by Anne Owen and Peter Valentine
Reading 'We Live Forever' is said to be like watching the trees grow green in springtime. It lifts the spirit, and it lifts our awareness of the world beyond the senses.
'We Live Forever - The story of the Woman with X-Ray Eyes' is the fast-moving story of a highly gifted remote viewer Anne Owen who has been the subject of a great many press articles. Anne's remarkable X-Ray vision and extra-sensory experiences have had a remarkable impact on her life. At the age of twelve her remote viewing allowed her to avert a serious accident to the car in which she is travelling with her father.
This remarkable tale also describes Anne's development in aura seeing and the book includes instructions for everyone on how to achieve this for themselves. The story leads on to Anne's UFO experiences and she describes her involvement with a UFO crash, a Man in Black, and a young UFO abductee.
Next her interest in reincarnation develops, followed by a dramatic telepathic first meeting with her husband-to-be. Finding him to be her match in many areas of remote viewing, her husband Peter recounts his own development finally achieving his goal of finding documented proof of a former lifetime of his. Together they describe case-histories of people's former lives, showing the influence these can have upon us all.
Anne's exceptional ability to communicate with the discarnate is illustrated through case histories. A detailed analysis follows of how her astonishing X-Ray vision functions inside people's bodies with descriptions of the healing of many ailments including an African skin disease the cure for which was unknown to medical science.
Her clients have ranged from princesses and Heads of State to Ronnie Kray of Gangland fame. Finding herself at one of these parties which involved the plotting of a military coup to overthrow a Far-Eastern government, Anne warned the people involved saying if you go through with this there will be blood on your doorstep. Her advice was ignored and some weeks later television coverage showed images on the screen of the same man lying assassinated on the pathway in front of his house.
This amazing story goes on to cover some fascinating case-histories of crimes solved by this means, and the rescuing of three men trapped four decks down underwater in a sunken ferry (the "Herald of Free Enterprise") by remote viewing which was reported in the national press.
Anne relates stories of her involvement with some of her extremely wealthy high-flying clients, explaining how people can discover some of their own former lives; ending with a literally out-of-this-world perspective on the foundation of Western religion as some see it.
An extract from We Live Forever - The Story of the Woman with X-Ray Eyes by Anne Owen and Peter Valentine is available to read at www.authorsonline.co.uk
Imprint:Bright Pen
Published:Apr 11th 2011
ISBN (Paperback editions):0755213327
ISBN-13 (Paperback editions):9780755213320
Available to buy in paperback (£7.99) from www.authorsonline.co.uk; www.Amazon.co.uk and www.Amazon.com
Book review blog site, with some entertainment material from time-to-time.
Monday 27 June 2011
Would You Like To See Your Name In A Best Selling Novel?
Would you like to see your name in a best selling novel? Are you looking for an original gift? Then keep on reading!.....
Children's Hospice South West's Friends on the Roseland are holding a unique auction giving you the chance to name a character in one of Amanda Brookfield's books! The popular author will write the winner's selected name into a forthcoming piece of fiction in return for a contribution to CHSW's appeal to build a children's hospice in Cornwall.
Sallie Eden, member of Children's Hospice South West's Friends on the Roseland fundraising group, explains:
"We are so thrilled that Amanda Brookfield has so generously agreed to help our fundraising efforts. Here's how it works; the person making the highest bid will get to name a character in one of Amanda's forthcoming books. The money from the winning bid will go directly to Children's Hospice South West's Precious Lives Appeal, so whether you want to see your own name in print or want to buy it as a gift, why not make a bid?"
Children's Hospice South West is the only organisation in the region providing specialist hospice care for families with life-limited children. The charity's homely hospices - Little Bridge House in North Devon, Charlton Farm in North Somerset, and eventually Little Harbour in Cornwall - offer families the rare opportunity for a break in a comforting and fun environment. The specially trained care team support the whole family during the life of the child, throughout bereavement, and beyond - for as long as they need it.
Author, Amanda Brookfield, whose works include 'Alice Alone', 'Life Begins', and 'Before I knew you', says:
"I can't think of a charity I would rather support. I am lucky enough to have two healthy strapping sons of my own, but fifteen years ago my five year old niece, Lucy, died after complications following an operation on her heart. The shock of that loss is with all my family still. She was the dearest, bravest little girl and not a day goes by when we do not treasure her memory."
To take part in this special auction, please e-mail your bid and contact details to Sallie Eden at forchsw@yahoo.co.uk before the closing date of Friday 1st July. Bidding starts at £100. The highest bidder can choose to have a character named after them, a friend, or a loved one (terms and conditions apply). For further details please contact Sallie on 07777678621.
To find out more about Children's Hospice South West, the progress of the Precious Lives Appeal to build Little Harbour, and the many different ways in which you can help, please visit www.chsw.org.uk or phone 01872 261166.
Children's Hospice South West's Friends on the Roseland are holding a unique auction giving you the chance to name a character in one of Amanda Brookfield's books! The popular author will write the winner's selected name into a forthcoming piece of fiction in return for a contribution to CHSW's appeal to build a children's hospice in Cornwall.
Sallie Eden, member of Children's Hospice South West's Friends on the Roseland fundraising group, explains:
"We are so thrilled that Amanda Brookfield has so generously agreed to help our fundraising efforts. Here's how it works; the person making the highest bid will get to name a character in one of Amanda's forthcoming books. The money from the winning bid will go directly to Children's Hospice South West's Precious Lives Appeal, so whether you want to see your own name in print or want to buy it as a gift, why not make a bid?"
Children's Hospice South West is the only organisation in the region providing specialist hospice care for families with life-limited children. The charity's homely hospices - Little Bridge House in North Devon, Charlton Farm in North Somerset, and eventually Little Harbour in Cornwall - offer families the rare opportunity for a break in a comforting and fun environment. The specially trained care team support the whole family during the life of the child, throughout bereavement, and beyond - for as long as they need it.
Author, Amanda Brookfield, whose works include 'Alice Alone', 'Life Begins', and 'Before I knew you', says:
"I can't think of a charity I would rather support. I am lucky enough to have two healthy strapping sons of my own, but fifteen years ago my five year old niece, Lucy, died after complications following an operation on her heart. The shock of that loss is with all my family still. She was the dearest, bravest little girl and not a day goes by when we do not treasure her memory."
To take part in this special auction, please e-mail your bid and contact details to Sallie Eden at forchsw@yahoo.co.uk before the closing date of Friday 1st July. Bidding starts at £100. The highest bidder can choose to have a character named after them, a friend, or a loved one (terms and conditions apply). For further details please contact Sallie on 07777678621.
To find out more about Children's Hospice South West, the progress of the Precious Lives Appeal to build Little Harbour, and the many different ways in which you can help, please visit www.chsw.org.uk or phone 01872 261166.
Watergate Exposed
How the President of the United States & the Watergate burglars were set up - as told to Douglas Caddy, original attorney for the Watergate Seven. Disclosing new factual material about the Watergate incident, this provocative exposé of the famed break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972 reveals that the burglars were set up and explains how our historical consciousness has been altered to obscure the truth.
FACTFILE:
Written by a confidential informant, this never-before-told story rewrites the accepted truth of the scandal that rocked the political world and the entire nation while taking readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of a major criminal investigation.
Drilling to the core of the political nightmare, shocking acts of manipulation and deceit are uncovered as new light is shed on the players and puppet masters behind the event that led to the only presidential resignation in U.S. History.
FACTFILE:
Robert Merritt is a confidential informant for the New York Police Department's Intelligence Division. He has also worked for the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, the ATF, the Manhattan District Attorney, and the U.S. Attorney for New York City. He lives in New York City.
Douglas Caddy, LLD, is an attorney, the cofounder of Young Americans for Freedom, and served as the criminal lawyer for the burglars in the Watergate break-in.
193629611X (9781936296118) £16.99 Trine Day
www.gazellebooks.co.uk
193629611X (9781936296118) £16.99 Trine Day
www.gazellebooks.co.uk
Boy Behind The Gate: How His Dream Of Sailing Around The World Became A Six-Year Odyssey Of Adventure, Fear, Discovery & Love
Follow the global sailing adventures of 'Julia' and her crew as they discover the world and themselves. With his first mate and crew, amateur sailor Larry Jacobson embarked on a lifelong goal to circumnavigate the globe.
The namesake boy behind the gate is a passionate romantic who, since childhood, yearned to discover what's out there... How do some people overcome fears and insecurities to manifest their dreams?
What are the characteristics that allow them to completely transform their lives from one of stability to one of uncertainty and adventure?
Don't we all entertain ideas of reinventing ourselves, of having a chance to do it differently and by our own rules? Willing to risk all, Jacobson spent six years sailing into the unknown where the unrelenting oceans served as a teacher of seamanship, personal strength, and perseverance. In "The Boy Behind the Gate" the author reveals those crucial steps that will motivate you to make your dreams come true. We are each given one great opportunity at life. What are you going to do with yours?
A native of California native, Larry Jacobson grew up on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean sailing, kayaking, swimming, and scuba diving. He is also a noted expert in the corporate marketing world, he was president of one of the premier incentive travel companies.
A native of California native, Larry Jacobson grew up on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean sailing, kayaking, swimming, and scuba diving. He is also a noted expert in the corporate marketing world, he was president of one of the premier incentive travel companies.
An avid sailor, he has over 50,000 blue water miles to his name. Larry is a motivational speaker and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He also welcomes feedback and new friends.
0982878796 (9780982878798) £23.50 Buoy Press
www.gazellebooks.co.uk
0982878796 (9780982878798) £23.50 Buoy Press
www.gazellebooks.co.uk
Haynes Manuals Hit the Information Super Highway
The Revered DIY Automotive and Motorcycle Repair Books Will Be Enhanced on the Web.
Haynes Publishing, the worldwide leader in the supply of repair and maintenance information for DIY mechanics, announced recently that it is making significant steps into the electronic arena. The company has begun demonstrating an electronic version of the iconic Haynes Manual to its major retail accounts in the United States , a first for the traditional print publishing company.
Representing a major shift for the publishing company, Haynes’ Online Manuals will have the ability to reach a larger customer base. This is good news for the aspiring DIYer on a budget who would rather maintain and repair his or her own vehicle versus paying for a mechanic.
Haynes Publishing, the worldwide leader in the supply of repair and maintenance information for DIY mechanics, announced recently that it is making significant steps into the electronic arena. The company has begun demonstrating an electronic version of the iconic Haynes Manual to its major retail accounts in the United States , a first for the traditional print publishing company.
Representing a major shift for the publishing company, Haynes’ Online Manuals will have the ability to reach a larger customer base. This is good news for the aspiring DIYer on a budget who would rather maintain and repair his or her own vehicle versus paying for a mechanic.
“We have been closely watching developments regarding potential electronic delivery of our information for quite a long time. In fact we demonstrated a CD based product in Las Vegas over a decade ago,” said J Haynes, Chairman of the Haynes Publishing Group. “Since the acquisition of Vivid Holding BV three years ago, we have been experimenting with various initiatives where their expertise with electronic technology can be applied to Haynes products. We now believe we have something that is so exciting that we are ready to make it available online. We believe that Haynes MOL (Manuals Online) can become as successful as the traditional Haynes Manual, which has sold over 150 million copies around the world.”
The company plans to demonstrate and test the product in the U.S. market before refining it for introduction across the globe. The intention is that customers will be able to click through from websites operated by Haynes’ auto parts store retail accounts and order a subscription to the electronic product. The company believes they have been able to add much value to the electronic version of the famous DIY product.
Haynes intends to make this product available through its traditional auto parts store retail account base as well as through its own website.
The company plans to demonstrate and test the product in the U.S. market before refining it for introduction across the globe. The intention is that customers will be able to click through from websites operated by Haynes’ auto parts store retail accounts and order a subscription to the electronic product. The company believes they have been able to add much value to the electronic version of the famous DIY product.
Haynes intends to make this product available through its traditional auto parts store retail account base as well as through its own website.
“With this new product we have been able to incorporate a great deal of material that it is not possible to provide in a printed product. The electronic product includes all of the information in the print version but also includes audio and video clips demonstrating various DIY procedures,” said Eric Oakley, Haynes Group CEO.
“The Brake Pad video and the Rust Repair video, for example, really do an excellent job in getting across to our end-user customers how straightforward these tasks really are. The nature of the web has also encouraged us to incorporate color pictures and color wiring diagrams as well as hyperlinks, definitions and a keyword search function. This product enables us to provide a lot more help to our customers.”
This move illustrates the benefits that are increasingly flowing from the acquisition of Vivid Holding BV three years ago. Vivid, who provide technical data to professional mechanics throughout Europe , have never produced a product in a printed form. As a result, they bring an extra dimension to the Haynes Group. “The cooperation that we have seen between the Haynes Editorial Team and our Vivid Technicians has been excellent and together they have produced a very exciting product which can mark the beginning of a new era in the Haynes story,” said Alex Kwarts MD of Vivid Holding.
