{"product_id":"my-sand-life-my-pebble-life-9781472982940","title":"My Sand Life My Pebble Life","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eMy sand life, my pebble life. My life measured out in tides, coming in and going out. My life measured out in games of trying to spot the sea first. My life measured out in the delicious and indulgent sadness that comes from leaving a holiday cottage for the last time and for the first time in several days it isn't raining, but at least the kids have had a great time and, let's face it, so have you.\u003c\/i\u003e Warm and darkly funny, this sublimely crafted book transports you (in a blue Ford Zephyr, with an AA route map, a granny in the back and a bingo hall on the horizon) to the world of childhoods by the sea. Specifically, Ian's memories of childhood: ones we'll all identify with  endless sunny days on the beach, done to a turn fish and chips, legendary games of cricket, tea and cakes and family crammed into a tiny caravan, holiday cottages that live forever, buckets of shells, a busted fishing net and enough sand to make a beach, with the tide out, way out   In this nostalgic collection\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eMy Sand Life, My Pebble Life\u003c\/i\u003e is a fine companion * John Hegley *\u003cbr\u003ea collection of heart-warming coastal tales from writer, playwright and broadcaster Ian McMillan...evokes a wonderful sense of nostalgia that's sure to transport you back to your own coastal experiences. * Coast Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eIt's the grit in the shell that turns these memories into pearls... To describe these essays as 'poetic' seems almost redundant. There is a small cluster of poems...at the heart of the book, but the whole thing works at that level... McMillan's turn of phrase is as richly laconic as ever. -- Brian Morton * Times Literary Supplement *\u003cbr\u003eThis heartwarming and sea-air-infused collection of coastal memories will instantly transport you back to childhoods spent at the seaside. * Countryman *\u003cbr\u003ea kaleidoscope of seaside memories * The Radio Times *\u003cbr\u003eCombines poignant snatches of personal history with a delightfully nostalgic celebration of the British seaside holiday. * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003ePoignant...this book is sure to bring a smile to your face * Towpath Talk *\u003cbr\u003eQuietly surreal ... McMillan's turn of phrase is as richly laconic as ever. * Times Literary Supplement *\u003cbr\u003edelivered in Ian's unmistakable homespun poetic fashion... \u003ci\u003eMy Sand Life, My Pebble Life\u003c\/i\u003e transports the reader to coast around the country * Yorkshire Post *\u003cbr\u003eThis delightful, warm companion will provide ideal holiday reading for many * Best of British magazine *\u003cbr\u003eIan McMillan is brilliant at narrating life and capturing the moment * Big Issue in the North *\u003cbr\u003edelightful * Prospect *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eevocative\u003c\/b\u003e * Choice Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eCharming...heart-warming...nostalgic * The Great Outdoors *\u003cbr\u003eTake a nostalgic trip with broadcaster, journalist and poet Ian McMillan as he brings his coastal memories to life with an abundance of rich memories... perceptive and funny. * The People's Friend *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction: Coasting  Barefoot in the sand in Blackpool  One day that boy will be prime minister  July 2020: There’s a couple there with masks on  September 2020: The eternal EPCOT fridge magnet  March 2020: The lost glove and the high wind  Years went over and nobody found us  The helicopter at the picnic  Pieces to camera  The coast that wasn’t a coast or maybe it was  Overexposure  Six and out  The saxophone, the sea  Jazz and bells and early morning coffee  Joe’s Prize Bingo and the lockout  East Coast, magnetic coast  Who’s that in the picture?  My sand life, my pebble life  Filey fact, Filey fiction  The shape of the watch on the wrist  The map of getting the map  Carrying the Methodist  The wallet  I haven’t seen one of those for years  Going to extremes: North  Going to extremes: East  Going to extremes: West  Going to extremes: South  Autumn  Winter  Spring  Summer  Snow beach  Like a statue  Seeing the sand  You’ll write a poem about that  Pre-Cleethorpes dreaming  April 2021: Almost forgetting the pie  Drugged by the pie  The running man  Don’t touch the sides of that tent  What the weather said  Eating chips by the sea, a rhapsody  Islands of midges and wasps  Being a curator  Into the wind  The snake in the bed  The oar  The currency  The Hunstanton Frisbee incident  Coast as a series of novelty cruet sets  Young man with a notebook  Towels and trunks  Tide out  Up the path  My sand life my pebble life","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408793772375,"sku":"9781472982940","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781472982940.jpg?v=1730504228","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/my-sand-life-my-pebble-life-9781472982940","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}