Love For Books

Wasted by Mark Johnson

This is the true story of Mark Johnson, he was born in 1970 in the West Midlands, he was a drug and alcohol abuser from his childhood, je was formerly homeless and a prolific offender, mark managed to turn his life around and become a successful businessman.

At a young age he became heavily involved in the drugs and rave scene, he was a heroin and crack addict. The book starts in the West Midlands during the Marks childhood where he always gets into one scrape or another.

Although mark gets a place in college, he ends up going to prison and his life spirals out of control.

His drug addiction leads to him stealing and begging on the streets of London. He finally ends up in rehab and knows he has the choice of whether to live or die

He left behind his old life of drugs and crime and set up his own tree surgery business where he employs recovering addicts and ex-offenders, he has been awarded the ‘Princes trust young achiever of the year’ and the Daily Mirrors Pride of Britain award.

Mark is brutally honest about his past, in this excellent true story.

Change your life with NLP by Lindsey Agness

If you are a big fan of self improvment books I would highly recommend ‘ Change your life with NLP’ or if you have never read one before then this is a good place to start .This book teaches you how you can change your entire life, from your career, your health and fitness to your relationships.

From reading this book you will realise that it doesnt matter how your life as been so far, its this moment that counts. You can change your life in an instant  just by changing the way you think.  It teaches you using NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) techniques that were first developed in the 1970’s and are still used today. Many of us have dreams but most of us never pursue our dreams as were scared to get out of our comfort zone, this book shows us how we can go from an OK life to the one we always dreamt of. There are many excersices throughout the book to help you to understand were you are now and where you would like to be. Anyone can achieve anything if they put their mind to it.

This is an excellent book, that if followed really can make a difference to your life.

Tough Guy- Louis Ferrante

From an early age, Louis Ferrante made his reputation as a gang leader on the streets of New York, he was heavily involved with the infamous gambino crime family and he pulled off some of the most profitable robberies in American history.

When he was finally arrested Louis faced a very long sentence. For nearly nine years, he lived amongst some of the most violent, insane, criminals imprisoned in the US. Louis had to rely on, his reputation and his connections as he fought each day just to stay alive.

Louis goes through a dramatic change in prison where he decides to turn his life around for the better.

This book is astonishing and powerful, a true story of how one man can turn his life around after doing so many bad things.
Tough guy is shocking and unforgettable. One of the best books I’ve ever read.
Tough Guy is written in Louis’s own words; you can’t help but like him and the way he turns his life around. After his release Louis wants to make it as a writer, when he meets screen writer, David Black, who tells him to write his own life story as it is more interesting than anything else he’s written, Louis replies ‘I want to be known as a writer not a gangster’. I would recommend to anyone interested in crime and the mafia.

Mary Higgins Clark

Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins Clark Conheeney, who is also known as Mary Higgins Clark, was born in the Bronx, New York on December 24, 1927. She is the author of many bestselling suspense novels. She has written twenty-four books in total  which have all been bestsellers in the US and different European countries,  all of her books are still in print in 2007, her debut suspense novel, Where Are The Children, is now in its seventy-fifth printing.[1]

Mary began writing when she was fairly young. She worked for several years as a secretary and copy editor, Mary also spent a year as a stewardess for Pan-American Airlines before she left her job to start a family and get married. She helped with the family’s income by writing short stories.  Her husband died in 1959, Mary then worked for years writing four-minute radio scripts, until she was convinced by her agent to try writing novels. Her first novel was a fictionalized account of the life of Washington, this however did not sell well, and she decided to leverage her love of mystery/suspense novels. Her suspense novels became very popular, and as of 2007 her books have sold more than 80 million copies in the United States alone

On the run by Gregg & Gina Hill

This is the true story of two children Gina and Gregg Hill who grew up on the witness protection program. Their father was in the mafia and they were constantly on the run moving from one town to another with no warning, taking with them what they could fit in their bags. They knew they could never rely on anyone but each other.

This book tells us of mafia life from a different perspective, that of children who are caught up in the middle of it and whose lives are turned into a nightmare. They had their childhood stolen because of their father who was a selfish, drug dealing, wife beater to say the least.

Gregg tells us how he would often see bags of marijuana and blocks of cocaine in their family home. Gina and Gregg have lived their lives on the run ‘We were sent away ,someplace we’d never been or even imagined, strangers in a strange place, to start over with nothing but fake names and everything to hide’

It’s a gripping account of what the Mafia was like for the families, the innocent ones who never asked to be involved. Id definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the Mafia, it will make you see it in a whole new light.

