Little squirrel Gray loves playing with his sisters and friends in the oak wood. However, after struggling at school Gray feels misunderstood, stupid, and alone. On the day Gray decides not to go to school he meets a wise owl who helps him to understand his challenges and discover a few hidden strengths along the way. There are around 870,000 school children in the UK with dyslexia many of whom go undiagnosed. That's potentially 870,000 children feeling like little Gray. I vividly remember those feelings in school and sometimes still experience them today in my adult life. I was lucky and have had my own versions of the wise owl, encouraging me throughout my journey. I wrote this book because I wish that all those children have their own wise owl in their lives; to help them understand their gift and see its strengths, to feel understood, smart, and supported. We likely all have a child in our lives that is dyslexic and needs support. Be someone's owl, there can never be too many.

This is a memoir covering some 50 years' involvement with delivering public services in a wide range of roles: civil servant; local government; chairing inquiries and public bodies; special adviser; Minister; and Parliamentarian. The book's topic areas include the NHS, social services, social care, welfare benefits, human rights, criminal justice and constitutional issues like House of Lords reform. It starts with a government apprenticeship in the 1960s and ends with Brexit and Covid19. It covers successes and failures; and identifies the limitations of our institutions.

The book ranges over 1970s political battles; Thatcher's efficiency drive; social services and community care reforms of the 1980s and 90s; and tackling child abuse. A diary kept for the 1997 Election year sets out what it was like taking over government after a long period in Opposition. A major reform of the youth justice system is described, along with developing the Blair government's family policy.

Much of the book is concerned with the NHS and its shortcomings as well as its iconic status in the UK. There are chapters on life as the pharmaceuticals Minister; implementing NHS targets and cutting its bureaucracy; and trying to instal a mega NHS computer system. The chapters on implementing Tony Blair's NHS reforms with more patient choice and competition illustrate how difficult public service reform is. The book poses the possibility that the NHS in its present form is unsustainable; and explains the failure to fix the funding of social care.

Life in the House of Lords is described and why it needs major reform. The book concludes with some ideas on how the Government could build back better after Brexit and Covid with public sector reform.

GROWING UP IN THE 1950S, 60s and 70s in that enigmatic, wondrous hive of industrial activity in the West Midlands, Andrew Edwards was a reporter for The County Express newspaper based in Stourbridge and Brierley Hill.

It was his first job as a teenager, given a chance by proprietor Lt. Col Moody of the Mark and Moody hierarchy, it propelled Andrew to a lifelong journalist career.

In this, his second book, he tells of his roots, born in a wobbly house in Amblecote, and his job in provincial journalism, which took him all over the Black Country. This was a time before computers or mobile phones, when any form of desktop digital publishing was far in the future. Printing presses were mechanical things bigger than double decker buses and stories were set in hot metal!

These are his reminiscences, meeting Black Country characters like mayors, aldermen, golden wedding couples, pub landlords, criminals and even an emerging rock star.

Andrew researches his own family - from his parents love of cycling and sport and his father's lifetime passion with local Black Country athletic clubs of which he was a founder member, to glass makers, when the area produced the best handmade blown glass products in the world. We also meet his aunty, an assistant matron, steelmaking, book printing, a founder member of the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War, and an army Captain in the Second; his godfather sunk in the South China sea, canal boatman, a TV and radio comedy gag (joke) writer, with gritty labourers, nailers and puddlers, going back to 1727.

Plus there's a mysterious family-owned book about agriculture, written in London just after the Great Fire of London, in 1666.

This book is an eclectic mix of Black Country stories and tales, told in a humorous style by the author.

Andrew Edwards' first book MCN Days Speedway Nights is available from Amazon and all good bookshops.

In Out of Time: The Intergenerational Abduction Program Explored, author Steve Aspin has written a crossover work about the enduring worldwide reports of alien abduction. The book is intended for both those familiar with the historic published case material and the curious reader unfamiliar with the decades of serious academic research on this superficially improbable phenomenon.

The author details his lifelong personal experience and the relationships he built with leading researchers during 15 years of investigating this phenomenon. He has at all times attempted to approach the subject with critical thoroughness and intellectual rigour. From stumbling on a cattle mutilation in Ireland in 1970, to witnessing a UFO after a period of missing time at age 16 in 1972, to a confrontational experience in a Sardinia hotel in 2006, the author relates a lifetime of 'anomalous' experiences.

