Alfie Green and the Conker King


Book Description

Alfie would love to win the School Conker Championship. But with Conor Hoolihan on his team and Whacker Walsh cheating all the time, he has no chance. He needs to find a Super Cracking Conker, and he needs to find one fast. Alfie must travel through the Skeleton Woods of Arcania to find the last great king of the conker warriors. Will the Conker King part with his winning conker? Alfie Green book 6




Country Boy


Book Description

Colin Miller was born in 1940 in Rollesby, a village near Great Yarmouth in the heart of Broadland Norfolk. In Rollesby, as in so many other rural communities at this time, drinking water was from a well, the lavatory was a bucket in an outside privy, transport was a bicycle or a bus and entertainment was provided by the radio, whist drives at the village hall or a rare visit to the cinema. As the 1940s and 50's progressed this way of life altered dramatically, some would say disappeared - and Colin Miller chronicles these changes through the eyes of a Norfolk schoolboy and teenager. Developing themes such as school days, health, work, entertainment, sport and leisure, this honest and thoughtful account also includes brief extracts from the local newspapers, reporting local events and illustrating the social change experienced by the author. Country Boy will bring back many memories for anyone who grew up in rural Britain in the 1940s and '50s - and will also remind subsequent generations of how much life changed in just a couple of decades.




Weird Sports and Wacky Games around the World


Book Description

With hundreds of books dedicated to conventional sports and activities, this encyclopedia on the weirdest and wackiest games offers a fresh and entertaining read for any audience. Weird Sports and Wacky Games around the World: From Buzkashi to Zorbing focuses on what many would consider abnormal activities from across the globe. Spanning subjects that include individual games, team sports, games for men and women, and contests involving animal competitors, there is something for every reader. Whether researching a particular country or region's traditions or wanting an interesting read for pleasure, this book offers an array of uses and benefits. Though the book focuses on games and sporting activities, the examination of these topics gives readers insight into unfamiliar places and peoples through their recreation—an essential part of the human experience that occurs in all cultures. Such activities are not only embedded in everyday life but also indelibly interconnected with social customs, war, politics, commerce, education, and national identity, making the whimsical topic of the book an appealing gateway to insightful, highly relevant information.




Jack's Strange Tales Collection


Book Description

All six books in 'Jack's Strange Tales', a series by Jack Strange, now in one volume! Strange Tales of Scotland: Strange Tales of Scotland all deal with a particular aspect of Scottish mysteries. You'll learn of the ghost that appeared at the wedding of King Alexander II, of monsters such as the Shellycoat and Water-horse that were thought to inhabit Scotland’s lochs. Another part deals exclusively with Loch Ness, and the strange happenings at that mysterious body of water. Later, we have a look at the mysterious deaths at the Flannan Islands Lighthouse, and at the strange creatures that were once believed to infest the hills and glens of Scotland, including the terrifying brollachan and the slaugh. It's A Strange Place, England: This small book looks at some of the strange things that make England unique, starting with the English language itself and looking at concepts such as sports, ghosts and the English love for eccentricity - like the sportsman who rode his horse naked. There is also the impressively masculine Cerne Abbas Giant, to which women once flocked when they wished to become pregnant. The mysterious Stonehenge also deserves its part in this book. From Robin Hood to highwaymen and smugglers, English folk tales take some very ruthless people and turn them into heroes that they most certainly were not. Finally, there's a cheerful chapter that looks at pubs, which figure prominently in many English tales and are a part of modern culture all over the world today. The Strangeness That Is Wales: This book looks at the strange legends, tales and ghosts of Wales. Although the stories are intended to entertain as much as educate, the historical facts are accurate. Included are stories on ghosts - both real and fake - and the legend of King Arthur. Welsh animal lore, customs, monsters and music are also examined. One of the strangest villages in the world gets a chapter to itself, as do witches, miners and druids. The book is written in a personal, light-hearted style, with geographical references to help identify the places. Hopefully, you will come away with a different view on Wales - and a smile on your face. Strange Tales of the Sea: What lurks beneath the waves, and onboard the most mysterious of ships? Get ready to experience the lore and lure of the sea with these myths, legends and true stories. Centuries-old folklore and tales of haunted vessels. Sea monsters and ghosts. Cannibalism at sea, and mysterious disappearances. Included are also tales of sailors ashore, and the prostitutes and crimps that preyed on them. Find out what happened to stowaways, how they were treated, and about the myth that women were not welcome on ships. Strange Ireland: In Ireland, truth, folklore, mythology, and legend are indistinguishably interwoven into a Celtic knot of strangeness. From fact to fiction and the peculiar to the bizarre, unravel some of Ireland’s most curious lore: the Blarney Stone kissing ceremony, the giant behind the Giant’s Causeway, the escapades of Saint Patrick, and the myths of the 1690 battle of the River Boyne among many others. Among the twenty-six chapters each detailing a unique Irish oddity, discover the history of Emerald Isle in a new light. More Strange Scotland: More Strange Scotland is a collection of anecdotes, facts, folklore and legends about the strangeness of that little nation on the western fringe of Europe. From fairies to witches and the frightening water horses, Scotland has a host of legends. Add haunted castles, strange pub names and devilish people to the mix, sprinkle with Aberlour spirits and the mists of Skye and then open the book. If ghostly bagpipers and unseen river monsters don’t scare you off, then you may revel in the stories from this most strange of all countries.