Once the initial prototype demonstrations are complete, Haynes intends to convert the top 50 selling manuals to the electronic format and will make them available for sale by subscription in the U.S. by autumn 2011. They will then add further coverage as the conversion process continues. The traditional printed product line will continue to be marketed aggressively with an ongoing programme of updates and new titles.
Just Help Yourself, The Common Sense Way
What do Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison and Colonel Sanders all have in common?
In his new book, Just Help Yourself, Tom Lucas, a celebrity sports psychologist and motivational speaker who has helped change the lives of many top sporting professionals and business leaders, highlights the fact that these world famous icons never gave up on achieving their dreams despite facing numerous set-backs and challenges.
"Albert Einstein", says Tom, "did not speak until the age of four, did not read until he was seven, and was described by one of his teachers as 'mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams'. Not only that, but he was expelled from one college and refused entry to another!"
"Thomas Edison made 10,000 attempts before successfully developing the electric light and when asked what is was like to fail so many times he replied, 'I did not fail, I simply discovered thousands of ways that wouldn't produce light'".
"Similarly, Colonel Sanders visited nearly 500 restaurants in an attempt to sell his Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe, and was aged 65 when he finally succeeded".
Tom is a firm believer that whatever talents, skills or interests a person has, they owe it to themselves to use them to the fullest, continually working on them to enable them to flourish.
Every day Tom encounters people who haven't managed to find a way to bring their fullest potential to the fore. Offering an alternative approach to dealing with life's stressful times, Tom uses a technique called Common Sense Psychology (CSP) which focuses on understanding that the real solutions to problems lie within us, not in external sources, and, with a little common sense, can be uncovered.
Using tips that Tom has finely tuned during his career working with top sporting professionals and business owners, Just Help Yourself is full of practical advice to help you take those initial steps to recognising that you, and only you, have the power to change the situation that you find yourself in.
With a foreword from the former England Captain Terry Butcher, Tom's book is packed full of common sense advice for building confidence, belief and self-esteem, eating nutritionally balanced foods, and the importance of taking time out.
Tom makes it crystal clear that it's not the destination, but the journey that is the key to success. Einstein, Edison and Colonel Sanders could have given up after each of their set backs but they carried on, confidently and with determined self-belief. What would our world today be like if they hadn't?
And their story could be your story; what would the world miss out on if you don't make the effort to achieve your fullest potential within your lifetime?
To discover Tom's common sense guide to dealing with life's ups and downs and achieving the life of your dreams, pick up a copy of Just Help Yourself from www.thehothive.com,
In his new book, Just Help Yourself, Tom Lucas, a celebrity sports psychologist and motivational speaker who has helped change the lives of many top sporting professionals and business leaders, highlights the fact that these world famous icons never gave up on achieving their dreams despite facing numerous set-backs and challenges.
"Albert Einstein", says Tom, "did not speak until the age of four, did not read until he was seven, and was described by one of his teachers as 'mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams'. Not only that, but he was expelled from one college and refused entry to another!"
"Thomas Edison made 10,000 attempts before successfully developing the electric light and when asked what is was like to fail so many times he replied, 'I did not fail, I simply discovered thousands of ways that wouldn't produce light'".
"Similarly, Colonel Sanders visited nearly 500 restaurants in an attempt to sell his Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe, and was aged 65 when he finally succeeded".
Tom is a firm believer that whatever talents, skills or interests a person has, they owe it to themselves to use them to the fullest, continually working on them to enable them to flourish.
Every day Tom encounters people who haven't managed to find a way to bring their fullest potential to the fore. Offering an alternative approach to dealing with life's stressful times, Tom uses a technique called Common Sense Psychology (CSP) which focuses on understanding that the real solutions to problems lie within us, not in external sources, and, with a little common sense, can be uncovered.
Using tips that Tom has finely tuned during his career working with top sporting professionals and business owners, Just Help Yourself is full of practical advice to help you take those initial steps to recognising that you, and only you, have the power to change the situation that you find yourself in.
With a foreword from the former England Captain Terry Butcher, Tom's book is packed full of common sense advice for building confidence, belief and self-esteem, eating nutritionally balanced foods, and the importance of taking time out.
Tom makes it crystal clear that it's not the destination, but the journey that is the key to success. Einstein, Edison and Colonel Sanders could have given up after each of their set backs but they carried on, confidently and with determined self-belief. What would our world today be like if they hadn't?
And their story could be your story; what would the world miss out on if you don't make the effort to achieve your fullest potential within your lifetime?
To discover Tom's common sense guide to dealing with life's ups and downs and achieving the life of your dreams, pick up a copy of Just Help Yourself from www.thehothive.com,
Amazon and all good bookstores. Published by the HotHive priced £8.99. Tom runs Head to Head Sports & Business Consultancy - www.headtohead.org.uk
Saturday 25 June 2011
Britons Take to Books on National Reading Group Day
Reading groups celebrate first annual event today, Saturday 25th June.
Avid readers around the country will be flocking to their local independent bookshops for discussion groups, author events and lunches, to celebrate National Reading Group Day, (NRGD), today, Saturday 25th June.
The day is part of Independent Booksellers Week (IBW) and demonstrates what the ‘indies’ do best - creating and supporting their local community. Reading groups have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, encouraged by local independent bookshops who host, and in many cases run, local reading groups. Many are well-established, while others are being launched on NRGD itself.
As well as author-led talks and discussion groups, activities include competitions and even a world record attempt.
A visit by Dawn French to a reading group is being offered as first prize in a major national competition, launched tomorrow, Saturday. The competition is open to all reading groups in the UK who are invited to enter by explaining, in 30 words or less, why Dawn should come to their reading group. The competition celebrates the paperback publication this month of Dawn’s No.1 bestseller, A Tiny Bit Marvellous. More information is available at www.readinggroups.org/dawnfrench.
More unusual initiatives include the launch of a world record attempt for the largest ever reading group. The attempt by The Big Green Bookshop, Wood Green, London, takes place on 30th July and will be made by joining people nationwide using social networking sites, a website forum, Skype and video links. An online discussion will take place from 4pm–8pm, with a central forum set up for people to share their views.
In addition, a new series of The TV Book Club Summer Read starts this weekend on More4, giving reading groups the opportunity to read along with the series. The programme is offering the chance for a reading group to watch filming on 19th July – more information is available at www.readinggroups.org/tvbookclub
FACTFILE:
• National Reading Group Day is part of Independent Booksellers Week, an annual celebration of the ‘the indies’ around the country, run by The Booksellers Association.
• The Booksellers Association is working in partnership with The Reading Agency’s Reading Groups for Everyone initiative, a central database and resource on reading groups.
Avid readers around the country will be flocking to their local independent bookshops for discussion groups, author events and lunches, to celebrate National Reading Group Day, (NRGD), today, Saturday 25th June.
The day is part of Independent Booksellers Week (IBW) and demonstrates what the ‘indies’ do best - creating and supporting their local community. Reading groups have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, encouraged by local independent bookshops who host, and in many cases run, local reading groups. Many are well-established, while others are being launched on NRGD itself.
As well as author-led talks and discussion groups, activities include competitions and even a world record attempt.
A visit by Dawn French to a reading group is being offered as first prize in a major national competition, launched tomorrow, Saturday. The competition is open to all reading groups in the UK who are invited to enter by explaining, in 30 words or less, why Dawn should come to their reading group. The competition celebrates the paperback publication this month of Dawn’s No.1 bestseller, A Tiny Bit Marvellous. More information is available at www.readinggroups.org/dawnfrench.
More unusual initiatives include the launch of a world record attempt for the largest ever reading group. The attempt by The Big Green Bookshop, Wood Green, London, takes place on 30th July and will be made by joining people nationwide using social networking sites, a website forum, Skype and video links. An online discussion will take place from 4pm–8pm, with a central forum set up for people to share their views.
In addition, a new series of The TV Book Club Summer Read starts this weekend on More4, giving reading groups the opportunity to read along with the series. The programme is offering the chance for a reading group to watch filming on 19th July – more information is available at www.readinggroups.org/tvbookclub
FACTFILE:
• National Reading Group Day is part of Independent Booksellers Week, an annual celebration of the ‘the indies’ around the country, run by The Booksellers Association.
• The Booksellers Association is working in partnership with The Reading Agency’s Reading Groups for Everyone initiative, a central database and resource on reading groups.
Be That Writer: Overheard in a bookshop “Did Beatrix Potter ever w...
Be That Writer: Overheard in a bookshop “Did Beatrix Potter ever w...: "Every bookseller has stories about some of the weird and wonderful comments they have overheard in their bookshop whilst on the shop floor, ..."
Be That Writer: Welcome to Be That Writer
Be That Writer: Welcome to Be That Writer: "Welcome to Be That Writer. Be That Writer is a free online course for people who want to be writers. You could well have read books on w..."
Friday 24 June 2011
Self-Published “Business Cook Book” to be Stocked at Waterstones
Self-published book ‘Business Cookery: Tried and tested recipes for business success’ is to be stocked at Waterstones.
Hot on the heels of best-selling Kindle authors John Locke, Louise Voss and Mark Edwards two UK authors are using their business experience to self-publish and promote their own paperback and e-book.
The quirky novel/business book hybrid is selling well on Amazon (both in paperback and on Kindle) and now Waterstones have agreed to stock the title in their high street stores. It’s also available online from Blackwells, WHSmith and Foyles.
Entrepreneurs Hannah McNamara and Patrick White decided to go down the route of self-publishing, even though McNamara had worked with a publisher on her first book, ‘Niche Marketing for Coaches’.
McNamara says, “Many authors don’t realise the amount of marketing publishers expect you to do for your own book. They assume that their job is just to write a good book and the publishers will take care of making it sell.
Hot on the heels of best-selling Kindle authors John Locke, Louise Voss and Mark Edwards two UK authors are using their business experience to self-publish and promote their own paperback and e-book.
The quirky novel/business book hybrid is selling well on Amazon (both in paperback and on Kindle) and now Waterstones have agreed to stock the title in their high street stores. It’s also available online from Blackwells, WHSmith and Foyles.
Entrepreneurs Hannah McNamara and Patrick White decided to go down the route of self-publishing, even though McNamara had worked with a publisher on her first book, ‘Niche Marketing for Coaches’.
McNamara says, “Many authors don’t realise the amount of marketing publishers expect you to do for your own book. They assume that their job is just to write a good book and the publishers will take care of making it sell.
“My experience first time around taught me that there were so many aspects of publishing a book we could easily handle ourselves and be in complete control of. Most self-published authors focus on e-books but it was important for us to be published in print as well and be stocked in book stores. As business people we’re always focused on the profit margin, so doing it ourselves means that we could make publishing a book very profitable. It’s also been a lot of fun!”
This emphasis on making a profit is very apt given the topic of their book. Business Cookery uses cookery analogies to teach business principles and it’s already receiving acclaim from entrepreneurs and foodies alike.
‘Secret Millionaire’ property investor Caroline Marsh says, “I heartily endorse Business Cookery, Clear, easy-to-read. I like the stories that guide you through the fundamentals on how to start, run and manage a successful business. Follow the recipe and make a great pie!”
Sejal Sukhadwala of LoveFood.com describes the book as “a modern classic, this unique tome gives business and personal development advice via cookery-themed storytelling, recipes and food analogies.”
For a limited time, the authors are making the first 2 chapters available free from www.businesscookerybook.com.
This emphasis on making a profit is very apt given the topic of their book. Business Cookery uses cookery analogies to teach business principles and it’s already receiving acclaim from entrepreneurs and foodies alike.
‘Secret Millionaire’ property investor Caroline Marsh says, “I heartily endorse Business Cookery, Clear, easy-to-read. I like the stories that guide you through the fundamentals on how to start, run and manage a successful business. Follow the recipe and make a great pie!”
Sejal Sukhadwala of LoveFood.com describes the book as “a modern classic, this unique tome gives business and personal development advice via cookery-themed storytelling, recipes and food analogies.”
For a limited time, the authors are making the first 2 chapters available free from www.businesscookerybook.com.
Wednesday 22 June 2011
Represent yourself in court . New books tells you how
The cuts in legal aid announced by the Government in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill will force more and more people to represent themselves, often reluctantly, in complex, serious and potentially life-changing court proceedings, says the author of new book on the subject. Those now falling outside the legal aid scheme could include someone accused of domestic violence in the midst of a family dispute, perhaps over contact with children, claims Lucy Reed.
Lucy Reed, a practising family law barrister and author of a recently published book aimed at helping litigants in person in family proceedings, claims: “The exclusion of many family cases from the scope of legal aid will force more people to have to represent themselves in court. This will include people trying to respond to serious allegations of physical violence or sexual abuse against a former partner or child, and where the decisions being taken could have a lifelong impact on their relationship with their children.”
