Search results for ""Troubador Publishing""

After successfully tracking down the perpetrator of the Jack the Ripper murders (as told in An Alien Autumn, the first book of the series) the undercover aliens from the planet Jara, First Commander Ashto and Apprentice Commander Atia, continue with their secret mission to discover as much information as possible about the Earth. However, their research is again interrupted by the murderous activities of another ruthless serial killer who has taken to leaving the headless and bloodless bodies of young male prostitutes around the East End of London. As the two aliens search to find the identity of this elusive blood obsessed murderer, they also meet with some of the prominent literary figures of the age including the writer and wit Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker the creator of the most famous horror novel of the 19th century, Dracula. When Ashto and Atia leave London for the first time their travels take them to the picturesque Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby whe

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Michael Arlen (1895-1956) was a literary shooting star among the smart set of the 1920s. The self-styled chronicler of Mayfair society, he became an international celebrity after the publication of his scandalous novel The Green Hat in 1924. Born into an immigrant Armenian community in Lancashire, following early breakthrough in London he led a millionaire’s life on the Riviera and dabbled in the Hollywood film industry before living out his final years, all but forgotten, in retirement in New York. For all his success as a purveyor of popular fiction, he remained forever an ‘outsider’, arousing both fascination and suspicion in the English-speaking world. Encounters with Michael Arlen is a set of overlapping essays that reflect how the novelist was seen by himself and by his contemporaries. Unlike a conventional biography, the emphasis is on his connections with other leading figures of the day, especially fellow writers such as D.H. Lawrence, Ernest Hemingway and Rebecca West. The book is also a rumination by the author on the sheer difficulty of writing literary biography. With its comprehensive timeline and listing of archive materials relating to Arlen, it should serve as a stimulus to future research on this neglected and enigmatic personality.

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This is not the Spain which has drawn historians, neither is it the Spain of many people's dreams: the olive and citrus groves of the Mediterranean, the beaches and white-washed villages. This is the story of a family from one of many villages in the poor mountain regions as they lived through the troubled times of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries which brought unrest, war and finally a long dictatorship lasting until Franco's death in 1975.On Franco's death the Spanish people faced an enormous challenge; the way forward would not be easy. How could they cast off their troubled past What was it like for a foreigner arriving in the country over forty years ago as Spain struggled to find its way as a modern European state? An attempted coup d'état, terrorism, the declining power of the church and vertiginous social changes affected everyone's lives.Spain today is a very different country, yet something of the turbulent past remains.Echoes from a Van

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Lately, I have been comparing life and its daily routine with board games. I had reached a point where I wondered if I had chosen the right game and I dreamed of being able to roll the dice once more and start over again.' At the age of 31, Cassi is at a crossroads in her life. She has misgivings about her plans to marry Daniel, is bored with her job, and her relationship with family and friends is proving difficult. She yearns to be alone, to think quietly and calmly for once. So her grandmother's request that she clear out an attic in an otherwise empty house comes at just the right time. But, even there, it turns out Cassi is not alone. Will the family secrets and intrigues of the past bring Cassi insight into the present? Travellers in Transit is a family novel about relationships, standing up for yourself and making choices.

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Michael and Libby meet as children on the outbreak of the Second World War. As the years pass their lives connect and divide. Both achieve success, and both discover that success is not without sacrifice. Their stories dovetail with others, with the characters facing dilemmas resolved in ways that challenge our views about what is morally right or wrong. 'The Three Graces' is about love in all its forms: passionate, pure, selfless, unrequited – and yes, fulfilled and enduring. It is not a simple love story, or a war novel, or a detective story, though it has elements of all three. The narrative forsakes the well-trodden ground of celebrity and royalty in favour of the lives of ordinary people living through extraordinary events.

