Non-fiction
Looking For Eric
In desperate times it takes a spliff and a special friend from foreign parts to challenge a lost postman to make that journey into the most perilous territory of all – the past. As the Chinese, and one Frenchman, say, ‘He who is afraid to throw the dice, will never throw a six.’
The Train of Ice and Fire
Ramón Chao’s chronical of the infamous rock and roll tour through Colombia on The Train of Ice and Fire in 1993. Translated by Ann Wright
‘Maybe it was the best adventure I ever had.’ – Manu Chao
Bringing It All Back Home
Heart warming, moving and laugh out loud funny, Bringing It All Back Home by Ian Clayton is the truest book you will ever read about music and the things that really matter.
‘One of the best books about popular music ever written.’ – Alan Lewis, Record Collector
Some Girls’ Mothers
Six writers tackle the thorny subject of mother/daughter relationships with grace and honesty.
‘Touching, wounding and humbling.’ – Simon Armitage
Made in Bradford
The aftermath of the Bradford Riots in 2001 and subsequent reports on how the city is constructed, provoked novelist and academic M Y Alam into generating a report of his own.
‘One of the most important books to ever come out of Bradford.’ – Bradford T&A
Four Fathers
A collection of stories about Fathers that uncover a deep seam of hidden feelings and forgotten memories which reveal the scale of their significance.
‘A fascinating double-take on the experience of being fathered and then becoming a father yourself – eight short tales full of wit, pathos and insight.’ – Blake Morrison
In the Forest of Paradoxes (Free ebook)
Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2008. He borrows the title of his lecture from Swedish writer Stig Dagerman who presented a writers paradox: all he wanted was to write for those who are hungry but discovers that is only those who have plenty to eat who have the leisure to take notice of his existence. This book is a transcript of that speech.
Apocalypse Not Just Now (ebook)
A lively collection of non-fiction writing from M Y Alam, which pulls together his articles that appeared in the Route newspaper from 2000-2001. Full of wry observations of the world he finds himself in and includes his responses to the Bradford riots and September 11.
‘Compelling and controversial’ – Northern Exposure
On Not Winning the Nobel Prize (Free ebook)
Doris Lessing was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007. In the customary lecture that accompanies a Nobel award, Lessing gave a speech on the value of reading and its importance to a general education. This book is a transcript of that speech.
Howl for Now
Howl for Now is a celebration of Allen Ginsberg’s epic protest poem. Contributors include poet David Meltzer, Ginsberg collaborator Steven Taylor, film director Ronald Nameth and rock composer Bill Nelson.
‘Howl for Now adds to our understanding of a great poem, a poem as influential in its own way as ‘The Waste Land’ was on an earlier generation’ – Brian Patten