Even more worryingly, Lucy adds that “A parent making an allegation of abuse will be able to obtain legal aid, but the parent on the receiving end will not, even though the allegations may not be true.
“This could lead to “inequality of arms” where one party is forced to fall back on doing it themselves while the other side in the dispute has access to the knowledge, resources and experience of a qualified legal representative.
The changes were announced in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill published yesterday.
Lucy Reed has written a book called: Family Courts without a Lawyer: A Handbook for Litigants in Person which is published by Bath Publishing. An associated website, www.nofamilylawyer.co.uk is now on line. The site contains working documents and resources referred to in the book
Lucy Reed, a practising family law barrister and author of a recently published book aimed at helping litigants in person in family proceedings, claims: “The exclusion of many family cases from the scope of legal aid will force more people to have to represent themselves in court. This will include people trying to respond to serious allegations of physical violence or sexual abuse against a former partner or child, and where the decisions being taken could have a lifelong impact on their relationship with their children.”
Even more worryingly, Lucy adds that “A parent making an allegation of abuse will be able to obtain legal aid, but the parent on the receiving end will not, even though the allegations may not be true.
“This could lead to “inequality of arms” where one party is forced to fall back on doing it themselves while the other side in the dispute has access to the knowledge, resources and experience of a qualified legal representative.
The changes were announced in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill published yesterday.
Lucy Reed has written a book called: Family Courts without a Lawyer: A Handbook for Litigants in Person which is published by Bath Publishing. An associated website, www.nofamilylawyer.co.uk is now on line. The site contains working documents and resources referred to in the book
FACTFILE:
- A litigant in person is the term used for those representing their case in court without the assistance of a qualified legal representative.
- The author, Lucy Reed, is a barrister at St John's Chambers in Bristol. She is also the author of the well known family law blog, www.pinktape.co.uk.
- Bath Publishing are legal publishers, in print and online, who have been providing information to family lawyers and others working in family justice since 2005. They founded, developed, managed and subsequently sold (in 2010) a leading online resource for the industry, www.familylawweek.co.uk
Details about the book:
Family Courts without a Lawyer: A Handbook for Litigants in Person
Price: £29.00
336 pages
Website: Readers also have access to updates, useful documents and other resources on the accompanying website, www.nofamilylawyer.co.uk
- A litigant in person is the term used for those representing their case in court without the assistance of a qualified legal representative.
- The author, Lucy Reed, is a barrister at St John's Chambers in Bristol. She is also the author of the well known family law blog, www.pinktape.co.uk.
- Bath Publishing are legal publishers, in print and online, who have been providing information to family lawyers and others working in family justice since 2005. They founded, developed, managed and subsequently sold (in 2010) a leading online resource for the industry, www.familylawweek.co.uk
Details about the book:
Family Courts without a Lawyer: A Handbook for Litigants in Person
Price: £29.00
336 pages
Website: Readers also have access to updates, useful documents and other resources on the accompanying website, www.nofamilylawyer.co.uk
Tuesday 21 June 2011
A long and healthy life? A new book might challenge what you know
We have been told that the key to longevity involves obsessing over what we eat, how much we stress, and how fast we run. Based on the most extensive study of longevity ever conducted, The Longevity Project exposes what really impacts our lifespan - including friends, family, personality and work.
This is the first time the general public has shown the findings of this incredible, decade-spanning study that began in the early 1920s
THE LONGEVITY PROJECT
Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight Decade Study
By Howard S. Friedman, PhD and Leslie R. Martin, PhD
Published by Hay House, 4th July 2011, £10.99 pb
Gathering new information and using modern statistics to study participants across eight decades, Dr Howard Friedman and Dr Leslie Martin bust myths about achieving health and long life. For example:
- People do not die from working long hours at a challenging job – many who worked the hardest lived the longest
- Getting and staying married is not the magic ticket to long life, especially if you're a woman
- It's not the happy-go-lucky ones who thrive – it's the prudent and persistent who flourish through the years.
With questionnaires that help you determine where you are heading on the longevity spectrum and advice about how to stay healthy, this book changes the conversation about living a long, healthy life.
Howard S. Friedman is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California in Riverside, California. For three decades, Professor Friedman has studied personality predictors of longevity, developing a scientific understanding of the 'disease-prone personality' and the 'self-healing personality.' Leslie R. Martin is Professor of Psychology at La Sierra University in California.
LONGEVITY MYTHS:
The Longevity Project proves that most of the truisms about health and longevity are inaccurate; and even when they are true, it’s not for the reasons we expect!
Here are just a few of the longevity myths busted in this book:
• ‘You’ll worry yourself sick’: In reality worriers live longer; a healthy dose of concern about the future makes people more likely to be diligent about their health, which translates into years.
• ‘Look on the bright side’ It turns out that overly-optimistic people tend to put themselves in harm’s way—they just don’t see risks as clearly as people who are prone to caution/pessimism.
• Do you resolve every year to exercise more? Vigorous exercise can be detrimental to longevity. If you’re not a gym bunny, don’t sweat it—partaking in physical activities that you enjoy like gardening or walking actually are more beneficial to your health than high-impact exercise.
• ‘You’ll work yourself to death’: Hard workers actually live longer, even those with stressful jobs; being engaged and motivated keeps you alive.
• Married people live longer: Those in happy marriages do often live longer, but those whose marriages end in divorce actually have shorter life spans.
• Early education ensures higher level of achievement: Many children who are pushed into schooling before they’re prepared actually do not excel academically. In fact, drop-out levels are often higher in children who are put into school too early.
What do the experts say about this book?
‘The Longevity Project uses one of the most famous studies in psychology to answer the question of who lives longest - and why. The answers will surprise you. This is an important and deeply fascinating book.’
Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point
‘The content of this book will prove fascinating, not only to social, behavioral, and clinical scientists and practitioners and their students, but to the general reading public as well. The writing is crystal clear as it compels us to go on reading because we know that there will be an illuminating vignette as an example, or another fascinating finding, just around the corner, on the next page.’
Robert Rosenthal, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of California, Riverside and Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Harvard University
‘Incredibly, no one until now has chronicled and interpreted the findings from the monumental almost century-long longevity project for the general public. Is living a long life associated with being married, daily jogs, having a pet, or faith in God? At last, with lucid prose and rigorous yet crystal clear analysis, Professor Friedman and Professor Martin have succeeded beautifully.’
Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph. D., professor of psychology at the University of California/Riverside, and author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
‘Want to live longer? You’ve probably heard the common advice (don’t work so hard, think positive thoughts, eat your broccoli, etc.) As the fascinating analysis in The Longevity Project shows, much of this advice is wrong. Based on one of the longest-running longitudinal studies ever conducted, The Longevity Project describes, in its lively and accessible pages, the personality traits most common to those who lived long lives – and how to shape them in yourself. It’s a great read for anyone interested in the burgeoning research on psychology and health.’
Jean M. Twenge, author of Generation Me
‘A compelling and objective assessment of character traits associated with longevity. Only a handful of studies in this field last long enough to give meaningful results, and even fewer remain significant after their primary investigators have passed away. Friedman and Martin have resurrected a remarkable achievement with surprising conclusions. I learned a lot from this book.’
Andrew Weil, M.D.
This is the first time the general public has shown the findings of this incredible, decade-spanning study that began in the early 1920s
THE LONGEVITY PROJECT
Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight Decade Study
By Howard S. Friedman, PhD and Leslie R. Martin, PhD
Published by Hay House, 4th July 2011, £10.99 pb
Gathering new information and using modern statistics to study participants across eight decades, Dr Howard Friedman and Dr Leslie Martin bust myths about achieving health and long life. For example:
- People do not die from working long hours at a challenging job – many who worked the hardest lived the longest
- Getting and staying married is not the magic ticket to long life, especially if you're a woman
- It's not the happy-go-lucky ones who thrive – it's the prudent and persistent who flourish through the years.
With questionnaires that help you determine where you are heading on the longevity spectrum and advice about how to stay healthy, this book changes the conversation about living a long, healthy life.
Howard S. Friedman is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California in Riverside, California. For three decades, Professor Friedman has studied personality predictors of longevity, developing a scientific understanding of the 'disease-prone personality' and the 'self-healing personality.' Leslie R. Martin is Professor of Psychology at La Sierra University in California.
LONGEVITY MYTHS:
The Longevity Project proves that most of the truisms about health and longevity are inaccurate; and even when they are true, it’s not for the reasons we expect!
Here are just a few of the longevity myths busted in this book:
• ‘You’ll worry yourself sick’: In reality worriers live longer; a healthy dose of concern about the future makes people more likely to be diligent about their health, which translates into years.
• ‘Look on the bright side’ It turns out that overly-optimistic people tend to put themselves in harm’s way—they just don’t see risks as clearly as people who are prone to caution/pessimism.
• Do you resolve every year to exercise more? Vigorous exercise can be detrimental to longevity. If you’re not a gym bunny, don’t sweat it—partaking in physical activities that you enjoy like gardening or walking actually are more beneficial to your health than high-impact exercise.
• ‘You’ll work yourself to death’: Hard workers actually live longer, even those with stressful jobs; being engaged and motivated keeps you alive.
• Married people live longer: Those in happy marriages do often live longer, but those whose marriages end in divorce actually have shorter life spans.
• Early education ensures higher level of achievement: Many children who are pushed into schooling before they’re prepared actually do not excel academically. In fact, drop-out levels are often higher in children who are put into school too early.
What do the experts say about this book?
‘The Longevity Project uses one of the most famous studies in psychology to answer the question of who lives longest - and why. The answers will surprise you. This is an important and deeply fascinating book.’
Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point
‘The content of this book will prove fascinating, not only to social, behavioral, and clinical scientists and practitioners and their students, but to the general reading public as well. The writing is crystal clear as it compels us to go on reading because we know that there will be an illuminating vignette as an example, or another fascinating finding, just around the corner, on the next page.’
Robert Rosenthal, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of California, Riverside and Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Harvard University
‘Incredibly, no one until now has chronicled and interpreted the findings from the monumental almost century-long longevity project for the general public. Is living a long life associated with being married, daily jogs, having a pet, or faith in God? At last, with lucid prose and rigorous yet crystal clear analysis, Professor Friedman and Professor Martin have succeeded beautifully.’
Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph. D., professor of psychology at the University of California/Riverside, and author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
‘Want to live longer? You’ve probably heard the common advice (don’t work so hard, think positive thoughts, eat your broccoli, etc.) As the fascinating analysis in The Longevity Project shows, much of this advice is wrong. Based on one of the longest-running longitudinal studies ever conducted, The Longevity Project describes, in its lively and accessible pages, the personality traits most common to those who lived long lives – and how to shape them in yourself. It’s a great read for anyone interested in the burgeoning research on psychology and health.’
Jean M. Twenge, author of Generation Me
‘A compelling and objective assessment of character traits associated with longevity. Only a handful of studies in this field last long enough to give meaningful results, and even fewer remain significant after their primary investigators have passed away. Friedman and Martin have resurrected a remarkable achievement with surprising conclusions. I learned a lot from this book.’
Andrew Weil, M.D.
(EDITOR: So a lot of what we think we know might not be wrong, but actually be detrimental to our well-being? This is fascinating stuff.)
To find out more about this book visit
To find out more about this book visit
Thursday 16 June 2011
That's Books: New book reveals a startling new truth about Stone...
That's Books: New book reveals a startling new truth about Stone...: "At 4:52 on June 21st 2011 the sun will creep over the horizon, then the revered Heel stone of Stonehenge, watched in ore by 10,000 common sp..."
New book reveals a startling new truth about Stonehenge
For Stonehenge was ORIGINALLY built NOT to observe the midsummer solstice sunrise as commonly believed, but more significantly the midsummer SUNSET and MOON SET occurring some 17 hours later in the opposite direction!
In a new book ‘The Stonehenge Enigma’ launched this month, Archaeologist Robert John Langdon, states in great detail that the true purpose of Stonehenge was to pay homage to the dead and departing spirits leaving to the next world and NOT to worship the sun and rebirth as currently thought.
This revolutionary book proves that archaeologists have only scratched the surface of the historic significance of this world heritage site and have also grossly miscalculated and underestimated the age of the structure, which accepted carbon dating evidence found in the visitor's Car Park has shown it is 5,000 years older than the experts currently claim and was therefore built around 8,000 BC, making it the oldest prehistoric monument in the world.
In this ancient landscape, Stonehenge was constructed not on the grassy plain that we see today, but on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the river Avon, which had swelled out of proportion, directly after the last Ice Age. This excess of water was created when the two miles of ice that covered our land for over 15,000 years finally melted, flooding the entire landscape, leaving not the Britain we know today but a series of smaller islands and gigantic waterways.
