The Forest of Kings is a large and well-illustrated tale. Appropriately it is published by Far Far Away Books, as it is a story set in a time of long, long ago.
It is set in France in 1468. It is a story of love and of loss, of valiant knights of the old Royal Court of France.
It is also a story of friendships and of duties, of honour of kings and the love of a little boy and his friend, the fox.
It is a story for reading to your little ones and will make a wonderful Christmas present. Visit www.farfarawaybooks.com for details.
Book review blog site, with some entertainment material from time-to-time.
Sunday 27 November 2011
Harry Potter - A Christian Chronicle?
Foreword by Christina Rees
Written by Sonia Falaschi-Ray
£9.99
Paperback
978-1-84624-681-4
This is a positive Christian slant on the ever-popular teenage wizard, Harry Potter.
Ever since their earliest publication, controversy has surrounded the Harry Potter books in religious circles, with many believing that they promote un-Christian values and might encourage children to explore and even become involved with the occult.
Church of England priest Sonia Falaschi-Ray believes quite the opposite to be true, and in Harry Potter: A Christian Chronicle she makes a compelling case for the books as enshrining, upholding and promoting Christian morality and spiritual truth.
The book includes a comprehensive study guide, which allows readers to delve deeper into the Christian parallels and symbolism contained in Harry Potter, and by doing so deepen their own knowledge of the Bible and themselves.
Whether you are a practising Christian, a Harry Potter fan, or both, this absorbing little book guarantees to entertain and provoke valuable debate.
The Reverend Sonia Falaschi-Ray is a priest in the Church of England, ministering in and around Cambridge. She graduated in Theology & Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge and studies for the ministry at Ridley Hall Anglican Theological Training College. She lives in Barkway, Hertfordshire with her husband John and their golden retriever, Quintus.
The author was originally a high-flying financial analyst in the city, before receiving her calling and becoming a female minister.
The book is said to be a balanced and positive Christian view of the hugely popular Harry Potter franchise
www.bookguild.co.uk
Written by Sonia Falaschi-Ray
£9.99
Paperback
978-1-84624-681-4
This is a positive Christian slant on the ever-popular teenage wizard, Harry Potter.
Ever since their earliest publication, controversy has surrounded the Harry Potter books in religious circles, with many believing that they promote un-Christian values and might encourage children to explore and even become involved with the occult.
Church of England priest Sonia Falaschi-Ray believes quite the opposite to be true, and in Harry Potter: A Christian Chronicle she makes a compelling case for the books as enshrining, upholding and promoting Christian morality and spiritual truth.
The book includes a comprehensive study guide, which allows readers to delve deeper into the Christian parallels and symbolism contained in Harry Potter, and by doing so deepen their own knowledge of the Bible and themselves.
Whether you are a practising Christian, a Harry Potter fan, or both, this absorbing little book guarantees to entertain and provoke valuable debate.
The Reverend Sonia Falaschi-Ray is a priest in the Church of England, ministering in and around Cambridge. She graduated in Theology & Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge and studies for the ministry at Ridley Hall Anglican Theological Training College. She lives in Barkway, Hertfordshire with her husband John and their golden retriever, Quintus.
The author was originally a high-flying financial analyst in the city, before receiving her calling and becoming a female minister.
The book is said to be a balanced and positive Christian view of the hugely popular Harry Potter franchise
www.bookguild.co.uk
A Heart For Africa By Moira Cooke
What makes an African person? Do they have to have black skin, to have been born there, or to have had African parents? None of which incidentally apply to Moira Cooke, author of ‘A Heart for Africa’.
Being an African person means being tough when faced with situations, like the time an orphaned girl of eight asked Moira if she would be her mother. It means making tough decisions, like why the Tanworth Starfish Fund, the charity run by the Cookes, can pick up this particular starfish but not that one. It means knowing how to react when a wrinkled old villager, or a prisoner on a manslaughter charge, or a community desperate for a school, a clinic and a borehole says, and with absolute conviction, “God has sent you to us!”
Yet, as the title suggests, you have to have a real heart for the place in order to keep going back and back to a continent where there is so much suffering and where, what charity workers like Moira and husband Robert achieve, may at times seem like no more than a drop in the ocean of human suffering
Yet this, Moira’s second book, is no dreary tale of hardship and poverty. Nor is it simply a liturgy of praise for the charity work the Cookes have done in both rural and urban Zambia. Rather it is a warts and all look at life in twenty-first century Zambia.
Think of the insight of Alexander McCall Smith combined with the adventurous spirit of Bill Bryson, and a dash of the passion of Karen Blixen to season the mix. If you enjoyed Moira’s first book, ‘Bwanakula Thandi’, then this second book, telling the story of the rest of the Starfish projects in Zambia, is a more than worthy follow up.
Read about Mr Banda, as slippery a head teacher as you’re ever likely to encounter. Empathise with pint-sized George, the ex high court judge now become chef, who sees off the white opposition. And laugh and cry along with Mr Chipotyo, the size of whose personality is perhaps only surpassed by the size of his glasses. Above all, muddle through with the Cookes as they work out what to do with the gift of a live and kicking goat or get stranded for five hours out in rural Zambia.
‘Moira has an engaging and pacey style of writing, as well as being moving, interesting and thought provoking. ‘A Heart for Africa’ is entertaining too and well worth a read. I know I bought it!’ Val Jennings Team Times November 2011.
An extract from A Heart for Africa is available to read at www.authorsonline.co.uk
Being an African person means being tough when faced with situations, like the time an orphaned girl of eight asked Moira if she would be her mother. It means making tough decisions, like why the Tanworth Starfish Fund, the charity run by the Cookes, can pick up this particular starfish but not that one. It means knowing how to react when a wrinkled old villager, or a prisoner on a manslaughter charge, or a community desperate for a school, a clinic and a borehole says, and with absolute conviction, “God has sent you to us!”
Yet, as the title suggests, you have to have a real heart for the place in order to keep going back and back to a continent where there is so much suffering and where, what charity workers like Moira and husband Robert achieve, may at times seem like no more than a drop in the ocean of human suffering
Yet this, Moira’s second book, is no dreary tale of hardship and poverty. Nor is it simply a liturgy of praise for the charity work the Cookes have done in both rural and urban Zambia. Rather it is a warts and all look at life in twenty-first century Zambia.
Think of the insight of Alexander McCall Smith combined with the adventurous spirit of Bill Bryson, and a dash of the passion of Karen Blixen to season the mix. If you enjoyed Moira’s first book, ‘Bwanakula Thandi’, then this second book, telling the story of the rest of the Starfish projects in Zambia, is a more than worthy follow up.
Read about Mr Banda, as slippery a head teacher as you’re ever likely to encounter. Empathise with pint-sized George, the ex high court judge now become chef, who sees off the white opposition. And laugh and cry along with Mr Chipotyo, the size of whose personality is perhaps only surpassed by the size of his glasses. Above all, muddle through with the Cookes as they work out what to do with the gift of a live and kicking goat or get stranded for five hours out in rural Zambia.
‘Moira has an engaging and pacey style of writing, as well as being moving, interesting and thought provoking. ‘A Heart for Africa’ is entertaining too and well worth a read. I know I bought it!’ Val Jennings Team Times November 2011.
An extract from A Heart for Africa is available to read at www.authorsonline.co.uk
The Lawyer Who Couldn't Sit Still By Michael Simmons
The jetsetting adventures of a well-travelled legal professional
Hardback
£16.99
978-1-84624-630-2
In this absorbing biography, Michael Simmons takes us on a journey through his long, colourful legal career, spanning some 50 years and almost as many countries. From his early years practising in the City of London to his travels - for business, pleasure and often both - to Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and America, The Lawyer Who Couldn't Sit Still is packed with humour, wit and deep insight into the ways and wiles of the legal profession, which inevitably holds a mirror up to human nature itself.
Whether you are a lawyer, incurable traveller, both or neither, the author's breezy style and gift for conjuring up far-away sights, sounds and cultures make this book a true delight from start to finish.
After graduating from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Michael Simmons began a long and fruitful career as a lawyer, which as this book attests, took him all over the world. He remains a non-practising consultant at his current firm, and in his capacity as a management consultant, legal journalist and writer has delivered lectures to fellow professionals worldwide. He lives in London W14.
Sharply observed and appealingly compact biography by a leading lawyer with 50 years experience
Will appeal to anyone with an interest in law, and also the armchair traveller. Will make an ideal Christmas gift.
Revelations about his many interesting clients, including hoteliers in Africa, a prince in Dubai and a rock star in Sardinia
www.bookguild.co.uk
Hardback
£16.99
978-1-84624-630-2
In this absorbing biography, Michael Simmons takes us on a journey through his long, colourful legal career, spanning some 50 years and almost as many countries. From his early years practising in the City of London to his travels - for business, pleasure and often both - to Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and America, The Lawyer Who Couldn't Sit Still is packed with humour, wit and deep insight into the ways and wiles of the legal profession, which inevitably holds a mirror up to human nature itself.
Whether you are a lawyer, incurable traveller, both or neither, the author's breezy style and gift for conjuring up far-away sights, sounds and cultures make this book a true delight from start to finish.
After graduating from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Michael Simmons began a long and fruitful career as a lawyer, which as this book attests, took him all over the world. He remains a non-practising consultant at his current firm, and in his capacity as a management consultant, legal journalist and writer has delivered lectures to fellow professionals worldwide. He lives in London W14.
Sharply observed and appealingly compact biography by a leading lawyer with 50 years experience
Will appeal to anyone with an interest in law, and also the armchair traveller. Will make an ideal Christmas gift.
Revelations about his many interesting clients, including hoteliers in Africa, a prince in Dubai and a rock star in Sardinia
www.bookguild.co.uk
Findus at Chirstmas by Sven Nordqvist
It's Chirstmas Eve Eve, you know, the day before Christmas Eve?
It's a very busy time for Pettson and Findus his talking cat.
But when Pettson has an accident and sprains his ankle, what will Findus and Pettson do now?
How would they be able to celebrate a traditional Christmas? Because without a tree, without any ham and without any meatballs and without any gingerbread, they could have no Christmas!
The normally resourceful pair are close to giving up the idea of any Christmas celebrations of any kind at all, when something truly remarkable begins to happen.
Because suddenly, there is a knock at the door. And with that simple knock at the door starts a really heart-warming story of how Christmas can really bring out the best in cats and people!
Sven Nordqvist is one of the most popular children's authors and illustrators in Sweden, with over 6 million copies of his books sold, having been translated into 44 languages.
Having read Findus at Christmas, it is easy to see why. It is a magical and enchanting book and at £10.99 it should grace the stockings of many young children this Christmas.
It is part of the Findus and Pettson Series of books and is published by the Hawthorn Press.
This book is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and perhaps a tear to your eyes, as it is such a beautiful story.
It's a very busy time for Pettson and Findus his talking cat.
But when Pettson has an accident and sprains his ankle, what will Findus and Pettson do now?
How would they be able to celebrate a traditional Christmas? Because without a tree, without any ham and without any meatballs and without any gingerbread, they could have no Christmas!
The normally resourceful pair are close to giving up the idea of any Christmas celebrations of any kind at all, when something truly remarkable begins to happen.
Because suddenly, there is a knock at the door. And with that simple knock at the door starts a really heart-warming story of how Christmas can really bring out the best in cats and people!
Sven Nordqvist is one of the most popular children's authors and illustrators in Sweden, with over 6 million copies of his books sold, having been translated into 44 languages.
Having read Findus at Christmas, it is easy to see why. It is a magical and enchanting book and at £10.99 it should grace the stockings of many young children this Christmas.
It is part of the Findus and Pettson Series of books and is published by the Hawthorn Press.
This book is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and perhaps a tear to your eyes, as it is such a beautiful story.
Anya - A Thriller Based In The Shady World Of Car Dealers
Anya by R J DeLittle
Paperback £9.99
Anya is a complex, multi-themed thriller based in the milieu of an historic car dealership.
Vintage cars, beautiful women and a thriving business - Rick Manners has them all. He owns a successful historic car dealership, which runs smoothly with the help of his loyal Girl Friday, Sam Warrenne, and his raunchy good looks ensure he's never without a girlfriend. But when Rick meets the stunning Anya, he can't help wondering if she could be the one - and as Sam falls in love with aristocratic Bugatti owner Bruno Thierry, it looks as if each of them has found the perfect match.
But the discovery of a neglected Mercedes in a French barn sparks a series of shocking events, as long-buried race hatred is kindled and Rick and Sam's idyll is shattered by a burglary, a stalker - and someone with the drive to commit murder.
R J de Little has worked as a professional investor and company director, while indulging his passion for vintage and veteran cars. He owns and runs eight historic cars, the oldest dating from 1898. He lives in a converted Victorian gas works in Bolney, Sussex with a 27-foot windmill in the garden. Windmills are another passion in his life, and he has published several books about them and their history
A wealth of technical detail will delight historic-car enthusiasts and racing fans. It is reported that the film rights have been optioned.
The book is published by The Book Guild. www.bookguild.co.uk
Paperback £9.99
Anya is a complex, multi-themed thriller based in the milieu of an historic car dealership.
Vintage cars, beautiful women and a thriving business - Rick Manners has them all. He owns a successful historic car dealership, which runs smoothly with the help of his loyal Girl Friday, Sam Warrenne, and his raunchy good looks ensure he's never without a girlfriend. But when Rick meets the stunning Anya, he can't help wondering if she could be the one - and as Sam falls in love with aristocratic Bugatti owner Bruno Thierry, it looks as if each of them has found the perfect match.
But the discovery of a neglected Mercedes in a French barn sparks a series of shocking events, as long-buried race hatred is kindled and Rick and Sam's idyll is shattered by a burglary, a stalker - and someone with the drive to commit murder.
R J de Little has worked as a professional investor and company director, while indulging his passion for vintage and veteran cars. He owns and runs eight historic cars, the oldest dating from 1898. He lives in a converted Victorian gas works in Bolney, Sussex with a 27-foot windmill in the garden. Windmills are another passion in his life, and he has published several books about them and their history
A wealth of technical detail will delight historic-car enthusiasts and racing fans. It is reported that the film rights have been optioned.
The book is published by The Book Guild. www.bookguild.co.uk
Saturday 26 November 2011
Fashions In Eyeglasses By Richard Corson
Fashions In Eyeglasses is the most comprehensive history of eyewear ever to be published in English, now reissued in an enlarged, updated edition.
Richard Corson worked extensively in the theatre and his Fashions books have long been regarded as definitive works, Fashions In Hair and Fashions In Make-Up also being published by Peter Owen.
This fully revised and updated work, available for the first time since the eighties, is an indispensable sourcebook for anyone who works in fashion or theatre, as well as being a fascinating journey through time for the historian and general reader alike.
