Cheer Up, Mate!
Cheer Up, Mate!

Author: Alan Weeks

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2011-10-03

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0752496883

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Cheer Up, Mate! is a compilation of comical tales and anecdotes from World War Two. Between 1939 and 1945 the world witnessed what is generally agreed to be the most horrific war in history. Millions died and millions more were physically or psychologically wounded by the conflict. Yet amidst the pain and devastation, people were not only able to survive, they also managed to maintain a sense of humour. For some, it was precisely this ability to laugh at their misfortunes (and those of the other side) that enabled them to solider on. This was especially true of the British, a nation whose reaction to more or less anything, up to and including someone's house being bombed to rubble, tended to be, 'never mind, have a cup of tea'. This 'Blitz Spirit' is perhaps best summed up by Mona Lott, one of the characters in Tommy Handley's radio show It's That Man Again (the show's title itself being a comical reference to Hitler): 'it's being so cheerful as keeps me going.' In this collection of stories, which covers the armed forces and civilians from both sides, Alan Weeks demonstrates how humour can survive even in the most unlikely of circumstances.

My Friend the Murderer
My Friend the Murderer

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2020-03-17

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1504060822

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A murderer is hounded for the rest of his life—not for his crimes, but for the very act that won his freedom—in a story by the creator of Sherlock Holmes. As leader of the Bluemansdyke gang, infamous criminal “Wolf-Tone” Maloney plays his part in a series of gruesome murders. But when the gang is finally caught in New Zealand, Maloney betrays his comrades in exchange for a pardon. Though he’s spared the gallows, he soon realizes he’ll never be free. From Dunedin and Sydney to London and Paris, Maloney finds himself hounded by vigilantes who see his betrayal as the worst crime of all. This short story by Arthur Conan Doyle first appeared in London Society magazine in 1882.

Small Joys
Small Joys

Author: Elvin James Mensah

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Published: 2024-04-09

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 0593499980

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“This funny and bighearted debut is an ode to queer friendship and chosen family. . . . A tender and generous novel about finding your people, getting vulnerable, and celebrating every joy—big or small.”—BuzzFeed Could I one day inspire happiness in others, the same way he seemed to do in me? Harley is a young queer black man struggling to find his way in nineties Britain. Returning home, having just dropped out of college, he is racked by feelings of failure and inadequacy. Standing in the woods one day, on the verge of doing something drastic and irreversible, Harley is held back by a stranger: a tall, husky guy who emerges from the bushes holding a pair of binoculars. Muddy is an ebullient bird-watcher whose lust for his own life makes others feel better by association. A rugby fanatic and Oasis obsessive, he quickly becomes a devoted and loyal friend to Harley, who finds his enthusiasm infectious and his dimples irresistible. In no time, they become inseparable. Harley starts to think that life may be worth living after all, while Muddy discovers things about himself that the lads down at the rugby club would struggle to understand. But when figures from the past threaten to plunge Harley back into the depths of depression, his only hope of survival is through Muddy and the small joys that they create together. Moving, funny, and tender, Small Joys is an epic novel about ordinary lives that introduces the world to an unforgettable cast of characters and a major new literary talent.

We All Fall Down
We All Fall Down

Author: Peter Barry

Publisher: Transit Lounge

Published: 2012-05-01

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1921924322

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We All Fall Down is a vivid and compelling narrative of middle class friends and families, relationships and the contemporary workplace. Kate and Hugh Drysdale like many couples buy a house that stretches them to the limits financially. Hugh looks at the soaring property market, the fact he’s earning a good salary, and all the signs of a booming economy and believes everything will be fine. And it is, until the advertising company he works for hits a rough patch: two major pieces of business walk out of the door, and a new creative director from the UK is brought in. Set in Sydney when world economic instability is beginning to bite, this is very much a book of our time. Peopled with unforgettable characters it is a disturbing, but affecting portrait of family, the workplace, and the costs of playing, or not playing the game. In We All Fall Down Peter Barry brings his witty, razor-sharp vision to human nature, life in suburbia and the moral dilemmas that face us all.

Fireweed
Fireweed

Author: Jill Paton Walsh

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Published: 2013-08-01

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13: 1471401731

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A re-issue of a forgotten favourite, FIREWEED is an evocative and unflinching story of wartime survival for younger readers Bill is a fifteen-year-old runaway evacuee, and he's finding that surviving on the streets of London is pretty easy, thank you very much. He's fed by a local cafe owner, he earns some cash as a barrow-boy in Covent Garden, and sleeping in the Underground air-raid shelters is cosy - if a bit smelly. Things get more complicated for Bill with the arrival of Julie. She's a runaway too, and although she's a bit posh, she's just as determined as Bill to stay free of interfering parents and 'the social'. But although it's fun for a while to duck Jerry missiles and camp out in bombed-out houses, the reality of living through the Blitz quickly begins to set in. Winter is coming, and Bill and Julie will discover that playing at being grown-ups can be a very dangerous game.... First published in 1969, and winner of the 1970's Book World Festival Award, FIREWEED evokes a time of tin Spitfires, powdered eggs, warm woollen mittens and reading by firelight. Perfect for readers young and old, this book is a beautifully written classic, full of adventure, heroism and British wartime courage.

Spiral
Spiral

Author: Maxine Horton Bringenberg

Publisher: Khaled A. Talib

Published: 2023-01-23

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13:

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Laurence Turner, a pharmacist from Sydney, is wracked with guilt after his fiancé dies on a sailing trip. The tragedy is followed by yet another fatal incident when he dispenses the wrong medication to a customer. Laurence moves to the Clare Valley in South Australia for a fresh start, but when he stumbles across the dead body of a visiting American reporter, things take a turn for the worst. The case explodes into far more than Laurence could ever expect with the arrival of a beautiful American woman, Skyler Hawthorne. Her troubles put Laurence in the path of both domestic and foreign agents, including a dangerous Russian spy who believes Laurence is hiding a secret.