'The Stonehenge Enigma' is dubbed by some as the most controversial archaeological book ever written. It contains over forty pieces of scientific evidence, like carbon dating, to support Langdon's hypothesis that over 10,000 years ago there was a great 'lost' civilisation that lived and traded on this network of rivers and flood plains.
This 'advanced' civilisation, did not roam the land as the hunter-gatherers history erroneously portrays, but in fact lived on reed boats that could not only navigate the internal waterways of ancient Britain, but also travel the 'known world' to trade.
These boats were the method used to transport the huge Bluestones from the Preseli mountains in Wales to the site at Stonehenge, negating the need to 'drag' them across Salisbury plain. The most compelling evidence for the existence of this 'lost civilisation' is found at the end of the book where written evidence from one of the worlds most famous ancient philosophers, identifies this civilisation.
'The Stonehenge Enigma' not only rewrites British history and the understanding of the development of our society, but moreover, rewrites the history of the world as Langdon proves this civilisation was the 'birth place' of our civilisation which has yet to be recognised by historians or archaeologists.
The full article can be found on Robert Langdon's blog site www.the-stonehenge-enigma.info.
Book extracts and pictures can be found at: www.prehistoric-britain.co.uk
www.abc-publishing-group.co.uk
(EDITOR: PLEASE NOTE: You may order this book -and many other books reviewed at That's Books- via the Amazon search box toward the top right of this site. Thank you.)
'The Stonehenge Enigma' not only rewrites British history and the understanding of the development of our society, but moreover, rewrites the history of the world as Langdon proves this civilisation was the 'birth place' of our civilisation which has yet to be recognised by historians or archaeologists.
The full article can be found on Robert Langdon's blog site www.the-stonehenge-enigma.info.
Book extracts and pictures can be found at: www.prehistoric-britain.co.uk
www.abc-publishing-group.co.uk
(EDITOR: PLEASE NOTE: You may order this book -and many other books reviewed at That's Books- via the Amazon search box toward the top right of this site. Thank you.)
Tuesday 14 June 2011
Do YOU struggle with staff, colleagues? There might be a reason! And there's a solution, too
Managers who are technically and functionally competent might not be getting the best results out of their staff. So says a top business consultant.
Many managers who lack important communication skills are struggling to build rapport with staff, which in turn is impacting on business results. Recent internal research by Google looking at the top eight management skills in the eyes of employees, saw 'technical skills' languishing at number eight.
Managers who demonstrated a genuine interest in their employees, who communicate well, and conveyed a clear vision and goals were held in higher regard by employees and produced superior results than those with purely technical skills.
Experienced executive coach and consultant Gill Graves of Iridium HRD Consulting Limited based in Northamptonshire, believes the recent research by Google confirms management communication skills and the ability to build rapport with staff leads to significant improvements in organisational performance through better employee engagement.
Gill points out: "This research highlights the need for highly professional technical and functional managers to hone their communication skills.
"Managers require a range of skills - providing feedback, coaching, listening, building rapport, setting goals, handling meetings and asking questions.
"At a time when many organisations are trying to do more with less, a low cost solution for enhancing productivity is to equip managers with the so-called 'soft skills' they need to become highly effective."
Gill's book, 'Presenting Yourself With IMPACT at work' provides a toolbox of techniques, hints and tips for people who are looking to kick start or further their careers through better communication and presentation.
Andrew Brodie, Head of HR at Faccenda Group says the book provides "an excellent framework for any business leader or manager interested in improving their ability to deliver key messages and engage people effectively".
Gill Graves is an experienced executive coach and consultant in leadership and team development and a recognised leader in the field of business communications. She works with professionals in organisations both large and small including Vodafone, the Open University, BAE Systems and the NHS. Visit www.iridiumconsulting.co.uk for more details.
'Presenting Yourself with Impact at Work' by Gill Graves is available for £12 at www.amazon.co.uk.
Many managers who lack important communication skills are struggling to build rapport with staff, which in turn is impacting on business results. Recent internal research by Google looking at the top eight management skills in the eyes of employees, saw 'technical skills' languishing at number eight.
Managers who demonstrated a genuine interest in their employees, who communicate well, and conveyed a clear vision and goals were held in higher regard by employees and produced superior results than those with purely technical skills.
Experienced executive coach and consultant Gill Graves of Iridium HRD Consulting Limited based in Northamptonshire, believes the recent research by Google confirms management communication skills and the ability to build rapport with staff leads to significant improvements in organisational performance through better employee engagement.
Gill points out: "This research highlights the need for highly professional technical and functional managers to hone their communication skills.
"Managers require a range of skills - providing feedback, coaching, listening, building rapport, setting goals, handling meetings and asking questions.
"At a time when many organisations are trying to do more with less, a low cost solution for enhancing productivity is to equip managers with the so-called 'soft skills' they need to become highly effective."
Gill's book, 'Presenting Yourself With IMPACT at work' provides a toolbox of techniques, hints and tips for people who are looking to kick start or further their careers through better communication and presentation.
Andrew Brodie, Head of HR at Faccenda Group says the book provides "an excellent framework for any business leader or manager interested in improving their ability to deliver key messages and engage people effectively".
Gill Graves is an experienced executive coach and consultant in leadership and team development and a recognised leader in the field of business communications. She works with professionals in organisations both large and small including Vodafone, the Open University, BAE Systems and the NHS. Visit www.iridiumconsulting.co.uk for more details.
'Presenting Yourself with Impact at Work' by Gill Graves is available for £12 at www.amazon.co.uk.
Monday 6 June 2011
Make this Father's Day one he will remember and treasure
Father’s Day is 19th June and why not make it an extra special one this year with a personalised gift journal created by you for your Father at the from you to me website?
The award-winning gift journal publisher, fromyoutome has introduced some clever intuitive on line software at their on line shop, which will let you personalise your gift journal in four simple steps.
You can make your gift journal unique to your Dad by selecting the title of your book and them choosing images of your Father, and all the things that remind you of him.
The award-winning gift journal publisher, fromyoutome has introduced some clever intuitive on line software at their on line shop, which will let you personalise your gift journal in four simple steps.
You can make your gift journal unique to your Dad by selecting the title of your book and them choosing images of your Father, and all the things that remind you of him.
Once this is completed, the journal is passed back to you, to be read, shared and treasured.
You'll also be able to tailor questions for you and your Dad with the aim of receiving back some real insights into his life, and his hopes for the future.
“With many people looking for ways to tell their life story and pass on personal experiences to their loved ones, from you to me gift journals can actually make it happen – so this Father’s Day can be the day you finally start that trip down memory lane with him,” explained a spokesman.
“With many people looking for ways to tell their life story and pass on personal experiences to their loved ones, from you to me gift journals can actually make it happen – so this Father’s Day can be the day you finally start that trip down memory lane with him,” explained a spokesman.
It costs £19.99 plus delivery. To start to create yours visit www.fromyoutome.com.
Wednesday 1 June 2011
New book offers advice on returning to work after maternity leave
A new book from women’s coach Jessica Chivers offers advice on returning to work after maternity leave and how to strike the right balance as a working mum, from childcare to getting a grip on guilt.
Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work
By Jessica Chivers
Published 6th June 2011, £10.99 PB
More and more mothers return to work after children, yet the journey is not always straightforward or easy– there are emotional and practical difficulties to overcome, not least the perennial question of how to manage both home and work successfully.
Mothers Work! dissects and discusses the burning issues playing on working mums’ minds, with a warm, encouraging voice that nudges women to be proactive and gently draws mums away from the pressure of perfection. Jessica shows us that ‘it’s good to be good enough’ and explains how to do it. This book will help you to:
• know your ideal work scenario
• keep in touch and ask for what you want
• see your family as a team
• find childcare that fits your family
• get a grip on guilt
• go for ‘good enough’ at home
• get organised for a smooth return
• do what it takes to thrive
Filled with the voices of real working mums (Jessica surveyed 200 working mums), this book is a practical and positive read that encourages women to enjoy their work, helps them make a smooth return to work and ditch the guilt along the way.
Jessica Chivers, The Thinking Woman’s Coach, works with women from all backgrounds to help them achieve what’s important to them. She helps organisations retain and develop female talent and has worked with companies such as Barclays, M&S and the BBC.
Mothers Work! How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work
By Jessica Chivers
Published 6th June 2011, £10.99 PB
More and more mothers return to work after children, yet the journey is not always straightforward or easy– there are emotional and practical difficulties to overcome, not least the perennial question of how to manage both home and work successfully.
While the seemingly perfect celebrity mums in glossy magazines may make juggling family life with a career look effortless, the reality is that reaching equilibrium when you return to work without going insane requires support and some excellent advice!
Mothers Work! dissects and discusses the burning issues playing on working mums’ minds, with a warm, encouraging voice that nudges women to be proactive and gently draws mums away from the pressure of perfection. Jessica shows us that ‘it’s good to be good enough’ and explains how to do it. This book will help you to:
• know your ideal work scenario
• keep in touch and ask for what you want
• see your family as a team
• find childcare that fits your family
• get a grip on guilt
• go for ‘good enough’ at home
• get organised for a smooth return
• do what it takes to thrive
Filled with the voices of real working mums (Jessica surveyed 200 working mums), this book is a practical and positive read that encourages women to enjoy their work, helps them make a smooth return to work and ditch the guilt along the way.
Jessica Chivers, The Thinking Woman’s Coach, works with women from all backgrounds to help them achieve what’s important to them. She helps organisations retain and develop female talent and has worked with companies such as Barclays, M&S and the BBC.
With a business background, many years experience of coaching women in career transitions and her own experience of being a working mother, Jessica is well placed to guide women through the process of making a smooth return to work after having children. Jessica was recently selected as one of Stylist magazine’s top 20 ‘Ladies Who Tweet’, she lives in St Albans with her husband Nick and two children, Monty (4) and Artemis (2).
The 8 Mantras of the Working Mum:
Mantra #1: Know your ideal work scenario
Mantra #2: Keep in touch and ask for what you want
Mantra #3: See your family as a team
Mantra #4: Find childcare that fits your family
Mantra #5: Get a grip on guilt
Mantra #6: Go for ‘good enough’ at home
Mantra #7: Prepare for a smooth return
Mantra #8: Do what it takes to thrive
Endorsements:
‘Jessica Chivers has done working mothers everywhere a favour by helping them get in touch with their G-spot. We’re talking guilt (what were YOU talking about?) If you’re thinking of returning to work, or are already there but tired of feeling frazzled, this book can help you get a grip.’ Justine Roberts, Founder, Mumsnet
‘Jessica Chivers is the perfect ally for a new mother who is pondering whether and how to go back to work. Her chatty style, empathy and wealth of anecdotes make this an easy read as well as a rich source of valuable advice.’
Octavius Black, CEO The Mind Gym
‘Just the ticket for those facing the perennial motherhood question of how to make work, work’
Allison Mitchell, author of Time Management for Manic Mums
‘Smart, warm and incredibly well-researched. This is THE book employers should be giving all their women returners’ Karen Pine, author of Sheconomics.
The 8 Mantras of the Working Mum:
Mantra #1: Know your ideal work scenario
Mantra #2: Keep in touch and ask for what you want
Mantra #3: See your family as a team
Mantra #4: Find childcare that fits your family
Mantra #5: Get a grip on guilt
Mantra #6: Go for ‘good enough’ at home
Mantra #7: Prepare for a smooth return
Mantra #8: Do what it takes to thrive
Endorsements:
‘Jessica Chivers has done working mothers everywhere a favour by helping them get in touch with their G-spot. We’re talking guilt (what were YOU talking about?) If you’re thinking of returning to work, or are already there but tired of feeling frazzled, this book can help you get a grip.’ Justine Roberts, Founder, Mumsnet
‘Jessica Chivers is the perfect ally for a new mother who is pondering whether and how to go back to work. Her chatty style, empathy and wealth of anecdotes make this an easy read as well as a rich source of valuable advice.’
Octavius Black, CEO The Mind Gym
‘Just the ticket for those facing the perennial motherhood question of how to make work, work’
Allison Mitchell, author of Time Management for Manic Mums
‘Smart, warm and incredibly well-researched. This is THE book employers should be giving all their women returners’ Karen Pine, author of Sheconomics.
Friday 13 May 2011
Blogger Buzz: Blogger is back
Blogger Buzz: Blogger is back: "What a frustrating day. We’re very sorry that you’ve been unable to publish to Blogger for the past 20.5 hours. We’re nearly back to normal..."
Thursday 12 May 2011
“Learning to be happy made me rich!”
Just over ten years ago Sue Stone’s life was at rock bottom. Faced with business collapse, marriage breakdown and £250,000 worth of debt, happiness was the furthest thing from her mind.
Some time before then things had been rosy. Sue was happily married, had three wonderful children, was managing director of her own manufacturing company and lived with all the trappings of wealth and success. Then, within the space of just a few short months, her world came crashing down around her.