But this is only the starting point of the journey the reader of Out of Time will make. Steve then details several years of investigation into the subject and how what he has learned has shaped his thoughts on what is happening to perhaps millions of people worldwide. He had the good fortune to meet with several leading researchers in the field including Budd Hopkins and Dr David Jacobs and read hundreds of published works on the subject of UFOs and abductions. He has attempted to bring hard forensic evidence to the discussion and to follow that evidence where it may lead, paying particular attention to the clearly intergenerational aspect of the global abduction program which he demonstrates, with corroborating evidence, almost certainly dates from the 1890s.

His conclusions will be of interest to anyone attentive to this field of study. Whether inevitably proved right or wrong, they stem from a conscious effort to bring objectivity and honesty to the analysis of this widely-reported phenomenon. Although successfully normalised in popular culture to become background noise or a minor comic footnote in otherwise busy lives, this subject has real and serious implications for both the individual experiencer and human society collectively.

This book highlights the role of Jewish women in saving Jewish children's lives during the Holocaust.

How many people rescued Jews during the Holocaust? There is no certain answer to this question other than far too few. Fewer than 0.5% of the 700 million non-Jews in Nazi occupied Europe helped rescue Jews.

A few exceptional Jewish women, however, went to extraordinary lengths to save the lives of large numbers of Jewish children, while being targets of the Nazi genocide themselves. These rescue attempts occasionally succeeded, sometimes failed, and frequently resulted in the women themselves being murdered.

Few of these women have been recognized. This book honours them.

Adventure Steve is a book about a boy who loves a challenge. Although Adventure Steve in The Atlantic is one of the
biggest he has ever taken on.

A journey of massive risk and danger, with huge obstacles.

A story of not giving up, and finding a way forward despite being scared.

Whether you have been diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency and are looking for others who understand what you are going through, want to support someone who has the condition, or are a medical professional wanting to learn more. Daisy Network is a Charity for women with POI with the aim of sharing, supporting and community. In this book, the team collaboratively provides this resource, taking you right from spotting signs and symptoms, getting a diagnosis and treatment, to the personal stories of those who have gone through the whole process.

Wee Row of Shops and a Bar plus other stories are completely fictional stories with fictional characters. The first eight stories Wee Row of Shops and a Bar give an insight into the characters and personalities and lives of the shopkeepers and in some cases of how they came to be there. Some of the characters hold secrets and heartaches that have burdened them for years. It would be beneficial to the read the stories in the order that they are presented, as some of the stories are linked. A number of the shopkeepers are inspirational women who display strength and courage. There is a concluding story which brings all the shopkeepers together, giving a short synopsis of their lives a year or so on.

The remaining short stories are in no way linked and can be read in any order. They are extremely varied and contain many qualities such as, humor, sadness, hope, strength of character and happiness. These are just a few ingredients to capture the interest of the reader and sufficient enough for the reader to care about the outcome of the story. They are imaginative, yet easy to read stories - the perfect antidote, if the reader seeks an escape from their heavy novel.

I'm Emilia. I'm 16. My life isn't how I thought it would be. What about yours? This book talks about depression, eating disorders, and body image. It's been a long time coming, but it's finally time to be brave.

The author, John Sandham, uses his personal knowledge and experiences from working in Central America during the 'Cold War' to create this fast moving action suspense novel for adults. The story starts just before the Falklands War in April 1982, with Margaret Thatcher requesting support from Ronald Reagan to enable victory in the South Atlantic.

The story soon moves on to the civil war raging in Guatemala, Central America. It was the height of the 'Cold War'. Reagan's US Administration was secretly working with President Ríos Montt to eradicate communism, while the USSR backed Cuban government militarily and financially supported the communist rebels, known locally as 'the reds'.

Danny Sinclaire was a tough, resilient, but ordinary Royal Air Force engineer based at Airport Camp in Belize, where he looked after ground support equipment, as part of the British protection force. He is soon plunged into a dangerous situation on the border, not of his making, which leaves him, and his team in grave danger with very few options.

Carlos Cruz, a lieutenant in the Guatemalan army, is intent on clearing all communist rebels, known to him as 'the reds', from his patch of the Guatemalan Jungle. He has a highly trained platoon of 40 soldiers under his command, whose job is to find and destroy all the rebel held villages in Northern Guatemala.

Sisasi, a brave and determined Guatemalan schoolteacher finds herself unintentionally caught up in the civil war. A terrifying life or death ordeal starts, and escape is her only option. The British, Guatemalan, and rebel forces clash in no-mans-land on the border.

Unleash Your Full Potential with Confident: Your Ultimate Guide to Building Unstoppable Confidence, Overcoming Self-Doubt, and Thriving in Every Stage of Life

Are you tired of being held back by self-doubt, fear, or that relentless inner critic telling you you're not enough? Do you feel like Impostor Syndrome is sabotaging your success, keeping you from taking bold steps in your career, relationships, or personal growth? Or perhaps you're struggling to find your authentic voice and truly own your power.

