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New Book - Missing Beat by Bob Stone.

23/6/2018

New Book by author Bob Stone. About the Author Liverpool born Bob Stone is an author and bookshop owner. He has been writing for as long as he could hold a pen and some would say his handwriting has never improved. He is the author of two self-published children's books, A Bushy Tale and A Bushy Tale: The Brush Off. Missing Beat, the first in a trilogy for Young Adults, is his first full-length novel. Bob still lives in Liverpool with his wife and cat and sees no reason to change any of that.

Amazon review.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great sci-fi adventure
18 June 2018
Format: Paperback
Imagine you are seventeen years old, you wake up to all the familiar sights, sounds and people you have known all your life. Today's the day you need to go and get your exam results. You tread the route you have taken to school hundreds of times in your life, see your best friend on the other side of the road. The lights are about to change and you can just make it if you hurry. You dash into the road just as a car jumps the lights. It brakes equal. You fall. Your heart stops. When you come to, you are still lying on the road. It's the rest of the world that has changed.

This is the story of Joey Cale - born with a hole in his heart, later repaired by surgery. The world he has now entered looks on the surface identical to the one he knows. It's the small details that are wrong. The newsagent has a different name. There's a different president in the White House. A new Dr Who is male, not female. And then there are the Screamers - and a girl called Emma Winrush.

This novel is being marketed as Young Adult. Well, this much older adult loved it so much she can't wait for the sequel (this is the first in a trilogy). It is a Sci-Fi adventure that will appeal to all ages and genders. The author racks up the tension, creates characters to care about, with all their flaws which make them truly human. Bob Stone may be a new name in fiction but with work of this quality, he is here to stay.

Product details

Paperback: 234 pages
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing (5 Jun. 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1786451980
ISBN-13: 978-1786451989
Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 1.5 x 20.3 cm

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Lusitania and Liverpool: A City In Mourning

19/2/2018

The Lusitania - 100 years in May 2015

1/1/2017

The Lusitania is and always will be remembered in Liverpool, the reason is it belonged to Liverpool built for the Cunard Line, and crewed by many Liverpool men and women, and it is the Liverpool families who hold the memory of the Lusitania close to their hearts for the terrible event which to place on 7th May 1915, when the Grand Lady was torpedoed.

This section is to take a look back at the liner that ruled the waves from its creation to the fateful day when it was lost. There are many books and web pages dedicated to the Lusitania which are all excellent points of research also the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website lists the casualties who were lost on the Lusitania and this can be searched at their website www.cwgc.org

The Beginning

The contract to build the Lusitania was awarded to John Brown & Co, Ltd, Clydebank, during the construct of the ship the company was photographing the progress.

The Lusitania and her links to Liverpool Documentary

1/1/2017

On Monday 24 November, we made a trip to London to meet with Igor who is a freelance reporter currently working for Belarus TV on the Russian passengers on board the Lusitania. The filming took place outside the British Library and the St. Pancras area, we managed to have time to look around this magnificent building, the British Library and the exhibition on the Beatles including some lyrics.

The documentary for Belarus TV will be shown in December 2014. The Russian passenger list totalled 71, of which 40 perished and 31 survived.
Three of the survivors was a young mum and her two children aged 3 and 4.

Charles Dickens and Liverpool

27/3/2015

Charles Dickens was born on the 7th February 1812. His first visit to Liverpool took place in 1838, Dickens became a regular visitor until April 1869, which was his last lecture in Liverpool.

1838
Charles Dickens first novel Pickwick Papers was serialised between 1836 - 1837, in November 1838 he made his first visit to Liverpool. During a trip to North Wales, with Hablot K. Browne who had planned to visit his son Edgar Browne who lived in Rodney Street, Liverpool, Dickens wrote a letter dated 3rd November 1838 to his colleague and friend John Forster, he wrote:

"I wrote you last night but by mistake the letter has gone to heavens knows where in my portmanteau. I have only time to say go straight to Liverpool by the first Birmingham train on Monday morning, and at the Adelphi Hotel in that town you will find me."

Dickens was aged 26 and this was his first known visit to Liverpool.

1842
Charles Dickens next visit to Liverpool was January 1842, it was during a planned visit to Boston, America, on the Cunard steamer 'The Britannia' that he arrived in Liverpool the day before the sailing. He stayed once again at the Adelphi Hotel.

On the eve of their 18 day voyage he wrote to his friend Thomas Mitton, letter dated 3rd January 1842.

Liverpool Air Raid Shelters

1/3/2015

With the frequent bomb attacks on LIverpool. street shelters and air raid shelters were essential for survival of the people of Liverpool to take cover and protect themselves.

Here is an instruction sheet to help with building an air raid shelter.

This shelter was built at Lower Lane, Liverpool.

Liverpool at War - The Blitz

1/2/2015

During WWII, Liverpool suffered a number of devastating bombings on the city, in fact it was the most bombed city outside of LOndon during the war due to it being a major port at the time.

A photo of Liverpool and the devastation looking from the Queen Victoria Statue down Lord Street, May 1941.

Here is the official account of the Chief Constables Report, showing the time and date of Air Raid, type of bomb, location, and damage.

Liverpool and the Queen's Coronation

2/6/2014

In 1953, the City of Liverpool like many cities, towns and villages across the country was caught up in the excitement of a new heir to the throne, H.M. Queen Elizabeth II.

The Liverpool Echo newspaper had a full front page dedicated to the Queen which was printed on the 2nd June 1953. The Cities fathers had also pushed the boat out (as they say) to celebrate, and lined the streets with butting and flags, and the people of Liverpool also joined in the celebration with street parties, decorating there own street and getting all the children involved.

Liverpool Library teamed up with the Education committee to organize a competition, which was held in all of Liverpool primary schools.

The competition was for the school children to write a poem or an essay about the Queen.

As you can image the teachers set this as the childrens homework and encourage the children to get involved. One such pupil at Joseph Williamson School, completed his homework and handed it in to the teacher.

The pupil was Paul McCartney aged 10 years old, unknown to the young Paul and his family, his teacher sent his essay into the library competition and it won the under 11 category. Paul was awarded a book token for his efforts.

The Titanic and her links to Liverpool

24/2/2014

15th April 1912, was the date the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank. The sinking of the Titanic touched people from all around the world inspiring many to write books, films, musical about the ship, as well as opening museums and hotels in tribute.

The ship was built in Belfast and set off on her maiden and fatal voyage from the city of Southampton.
This article looks into the history of the great ship Titanic, and the connections she had to the City of Liverpool.

We start with the company the White Star Line.

Founded in Liverpool by Thomas Henry Ismay, i was the White Star Line that commissioned the building of the Titanic, the company based in Liverpool had the ship registered in the city. The staff at the White Star Line building famously stood on the balancy on the far left of the photograph to deliver the news to the crowds gathered in the street below.

Today the White Star Building is a boutique Titanic themed hotel, '30 James Street'.