Sue says, “Things weren’t going well in my marriage and I took my focus off the business. Very quickly, things started falling apart. I will never forget the day I realised that we were up to the limit on every single credit card, business and personal account. Literally, all I had left was £10 in my purse.”
Unable to face what was happening, Sue’s husband simply walked out of her life leaving her to bring up their three children single handedly, try to rescue the business and to fend off the mortgage company who were threatening to repossess her house and make her homeless.
Sue says, “When I woke up the next morning I realised that if I carried on the way I was going I would lose everything. I was not prepared to accept that this was going to be ‘it’.” Instead, she set about discovering ways to improve her life. She read every self help book she could get her hands on and made a conscious, decisive choice that she would implement what she learned into every aspect of her daily life. Sue’s relentless pursuit of happiness led her to spend several years researching the incredible power of our thoughts, our subconscious mind and the astonishing power of our feelings.
Sue’s work on herself and the reprogramming of her thinking had incredible results. By removing all negative thoughts, focusing only on the positives in her life and consistently visualising her ultimate dreams for the future, Sue slowly but surely saw her life transform into one of abundance and joy. She was able to leave the dark days of fear, debt and unhappiness behind her and focus instead on all that she did have to be grateful for and the excitement her future had to offer. She wrote a book about her journey in 2007 Love Life, Live Life and at the same time decided to dedicate her life and career to sharing her new found knowledge with others.
Sue now lives and breathes all she has learned and works nationally and internationally where her clientele includes celebrities and top businesspeople. She is regularly invited to speak at events and conferences about her experiences and contributes to TV, radio and press. Sue passionately believes that the innate ability to experience abundant happiness, wealth and success lies within all of us. We just need to know how to access it! Sue says, “I used to believe that wealth brings happiness. Now I know the opposite is true: if true happiness comes first, wealth and abundance will follow.”
Sue will be featured in the latest series of Channel 4’s successful series The Secret Millionaire on 24th May. In the show, Sue travels to one of the most deprived areas of Coventry where she goes undercover as a trainee radio reporter and goes to Radio Hillz FM and out on the streets with Kervin Julien - a former drug addict turned charity worker to witness the plight of the city’s homeless. It was a particularly emotional journey for Sue, who says, “It reminded me of just how close I came to losing it all and how easy it would have been to become homeless myself. It was an extremely humbling experience.”
Sue is author of the best selling happiness book, Love Life, Live Life. Her website can be found at www.suestone.com.
Some time before then things had been rosy. Sue was happily married, had three wonderful children, was managing director of her own manufacturing company and lived with all the trappings of wealth and success. Then, within the space of just a few short months, her world came crashing down around her.
Sue says, “Things weren’t going well in my marriage and I took my focus off the business. Very quickly, things started falling apart. I will never forget the day I realised that we were up to the limit on every single credit card, business and personal account. Literally, all I had left was £10 in my purse.”
Unable to face what was happening, Sue’s husband simply walked out of her life leaving her to bring up their three children single handedly, try to rescue the business and to fend off the mortgage company who were threatening to repossess her house and make her homeless.
Sue says, “When I woke up the next morning I realised that if I carried on the way I was going I would lose everything. I was not prepared to accept that this was going to be ‘it’.” Instead, she set about discovering ways to improve her life. She read every self help book she could get her hands on and made a conscious, decisive choice that she would implement what she learned into every aspect of her daily life. Sue’s relentless pursuit of happiness led her to spend several years researching the incredible power of our thoughts, our subconscious mind and the astonishing power of our feelings.
Sue’s work on herself and the reprogramming of her thinking had incredible results. By removing all negative thoughts, focusing only on the positives in her life and consistently visualising her ultimate dreams for the future, Sue slowly but surely saw her life transform into one of abundance and joy. She was able to leave the dark days of fear, debt and unhappiness behind her and focus instead on all that she did have to be grateful for and the excitement her future had to offer. She wrote a book about her journey in 2007 Love Life, Live Life and at the same time decided to dedicate her life and career to sharing her new found knowledge with others.
Sue now lives and breathes all she has learned and works nationally and internationally where her clientele includes celebrities and top businesspeople. She is regularly invited to speak at events and conferences about her experiences and contributes to TV, radio and press. Sue passionately believes that the innate ability to experience abundant happiness, wealth and success lies within all of us. We just need to know how to access it! Sue says, “I used to believe that wealth brings happiness. Now I know the opposite is true: if true happiness comes first, wealth and abundance will follow.”
Sue will be featured in the latest series of Channel 4’s successful series The Secret Millionaire on 24th May. In the show, Sue travels to one of the most deprived areas of Coventry where she goes undercover as a trainee radio reporter and goes to Radio Hillz FM and out on the streets with Kervin Julien - a former drug addict turned charity worker to witness the plight of the city’s homeless. It was a particularly emotional journey for Sue, who says, “It reminded me of just how close I came to losing it all and how easy it would have been to become homeless myself. It was an extremely humbling experience.”
Sue is author of the best selling happiness book, Love Life, Live Life. Her website can be found at www.suestone.com.
Tuesday 10 May 2011
The Ship That Rocked the World. The true story of Radio Caroline
Back in 1964 Ronan O'Rahilly, a young Irish businessman, decided to launch Radio Caroline, probably themost famous so-called offshore radio pirate of all kinds.
There have been several stories published about the early days of Radio Caroline by people who were in on the early days. Each one laying claim to be the person who was 'really' the one who was closest to the heart of things.
This book by Tom Lodge, on of the earliest DJs on the station, has a ring of authenticity about it. It tells how a young man who came from a family steeped in the history of the early days of radio (his grandfather, Sir Oliver Lodge was the actual inventor of radio, not the upstart pretender, Marconi!) and who, after a public school education, spent an adventurous life and somewhat tragic life (he was forced to watch a friend die of starvation) working as a fisherman and hunter in Canada before securing a job with CBC, and, after a chance encounter with Ronan O'Rahilly in a pub in London one wet and rainy day, soon found himself onboard the first Radio Caroline ship the MV Caroline, which later became Radio Caroline North.
The book is a well-written account of the early days of Radio Caroline, how Radio Caroline helped to change the UK music scene and also helped to being about the cultural revolution that swept through Britain in the mid to late 1960s.
The book is well-illustrated and at 242 pages is a good and fascinating read. It does contain several irritating mistakes (something is described as a "palatial palace") and there are several places where the editor failed to spot rogue punctuation marks, but this does not take away the fact that it is, as I say, a good read. The forward is by Steven van Zandt a member of Bruce Stringsteen's E Street Band.
The book also tells how Tome Lodge (a married man with three boys) helped to change the face of the musical recording industry in Canada and eventually became a Zen Master living in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.
Tom Lodge relates one tail that jars. He relates how MI5 nearly blew the Radio Caroline ship up by using the SAS who would have been parachuted on to the ship. The person who would have been responsible for this was an MI5 agent stationed in Southern Ireland, who revealed the plan in later years to Tom Lodge.
An MI5 agent stationed in the Republic of Ireland? Surely that would have been a job for MI6? And the idea of parachuting SAS officers on to a ship (with a tall mast) sounds a little far-fetched. As does the reason for the MI5 officer refusing to take the job on, the fact that the SAS officers were all between 18 to 22 and so al listened to Radio Caroline.
The fact is that as a maritime matter it would almost certainly have been the Royal Marine SBS who would have taken on such a job and they would have approached the ship by sea. And they would not have refused the commission, no matter what the ages of the officers involved. I believe that it is possible that when Tom Lodge met "Colin" Colin was one of those strange Walter Mitty types who invent their own back story, or that Colin was genuine and that he had been taking orders from someone in the British government who had taken it upon themselves to mount an operation to take out Radio Caroline that was not officially sanctioned, hence the decision to employ the SAS rather than the SBS.
The book costs $21.50 and is published by the Bartleby Press, www.bartlbythepublisher.com.
There have been several stories published about the early days of Radio Caroline by people who were in on the early days. Each one laying claim to be the person who was 'really' the one who was closest to the heart of things.
This book by Tom Lodge, on of the earliest DJs on the station, has a ring of authenticity about it. It tells how a young man who came from a family steeped in the history of the early days of radio (his grandfather, Sir Oliver Lodge was the actual inventor of radio, not the upstart pretender, Marconi!) and who, after a public school education, spent an adventurous life and somewhat tragic life (he was forced to watch a friend die of starvation) working as a fisherman and hunter in Canada before securing a job with CBC, and, after a chance encounter with Ronan O'Rahilly in a pub in London one wet and rainy day, soon found himself onboard the first Radio Caroline ship the MV Caroline, which later became Radio Caroline North.
The book is a well-written account of the early days of Radio Caroline, how Radio Caroline helped to change the UK music scene and also helped to being about the cultural revolution that swept through Britain in the mid to late 1960s.
The book is well-illustrated and at 242 pages is a good and fascinating read. It does contain several irritating mistakes (something is described as a "palatial palace") and there are several places where the editor failed to spot rogue punctuation marks, but this does not take away the fact that it is, as I say, a good read. The forward is by Steven van Zandt a member of Bruce Stringsteen's E Street Band.
The book also tells how Tome Lodge (a married man with three boys) helped to change the face of the musical recording industry in Canada and eventually became a Zen Master living in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.
Tom Lodge relates one tail that jars. He relates how MI5 nearly blew the Radio Caroline ship up by using the SAS who would have been parachuted on to the ship. The person who would have been responsible for this was an MI5 agent stationed in Southern Ireland, who revealed the plan in later years to Tom Lodge.
An MI5 agent stationed in the Republic of Ireland? Surely that would have been a job for MI6? And the idea of parachuting SAS officers on to a ship (with a tall mast) sounds a little far-fetched. As does the reason for the MI5 officer refusing to take the job on, the fact that the SAS officers were all between 18 to 22 and so al listened to Radio Caroline.
The fact is that as a maritime matter it would almost certainly have been the Royal Marine SBS who would have taken on such a job and they would have approached the ship by sea. And they would not have refused the commission, no matter what the ages of the officers involved. I believe that it is possible that when Tom Lodge met "Colin" Colin was one of those strange Walter Mitty types who invent their own back story, or that Colin was genuine and that he had been taking orders from someone in the British government who had taken it upon themselves to mount an operation to take out Radio Caroline that was not officially sanctioned, hence the decision to employ the SAS rather than the SBS.
The book costs $21.50 and is published by the Bartleby Press, www.bartlbythepublisher.com.
Saturday 7 May 2011
Tied With An Easy Thread
There are many books of children who were abandoned, people escaping from Nazi persecution, coping with poverty, prejudice, and loss. There are not so many that end with a large inheritance, followed by an amazing discovery ten years after the subject's death. Rarely do you find all these in the true chronicle of one woman's life.
When she was four years old in 1917, Ruth's German mother abandoned her and her brother in a Christian children's home in Dresden. When her Jewish father came there to reclaim his children two years later, Ruth was influenced by the matron to reject him. She never saw him again. At fourteen she left the children's home to become a Haustochter, and spent the next eleven years in various domestic posts. Despised as a half Jew, she escaped from Nazi Germany just eight weeks before the beginning of WWII, to become a refugee in England.
This book, written by her daughter, chronicles Ruth's life in Germany, England and Wales. Struggling against poverty all her life, her fortune was dramatically changed by a very large inheritance from a totally unexpected source when she was eighty two.
Throughout her life she regretted her rejection of her father, and expressed a desire to know what had become of him. This led to her daughter's ten year search, a DNA test, and an astonishing discovery.
In a recent edition of "Look up your Genes" on BBC Radio Wales, the presenter described this as '... a story that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.' Kristina Taylor wants the story to be read and passed on so that new generations can hear Ruth's testament of events in the twentieth century that affected her so deeply, and impacted on the next generations of her family.
When she was four years old in 1917, Ruth's German mother abandoned her and her brother in a Christian children's home in Dresden. When her Jewish father came there to reclaim his children two years later, Ruth was influenced by the matron to reject him. She never saw him again. At fourteen she left the children's home to become a Haustochter, and spent the next eleven years in various domestic posts. Despised as a half Jew, she escaped from Nazi Germany just eight weeks before the beginning of WWII, to become a refugee in England.
This book, written by her daughter, chronicles Ruth's life in Germany, England and Wales. Struggling against poverty all her life, her fortune was dramatically changed by a very large inheritance from a totally unexpected source when she was eighty two.
Throughout her life she regretted her rejection of her father, and expressed a desire to know what had become of him. This led to her daughter's ten year search, a DNA test, and an astonishing discovery.
In a recent edition of "Look up your Genes" on BBC Radio Wales, the presenter described this as '... a story that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.' Kristina Taylor wants the story to be read and passed on so that new generations can hear Ruth's testament of events in the twentieth century that affected her so deeply, and impacted on the next generations of her family.