Beginning with the Italian cardinal who riveted two magnifying lenses together, the story progresses to include spyglasses, opera glasses, monocles, Morrissey's N.H.S. specs, Sven's Armanis, and much more. . .
Fully illustrated with over 100 illustrations and plates, Fashions In Eyeglasses is sure to attain the status of Corson's other invaluable and indispensable book.
www.peterowen.com
Publication date: 15th December 2011
Coming March 2012, 'Food You Can't Say No To' By Tamasin Day-Lewis
This irresistible book is packed with recipes for food you just can't say 'no' to. When we are presented with such indulgent food, we inevitably succumb and ask for a second helping.
Here is a book filled with good things, some of which you will find familiar but with an original twist, others are entirely new and exciting. Some are special purely because of their unabashed simplicity, using a few of the very best ingredients and are disarmingly easy to perfect. Tamasin's philosophy is all about making the most of foods, especially ingredients in season, rather than spending extravagantly.
If you're in need of inspiring new supper ideas, try the Roquefort, celery, potato, red onion and walnut pie; or a comforting Salmon and scallop chowder, smokey with bacon and flecked with tarragon; or uplifting Potato gnocchi with spring asparagus, tomatoes, green olives and mascarpone. Resist, if you can, a light whisked Sponge topped with vanilla and lemon scented mascarpone and yogurt. This is food you will enjoy cooking: effortless but special, indulgent yet practical, totally, utterly irresistible.
FACTFILE:
Tamasin Day-Lewis is an inspirational food writer with a wonderfully refreshing style. In her own words, she writes 'for people who appreciate good food, for people of all skills'. Tamasin contributes regularly for English and American Vogue, Saveur, Stella (The Telegraph Magazine), Sainsbury's Magazine, Waitrose Food Illustrated and Reader's Digest.
She has also written a host of successful cookbooks, including Supper for a Song (Quadrille, 2009). She has also produced and directed many television documentaries and appeared in two television series entitles Tamasin's Weekends and Great British Dishes.
The book will be published by Quadrille.
Here is a book filled with good things, some of which you will find familiar but with an original twist, others are entirely new and exciting. Some are special purely because of their unabashed simplicity, using a few of the very best ingredients and are disarmingly easy to perfect. Tamasin's philosophy is all about making the most of foods, especially ingredients in season, rather than spending extravagantly.
If you're in need of inspiring new supper ideas, try the Roquefort, celery, potato, red onion and walnut pie; or a comforting Salmon and scallop chowder, smokey with bacon and flecked with tarragon; or uplifting Potato gnocchi with spring asparagus, tomatoes, green olives and mascarpone. Resist, if you can, a light whisked Sponge topped with vanilla and lemon scented mascarpone and yogurt. This is food you will enjoy cooking: effortless but special, indulgent yet practical, totally, utterly irresistible.
FACTFILE:
Tamasin Day-Lewis is an inspirational food writer with a wonderfully refreshing style. In her own words, she writes 'for people who appreciate good food, for people of all skills'. Tamasin contributes regularly for English and American Vogue, Saveur, Stella (The Telegraph Magazine), Sainsbury's Magazine, Waitrose Food Illustrated and Reader's Digest.
She has also written a host of successful cookbooks, including Supper for a Song (Quadrille, 2009). She has also produced and directed many television documentaries and appeared in two television series entitles Tamasin's Weekends and Great British Dishes.
The book will be published by Quadrille.
Love Music, Love Food - The Rock Star Cookbook
There are two things that could make the world a better place - food and music - and this exclusive project combines them with a unique collection of portraits of musicians with their favourite food or drink.The original, dramatic portraits command attention and the complex creativity of each is absorbing. Marrying musical talent with passion for food, each portrait is accompanied by an interview with the artist, and for each major artist a personalised recipe has been created.
Over 60 musicians are featured, each driven by their support for Teenage Cancer Trust and their wish to collaborate on this fascinating book. From rock legends to emerging artists, an incredible spectrum of musicians reveal their passionate engagement with a favourite - and often unexpected - food. Who would have predicted Sophie Ellis Bextor's obsession with fish and chips? Or Siouxsie Sioux' with beans on toast? For Brandon Flowers it is Pastor Tacos and Elotes, while Alex Kapranos has a passion for beetroot and Noel Gallagher for Yorkshire tea!
As Heston Blumenthal says in his Foreword, other people's food memories are fascinating, not least the food nostalgia expressed here by icons of the contemporary music world. Glamorous, insightful and addictive, this book makes connections between the worlds of music, food and photography and provides a true feast for the eye.
The Photographer
Patrice de Villiers has developed a unique style and approach to food photography which is now in demand world wide. Her first commission as a photographer, having trodden the assisting boards full time for two years, was for The Sunday Times food page shooting a year long series of food. Concentrating on editorial & advertising projects for a diverse range of clients from Selfridges to images for state of the art hotels in Las Vegas to illustrating racing driver's breakfast's for Formula One Magazine, her iconic imagery is also available to buy through Saatchi Gallery Online. Awards include the prestigious Glenfiddich trophy for the weekly series illustrating the recipes of Heston Blumenthal in The Sunday Times World's Best Food Photographer and medals from the Association of Photographers for various editorial pieces.
Love Music, Love Food - The Rock Star Cookbook. Available now at £30.00.
Photography and Concept - Patrice de Villiers
Interviews by Andrew Harrison
Recipes by Sarah Muir
For more details of Love Music, Love Food go to: www.lovemusiclovefood.org
For more details of Teenage Cancer Trust, please go to:
www.teenagecancertrust.org.
Phillipa Knickerbocker Glory And The Ice Cream Castle By Sarahjane Funnell
Published by Gibson Publishing
Price: £6.99
Available: Monday 26th March 2012 from Waterstones and other leading book stores
Phillipa Knickerbocker Glory is a beautifully illustrated children's picture book targeted towards the 3-6-age range and is the debut picture book by published Children's Author Sarahjane Funnell.
Phillipa loves ice cream. She loves ice cream almost as much as she loves her pet cat Little Miss Whiskers. Little Miss Whiskers is her fluffy white cat with a purple collar and bell. She doesn't like ice cream at all but loves nothing more than to curl up into a ball and fall fast asleep on the end of Phillipa's bed.
One day Phillipa Knickerbocker Glory and Little Miss Whiskers embark on a deliciously exciting journey. Through a secret tunnel, they enter a magical dreamland where they find the Ice Cream Castle and discover every flavour of ice cream imaginable. The Ice Cream Castle seems like a dream come true but will it be just how Phillipa imagined? With all that ice cream, will she and Little Miss Whiskers ever want to go home?
Find out just what happens in this deliciously delightful adventure...
Price: £6.99
Available: Monday 26th March 2012 from Waterstones and other leading book stores
Phillipa Knickerbocker Glory is a beautifully illustrated children's picture book targeted towards the 3-6-age range and is the debut picture book by published Children's Author Sarahjane Funnell.
Phillipa loves ice cream. She loves ice cream almost as much as she loves her pet cat Little Miss Whiskers. Little Miss Whiskers is her fluffy white cat with a purple collar and bell. She doesn't like ice cream at all but loves nothing more than to curl up into a ball and fall fast asleep on the end of Phillipa's bed.
One day Phillipa Knickerbocker Glory and Little Miss Whiskers embark on a deliciously exciting journey. Through a secret tunnel, they enter a magical dreamland where they find the Ice Cream Castle and discover every flavour of ice cream imaginable. The Ice Cream Castle seems like a dream come true but will it be just how Phillipa imagined? With all that ice cream, will she and Little Miss Whiskers ever want to go home?
Find out just what happens in this deliciously delightful adventure...
The Man who Planted Trees
The Man Who Planted Trees is a thoroughly enchanting book by Jean Giono. The book is charmingly illustrated by Vanessa Capela.
Who was Jean Giono? He was born in 1895 to an ordinary family of somewhat modest means in Manosque, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in France.
He started working in a bank when he became 16, but he continued with his deep and abiding passion for reading the great classical works of literature.
At the outbreak of the Great War he left the bank as he was called up for military duty.
The dreadful suffering he witnessed during his time during that terrible war turned him into a life-long pacifist.
A year after the end of the war, 1919, he returned to his duties at the bank. Within a year he had married a childhood sweetheart and together they had two children.
Success as a novelist came to him when, in 1929, he published his first novel, Colline. A year later he left the bank, this time for good, concentrating on writing full-time.
He went on to write 30 novels, numerous stories and essays.
The book for which he is probably best known for outside his native France is this book, The Man Who Planted Trees.
It's a charming, optimistic and hopeful story which relates how a man brings a deserted valley back to life by simply planting trees in it.
It reflects the lifelong love that he had of the natural world and his concerns pre-date the fashionable green movement by many decades.
This book is a masterpiece of storytelling. It is another book I shall recommend as a Christmas present.
You simply must read this book. As for me? I think I shall plant a tree, or three... In fact, if your buy this book, a tree has already been planted for you.
It is published by Far Away books www.farfarawaybooks.com
Who was Jean Giono? He was born in 1895 to an ordinary family of somewhat modest means in Manosque, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in France.
He started working in a bank when he became 16, but he continued with his deep and abiding passion for reading the great classical works of literature.
At the outbreak of the Great War he left the bank as he was called up for military duty.
The dreadful suffering he witnessed during his time during that terrible war turned him into a life-long pacifist.
A year after the end of the war, 1919, he returned to his duties at the bank. Within a year he had married a childhood sweetheart and together they had two children.
Success as a novelist came to him when, in 1929, he published his first novel, Colline. A year later he left the bank, this time for good, concentrating on writing full-time.
He went on to write 30 novels, numerous stories and essays.
The book for which he is probably best known for outside his native France is this book, The Man Who Planted Trees.
It's a charming, optimistic and hopeful story which relates how a man brings a deserted valley back to life by simply planting trees in it.
It reflects the lifelong love that he had of the natural world and his concerns pre-date the fashionable green movement by many decades.
This book is a masterpiece of storytelling. It is another book I shall recommend as a Christmas present.
You simply must read this book. As for me? I think I shall plant a tree, or three... In fact, if your buy this book, a tree has already been planted for you.
It is published by Far Away books www.farfarawaybooks.com
The Three Little Pigs, retold
The Three Little Pigs is here retold and illustrated by Little Red Riding Hood.
See The Three Little Pigs as you have probably never quite envisioned them, as they meet the challenges from the Big Bad Wolf who wants to eat the three little pigs all up!
It's all here, the foolish pig, who builds a house of straw, the not particularly smart little pig who builds a house of sticks and the rather clever little pig who builds a far more substantial house of bricks.
It is published (piglished?) in hardback by Far Far Away Books the ISBN is 978-989-8441-00-3.
The book is part of the Plant for the Planet series a Billion Tree Campaign aided by the UN Environment Programme. So when you buy this book, you are planting a tree.
www.farfarawaybooks.com
The cost quoted on the website is $15.00 + $3.00 postage.
See The Three Little Pigs as you have probably never quite envisioned them, as they meet the challenges from the Big Bad Wolf who wants to eat the three little pigs all up!
It's all here, the foolish pig, who builds a house of straw, the not particularly smart little pig who builds a house of sticks and the rather clever little pig who builds a far more substantial house of bricks.
It is published (piglished?) in hardback by Far Far Away Books the ISBN is 978-989-8441-00-3.
The book is part of the Plant for the Planet series a Billion Tree Campaign aided by the UN Environment Programme. So when you buy this book, you are planting a tree.
www.farfarawaybooks.com
The cost quoted on the website is $15.00 + $3.00 postage.
Deep Water. A Cate Carlisle Files novel
Cate Carlisle receives a worried and, to be honest, rather frantic phone call from her boyfriend Michael in Australia.
Michael is working at a special marine sanctuary that, for no known reason, has become over-run with sharks. But these are no ordinary sharks. They are hyper-aggressive, and pose a very real and very lethal danger to not only the animal denizens of the marine sanctuary, but to the human population, too.
For some reason the authorities seem reluctant or unwilling to provide any assistance at all.
So Cate decides to step in to see exactly what she can do to help put things right. She soon discovers that she needs all of her natural quick wits and the expert help of her computer genius brother and her glamorous friends to avert an ecological catastrophe of immense proportions!
But all is not what it seems. Who can Cate trust? Is everyone quite who or what they appear to be? Someone, a boy, has vanished in mysterious circumstances. What is the meaning of the strange, shadowy figures and the mysterious lights that seem to be haunting the ocean?
Deep Water is an ideal teen read and will make a super Christmas present. It is published by Piccadilly Press in paperback at £6.99. www.piccadillypress.co.uk ISBN 978-1-84812-155-3.
Michael is working at a special marine sanctuary that, for no known reason, has become over-run with sharks. But these are no ordinary sharks. They are hyper-aggressive, and pose a very real and very lethal danger to not only the animal denizens of the marine sanctuary, but to the human population, too.
For some reason the authorities seem reluctant or unwilling to provide any assistance at all.
So Cate decides to step in to see exactly what she can do to help put things right. She soon discovers that she needs all of her natural quick wits and the expert help of her computer genius brother and her glamorous friends to avert an ecological catastrophe of immense proportions!
But all is not what it seems. Who can Cate trust? Is everyone quite who or what they appear to be? Someone, a boy, has vanished in mysterious circumstances. What is the meaning of the strange, shadowy figures and the mysterious lights that seem to be haunting the ocean?
Deep Water is an ideal teen read and will make a super Christmas present. It is published by Piccadilly Press in paperback at £6.99. www.piccadillypress.co.uk ISBN 978-1-84812-155-3.
Matilda's Secret
Matilda's Secret is a novel by Sandra Goldbacher and it is a part of the "A Girl for all Time Book" series.
Matilda Marchmont is thirteen, she comes from Norfolk. Her life is pleasant, but it must be admitted, a little dull, at times. She rides her horse, is allowed to mix medicines for her family (she likes to pretend to herself that she is a witch!) and writing in her secret diary. In fact she wrote "Nothing exciting will ever happen to me."
She longed for something exciting to happen. She felt somewhat envious of the life of glamour and excitement enjoyed by her cousin Katherine Howard. Because Katherine lived at court, Katherine was really, really fashionable! Oh, how she longed to be more like her lucky, fortunate cousin!
Then, one fateful night, something exciting, something quite unthinkable happens to Matilda! She is despatched to live at the Royal Court, too. She is to become a lady-in-waiting, but she will be more than a 'mere' lady-in-waiting. For she is to become a spy in a potentially dangerous mission to help further the chances of her cousin becoming the wife of King Henry VIII!