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Meet Septamus, a seven-legged Octopus. But Septamus is no ordinary sea creature… Septamus is a dynamic and charismatic superhero who can swim to the bottom of the deepest sea, glide over the earth and even fly way up beyond the clouds. He can also change colour and even camouflage himself, which comes in handy for his series of adventures with his friends, Crabbie, the crab, and Buttie, the butterfly. The five tales, Trouble Underwater, Catching Stars, Crabbie’s Treasure, Rainbow’s End and Beyond the Shore, see Septamus, Crabbie and Buttie above the shore searching for a rainbow, high up in the clouds and exploring under the sea. Full of exciting adventures, some leading them to danger, but Septamus is always there to save the day!

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What challenges do live-in grannies face? Or long-distance ones? Is spoiling okay? What if parents refuse to vaccinate? Should you charge for childcare?Is your house child-proof? These are just some of the questions tackled in this treasury of advice and stories. Here you'll find a wealth of golden girls, with a galaxy of star grandmothers: Queen Camilla, who relishes spoiling the children; Prue Leith, who admits she's a rotten grandmother; Joanna Lumley, who has decided to be less glamorous and more of a granny.Discover what Dame Jenni Murray owes to her grandmother, what Oprah Winfrey and Elton John learned from theirs, and why the singer Raye brought hers to the Brit awards.Here you'll encounter rebels and game-changers from across the world, and funny, unconventional and courageous characters featured in films, television and literature.However different they may be, all grandmothers have a shared goal: to do what they can to make the world better for the next gene

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When his young son Toby steals GBP200 and runs away from school, Elliott Decona abandons his new promising business venture to find him. His desperate search has many twists and turns that are both connected and unconnected to the mystery.

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Stories of Sages and Sibyls is a brand new collection of philosophical fables intended to bring an ancient style of storytelling back into modern consciousness. Bringing together seven independent stories all of which contain multiple layers of interpretation, for those who are prepared to look for them it is a work which speaks of heart breaking tragedies, spiritual quests, age old wisdom, and the mystical sense of a lost time.But, with additional moments of whimsy, and comedic episodes too it is a collection with the ability to really touch a reader on a wide range of emotional levels. The characters in these stories include Philosophers, Mystics, Royals, Artists, Prophets, Skeptics, and Believers. But, first and foremost they are deeply human. Embodying the flaws and virtues which we all share.Thus, Stories of Sages and Sibyls is a work of ancient times but, also, is deeply relevant to the modern world too; and our own quests for a deeper side to life.So, these is truly a col

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Meet Julia and her six Steiff bears and a rough old bear' (as Bear Smith describes himself) Best of friends, thesecompanions go everywhere together and are looking forward to their upcoming day trip to Oxford for a college reunionof Julia's father. You would think a visit to Oxford would go smoothly but not for this group!From tanglings with a dog to a wild River Tour to foiling the actions of a thief, Julia and her bears are in for one bigadventure!

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Meet Bethany Hannah Morgan. She's an ordinary girl living in an ordinary world. Well, not quiteWhen Bethany's best, and only, friend dies, her life is shrouded in grief. But when she discovers a mysterious new world through her cupboard door, she sees the chance to escape to Edimor, a galaxy of pirates, wizards, nightmarish monsters, space travel and mystery.Bethany quickly befriends Grollp, a troll pirate who has in his possession a locket said to harness great power. Edimor is under threat from a mysterious child and his carer, and Grollp intends to use this locket to save the world from certain ruin. With no intention of staying in her own world and desperate to escape events she does not quite understand, Bethany joins the fight, determined to save Edimor from its imminent demise.Can these dark and sinister forces be overcome?

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The Dark Freeze describes what happens when probes from an advanced alien civilisation are discovered amongst meteorites that have drenched the coldest regions of the planet. Are they an attempt to communicate, or are they a prelude to something more sinister, an alien invasion?

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As a child, I loved reading stories that transported me to countries and places that were different from those of my upbringing in Britain. Books such as The Coral Island and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer fired my imagination.

