 007 caper - and much more realistic."
Cloning Christ, Peter Thomas Senese's theological thriller that asks the question, "What would you do if you held the potential True Cross of Jesus in your hands, and it contained blood and hair strains on it? has had readers from around the world talking about the endless possibilities Senese brings out in his novel that pushes the question of where and how science and faith can co-exist in today's world.
Amazon Hall Of Fame book critic Harriett Klausner commented, "Fans will relish this thriller. The tale is loaded with action yet uses the characters as symbols of mankind similar to a medieval passion play like Everyman. The cast represents the faithful, the disbelievers, the dividers (torn between science and religion) or the selfish. "Cloning Christ" brings the debate of religion vs. science to the forefront in an exciting manner that focuses on the sacredness of life."
Peter Thomas Senese is a child abduction prevention advocate actively engaged in trying to stop international child abduction and human trafficking. He is a director of the I CARE Foundation. 100% of Peter Thomas Senese's royalties earned from the E-book releases of Chasing The Cyclone, The Den of the Assassin, and Cloning Christ will be donated to the I CARE Foundation.
www.peterthomassenese.com
Peter Thomas Senese's geopolitical novels include CHASING THE CYCLONE, THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, and CLONING CHRIST written by best-selling geopolitical thriller writer Peter Thomas Senese. All three titles are available in E-book. Chasing The Cyclone will be released in hardcover mid-January, while both CLONING CHRIST and THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN are presently available in hardcover.
Peter Thomas Senese commneted, "I am pleased to know readers from around the world have found great entertainment value while also embracing the messages or meaning of these three uniquely different stories. I write thrillers that are based on historical possibilities and truths. So in this sense, my books are intended to make readers think about the inevitable 'what if?"
Amazon's renown HALL OF FAME reviewers are praising best-selling author's Peter Thomas Senese's recently released E-book international legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONEas an electrifying story fans of high suspense thrillers should read. CHASING THE CYCLONE, presently available exclusively as an E-book on Amazon in E-book, is the story of a father's search for his internationally abducted child inspired by the author's own experience chasing the cyclones of abduction.
Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley commented, "Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Peter Thomas Senese has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated..."
Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Harriett Klausner added, . . . "This is an exciting cautionary thriller that grips readers from the onset . . . "Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset..."
Dr. Grady Harp, a highly respected Amazon Hall Of Fame book reviewer said, "Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas Senese demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book..."
In the wake of recent international events, including Iran's capture of a U.S. drone spy plane by possible cyber-hacking combined with Russia's immediate protective agreement to develop major oil fields in southern Iran, along with the death of North Korea's isolationist dictator, Kim Jong, II, author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce the release of his geopolitical thriller The Den of the Assassin on e-book.
The multi-dimensional plot is set on Wall Street and is based upon historical events that jettison the reader on a thrilling global geopolitical journey into the hidden and unseen worlds that exists within nations that have different global agendas than the United States and the West, including but not limited to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Most concerning, as each nation has become more reliant on one another in our global society, a new level of extraordinary vulnerability to our national security has been created, one perhaps we may not be prepared for. In The Den of the Assassin, believe readers will find the uniquely accurate information on this subject that is carefully weaved through an intricate, entertaining storyline to be quite fascinating - and disturbing.
Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley stated, "This is one seriously good thriller. Billed as "a novel of international finance and espionage," Den of the Assassin is a super-realistic exploration of frightening possibilities, unsurpassed heroism, Lucifer-like evil, and terrorism of the worst kind . . . Peter Thomas Senese does a masterful job traversing the inner hallways of diverse institutions as he slowly brings all of these diverse elements together for a slam-bang climax ... "Peter Thomas Senese displays a wealth of knowledge of geopolitics, espionage, and international finance, describing all the technical intricacies of the story's elements and implications with great attention to detail -without ever letting the pace get bogged down or become confusing to the reader. He also keeps a number of secrets close to the vest, saving them for just the right time in the story . . . Many a writer of thrillers seem to drop the ball somewhere in the middle of their novels, but Peter Thomas Senese's' knowledge of geopolitics, international finance, and 21st century terrorist threats keeps the fires of detailed complexity and story evolution stoked and red-hot for the entire ride. Tyler Boxter is no James Bond, but Den of the Assassin proves to be just as exciting as any 007 caper - and much more realistic."