Garlands, Conkers and Mother-Die


Book Description

Plants have had symbolic as well as practical meanings and uses since the beginning of human civilisation. This vivid account introduces readers to a rich variety of British and Irish plant folklore, drawing on Roy Vickery's own unsurpassed archives collated over forty years, and a wide range of historical and contemporary literature. Unlike other books which re-use material collected in the Victorian era, this book is based on new material collected by the author, and shows that while some of the wilder superstitions have faded we still cling to the symbolic importance of plants. Putting conkers in wardrobes keeps moths away, and parsley - the Devil's plant - only germinates if sown on Good Friday. A potato in the bed helps do away with cramp and in Cornwall crawling under a bramble bush was considered a cure for blackheads. From plants that foretold births and deaths, to herbal remedies, planting and harvesting rituals, friendship bushes and festive garlands this is a book of rich and living social history and folklore.




It's A Strange Place, England


Book Description

This small book looks at some of the strange things that make England unique, starting with the English language itself and looking at concepts such as sports, ghosts and the English love for eccentricity - like the sportsman who rode his horse naked. As well as strange people, the book looks at strange places. For example, there is the canal across Southern England that was dug to keep back Bonaparte's hordes in the invasion that never took place. There is also the impressively masculine Cerne Abbas Giant, to which women once flocked when they wished to become pregnant. The mysterious Stonehenge also deserves its part in this book. Some traditions have not lasted into modern times, such as wife selling, which was once fairly common and strangely, often with the consent of the wife herself. The book takes a more serious turn when it examines the witch-hunting epidemic of the 17th century. Lightening the mood are the chapters on the so-called Hellfire Club and a look at English dragons. Did they exist? From Robin Hood to highwaymen and smugglers, English folk tales take some very ruthless people and turn them into heroes that they most certainly were not. We also look at the Morris Dancers and the famous tale of Spring Heeled Jack - who or whatever he may have been. Finally, there's a cheerful chapter that looks at pubs, which figure prominently in many English tales and are a part of modern culture all over the world today.




