British Life

A top-10 list is nobody’s perfect tool, especially when trying to measure up 10 of the most significant and influential bands of the British Invasion. Nevertheless, this book presents 10 biographies of classic bands of the era widely regarded as the best of the best, putting their contributions to music in sharp focus. And what contributions they have made! Over half a century later, their songs still ring out on radios, their names are well-known to many, and songs released today are inspired by the music they produced.

Diana, Catherine, Meghan...glamorous Princess Margaret outdid them all. Springing into post-World War II society, and quite naughty and haughty, she lived in a whirlwind of fame and notoriety. Georgie Blalock captures the fascinating, fast-living princess and her “set” as seen through the eyes of one of her ladies-in-waiting.

In this second novel in the Rian and Mouse series, it is 1807 and Napoleon Bonaparte consumes all of Europe in total war. Only England and her allies stand in the way as France attempts to rule the world. Two young sailors, Adrian ‘Rian’ Pembroke and the love of his life, Richard ‘Mouse’ Jay, have readjusted to life on England’s shores after being rescued from a disaster at sea by the cutter, Cleo; as stout and as happy a ship as ever there was. Having found lodgings in London with a caring, elderly couple who practically adopt the lads as their own, Rian and Mouse set their ...

In this third historical sea novel in the series, Rian and Mouse are two teenage boys who are very much in love, which is an insurmountable problem aboard a Royal Navy vessel where the penalty for homosexual activity is summary execution. When mutiny lands aboard their packet cutter, the Cleo, Rian and Mouse learn that it is time to turn the tide against Napoleon. As Europe's war with France rages on, now is the time for revenge. With the help of their shipmates aboard the Cleo and their loyal friends, the Turners, Rian and Mouse vow to make things right. But such undertakings are never ...

Maximum Volume offers a glimpse into the mind, the music, and the man behind the sound of the Beatles. George Martin's working-class childhood and musical influences profoundly shaped his early career in the BBC's Classical Music department and as head of the EMI Group's Parlophone Records. Out of them flowed the genius behind his seven years producing the Beatles' incredible body of work, including such albums as Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Abbey Road.

Leger McInnes is ready to retire. He still loves detective work, but after a lifetime of investigating crimes in the local area and beyond, his priorities have changed. Ginger has lost her sight, Bob has seizures, Nicole suffered sepsis and now his beloved Annabella has found a frightening lump. It's time for Leger to move onto his next life as a nurse. However, there's just one last job to do before he retires and that's to find the people who robbed Meg, his next door neighbour. All the suspicion seems to fall on Ingrid, a mysterious woman who has turned up on their doorstep claiming to ...

One of the most beautiful and brilliant women of her time, Gladys Deacon dazzled as much as she puzzled the glittering social circles in which she moved. Born in Paris to American parents in 1881, she suffered a traumatic childhood after her father shot her mother's lover dead. Educated in America, she returned to Europe, where she captivated and inspired some of the greatest literary and artistic names of the Belle Époque.

Dynamite and Davey: The Explosive Lives of the British Bulldogs is the triumphant but ultimately tragic story of Tom Billington and Davey Boy Smith. Cousins born just a couple of years apart in a small mining town near Wigan, Tom and Davey discovered the art of wrestling as schoolboys. Tom went on to become the Dynamite Kid, arguably the greatest and most pioneering wrestler in history, but his short temper and determination to reach the top of a sport dominated by naturally bigger men would be his undoing.

In his smash-hit debut The World According to Kaleb, we learnt how Kaleb feels about everything from existentialism to comb-overs, and why he doesn't want to visit the Mediterranean. In this follow-up, Kaleb casts his focus closer to home to examine what people like to get up to in the great outdoors. You'll go gravy wrestling in Lancashire, nettle eating in Somerset, and venture to Hereford for the significant occasion that is Best Dressed Stick.

A Modern day suspense thriller based around the dangers of social media, what we share, and how we never really know who is watching. A single photo taken in college defined Eve Kelly’s entire life. The iconic image of the falling girl in a red dress brought her unintentional fame. Twenty years later, @beli’EVE, a successful model turned influencer, is a reluctant leader. Over a million people follow her every move but sharing images of a #perfectlife can be dangerous, especially when you have secrets. When someone begins to scratch beneath the glossy surface she presents to the world, ...

Farewell Yellow Brick Road is a celebration of Elton John's record-breaking, globe-spanning farewell tour—from Allentown to Auckland, from Sydney to San Francisco. Featured concerts include Elton’s dazzling performances at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium in November 2022, the finale of which streamed live on Disney+. Fans will be treated to a behind-the-scenes glimpse into every aspect of these spectacular shows, including Elton’s legendary touring wardrobe by Gucci, the set design, official photography, and more.