The book is published by Authors on Line.
Thursday 5 May 2011
Wonderfully-illustrated new book celebrates 50 years of XH558, the last flying Vulcan
The history of one of the world’s most popular aircraft, XH558 the last flying Vulcan, is celebrated in a lavishly-illustrated new book published to celebrate her 50th year. Researched and written by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, 50 Years of Vulcan XH558 uncovers her history from construction, through all her many roles, her retirement from RAF service and eventual restoration to flight.
Printed on high quality art paper, it is packed with rare photographs and fascinating facts, culminating in the nail-biting story of her restoration and an insight into the challenges of returning one of Britain’s greatest aircraft to the skies.
There are anecdotes from the pilots who fly her and the engineers who care for her, with first-hand accounts of some of the most dramatic periods in history and the critical role of the Vulcan type. Squadron Leader Martin Withers DFC delivers one of the most dramatic stories, documenting the bombing of the Port Stanley airstrip during the Falklands conflict complete with an insight into the incredible logistics and planning that made it possible.
“From the first designs through to flying her today, it’s a story of British endeavour that we hope will inspire future generations of engineers and aviators,” says Vulcan to the Sky Trust chief executive officer Dr Robert Pleming.
“Carefully-researched content, gorgeous photography and outstanding design make this a really lovely item and a wonderful addition to any library.”
The book is available for £24 (including post and packing) from the Vulcan To The Sky Trust website and all proceeds will go towards helping the last flying Vulcan reach the 2011 display season with stable finances. £350,000 is needed by the end of May, of which just £120,000 has so far been raised.Operating the last flying Vulcan, to aviation safety standards that are amongst the highest in the world, costs around £2million a year, almost all of which is generously donated by the public or earned from the Trust’s growing commercial activities.
To purchase the 50th Anniversary Book, please click here:
The online store recently acquired an intriguing new line: magnetic bookmarks. Each one is printed with the same beautiful picture of XH558 featured on the cover of the 50th Anniversary book so would make a stylish complement to your personal copy . Vulcan magnetic bookmarks can be purchased here:
http://www.vulcantotheskystore.co.uk/product/Magnetic_Bookmark_Set_MagBookSet-3) at £3.00 for a set of three.
Fly your name with the Vulcan
Until the end of May, you can add your name to the Summer Season Plaque that will be mounted on the last flying Vulcan’s historic bomb-bay doors and seen by everyone taking a tour at her home or on the ground at airshows, and staying with her for the rest of her public life. You can sign-up here: http://www.vulcantothesky.org/how-to-help/appeal-poster.html
Join the Vulcan community
Readers can sign-up for the weekly eNewsletter at: http://www.vulcantothesky.org/register.html
Join the Vulcan Facebook community at: www.facebook.com/pages/Vulcan-xh558/170427449654925
To find-out how to help XH558 remain The Last Flying Vulcan, visit www.vulcantothesky.org
To find out where to see the last flying Vulcan, visit http://www.vulcantothesky.org/appearances.html
Join the Vulcan Facebook community at: www.facebook.com/pages/Vulcan-xh558/170427449654925
To find-out how to help XH558 remain The Last Flying Vulcan, visit www.vulcantothesky.org
To find out where to see the last flying Vulcan, visit http://www.vulcantothesky.org/appearances.html
(EDITOR: My Brother-in-Law was an Avionics Engineer who spent much of his RAF career looking after the electronic systems and wiring looms of the RAF Vulcan.)
Broadcasts from the Blitz. How Edward R. Murrow helped lead America into the war
This book, by Philip Seib, is an extremely well-written and well-researched book into the part of the life of famed American journalist and broadcaster Edward R. Murrow where he spent time and effort (at considerable cost to himself and his very supportive wife, Janet, who worked tirelessly to arrange for comfort parcels to be sent from America to Britain) countering the, at times, rabid isolationism of such people as US ambassador Joseph Kennedy and one time war hero and suspected Nazi collaborator Charles Lindberg who felt that America should not join in the fight against Nazi oppression.
Seib tells how Murrow became the true and firm friend and confidant of powerful people on both sides of the Atlantic like Roosevelt and Churchill how he used his reports back to the States to show that far from being on the point of collapse and surrender Britain would fight on, but needed help with, as Churchill so ably put it, the tools to do the job.
Murrow put himself at great personal danger both in the bombed cities in Britain, including London, during the Blitz and above Germany during air raids as an observer on RAF bombers.
By chance Murrow was in America when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Had Roosevelt known in advance of the planned attack? Murrow was most emphatic on the point. By the shocked and pained reaction of Roosevelt and others at the attack it was plain to Murrow that they had not.
The book briefly touches on other aspects of the professional life of Murrow post Word War Two he was also famous for the pointing out the problems with Senator Joseph McCarthy and his Un-American Activities Committee and helping to bring an end to the arguably un-American activities of McCarthy.
The book is published in hardback by Potomac Books at $24.95.
Seib tells how Murrow became the true and firm friend and confidant of powerful people on both sides of the Atlantic like Roosevelt and Churchill how he used his reports back to the States to show that far from being on the point of collapse and surrender Britain would fight on, but needed help with, as Churchill so ably put it, the tools to do the job.
Murrow put himself at great personal danger both in the bombed cities in Britain, including London, during the Blitz and above Germany during air raids as an observer on RAF bombers.
By chance Murrow was in America when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Had Roosevelt known in advance of the planned attack? Murrow was most emphatic on the point. By the shocked and pained reaction of Roosevelt and others at the attack it was plain to Murrow that they had not.
The book briefly touches on other aspects of the professional life of Murrow post Word War Two he was also famous for the pointing out the problems with Senator Joseph McCarthy and his Un-American Activities Committee and helping to bring an end to the arguably un-American activities of McCarthy.
The book is published in hardback by Potomac Books at $24.95.
Wednesday 4 May 2011
Silent Fields
This book is not an easy book to read, for it makes grim reading, but it is a book that I can thoroughly recommend.
It is a long, comprehensive and detailed book by Roger Lovegrove detailing the long decline of the wildlife of Britain.
I believed that the decline of wildlife in Britain was a result of the overuse of chemical fertilisers and chemical pesticides in Britain after the war. And whilst it is true that this has certainly exacerbated the situation, it was not the start of the decline, not by a long way. The book details the long and systematic destruction of the wildlife of Britain. Lovegrove has meticulously researched a diverse number of historical sources dating back to the Tudor times to the present day.
The records show that the history of the persecution of some of what were supposedly the best-loved species of wildlife (and, indeed amongst these, some of the rarest) has left our countryside all the poorer. It points out how churches took part in the most barbaric and ruthless extermination of many, many species on the vague idea that maybe they might be responsible for the loss of some crops.
It contains details of infamous huntsmen like Charles St. John. Lovegrove quite clearly despises Charles St. John. And with good reason, too. For he is revealed by the research of Lovegrove to be a despicable hypocrite who: "hid his wanton killing behind crocodile tears and pretensions of moral respectability. He had an insatiable appetite for killing and was responsible, among many other despicable acts, for the final elimination of the Osprey in Sutherland."
Other creatures destroyed include the Bullfinch, the bat, Red Kite, Brown Hare, House Sparrows, Tree Sparrows, etc. In fact, many villages had Sparrow Clubs and they were paid for the number of Sparrows that they killed. Church wardens kept detailed records and these records helped Lovegrove in his research.
One quote in the book reveals how one observer was watching the so-called glorious spectacle of the Sparrow shooting, yet felt pity when he look down and saw the birds, blasted and twisted at his feet. A fine example of hypocrisy if ever there was one!
This book makes uncomfortable reading. It seems that our ancestors had the following rules regarding wildlife: If it flies, shoot it (or trap it) and if it runs, crawls or walks, trap it (or shoot it).
It is published in hardback by Oxford University Press in hardback and is 404 pages long. It is well-illustrated with photographs (one of a group of badger baiters in the 1920s) and many line drawings and maps showing, for example, a map showing parishes killing Bullfinches in the 17 and 18 centuries. There are also detailed appendixes showing tables of 'vermin' payments taken from churchwardens' accounts. The book costs £25.00.
I believed that the decline of wildlife in Britain was a result of the overuse of chemical fertilisers and chemical pesticides in Britain after the war. And whilst it is true that this has certainly exacerbated the situation, it was not the start of the decline, not by a long way. The book details the long and systematic destruction of the wildlife of Britain. Lovegrove has meticulously researched a diverse number of historical sources dating back to the Tudor times to the present day.
The records show that the history of the persecution of some of what were supposedly the best-loved species of wildlife (and, indeed amongst these, some of the rarest) has left our countryside all the poorer. It points out how churches took part in the most barbaric and ruthless extermination of many, many species on the vague idea that maybe they might be responsible for the loss of some crops.
It contains details of infamous huntsmen like Charles St. John. Lovegrove quite clearly despises Charles St. John. And with good reason, too. For he is revealed by the research of Lovegrove to be a despicable hypocrite who: "hid his wanton killing behind crocodile tears and pretensions of moral respectability. He had an insatiable appetite for killing and was responsible, among many other despicable acts, for the final elimination of the Osprey in Sutherland."
Other creatures destroyed include the Bullfinch, the bat, Red Kite, Brown Hare, House Sparrows, Tree Sparrows, etc. In fact, many villages had Sparrow Clubs and they were paid for the number of Sparrows that they killed. Church wardens kept detailed records and these records helped Lovegrove in his research.
One quote in the book reveals how one observer was watching the so-called glorious spectacle of the Sparrow shooting, yet felt pity when he look down and saw the birds, blasted and twisted at his feet. A fine example of hypocrisy if ever there was one!
This book makes uncomfortable reading. It seems that our ancestors had the following rules regarding wildlife: If it flies, shoot it (or trap it) and if it runs, crawls or walks, trap it (or shoot it).
It is published in hardback by Oxford University Press in hardback and is 404 pages long. It is well-illustrated with photographs (one of a group of badger baiters in the 1920s) and many line drawings and maps showing, for example, a map showing parishes killing Bullfinches in the 17 and 18 centuries. There are also detailed appendixes showing tables of 'vermin' payments taken from churchwardens' accounts. The book costs £25.00.
Simon Crump. A novelist like no other
My wife read it and said: "You should read this book (Neverland) by Simon Crump, it's got a very black sense of humour. You'll enjoy it."
I did. It was. I did.
I did. It was. I did.
Neverland by Simon Crump. It's a very novel Novel. Is it like a collection of interlinked short stories, as some people believe? Yes. Well, no. Not, quite. It's more a collection of interlinked ideas, instead.
By the way, the dead hamster unicorn featured in the novel? I'm not entirely certain it was. Dead, that is.
Simon Crump takes several different ideas and places them in a very unique and out of place context. You can imagine Michael Jackson and Uri Geller together. (They are or rather, were friends in real life) You can imagine them being together in a shopping mall. You can imagine them having an argument. But then place them and their argument (and the stunning consequences thereof) in the Meadowhall shopping mall in Sheffield and it's as if your favourite aunt has taken your jumper, unpicked the stitches and turned it into a really funky Dr. Who Scarf. But not quite like that, perhaps.
Simon Crump decided to write a novel about Michael Jackson. It took him three years to complete. And -apparently this is true- four hours after he had finished writing it, Michael Jackson was dead.
Simon Crump's writing style is laconic, yet even so, there is a moving, other-worldly poetic feel to his writing.
He writes with a refreshing sympathy for all of his characters, Michael Jackson, Lamar who was Jackson's assistant and former Elvis bodyguard, The Broad, The Broad's lunatic husband and Michael Jackson's grandmother, to name but a few.
Simon Crump's writing style is laconic, yet even so, there is a moving, other-worldly poetic feel to his writing.
He writes with a refreshing sympathy for all of his characters, Michael Jackson, Lamar who was Jackson's assistant and former Elvis bodyguard, The Broad, The Broad's lunatic husband and Michael Jackson's grandmother, to name but a few.
Simon Crump's subject matter is sometimes unpleasant, but it is of a realistic unpleasantness, and there is nothing gratuitous in his writing. Weird, odd, bizarre enough to make the Fortean Times look like a Haynes Car Manual, yes. But never gratuitous.
Other novels by Simon Crump are My Elvis Blackout and Twilight Time. Which have received rave or raving reviews, depending on the point of view of the reader.
(EDITOR: A different version of this review was published at Ciao)
Other novels by Simon Crump are My Elvis Blackout and Twilight Time. Which have received rave or raving reviews, depending on the point of view of the reader.
(EDITOR: A different version of this review was published at Ciao)
Tuesday 3 May 2011
One Red Paperclip
One Red Paperclip, by Kyle MacDonald was a genuine worldwide sensation, even before Kyle MacDonald had written one word of the book. Because, it seemed that just about everyone in the world had heard all about Kyle MacDonald and his one red paperclip.
