This is a classic real-life story of derring do on the high seas, complete with extreme risk, last-minute ingenuity and many near-misses.

Beginning in the 1960s, this book tells of the real life adventures of the author as a boy - a time of boarding schools, long holidays and an unbelievable (to today's parents) amount of freedom and danger. Encouraged by his parents (who lived abroad) to become more independent and self-sufficient, Peter decided to see how far he could get in his family's small open dinghy Calypso. Aged 16, he spent a winter restoring her, before pootling straight out into a force 7 gale and very nearly capsizing, after which he headed back to land to plan even more extreme adventures.

Calypso was a Wayfarer, a small (16ft) and very popular class of open dinghy; a boat designed for pottering around coastlines and estuaries during the day. But along with the occasional brave crewmate, Peter managed to sail her across the Channel, through the Bay of Biscay, down the French canals and into the Mediterranean, then up into the North Sea and the Baltic to Oslo, living aboard for three months at a time. These were some of the longest voyages that anyone had ever achieved in an open boat, where (as Peter says) you 'have to be like a tightrope walker, concentrating on balance day and night, fully aware of the consequence of relaxing your vigilance'. He survived huge waves, nine rudder breakages in heavy seas, dismasting, capsizes, and hallucinations caused by sleep deprivation. He also managed it on a tiny budget, working as a farm labourer, hitchhiking everywhere, and at times living on one meal of cereal a day, to save the maximum amount for his boat.

Charming, quite British in style, beautifully written and a lovely insight into a seemingly golden time, this is primarily a great read, but will be of huge practical use to anyone wanting to go that bit further in their dinghy. It also includes a lovely Foreword by world-famous yachtsman Brian Thompson.

Film-maker Stephen Walker wanted to make a documentary about the Cannes Film Festival. He needed to find four young, untried, untested, obsessive and possibly unhinged directors whom he could follow in their quest for fame and glory. Over six months, he met hundreds of film-makers from all over the world. Some were clearly talented. A few seemed certifiably insane. What united them was a passion for making movies and an inhuman determination to make their mark — whatever the cost.

King of Cannes is a riotously funny account of those six months, a rollercoster ride through the nether regions of the movie business which culminates at Cannes, the most important — and the most glamorous — film festival in the world.

Click here to read a good, long extract.

Tommy Kennedy IV's final autobiography enters the millennium years with energy, pace and sincerity. Immediately, we are swept into the heart of London's Notting Hill and into the hypnotic centre of its vibrant music scene. Tommy's management of the bands in his care is in equal measure affectionate, creative and dedicated. Characters such as Big Alan Clayton, The Assassin and Whiplash Jackson, Steve Dior, Alan Blizzard, Billy Idle, Rainbow George are presented in vivid techno-colour against the kaleidoscope of a cascading sub-culture. The writing sparkles with anecdotal humour as we observe their interactions which are always interesting, sometimes hilarious and often tragic. When a series of tragedies manifest into his own life Tommy reacts with his characteristic optimism and the unexpected events do not serve to dampen his passion for adventure. It is the birth of his son which gives Tommy a new lease of life, transporting him into an era where his ego is relinquished in favour of altruism and a more conscious way of living. This is what makes this volume a must read, as despite the many adversities we are never presented with a tale of victimisation. On the contrary, the work emerges as a celebration of community cohesion, freedom and friendship. This volume ends in 2020 as Tommy reaches his sixtieth year. The ultimate message for his readers is that they, like Tommy, can move forward confidently with a realisation that even a global pandemic will not and can not diminish the human spirit.