This collection of humorous short essays combines affection for the timeless values of community life in an English village with a nostalgia for aspects that are quietly slipping away. Easy to dip into, this light-hearted volume provides entertaining reading for anyone interested in modern English rural community life, wherever they live. Written between 1991 and 2015, most of these essays first appeared in the Hawkesbury Parish News, the community newspaper for Hawkesbury Upton, the Cotswold village in which Debbie Young has lived for the last 25 years. Very active in village life, she is ...

Written with compelling honesty, this unflinching novel of a desperate single mother haunted by thwarted dreams is populated with beautifully flawed characters, beneath whose tumultuous lives lie deeply buried secrets. 'An extraordinary level of emotion brought on by some superb storytelling.' ~ The Cult Den Six-year-old Belinda Brabbage has amassed a wealth of wisdom. She knows all the best hiding places, how to zap monsters with her pig-shaped torch and why never to accept lifts from strangers – even ones who offer Fizzy Fish. But Belinda’s mummy isn’t like the other mothers who ...

Fans of Maeve Binchy will love this entertaining read that transcends time with history repeating itself, proving it’s not our circumstances that define us but the power within to change. A story of life, love, loss and seeking more, three generations of women are all on a journey to change their circumstances and find the life they believe they were destined for . . . revealing a terrible secret that changes it all. In 1960s Ireland, Maggie Treacy has never felt she belongs. Determined to change her life, the transformation doesn’t come without cost, but she isn’t going to let ...

"Life is a beautiful, chaotic mess - a fact that John Bowie captures flawlessly in his stunning third poetry collection." The pages of this book are filled with raw, unfiltered emotions that will take readers on a journey through the human experience. From the highs of love and life to the lows of inescapable death, each poem is a window into the complexity of our existence. Bowie is a master poet, weaving together words that will tug at your heartstrings and make you see the world in a whole new light. With an unapologetic and soulful writing style, he invites readers to embrace the ...

"An action-packed start to a new series. Signs of Life is the best I've read in ages. Dynamic, suspenseful, funny. The story is full of twists and turns and finds you scrambling to catch up with Bentley." ---------------------------- Elliott Bentley is facing adversaries twice his size, doubly lethal, and half his age. With one already responsible for the death of a friend, they will surely kill him too. The only thing stronger than Bentley's opponents is his will to live. After all, he's the only thing standing between a young woman and her vicious ex. He also needs to avert gang warfare ...

"Romantic comedy at its finest" Reader review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Finding true love can be hard when you’re leading a double life … Kay, a sassy librarian and self-proclaimed queen of deception, thought ghosting her online fling Jeremy was a clever way to avoid awkward goodbyes. But when she falls for his charming brother Dan, her life spins into a tangled web of fake names, outrageous stories, and a world of lies she can barely keep straight. As "Elaine," her stylish and spontaneous alter ego, Kay navigates a romance with Dan, hiding her true identity while dodging her past ...

In Of Bygone Days, the seventh and final novel in the Rian & Mouse seafaring series, it is 1859 when Chumley Preston's periodical, the Weekly Standard publishes a news article about life at sea. The incredible adventures experienced by Adrian Pembroke and Richard Jay is duly reported by journalist, Julius Lightbody. But the fledgling writer learns more than he ever expected as the tale unfolds and he is faced with a decision that will break all Victorian social conventions. It is revealed to him that his subjects have lived an extremely happy and fulfilling life together as homosexuals in a...

“Five Stars!! Second Fave!...you have to read this book to get an understanding of what the time period was about and what goes on with women the opposite of the fighter.”—Samantha Rinaldo, Goodreads The homespun tale of good luck and passion when a man finds himself in the arms of a woman who happens to find him when he is in desperate shape and he must decide to stay or go. HE ESCAPES Rachael Irons is out walking her dogs along the edge of her Delaware farm, Rachel’s Choice, when she finds the man, barely conscious. He wakes up to the sound of her dogs barking and looks up into ...

A fascinating biography of Freda Bedi, an English woman who broke all the rules of gender, race, and religious background to become both a revolutionary in the fight for Indian independence and then a Buddhist icon. She was the first Western woman to become a Tibetan Buddhist nun - but that pioneering ordination was really just one in a life full of revolutionary acts. Freda Bedi broke the rules of gender, race, and religion - in many cases before it was thought that the rules were ready to be challenged.