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Forgive and Forget
by Patricia Scanlan
There's nothing like a good wedding...to start world war three!
And that's exactly what's going to happen if Connie Adams, the mother of the bride, can't smooth things over between Debbie and her dad.
He's hell bent on bringing his stuck-up second wife and their sulky teenage daughter to the big day, but Debbie would rather walk up the aisle of a supermarket than have them at her wedding.
It's the last thing Debbie needs right now - her boss is making her life hell and she's starting to suspect that her fiance's getting cold feet...
So will they all live happily ever after, or are the whole family heading for divorce?
Founded on Fear
by Peter Tyrrell
I warn society against the child who has been hurt
Peter Tyrrell
A tormented childhood in Letterfrack industrial school with the Christian Brothers left an enduring mark on Peter Tyrrell. Ignored by the authorities and distressed by his memories, he later burned himself to death on Hampstead Heath in London. His story of horrific abuse is told with childlike simplicity, penned in a series of letters to Senator Owen Sheehy Skeffington. Bringing to life, with touching sincerity, a shocking reality where beatings of children as young as five were commonplace, this startling account may have gone unpublished if not for its chance discovery amongst Skeffington's papers. At last, Peter Tyrrell has been given a voice.
Tyrrell never recovered from the abuse that he suffered, yet was determined that his story should be heard. His memoir makes for harrowing yet extraordinarily compelling reading. It is impossible not to be touched.
Free Money
by Declan Lynch
Travel a road rich in possibilities and fraught with danger ...
Journalist Declan Lynch's journey begins with a deposit of €100 in an online betting account, kicking off an honest attempt to explore the mysterious allure of gambling. Braving Paddy Power, the Premiership and Belgian women's tennis tournaments on Eurosport, Lynch's darkly humorous diary entries reveal the strange logic behind the punt - and of course there's always the chance of winning a little free money along the way.
Drawing on the wise words of sages from Dostoevsky to Corleone to explain, justify and occasionally even excuse his predilection for a punt, Lynch offers a rare glimpse inside the mind of that ever-sanguine individual - the gambler.
Gardening The Soul: Soothing seasonal thoughts for jaded modern souls
by Sister Stan
Sister Stan, as she is affectionately known, was brought up on a farm in Dingle, County Kerry, one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland. It was there that she learnt to appreciate the earth, its stillness and its energy, its beauty and its bounty.
In this hugely powerful and evocative book, Sister Stan looks to the earth that is so precious to our existence for inspiration throughout the year. Reflecting the garden's changing rhythms through the seasons, Gardening the Soul offers us a daily thought to keep us going as we face the challenges of modern life.
All our moods are covered here...
* in January, when there is silence in the garden, she looks at Solitude in our soul...
* in March, with emergence in the garden, she offers Hope...
* in August, when there is fullness and abundance everywhere, there is Blessing, and
* in October, the time of harvest, there is Harmony
Gypsy Empire
by Eamon Dillon
The Irish Traveller community has recently made headlines, both in Ireland and the UK, often for the wrong reasons. From the garish My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding to the notorious Dale Farm stand-off, to bare-knuckle brawler Paddy Doherty's victory in Celebrity Big Brother, the media have painted a colourful, but often negative image of this distinctive group.
In Gypsy Empire, his follow-up to the bestselling The Outsiders, prize-winning journalist Eamon Dillon delves beneath the easy stereotypes to chart how modern Traveller clans have survived and thrived in recent decades. Drawing on his extensive contacts with Travellers themselves, Dillon explores their uneasy relationship with wider society and their own fierce resistance to assimilation.
What drives some Traveller men to pursue self-destructive feuds or to launch murderous attacks on rivals, and others to seek to prove themselves in bare-knuckle fighting? Why do those who chase business profits worth millions choose to remain living in caravans?
Gypsy Empire gets to the heart of a people apart.