Cloning Christ, Peter Thomas Senese's theological thriller that asks the question, "What would you do if you held the potential True Cross of Jesus in your hands, and it contained blood and hair strains on it? has had readers from around the world talking about the endless possibilities Senese brings out in his novel that pushes the question of where and how science and faith can co-exist in today's world.
Amazon Hall Of Fame book critic Harriett Klausner commented, "Fans will relish this thriller. The tale is loaded with action yet uses the characters as symbols of mankind similar to a medieval passion play like Everyman. The cast represents the faithful, the disbelievers, the dividers (torn between science and religion) or the selfish. "Cloning Christ" brings the debate of religion vs. science to the forefront in an exciting manner that focuses on the sacredness of life."
Peter Thomas Senese is a child abduction prevention advocate actively engaged in trying to stop international child abduction and human trafficking. He is a director of the I CARE Foundation. 100% of Peter Thomas Senese's royalties earned from the E-book releases of Chasing The Cyclone, The Den of the Assassin, and Cloning Christ will be donated to the I CARE Foundation.
www.peterthomassenese.com
Australian Entrepreneur-Author Opens His Bookshelf & Shares His “Best of The Best”
In an effort to save his readers and followers time and give them the ability to look over the shoulder of a successful marketer and business owner, Australian celebrated and award winning entrepreneur and author Pete Williams has today opened up his book shelf and shared his best of the best.
His readers and followers, who are primarily entrepreneurs, internet marketers, and marketers in general, are all accustomed to checking out the notes of this award winning entrepreneur makes as he reads at https://kindle.amazon.com/profile/Peter-Williams/1154035.
They are also regular visitors to Peter’s weekly podcast show, PreneurCast, where his business books for beginners episode was one of the most listened to from all of 2011.
FACTFILE:
As an entrepreneur, internet marketer, speaker and author, Pete Williams is a 21-year-old Melbourne native who has sold Australia’s version of the Yankee Stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, for under $500. He went on to write a number of books (How to Turn Your Million-Dollar Idea Into a Reality, Media Strategies for Internet Marketers, The Ultimate Press Release Swipe File and It’s Not About the Product) and create a bunch of companies (Infiniti Telecommunications, On Hold Advertising, Simply Headsets and Preneur Group to name a few). He’s also an avid outdoor adventurer. He completed this year’s Ironman Western Australia in less than 12 hours.
His readers and followers, who are primarily entrepreneurs, internet marketers, and marketers in general, are all accustomed to checking out the notes of this award winning entrepreneur makes as he reads at https://kindle.amazon.com/profile/Peter-Williams/1154035.
They are also regular visitors to Peter’s weekly podcast show, PreneurCast, where his business books for beginners episode was one of the most listened to from all of 2011.
FACTFILE:
As an entrepreneur, internet marketer, speaker and author, Pete Williams is a 21-year-old Melbourne native who has sold Australia’s version of the Yankee Stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, for under $500. He went on to write a number of books (How to Turn Your Million-Dollar Idea Into a Reality, Media Strategies for Internet Marketers, The Ultimate Press Release Swipe File and It’s Not About the Product) and create a bunch of companies (Infiniti Telecommunications, On Hold Advertising, Simply Headsets and Preneur Group to name a few). He’s also an avid outdoor adventurer. He completed this year’s Ironman Western Australia in less than 12 hours.
Saturday 7 January 2012
"Bermuda Contrails" a novel by Alan Edmund Smith
This novel is set mostly in a background of Bermuda and the English Cotswolds during WW2. The real world and the fictional interact against a backdrop of genuine events, summarised at the start of most chapters.