Ex And The City by Alex Heminsley

Alexandra Heminsley  has been dumped more times than she cares to mention. She’s been dumped everywhere from a restaurant, to a  graveyard. In this book Alexandra shares her experiences of being dumped, . She shares the insights she gathered along the way, from all the heartbreak and tears to the lessons she’s learned and the laughter . She explores all the old clichés like  ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ and what this really means. She also tells us what not to do when we’ve been dumped. Also the best  songs to listen to which have the greatest healing powers. The best thing that  Alexandra reveals is the important truth that she learnt the hard way: ‘that being dumped should not be a source of shame but should be a badge of honour. Because unless you’re ready to risk all, you’ll never find love’.

Ex and the City will have you laughing out loud .It’s a brilliant book which so many woman will relate to .Id definitely recommend it to anyone especially those who have been dumped! It is light-hearted and fun to read.  If you’ve just been dumped you’ve got to read this it will have you laughing again in no time.

Flowers in the attic by Virginia Andrews

This book is about four children Chris, Cathy, Cory and Carrie, who are locked in an attack for years on end by their grandmother who is heartless and very strict.

Before all this they had the perfect family life until their father is killed in a car crash. Their mother can no longer afford to support them and live in their family home so they have to move to her parent’s house.

This is when their lives change forever. Secrets come out that their mother and father were related and the family made them outcasts because of their incest. Because of this she was written out of her father’s will. After her husband dies she tries desperately to win back his love so she can inherit his money.

For three years the children are locked away in the attic, whilst their mother lives the high life promising them it won’t be much longer until she’ll take them away from it all .They trust her to start with but eventually they realise she’s more interested in getting the money than she is in freeing them from the dreadful life their living.

A brilliant book which I thoroughly enjoyed, I was desperate to see the film which it was made into after reading the book, when I finally did I was disappointed, the book is far better.

storing old books

Books should all be handled and stored with care, to preserve their condition or to prevent any damage getting even worse. Very old books that were printed from the mid-19th century and onwards were usually printed on mechanical ground wood pulp paper, which usually has a high acidic content and meaning they can quickly become brittle and discoloured if they are not kept in the correct conditions.

Big heavy folio-size books are usually best stored laid own. Other books stored on shelves should be kept upright at 90° to the surface of the shelf and should be supported on each side by books or book stands of a similar size, to prevent covers getting warped. You should never pack the books in too tightly as this may cause the covers to be damaged when you try remove the books from the bookshelf.

Many people pull a book by the top of its spine when taking it from a bookshelf, this can cause damage, people are also in the habbit of leaving a book open and face down for a length of time, this too can cause damage to books. Books need to be well looked after to keep them in good condition.

Remember to store your books in quality pine furniture bookcases or oak bookcases, as the best book collection deserves to be stored in the best way.

7 Days to live

At age 7, Nick Yarris, lived with his parents and four siblings in Philadelphia. One day when he was walking his dog alone he was attacked and raped by a teenage boy who he recognised as he lived near. Frightened into secrecy, Nick retreated into himself and in his teenage years he used drugs and alcohol to the excess in order to escape the memories of his past. When he was 20 Nick was arrested for stealing a car and ended up being framed for the attempted kidnapping and murder of his arresting officer.

When in prison Nick had an idea that changed the course of his life, as he’d heard about  criminals being let off  giving information about other criminals he decided to tell the police he knew who had raped and murdered a woman . This lie ended up in Nick being the main suspect in the woman’s murder. Nick had never even met this woman before. He ended up spending 21 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, eventually he proved his innocence and was released.

The Goodbye Summer by Patricia Gaffney

Caddie Winger’s mother died when she just 9 years old, her Grandmother then brought her up as her own daughter, after the tragedy, however the story starts when Caddie Winger is 32 years old.

Caddie only ever really knew life as living with her Grandmother, and earning a living by teaching piano and violin to the local children from the neighbourhood.

When her grandmother breaks her leg and insists on going to home to get better, Caddie finds herself alone and out of her comfort zone, she then has to become independent for the first time ever, this is when she begins to find things out about her past.

As Caddies grandmother starts to ages she can no longer look to her for support and guidance. Caddie then begins to build a friendship with a man called Magill, at Wake House.

She is shocked by some of the discoveries she makes about her previous life, this is when she starts to take control of her life, she had always been overly cautious, but now with her new best friend, she starts to follow the highs and lows of love, and learns to trust people and to trust herself.

I really liked this story and would highly recommend.