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Detty and Mara are enjoying life in their new homes and are finally free from the threats and organised crimes. Or so they believe.While planning a restoration, Detty makes an alarming discovery in their Polish manor house. Disturbed by the find, her husband Marc leaves to for the Lake District to try and come to terms with his country's past.Mara, against her President father's better judgement, has been persuaded to enter politics. She is surprised to find she not only excels in her new role but enjoys it too.Meanwhile, Detty finds increasing success as a singer, enjoying the financial independence and only accepting those engagements that appeal to her. She leads a busy life performing, as well as being the joint director of the new music college at Schloss Krenek with the tenor Hank Schliessen.But disaster strikes, this time from within Livonia and they must summon up all their resources to try and cope with it all. Will they face failure or is there

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Detty is enjoying a quiet life with her baby, Niki junior. Whilst on maternity leave, she accepts an invitation to sing Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio in Budapest. Her last-minute substitute partner, Viktor, is vocally great and she asks him back to Königshof to sing the unfulfilled role of Walther, in the new production of Wagner's Die Meistersinger. Viktor fits well into the role of Walther but worries Detty when he successfully seduces a willing Mara.Detty has doubts about Mara and Viktor's relationship and foresees problems, is he all he claims to be? She is however, pre-occupied with directing the immense and difficult Die Meistersinger which is made easier when a choreographer from Berlin and a famous bass baritone become unexpectedly available.Detty receives a letter from a couple, Alexandra and Jurgen, who were abused by the Travsky fascists and are looking for their missing daughter. But the arrival of an a

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Children love to read animal stories and learn factual details about their behaviour. Each Mattie chapter takes you a bit further on her journey through the first year of her life. Mattie welcomes children into the school each morning, being petted, talked to and held. Mattie Stories is a beautifully illustrated children's story based on the author's Miniature Schnauzer named Mattie. It follows her through her interactions and fears which many young children will be able to relate to!

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It's 1955, and Richie is living a rather solitary life in post-war London, but it's all he's ever known. He can see signs that a colourful and exciting new world is emerging from those dark days of wartime.Until one day tragedy strikes and Richie's life changes beyond anything he could ever have imagined.London is soon a distant memory, as Richie and his mum reluctantly move north to the Chemist Shop where they are expected to toil under Aunt Beatrice's menacing eye. Richie, overwhelmed by the work he is expected to do, longs for his previous life and is unnerved by the mysterious presence of a boy called Peter.Is Peter just a figment of Gran's imagination, and will Richie forever remain under Aunt Beatrice's domineering control or will he and his mum escape from the misery of life at The Chemist?

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The Vision of Storytelling is a visual interpretation of the author's written journals dating 2021-2023. It is a highly illustrative book that follows the artist's journey through mental health, comedy, burlesque and observational life. From his whimsical anecdotes through to his captivating drawings, he takes the reader on an exploration to self-discovery.

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A young woman, Idunn, and a young man, Heimdar, make a perilous journey to initially help gather momentum for their religion, The Old Faith. Along the way, they are joined by others, including a minstrel, a young warrior who is testing her sexual boundaries, and a loyal wolf. Their journey takes an unexpected detour when Idunn discovers her mother, previously thought dead, is alive. Meanwhile, the kings in neighbouring lands decide to attack over the differences between The New Faith and The Old Faith. Yet, the subtext is clear; this is not only about religion but also about greed and power for one side and freedom of expression for the other.

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Twelve-year-old orphan, Grace Fairlight, is thrilled to be leaving the hateful boarding school where she has been living for eight years and to be returning across the wild seas to the windswept Isles of Yorn. Home to rare, wild dragons, the islands are ruled by powerful Houses. These Houses battle for dominance every year in a wild dragon race known as the Skyrace, a brutal life-and-death event. Grace is adopted by her Uncle Jebediah into House Blackett. She knows very little about the islands and only has fragments of memories from her early life. But when she discovers the truth about her parents' death, Grace becomes determined to right the wrongs of her past and restore her true heritage. Can Grace prove herself and stop the vendetta against female dragon racers? And will she finally learn the truth about her past? Naomi Conran's thrilling and exhilarating story, Skywild, is a fantastical quest of wild dragons, brutal competitions, corruptio

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There were always fires in my marriage. Fires that were never quite put out and wetted down by tears, before starting up once again with even more ferocity and vengeance. The atmosphere in the house was uncomfortably humid as a result of this exhausting fire-water cycle. Towards the end, the humidity became intolerable. There are only so many fires you can start before there's nothing left to burn. And that's what happened. There was no big bang ending just nothing left.Four Humid Months is a deeply personal reflection of my marriage and the four months we spent living together as a married couple.This book is many things - a time capsule and bridge, as well as the voice of the girl who experienced it all. Most importantly perhaps, it's a story - a story about how my marriage held me, how I held it and how it shaped my life so that now ''I look forward to diving in heart first / and coming back up enough' (Gratefulness - part III).