Today, condensation trails made by high flying aircraft passing over Bermuda are a common sight, but Bermudians hadn't expected to see them over their Islands in 1940. Neither had Pamela Croft a young woman from Burford, England, who had just arrived in Bermuda on RMS Mataroa as a member of a British Censorship contingent of one hundred or so, from England. She saw her first contrail over Bermuda on her way to her temporary hotel, the Inverurie, just after she left the ship. She was on a horse and buggy and the sight sent shivers down her spine.
Bermudians felt sure that the contrails were the writing on the wall; Germany must be planning to invade Bermuda! Rumours began circulating that submarines had been seen off the South Shore. With no land aerodrome on Bermuda they knew these aircraft must be coming from overseas.
However the US, some 650 miles away, denied any knowledge of them. So did the British Government. The Royal Air Force were unable to determine which country these aircraft came from and did little to reassure Bermudians, although they tried hard.
Pam Croft quickly falls under Bermuda's spell and settles down there easily, in spite of the contrails, and stayed there as a Censorette for several years. During that time she developed a social life, mostly good but there were also some traumatic and complicated times, which she would never forget. She keeps up-to-date with Burford news by letters from her mother regularly.
There is not much good news, most of it is bad, some extremely bad which leads to an abrupt and dramatic end to her time in Bermuda. But this doesn't spoil her feelings for Bermuda, far from it; she returns there and eventually settles there, with a Bermudian husband and is present when a visitor provides the amazing truth about the wartime contrails.
Alan Smith first became interested in the wartime events in Bermuda following a visit to the Bermuda Maritime Museum in 1996, where he spotted some wartime photographs of flying boats moored off Darrell's Island, Bermuda. On the way back to Hamilton, the ferry passed Darrell's Island and it was the site of the now disused concrete ramps which were used to get the flying boats in and out of the water, which inspired him to try and find out more. His research has led to 3 novels, The Bermuda Affair, published in 2001; A sequel, the Bermuda Saga, in 2007, and now Bermuda Contrails.
Bermuda Contrails is published by Authors Online and can be purchased at www.authorsonline.co.uk as well as leading booksellers. An extract from Bermuda Contrails is available to read at www.authorsonline.co.uk
ISBN 9780755213900RRP: (paperback) £9.95, 370 pages : £3.95 (ebook)
Today, condensation trails made by high flying aircraft passing over Bermuda are a common sight, but Bermudians hadn't expected to see them over their Islands in 1940. Neither had Pamela Croft a young woman from Burford, England, who had just arrived in Bermuda on RMS Mataroa as a member of a British Censorship contingent of one hundred or so, from England. She saw her first contrail over Bermuda on her way to her temporary hotel, the Inverurie, just after she left the ship. She was on a horse and buggy and the sight sent shivers down her spine.
Bermudians felt sure that the contrails were the writing on the wall; Germany must be planning to invade Bermuda! Rumours began circulating that submarines had been seen off the South Shore. With no land aerodrome on Bermuda they knew these aircraft must be coming from overseas.
However the US, some 650 miles away, denied any knowledge of them. So did the British Government. The Royal Air Force were unable to determine which country these aircraft came from and did little to reassure Bermudians, although they tried hard.
Pam Croft quickly falls under Bermuda's spell and settles down there easily, in spite of the contrails, and stayed there as a Censorette for several years. During that time she developed a social life, mostly good but there were also some traumatic and complicated times, which she would never forget. She keeps up-to-date with Burford news by letters from her mother regularly.
There is not much good news, most of it is bad, some extremely bad which leads to an abrupt and dramatic end to her time in Bermuda. But this doesn't spoil her feelings for Bermuda, far from it; she returns there and eventually settles there, with a Bermudian husband and is present when a visitor provides the amazing truth about the wartime contrails.
Alan Smith first became interested in the wartime events in Bermuda following a visit to the Bermuda Maritime Museum in 1996, where he spotted some wartime photographs of flying boats moored off Darrell's Island, Bermuda. On the way back to Hamilton, the ferry passed Darrell's Island and it was the site of the now disused concrete ramps which were used to get the flying boats in and out of the water, which inspired him to try and find out more. His research has led to 3 novels, The Bermuda Affair, published in 2001; A sequel, the Bermuda Saga, in 2007, and now Bermuda Contrails.