Six Men on a Walk


Book Description

Follow the adventures of the Gravesend Malt Whisky club as fired only by excess alcohol and enthusiasm they decide to embark on the Caledonian Challenge; a 54 mile walk across Scotland to be completed non-stop within 24 hours. Starting with training "walks" that seemingly involve more time in the pub than actually walking they eventually start some serious training and cover most of Kent in the process. Against all expectations they finally make it to Scotland and although embarking on a serious endeavour they still have time to muse on the landscape and history of the countryside they are walking through. Will they actually make it or simply retire to the pub half way round? Read on and find out... What they said about the book Funnily enough I started it last night and have got half way through it as (and this may surprise you) I found it to be a good read. A few things I would change and some great typos; my favourite being 'as bold as bras'. Just the kind of bras I like!! Look forward to the next submission. Andy Parr PR guru and alleged editor of Six Men on a Walk (although he never actually provided any edits) on receiving the first thirty pages for editing. At the end of the book I was left with a number of feelings; a very minor yearning for home, a regret that I had not seen more of Scotland, but mainly a desire to read more work by this new and exciting author, I Jackson esquire. Well done mate another achievement that I couldn't even imagine attempting. Darrell Read Retired (aged 42) city broker, best mate and part time sycophant. This is very, very good...I chuckled away...should really be dashing to Faversham...!!! James Pilcher Surveyor and illustrator of Six Men on a Walk







Ghost Trees


Book Description

"A joyous hymn to the urban wild." Patrick Barkham Even in the brick and concrete heart of our cities, nature finds a way. Birds and mammals, insects, plants and trees – they all manage to thrive in the urban jungle, and Bob Gilbert is their champion and their chronicler. He explores the hidden wildlife of the inner city and its edgelands, finding unexpected beauty in the cracks and crannies, and uncovering the deep and essential relationship that exists between people and nature when they are bound together in such close proximity. Beginning from Poplar, the East End area in which he lives, Bob explores, in particular, our relationship with the trees that have helped shape London; from the original wildwood through to the street trees of today. He draws from history and natural history, poetry and painting, myth and magic, and a great deal of walking, observing and listening. Beautifully written, passionate and defiant, Ghost Trees tells the secrets and stories of the urban wildscape, of glorious nature resilient and resurgent on our very doorsteps. ‘Full of deep truths and improbable marvels, this beautifully observed book is a joyous hymn to the urban wild and a clarion call for better – greener, wilder – cities.' Patrick Barkham, natural history writer Praise for Bob Gilbert's The Green London Way: ‘More than ever now, as edgeland becomes a value to be fought over, we need the sanity and the calm informative voice of walkers like Bob Gilbert. This is more than an elegy, it's an inspiration: open your eyes, see what is there and not what you are told is there.' Iain Sinclair




The Fire in Your Eyes


Book Description

Description 'There is fire in your eyes, and it frightens me.' At the age of twelve, Luci cannot possibly comprehend what her mother means by those words - and her mother's suicide just hours later means she cannot ask. But the words will come to haunt Luci in the years to come as she battles with the highs and lows of undiagnosed manic-depression. The tragic death of her twin brother at the age of seventeen marks the beginning of a rollercoaster ride of intense emotion that pushes Luci to the very limits of her endurance. Her manic recklessness has far-reaching consequences, for both Luci and her extended family, and the accompanying episodes of depression leave Luci teetering on the thin line between life and death. When Luci meets Ben, she actually dares to hope that he might be the one person who can keep her on an almost even keel. But when tragedy steals Ben from her just weeks before their wedding day, Luci is left despairing of ever being happy as her tempestuous moods spiral once again out of control. Luci's hopes of happiness are rekindled when she finds love in an unexpected quarter, but as the rollercoaster ride becomes ever more extreme, an episode of psychotic mania threatens everything Luci holds dear, culminating in her hospitalisation and diagnosis with bipolar affective disorder (manic depression). By turns funny and tragic, The Fire in Your Eyes thrusts the reader deep into the tumult that is untreated manic-depression, a real rollercoaster of a ride. About the Author Martine Lara Daniel was born in York in 1981. From a young age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and whilst at secondary school she would often be caught scribbling stories in the back of exercise books during lessons. Her dreams of seeing her name in print never dimmed, despite her life being turned upside down by episodes of mania, depression and brief psychosis during her late teens and early twenties. In 2003 the pressures of a stressful job brought on an episode of psychotic mania, which led to the breakdown that ended her hopes of a career in bookselling, following which Martine was finally forced into contact with local mental health services. With the help of medication and the support of her family, she began to pick up the pieces of her life and started work on The Fire in Your Eyes, juggling work on the novel with her studies with The Open University. She hopes to graduate with a BA (Hons) in Humanities with English Language in 2010.