Matilda does become drawn into the kind of glittering, glamorous lifestyle that she had longed and craved for. But at what cost to herself? For as well as the glamour and the friendships, she finds herself facing great dangers that she could never have imagined deep in the rural Norfolk of 1540!
Her journey takes her from Hampton Court Palace to what was probably the most dangerous place in the whole of the British Isles at that time, the Bloody Tower itself!
The book is very well written and captures what it must have been like to live in the turbulent times of King Henry VIII.
Matilda is the first in the A Girl For All Time series of dolls, novels and keepsake books, and will make fantastic Christmas gifts for little girls all over the world!
The next book is about Amelia Elliot, a young Victorian girl. And at age thirteen, Amelia is about to inherit something very interesting. Matilda's trunk, that is filled with treasures that will change young Amelia's life!
The book costs £6.99 ISBN 978-0-9567200-0-9
Matilda Marchmont is thirteen, she comes from Norfolk. Her life is pleasant, but it must be admitted, a little dull, at times. She rides her horse, is allowed to mix medicines for her family (she likes to pretend to herself that she is a witch!) and writing in her secret diary. In fact she wrote "Nothing exciting will ever happen to me."
She longed for something exciting to happen. She felt somewhat envious of the life of glamour and excitement enjoyed by her cousin Katherine Howard. Because Katherine lived at court, Katherine was really, really fashionable! Oh, how she longed to be more like her lucky, fortunate cousin!
Then, one fateful night, something exciting, something quite unthinkable happens to Matilda! She is despatched to live at the Royal Court, too. She is to become a lady-in-waiting, but she will be more than a 'mere' lady-in-waiting. For she is to become a spy in a potentially dangerous mission to help further the chances of her cousin becoming the wife of King Henry VIII!
Matilda does become drawn into the kind of glittering, glamorous lifestyle that she had longed and craved for. But at what cost to herself? For as well as the glamour and the friendships, she finds herself facing great dangers that she could never have imagined deep in the rural Norfolk of 1540!
Her journey takes her from Hampton Court Palace to what was probably the most dangerous place in the whole of the British Isles at that time, the Bloody Tower itself!
The book is very well written and captures what it must have been like to live in the turbulent times of King Henry VIII.
Matilda is the first in the A Girl For All Time series of dolls, novels and keepsake books, and will make fantastic Christmas gifts for little girls all over the world!
The next book is about Amelia Elliot, a young Victorian girl. And at age thirteen, Amelia is about to inherit something very interesting. Matilda's trunk, that is filled with treasures that will change young Amelia's life!
The book costs £6.99 ISBN 978-0-9567200-0-9
Poppy Day a new novel
Poppy Day is a new novel by Amanda Prowse.
It is described as an original story of love and war, and this is certainly what it is.
It asks an important question, exactly how far would you go to bring home the person who you love the most in the world?
From very early on in their lives, from their early school days, in fact, when they were both a tender six years old, Martin and Poppy find each other. They discover within themselves a capacity for a love that genuinely transcends all other loves.
The love that they feel for each other is unshakable.
Martin is Poppy's best friend, her guardian, her protector against the cruel world. In short, he is her soul mate, her one true love.
But Martin takes the decision to join the army. And he is sent to fight the war in Afghanistan. It is during his first tour of duty there that Poppy receives the news that all service wives fear and dread. The news that her Martin has fallen into enemy hands.
What can Poppy Day do? She can try to get her man back. But at what cost?
The story is a breathtaking, captivating read that takes the reader from the East of London to the other East, the East that contains the searingly hot plains of Afghanistan.
Can their love survive the terrible trials and tribulations that they find themselves facing?
The book is available in paperback at £8.99 and is published by TIP. ISBN 978-1-906382-06-3.
The book is published in association with the Royal British Legion Poppy Day appeal. www.poppyshop.org.uk /
This book will make an ideal Chirstmas present.
It is described as an original story of love and war, and this is certainly what it is.
It asks an important question, exactly how far would you go to bring home the person who you love the most in the world?
From very early on in their lives, from their early school days, in fact, when they were both a tender six years old, Martin and Poppy find each other. They discover within themselves a capacity for a love that genuinely transcends all other loves.
The love that they feel for each other is unshakable.
Martin is Poppy's best friend, her guardian, her protector against the cruel world. In short, he is her soul mate, her one true love.
But Martin takes the decision to join the army. And he is sent to fight the war in Afghanistan. It is during his first tour of duty there that Poppy receives the news that all service wives fear and dread. The news that her Martin has fallen into enemy hands.
What can Poppy Day do? She can try to get her man back. But at what cost?
The story is a breathtaking, captivating read that takes the reader from the East of London to the other East, the East that contains the searingly hot plains of Afghanistan.
Can their love survive the terrible trials and tribulations that they find themselves facing?
The book is available in paperback at £8.99 and is published by TIP. ISBN 978-1-906382-06-3.
The book is published in association with the Royal British Legion Poppy Day appeal. www.poppyshop.org.uk /
This book will make an ideal Chirstmas present.
Sunday 13 November 2011
Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre
Agent Zigzag by Ben Maciintyre is the incredible but true story of the most notorious double agents not only of World War 2 but perhaps of all time.
Eddie Chapman was a somewhat problematic mixture of a variety of disparate and conflicting strands. He was a soldier (cashiered due to not bothering to go back after a period of leave) an expert jelly man (using gelignite to crack safes) a thief, a rogue, one of the most charming and personable and likeable men you would ever possibly meet, a villain, a man of great courage, a lover, a man conscience.
Trapped in a prison on Jersey, Chapman was on the island when it was overrun by the Nazis. He hit on a cunning plan. What if he told the Germans that he would be willing to spy on Great Britain?
Eventually, after a series of mishaps, blunders and errors (not of Chapman's making) he was parachuted into a field in Cambridgeshire.
Soon he was working for British Intelligence as Agent Zigzag, the most successful double agent every used by MI5 to trick the Germans.
Macintyre was allowed absolutely unprecedented access to the Top Secret archives of MI5 which contained a wealth of information about the extraordinary life and career of Eddie Chapman.
An official report by MI5 said: "The story of Eddie Chapman is different. In fiction it would be rejected as improbable."
The book is extremely well researched and superbly written and well illustrated with copious photographs many from the official archives of MI5 and the German Abwehr.
Chapman, however, never received the recognition that he deserved. Macintyre was able to establish that this was due to the double dealing and perfidy of an MI5 official who was not only a disgraced drunk but who only got the job because of a family connection, but who took against Chapman for some, to be frank, bizarre reasons.
Thebook is published by www.bloomsbury.com in paperback at £7.99. though if you follow this link http://www.amazon.co.uk/mn/search/?tag=bookworms05-21&link_code=wsw&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=zigzag&Submit.x=8&Submit.y=6&rd=1 you can buy the book at a special discounted Amazon price of £4.55.
Eddie Chapman was a somewhat problematic mixture of a variety of disparate and conflicting strands. He was a soldier (cashiered due to not bothering to go back after a period of leave) an expert jelly man (using gelignite to crack safes) a thief, a rogue, one of the most charming and personable and likeable men you would ever possibly meet, a villain, a man of great courage, a lover, a man conscience.
Trapped in a prison on Jersey, Chapman was on the island when it was overrun by the Nazis. He hit on a cunning plan. What if he told the Germans that he would be willing to spy on Great Britain?
Eventually, after a series of mishaps, blunders and errors (not of Chapman's making) he was parachuted into a field in Cambridgeshire.
Soon he was working for British Intelligence as Agent Zigzag, the most successful double agent every used by MI5 to trick the Germans.
Macintyre was allowed absolutely unprecedented access to the Top Secret archives of MI5 which contained a wealth of information about the extraordinary life and career of Eddie Chapman.
An official report by MI5 said: "The story of Eddie Chapman is different. In fiction it would be rejected as improbable."
The book is extremely well researched and superbly written and well illustrated with copious photographs many from the official archives of MI5 and the German Abwehr.
Chapman, however, never received the recognition that he deserved. Macintyre was able to establish that this was due to the double dealing and perfidy of an MI5 official who was not only a disgraced drunk but who only got the job because of a family connection, but who took against Chapman for some, to be frank, bizarre reasons.
Thebook is published by www.bloomsbury.com in paperback at £7.99. though if you follow this link http://www.amazon.co.uk/mn/search/?tag=bookworms05-21&link_code=wsw&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=zigzag&Submit.x=8&Submit.y=6&rd=1 you can buy the book at a special discounted Amazon price of £4.55.
Monday 7 November 2011
Weight Loss, the Essential Guide
This is another of the highly approachable and easy to use Need 2 Know books. It is written by Sara Kirkham who is not a guru of a weird fads celeb diet. Sara is a genuine nutritionist who lectures and writes on nutrition, so her book is a breath of very fresh air.
No fads, no fantasies, no fallacies, this book is the real deal if you really do want to lose weight in a sensible, structured and safe way.
She provides commonsense ways to reduce your calorific intake, tells you why control of portion size is so vital, tells you how to get past or beyond the weight loss plateau and how to measure your progress.
The book contains some enticing recipes that will help you reduce your weight as part of a calorie controlled diet, which is, of course, exactly where this book comes in!
Sara also provides tips on how to create shopping lists that will help you in your battle of the bulge, how to keep a food diary and why this can be so important.
The book also has a wealth of hints, tips and information and also some references to some other books that might be of help for the aspiring dieter and some information on some groups that could be useful. There's also a wealth of websites for you to browse at your leisure.
The book is in paperback and costs £9.99, the ISBN is 978-1-86144-090-7
No fads, no fantasies, no fallacies, this book is the real deal if you really do want to lose weight in a sensible, structured and safe way.
She provides commonsense ways to reduce your calorific intake, tells you why control of portion size is so vital, tells you how to get past or beyond the weight loss plateau and how to measure your progress.
The book contains some enticing recipes that will help you reduce your weight as part of a calorie controlled diet, which is, of course, exactly where this book comes in!
Sara also provides tips on how to create shopping lists that will help you in your battle of the bulge, how to keep a food diary and why this can be so important.
The book also has a wealth of hints, tips and information and also some references to some other books that might be of help for the aspiring dieter and some information on some groups that could be useful. There's also a wealth of websites for you to browse at your leisure.
The book is in paperback and costs £9.99, the ISBN is 978-1-86144-090-7
No Time for Theory? New book explore simple stratergies for influence
With the ability to influence others in the world of business becoming increasingly vital, the launch of Advocates & Enemies: How to build practical strategies to influence your stakeholders (www.advocatesandenemies.com/pr) is a must have read for anyone wanting to succeed and build powerful relationships that really work.
With 77% of respondents of a recent survey admitting finding it difficult to influence individuals, 74% struggling with groups, and most reporting networking as their biggest deficiency when it comes to influence, Advocates & Enemies could hold the key to change.
Packed full of simple and practical ideas, this easy read book is less about theoretical concepts and more focussed on looking ataccelerating progress so achievements and goals are met, and met quickly. It’s all about people using their influencing skills in simple ways in order to succeed.
Colin Gautrey, author of Advocates & Enemies, said, “The approach I’ve developed over the years and now explored in my third book, is a simple process of focusing on a specific objective; identifying who can help or hinder your achievement and then analysing them in terms of a. their agreement with your goal and b. the quality of the relationship you have with them”.
He added, “The book is perfect for anyone who is too busy to read lots of theory and wants to get on and develop a strategy for achieving goals and building strong networks – fast! In many ways people are generally quite good at building relationships but falter when it comes to focusing where it matters most – with key stakeholders. They also seem to struggle when it comes to getting out there with people they don’t know very well. Advocates & Enemies can help them change this so they can create stronger business relationships that really perform”.
Damian Hughes, author of Liquid Thinking, added: "This is a book which contains some simple yet profound truths about our ability to persuade and influence others. It is an important book and its impact should be immense.”
For more information visit: http://www.advocatesandenemies.com/pr
With 77% of respondents of a recent survey admitting finding it difficult to influence individuals, 74% struggling with groups, and most reporting networking as their biggest deficiency when it comes to influence, Advocates & Enemies could hold the key to change.
Packed full of simple and practical ideas, this easy read book is less about theoretical concepts and more focussed on looking ataccelerating progress so achievements and goals are met, and met quickly. It’s all about people using their influencing skills in simple ways in order to succeed.
Colin Gautrey, author of Advocates & Enemies, said, “The approach I’ve developed over the years and now explored in my third book, is a simple process of focusing on a specific objective; identifying who can help or hinder your achievement and then analysing them in terms of a. their agreement with your goal and b. the quality of the relationship you have with them”.
He added, “The book is perfect for anyone who is too busy to read lots of theory and wants to get on and develop a strategy for achieving goals and building strong networks – fast! In many ways people are generally quite good at building relationships but falter when it comes to focusing where it matters most – with key stakeholders. They also seem to struggle when it comes to getting out there with people they don’t know very well. Advocates & Enemies can help them change this so they can create stronger business relationships that really perform”.
Damian Hughes, author of Liquid Thinking, added: "This is a book which contains some simple yet profound truths about our ability to persuade and influence others. It is an important book and its impact should be immense.”
For more information visit: http://www.advocatesandenemies.com/pr
Sunday 6 November 2011
Surfing, the Essential Guide
Surfing, the Essential Guide is a new book out in paperback from Need 2 Know Books. It is written by an expert surfer, Kathryn Dawes.
It's not a book aimed at the Californian surfers -as most books seem to be- it is aimed at people in the United Kingdom who have aspirations to become surfing experts, themselves!
There's nothing wrong with books aimed at the surfers of California or Australia or Hawaii, it's just that because surfing is a little different in the British Isles, a book aimed primarily at the United Kingdom market makes a good deal of sense.
Kathryn is not only an expert surfer, she is something of an educator, too. She tells you what you need to know about surfing, the best equipment to buy, depending on your budget, the best clothing, where the best surfing sites are in the British Isles, where you should surf and also places where a neophyte should avoid unitl they have a bit more surfing experience under their belt.
Kathryn addresses her readership as equals. As equals who might need to learn, but as equals, nevertheless. She does not talk down to her readers, which is not always the case with some surfing experts.
Kathryn tells you how and why waves work, safety, your first steps, the basic and easier manoeuvres and moves you will want to try, what equipment is available what you could or should not try at first, surfing in the United Kingdom, Europe and further afield for when you are a little more experienced. She also gives you tips on surf fitness and health and on surf culture, so you will be spared any embarrassing errors!
At only £9.99 this book is a must have Christmas present for every new surfer and perhaps for some more experienced surfers, too! ISBN 978-1-86144-106-5.
It's not a book aimed at the Californian surfers -as most books seem to be- it is aimed at people in the United Kingdom who have aspirations to become surfing experts, themselves!