Bermuda Contrails is published by Authors Online and can be purchased at www.authorsonline.co.uk as well as leading booksellers. An extract from Bermuda Contrails is available to read at www.authorsonline.co.uk
ISBN 9780755213900RRP: (paperback) £9.95, 370 pages : £3.95 (ebook)
Thursday 5 January 2012
Children's Author Julia Suzuki Creates National Dance Competition
Julia Suzuki, the children's author who has been described as 'the next JK Rowling' (Daily Mail) has created a national dance competition based on her books about the mythical Land of Dragor.
The competition, currently at regional heat stage, is open to dancers of all ages (male and female) and contestants are judged on their interpretation of a piece of music and the themes of Julia's book 'Yoshiko and the Gift of Charms'.
At each of the ten regional heats, ten dancers will qualify for the Grand Final (held in May 2012) and a winner in each age category at regional stage will take home a sash, trophy and goodie bag.
The overall winner will receive a holiday for four people at one of SPICE resorts' five star European destinations, a Dragor outfit (custom made by Dancehouse) and be crowned Dragor Dream Dancer 2012.
In addition, every dancer competing will receive a gemstone from Julia herself.
For more information, details of heats and rules visit www.facebook.com/DragorDreamDancer
The competition, currently at regional heat stage, is open to dancers of all ages (male and female) and contestants are judged on their interpretation of a piece of music and the themes of Julia's book 'Yoshiko and the Gift of Charms'.
At each of the ten regional heats, ten dancers will qualify for the Grand Final (held in May 2012) and a winner in each age category at regional stage will take home a sash, trophy and goodie bag.
The overall winner will receive a holiday for four people at one of SPICE resorts' five star European destinations, a Dragor outfit (custom made by Dancehouse) and be crowned Dragor Dream Dancer 2012.
In addition, every dancer competing will receive a gemstone from Julia herself.
For more information, details of heats and rules visit www.facebook.com/DragorDreamDancer
Sunday 1 January 2012
2012 – A Year of Turmoil? In His New Book, Astrologer Jonathan Cainer, Says it's All in the Stars
In a new book, out on January the 5th, leading astrologer Jonathan Cainer takes a detailed look at every supposed threat to the future – and predicts what is actually in store for 2012.
2012 is billed as the year that the world will end or at the very least fall apart.
Fuelled by internet conspiracy theories and the real threat of economic meltdown, doomsayers are having a field day.
Jonathan reveals how a rare solar maximum – the Sun firing off flares - threatens electrical supplies and communication systems.
Meanwhile, as a result of a rare planetary alignment there is a risk of:
* dramatic weather changes and increased “seismic activity” with earthquakes, tornadoes, drought.
* An even more dramatic time economically – with the financial system having to “adapt and evolve at a rate much faster than many people feel comfortable with.”
*increased natural disasters over the next two years.
*And unexpected outcomes to the elections in France, Russia and the USA
But perhaps the most worrying fact is that in in 2012 a solar maximum is overdue. This rare occurrence – which happens every 11 years - is when the Sun ejects flares (gigantic blasts of light, gas and radiation) which threatens to destroy the communications system and shut off Earth’s electricity.
Even Jonathan admits: "We may have surprising power outages and communication problems with disruption to international travel.”
In his book, he also examines the theory that Eart are under threat from - Planet X, Nibiru or a Brown Dwarf star – an invisible giant cosmic force about to exert humongous gravitational pull on the planet.
But even though, the ancient South American Mayan calendar, predicts the end of the world on December the 21st, Jonathan says: “In my own astrological judgement, 2012 is going to be a surprisingly good year.”
Jonathan, 54, has studied astrology for over thirty years and has been famous in the UK since 1985. He has successfully predicted the outcome of countless sporting events, elections and trials... and is now respected by an international readership of millions for his accuracy and insight. His summary of 2012 is that, though it remains a worrying time, there are ways it can be made OK and, as long as the challenges everyone faces are handled correctly, it can yet be a surprisingly good year.
“Ultimately, it is all going to be okay,” he says.