The story about Kyle MacDonald is basically this.
Kyle MacDonald was looking for a job. Well, he should have been looking for a job, but somehow all he was doing was looking at a pile of resumes he should have sent out, feeling guilty that he was, basically, living off his girlfriend who he lived with. He wanted a house for them both. But how could he get one, with no permanent job?
What could he do? He was getting some gigs around Canada and the United States of America helping promote a special device that was designed to stop restaurant tables wobbling. (Great invention. I think it should be made mandatory for ALL eating places!) But that wasn't getting enough money to enable Kyle to pay his way at home. Kyle seemed to be a bit of a slacker. Well, perhaps if not a slacker, then he showed certain slacker tendencies!
As he sat there, he thought of a game he used to play as a child. It was the Bigger and Better game. The rules of the game were simple. You had to try to swap something you had for something that was bigger and better and owned by someone else.
Could he play something similar in adulthood? This set him thinking. What could he trade? Then he saw it.
Just one red paperclip holding together his resume. (That's a CV to us British folk!)
Just one red paperclip holding together his resume. (That's a CV to us British folk!)
Why not swap that for something bigger and better?
Emboldened by the sheer scope of his idea, he put a posting on a website and soon swapped his red paperclip for a wooden pen which was made in the form of an animated fish.
After that, there was no stopping him!
He swapped the pen for a homemade doorknob, the doorknob for a camping stove and 14 swaps later (and some hilarious and some moving adventures all over the USA and Canada, he ended up (one year later) with a house for his girlfriend and himself.
The book contains some of Kyle's homespun wisdom, and although this does sometimes wear a little bit thin, generally they do add somewhat to the flavour of the book. And, after all, they do show some of the reasons as to why Kyle did what he did. Kyle is obviously a deeply thoughtful young man.
His girlfriend figures in the book (as one might expect) as does the workshirt of Kyle's brother. Which also leads to another swap that helped speed things along. Quite literally.
During his swaps Kyle meets and hangs out with Alice Cooper and actor Corbin Bernsen, and makes what seems on the face of it an utterly ludicrous swap, only to see it fit in with a rather weird foible of Corbin Bernsen, and thus proved to be a pivotal swap on the way to Kyle and his girlfriend getting that house.
The book is well written, well illustrated with photographs of the various swaps, swappers and swappees and is well worth buying.
The Origin of Everday Things
The Origin of Everday Things does exactly what it says, It details the origins of many everyday items and things that you and I probably take for granted.
Also, discover the location of the first bank ATMs, how bowling was developed, how the first electrical burglar alarm was invented as long ago as in 1852, how World War 1 played a part in women's beauty in the 1920s and how Rugy developed into the sport that we know today.
Researched written and edited by the team of Johnny Acton, Tania Adams and Matt Packer, the book details well in excess of 400 everyday items, and gives some pretty comprehensive anecdotes and tales about them all.
The book is filled to the brim with some highly entertaining and fascinating facts and details. For example did you know that the first aerosol dispenser can was invented in 1899 by German scientists Helbling and Pertsch?
The book is filled to the brim with some highly entertaining and fascinating facts and details. For example did you know that the first aerosol dispenser can was invented in 1899 by German scientists Helbling and Pertsch?
Or that the Babylonians devised a prototype and extremely clever form of air conditioning?
That the first car vehicle safety airbag was developed in the early 1950s by American naval engineer, John W. Hetrick?
That the first car vehicle safety airbag was developed in the early 1950s by American naval engineer, John W. Hetrick?
Or how many of us knew that the first automatic fire alarm and smoke detector was developed by a Birmingham electrical engineer called George Darby? And which highly unusual component was used as the heat detector in this amazing device that was, arguably, years ahead of itself? You will find the answer on page 20 of this highly enjoyable and most entertaining book.
Also, discover the location of the first bank ATMs, how bowling was developed, how the first electrical burglar alarm was invented as long ago as in 1852, how World War 1 played a part in women's beauty in the 1920s and how Rugy developed into the sport that we know today.
The book is copiously illustrated with very well executed line drawings and covers everything in alphabetical order from aerosol cans right through to Zipper, nearly 320 pages later.
It is hardback, and published by Think Books at a cover price of £14.99.
Newton a Very Short Introduction
Newton a Very Short Introduction, is exactly what it says. A very short introduction in to the life of one of Britain's greatest scientific minds of all times, Sir Isaac Newton.
The book is small, only comprising 144 pages, so the writing style is brief. The book is part of the Oxford University Press "A Very Short Introduction" series of books covering not only biographies on figures such as Newton, Marx, Socrates, Descartes, Hume, Nietzsche and Buddha, it also covers historical and philosophical themes such as The Celts, Journalism, Stuart Britain, Roman Britain, Ancient Philosophy, etc., etc.
But what of the book on Newton?
We find that he was described by people who knew him as a very moral man, a man who hated and detested persecution, who loved the concept of mercy to both beast and mankind, and who was often moved to shed a tear when a sad or moving tale was related to him.
However, other people, we read, had different views of Newton. He was described as an heretic. In fact, he was thrown out of Cambridge for his allegedly heretical views.
We also read of a breakdown of some type that he suffered in the early 1690s.
The first writings on Newton were by the husband of Newton's half-niece, Catherine, John Conduitt. These put Newton in a very favourable light.
However, as is often the case, others came forward with very different versions of the life of Sir Isaac Newton.
So, was Sir Isaac Newton a saint or a sinner? A good man or a monster to people who, perhaps, he didn't agree with?
In his work, Newton a Very Short Introduction, Rob Iliffe makes a very good effort at trying to disentangle the man from the myth and to establish which, if any of the criticisms of the man actually held water.
As well as covering Newton's scientific work and research it also touches on his religious philosophies and religious researches and his role as probably one of the last great alchemists.
This book will be of very great interest and value to students who need to find out about Sir Isaac Newton and people who are interested in the biographies of great scientists of the ages.
It is priced at £6.99 ISBN978-0-19-929803-7
Murder at Deviation Junction
Jim Stringer always wanted to be an engine driver but a series of unfortunate events (described in the previous books in the series) robs him of this ambition and ruins his chances of working as an engine driver.
However, he is spotted as a good man with a keen eye and a sharp mind so he becomes a railway policeman, a detective in the force.
It is December in the year of 1909. There is heavy snow in Yorkshire that winter, so it is of no surprise when a train runs smack into a snowdrift and becomes stuck.
What does cause a surprise is when the gang of railworkers who are given the task of clearing the line of snow discover a body hidden at the side of the track.
It should be a simple case, but it all goes terribly, horribly wrong. And Jim's life is put in grave peril.
Why does the case involve a giant steel works?
Who is the murdered man? What connection is there to an exclusive railway dining club that mysteriously and abruptly ceased operating sometime prior to the discovery of the body?
Why does the case interest a reporter from a railway magazine, who seems to know more about the case than he should? And what, exactly, is the reporter so anxious to find?
The novel takes Jim Stringer away from his warm home and his loving wife and child and the familiar surroundings of of the police office at York station to an appointment with a grim and grizzly fate on the be-snowed Scottish Highlands.
But who can Jim Trust? The strange Scottish giant called Small David? The reporter, Bowman?
The novel sets a cracking pace and Andrew Martin paints excellent word pictures to set the scenes of story. So well that you'll swear you can smell the smoke and steam and feel the chill that gnaws at the bones.
The list price is £10.99, but I paid considerably less with Amazon.
ISBN 978-0-571-22965-9
However, he is spotted as a good man with a keen eye and a sharp mind so he becomes a railway policeman, a detective in the force.
It is December in the year of 1909. There is heavy snow in Yorkshire that winter, so it is of no surprise when a train runs smack into a snowdrift and becomes stuck.
What does cause a surprise is when the gang of railworkers who are given the task of clearing the line of snow discover a body hidden at the side of the track.
It should be a simple case, but it all goes terribly, horribly wrong. And Jim's life is put in grave peril.
Why does the case involve a giant steel works?
Who is the murdered man? What connection is there to an exclusive railway dining club that mysteriously and abruptly ceased operating sometime prior to the discovery of the body?
Why does the case interest a reporter from a railway magazine, who seems to know more about the case than he should? And what, exactly, is the reporter so anxious to find?
The novel takes Jim Stringer away from his warm home and his loving wife and child and the familiar surroundings of of the police office at York station to an appointment with a grim and grizzly fate on the be-snowed Scottish Highlands.
But who can Jim Trust? The strange Scottish giant called Small David? The reporter, Bowman?
The novel sets a cracking pace and Andrew Martin paints excellent word pictures to set the scenes of story. So well that you'll swear you can smell the smoke and steam and feel the chill that gnaws at the bones.
The list price is £10.99, but I paid considerably less with Amazon.
ISBN 978-0-571-22965-9
Monday 2 May 2011
Elsie and Mairi Go to War
This book by Diane Atkinson is the story of how two women find themselves working together in a field station so close to the enemy lines in World War 1 Belgium that they were subjected to enemy bombardments and gas attacks and could, at times, see and speak with German soldiers in their positions.
Elsie Knocker was a divorcee and Mairi Chisholm a well-to-do young lady from the Clan Chisholm. Elsie's childhood should have been a relatively prosperous one but circumstances conspired to destroy her young life, whilst Mairi's life was one of comfort and luxury.
What brought them together was a love of motorbikes and motorbike racing. And the need for volunteer ambulance drivers and volunteer nurses in the theatre of war.
It is a story of excitement, adventure, danger, death and misery caused by the first truly industrial scale war that the world has ever seen, of bureaucratic inertia and red tape, of petty jealousies, of ultimately breathtaking betrayal and a friendship forged in the heat of battle and probably destroyed by one careless 'white' lie and what can only be seen as more than one example of high-handed religious and social intolerance and pridefulness.
Diane Atkinson's book is an extremely well researched work, and she is meticulous in citing her sources. It is a very well written account of how two women, often by themselves, and woefully under-resourced, relying on public fund-raising, made a tremendous difference to the lives of soldiers, many of them severely traumatised and badly wounded in the hell that was World War One.
The book also reveals some interesting facts. That, despite later attempts by some authors to whitewash events, stories of German atrocities against French and German civilians and allied troops were not merely allied propaganda and that, pre-World War 1, there was a thriving and growing sub-culture of women's motorcycle racing, in which Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm had both played an active and important part.
The book relates the somewhat different lives of the two women after the war and, sadly, reveals how and why their friendship did not survive the war. It is an unfortunate fact that this does not really reflect well at all on one of the two women.
Published by Preface.
ISBN-13: 978-1848091337
Elsie Knocker was a divorcee and Mairi Chisholm a well-to-do young lady from the Clan Chisholm. Elsie's childhood should have been a relatively prosperous one but circumstances conspired to destroy her young life, whilst Mairi's life was one of comfort and luxury.
What brought them together was a love of motorbikes and motorbike racing. And the need for volunteer ambulance drivers and volunteer nurses in the theatre of war.
It is a story of excitement, adventure, danger, death and misery caused by the first truly industrial scale war that the world has ever seen, of bureaucratic inertia and red tape, of petty jealousies, of ultimately breathtaking betrayal and a friendship forged in the heat of battle and probably destroyed by one careless 'white' lie and what can only be seen as more than one example of high-handed religious and social intolerance and pridefulness.
Diane Atkinson's book is an extremely well researched work, and she is meticulous in citing her sources. It is a very well written account of how two women, often by themselves, and woefully under-resourced, relying on public fund-raising, made a tremendous difference to the lives of soldiers, many of them severely traumatised and badly wounded in the hell that was World War One.
The book also reveals some interesting facts. That, despite later attempts by some authors to whitewash events, stories of German atrocities against French and German civilians and allied troops were not merely allied propaganda and that, pre-World War 1, there was a thriving and growing sub-culture of women's motorcycle racing, in which Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm had both played an active and important part.
The book relates the somewhat different lives of the two women after the war and, sadly, reveals how and why their friendship did not survive the war. It is an unfortunate fact that this does not really reflect well at all on one of the two women.
Published by Preface.
ISBN-13: 978-1848091337
The Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
The Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is the little brother to the better-known Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.
The Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is a small volume, but still found to be stuffed full of useful quotations from the great, the good, the witty, the clever and some ordinary folk who said at least one thing in their life that was memorable enough for someone to write down or record in some way and for other people to say: "Gosh, I wish I had said that!"
The book is 476 pages in length and, although small, is, at 476 pages, quite a well-padded little volume. It is relatively easy to hold, yet I can't help wonder if it could have been just a few centimetres larger? Still, that's a minor quibble and a point that does not, ultimately, detract from the over all enjoyment and usability of this small volume.
The forwards to the first and fourth editions are included and in them the editor Susan Ratcliffe goes some way to explain the purpose of the book.
There is then a list of subjects that the book covers literally from A to Z. (Did you see what I did, there? a rather pointless and only marginally funny pun. Sorry!) From Ability right through to Youth. So in truth, it is not, exactly from A to Z.
