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OUR FEATURED BOOKS
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This week's feature
Keeping Bees and Making Honey
by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum
David & Charles, £14.99
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The growth of interest in beekeeping means there are many suppliers selling hives and equipment that make the hobby safe, easy and, with ready assembled components and a variety of labour-saving devices, far less time-consuming than it used to be. Even a high-flying city executive can keep bees nowadays. Like cats, bees do their own thing and require only occasional attention. ‘Keeping Bees and Making Honey’ illustrates the huge enjoyment you will derive from having one of nature’s most wondrous creatures residing in your garden. This comprehensive guide covers everything from finding your bees to getting them home, housing them, collecting honey and using their produce. It includes a detailed look at the history of bees and beekeeping, and an extensive introduction to help readers fully understand the bees and how to keep them happy is also included. Whether you have a tiny balcony or acres of land; live in the middle of a city or in the countryside surrounded by flowers, this book caters for every situation, discussing the different types of hive available for every eventuality. Features a detailed section on gardening for bees, as well as comprehensive advice on how to safely collect your honey and wax, with recipes and ideas on how to use them.
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Top ten tips to get started in beekeeping
1. Read a book for beginners.
2. Join a local beekeepers’ association.
3. Enrol on a beginners’ class - usually run by the association.
4. Buy the best beesuit you can afford - the lighter the better as it can be hot work in the summer.
5. Buy a good-quality cedarwood hive from a reputable mail order bee-keeping supplier; an attractive gabled WBC hive is not as user-friendly as a box-like national hive.
6. If you don’t know one end of a hammer from another get a beekeeper to show you how to put the flat-pack hive components together. Once you’ve done it once, it’s easy.
7. Choose a sheltered location for your hive - don’t be put off if you only have a small backyard or a roof terrace.
8. Tell your neighbours that you are going to keep bees and the important role they play in the environment.
9. Plant clumps of year-round bee-friendly plants and flowers in your garden, or in pots on your roof terrace.
10. Start saving jars for honey.
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When Swan Lake Comes to Sarajevo
by Ruth Waterman
Canterbury Press, £12.99 (paperback)
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War is always with us, and so is peace. This book is about the peace that comes after a war. It is one woman’s account of her experiences in the new country of Bosnia as guest conductor of a remarkable little orchestra, the Mostar Sinfonietta.
International violinist Ruth Waterman first met the musicians of the multi-ethnic ensemble in 2002, and since then has returned regularly to the region, teaching, conducting and performing, and listening to the stories. Here she describes the nuts and bolts of daily life - in turn frustrating, hilarious and touching: the putting together of concerts despite the odds; the rebuilding of bridges, towns, communities, lives; and how making music can connect us to our essential humanity and to each other.
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Ruth Waterman’s writing is humane and down-to-earth, perceptive and inspiring. Interspersed with her diaries and observations are the stories of war and peace by the Bosnians themselves, in their own voices, acts of witness that reveal their courage, despair, resilience and humour.
This intermingling of narrative and first-hand accounts builds a mosaic that provides a visceral introduction to an unfamiliar world where people simply want to ‘live a normal life’.
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There’s a Hippo in my Cistern…
One Man’s Misadventures On The Eco-Frontline
by Pete May
Six months ago Pete May thought that ‘Carbon Footprint’ were a band who did a couple of Peel Sessions. That being said, the lad can write…’
Phill Jupitus
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Back in the nineties, Loaded journalist Pete May was a beer drinking, football mad, average twenty-something lad. Then along came Nicola, an environmental activist intent on saving rainforests and living the green life. Surprised to find himself drawn to someone so far removed from his laddish lifestyle, Pete not only wondered whether two such different people could fall for each other, but if he could really become a green?
Charting Pete’s gradual move towards an eco-friendly existence, There's a Hippo in My Cistern is a laid back, witty and engaging account of his grapple with the good life, revealing all his experiences along the way. From compost loos and rearing chickens to wearing multiple jumpers and using Hippos – devices that Pete found himself dunking into his cistern to save water when flushing – this is a wonderful, often funny story of Pete’s journey to a greener, more self sufficient way of life.
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Told against the back drop of Cool Britannia, Blair's Britain and the rise of the green movement, Pete's journey from self-confessed planet-killing lad to eco-friendly green–crusader-Dad is a charming tale of one man's struggle to go green and get the girl.
Pete May is a journalist who has written for Loaded, The Guardian and Time Out . His previous books include Hammers in the Heart and Rent Boy. Pete lives in London with his wife, two children and their two chickens, in their eco-friendly house.
We have five copies of this book up for grabs. Take part in the Book Quiz for your chance to win a copy...
