Get cosy in front of the fire with this moving, heartwarming and inspiring true story. The perfect Christmas read! ***** JAM BUTTIES AND A PAN OF SCOUSE is a gritty yet heart-warming memoir set against the backdrop of Liverpool's tightknit working-class docklands community. The story covers Maggie Clarke's upbringing in the tenements close to the docks, the River Mersey and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal: an area notorious for having the worst slums in Britain, yet the closest community as well. At the tender age of 11, Maggie Clarke finds herself the matriarch of the family when her Irish mother runs off with another man. Leaving school at 14 to work at a local factory putting sticks into lollies, she is determined to make a better life for herself and her family - before starting her own family with her childhood sweetheart, who she marries at 19 after 'falling in the family way'. She has one night of married life with her husband before he is sent to India with the Navy and is devastated when she never hears from him again, presuming him a casualty of the war that is raging at home and abroad. Another tragedy strikes when Maggie's brother Tommy is also claimed by the war, leaving her father inconsolable, but Maggie knows life has to go on and falls in love with Joseph, an Irish settler who she has 8 children with. But her happiness is short-lived as her first husband suddenly appears out of the blue demanding a divorce, and her new husband drinks away what little money they have, returning in fits of rage that leave Maggie and her children hungry and afraid. Many times she is only able to feed her brood by the kindness of neighbours putting a 'pan of scouse' on the range for her, or feeding her kids jam butties to help out. Maggie's story sweeps across the changing face of Liverpool, from its squalid dock streets, the tenement blocks and cobbled roads to the decline of the docklands, new council housing, the rise of the Mersey beat, the Beatles and the energy and passion of a city that is home to a cast of colourful characters with the resilience to withstand the heartbreak and hardships that only the poorest can know. A story of romance, love, family, friendship and laughter - the perfect read this Christmas!

'A brave, heartfelt and extraordinary book' Corinne Sweet, author of Overcoming Addiction, psychologist and broadcaster What if the drugs that were meant to cure you slowly started to kill you? After falling dangerously ill with acute-on-chronic pancreatitis, Cathryn Kemp left hospital with a repeat prescription for fentanyl, a painkiller 100 times stronger than heroin. Within two years she was taking almost ten times the NHS maximum daily dose - all on prescription - and her life began to spiral out of control. Cathryn discovered she had just three months to live, unless she gave up the drug she clung to so desperately. After selling everything she owned and checking into rehab, Cathryn was told by the doctors that recovery was highly unlikely. Yet to everyone's amazement, she proved them wrong. Coming Clean is a poignant, vivid and honest memoir of a woman's struggle with, and subsequent victory over, her demons. It is a love story, a horror story, a survival story, and one that shows the very real dangers of the over-prescription of painkillers.

Rather than focusing on the tragic events of her upbringing, Crissy uses this evocative, characterful book to paint a vivid picture of what it was to grow up working-class Liverpool in the sixties and seventies. From the docks to the Cavern Club, this is a fond glimpse into the heartbeat of the North West, in a time where community, hard work and family mattered most.

Remember the wonderfully romantic book of love letters that Carrie reads aloud to Big in the recent blockbuster film, Sex and the City? Fans raced to buy copies of their own, only to find out that the beautiful book didn't actually exist. However, since all of the letters referenced in the film did exist, we decided to publish this gorgeous keepsake ourselves. Love Letters of Great Men follows hot on the heels of the film and collects together some of history's most romantic letters from the private papers of Beethoven, Mark Twain, Mozart, and Lord Byron. For some of these great men, love is "a delicious poison" (William Congreve); for others, "a nice soft wife on a sofa with good fire, & books & music" (Charles Darwin). Love can scorch like the heat of the sun (Henry VIII), or penetrate the depths of one's heart like a cooling rain (Flaubert). Every shade of love is here, from the exquisite eloquence of Oscar Wilde and the simple devotion of Robert Browning, to the wonderfully modern misery of the Roman Pliny the Younger, losing himself in work to forget how much he misses his beloved wife, Calpurnia. Taken together, these letters show that perhaps men haven't changed all that much over the last 2,000 years--passion, jealousy, hope and longing still rule their hearts and minds. In an age of e-mail and texted "i luv u"s, this timeless and unique collection reminds us that nothing can compare to the simple joy of sitting down to read a letter from the one you love.

National Winner for Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2017 - Family Books Winner of the 2018 Taste Canada Awards - General Cookbooks, Silver Delicious, wholesome family-friendly recipes from the creator of the award-winning Simple Bites blog Toasty warm in the winter and cool in the summer, Aimée’s comfortable kitchen is a place where the family gathers, cooks together, and celebrates everyday life. In The Simple Bites Kitchen, she brings her love of whole foods to the table and shares heart-warming kitchen stories and recipes that are nutritious, fairly simple to make, and utterly delicious. Aimée knows the challenges that come with feeding a family and tackles them head on by providing lunchbox inspiration, supper solutions and healthy snack options. Aimée’s collection of 100 wholesome recipes draws on her experience as a mom and a seasoned cook and is brimming with fresh ingredients and simple instructions so that you can cook with confidence knowing you’re providing your family with healthy and great-tasting meals. You and your family will enjoy recipes from Overnight Spiced Stollen Swirl Buns and Maple-Roasted Pears with Granola for breakfast, Tequila-Lime Barbecue Chicken and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for a fresh air feast, garden-inspired recipes like Harvest Corn Chowder and Lentil Cottage Pie with Rutabaga Mash, and family dinner favourites like Roast Chicken with Bay Leaf and Barley and Cranberry-Glazed Turkey Meatloaf with Baked Sweet Potatoes. Filled with beautiful photography, The Simple Bites Kitchen also includes recipes to keep your preserves pantry well-stocked all year, tips, simple tutorials and inspiration and ideas for homespun hospitality.

Part travel diary, part memoir, part history, and all cookbook, Lavender & Lovage is an invitation from Karen Burns-Booth to join her on a personal culinary journey through the memories of the places she has lived and visited. Born from her eponymous award winning blog this book contains 160 unique recipes, all beautifully photographed by the author. They showcase the breadth and depth of her travel. Karen has lived and travelled all over the world and has brought some of her favourite recipes, experiences, and memories to share here with her readers. Karen focuses on the best of traditional recipes, preserving the ways of eating that kept our ancestors healthy, a vital contribution to the modern food landscape. If you would like to see the old made new again, to taste slow food instead of fast, to make food personal yet international, you will find it here.