My Expanding Bookshelf

Title: My Outdoor Life Author: Ray Mears Published: 2013, Hodder & Staughton Pages: 370 Source: Bought Format: Hardback Rating: 3/5 Ray Mears is a household name through his many television series, including Bushcraft Survival, The Real Heroes of Telemark, Tracks, World of Survival, and many more. He is a private individual who shuns publicity whenever possible and would prefer to let his many skills tell their own tale - until now. In My Outdoor Life, Ray tells of his childhood and the formative years when he first developed a passion for both bushcraft and the martial arts skills that are central to his life. Having traveled the world several times over, he is no stranger to risk and had had more than his fair share of dangerous and life-threatening encounters to share with his readers. But his life is so much more than a tale of derring-do. Shortly after he returned to England having narrowly survived a serious helicopter crash, his father died. Just a year later, he ha...

Title: Unf*ck Your Habitat - You're Better Than Your Mess Author: Rachel Hoffman Published: 03/01/2017, St Martins Griffin Pages: 222 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 4/5 Finally, a housekeeping and organizational system developed for those of us who'd describe our current living situation as a "f*cking mess" that we're desperate to fix. Unf*ck Your Habitat is for anyone that has been left behind by traditional aspirational systems. The ones that ignore single people with full-time jobs; people without kids but living with roommates; and people with mental illnesses or physical limitations. Most organizational books are aimed at traditional homemakers, DIYers, and people who seem to have unimaginable amounts of free time. They assume we all iron our sheets, have linen napkins to match our table runners, and can keep plants alive for longer than a week. Basically, they ignore most of us living here in the real world. Interspersed with lists and cha...

Title: Our Zoo Author: June Mottershead Published: 09/10/2014, Headline Pages: 288 Source: Gift from parents Format: Hardback Rating: 4.5/5 When George Mottershead moved to the village of Upton-by-Chester in 1930 to realise his dream of opening a zoo without bars, his four-year-old daughter June had no idea how extraordinary her life would become. Soon her best friend was a chimpanzee called Mary, lion cubs and parrots were vying for her attention in the kitchen, and finding a bear tucked up in bed was no more unusual than talking to a tapir about granny's lemon curd. Pelican, penguin or polar bear - for June, they were simply family. The early years were not without their obstacles for the Mottersheads. They were shunned by the local community, bankruptcy threatened and then World War Two began. Nightly bombing raids turned the dream into a nightmare and finding food for the animals became a constant challenge. Yet George's resilience, resourcefulness and tenacity ev...

Title: Buster: The Dog Who Saved a Thousand Lives Author: Will Barrow, Isabel George Published: 15/01/2015, Virgin Books Pages: 256 Source: Bought Format: Hardback Rating: 3/5 Thousands of lives have been saved by this spaniel. He is a best friend in dog's clothing. An RAF dog with his mossy feet firmly on the ground. A brave dog who has served his colleagues and his country with unstinting devotion. A dog in a million. This is the true story of the partnership of Buster and Will, told by Will himself, describing how each came to save the other's life. This is a relationship that produced some heroic feats - and the most decorated dog in military history. With some dogs you share a boil in the bag breakfast and maybe a blanket on a cold desert floor. Some you wouldn't leave in charge of your Grandma unless you wanted to find out just how fast the old girl could run. But, if you're very, very lucky there will be the one dog you would lay down your life for - an...

Title: It's All About Treo Author: Dave Heyhoe Published: 20/06/2013, Quercus Pages: 330 Source: Bought Format: Paperback Rating: 4/5 This is the incredible true story of the unbreakable bond forged between Treo, the world's most highly decorated dog, and his handler Sgt. Dave Heyhoe, whilst doing the most dangerous job on earth - sniffing out bombs in Afghanistan. It is a story full of tragedy and triumph, pathos and laughter, as one man and his best friend dare all to ensure that no lives are lost.

Title: The Mystical Backpacker Author: Hannah Papp Published: 05/05/2015, Beyond Words Publishing Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 2/5 Part memoir, part guidebook, The Mystical Backpacker invites you to explore your inner terrain and learn how to create your own unique version of a modern-day vision quest or walkabout. Tired of living a life based on others expectations, Hannah Papp quit her job, bought a Eurorail ticket and a map, notified her landlady, and left town. Embarking on a journey across Europe with no plan and no direction, Hannah stumbled into becoming a modern-day Mystical Backpacker. Along the way her discoveries and the teachers she encountered allowed her to go on a deeper journey into the self and the spirit; revealing the real self she had long been missing. The Mystical Backpacker shows you how to identify the signs along the road that will lead to teachers and experiences that will reorient your life map. Ultimately, The Mystical Backpacker offers a ...