During our 40 years on the rivers Thames, Medway, Great Ouse, Orwell, plus the South and East coast, we had such a great time and met many wonderful people. The camaraderie among boaters is second to none, the wildlife is fantastic. Our main worries, and only in recent years, have been about the severe lack of river maintenance. The deterioration in some areas is beyond belief, lack of maintenance that will, over time, make some rivers un-navigable. I do hope that by reading this book will encourage more people to take up boating and those who do boat, pay their licence fees and bring pressure on the relevant authorities to maintain all our wonderful waterways. There is a saying - use it or lose it, perfectly apt for our rivers. Happy Boating.

Siya Khumalo het grootgeword in ’n Durbanse township waar net een opruiende preek ’n skare kon laat toesak op enigeen wat as “anders” beskou is. In Siya se geval was “anders” om gay te wees. Hy het daarom begin om indringend na seks, politiek en godsdiens te kyk. Hy ontbloot tegnieke wat vandag deur magsfigure gebruik word en wys hoe veral gay mense die prooi word van politici en pastore wat wil ryk word deur die armes en populêre vooroordele uit te buit.

A memoir of startling insight, divine comedy, and irreversible, unconscionable stupidity

Fans of Jason Mulgrew's wildly popular blog know that everything really is wrong with him. The product of a raucous, not-just-semi-but-fully-dysfunctional Philadelphia family, Jason has seen it all--from Little League games of unspeakable horror to citywide parades ending in stab wounds; from hard-partying longshoremen fathers to feathered-hair, no-nonsense, kindhearted mothers; and from conscience-crippling Catholic dogmas to the equally confounding religion of women. With chapter titles like "My Bird: Inadequacy and Redemption" (no, he is not referring to a parakeet) and "On the Relationship Between Genetics and Hustling," Everything Is Wrong with Me proves that, as Jason puts it, "writing is a fantastical exercise in manic depression"--but he never fails to ensure that laughter is part of the routine.

With echoes of Jean Shepherd transplanted to Philly in the eighties and nineties, this book is a must-read for every person who looks back wistfully on his or her childhood and family and wonders, "What were we thinking?"

Now a major Channel 4 series Rose Cartwright has OCD, but not as you know it. Pure is the true story of her ten-year struggle with 'Pure O', a little-known form of the condition, which causes her to experience intrusive sexual thoughts of shocking intensity. It is a brave and frequently hilarious account of a woman who refused to give up, despite being undermined at every turn by her obsessions and enduring years of misdiagnosis and failed therapies. Eventually, the love of family and friends, and Rose's own courage and sense of humour prevailed, inspiring this deeply felt and beautifully written memoir. At its core is a lesson for all of us: when it comes to being happy with who we are, there are no neat conclusions.

Georg Bucher, a German infantryman from 1914 had lost almost all of his closest friends by 1918. The last friend he lost, Riedel, was crushed by a tank in one of the last battles of the war. This is his tale in their memory. A sergeant by 1918, Bucher describes nearly every part of the Western Front - the Marne, Verdun,Somme, Ypres, the Vosges and the 1918 Spring Offensive in vivid detail. He illustrates how his psychological state changed over the course of the war, how a soldier can in a split second turn from a human being into a killing machine without pity, killing as second nature, without thought.The raw endurance required to survive the trenches is narrated in undiluted fashion, no horrors are spared; the quagmire of 3rd Ypres, unrelenting lice and rats, the stench of death and descriptions ofa bhorrent actions such as (so Bucher alleges) French soldiers, under the influence of absinthe, mutilating some of his company for revenge on the Senegalese.Fans of 'All Quiet on the Western Front' or 'Storm of Steel' will be delighted to discover Bucher's work.

The Sheriff's Chauffeur is a unique and fascinating story concerning the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of the City of London during the 1958 - 1959 term of office. The book is written by Bob Luckhurst who was the Sheriff's Chauffeur, therefore the subject is banquets, dinners, Livery Halls, visit to Buckingham Palace and royal precessions etc, as seen from a chauffeur's point of view. Bob was only twenty-four years of age at the time and he'd never driven a Rolls Royce in London, yet found himself having to lead the Lord Mayor's three car convoy to each and every engagement. The story also covers the working relationship between sheriff and chauffeur with several serious confrontations, but it's the humorous encounters that make Bob's story an interesting read.