There's nothing wrong with books aimed at the surfers of California or Australia or Hawaii, it's just that because surfing is a little different in the British Isles, a book aimed primarily at the United Kingdom market makes a good deal of sense.
Kathryn is not only an expert surfer, she is something of an educator, too. She tells you what you need to know about surfing, the best equipment to buy, depending on your budget, the best clothing, where the best surfing sites are in the British Isles, where you should surf and also places where a neophyte should avoid unitl they have a bit more surfing experience under their belt.
Kathryn addresses her readership as equals. As equals who might need to learn, but as equals, nevertheless. She does not talk down to her readers, which is not always the case with some surfing experts.
Kathryn tells you how and why waves work, safety, your first steps, the basic and easier manoeuvres and moves you will want to try, what equipment is available what you could or should not try at first, surfing in the United Kingdom, Europe and further afield for when you are a little more experienced. She also gives you tips on surf fitness and health and on surf culture, so you will be spared any embarrassing errors!
At only £9.99 this book is a must have Christmas present for every new surfer and perhaps for some more experienced surfers, too! ISBN 978-1-86144-106-5.
Friday 4 November 2011
Embezzled Love
That's Books Loved this video promo so much that we decided to run it on That's Books!
Thursday 3 November 2011
Primary School A Parent's Guide by Kim Thomas
Up until the 1981 act gave parents some choice over where they sent their children to school, a child was basically sent where there was a space at the nearest school.
With greater choice, however, comes greater responsibility. What should your child be learning at any given point in their career as a primary school pupil?
Exactly how should the admissions process work? Is it working properly in your area?
Is your child getting the education that it needs and that it deserves?
Who are you school's governors? Are they doing what they should be doing?
Are the buildings suitable?
What on earth is KS1 2 or whatever?
All of the above questions and many more are answered in clear, concise terms by educational expert Kim Thomas. And Kim is the kind of expert it is best to take notice of. Not only does she have a PhD in the sociology of education she is a parent of a child in a primary school and served as a parent governor at the school.
The book also contains a list of further reading material and a list of very valuable web resources. If you have a child who is going to go to primary school or who is already attending a primary school, then you will find this book of inestimable value.
You can also visit Kim's website at www.kimthomas.com.
It is published by Need 2 Know Books at £9.99, ISBN 978-1-86144-088-4.
With greater choice, however, comes greater responsibility. What should your child be learning at any given point in their career as a primary school pupil?
Exactly how should the admissions process work? Is it working properly in your area?
Is your child getting the education that it needs and that it deserves?
Who are you school's governors? Are they doing what they should be doing?
Are the buildings suitable?
What on earth is KS1 2 or whatever?
All of the above questions and many more are answered in clear, concise terms by educational expert Kim Thomas. And Kim is the kind of expert it is best to take notice of. Not only does she have a PhD in the sociology of education she is a parent of a child in a primary school and served as a parent governor at the school.
The book also contains a list of further reading material and a list of very valuable web resources. If you have a child who is going to go to primary school or who is already attending a primary school, then you will find this book of inestimable value.
You can also visit Kim's website at www.kimthomas.com.
It is published by Need 2 Know Books at £9.99, ISBN 978-1-86144-088-4.
Monday 31 October 2011
Star Wars™ Millennium Falcon laid bare in new Haynes Manual
Following the skyrocketing success of Haynes’ USS Enterprise Manual last year, the iconic Star Wars™ ship finally gets the Haynes treatment.
Using brand-new, full-colour artwork, cutaways and exploded diagrams together with plenty of photographs, the Haynes Star Wars: Millennium Falcon Owner’s Workshop Manual provides the most thorough technical description available of the starship that helped to change the course of history.
The book is written by Ryder Windham, a hugely respected authority on Star Wars, having more than 50 books on the subject, and highly regarded by both Lucasfilm and Star Wars fans.
It includes full, technical descriptions of how the Millennium Falcon was illegally altered by its smuggler owner-operators to deliver increased shield power and speed, and carry military-grade weapons.
In true Haynes how-to style, the reader is taken through how to fly the Falcon as well as the technology behind hyperspace travel, special manoeuvres, combat techniques and using the hyperdrive. The controls in the iconic cockpit, which juts out on one side of the starship, are rendered in beautiful colour artwork to describe in detail the Millennium Falcon’s operating systems.
Weapons systems are outlined offering intelligence that would have proved invaluable to the Imperial Navy. The crew quarters are revealed in detail, complete with recess bunks, medical kits, and even Chewbacca’s hologame table.
Double-page character profiles for each crewmember offer reminders of the men – and Wookiee – at the helm, along with shots from the original trilogy of Star Wars films.
As if this wasn’t detail enough, the Manual begins with a history of other spacecraft from the Corellian Engineering Corporation that brought us the Millennium Falcon, along with a rundown of the many configurations and options offered by the manufacturer.
The Haynes Star Wars: Millennium Falcon Owner’s Workshop Manual is destined to become essential reading for all Star Wars fans.
FACTFILE:
Ryder Windham is the author of over 50 Star Wars books and is highly regarded by Lucasfilm and Star Wars fans. Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas are the acknowledged experts when it comes to illustrating the Millennium Falcon.
Sales Information:
The Millennium Falcon Owners’ Workshop Manual is available from all good bookshops and direct from Haynes at www.haynes.co.uk or call 01963 442030, priced £14.99
Sunday 30 October 2011
Be That Writer: Poetry
Be That Writer: Poetry: Poetry, if it is anything, must come from the heart. It can rhyme, or be blank verse. Long, in multiple verses, or with only one verse or ...
Wednesday 19 October 2011
A Prayer for the Wild at Heart
A Prayer for the Wild at Heart is an absolutely delightful book that will make an ideal present for the person who loves cats.
It is a collection of photographs of cats and kitties. Some cute, some who although looking as if they are a street cat who would not mind going for a few rounds in the ring of life look as if they, too, would enjoy the odd tickle behind the ear, before perhaps biffing you one for your gross impertinence!
The page facing the cat photographs are filled with an extract from the works of a poet or an author (Wordsworth, Wilde, Kipling, Hesse, Calvino, Hood, etc) politicians (Carter, Jefferson, etc) and Philosophers and thinkers like Ruskin, Howard, Locke,Verne, Lao Tzu) and humorists (Twain, Billings, Chaplin, etc) .
It is a modestly sized hardback book that is well presented and well finished. The perfect sticking filler.
It costs £6.99 and is published by Bound Originals and SPANA, the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad which, since 1923, has been raising funds to provide free veterinary care, welfare work and training around the world.
The book is edited by Lucy Duckworth and the ISBN is 978-1-906181-08-6.
EDITOR:, If you buy direct from SPANA, you only pay £5.50 and the money raised by the sales go to help SPANA http://spana.org
It is a collection of photographs of cats and kitties. Some cute, some who although looking as if they are a street cat who would not mind going for a few rounds in the ring of life look as if they, too, would enjoy the odd tickle behind the ear, before perhaps biffing you one for your gross impertinence!
The page facing the cat photographs are filled with an extract from the works of a poet or an author (Wordsworth, Wilde, Kipling, Hesse, Calvino, Hood, etc) politicians (Carter, Jefferson, etc) and Philosophers and thinkers like Ruskin, Howard, Locke,Verne, Lao Tzu) and humorists (Twain, Billings, Chaplin, etc) .
It is a modestly sized hardback book that is well presented and well finished. The perfect sticking filler.
It costs £6.99 and is published by Bound Originals and SPANA, the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad which, since 1923, has been raising funds to provide free veterinary care, welfare work and training around the world.
The book is edited by Lucy Duckworth and the ISBN is 978-1-906181-08-6.
EDITOR:, If you buy direct from SPANA, you only pay £5.50 and the money raised by the sales go to help SPANA http://spana.org
Tuesday 11 October 2011
Hip new self-transformational book from life coach Gabrielle Bernstein – she has wowed the US and is the new role model in how to feel good
‘So long, Carrie Bradshaw- there's a new role model for go-getting thirty somethings. Gabrielle Bernstein is doling out inner peace and self-love for the postmodern spiritual set.’ ELLE Magazine
‘This woman will make you smile. Forget what you thought you knew about 'self help'. Life coach Gabrielle Bernstein has wowed the US - and now she's hit the UK to unleash a happy new you... a role model in how to feel good.’ Glamour Magazine
‘Zen bombshell Gabrielle Bernstein has been pegged the Dalai Lama for the Gossip Girl set.’ Huffington Post
How does a New York City publicist and party girl turn into a guru for the next generation? In her new book, SPIRIT JUNKIE: A Radical Road to Discovering Self-Love and Miracles (October 2011), Gabrielle Bernstein shares the story of how she transformed her life, offering her spiritual journey as a guidebook for overcoming fear, changing perceptions, and creating a life you’re psyched to wake up for.
Though still young (now thirty-one) and still rocking her Louboutins, Bernstein has traded self-doubt and addiction for a new kind of high. In 2005 she became a student of A Course in Miracles, and since then she has been guided to translate and teach those spiritual principles to the next generation.
In the US Gabrielle has established herself as a mentor and spiritual big sister to young women nationwide, who these days are more interested in green juice, yoga, and meditation than nightclubs and the latest fashion trends. Her position as a leader in the new spiritual movement has been further cemented via her worldwide lecture circuit, weekly blogs (on GabbyB.TV), life coaching work with thousands, and her online presence as the founder of HerFuture.com, a social networking site dedicated to helping women find mentors.
In this hip self-transformational book, Bernstein shows how to make happiness a way of life and shares the life-changing lessons that she has lived and learned in the hope that other young women will be guided to do the same. SPIRIT JUNKIE shows readers how to tap into their own spirit in their search for happiness. This is not a book on how to get happiness; rather it’s a guide to releasing the blocks to the happiness that already lives inside.
SPIRIT JUNKIE : A Radical Road to Discovering Self-Love and Miracles by Gabrielle Bernstein. Published by Hay House, 3rd October 2011, £10.99 pb, also available as an e-book
Download the book jacket image
Download an image of Gabrielle
Link to the Spirit Junkie video trailer
Also by Gabrielle Bernstein:
Medidating: Meditations for Fearless Romance (November). An hour-long guided meditation CD to help you release romantic illusions, overcome fears and insecurities, activate your attracting power and manifest love into your life.
‘This woman will make you smile. Forget what you thought you knew about 'self help'. Life coach Gabrielle Bernstein has wowed the US - and now she's hit the UK to unleash a happy new you... a role model in how to feel good.’ Glamour Magazine
‘Zen bombshell Gabrielle Bernstein has been pegged the Dalai Lama for the Gossip Girl set.’ Huffington Post
How does a New York City publicist and party girl turn into a guru for the next generation? In her new book, SPIRIT JUNKIE: A Radical Road to Discovering Self-Love and Miracles (October 2011), Gabrielle Bernstein shares the story of how she transformed her life, offering her spiritual journey as a guidebook for overcoming fear, changing perceptions, and creating a life you’re psyched to wake up for.
Though still young (now thirty-one) and still rocking her Louboutins, Bernstein has traded self-doubt and addiction for a new kind of high. In 2005 she became a student of A Course in Miracles, and since then she has been guided to translate and teach those spiritual principles to the next generation.
In the US Gabrielle has established herself as a mentor and spiritual big sister to young women nationwide, who these days are more interested in green juice, yoga, and meditation than nightclubs and the latest fashion trends. Her position as a leader in the new spiritual movement has been further cemented via her worldwide lecture circuit, weekly blogs (on GabbyB.TV), life coaching work with thousands, and her online presence as the founder of HerFuture.com, a social networking site dedicated to helping women find mentors.
In this hip self-transformational book, Bernstein shows how to make happiness a way of life and shares the life-changing lessons that she has lived and learned in the hope that other young women will be guided to do the same. SPIRIT JUNKIE shows readers how to tap into their own spirit in their search for happiness. This is not a book on how to get happiness; rather it’s a guide to releasing the blocks to the happiness that already lives inside.
SPIRIT JUNKIE : A Radical Road to Discovering Self-Love and Miracles by Gabrielle Bernstein. Published by Hay House, 3rd October 2011, £10.99 pb, also available as an e-book
Download the book jacket image
Download an image of Gabrielle
Link to the Spirit Junkie video trailer
Also by Gabrielle Bernstein:
Medidating: Meditations for Fearless Romance (November). An hour-long guided meditation CD to help you release romantic illusions, overcome fears and insecurities, activate your attracting power and manifest love into your life.
Friday 30 September 2011
Book launched for World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day sees the launch of 'In Case of Spiritual Emergency' with an international webinar.
Catherine Zeta-Jones has been open about her mental health struggles. So has Stephen Fry and other celebrities. One in four of the population suffer. Yet something is missing; a framework that allows these experiences to be positively transformational. Transpersonal psychology fills the gap. It offers an alternative perspective, an opportunity to reframe mental health conditions as an opportunity for healing and growth. ‘Trans’ meaning ‘beyond’ the personal, transpersonal psychology encompasses the soul dimension. It brings together ancient spiritual wisdom with modern psychology, grounded in scientific research.
“This book is a remarkable achievement. The author charts the terrain of moving from breakdown to breakthrough, exploring how surviving a mental health crisis can lead to a new and authentic way of being and bringing a profound message of hope to all sufferers.”
Dr. Andrew Powell, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Founding Chair, Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group.
Emma, Annabel and Kate have each chosen to see their mental health struggles from the transpersonal perspective. Emma was admitted to hospital repeatedly with recurring psychotic symptoms. Annabel was sectioned on three separate occasions and forcibly injected with high dose anti-psychotic medication against her will. Kate suffered from crippling depression on and off for over 30 years. All three see what they have been through as their personal odyssey towards healing and growth; the psyche’s journey through spiritual emergency to wholeness.
In Case of Spiritual Emergency is a book of extremes; the terror and the bliss, the danger and the opportunity, as the psyche moves through its very own Hero’s Journey. Psycho-spiritual crisis can be triggered by many things: loss of faith or a loved one, intense spiritual practices, even childbirth. Encouraging, supportive, and life-saving, In Case of Spiritual Emergency is vital for relieving the mental and emotional suffering these experiences can bring.
In this guide for mental health professionals, pastoral care specialists, and people going through spiritual crisis or their caregivers, you will find:
• A clear summary of recent psychological research of the past twenty years
• Patterns of spiritual crises through the ages, including St. Teresa of Ávila, Carl Jung, Eckhart Tolle
• The Three Key Phases for Moving Successfully through Spiritual Emergency
• Practical, life-saving guidance for those experiencing spiritual emergency or their carers
Catherine G Lucas is the Founder of the UK Spiritual Crisis Network and an accredited Mindfulness Trainer. She has organised international conferences on spiritual emergency and is a regular speaker on the subject.