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The different species of horned dinosaurs had different sets of horns. But they all used them in the same brutal way.'The Three-Horned is book two in the first pair of Dinosaur Fights gamebooks, where you will use a soul time-portal to transport your spirit back in time 65,805,293 years ago. You will inhabit and control the body of a real dinosaur to fight its greatest enemy in the prehistoric world, Tyrannosaurus rex.In this thrilling game, your soul will be sent into the body of the famous Triceratops. You will use horns, beak and strength to answer the ultimate question: will you defeat Tyrannosaurus rex, or will you become its prey?

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There is hope, there is a way of healing and there is a pain-free life to be enjoyed and celebrated. In the summer of 2005 Elizabeth Reilly sustained an injury from a seemingly trivial accident, after which she had chronic pain for the next fourteen years. Treatments of one sort or another both mainstream and complementary gave only temporary relief. Exercises, as prescribed by physiotherapists, made little difference. Hours spent trawling the internet gave no satisfactory answers, nor did doctors whose specialisation was pain management. Frustration and despair set in. It was only after she stumbled quite by chance on the work of Dr John Sarno that understanding of her symptoms began to make sense. This discovery, along with research into the work of other practitioners in the field of mind-body medicine, enabled Elizabeth to embark on a healing journey that transformed her life. In this engaging and human story, she relates, with insight and humour

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Captured by Napoleon's forces off the coast at Brighton in the year of Trafalgar, the fourteen year old Scot, Alexander Stewart, survived ten years in often appalling conditions in French prisons. He stood up to the bullies, taught himself French and discovered Voltaire. He made four attempts to escape before returning to England where he became an inspirational Congregational minister, who played a full part in the Evangelical revival. The Nonconformists returned from the margins of society to help transform the political and moral landscape of the nation. In two seismic years, the landed classes lost their virtual monopoly of power and slavery was abolished in the British Empire. Spearheaded by preachers such as Stewart and educators such as the Anglican Thomas Arnold, the political nation underwent a moral revolution, asking the question of what ought we to d

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Hilda Campbell was born in the north of Scotland in 1889. She married a German national, Dr. Willy Buntner Richter in 1912. They honeymooned in Scotland and lived in Hamburg. Dr. Richter died in 1938. Later that year she decided to visit her ailing parents in Scotland. 1938. After visiting her ailing parents, she returned to Germany just before the Second World War began. She became a double agent, controlled by Gerhard Eicke in Germany and Lawrence Thornton in Britain. How could she cope under the strain, with her son Otto in the German Army?Hilda went on to give evidence against her German handler at the Nuremburg trials. Soon after, she married a British Ambassador in Helsinki and joined her husband abroad. Hilda died in 1956.This is an extraordinary story based on the life of the author's great aunt, Hilda, including several authentic accounts.

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The country is being torn apart by the Civil War raging between King Charles 1 and Parliament. Richard Farrell is on a trail of revenge that leads him through the bloodbath of Marston Moor, seeking a murderer guided by the cold hand of the King's agent. Sir William Brereton finds his faith severely tested by his struggle for military success, and dreams haunted by memories of a chance encounter years before. Marleigh Hume finds herself on trial for her life as she fights accusations against herself and her daughter. As her fate again entwines with Farrell and Brereton, the story reaches a dramatic climax, as secrets are revealed, loyalties are upheld and betrayed, and new stories begin. The