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The Forgotten Legion
by Ben Kane
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Published by Preface on 1st May 2008
Hardback, £12.99
Published by Preface
“I thoroughly enjoyed The Forgotten Legion – so much so that I stayed up until 2am to finish it. Kane delves into the grim underbelly of slavery, prostitution and gladiatorial carnage… His weaving of the many characters strands is deftly done and the conclusion leaves us waiting for the sequel” Manda Scott
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Ben Kane makes his spectacular fiction debut with The Forgotten Legion, the first in an epic new trilogy. Following the interwoven stories of four slaves – Tarquinius, Brennus, Romulus and Fabiola – this is a historical adventure in the bestselling tradition of Conn Iggulden.
Against the odds, the tattered remnants of a once huge Roman army fight for their lives at the very edge of the world they know. Among them are three men whose friendship has been forged in the bloody crucible of a hopeless war and the bitter knowledge that they are bound forever in servitude to the Republic.
Tarquinius is an Etruscan, a warrior and soothsayer, born enemy of Rome, but doomed to fight for the Republic in The Forgotten Legion.
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Brennus is a Gaul; the Romans killed his entire family. He rises to become one of the most famous and feared gladiators of his day – and mentor to the boy slave, Romulus, who dreams night and day of escape and revenge.
Romulus and Fabiola are twins, born into slavery after their mother is raped by a drunken nobleman. At thirteen years old they are sold: Romulus to gladiator school, Fabiola into prostitution, where she will catch the eye of one of the most powerful men in Rome.
The story begins in a Rome torn apart by corruption, violence and political enmities, but ends far away, where Romulus, Brennus and Tarquinius find themselves fighting against the Parthians and impossible odds.
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The Author
Ben Kane was born in Kenya and grew up there and in Ireland. He studied veterinary medicine at University College Dublin, and afterwards he travelled the world extensively, indulging his passion for ancient history. Now he lives in North Somerset, where he researches, writes and also practises as a small animal vet. The Forgotten Legion is born of a lifelong fascination with military history in general, and Roman history in particular. He is currently in the middle of writing his second novel, also featuring Romulus, Fabiola, Brennus and Tarquinius.
We have five copies of this book to give away. To have a chance of winning a copy go to the book Quiz section...
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Glorious Galloway makes the perfect bookworm's holiday with a plethora of bookshops. |
TOP HOLIDAY READS
The Boy Wizard and Frodo top the charts as the UK’s number one classic holiday read
Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings are the books we most wish we’d read on holiday
In a poll to find the classic books we wish we had time to read on holiday but never quite get around to, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings have topped the league. The survey, which was conducted by the Glorious Galloway tourism initiative to highlight our holiday reading habits, sees To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye joint third place in the titles Brits wish they’d browsed while taking time out.
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The poll of top ten classic holiday reads also includes 18th and 19th century novels by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte with Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre fifth, sixth and ninth on the list. Nearly 10 per cent of those polled wish they read The Bible on holiday and this figure rises to a huge 19 per cent of all Londoners. Glorious Galloway undertook the survey to show the importance of reading on our holidays and to show the avid bookworm that Galloway's the place to visit to indulge in paperback passion.
"Reading is a core pleasure for most of us on our summer holidays," says Angela Everitt, Chairperson of Glorious Galloway. "Many of us grab our reading matter at airports and train stations where only this year's 'must reads' are on display. But our survey shows that many of us wish we had taken a classic away with us. Glorious Galloway makes the perfect bookworm's holiday with our plethora of bookshops — matched with stunning backdrops in which to read.”
Between the two winning publications, Potter was best-loved in Scotland, the South, North West and Eastern regions of England, the West Midlands, East Anglia and London. Frodo and his fantasy friends were on top in Yorkshire, Humber, the North East of England, as well as Wales and the West regions.
The prospect of picking up a copy of The Lord of the Rings was more appealing to men (46%) than women (22%) surveyed. It was a closer call with Harry Potter with 36% of men picking up compared with 32% of female counterparts.
More women stated they would prefer to read Pride and Prejudice, Gone with the Wind and Jane Eyre than men. Another classic, Catcher in the Rye was rated highly in the North West, and the East and West Midlands, while Pride and Prejudice achieved good results across the Midlands as a whole.
The Bible was most popular among residents of London, while the South East and East Anglia placed this read at the very bottom of their book pile.
“Books, art and food are an intricate part of our culture,” continues Angela. “We are lucky in Galloway because we have so many stunning towns to explore in relatively close vicinity. Artists come from all over the UK to Kirkcudbright to enjoy the artistic culture and they find the landscape and lifestyle inspiring to their work. Whether you are a lover of food, art or books, the Galloway region has something for everyone. It’s a place you can relax and soak up the atmosphere, smell and taste the delights of the local cuisine or just sit back and enjoy a classic book.”
Wigtown is world-renowned as Scotland’s Book Town and has over 15 second-hand book shops to rummage around. Bookworms will enjoy the almost endless rows of millions of books to find their perfect holiday read.
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