Sully was a hospital, not a sanatorium, and was the last of several institutions and clinics to be established for the provision, treatment and abolition of TB by the King Edward VII National Memorial Association and it was desbanded after the National Health Service came into effect in 1948. Memory is like buried treasures. Sometimes you discover long forgotten worlds. Here I chronicled life inside Sully, an Art Deco building on the coast near Cardiff, a state-of-the art hospital designed to offer a more humane way of treating those with TB, in contrast to the traditional harsh regimes of sanatoriums based on isolation, and fresh air. "A fascinating insight into life and death at a TB hospital in South Wales - from a patient's perspective. At times hilarious, poignant and shocking but compelling throughout." Chris Holme, historian and journalist. The author had published several non-ficton books including "The Children of Craig-y-nos" (co-authored with Dr Carole Reeves), and "Paolozzi Revealed".

In 1993 Rosemary Solomon left the grey January skies of England behind as she set off on a two week journey across India with the charity WaterAid. This diary tells the story of that 1500 mile journey. But this wasn't just a journey to visit WaterAid projects - for Rosemary it became a journey of self-discovery after which life would never be the same again. All proceeds from the sale of this book will go to WaterAid to help with their on going commitment to provide clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene in India and beyond. For more infomation on their work please go to www.wateraid.org.uk My trip to India took place 25 years ago, since that time many of the place names have change, I have not changed the place names rather I have kept them as they were first written in this diary. This is not meant to cause offence, but a true reflection of what I saw and experienced at that time.

Daddy is going to camp. That's what I told my children. But it wasn't camp. . . .

Neil White wanted only the best for those he loved and was willing to go to any lengths to provide it--which is how he ended up in a federal prison in rural Louisiana, serving eighteen months for bank fraud. But it was no ordinary prison. The beautiful, isolated colony in Carville, Louisiana, was also home to the last people in the continental United States disfigured by leprosy--a small circle of outcasts who had forged a tenacious, clandestine community, a fortress to repel the cruelty of the outside world. In this place rich with history, amid an unlikely mix of leprosy patients, nuns, and criminals, White's strange and compelling new life journey began.

An extraordinary memoir at once funny, poignant, and uplifting, In the Sanctuary of Outcasts reminds us all what matters most.

For the past three years, since he finished writing his children's book 'The Nine Lives Of Bella Simkins', Jack Swaab has carried round a battered leather notebook. In it, he has recorded the thoughts, memories, reflections and insights that the world around him bring to this remarkable author. It is a broad canvas that attracts his urbane and witty mind's eye-covering everything from footballers to birdsong, churchyards to ancient cricketers, boy scouts to Brexit. Some of what he writes is funny, other parts are tinged with melancholy. At times, banality, brutality or injustice stir him to the edge of anger. Everything he writes, though, comes with the warmth, wisdom and generosity of spirit that the past 98 years have bestowed on him. It is a very different world in which he now lives, and seeing that world through the vivid lens of so many years and so rich a life brings it to life for us too in unexpected and rewarding ways.

A collection of short stories based for the most part on the writer's experience of growing up and working on a Shropshire estate where his father was head gamekeeper and grandfather managed its home farm. They are of particular interest because they portray everyday life in that part of the British countryside through years which witnessed the beginnings of the momentous social and agrarian upheaval triggered by the Second World War. The writer describes the surge in agricultural mechanisation which has continued to the present day; also farming as practiced before its current reliance on chemical fertilizers and spray chemicals: acreages which used to employ ten men now employ but one. It should be stressed these stories and anecdotes are not an exercise in nostalgia. Instead they are a fractual record of the countryside which the writer knew so intimately, and as such, contain a wealth of interest for many. So great have been the changes over the last seventy five years, it is but small wonder the younger generation struggle even to begin to imagine life as it was at that time.

