If you are thinking of going to China to teach or travel then don't – not until you have read this book. The book may entice you to go or it may persuade you to stay. Either way if you are interested in China and wish to advance far beyond the tourist guide view, then read this book.The author lived in one of the most famous cities in China, yet few in the West have heard of it. He also lived near the epicentre of the most damaging earthquake in recorded history, yet it is long for...

England has been at peace for as long as most people can remember - but there are still battles being waged in its towns and villages. Nearly 400 years ago Sir Jacob Astley set out for Oxford from the town of Bridgnorth with a small army raised from Wales and the West. He was the king's last hope in a disastrous civil war. But Astley did not reach the Royalist capital. His force was attacked by Parliamentarian forces near to Stow on the Wold where the survivors were locked in the local chu...

This book is about an unusual journey: a unique journey through everyday surroundings. A few years ago Rob Walters decided to become a shoeshine boy. He stowed his shoeshine kit, a tent, and a few items of clothing in a trailer, connected the trailer to his push bike and set off from Oxford to visit the old shoe-making cities of middle England. Along the way he polished many shoes, met lots of interesting people, pedalled many miles, and gained a fascinating insight into his own country fr...

Turkey, the historic bridge between Europe and the East, excites the imagination.In a collection of ten short stories Rob Walters provides a fascinating glimpse into the culture and characters of this special country. The tales embrace everything from ants to fireflies, ferocious dogs to rutting bulls and natural aphrodisiacs to underground cities; all based within this secular, Islamic nation.Though firmly based on the author's experience of the country each tale has an im...

Driven by current economics, technology and politics, the people of earth gradually take three distinct and separate routes forward. The rich go down, the dispossessed stay put and the adventurous take off.This book follows their progress through parallel, intimate and gripping story lines where the digitised are terrorised by corruption, the dispossessed are hunted by cannibalistic seekers of immortality and the departed are enslaved by the cultural mores that they carry with them...

This book will take you on a journey, a journey through Oxford and a journey through the lives of ten roguish males. All of the men have at least two things in common: a strong association with Oxford, and some claim to be a rogue. They are all famous in some way or another, some tending towards infamy. All but one has spent time at one of Oxford's famous colleges, though only a few obtained an academic award during their stay in the city.The stories in this book are rich in human ...

Most people do not know what a crystallographer does, and if asked to name one crystallographer most of us would need to call a friend... and the friend would probably need to visit Wikipedia.Everyone knows what a UK Prime Minister does, or what he or she should do. If asked to name one they could, and could certainly name the first woman Prime Minister of the UK, though some would not want to do so. Yet they probably could not name the only UK woman to gain a Nobel Prize in scienc...

Shaken by China is a pacey novel based in modern China. It is eventful, thoughtful, and provides an intriguing insight into the modern republic.Very briefly Shaken by China is a story in which a young man escapes his overpowering problems at home by taking a teaching job in the rapidly changing world of modern China. It is targeted at readers who like a fast moving story based in exotic surroundings.The novel has a strong beginning in a Xian hospital where Keith Hackett, th...

More than six million copies sold worldwide!A larger-than-life old man with a fondness for vodka goes on an unexpected adventure in this whimsical internationally bestselling novel—perfect for fans of Forrest Gump and A Man Called Ove**.**After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he'...

For eight groundbreaking years, Xinran presented a radio programme in China during which she invited women to call in and talk about themselves. Broadcast every evening, Words on the Night Breeze became famous through the country for its unflinching portrayal of what it meant to be a woman in modern China. Centuries of obedience to their fathers, husbands and sons, followed by years of political turmoil had made women terrified of talking openly about their feelings. Xinran won their trust...

Michael Marshall Smith’s surreal, groundbreaking, and award-winning debut which resonates with wild humour interlaced with dark recollections of an emotional minefield. Now part of the Voyager Classics collection.May we introduce you to Stark.Oh, and by the way — good luck.Stark is the private investigator who goes to work when Something Happens to you. And when a Something happens it’s no good chanting ‘go away go away go away’ and cowering in a corner, because a S...

Qian Xiaohong is born into a sleepy Hunan village, where the new China rush towards development is a mere distant rumour. A buxom, naïve sixteen-year-old, she yearns to leave behind hometown scandal, and joins the mass migration to the bustling boomtown of Shenzhen. There, she must navigate dangerous encounters with ruthless bosses, jealous wives, sympathetic hookers and corrupt policemen as she tries to find her place in the ever-evolving society.Hardship and tragedy are in no shor...