Book picks similar to
Before I Was A Bear by Eleanor Tindall


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Bitch Doctrine: Essays for Dissenting Adults


Laurie Penny - 2017
    From the shock of Donald Trump's election and the victories of the far right to online harassment and the transgender rights movement, this darkly humorous collection is an unflinching look at the definitive issues of our age.Penny is lyrical and passionate in her desire to confront injustice; she writes at the raw edge of the zeitgeist at a time when it has never been more vital to challenge social norms. This revelatory, revolutionary collection will give readers hope and tools for change from a bitch who wants to get stuff done.

Those Who Can’t, Teach


Haresh Sharma - 2010
    As the teachers struggle daily to nurture and groom, the students prefer to hang out and “chillax”. With upskirting and Facebooking, griping and politicking, school takes on a whole new meaning as the colourful characters struggle to prove that those who can, teach.Written by Singapore’s most prolific playwright Haresh Sharma, Those Who Can’t, Teach was first staged by The Necessary Stage in 1990 to critical acclaim. Twenty years later, Sharma revisits this classic to revitalise it for the Singapore Arts Festival 2010, transforming it into a powerful portrayal of the pressures and challenges facing teachers (and students) in schools in the 21st century.“The play throws up questions on the roles of parents, students and teachers, but does not collapse into an impotent tirade against society. The script is joyous. The laughter is warmly wry, not caustic.” —The Straits Times“Those Who Can’t, Teach does much to do away with the stereotypes and fallacies of the teaching profession.” —The Business Times

Alfie: My Life, My Music, My Story


Alfie Boe - 2012
    This is the story of his life: the ups, the downs, from finding fame to losing his father, and his love-affair with music. Raised in Lancashire, as the youngest of nine children with a father who played opera at home, Alfie's story is not typical of opera stars. His dreams of singing were only ever going to be dreams until fate intervened in the form of a stranger: he was training as a car mechanic when a customer overheard him and told him about a London audition which Alfie needed to try out for. He got the part and never looked back. This is the story of how Alfie went from car mechanic to this generation's most popular and well-known opera star. How he became celebrated by Baz Luhrman, Cameron Macintosh and Michael Parkinson as the best tenor we've produced in a generation. This is also the story of snobbery from within the establishment and how Alfie has created serious upset with some of the more traditionally inclined members of the opera scene. It's a story which his legions of fans will love.

The Devil: Britain's Most Feared Underworld Taxman


Graham Johnson - 2007
    The Devil is coming to get you. Gangster Stephen French invented the perfect crime: robbing drug barons of their huge fortunes. In SAS-style swoops, French raided their fortified mansions and tortured them with horrifying violence until they paid up. Through 'taxing' the richest and most powerful crimelords in the UK, he netted over £20 million. French was no ordinary criminal. He was a world-champion fighter, he studied psychology at university to master mind-control techniques, and he used the teachings of Machiavelli and samurai warriors to outwit his enemies. The Devil also reveals French's complex relationship with Curtis Warren, the wealthiest criminal in British history. The two were childhood pals, then partners and finally bitter enemies. Now a legitimate businessman, French built up a multimillion-pound empire. Having eventually turned his back on his former life, he is now seeking to set the record straight.

That Woman


Helen Monks Takhar
    The suspense keeps you hooked right until the last page!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5***** There’s a new girl at work.Young, beautiful, confident, she’s everything you used to be. You’re flattered when she befriends you.So when your boss starts giving her your work, at first you think it’s a mistake.But then, one Sunday, the new girl turns up in your local pub. The next week, she starts dressing like you…Now she’s taking control of everything. Because she doesn’t just want your job – she wants your life…‘A truly creepy tale of jealousy and obsession.’ Woman & Home‘A hypnotic dance of gaslighting and revenge.’ People‘Guaranteed to start the mother of all office fights.’ I News*A previous version of this novel was published with the title Precious You.*___Your favourite authors can’t stop talking about That Woman:‘Dark, disturbing, compulsive. I was genuinely terrified reading this.’ Adele Parks‘An intergenerational clash between two women, played out to a shocking finale. Nail-biting.’ Harriet Tyce‘Creepy and unnerving… a breathtaking debut.’ Samantha Downing‘A deliciously dark, addictive and twisted page-turner.’ Alice Feeney‘What a debut! Twisty, explosive, and hugely compelling, with hints of Gone Girl.’ Will Dean‘Twisted, dark and shocking. Absolutely terrific.’ Jo Spain‘Will change the way you look at your colleagues forever.’ Phoebe Morgan‘Supremely twisted and completely riveting’ Katie Lowe