But how many are really in for a good year? Alongside questions about his new book ‘The 2012 Survival Guide’ Jonathan can also tell your audience about their own zodiac signs will fare in the coming year. You can ask him;
Is it true that anyone born under Aries can expect to get what they’ve been wanting for years now?
Are Taureans really due to become wealthier than they’ve ever been before?
Will Geminis really find their love lives become totally delightful?
What is it that Cancerians need to be finally free from and is that actually going to happen?
If Leos are going to become so popular and sought after in 2012, will this mean their lives change beyond recognition?
Why is there so much hard work for Virgos to do this year... and will it bring them the success they crave?
How can Librans expect to keep their daily lives normal when so much is changing in their world?
What is the great secret that Scorpios will have to keep... and what is the amazing discovery they are going to make?
Who is the mystery person that will transform the life of each Sagittarians and how will that relationship affect their future?
When can Capricorns stop making quite so many sacrifices and will there ever be a reward for all they’ve been putting up with?
Have Aquarians got to keep putting so much at risk this year? And will their great emotional gamble pay off?
What will happen to Pisceans to help them feel as if they are finally in the right place, for the right reason?
2012 is billed as the year that the world will end or at the very least fall apart.
Fuelled by internet conspiracy theories and the real threat of economic meltdown, doomsayers are having a field day.
Jonathan reveals how a rare solar maximum – the Sun firing off flares - threatens electrical supplies and communication systems.
Meanwhile, as a result of a rare planetary alignment there is a risk of:
* dramatic weather changes and increased “seismic activity” with earthquakes, tornadoes, drought.
* An even more dramatic time economically – with the financial system having to “adapt and evolve at a rate much faster than many people feel comfortable with.”
*increased natural disasters over the next two years.
*And unexpected outcomes to the elections in France, Russia and the USA
But perhaps the most worrying fact is that in in 2012 a solar maximum is overdue. This rare occurrence – which happens every 11 years - is when the Sun ejects flares (gigantic blasts of light, gas and radiation) which threatens to destroy the communications system and shut off Earth’s electricity.
Even Jonathan admits: "We may have surprising power outages and communication problems with disruption to international travel.”
In his book, he also examines the theory that Eart are under threat from - Planet X, Nibiru or a Brown Dwarf star – an invisible giant cosmic force about to exert humongous gravitational pull on the planet.
But even though, the ancient South American Mayan calendar, predicts the end of the world on December the 21st, Jonathan says: “In my own astrological judgement, 2012 is going to be a surprisingly good year.”
Jonathan, 54, has studied astrology for over thirty years and has been famous in the UK since 1985. He has successfully predicted the outcome of countless sporting events, elections and trials... and is now respected by an international readership of millions for his accuracy and insight. His summary of 2012 is that, though it remains a worrying time, there are ways it can be made OK and, as long as the challenges everyone faces are handled correctly, it can yet be a surprisingly good year.
“Ultimately, it is all going to be okay,” he says.
But how many are really in for a good year? Alongside questions about his new book ‘The 2012 Survival Guide’ Jonathan can also tell your audience about their own zodiac signs will fare in the coming year. You can ask him;
Is it true that anyone born under Aries can expect to get what they’ve been wanting for years now?
Are Taureans really due to become wealthier than they’ve ever been before?
Will Geminis really find their love lives become totally delightful?
What is it that Cancerians need to be finally free from and is that actually going to happen?
If Leos are going to become so popular and sought after in 2012, will this mean their lives change beyond recognition?
Why is there so much hard work for Virgos to do this year... and will it bring them the success they crave?
How can Librans expect to keep their daily lives normal when so much is changing in their world?
What is the great secret that Scorpios will have to keep... and what is the amazing discovery they are going to make?
Who is the mystery person that will transform the life of each Sagittarians and how will that relationship affect their future?
When can Capricorns stop making quite so many sacrifices and will there ever be a reward for all they’ve been putting up with?
Have Aquarians got to keep putting so much at risk this year? And will their great emotional gamble pay off?
What will happen to Pisceans to help them feel as if they are finally in the right place, for the right reason?
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