Catherine Zeta-Jones has been open about her mental health struggles. So has Stephen Fry and other celebrities. One in four of the population suffer. Yet something is missing; a framework that allows these experiences to be positively transformational. Transpersonal psychology fills the gap. It offers an alternative perspective, an opportunity to reframe mental health conditions as an opportunity for healing and growth. ‘Trans’ meaning ‘beyond’ the personal, transpersonal psychology encompasses the soul dimension. It brings together ancient spiritual wisdom with modern psychology, grounded in scientific research.
“This book is a remarkable achievement. The author charts the terrain of moving from breakdown to breakthrough, exploring how surviving a mental health crisis can lead to a new and authentic way of being and bringing a profound message of hope to all sufferers.”
Dr. Andrew Powell, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Founding Chair, Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group.
Emma, Annabel and Kate have each chosen to see their mental health struggles from the transpersonal perspective. Emma was admitted to hospital repeatedly with recurring psychotic symptoms. Annabel was sectioned on three separate occasions and forcibly injected with high dose anti-psychotic medication against her will. Kate suffered from crippling depression on and off for over 30 years. All three see what they have been through as their personal odyssey towards healing and growth; the psyche’s journey through spiritual emergency to wholeness.
In Case of Spiritual Emergency is a book of extremes; the terror and the bliss, the danger and the opportunity, as the psyche moves through its very own Hero’s Journey. Psycho-spiritual crisis can be triggered by many things: loss of faith or a loved one, intense spiritual practices, even childbirth. Encouraging, supportive, and life-saving, In Case of Spiritual Emergency is vital for relieving the mental and emotional suffering these experiences can bring.
In this guide for mental health professionals, pastoral care specialists, and people going through spiritual crisis or their caregivers, you will find:
• A clear summary of recent psychological research of the past twenty years
• Patterns of spiritual crises through the ages, including St. Teresa of Ávila, Carl Jung, Eckhart Tolle
• The Three Key Phases for Moving Successfully through Spiritual Emergency
• Practical, life-saving guidance for those experiencing spiritual emergency or their carers
Catherine G Lucas is the Founder of the UK Spiritual Crisis Network and an accredited Mindfulness Trainer. She has organised international conferences on spiritual emergency and is a regular speaker on the subject.
Monday 26 September 2011
Going Green The Essential Guide
Going Green, the Essential Guise is by Cora Lydon and published by Need 2 Know Books at £9.99.
The book contains advice on how to reduce one's carbon footprint, how to save energy at home and where to find eco-friendly products.
The book contains many practical hints of how one can make do and mend, grow your own food, etc., hints that our parents or our grandparents would have known about, it also contains more up-to-date information on how we can live a more sustainable life, both at home and at work.
A great deal of the book is devoted to the alleged problems of global warming, and the alleged dangers of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is, of course, a deadly poison. Just ask any carbon fixing plant. (EDITOR: Yes, that was some gentle sarcasm)
Whilst there are some gems in this book (how to drive in a greener way, how to ensure one's vehicles are maintained for optimal and, therefore, greener performance) there are some things that make it sound like a parody of green living articles of the "how to grow plants in a yoghurt pot" variety churned out in the 1970s and 1980s.
The book recommends using "green" and so-called "eco-friendly" household products. But my wife remarked: "It is all very well recommending these greener products, but if they do not do the job they are designed to do, what is the point of spending extra money on them?"
We used the products of one firm who make washing liquids that contains bentonite, a clay that is notorious for its stickiness. It nearly destroyed our washing machine and our dishwasher by clogging them up. Their range of products, in general, did not work as well as their non-green products, so as twice the amount had to be used, their eco-friendly claims can be called into question.
The book also advocates more and better recycling at work. That's a fair point. But the author calls for this to be achieved by the stick of legislation and so-called green taxes, rather than the carrot of assistance and rewards for good behaviour. For example, the vast majority of councils have NO business recycling facilities at all. This, rather than increased "green" taxes should be addressed, one would have thought.
At least some of what the author promotes is provably nonsense. She repeats the bogus claim that the search engine Blackle saves energy because it uses a black screen, so saves energy. Thirty seconds of research on Google (or Blackle, which uses Google for its searches) disproved this claim. This research even pointing out that it could, with modern monitors, actually use MORE energy than it saves. (EDITOR: One hopes that the other claims in the book have been better researched.)
The book also recommends that we should consider volunteering as a holiday option. Specifically mentioning working with elephants in Thailand. Now, this is where the book and I part company. Let's take a typical example. A mother and father and two children who live in England. The parents both have to work and they can get from work between seven and fourteen days for their one holiday. Would they want them and their children to spend up to 40 hours of their holiday flying in cramped and uncomfortable economy seats, to then work for free?
Or to spend a total of four to six hours of their holiday flying to a beach holiday in Spain so that they can have a refreshing break from work?
This idea reminds me of when the great and the good of the "green elite" all flew -business class, mind! to the super-exclusive resort of Cancun and then released an edict to the rest of us that we should not be allowed to fly to Spain for a week's holiday.
There are some good points in this book, and some potentially useful resources, but some of it does need to be taken with a pinch of salt. If salt is allowed these days.
The book contains advice on how to reduce one's carbon footprint, how to save energy at home and where to find eco-friendly products.
The book contains many practical hints of how one can make do and mend, grow your own food, etc., hints that our parents or our grandparents would have known about, it also contains more up-to-date information on how we can live a more sustainable life, both at home and at work.
A great deal of the book is devoted to the alleged problems of global warming, and the alleged dangers of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is, of course, a deadly poison. Just ask any carbon fixing plant. (EDITOR: Yes, that was some gentle sarcasm)
Whilst there are some gems in this book (how to drive in a greener way, how to ensure one's vehicles are maintained for optimal and, therefore, greener performance) there are some things that make it sound like a parody of green living articles of the "how to grow plants in a yoghurt pot" variety churned out in the 1970s and 1980s.
The book recommends using "green" and so-called "eco-friendly" household products. But my wife remarked: "It is all very well recommending these greener products, but if they do not do the job they are designed to do, what is the point of spending extra money on them?"
We used the products of one firm who make washing liquids that contains bentonite, a clay that is notorious for its stickiness. It nearly destroyed our washing machine and our dishwasher by clogging them up. Their range of products, in general, did not work as well as their non-green products, so as twice the amount had to be used, their eco-friendly claims can be called into question.
The book also advocates more and better recycling at work. That's a fair point. But the author calls for this to be achieved by the stick of legislation and so-called green taxes, rather than the carrot of assistance and rewards for good behaviour. For example, the vast majority of councils have NO business recycling facilities at all. This, rather than increased "green" taxes should be addressed, one would have thought.
At least some of what the author promotes is provably nonsense. She repeats the bogus claim that the search engine Blackle saves energy because it uses a black screen, so saves energy. Thirty seconds of research on Google (or Blackle, which uses Google for its searches) disproved this claim. This research even pointing out that it could, with modern monitors, actually use MORE energy than it saves. (EDITOR: One hopes that the other claims in the book have been better researched.)
The book also recommends that we should consider volunteering as a holiday option. Specifically mentioning working with elephants in Thailand. Now, this is where the book and I part company. Let's take a typical example. A mother and father and two children who live in England. The parents both have to work and they can get from work between seven and fourteen days for their one holiday. Would they want them and their children to spend up to 40 hours of their holiday flying in cramped and uncomfortable economy seats, to then work for free?
Or to spend a total of four to six hours of their holiday flying to a beach holiday in Spain so that they can have a refreshing break from work?
This idea reminds me of when the great and the good of the "green elite" all flew -business class, mind! to the super-exclusive resort of Cancun and then released an edict to the rest of us that we should not be allowed to fly to Spain for a week's holiday.
There are some good points in this book, and some potentially useful resources, but some of it does need to be taken with a pinch of salt. If salt is allowed these days.
Tuesday 6 September 2011
That's Christmas: Your child stars in a Personalised Book and meets ...
That's Christmas: Your child stars in a Personalised Book and meets ...: Get your kids involved in reading this Christmas – Star in a Personalised Book and meet Santa! ...
Friday 2 September 2011
New personal development book 'Discover Your Hidden Memory' can help you strengthen your relationships, improve your decision making and achieve more
New personal development book Discover Your Hidden Memory & Find the Real You can help you strengthen your relationships, improve your decision making and achieve more. Written by Dr Menis Yousry, a psychologist and psychotherapist with 15 years experience in the NHS, this book has been described by DJ Danny Rampling as: ‘a powerful and positively life-enhancing book delivered with both insight and compassio}.’ In the book Dr Yousry explains how your early unconscious memories impact the decisions you make now and provides exercises to help you uncover your hidden memory.
Discover Your Hidden Memory & Find the Real You By Dr Menis Yousry (Hay House, 15th September 2011, £10.99 pb - also available as an e-book). Watch a short video of Dr Yousry discussing the book.
From before each of us was born and up to a young age, our experiences of the world and of our parents have shaped us in ways we do not even realise. As children our brains were not developed enough to make sense of our early experiences and so these become unresolved, unconscious memories. Today as adults some of our responses to situations and events are reactions to a past that no longer exists. They have become automatic protective reflexes that can prevent us from achieving what we really want and impact on our relationships with others.
In Discover Your Hidden Memory & Find the Real You Dr Menis Yousry reveals the powerful, invisible waves of influence that inform our actions, bind us to the past and hold us back in our present. He outlines simple but effective exercises to identify exactly how our actions today are connected to our early childhood experiences and our relationships with our parents, as well as to past generations, history and culture.
An exploration of human consciousness, the book, is split into two parts. Part I looks at the conflict between our intentions and what we achieve, examining: how our social brain makes us who we think we are; why our beliefs are stronger than reality and the relationship between belief and memory. Part II outlines Dr Yousry’s healing process and includes exercises and tools to help you uncover your hidden memory and find the real you.
Dr Menis Yousry is the founder and facilitator of the Essence Foundation. He was born and grew up in Cairo, settling in London in 1974. A family & systemic psychotherapist and psychologist, he has worked with tens of thousands of people worldwide, designing and facilitating highly practical, experiential self-development courses.
Dr Yousry left his post as a senior family therapist with the NHS after 15 years in order to focus completely on bringing his work to a wider audience through the Essence Foundation. In his work Dr Yousry draws on his experience in the fields of human potential, social change, culture, psychology, art, psychotherapy, spirituality and academic research into memory, brain studies and biology.
Wednesday 31 August 2011
New book proves being fair, not competitive is the way to achieve a happier, healthier, more prosperous life
A new book shows that being fair rather than being competitive is really the way to achieve a happier, healthier and more prosperous life. Lynne McTaggart is one of the women who are pioneering the latest research and findings into the crossover between the fields of science and spirituality and her new remarkable findings are related in a paradigm-shifting book, The Bond: Connecting Through the Space Between Us.
This book couldn’t be more timely with the recent UK riots and the global challenges that face us all. Human beings are the most powerful species on Earth, perhaps – but we have got there by being the fairest, and not the fittest, new findings in biology are demonstrating. Our biological success story is more to do with our ability to share and empathize than just adapting to our environment – and we even have a ‘fairness spot’ hard-wired into our brain.
This belief — that the essential impulse of human beings and all of life is a will to connect — is at the core of THE BOND and is the result of Lynne McTaggart’s extensive research into the work of frontier scientists in a vast array of disciplines.
In fact, argues McTaggart, an award-winning journalist and author of the international bestsellers The Intention Experiment and The Field, all the crises we face today, including the financial recession, have occurred because the lives we’ve chosen to lead are not consistent with our trusting nature as givers and sharers.
“Currently, we maintain this view of the universe as a place of scarcity populated by separate things that must turn against each other in order to survive. We’ve all simply assumed that’s life,” says McTaggart. “But that’s not the story science is telling us anymore.”
This book couldn’t be more timely with the recent UK riots and the global challenges that face us all. Human beings are the most powerful species on Earth, perhaps – but we have got there by being the fairest, and not the fittest, new findings in biology are demonstrating. Our biological success story is more to do with our ability to share and empathize than just adapting to our environment – and we even have a ‘fairness spot’ hard-wired into our brain.
This belief — that the essential impulse of human beings and all of life is a will to connect — is at the core of THE BOND and is the result of Lynne McTaggart’s extensive research into the work of frontier scientists in a vast array of disciplines.
In fact, argues McTaggart, an award-winning journalist and author of the international bestsellers The Intention Experiment and The Field, all the crises we face today, including the financial recession, have occurred because the lives we’ve chosen to lead are not consistent with our trusting nature as givers and sharers.
“Currently, we maintain this view of the universe as a place of scarcity populated by separate things that must turn against each other in order to survive. We’ve all simply assumed that’s life,” says McTaggart. “But that’s not the story science is telling us anymore.”
Monday 29 August 2011
Party People: How we Make Millions From Having Fun
How We Make Millions from Having Fun - By ‘Secret Millionaire’ David Jamilly is an interesting book.
It's a semi-autobiographical book and is written by the co-founder of London based events empire Theme Traders, with the assistance of experienced author Tammy Cohen.
Party People contains expert advice compiled from the director of a company which has been at the head of the event management industry for in excess of two decades.
Party People reveals how a quirky brother and sister, who left school at fifteen, came to be running the UK’s leading events company, numbering amongst their clients some of the biggest celebrities in the world.
The answer involves a lot of hard work, a lot of good judgement and a lot of learning by mistakes. In this entertaining, inspirational and often humorous book, David Jamilly and his sister Kim tell the story of their journey from scraping a living as children’s entertainers (something they sort of fell into) to being heads of multi-million pound events empire Theme Traders.
The answer involves a lot of hard work, a lot of good judgement and a lot of learning by mistakes. In this entertaining, inspirational and often humorous book, David Jamilly and his sister Kim tell the story of their journey from scraping a living as children’s entertainers (something they sort of fell into) to being heads of multi-million pound events empire Theme Traders.
It also tells the equally fascinating story of the Jamilly family who started as cinema impresarios in the Middle East and became famous for entirely different reasons as highly successful entrepreneurs in London. (The family would make a superb case study for the Who Do You Think You Are? TV series.)
Their honest, warts and all yet amusing account of what they did and how they did it, which details their mistakes as well as their triumphs is crammed full of party tips, practical suggestions and enthralling real life party stories and will appeal to budding entrepreneurs, professional event organisers, and anyone who just wants to know how to throw an unforgettable party. It covers events ranging from shoe string budget DIY affairs to lavish dos and celebrity bashes. They have done everything from wedding anniversaries to organising parties to billionaires and royalty. Even at least one at Buckingham Palace!
A combination of biography, inspiration and practical advice, this book -described as a page turner page turner, a description I cannot disagree with!- from ‘Secret Millionaire’ David Jamilly offers the most compelling insight ever published about the Party Planning and Events Management industry. And the kind of person who can make a success of it!