The Liar


Bobby Adair - 2018
    Was it a terrorist acting alone, or the beginning of something much more frightening? Tommy Joss is working long hours, making a life for his daughter and wife. He doesn't have time to worry about politics and the endless arguments pouring across his social media feed. He has debts to pay and a boss to keep happy. When he returns from a business trip to find his house dark and empty, he discovers blood on the floor and a cryptic message painted on the door. His wife and daughter are missing. Kidnapped, dead, or disappeared for their political views, he doesn't know which. But, his search to find them will turn deadly for their captors and will put Tommy in the middle of a war he never had any interest in fighting. The Liar's Apocalypse Trilogy Book 1 - The Liar Book 2 - The Fool (https://amzn.to/2TfcEMr) Book 3 - The Dead

Disrupt Her: A Manifesto for the Modern Woman


Miki Agrawal - 2018
    . .. . . But this time from a modern woman’s perspective. Disrupt-Her is a new kind of Manifesto that asks—no, demands—that women question, dissect, and disrupt 13 major areas of our lives, including societal preconceptions that keep us from living fully lit up, both personally and professionally.Miki Agrawal, the co-founder of THINX (Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2017, TIME’s 25 Best New Inventions of 2015, and winner of Tribeca Film Festival’s Disruptive Innovation Awards) and TUSHY (called “the Apple product of bidets” by Forbes), was named 2017 Young Global Leader by The World Economic Forum, INC Magazine’s Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs of 2016, and Forbes’s Top 20 Millennials on a Mission. She helps us look with fresh eyes at what it means to be wholeheartedly alive and to live up to our potential at work, at home, and in the world, regardless of the challenges and naysayers along the way. In this page-turning book, you’ll discover how to:·              Dissect, declutter, and update internal thoughts and external habits that are currently holding you back·              Start a movement that solves real problems and does good – even especially if you don’t have a lot of money, a college degree, or years of experience·              Become a true “Warrior-Gatekeeper of your Mind” in all situations·              Not let “Hate-Hers” derail you from your mission, and instead show them the way back to being “Love-Hers”·              Create healthy relationships with men who are stuck in the old-fashioned patriarchy·              Find and align with SNAGs (Secure New Age Guys)·              Create a supportive, fun, caring community that stands by you no matter whatDisrupt-Her is a first of its kind self-help/business book TELL-ALL that blends the jaw-dropping first person journey of a rising female entrepreneur with fresh life-improving techniques and new habit-forming ideas that make you go “wow.”The questions at the end of each chapter give you opportunities to apply what you’ve just read so you can customize them to your own circumstances to produce real-world results.

The War on Women


Sue Lloyd-Roberts - 2016
    With a 30-year-long career in human-rights journalism, she has travelled the globe and witnessed the worst atrocities inflicted on women. Observing first-handthe war on the female race, she's experienced and interacted with the brave ones who fight back. This is a breath-taking and visceral narrative, interweaving the real-life experiences of the heroines combating gross inequality. It is an examination of how women are treated across the globe: from the pay gap in the UK and the laundries in Ireland, to gender discrimination in Saudi Arabia and female genital mutilation in Africa. In a world where the issues facing women are so disparate, we're facing a war of varying extremities and this has created a breakdown in the feminist discourse. But through her extraordinary and unique experiences, Lloyd-Roberts starts to build a bigger picture with a pervasive perspective. The book delves into our history and takes us on a journey towards the analysis of the state of women's lives in modern-day society. This is a ground-breaking approach to a global problem; anecdotal evidence bridges the gap between different fights and gradually starts to knit together the battles being fought by the starkly different cultures across the world.

