Qur’an and Cricket: Travels Through the Madrasahs of Asia and Other Stories


Farish A. Noor - 2009
    In attempting to make sense of it all, he ends up confronting his own demons and nightmares. He visits locations where most traditional media cannot and will not go, and most of us would like to avoid even in our worst nightmares. Although he writes with his sense of humour firmly in place throughout, that does not obscure the seriousness of the subject. Quite scary.

The Widow Makers: Historical Fiction


Jean Mead - 2010
    Based in the mid-19th century, it tells the story of the young Standish family, who move from the coalfields of Lancashire to the slate quarries of North Wales. The eldest Standish boy is something of a changeling; he desires a different life and ruthlessly goes in pursuit of his dream of the grandeur and riches of the landowners' class. Mead's exceptional talent as a raconteur lets us share the family's emotional rollercoaster ride, as they lose the eldest son, as he grasps the riches that are so important to him, regardless of the hurt and misery he causes his family and anyone who dares step in his way. Joe, his father, is a gentle giant of a man and through his eyes we see the beauty and majesty of the Welsh countryside, thus giving this book a greater substance. My only criticism of The Widow Makers was that it ended too soon; I felt bereft! A sequel please. Review Welsh Books Council. A historical family saga, a family feud that survives generations and hides the truth of murder, fraud, conspiracy and eventual betrayal.

Miss Julie and The Stronger


August Strindberg - 1977
    There is the very questionable theme in these days of the relationship between masters and servants, which this play tends to undermine.' Lord Cromer, who banned performances of Miss Julie from the English stage in October 1925It's Midsummer's Eve in the kitchen of a nobleman's house and his haughty daughter Julie flirts and plays with Jean, her father's manservant. But it's a dangerous game and once she has been seduced by him he holds the upper hand.Miss Julie, Strindberg's mighty play on power, sex and class is presented here in a coruscating version by Frank McGuinness.

A Gentleman's Promise


Penny Hampson - 2021
    A husband is the last thing she needs. Can a quest for a killer teach them that they are both wrong?Emma Smythe and her brother arrive at Easterby Hall to discover that a handsome stranger has laid claim to their ancestral home and the family title. Have her relatives been murdered, and is her brother next? Determined to find the answers, she has no option but to trust the gentleman who insists that he will help. But danger appears in many guises, and for a woman intent on remaining single, her intriguing protector may prove the biggest threat of all.The attempts on Richard Lacey’s life begin when he inherits a title and a rundown estate. A coincidence? He’s not so sure. Problems multiply with the unexpected arrival of Jamie and Emma Smythe. Long thought dead, they too are potential targets. Richard thinks he wants a docile, obedient wife, but will the task of keeping headstrong Emma safe from danger change his mind?Embroiled in a sinister mystery, can Richard and Emma work together to catch a killer? And will this dangerous quest teach them that what they both wish to avoid is exactly what they need?Filled with intrigue, unexpected twists, and faultless period detail, this slow-burn romance is a must-read for lovers of classic Regency fiction.

Farm Girl: A Wisconsin Memoir


Beuna Coburn Carlson - 2020
    No matter the trouble, they faced it with determination, camaraderie, and resourcefulness. In the midst of the Great Depression, despite record-breaking heat and crop failure, growing up on the family farm was nevertheless filled with bucolic pleasures.Farm Girl is Beuna "Bunny" Coburn Carlson's loving tribute to the gently rolling hills of western Wisconsin. With an inviting and fluid voice, she shares intimate moments of happinesses from her childhood: collecting butternuts for homemade maple candy, watching her father read by the flickering light of a kerosene lamp, and the joy of finding a juicy orange at the bottom of a Christmas stocking. Underlying each vignette is the courage of a strong family surviving adversity and finding comfort in one another. Hers is a memoir that readers can dip in and out of with pleasure.

My Name is Hasmah


Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali - 2016
    She left government service when her husband Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reached the top of the political hierarchy, but for the next 22 years she was more than the wife of Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister. On the international and local stages she remained a staunch advocate for public health and developmental issues, always engaging the rakyat with her signature grace and humour.My Name is Hasmah is her account of her upbringing, career in medicine and adventures (and occasional misadventures) as she travelled the world by her husband’s side. This is a story of a woman who juggled multiple roles—doctor, advocate, daughter, sister, wife, mother—as she navigated a life marked by extraordinary circumstances.

Criminal sociology


Enrico Ferri - 1884
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Keane's Company


Iain Gale - 2013
    'Wonderfully imaginative' Bernard Cornwell, author of The Last Kingdom. Perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell.James Keane - card sharp and ladies' man - is one of the finest soldiers of Wellington's army. Keane - hot-tempered, a maverick, never quite accepted by his fellow officers - is in trouble for killing his man in a duel: an activity forbidden by Wellington. To avoid court martial, he takes on an unwelcome assignment: to form an ill-assorted bunch of reprobates into an elite unit capable of operating behind the lines. A nineteenth-century Dirty Dozen.