Aside from being a self professed party man, David Jamilly (also a reasonably successful pop musician, not unknown to appearances on Top Of The Pops!) is also the founder of Pod’s Children Charity, the Good Deeds Organisation and the co-founder of Kindness Day UK.
The book traces their careers, starting at the family-owned Laurence Corner business. This was one of the first and most successful army surplus dealers in the UK and an important theatrical costumiers, too. Filled with quirky goodies from Zulu shields to pre war police lanterns, it was a godsend to people needing workwear, hippies, film makers and everyone and anyone who wanted something just a little bit out of the ordinary. Well, or something quite a lot out of the ordinary, it must be said! (The Christmas that your author bought all of his presents from Laurence Corner was one of his best ever, taking into account the genuine WOW! factor of the many and varied gifts that he made purchase of. They were also trying to sell a complete army field hospital at about that time. I wonder if they managed to sell it?)
The book is a very easy read, yet very informative, it costs £8.99 in paperback from Indenpress.
To purchase the book -at a discounted price- please visit http://tinyurl.com/3m2k857
That's Gardening: David Austin OBE, The English Roses
That's Gardening: David Austin OBE, The English Roses: Although roses did not originate in England, there is something quintessentially English about the rose. And if you want to learn all about ...
Sunday 28 August 2011
'How to Make Millions Without a Degree'. -This book could change your life. Seriously.
I have just finished reading Simon Dolan's book: “How to Make Millions without a Degree” and it is fair to say that this book could change my life. And it could change yours, too.
It has reinforced several things I already knew and it has given me ideas that could help me change my working life for the better.
Simon Dolan was -politely, it must be said- invited to leave his grammar school at the age of 16 by his headmaster. He hadn't been a bad boy, he just didn't see the point of learning what the school wanted to teach him. Such as Latin. So he left without any real qualifications.
But now Simon is a millionaire many times over, runs a highly successful nationwide accountancy firm, has invested in an airline, is involved in publishing and also has a motor racing team. But Simon is certain of one thing, had he got a degree, he does not believe any of the above could have been possible.
I found his writing style irresistible. Several times I made the mistake of wanting to read a few more pages of his book on retiring for bed, only to find that I had read it until 1.15am and I had to get up at 6am!
Simon makes some very interesting and telling points. For example, whilst a degree might not be essential for business success, learning and gaining knowledge is almost certainly vital.
He points out why trying to get on to Dragon's Den is a waste of time. He also points out a fatal flaw in the approach of many people who do appear on the programme and why, in his opinion, they are wasting their time. That made for very sobering reading.
Simon tells you exactly how he started his accountancy business. He points out certain pitfalls that you can avoid when you start your business (you don't have to start up an accountancy service, but one gets the impression that Simon would not mind if you did) and reveals an interesting and telling fact.
The only reason why he started a bookkeeping and accountancy business was because he was good at doing books and realised that many small businesses just did not have the time to do their books. And he hit upon a method of easily duplicating his business so that it became a highly successful nationwide concern with clients all over the country.
He points out that the technique of NLP can also be usefully and fruitfully employed to help boost your earning potential.
He tells you why you need a website and how you can use it, and Google, to encourage people to beat a pathway to your door and become customers.
He makes it sound simple and perhaps that is because it is simple. I only wish that I had been able to read this book when I was 16. However, even at my fairly advanced age, I believe that I will be able to learn from Simon's book and earn more money from my business efforts.
Parts of the book had "Wow!" moments, and made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, so connected with the message had I become.
If I follow what I gleaned from this book, will I make a million? Perhaps I will. But even if I don't, I believe I shall certainly make a damn sight more money than if I had not read this remarkable book!
The book costs £9.99 and is published by Troubadour. It is available from the Amazon link on That's Books.
Even if you do not intend on starting your own business, this highly readable book could still teach you a few new tricks! It will make an ideal Chirstmas present, too.
Monday 22 August 2011
Shropshire: A Dog Walker's Guide
Shropshire: A Dog Walker's Guide is a new book by author and dog owner Judy Smith.
It is published by Countryside Books in paperback and costs £7.99.
The book is a godsend for people who either live in Shropshire or are planning a holiday in the county. "I know from my own experiences," points out the author, "that it's hard to be sure once you are off your home patch, where you can walk safely with your dog without the frustration of getting lost, finding your route blocked with impassible stiles or encountering busy roads. I have put together this collection of dog-friendly walks so that others can discover Shropshire's wonderful countryside without these frustrations."
The book contains 20 circular routes, all designed to have maximum off-lead time with minimum exposure to roads and with varying lengths from two to seven miles. Each of the walks has a host of information from the distance, the terrain, what types of livestock you are likely to encounter, the number and types of stiles you will be faced with, and even the contact details of the nearest veterinary surgery.
Besides the clear and numbered route instructions, each section also includes a matching numbered map, details of how to get to the start of the walk and places of interest on each of the routes. It also lists suitable cafes and pubs that are dog friendly.
Walks covered include some of the most beautiful parts of Shropshire such as The Long Mynd, Grinshill, Brown Clee, the unmissable Llangollen Canal at Ellesmere and Grindley Brook, where you will be able to see the canal boats. Watch out for the dogs who live on the boats, most are friendly but care should be taken.
There's the mysterious stones at Mitchell's fold, the open grasslands at Stapeley Hill, Wenlock Edge, ancient woodlands like the Wyre Forest and Mortimer Forest and the Wrekin Hill, technically a mountain, but a very small one!
You can also visit the Ironbridge Gorge with the Hay Incline Plane, Bedlam Furnaces and the Blists Hill Victorian Town, the ramparts atthe Iron Age fort at Bury Ditches, the ruins of Haughmod Abbey and the impressive Llanymynech Heritage Area. Each chapter also includes suggestions on other dog friendly walks in the immediate area.
The book is well written and well researched, it contains useful general guidance to dog walkers and is nicely illustrated with photographs and the maps.
Judy Smith knows Shropshire well. he lives in the beautiful Welsh town of Llangollen, just seven miles over the border. She is the author of several books on walking and travel, including Kiddiwalks in Shropshire.
The book is available from all good bookshops and Internet retailers (just use the Amazon search box on That's Books) and some garden centres.
The ISBN Number is 978 1 84674 235 4
www.countrysidebooks.co.uk
It is published by Countryside Books in paperback and costs £7.99.
The book is a godsend for people who either live in Shropshire or are planning a holiday in the county. "I know from my own experiences," points out the author, "that it's hard to be sure once you are off your home patch, where you can walk safely with your dog without the frustration of getting lost, finding your route blocked with impassible stiles or encountering busy roads. I have put together this collection of dog-friendly walks so that others can discover Shropshire's wonderful countryside without these frustrations."
The book contains 20 circular routes, all designed to have maximum off-lead time with minimum exposure to roads and with varying lengths from two to seven miles. Each of the walks has a host of information from the distance, the terrain, what types of livestock you are likely to encounter, the number and types of stiles you will be faced with, and even the contact details of the nearest veterinary surgery.
Besides the clear and numbered route instructions, each section also includes a matching numbered map, details of how to get to the start of the walk and places of interest on each of the routes. It also lists suitable cafes and pubs that are dog friendly.
Walks covered include some of the most beautiful parts of Shropshire such as The Long Mynd, Grinshill, Brown Clee, the unmissable Llangollen Canal at Ellesmere and Grindley Brook, where you will be able to see the canal boats. Watch out for the dogs who live on the boats, most are friendly but care should be taken.
There's the mysterious stones at Mitchell's fold, the open grasslands at Stapeley Hill, Wenlock Edge, ancient woodlands like the Wyre Forest and Mortimer Forest and the Wrekin Hill, technically a mountain, but a very small one!
You can also visit the Ironbridge Gorge with the Hay Incline Plane, Bedlam Furnaces and the Blists Hill Victorian Town, the ramparts atthe Iron Age fort at Bury Ditches, the ruins of Haughmod Abbey and the impressive Llanymynech Heritage Area. Each chapter also includes suggestions on other dog friendly walks in the immediate area.
The book is well written and well researched, it contains useful general guidance to dog walkers and is nicely illustrated with photographs and the maps.
Judy Smith knows Shropshire well. he lives in the beautiful Welsh town of Llangollen, just seven miles over the border. She is the author of several books on walking and travel, including Kiddiwalks in Shropshire.
The book is available from all good bookshops and Internet retailers (just use the Amazon search box on That's Books) and some garden centres.
The ISBN Number is 978 1 84674 235 4
www.countrysidebooks.co.uk
Friday 19 August 2011
That's Beauty and Living: How to wear your little black dress this winter
That's Beauty and Living: How to wear your little black dress this winter: From Jules Standish, The Colour Counsellor and Author of How Not to Wear Black Most of us love a Little Black Dress as an effortless, gl...
Thursday 18 August 2011
Money-Saving Amazon Matrix Launched by DiscountVouchers.co.uk
DiscountVouchers.co.uk, one of the UK’s top money saving website resources, has announced a new Amazon deals matrix to help the country’s shoppers save time on top of money when sourcing gifts from famous etailer, Amazon.co.uk.
Logging on to DiscountVouchers.co.uk this week sees consumers able to use the new Amazon pricing and deals matrix to save up to 75% at Amazon. This year will see the new DiscountVouchers.co.uk Amazon matrix grow thanks to the company’s experience and expertise. DiscountVouchers.co.uk has already seen its overall business grow by 60% this past year.
Doug Scott, managing director of DiscountVouchers.co.uk, comments: “We have all the experience and technologies in place to be able to make this kind of introduction – and we think that site users will really enjoy being able to source great value Amazon deals more quickly and easily than ever.”
Scott continued: “Sourcing gifts and presents without spending hours doing it is a great bonus for consumers – through this new Amazon matrix we can help people to enjoy saving oodles of money and time as well.”
The new tool can be accessed at http://www.discountvouchers.co.uk/amazon-hub-txt.
For more information visit www.discountvouchers.co.uk
The Stonehenge Enigma - An inconvenient truth
The Stonehenge Enigma, has unearthed evidence that has been kept from public scrutiny for over 40 years. Current theories on the discovery of the four post holes in a line found during excavation work on the visitors car park in 1966 are simple and dismissive – they are ‘totem poles’ claim English Heritage in their book ‘Stonehenge in its landscape’ by Cleal et al. 1995.
However, analysis of the claim simply does not stand up to scrutiny. “They are likely to be individual uprights, perhaps reminiscent of those of the American Indian (totem poles).” The problem is that ‘totem poles’ survive less than 100 years, if they are made of hard wood – pine is softwood and rots much quicker. So when you start to look at the carbon dating evidence on when each post whole was cut a whole new story emerges.
For the first post hole would have been constructed around 8275BC the second one (next to the first) was erected about 7035BC some 1240 years later! By then the first post would have rotted away and the first post hole completely lost.
The third post hole we cannot date as the charcoal that was found was lost or not processed, which is no surprise as all three samples were stored away for 10 years before some eagle eyed researcher realised that pine wood did not exist in the late Neolithic (2500BC), which the original date archaeologists claimed these poles were erected (to match the building date of Stonehenge) before packing the samples away into oblivion, without getting them tested.
Yet, another post hole on the same alignment was found in 1989 some 75m away from the three original post holes. This was accurately dated to about 7890BC, 385 years after the first post but 855 years before the second.
So English Heritage asks us to accept that a group of hunter-gatherers went to the Stonehenge site in 8275BC and placed a ‘totem pole’ in a valley away from the high ground (where Stonehenge sits today) which was at this time in history surrounded by a tall pine forest. These people then disappeared for about 400 years, returning to place a second ‘totem pole’ 75 yards away from the first, finally to return 855 years later and place a third pole next to the first with the fourth (of unknown date) in an alignment. Moreover, these people left no trace of their 1200 year occupation of this site until they returned 5,000 years later in 3000BC to build Stonehenge phase 1.
Why has this absurd theory not have the scrutiny that it desires? Why was the evidence buried in a vault for 10 years? And why do they still insist that these post holes are ‘totem poles’? In his book, Langdon shows that these structures played a more significant role than has previously been believed. Not only does he reveal what these post holes were for, but he also gives a more plausible explanation on what really happened at Stonehenge including, WHO built the Monument, WHEN they built the monument and WHY they built the monument.
For the full article on ‘The Stonehenge Enigma – An inconvenient truth’ including photos and academic references visit his web site at www.the-stonehenge-enigma.info - all rights to duplicate and extract information or photographs with reference to source and author is granted.
A video promo is available on: http://youtu.be/PVRIBpg-fIE
Details and extracts from the book - The Stonehenge Enigma at: www.prehistoric-britain.co.uk
For a review of the book please visit http://thatsbooks.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-of-stonehenge-enigma.html
Tuesday 16 August 2011
New Book examines how the Astrology of 2012 will affect you
Whatever you believe about the nature and meaning of Life, there can be no doubt that we are living in ‘interesting times.’
'The Astrology of 2012 And How It Affects You' by Marcus Mason
This is a unique guide that examines how the astrology of 2012 will affect you and impact on your life, from the perspective of your astrological sign.
Whatever you believe about the nature and meaning of Life, there can be no doubt we are living in ‘interesting times.’ The Mayans of Central America many centuries ago were aware of the significance of this time and with ever-increasing reports of catastrophic natural disasters and political upheaval taking place all over the world it’s no wonder we find ourselves asking: ‘what’s going on?’
21st December 2012 marks the end of a 25,626-year Time Cycle, caused by the Earth gradually changing her orientation in space. As we approach the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next, it is increasingly clear that many of our old paradigms, structures and underlying beliefs are no longer sustainable – but also that the shifts that are occurring offer us unique opportunities for spiritual growth and progress.
In this book Marcus Mason uses his extensive astrological knowledge and experience to provide some real answers to the question ‘what’s going on?’ – and explains how all of this applies to you, based on your personal sun sign.
Approaching astrology from the perspective of the soul’s evolution can help us understand the inner, spiritual purpose behind the events and experiences of our lives. By exploring the sequence of astrological changes as they unfold – and also how best you as an individual can react to them, this book shows you that we are all being offered the unique opportunity to:
- change our perceptions, by uniting the intelligence of the mind and that of the heart
- understand how we can truly connect with each other and live in harmony
- remember how to honour our Mother Earth
- create a new and infinitely positive vision for our future.
FACTFILE:
Marcus has practised and taught astrology for the best part of 30 years. Over that time, he has developed his approach to ‘Soul-Purpose Astrology’, which he has taught in England, Ireland, Belgium and the USA. Marcus is also an acupuncturist, and applies his knowledge of these two traditions to his work and around the world. For more information visit Marcus' website
Marcus has extensive experience presenting workshops and speaking at shows and fairs.