The Boy I Love


Lynda Bellingham - 2014
    It is the summer of '82 as Sally Thomas prepares to leave her job at the British Drama League in London and head off to the North of England for her very first season in repertory as an Assistant Stage Manager at the beautiful old theatre in Crewe. Flung into this new world, Sally soon finds her feet, thanks to her own steady, unspoilt nature and to the company of her best friend, Jeremy. One of the first lessons she learns is that the other actors barely need tuition in the art of stage-fighting, since they are quite adept at stabbing each other in the back. When Jeremy falls suddenly and dangerously in love, Sally needs to grow up - fast. A shadow is falling over the theatre, sparing no one, and a tragedy is gathering pace in the darkness behind the stage. The Boy I Loveis a superb evocation of theatre and real life that will stay with you long after you've read it. Be warned: it may just break your heart.

Betrayed


Roberta Kray - 2020
    . .After losing her mum in a tragic accident, Chrissy Moss fought to survive on one of the East End's most notorious estates. When a fifteen-year-old girl disappears, hours after delivering a message for a local gang leader, the residents take the law into their own hands causing buried secrets to resurface.AND YOU MUST FIGHT TO SURVIVE.With rumours flying about the girl's disappearance, the truth about Chrissy's mother is called into question, and Chrissy begins to suspect her death was no accident: it was murder. But people on the estate are refusing to talk, and to find answers Chrissy must unravel an age-old web of deceit that runs right into the heart of London's East End.As Chrissy grows nearer to the truth, she unwittingly inches closer to danger. Could it be that she, like her mother, has put her trust in the wrong person?

The Jam Factory Girls


Mary Wood - 2020
    Caring for her siblings and working long hours at Swift's Jam Factory in London’s Bermondsey is exhausting. Thankfully her lifelong friendship with Dot helps to smooth over life’s rough edges.When Elsie and Dot meet Millie Swift, they are nervous to be in the presence of the bosses’ daughter. Over time, they are surprised to feel so drawn to her, but should two East End girls be socializing in such circles?When disaster strikes, it binds the women in ways they could never imagine. Long-held secrets are revealed that could change all their lives...

Our Day Out


Willy Russell - 1984
    Many have large casts and an equal mix of boy and girl parts. The television play "Our Day Out" asks what can a group of back-street kids from Liverpool expect from life beyond a rare "day out"?

Hider/Seeker


Tom Claver - 2015
    But when he arranges for Angela Linehan and her son to disappear abroad from her violent husband in London, little does he know that his life will depend on finding her again. It’s a job that reawakens Harry’s past and brings him back into contact with his ex-wife Bethany. Fate has given him a second chance to redeem himself in her eyes. But Angela’s disappearance puts Harry and Bethany in terrible danger. He risks losing everything unless he can find where Angela is hiding in Central America. The clock is ticking and his finely honed tracking skills no longer apply. Chance and luck will decide everything.

Avenue Q - The Musical: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical


Jeff Marx - 2010
    Hairspray (978-1-5578-3514-7); Rent (978-1-5578-3737-0); Fiddler on the Roof (978-0-8791-0136-7)

The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson


Leah Purcell - 2019
    Husband Joe is away months at a time droving livestock up north, leaving his family in the bush to fend for itself. Molly’s children are her world, and life is hard and precarious with only their dog, Alligator, and a shotgun for protection – but it can be harder when Joe’s around.At just twelve years of age Molly’s eldest son Danny is the true man of the house, determined to see his mother and siblings safe – from raging floodwaters, hunger and intruders, man and reptile. Danny is mature beyond his years, but there are some things no child should see. He knows more than most just what it takes to be a drover’s wife.One night under the moon’s watch, Molly has a visitor of a different kind – a black ‘story keeper’, Yadaka. He’s on the run from authorities in the nearby town, and exchanges kindness for shelter. Both know that justice in this nation caught between two worlds can be as brutal as its landscape. But in their short time together, Yadaka shows Molly a secret truth, and the strength to imagine a different path.Full of fury and power, Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson is a brave reimagining of the Henry Lawson short story that has become an Australian classic. Brilliantly plotted, it is a compelling thriller of our pioneering past that confronts head-on issues of today: race, gender, violence and inheritance.