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It is 1637, and religious conflict ebbs and flows across Europe. After decades of peace in England, young men become mercenaries to fight for principle, wealth or adventure. Richard Farrell enlists in the Low Countries, looking for a purpose to his life, and finds love, a career and a series of moral dilemmas. Sir William Brereton, prominent Puritan, and rising star in England's Parliament, struggles to find God's task for him in the growing political conflict with the King. Both men have their worlds turned upside down by encounters with the fey and mysterious Marleigh Hume, a woman pursuing a singular goal, to understand the very nature of life itself. At its heart, the At the Edge of Promises series is about purpose and passion how religion, love, and politics drive the stories of people through the dramatic upheavals of the Civil War. In Sow the Wind, decisions and actions set wheels of fate in motion - wheels of traged

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It is the year 1663 and after an unhappy childhood and a long spell in a French orphanage, sisters Marguerite and Marie leave for a new life in Quebec. Following a difficult sea-crossing the two sisters and their female companions arrive full of hope for a better life, but with very different expectations.Marguerite, like most of her female companions, hopes to marry and start a family to fulfil the King's wishes. But Marie has different ambitions and is in search of a career and an adventure. The sisters stay on a farm with Catherine, a widow with five young boys and thus begins a happy start to their new life in the new world. But the lives of the two sisters take different paths. Will they fall in love and have the fulfilling lives they hoped for? Or will they end up with very different destinies?

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Suffolk Sonnets Among Others is a collection of Sonnets which celebrate the people, history, and heritage of the county of Suffolk. Each of the Suffolk Sonnets contains small nuggets of information about Suffolk in a serious and comic undertone. This is a unique book which any inhabitant of Suffolk or visitor to the county would surely be pleased to own.

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Crime of the Century is a comprehensive book about classic rock's connections to true crime cases with over twenty true stories of classic rock musicians and their encounters with murderers, and musicians who committed murders. Inside the book you'll find the most famous stories like how The Beach Boys met Charles Manson and how Phil Spector went from legendary producer to convicted murderer. There are stories of how classic rockers encountered some of the most notorious serial killers like The Kinks meeting John Wayne Gacy on their 1965 American tour and Debbie Harry allegedly getting into Ted Bundy's car in the early 70s. You'll see how the Manson Family's classic rock connections run deeper than you thought with their encounters with Neil Young, John Phillips, Tony Valentino, Phil Ochs, and Frank Zappa. You'll also learn how classic rockers were only a few degrees of separation from presidential assassinations and attempted assassinations like The Band meet

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Finding herself single in her forties after making the move to New York, or more accurately, suburban New York, Lilith feels trapped. This wasn't the life she'd envisaged for herself. Until something started to shift. With a newly found sex drive, fresh from ditching the pill (and her inhibitions), Lilith discovers a part of herself that has been suppressed for far too long. But is hooking up with half of Manhattan the answer to all her problems or are there more pieces to the jigsaw she needs to find?

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1571, and the beautiful, headstrong daughter of a French Count marries the son of the Vice Admiral of the Fleet of the West in Queen Elizabeth's chapel at Greenwich. It sounds like a marriage made in heavenRoberda's father, the Count of Montgomery, is a prominent Huguenot leader in the French Wars of Religion. When her formidable mother follows him into battle, she takes all her children with her.After a traumatic childhood in war-torn France, Roberda arrives in England full of hope for her wedding. But her ambitious bridegroom, Gawen, has little interest in taking a wife.Received with suspicion by the servants at her new home, Dartington Hall in Devon, Roberda works hard to prove herself as mistress of the household and to be a good wife. But there are some who will never accept her as a true daughter of Devon.After the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Gawen's father welcomes Roberda's family to Dartington as refugees. Compassiona

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Ollie Moorhouse is a struggling journalist, heavily in debt and fearful of losing his increasingly restless girlfriend. When his editor offers him the chance of pursuing an intriguing story, Ollie is hopeful that it will solve his personal and financial problems. His investigations lead him to an eccentric peer of the realm, a grieving philanthropist, a homeless drug addict and a wealthy landowner. But what is it that connects them?As events move between London, Wiltshire and Eastern Europe, Ollie finds himself caught up in a web of blackmail and murder. With the help of his girlfriend, he starts to piece together the puzzle but, in the process, becomes a key suspect. What is motivating the murderer, and who is the real killer?Winter Kill is a gripping and thrilling read and the third book from the author of The Colours of the Dance and Flight Path.