'The Astrology of 2012 And How It Affects You' by Marcus Mason
This is a unique guide that examines how the astrology of 2012 will affect you and impact on your life, from the perspective of your astrological sign.
Whatever you believe about the nature and meaning of Life, there can be no doubt we are living in ‘interesting times.’ The Mayans of Central America many centuries ago were aware of the significance of this time and with ever-increasing reports of catastrophic natural disasters and political upheaval taking place all over the world it’s no wonder we find ourselves asking: ‘what’s going on?’
21st December 2012 marks the end of a 25,626-year Time Cycle, caused by the Earth gradually changing her orientation in space. As we approach the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next, it is increasingly clear that many of our old paradigms, structures and underlying beliefs are no longer sustainable – but also that the shifts that are occurring offer us unique opportunities for spiritual growth and progress.
In this book Marcus Mason uses his extensive astrological knowledge and experience to provide some real answers to the question ‘what’s going on?’ – and explains how all of this applies to you, based on your personal sun sign.
Approaching astrology from the perspective of the soul’s evolution can help us understand the inner, spiritual purpose behind the events and experiences of our lives. By exploring the sequence of astrological changes as they unfold – and also how best you as an individual can react to them, this book shows you that we are all being offered the unique opportunity to:
- change our perceptions, by uniting the intelligence of the mind and that of the heart
- understand how we can truly connect with each other and live in harmony
- remember how to honour our Mother Earth
- create a new and infinitely positive vision for our future.
FACTFILE:
Marcus has practised and taught astrology for the best part of 30 years. Over that time, he has developed his approach to ‘Soul-Purpose Astrology’, which he has taught in England, Ireland, Belgium and the USA. Marcus is also an acupuncturist, and applies his knowledge of these two traditions to his work and around the world. For more information visit Marcus' website
Marcus has extensive experience presenting workshops and speaking at shows and fairs.
The Enchantless Tale Of Lizzy Cropwell
In the Post-enchanted fairytale kingdom of 'Roc' stands the 'Academy of Happy Ever After' - a place where students train to become the next generation of dashing heroes and fair maidens, complete with certificates and credentials for a ready-made happy ever after.
Elizabeth Marianne Cropwell, a struggling princess-to-be, is in trouble regarding her academic progress. Following a freak mishap with a tax-dodging frog, Lizzy's graduation now depends on her both becoming a Fair Maiden and being rescued by a dashing Hero... without the academy's safety net.
Assisted by her companions, an illegal helpline, a resourceful shrubbery and a horde of disenfranchised toads, Lizzy sets out to prove the academy wrong, live out her fantasies and bring about a happy ending her own way.
But this is easier said than done - and Lizzy's mission risks exposing a dark and sinister secret that could destroy the concept of 'happy endings' forever...
Elizabeth Marianne Cropwell, a struggling princess-to-be, is in trouble regarding her academic progress. Following a freak mishap with a tax-dodging frog, Lizzy's graduation now depends on her both becoming a Fair Maiden and being rescued by a dashing Hero... without the academy's safety net.
Assisted by her companions, an illegal helpline, a resourceful shrubbery and a horde of disenfranchised toads, Lizzy sets out to prove the academy wrong, live out her fantasies and bring about a happy ending her own way.
But this is easier said than done - and Lizzy's mission risks exposing a dark and sinister secret that could destroy the concept of 'happy endings' forever...
FACTFILE:
About the Author: James Sane (born Dec. 25, 1985) grew up in Nottingham, England. In 2004 he attended Stirling University, where he began writing The Enchantless Tale of Lizzy Cropwell as a wedding present for his sister. In 2008 he graduated with a degree in History, Religious Studies and Professional Education and currently teaches History at secondary schools in Aberdeenshire, including Peterhead and Banff.
Recent [customer] Reviews:
www.Amazon.co.uk
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, 9 Jun 2011
By Mrs. Lindsay P. Tonner "Mrs T" (Shetland)
I totally loved this book! It's not my usual genre but I gave it a go. There are a lot of points where you think you know how the story will go, but the author manage to trick you at every turn. Lizzy's journey is fantastic (in every sense of the word), the story is laugh out loud funny, sometimes sad but always brilliant! Where does the author get his ideas from? I think he's a genius. i must admit I was a bit skeptical about a male author writing the talke of a young woman (I always am and always think they will fail) but in this case I was pleasantly surprised. What a fab debut! I can't wait to read the sequel!!
www.Amazon.com
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, June 8, 2011
By Annie Bird
I thought it was a very witty book for a debut. It is quick, and although aimed at a younger audience, adults will revel in it equally! It is anything but predictable and is an original piece of writing. Best début book I've read in ages.
Www.Amazon.com
4.0 out of 5 stars An Enchanting Tale..., June 5, 2011
By LiaLil
While "The Enchantless Tales of Lizzy Cropwell" is primarily geared towards young adults, I reveled in it's updated moral of "girl-power" nonetheless. I found myself wandering dangerously off the Path of Safety, around The Tree of Knowledge, and questioning authority in general, right along with Lizzy and company.
Not your average "tween" fare of castles, hunky boys and predictability, Mr. Sane's adventure "zigs" when you're sure the story line is going to "zag" right, offering up, not one unlikely heroine... but several. At times heartbreaking, others laugh-out-loud funny, but inspired throughout. A fun read, for anyone at any age.
Title: The Enchantless Tale of Lizzy Cropwell
Genre: Fiction/ Fantasy
ISBN-10: 0755206630
ISBN-13: 978-0755206636
ASIN: B005C491NG [Kindle]
(RRP) £7.99 [paperback] £4.54 [Kindle]
Publishers details:
Authorsonline ltd [www.Authorsonline.co.uk]
Size: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches (216 pages)
About the Author: James Sane (born Dec. 25, 1985) grew up in Nottingham, England. In 2004 he attended Stirling University, where he began writing The Enchantless Tale of Lizzy Cropwell as a wedding present for his sister. In 2008 he graduated with a degree in History, Religious Studies and Professional Education and currently teaches History at secondary schools in Aberdeenshire, including Peterhead and Banff.
Recent [customer] Reviews:
www.Amazon.co.uk
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, 9 Jun 2011
By Mrs. Lindsay P. Tonner "Mrs T" (Shetland)
I totally loved this book! It's not my usual genre but I gave it a go. There are a lot of points where you think you know how the story will go, but the author manage to trick you at every turn. Lizzy's journey is fantastic (in every sense of the word), the story is laugh out loud funny, sometimes sad but always brilliant! Where does the author get his ideas from? I think he's a genius. i must admit I was a bit skeptical about a male author writing the talke of a young woman (I always am and always think they will fail) but in this case I was pleasantly surprised. What a fab debut! I can't wait to read the sequel!!
www.Amazon.com
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, June 8, 2011
By Annie Bird
I thought it was a very witty book for a debut. It is quick, and although aimed at a younger audience, adults will revel in it equally! It is anything but predictable and is an original piece of writing. Best début book I've read in ages.
Www.Amazon.com
4.0 out of 5 stars An Enchanting Tale..., June 5, 2011
By LiaLil
While "The Enchantless Tales of Lizzy Cropwell" is primarily geared towards young adults, I reveled in it's updated moral of "girl-power" nonetheless. I found myself wandering dangerously off the Path of Safety, around The Tree of Knowledge, and questioning authority in general, right along with Lizzy and company.
Not your average "tween" fare of castles, hunky boys and predictability, Mr. Sane's adventure "zigs" when you're sure the story line is going to "zag" right, offering up, not one unlikely heroine... but several. At times heartbreaking, others laugh-out-loud funny, but inspired throughout. A fun read, for anyone at any age.
Title: The Enchantless Tale of Lizzy Cropwell
Genre: Fiction/ Fantasy
ISBN-10: 0755206630
ISBN-13: 978-0755206636
ASIN: B005C491NG [Kindle]
(RRP) £7.99 [paperback] £4.54 [Kindle]
Publishers details:
Authorsonline ltd [www.Authorsonline.co.uk]
Size: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches (216 pages)
(PLEASE NOTE: This book and many other books are available via the That's Books Amazon Shop link to the right of this article)
Monday 8 August 2011
Be That Writer: Write On! The Writer’s Help Book
Be That Writer: Write On! The Writer’s Help Book: "This is an essential guide for all writers, from the newest to the more experienced amongst us. Seasoned and published author and writer ..."
Wednesday 3 August 2011
Nigerian Prize for Literature reaches shortlist phase
The Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature today approved an initial shortlist of six out of the 126 books submitted for the 2011 edition of the prize.
The list parades well-known writers of children’s literature like Uche Peter Umez winner of the 2006 Commonwealth Short Story Prize and runner-up for the 2007 The Nigeria Prize for Literature with his book The Runaway Hero; Philip Begho, author of over 70 books and two-time contender for The Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2004 and 2010 with his Aunty Felicia Goes to School; Ayodele Olofintuade, with Eno’s Story; Chinyere Obi-Obasi, with The Great Fall, Mai Nasara with The Missing Clock. Thelma Nwokeji,’ a new writer, also made the list with her debut, Red Nest.
The list was presented after two months of intensive scrutiny by the chairman of the panel of judges for this year’s prize, Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, a professor of English, University of Lagos and past co-winner of the prize. Other members of the panel are Prof. Lekan Oyegoke of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Prof. Yakubu Nasidi of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. David Ker, Vice Chancellor The Catholic University of Nigeria, Obehi, Abia State and Prof. Ini-Obong Uko, Department of English, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State all well-respected literary critics.
The Advisory Board was represented by its chairman Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo and Dr. Jerry Agada, President of the Association of Nigerian Authors.
This standard this year, even more than other years, is uncompromising. Even though Nigerian writers from all over the world submitted entries for the prize, the six authors on parade are all home-based.
Although the contending books for the prestigious prize sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited are overwhelmingly for the 7-12 age range, rather than the teen or 'crossover' books that sometimes pass for children's books, they did not shy away from tackling gritty or difficult subjects. They are also books that can be enjoyed by both children and adults.
The children’s literature prize does not favour any genre- prose, poetry or drama; only good writing is rewarded. The prize sifts the huge array of children’s books which come out every four years, short listing only the mind-snaring originals.
Professor Akachi-Ezeigbo said the judges were particularly careful to avoid poorly edited books, books with low moral thresholds, junk reads, thrillers or books which can be read on auto-pilot. The emphasis is on good books that stay with you long past the point at which you put them down, she said.
Professor Banjo thanked the judges urging them to ensure that only entries that meet a very high standard of excellence were rewarded. He said a second shortlist of three books will be announced in September and a winner, if any, in October.
The list parades well-known writers of children’s literature like Uche Peter Umez winner of the 2006 Commonwealth Short Story Prize and runner-up for the 2007 The Nigeria Prize for Literature with his book The Runaway Hero; Philip Begho, author of over 70 books and two-time contender for The Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2004 and 2010 with his Aunty Felicia Goes to School; Ayodele Olofintuade, with Eno’s Story; Chinyere Obi-Obasi, with The Great Fall, Mai Nasara with The Missing Clock. Thelma Nwokeji,’ a new writer, also made the list with her debut, Red Nest.
The list was presented after two months of intensive scrutiny by the chairman of the panel of judges for this year’s prize, Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, a professor of English, University of Lagos and past co-winner of the prize. Other members of the panel are Prof. Lekan Oyegoke of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Prof. Yakubu Nasidi of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. David Ker, Vice Chancellor The Catholic University of Nigeria, Obehi, Abia State and Prof. Ini-Obong Uko, Department of English, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State all well-respected literary critics.
The Advisory Board was represented by its chairman Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo and Dr. Jerry Agada, President of the Association of Nigerian Authors.
This standard this year, even more than other years, is uncompromising. Even though Nigerian writers from all over the world submitted entries for the prize, the six authors on parade are all home-based.
Although the contending books for the prestigious prize sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited are overwhelmingly for the 7-12 age range, rather than the teen or 'crossover' books that sometimes pass for children's books, they did not shy away from tackling gritty or difficult subjects. They are also books that can be enjoyed by both children and adults.
The children’s literature prize does not favour any genre- prose, poetry or drama; only good writing is rewarded. The prize sifts the huge array of children’s books which come out every four years, short listing only the mind-snaring originals.
Professor Akachi-Ezeigbo said the judges were particularly careful to avoid poorly edited books, books with low moral thresholds, junk reads, thrillers or books which can be read on auto-pilot. The emphasis is on good books that stay with you long past the point at which you put them down, she said.
Professor Banjo thanked the judges urging them to ensure that only entries that meet a very high standard of excellence were rewarded. He said a second shortlist of three books will be announced in September and a winner, if any, in October.
Wednesday 20 July 2011
Controversial new books by Strand Publishing
Tragedy Of Deception’ by Humayun Niaz - ISBN 9781907340130
This is a true and first hand story of the last days of Taleban rule in Afghanistan as witnessed through the eyes of a neutral and ordinary person. This honest account brings out the true nature of things, as they occurred not withstanding what was reported in the press. The writer makes one amazing revelation after another recalling a series of credible events and makes use of contemporary photographic images in support of his claims. The irony of the story will be evident to most people after reading this account, although separating fact from fiction is never easy, and in the case of Afghanistan this is even more so.
Indeed Afghanistan is never far from the limelight, acting as a playground for another Great Game that has already started and has a long way to go. The last one was played out in the 19th Century, between the British and Russian Empires vying for supremacy in Central Asia - this time the players may be different but the ground is the same.
An eye opening and must read book for all those interested in recent global events which may change the course of history and have an impact on people all over the world; and those of us searching for common sense that is unfortunately not so very common nowadays!
The Assassins Code by Christopher Chance - ISBN 9781907340123
The main character Christopher ‘Arrow’ Arrowsmith joined Special Forces to see action. Unfortunately, he picked one of the worst moments of the Twentieth Century in which to see it. Middle East tensions are on the rise and Ireland is a time bomb waiting to explode. He is sucked into the secret world of undercover intelligence, and a terrible violence is preparing to rip the country he loves apart, feeding a frenzy of bloodlust that threatens the very survival of his nation’s way of life as unholy alliances are forged.
Journey with ‘Arrow’ as he finds friends in unlikely places and encounters enemies where he should be safe. Possessing a ‘licence to kill’ and with only his lethal skills to guide and protect him, he must cultivate friends in the strangest of places travelling across continents and oceans in his quest to remove the enemies of his Motherland. Adventure, subterfuge, suspense, eroticism, bloodletting and characters to die for: its all here, an engrossing page by page journey by an abrasive, new heroic Brit, initially manipulated by the shadowy chiefs of the British Secret Intelligence Service, but slips his noose in Afghanistan to become a hero to the Mujahideen, the IRA and the British Establishment simultaneously. Everyone who dies in this amazing book is real!