Next comes the quotations, followed by a highly useful index of those people who are quoted within the tightly packed work.
There are quotes you will probably be familiar with, quotes which, now you know them, you will remember for the rest of your life and quotes which will serve a purpose in a wedding speech, a magazine article, a college essay or the like.
And for those of us who like to trawl through books like The Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, there are nuggets of pure gold and some that, although being nuggets of pure gold, are poignant and somewhat ironic.
For example in the section The Body artist, art lecturer and musician Ian Drury is quoted as saying:
"The leg, a source of much delight,
which carries weight and governs height,"
had problems with his legs due to suffering polio as a child. He sometimes had to take to the stage wearing leg irons in order to support his limb when it was particularly bad. (A minor point is that Susan Ratcliffe lists Drury as a British rock singer. He was, of course, much more than that!)
Also, we find that the Eton Boating Song lyrics were written by English poet William Cory.
There's a poem about entrails by poet Connie Bensley and you can find the source of the saying about 'death and taxes.'
The Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is a fantastic little book and will make an ideal gift for the student, the author, journalists or anyone who uses words in their day to day life. Well, just about anyone, I suppose.
The published price is £9.99 ($15.95 USA) but will be available for much less on Amazon.
The ISBN is 978-0-19-954330-4.
The Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is a small volume, but still found to be stuffed full of useful quotations from the great, the good, the witty, the clever and some ordinary folk who said at least one thing in their life that was memorable enough for someone to write down or record in some way and for other people to say: "Gosh, I wish I had said that!"
The book is 476 pages in length and, although small, is, at 476 pages, quite a well-padded little volume. It is relatively easy to hold, yet I can't help wonder if it could have been just a few centimetres larger? Still, that's a minor quibble and a point that does not, ultimately, detract from the over all enjoyment and usability of this small volume.
The forwards to the first and fourth editions are included and in them the editor Susan Ratcliffe goes some way to explain the purpose of the book.
There is then a list of subjects that the book covers literally from A to Z. (Did you see what I did, there? a rather pointless and only marginally funny pun. Sorry!) From Ability right through to Youth. So in truth, it is not, exactly from A to Z.
Next comes the quotations, followed by a highly useful index of those people who are quoted within the tightly packed work.
There are quotes you will probably be familiar with, quotes which, now you know them, you will remember for the rest of your life and quotes which will serve a purpose in a wedding speech, a magazine article, a college essay or the like.
And for those of us who like to trawl through books like The Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, there are nuggets of pure gold and some that, although being nuggets of pure gold, are poignant and somewhat ironic.
For example in the section The Body artist, art lecturer and musician Ian Drury is quoted as saying:
"The leg, a source of much delight,
which carries weight and governs height,"
had problems with his legs due to suffering polio as a child. He sometimes had to take to the stage wearing leg irons in order to support his limb when it was particularly bad. (A minor point is that Susan Ratcliffe lists Drury as a British rock singer. He was, of course, much more than that!)
Also, we find that the Eton Boating Song lyrics were written by English poet William Cory.
There's a poem about entrails by poet Connie Bensley and you can find the source of the saying about 'death and taxes.'
The Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is a fantastic little book and will make an ideal gift for the student, the author, journalists or anyone who uses words in their day to day life. Well, just about anyone, I suppose.
The published price is £9.99 ($15.95 USA) but will be available for much less on Amazon.
The ISBN is 978-0-19-954330-4.
African History a Very Short Introduction
African History a Very Short Introduction, is a book in the "a Very Short Introduction" series of books from the Oxford University Press.
African History a Very Short Introduction, by John Parker and Richard Rathbone is a very interesting book.
The authors themselves point out that their task would be a difficult one. After all, it is known, or widely accepted, at any rate, that mankind originated in Africa some time ago. Some experts say 6,000,000 years ago. So... a history on that scale would be a stupendous and most daunting task!
The authors ask many interesting questions. What, exactly, is history? Can the Westernised idea of what history is be transferred to Africa? The authors do raise the very interesting point about oral histories, which are an important part of the cultures of many civilisations, including those in Africa who still value the old ways.
The book also deals with the concept of slavery and wonders if, as part of the history of Africa, the history of slaves and their descendants living in -for example, America- should be included in the history of Africa? An interesting concept, which the authors do not take very far. When I read this point in the book I realised if this were to be taken literally, as mankind originated in Africa and then populated the Earth, surely the whole 6,000,000 years of the history of the world's population should be considered as part of the history of Africa?
The book, for its size, is profusely illustrated with photographs, drawings and maps, all of which are very helpful to bring them to life.
Sadly, what history is related is that of cultural genocide, greed, indifference, hostility from outsiders and problems caused by the interference of people who thought they knew best.
It is a thoughtful and though-provoking little work which will be idea for students of the history of Africa (both ancient and modern) and there is an extremely useful guide to further reading on the subject.
The book is £6.99 the ISBN is 978-0-19-280248-4.
Horrible Histories the Mad Miscellany
Horrible Histories the Mad Miscellany is another of the excellent books in the Horrible Histories library of books.
The book is precisely what it says it is: A distinctly dotty sort of a book which contains many and varied pieces of historical facts and information.
The book is separated into 31 different sections. Although the last section is a disclaimer which points out several key facts, such as an item in the book that is, in fact, a fiction, not a faction (sorry...) and there is also a very handy index, too.
What do we learn from Horrible Histories the Mad Miscellany? That the Romans used entire packs of attack dogs, which were dressed in canine suits of armour and then let off to do battle. Now, I must admit, I hadn't known that!
There's a section on gruesome games. It also helpfully points out why Romans called foreigners barbarians. Which I think I'd heard before, but can't swear to it.
It gives a page to the Roman gladiators, with each different type of gladiator illustrated with a very helpful line drawing. For those of us who believed that a 'gladiator is a gladiator' the news that there were, in point of fact, twelve different types or classes of gladiators might come as something of a surprise!
Pirates and their parrots also get their own section, as do some rather remarkable pirate flags. Some like those of Calico Jack and Henry Every both being variations on the traditional skull and crossbones, looked rather menacing, whilst others (Black Beard, for one) looked faintly risible, to be honest.
Also included is a remarkable set of rules by which pirates lived. Apparently the musicians on pirate ships were allowed Sundays as a day of rest. (Who knew pirate ships had musicians?)
There are also sections on historical hangings, murders and assassinations including the somewhat unsporting way that the Vikings dealt with Edmund, King of England. Although not mentioned in the book, I believe they performed the Blood Eagle on him. (Just check it out on Google...)
There's also duels that were deadly or dull, or sometimes both, and duels involving duelling women.
Historically greedy people are listed and seems to include mostly Roman Emperors. Funny, that!
There's also a section on medical matters including the cure for the common cold from the Middle Ages which called for mustard and onions to be inserted in the nose.
There's also a section of historically interesting rhymes including one about the Kaiser, and one about the murderer Mary Ann Cotton.
The book costs £9.99 from the Scholastic Press (ISBN 0-439-96803-8).
The Blackpool High Flyer
Driving or firing the Blackpool High Flyer was a plum job. The train went cross country from Yorkshire right through Lancashire to the North West coast of England, and the town of Blackpool.
But this was to be no ordinary journey. Jim Stringer, the steam detective, had thought that with his return from London, all the dangers and problems of being a railway detective were long gone and all in the past. But fate had different ideas!
It is only the quick reactions of Clive, the driver, that stopped a terrible catastrophe. Someone had left a millstone on the railway line. And one of the 512 passengers on the Whit Sunday Excursion Train to Blackpool dies as a result of the crash. Or did she die as a result of the crash? How, exactly, did she die? And who would have had a motive to kill her?
Was there a connection with the works outing that was taking place on the train? And if there was, what was the connection?
Jim Stringer thought that it was too much of a coincidence for the millstone to be placed on the track and for just one passenger out of 512 people on board to have died.
But how can Jim Stringer, now a former railway policeman, back in his more normal role of being an engine fireman, find out what had actually transpired?
If the same person had caused the death of the woman, how could they also have been responsible for the placing of the millstone on the railway line? And for what reason would they have wanted the woman passenger dead and what possible motive could they have had for placing the millstone on the railway line?
And who is it that means to see that this will be the last case that Jim Stringer, steam detective, will ever investigate? Are they linked to the mysterious person who left the millstone on the railway line? Or the person who had murdered the woman, if they were not the same person? Or is there another reason that Jim Stringer's life is in danger?
This is a very satisfying mystery novel as it does contain several concurrent mysteries. And all is certainly not what it seems!
It is written by Andrew Martin and published by Faber and Faber, the paperback version costs £7.99.
It is written by Andrew Martin and published by Faber and Faber, the paperback version costs £7.99.
Where on Earth Can I...?
Where on Earth Can I...? tells you where you can do lots of different, interesting things, all over the world.
It is a fascinating book as it gives you many interesting and fantastic ideas of places you can go and visit and wondrous things that you can do in many different parts of the world.
It is separated into five different chapters. These are:
Natural Wonders
Animal Kingdom
Thrills and Adventures
Great Creations
Out of this World Experiences
Animal Kingdom
Thrills and Adventures
Great Creations
Out of this World Experiences
There is then a further section on useful travel links, including a list of potentially useful websites.
Although the book is about fantastic and wondrous places you can visit and the exciting things you can do whilst you are there, the really curious thing is that there is not one illustration in the entire book! No photographs! Not even a single, solitary line drawing!
Although the book is about fantastic and wondrous places you can visit and the exciting things you can do whilst you are there, the really curious thing is that there is not one illustration in the entire book! No photographs! Not even a single, solitary line drawing!
Even though one of the places to visit is described as being: "particularly photogenic". I am sorry, we, the readers, just wouldn't know about that. We haven't seen it, so do not know.
And there is a somewhat puzzling and bizarre omission in a book which is a travel guide. For although the author tells us of the excitement, the wonder and the joy of visiting or participating in -for example- an ancient goldmine, joining the running of the bulls, taking a tree top walk in Australia, staying in a rainforest reserve, seeing a synchronised firefly display, flying in a World War 2 Spitfire, visiting castles, or various film locations, dining in an underwater restaurant, etc., etc., the author -inexcusably, in my opinion, omits to mention the exact locations of these places, opening hours, booking information or even the contact details!
It's a curious book, interesting, but the rather shocking omissions will stop it from becoming a great book and a standard work for travellers, which is a pity.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary was not the first attempt at creating a dictionary of the English language, but it was the first serious attempt by someone who was a skilled lexicographer.
It was first published in the year of 1755. This new, latest edition, is not the full version, it is a special edited version produced by Jack Lynch, with selected highlights from the original work.
It was first published in the year of 1755. This new, latest edition, is not the full version, it is a special edited version produced by Jack Lynch, with selected highlights from the original work.
The original publication was 2,300 pages of definitions of words published in two volumes. So useful was it that it remained the definitive dictionary of English for at last 150 to 200 years. The Jack Lynch version is considerably smaller, one volume with only 646 pages.
The book starts with an introduction from Steven Leveen, the president of the Levnger Press, which explains why they decided to publish a new edition of the dictionary. There is also a fulsome three quarter page of acknowledgements from Jack Lynch, followed by 22 pages of introduction from Jack Lynch, including some basic guidelines of how to actually read the dictionary.
There is then a re-print of the original preface by Samuel Johnson, which goes much of the way to describe how and why he decided to take upon himself this Honorius responsibility to create THE English dictionary.
However, people must not form the conclusion that the dictionary only contains English words. There are numerous cross-references to Greek, Latin, French, Welsh, etc, throughout the dictionary, to help explain the derivation of the word in question.
The dictionary also has many words that are long gone from most people's everyday English. In fact some were heading a gentle decline even in the time of Dr Johnson himself.
The dictionary also has many words that are long gone from most people's everyday English. In fact some were heading a gentle decline even in the time of Dr Johnson himself.
As well as giving the definition of a word, Johnson also gave examples of it in use in literature, poetry, etc. A method still employed to this day in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Also we can see that some words have changed their usage over the year. For example, cadger meant a huckster, a person who brings butter, eggs, and from the market. We now have a totally meaning for that word.
To Cabbage was a slang (cant) word amongst taylors (sic) which meant to steal in cutting clothes.
To Cabbage was a slang (cant) word amongst taylors (sic) which meant to steal in cutting clothes.
I was intrigued to note that go-cart was included, though the description was somewhat different from the modern go-cart: "A machine in which children are inclosed (sic) to teach them to walk, and which they push forward without danger of falling."
There are other words that are no longer common, more's the pity! Belly-timber for food, and buffleheaded a man with a large head or someone who is dull and stupid.
Jack Lynch includes a bibliography and index, suggested reading material, etc.
In the UK it is published in hardback by Atlantic Press and costs £19.99.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)