AT FOURTEEN, I WAS A REGULAR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IN CLINTON, MISSISSIPPI, WHEN A MODELING SCOUT TOLD ME: YOU COULD BE A SUPERMODEL . . . BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO LOSE A LITTLE WEIGHT.
FOR GLAMOUR, FAME, AND ESCAPE, I LOST SEVENTY POUNDS.
This is a photo of me at SIXTEEN, when I signed a big modeling contract, moved to New York City, and started traveling around the world.
It is also when I developed a ferocious case of anorexia and exercise bulimia.
Until I decided enough was enough--I wanted to live.
And so I ate. And ate.
Offering a behind-the-scenes peek into the modeling industry, as well as a trenchant look at our weight-obsessed culture, "Hungry "is an inspiring and cautionary tale that will resonate with anyone who has battled society's small-minded definitions of beauty.
This is me NOW, the leading plus-size model in America.

Carrie Johnson is not only the consort of the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson; she is also considered by some to be the second most powerful unelected woman in Britain after the Queen. Since she moved into Downing Street in July 2019, questions have been raised about her perceived influence, her apparent desire to control events, and the number of her associates who have been appointed to positions of standing in the government machine. So, are these concerns justified? In this carefully researched unauthorised biography, Michael Ashcroft charts the extraordinary ascent of Mrs Johnson, speaking to multiple sources who have been close to her and to Boris Johnson in recent years to produce a fascinating portrait of a woman who is still under the age of thirty-five. The book scrutinises Mrs Johnson's colourful family, her attempt to become a professional actress, and her early decision to work in politics. Long before she moved into No. 10, Mrs Johnson made a name for herself as a Conservative Party press aide before becoming a special adviser to two Cabinet ministers and eventually director of communications at Conservative campaign headquarters. Aside from politics, she is also the mother of two young children and campaigns in the fields of the environment and animal welfare. Carrie Johnson is without doubt a very modern prime ministerial spouse. This examination of her career and life offers the electorate the chance to assess exactly what role she plays in Boris Johnson's unpredictable administration and why that matters.

The author of "The Prince"--his controversial handbook on power, which is one of the most influential books ever written--NiccolO Machiavelli (1469-1527) was no prince himself. Born to an established middle-class family, Machiavelli worked as a courtier and diplomat for the Republic of Florence and enjoyed some small fame in his time as the author of bawdy plays and poems. In this discerning new biography, Ross King rescues Machiavelli's legacy from caricature, detailing the vibrant political and social context that influenced his thought and underscoring the humanity of one of history's finest political thinkers.

Shéri Brynard has reached many remarkable milestones, although she was born with Down Syndrome. She talks about how love and acceptance from her family and friends formed her. She tells of her adventures, her pain and the harsh realities she has to face as an adult with Down Syndrome. Her mother tells the tale of living in Shéri’s shadow, speaking without holding back about her crisis of faith when she heard that her daughter had Down Syndrome. A touching tale.

'As educational as it is enlightening ... Read this' SARA PASCOE 'Passionately argued, meticulously researched and angry as hell ... leads the reader beyond the strip club and on to the battlefield where sex workers fight for their rights' KATE LISTER 'Deeply impressive ... An important book, sorely needed' CAROL LEIGH 'An unflinching takedown of inadequate working conditions ... A must read' JUNO MAC, co-author of Revolting Prostitutes Forget everything you think you know about strippers In this powerful book, Stacey Clare, a stripper with over a decade of experience, takes a detailed look at the sex industry - the reality of the work as well as the history of licensing and regulation, feminist themes surrounding sex work, and stigma. Bringing her personal knowledge of the industry to bear, she offers an unapologetic critique and searing indictment of exploitation, and raises the rights of sex workers to the top of the agenda. The Ethical Stripper rejects notions of victimhood, challenges stigma and shame, and unpacks decades of confusion and contradictions. It's about the sex-work community's fight for safety and self-determination, and it challenges you to think twice about every newspaper article, documentary and film you have seen about stripping and sex work.