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In 1982, aged twenty-three, Simon Parkes paid £1 for a virtually derelict building in Brixton. Over the next fifteen years he turned it into Britain's most iconic music venue. And now he's telling his story: full of fond - and wild - reminiscences of the famous musicians who played at the venue, including Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Lou Reed, The Ramones, New Order, the Beastie Boys and The Smiths. This is about one man's burning desire for success against the odds, his passion for live music and the excitement of those wilderness years, a far cry from the corporate world that controls the scene today. From rock-star debauchery and mixing it up with Brixton gangsters to putting on the first legal raves in the UK and countless backroom business deals, this is the story of how to succeed in business with no experience and fulfil your teenage fantasies.
“What you’ve got to remember about us Bengalis,” a good friend once told Simon Parkes, “is that we’re only really interested in three things: educating our children, reading books, and food.” Bengalis have a passion for good food—its authenticity, its freshness, its part in social occasions, and the pleasure of serving it at the table. The Calcutta Kitchen captures the essence of those pleasures through the evocative narrative of the BBC Food Programme’s Simon Parkes, the recipes of renowned chef Udit Sarkhel, and the pictures of award-winning photographer Jason Lowe. Calcuttans know and adore fish, vegetables, and desserts in particular. They have a curiosity about food that...
What a difference a year could make… Jamie Matson had once enjoyed a wonderful life working alongside her best friend, organising adventures for single-parent families, and her son Bo’s artistic flair a source of pride rather than concern. She hadn’t been prepared to lose her business, her home, and her friend. Not all in one dreadful year. And now she finds herself reeling - rebuilding her world, with Bo at its heart - swallowing her pride and asking for help. Jamie certainly hadn’t expected to find such hope and camaraderie in the queue at her local Food Bank - thrown together with an unlikely and colourful group of people - all of them struggling to get by, yet still determined to reclaim their lost careers and agency over their lives. Even if just choosing their own groceries again is a goal they can all share. As their friendships flourish, they quickly find it’s easier to be objective about each other than about themselves, and decide that - when you’re all out of options - it’s okay to bend the rules a little and create your own. A story of friendship, possibilities, and hope, that maybe tomorrow will be brighter than today...
Simon Parkes paints summer in the Northeast: the sandy beaches, old frame houses, drifting boats, and rocky shores that represent the joys of summertime from Eastern Long Island up along the coast to New England. His paintings are sentimental and nostalgic-- he records houses and landscapes that might have been painted in the 19th century, or even earlier. In the pages of this evocative volume, the hot, dusty, gorgeous days of summer come alive. Memorial Day marks the first day of summer, the time to reopen shuttered houses and sweep last year's sand from the porch. In the thirteen weeks before Labor Day, it's time to visit breezy shores and mountain lakes and enjoy a classic American summer...
First century Palestine is a region glued together by hate. The Roman invaders rule, the Jewish authorities collude while the enraged and desperate plot violent revolt. Pilate lives with his nightmares, Herod makes guilty hay, the balance of power is delicate - and the last thing anyone needs is Yeshua, a man with a mind and heart of his own. He's going to suggest a shocking alternative for his homeland. And this is his story, told through his eyes; and through those of two different women in his life, Miriam of Magdalene and Mary, his mother - different women with very different dreams. The result is much more than an historical novel. It is an epic account of the nature of love; of Yeshua as a human being, a carpenter compelled to preach - a man whose intellectual, physical and spiritual strength lead him into conflict with family, friends and authority; and finally, with death itself. It is not to be doubted a man called Yeshua lived and died. The more interesting question is whether he died and lived. And how he believed and loved along the way. It is 1st century Palestine and no one needs Yeshua. It is said he arrived there like a sword.
**Don't miss Penny Parkes's brand-new novel Home – available for pre-order now** WINNER OF THE RNA's ROMANTIC COMEDY OF THE YEAR AWARD 2017! ‘A wonderful setting, characters you care about, a page-turning plot, laugh-out-loud funny. I loved it’ Katie Fforde Meet married mum of two and successful GP Holly Graham as she relocates her family to join the team at The Practice at Beckerford, hoping to find the peaceful life she craves, despite the chaos that comes with her two year old twins and the troublesome state of her marriage. It will certainly be a challenge to keep her private and professional lives separate in such a tight-knit community. Her colleagues have their own issues to con...
THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER! Lies Lies Lies, sometimes they come back to hurt you... 'Gripping, moving and elegantly written' Marian Keyes, No.1 bestselling author ‘Brilliantly twisty... also so insightful. A triumph’ Lucy Foley, No.1 bestselling author
***Penny Parkes' brilliant new novel MAYBE TOMORROW is out now!*** 'Moving, hopeful and heartfelt... an ideal book group read' AJ Pearce, author of Dear Mrs Bird A gripping and heartfelt story about overcoming the past and finding where you belong. Anna Wilson travels the world as a professional housesitter – stepping into other people’s lives - caring for their homes, pets and sometimes even neighbours. Living vicariously. But all Anna has ever really wanted is a home of her own – a proper one, filled with family and love and happy memories. If only she knew where to start. Growing up in foster care, she always envied her friends their secure and carefree lives, their certainty and co...
*** THE NUMBER ONE EBOOK BESTSELLER*** ‘A warming testament to the elasticity and enduring love of true family bonds. I adored this book' Penny Parkes 'Fresh, funny and utterly fabulous, it’s the perfect holiday read' Heat ‘Feel-good’ Bella ‘A clever concept … with surprises and some shocks in store for both the reader and the characters ... An endearing, funny and poignant read’ Express The first rule of Sunday Lunch Club is … don't make any afternoon plans. Every few Sundays, Anna and her extended family and friends get together for lunch. They talk, they laugh, they bicker, they eat too much. Sometimes the important stuff is left unsaid, other times it's said in the wrong ...
*** Join the residents of Larkford for a festive fling as the snow falls, secrets are revealed and romance blossoms under the mistletoe! *** 'Full of humour, warmth and characters you care about - this is a festive read you're sure to love' Woman's Weekly Larkford Surgery is the heart of a tightknit community in the Cotswolds, as well as a hotbed of drama, rivalry, resentment and romance - and that's just the doctors … Dr Holly Graham is finding life with two sets of twins exhausting. Even with husband Dr Taffy Jones and devoted friend Elsie by her side, she is completely outnumbered. Making the transition back to work will be no easy feat but a regular slot on Radio Larkford as their on-a...