If any of this resonates, it's time to make a change. It's time to become Confident.

Grounded in cutting-edge neuroscience and enriched with exclusive research, Confident isn't just another self-help book. It's a transformative roadmap to help you build the courage, self-belief, and resilience you need to thrive-no matter where you are in life. Whether you're navigating major transitions like career pivots, motherhood, menopause, or divorce, or simply want to overcome the everyday hurdles of fear and anxiety, Confident offers practical tools and proven strategies to help you unlock your full potential.

The Cleveland Street scandal, involving a homosexual brothel reputedly visited by the Queen's grandson, shocked Victorian Britain in 1889. This is the second edition, including much new information, of the full-length account of one of its key players, Jack Saul, an Irish Catholic rent boy who worked his way into the upper echelons of the aristocracy, and wrote the notorious pornographic memoir The Sins of the Cities of the Plain. Glenn Chandler, creator of Taggart, explores his colourful but tragic life and reveals for the first time the true story about what really went on behind the velvet curtains of 19 Cleveland Street.

This memoir will take you on a remarkable and sometimes dark journey through a young woman's two (very different) domestically abusive relationships. With her experience laid out in diary form, spanning November 2013 to early June 2016, the author reveals the subtle and not so subtle red flag behaviours of Casanova Psychopaths, Malignant Co-Dependents and the common Narcissist.

The reader will also learn about the Narcissistic Virus and discover how sometimes victims can be so broken by Narcissistic Personality Disorder Abuse that sometimes the only way to survive is to burn all your bridges and walk into the fire with the Devil himself.

The author did not escape unscathed. She suffered at the hands of a Somatic (sexually abusive) Narcissist, gained criminal convictions and still displays many C-PTSD symptoms. This is an honest and impactful insight into her journey.

This book is designed to be mainly educational so will suit not only victims and survivors but also professionals interested in making judicial, social care and health systems better.

It comes in many shapes & sizes. Sometimes it's obvious. Other times, it hides inside. Can you relate to any of these signs:

• Do sudden noises cause fright?
• Can certain names flashing on your phone create anxiety?
• Do you dislike hugs, highways, or making calls?
• Are you uncomfortable in medical settings?
• Do you have a short fuse, a nervous laugh, or are you shy?

This is not just a book, it's an inner mirror. God will shine His light into your heart & heal hidden hurts that have been holding you back. He'll bring you on a wonderful journey to peace & freedom.

A History of Their Making captures 1000 years of Scottish events and history through the lens of Clan Comyn, for 200 years Scotland's most formidable clan and their descendants the Cummings of Altyre. Providing both a sweeping and closely detailed record of people, events and ambition from the early 1100s to the present day, and at the centre of which are the fortunes of the family at Altyre, clan chiefs since the mid-14th century. Providing a starting point and a template for those interested in the Cummings and their forebears and in researching the history of their own family.

Kraj is still a young, unexplored world. Here sailors are hopeful, merchants are jubilant, and the aspiring scholars of each realm are still teething on what information they can clasp from beyond their borders. Yet for all its promise, Kraj also hosts a forgotten anomaly who withers in hidden confinement.

In the sunken heart of an ever-blue forest, an ageless creature is stirred from its perpetual sleep-walk. Cloud-cursed and without memory, 'Lu' is invited by a sorceress to leave his bloomy abode in pursuit of the River Sprite Tlephilisse on the radiant Lila isle. In exchange for recollection and freedom, Lu is instructed to befriend, but ultimately assassinate this innocent creature. After encountering the sprite, and with his first taste of the outside world, Lu's allegience falls into question, and a greater adventure calls from beyond Empryc's tropic coasts. Against the orders of his Mistress, Lu concludes that it is time to think for himself.

Equipped with the enigmatic glass-blade Umbra, Lu finds himself faced with otherworldly demons, befriending an enormous lavender fox, and being welcomed into a cult that dwells exclusively in a place of eternal dawn. An amorphous evil shifts beyond the visible horizon, but those most familiar with it are the very same who offer the least explanation. One thing, however, remains clear: no matter how far Lu strays, it seems that he cannot escape the will of his awakener.

If starting and growing your own business was easy, everyone would be doing it. And guess what? Not everyone is. Start-ups have notoriously high mortality rates. Most don't make it within the first couple of years. If your business is still around after two years, and you are too, then you have the equally difficult challenge of growing it.