Corfu; Cat Tales under Lockdown - a diary


Book Description

A cancelled flight opened a new chapter in Lynne's life. Along with her husband she was 'stranded' on the beautiful island of Corfu, Greece. For the first time in her 75 years, this wife and grandmother of 10 had time to herself. This was a unique period in Lynne's life and a dramatic time in the history of the world. Covid19 was dislocating and destroying the lives of so many people. Against the backdrop of the pandemic Lynne was able to draw positivity and simple pleasures from her beautiful surroundings and, most importantly of all, derive great joy and delight from the local cat population. A review of the book from Dr Lee Durrell: ' This book is about cats, of course, enchanting and extraordinary creatures that they are, each with its own loveable character and temperament. It is also about the magic of Corfu - its profusion of spring wildflowers, melodies of sheep bells and centuries-old traditions. But there is much more going on here. Lynne Sayer’s diary ranges from current global events to deeply personal ones. We hear about covid, Brexit and threats to American democracy, as well as the doings of her children and grandchildren in lockdown England. This is well worth a read as a chronicle of our times….and for cat-lovers everywhere. The modest purchase price goes towards improving the lives of stray cats and kittens in Lynne’s region of Corfu. The book ends with a heartfelt appeal to contribute to the work of Kassiopi Cats Meow, which is “the best way to help the brave little cats”. I, for one, could not resist it! ' Lee Durrell, Corfu, October 2021




The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There


Book Description

After returning to Fairyland, September discovers that her stolen shadow has become the Hollow Queen, the new ruler of Fairyland Below, who is stealing the magic and shadows from Fairyland folk and refusing to give them back.




Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts


Book Description

A dying billionaire sends one woman and a cast of dreamers and rivals on a citywide treasure hunt in this irresistible novel by the author of Bellweather Rhapsody.




Co-creation for Responsible Research and Innovation


Book Description

This open access book summarizes research being pursued within the SISCODE (Society in Innovation and Science through CO-DEsign) project, funded by the EU under the H2020 programme, the goal of which is to set up an analytical, reflective and learning framework to explore the transformations in initiatives and policies emerging from the interaction between citizens and stakeholders. The book provides a critical analysis of the co-design processes activated in 10 co-creation labs addressing societal challenges across Europe. Each lab as a case study of real-life experimentation is described through its journey, starting from the purpose on the ground of the experimentation and the challenge addressed. Specific attention is then drawn on the role of policies and policy maker engagement. Finally, the experimentation is enquired in terms of its output, transformations triggered within the organization and the overall ecosystem, and its outcomes, opening the reasoning towards the lessons learnt and reflections that the entire co-creation journey brought.




The Great Good Thing


Book Description

A storybook princess breaks the fourth wall and incites a new kind of adventure in this imaginative middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of Chris Colfer and Gail Carson Levine. Sylvie had an amazing life, but she didn’t get to live it very often. Sylvie has been a twelve-year-old princess for more than eighty years, ever since the book she lives in was first printed. She’s the heroine, and her story is exciting. But that’s the trouble: it’s always exciting in the same way. So when a new Reader opens the book at long last, Sylvie breaks the cardinal rule of all storybook characters: she looks up. And sets into motion a new story all her own. Now, Sylvie is in for an adventure beyond any she could have imagined. As her journey takes her from the pages of a book to the landscape of dreams, Sylvie must summon all her courage to save her kingdom, find her way home, and figure out what it really means to do a Great Good Thing.




Sourdough


Book Description

From Robin Sloan, the New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, comes Sourdough, "a perfect parable for our times" (San Francisco Magazine): a delicious and funny novel about an overworked and under-socialized software engineer discovering a calling and a community as a baker. Named One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Southern Living Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions. She codes all day and collapses at night, her human contact limited to the two brothers who run the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall from which she orders dinner every evening. Then, disaster! Visa issues. The brothers quickly close up shop. But they have one last delivery for Lois: their culture, the sourdough starter used to bake their bread. She must keep it alive, they tell her—feed it daily, play it music, and learn to bake with it. Lois is no baker, but she could use a roommate, even if it is a needy colony of microorganisms. Soon, not only is she eating her own homemade bread, she’s providing loaves to the General Dexterity cafeteria every day. Then the company chef urges her to take her product to the farmer’s market—and a whole new world opens up.




The Fountain in the Forest


Book Description

When a brutally murdered man is found hanging in a Covent Garden theatre, Detective Sergeant Rex King becomes obsessed with the case. But as Rex explores the crime scene further, he finds himself confronting his own secret history instead. Moving from Holborn Police Station, to an abandoned village in rural, 1980s France, and the Battle of the Beanfield at Stonehenge, The Fountain in the Forest is both a thrilling crime mystery and a dizzyingly unique novel of unparalleled ambition.




Where the Heart Is


Book Description

A down on her luck pregnant teen finds herself living in a shopping center in this Oprah's Book Club selection that inspired the film starring Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman. Talk about unlucky sevens. An hour ago, seventeen-year-old, seven months pregnant Novalee Nation was heading for California with her boyfriend. Now she finds herself stranded at a Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma, with just $7.77 in change. But Novalee is about to discover hidden treasures in this small Southwest town–a group of down-to-earth, deeply caring people willing to help a homeless, jobless girl. From Bible-thumping blue-haired Sister Thelma Husband to eccentric librarian Forney Hull, they are about to take her–and you, too–on a moving, funny, and unforgettable journey.




The Goblin Trilogy


Book Description

A saga spanning three generations in a feudal world governed by magicians.Will you dare to enter a world of darkness among the goblins to join into The Dance?The complete collection of the Fantasy trilogy that brought Epic series to a new generation. World building based in the foundation of Traditional Fantasy.Dance of the GoblinsThe goblins lived unseen by man for many generations and were forgotten, consigned to legend, but a fluke sighting when a man wanders into the entrance of a forgotten underground transportation system revives an ancient war between the species, originated by misunderstanding and prejudice of a species which appears alien to the superstitious humans.Demoniac DanceA young girl running away from an unwanted marriage finds a new life among the mysterious magicians in the land across the river. What she didn't bargain for is the presence of the goblins who have befriended her benefactors.Power of the DanceKhemael is a creature of beauty and grace with a mostly human appearance. His love of stretching his leather-like wings and flying freely in the world of men brings far too much attention to the existence of the goblins. Haghuf knows that the inevitable responsibility will fall to him to destroy Khemael who, in the world of the humans, would be called his grandson.Worlds of magic await to be discovered in the complete series, The Goblin Trilogy!Old school Fantasy for readers of The Lord of the Rings, Dragonlance, Songs of Ice and Fire, and Wheel of Time."mesmerizing, breathtaking, and a treat for the imagination."Scroll up and buy to start the adventure today!




The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974)


Book Description

In 1973 Sophie Neville was cast as Titty alongside Virginia McKenna, Ronald Fraser and Suzanna Hamilton in the film Swallows & Amazons. Made before the advent of digital technology, the child stars lived out Arthur Ransome's epic adventure in the great outdoors without ever seeing a script. Encouraged by her mother, Sophie Neville kept a diary about her time filming on location in the lakes and mountains of Cumbria. Bouncy and effervescent, extracts from her childhood diary are interspersed among her memories of the cast and crew as well as photographs, maps and newspaper articles, offering a child's eye view of the making of the film from development to premiere - and the aftermath.