The author is ex Special Forces and expert in martial arts and weaponry with extensive experience in the field of undercover intelligence.
The Challenge Of Reality’ by Sultan Bashir Mahmood - ISBN 9781907340048
This book is a fine contribution to the Existence of God, providing evidence with the help of science and supported with coloured images throughout; essential reading for all those interested in the interface between science and belief and who should care about the future of our world.
Dr Sultan Bashir ud Din Mahmood is a controversial but distinguished Pakistani Scientist with an international reputation. He is known as one of the founders of the Pakistani Nuclear programme, which he and his team developed for the security of the country. In August 2001, he and one of his colleagues met with Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al Zawahiri in Afghanistan. He has denied that he discussed nuclear weapons. Never the less this meeting and his declared sympathy for the Taliban led to his dismissal from the Pakistan Nuclear operations and to being labelled a terrorist by President George W Bush of the United States. He was arrested and, her alleges, tortured by the Pakistani and US Intelligence Agencies.
This is a true and first hand story of the last days of Taleban rule in Afghanistan as witnessed through the eyes of a neutral and ordinary person. This honest account brings out the true nature of things, as they occurred not withstanding what was reported in the press. The writer makes one amazing revelation after another recalling a series of credible events and makes use of contemporary photographic images in support of his claims. The irony of the story will be evident to most people after reading this account, although separating fact from fiction is never easy, and in the case of Afghanistan this is even more so.
Indeed Afghanistan is never far from the limelight, acting as a playground for another Great Game that has already started and has a long way to go. The last one was played out in the 19th Century, between the British and Russian Empires vying for supremacy in Central Asia - this time the players may be different but the ground is the same.
An eye opening and must read book for all those interested in recent global events which may change the course of history and have an impact on people all over the world; and those of us searching for common sense that is unfortunately not so very common nowadays!
The Assassins Code by Christopher Chance - ISBN 9781907340123
The main character Christopher ‘Arrow’ Arrowsmith joined Special Forces to see action. Unfortunately, he picked one of the worst moments of the Twentieth Century in which to see it. Middle East tensions are on the rise and Ireland is a time bomb waiting to explode. He is sucked into the secret world of undercover intelligence, and a terrible violence is preparing to rip the country he loves apart, feeding a frenzy of bloodlust that threatens the very survival of his nation’s way of life as unholy alliances are forged.
Journey with ‘Arrow’ as he finds friends in unlikely places and encounters enemies where he should be safe. Possessing a ‘licence to kill’ and with only his lethal skills to guide and protect him, he must cultivate friends in the strangest of places travelling across continents and oceans in his quest to remove the enemies of his Motherland. Adventure, subterfuge, suspense, eroticism, bloodletting and characters to die for: its all here, an engrossing page by page journey by an abrasive, new heroic Brit, initially manipulated by the shadowy chiefs of the British Secret Intelligence Service, but slips his noose in Afghanistan to become a hero to the Mujahideen, the IRA and the British Establishment simultaneously. Everyone who dies in this amazing book is real!
The author is ex Special Forces and expert in martial arts and weaponry with extensive experience in the field of undercover intelligence.
The Challenge Of Reality’ by Sultan Bashir Mahmood - ISBN 9781907340048
This book is a fine contribution to the Existence of God, providing evidence with the help of science and supported with coloured images throughout; essential reading for all those interested in the interface between science and belief and who should care about the future of our world.
Dr Sultan Bashir ud Din Mahmood is a controversial but distinguished Pakistani Scientist with an international reputation. He is known as one of the founders of the Pakistani Nuclear programme, which he and his team developed for the security of the country. In August 2001, he and one of his colleagues met with Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al Zawahiri in Afghanistan. He has denied that he discussed nuclear weapons. Never the less this meeting and his declared sympathy for the Taliban led to his dismissal from the Pakistan Nuclear operations and to being labelled a terrorist by President George W Bush of the United States. He was arrested and, her alleges, tortured by the Pakistani and US Intelligence Agencies.
Tuesday 12 July 2011
Warwickshire Entrepreneur Becomes #1 Amazon Bestseller
Coventry Entrepreneur and businessman Sean McPheat out sold the likes of Sir Alan Sugar, Sir Richard Branson and Duncan Bannatyne with the launch of his new book which became an instant July #1 bestseller in Amazon.
Sean’s latest book “eselling® - How to use the internet for prospecting, personal branding, networking and for engaging the c-suite decision maker” rocketed up the ranks and beat all comers as business owners and sales professionals alike ordered the eagerly anticipated release.
Sean is regarded as a 'thought leader' within the sales and business improvement arena and is the founder of Coventry based, international training firm MTD Training who have trained over 40,000 staff worldwide.
“This book covers an alternative approach to prospecting and selling as most business owners don’t like making cold calls and the traditional methods of developing new business” added McPheat.
eselling® is due to kick start a new method of selling within the UK and Sean has already had speaking requests from around the world to spread the word including speaking engagements closer to home as well when he speaks at the coveted Institute Of Sales & Marketing conference at the Ricoh Arena in October.
Sean’s latest book “eselling® - How to use the internet for prospecting, personal branding, networking and for engaging the c-suite decision maker” rocketed up the ranks and beat all comers as business owners and sales professionals alike ordered the eagerly anticipated release.
Sean is regarded as a 'thought leader' within the sales and business improvement arena and is the founder of Coventry based, international training firm MTD Training who have trained over 40,000 staff worldwide.
“This book covers an alternative approach to prospecting and selling as most business owners don’t like making cold calls and the traditional methods of developing new business” added McPheat.
eselling® is due to kick start a new method of selling within the UK and Sean has already had speaking requests from around the world to spread the word including speaking engagements closer to home as well when he speaks at the coveted Institute Of Sales & Marketing conference at the Ricoh Arena in October.
Saturday 9 July 2011
Review of The Stonehenge Enigma
http://thatsbooks.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-book-reveals-startling-new-truth.html
It is an interesting book.
It is NOT a sensationalist book (despite the stupid illustration provided by the publisher to the press) the author is a qualified and practising archaeologist who has made a case for the theory that much of Britain at the time Stonehenge was built was covered in water (as a result of the impact of the Ice Age) he makes a reasonable case for this based on post hole evidence, plus other evidence found -and ignored or just not understood, in the main- by some archaeologists.
He believes that the people of the Stone Age were not the 'ignorant savages' as depicting in some history books, that they had reasonably high level of civilisation. (For which he has some evidence.) And that they were more mobile -by using boats- than might have been thought possible.
To anyone who wonders how it could be that a civilisation's influence could be so totally lost, he points out that within 200 years of the Romans leaving Britain, all of their building knowledge, etc., was lost and that it took a very long time for Britain to regain some of what Rome had. Central heating, for one thing.
There is evidence that they practised medicine and that an early use of part of Stonehenge was for medical treatments. He provides some evidence for this.
He also makes reference to Doggerland and points out that far from the tiny land bridge that some academics still seem to believe in, Britain was once part of mainland Europe, connected by the large landmass now called Doggerland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doggerland
It is an interesting book and worth buying. Even though the author should have employed someone to polish the text a little!
It is an interesting book.
It is NOT a sensationalist book (despite the stupid illustration provided by the publisher to the press) the author is a qualified and practising archaeologist who has made a case for the theory that much of Britain at the time Stonehenge was built was covered in water (as a result of the impact of the Ice Age) he makes a reasonable case for this based on post hole evidence, plus other evidence found -and ignored or just not understood, in the main- by some archaeologists.
He believes that the people of the Stone Age were not the 'ignorant savages' as depicting in some history books, that they had reasonably high level of civilisation. (For which he has some evidence.) And that they were more mobile -by using boats- than might have been thought possible.
To anyone who wonders how it could be that a civilisation's influence could be so totally lost, he points out that within 200 years of the Romans leaving Britain, all of their building knowledge, etc., was lost and that it took a very long time for Britain to regain some of what Rome had. Central heating, for one thing.
There is evidence that they practised medicine and that an early use of part of Stonehenge was for medical treatments. He provides some evidence for this.
He also makes reference to Doggerland and points out that far from the tiny land bridge that some academics still seem to believe in, Britain was once part of mainland Europe, connected by the large landmass now called Doggerland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doggerland
It is an interesting book and worth buying. Even though the author should have employed someone to polish the text a little!
Monday 4 July 2011
Be That Writer: How to Be a Writer
Be That Writer: How to Be a Writer: "Stewart Ferris' book, How to be a writer is both small and very short. It is also, however, one of the most useful books on writing that I h..."
Be That Writer: Words, Words, Words
Be That Writer: Words, Words, Words: "David Crystal, the author of Words, Words, Words, is an academic. But he is much, much more than being 'just' an academic. David Crystal lov..."
Tuesday 28 June 2011
New diet book, endorsed by Jessica Biel, promotes probiotic nutrition for weight loss and optimal health
Fatigue, headaches, mood swings, weight gain, allergies, joint and muscle pain, inflammation: these are just some of the signs that indicate you may unknowingly be suffering from a ‘silent invader’ –Yeast/Candida.
The resulting imbalance can be a key factor in numerous health problems including chronic fatigue, food allergies, skin disorders, obesity, depression, digestive disorders, and other immune-related diseases. In The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity (Hay House, 1st Aug 2011/£12.99), author Donna Gates reveals a groundbreaking programme for recovering your health with probiotic nutrition and simple dietary transitions that can profoundly impact your well-being.
“Health begins in the digestive tract, rampant use of antibiotics and sugar addiction has led to an epidemic known as Candidiasis or an overgrowth of yeast in the body,” explains Gates. “My program is designed to support imbalances in the system with a probiotic rich diet and supplements to improve your inner ecology.” Body Ecology™ emphasises food and detoxification as the foundation for wellness. The resulting benefits are: greater energy, improved digestion, greater focus, a stronger immune system, weight loss and much more.”
Donna Gates is a leading expert in digestive health and has helped hundreds of thousands heal and improve their health. Dealing with her own health issues and frustrated with conventional medicine, she embarked on a long course of study into many different healing concepts, including ancient Chinese medicine, macrobiotics, raw foods, and mega-supplement therapy. Incorporating the most beneficial components of each concept resulted in the Body Ecology system of healing.
In the book, Donna reveals how to restore and maintain the ‘inner ecology’ your body needs to function properly, and eliminate or control the symptoms that rob you of the joy of living. She emphasises simple yet important dietary transitions that can profoundly impact how you feel such as:
• Drastically reducing your intake of carbohydrates and sugars
• The addition of cultured/fermented foods, such as kefir, to your diet
• Changing the quality of fats and oils you consume
The Body Ecology Diet is endorsed by many doctors, nutrition experts and even celebrities tout the benefits. According to actress Jessica Biel, “Body Ecology emphasizes the importance of what we put into our bodies and teaches a way of eating that makes me feel like I am in control of my health and in tune with my body’s intuitive needs. Cultured vegetables and coconut kefir have become essentials, not only in my home, but whenever I travel.”
In her book, Gates shows you, step-by-step, how to eat your way to better health and well-being deliciously, easily, and inexpensively. In this book, you will learn:
• Basic eating principles to help you gain mastery over every health challenge you may encounter
• How to create ideal digestive balance
• Effective cleansing and detoxification methods to restore your system's harmony and support your liver
• How to conquer sugar cravings
• Tips for strengthening your immune system
• Easy meal planning with dozens of delectable recipes, an array of menus, and detailed shopping lists
• Strategies for dining out
The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity
Published by Hay House, 1st August 2011, £12.99 pb and as an e-book.
In October 2011, Donna Gates will release The Baby Boomer Diet (Hay House) which incorporates the main principles of the Body Ecology philosophy for anti-aging and longevity.
The resulting imbalance can be a key factor in numerous health problems including chronic fatigue, food allergies, skin disorders, obesity, depression, digestive disorders, and other immune-related diseases. In The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity (Hay House, 1st Aug 2011/£12.99), author Donna Gates reveals a groundbreaking programme for recovering your health with probiotic nutrition and simple dietary transitions that can profoundly impact your well-being.
“Health begins in the digestive tract, rampant use of antibiotics and sugar addiction has led to an epidemic known as Candidiasis or an overgrowth of yeast in the body,” explains Gates. “My program is designed to support imbalances in the system with a probiotic rich diet and supplements to improve your inner ecology.” Body Ecology™ emphasises food and detoxification as the foundation for wellness. The resulting benefits are: greater energy, improved digestion, greater focus, a stronger immune system, weight loss and much more.”
Donna Gates is a leading expert in digestive health and has helped hundreds of thousands heal and improve their health. Dealing with her own health issues and frustrated with conventional medicine, she embarked on a long course of study into many different healing concepts, including ancient Chinese medicine, macrobiotics, raw foods, and mega-supplement therapy. Incorporating the most beneficial components of each concept resulted in the Body Ecology system of healing.
In the book, Donna reveals how to restore and maintain the ‘inner ecology’ your body needs to function properly, and eliminate or control the symptoms that rob you of the joy of living. She emphasises simple yet important dietary transitions that can profoundly impact how you feel such as:
• Drastically reducing your intake of carbohydrates and sugars
• The addition of cultured/fermented foods, such as kefir, to your diet
• Changing the quality of fats and oils you consume
The Body Ecology Diet is endorsed by many doctors, nutrition experts and even celebrities tout the benefits. According to actress Jessica Biel, “Body Ecology emphasizes the importance of what we put into our bodies and teaches a way of eating that makes me feel like I am in control of my health and in tune with my body’s intuitive needs. Cultured vegetables and coconut kefir have become essentials, not only in my home, but whenever I travel.”
In her book, Gates shows you, step-by-step, how to eat your way to better health and well-being deliciously, easily, and inexpensively. In this book, you will learn:
• Basic eating principles to help you gain mastery over every health challenge you may encounter
• How to create ideal digestive balance
• Effective cleansing and detoxification methods to restore your system's harmony and support your liver
• How to conquer sugar cravings
• Tips for strengthening your immune system
• Easy meal planning with dozens of delectable recipes, an array of menus, and detailed shopping lists
• Strategies for dining out
The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity
Published by Hay House, 1st August 2011, £12.99 pb and as an e-book.
In October 2011, Donna Gates will release The Baby Boomer Diet (Hay House) which incorporates the main principles of the Body Ecology philosophy for anti-aging and longevity.
Monday 27 June 2011
Thats Education: Big Book Challenge For Bookworms During School Hol...
Thats Education: Big Book Challenge For Bookworms During School Hol...: "With the school holidays fast approaching, a special reading challenge for young bookworms is being launched in June in aid of The Children'..."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)