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Many books claim they will change your life. The Healthy Living Handbook may do it. In the UK one in seven deaths are preventable. The top six illnesses cause most of these deaths: a healthy lifestyle cuts the risk of all of them. What's more, a healthy lifestyle benefits every part of our lives. Relationships, how we feel about ourselves, our enjoyment of life, our looks, our outlook, our sex lives, how much money we have, how long we live for, and our quality of life. The Healthy Living Handbook states how to achieve these benefits. It also acknowledges the barriers to living healthily and addresses them. All in ten chapters and one hundred and fifty pages. The Healthy Living Handbook is readable and persuasive. Its style is concise, realistic, humorous, motivating, and lively. By the end of the book, the reader will know how much a healthy lifestyle will benefit their life an

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Four women had a plan. Barricade themselves inside a suburban house and starve to death. It almost worked, but one survived. She alone knows why they did it. Can she be trusted?It's a puzzle.Dead Rightreveals the truth.The novel explores the complex relationships between these women, their fears and motivations and how the men in their lives the domineering father; the weak, immature brother and the abusive, unfaithful husband alienated and motivated them, inspiring and shaping their plans.Their story unfolds against dramatic events taking place in Northern Ireland and the wider world.

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The Jagged Path tells the true story of a young girl's journey from an idyllic life in rural 1940's Nigeria, through the heartbreak of losing her parents, tumultuous years with uncaring guardians, an abusive marriage which ended in betrayal, to finally finding hope and happiness.In this powerful tale of resilience, fortitude and faith, Charlotte Osho describes arriving in mid-sixties London faced with an onslaught of new experiences, unfamiliar foods, a very different climate and of course, the shock of racism. But though she quickly adjusted to her new home, dreams of a happy marriage and security were soon shattered by a husband who became emotionally, financially and physically abusive. Left to raise their three children alone, Osho was, at times, bereft, uncertain how she would overcome these challenging circumstances. But through a chance conversation with a colleague, she reconnected with the church, finally finding the fellowship and sense of

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Riley Adams has three passions in life: family, friends and football. Despite often finding school difficult, Riley finds happiness in friendships with his band of brothers and sisters', who play for his beloved Highfield Flyers FC.Riley and the Flyers learn to play together and focus, bringing them great moments and taking them close to glory. Rivalries form and the desire to win grows untilRiley's world is turned upside down when his mum receives life-changing news.Can he really care about football again? What will happen to Mum? How will he cope with life now?

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They say that to really know a person you need to understand their past. If that is true, then Mary Beker did not know her husband, Jozef, at all Warsaw, 2005. An elderly Mary is searching for clues regarding her late husband's pre-war life: the first wife and children he had to leave behind; the siblings who vanished. There's a danger the answers she finds could ruin the memory of the man she adored, memories of their time together. When unravelling his past causes her to revisit uncomfortable memories of her own, Mary must reach a new understanding of the events that brought them together. Spanning continents, cultures and time, Our Silent Footsteps is based on the true story of Mary, an Egyptian Copt and Jozef, a Polish Jew. A love story transcending the trauma of war.

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The first of its kind, In Search of the Irish Wolfhound, takes a real in-depth look into the history and origins of the Irish wolfhound. Owen Dickey details his research into the origins of one of his favourite dog breeds and recounts stories of its loyalty, courage, and devotion. He answers the common questions and misconceptions related to the breed and whether the modern dog is the original breed revived or a more modern creation. The book features chapters which focus on the myths and legends and a description of the most important personages associated with the wolfdog from the third century to the nineteenth. Owen furthers his research, using only contemporary sources, both literary and artistic, to answer what the Irish wolfdog looked like in the past. Dickey leaves no stone unturned in In Search of the Irish Wolfhound. He takes a closer look into the legendary ancestors of the Irish wolfhound, one of the most famous dog breeds of the Middle Ag

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