The Rise and Fall of the Miraculous Vespas PDF Download

Author: David Ross
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 1910633380
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
When a young Ayrshire band unexpectedly hits the big time with the smash hit record of 1984, everything looks rosy, despite their delusional young manager and a thwarted plot to kidnap Boy George. What could possibly go wrong? The riotously funny, heartwarming, and deeply poignant second book in the bestselling Disco Days Trilogy. ***Now adapted for the stage by Scotland's Borderline Theatre Co. and the Ayr Gaiety theatre*** 'This band would definitely bring on Stockholm Syndrome' Boy George 'An astonishing tour de force' John Niven 'A great white-knuckle read set in the world of hope, dreams and DIY pop' Stuart Cosgrove –––––––––––––––––––––––– The Rise and Fall of the Miraculous Vespas is the timeless story of the quest for pop immortality. When a young Ayrshire band miraculously hits the big time with the smash hit record of 1984, international stardom beckons. That's despite having a delusional teenage manager propelled by a dark, malign voice in his head... Can Max Mojo's band of talented social misfits repeat the success and pay back the mounting debts accrued from an increasingly agitated cartel of local gangsters? Or will they have to kidnap Boy George and hope for the best? Featuring much-loved characters from the international bestseller, The Last Days of Disco, this is an absurdly funny, riotously ambitious and deeply human story of small-town rivalries, music, confused adolescence and, above all, hope, from one of Scotland's finest new voices. –––––––––––––––––––––––– Praise for David F. Ross 'This is a book that might just make you cry like nobody's watching' Iain MacLeod, Sunday Mail 'Warm, funny and evocative' Chris Brookmyre 'Crucially Ross's novel succeeds in balancing light and dark, in that it can leap smoothly from brutal social realism to laugh-out-loud humour within a few sentences' Press & Journal 'More than just a nostalgic recreation of the author's youth, it's a compassionate, affecting story of a family in crisis at a time of upheaval and transformation, when disco wasn't the only thing whose days were numbered' Herald Scotland 'Ross creates beautifully rounded characters full of humanity and perhaps most of all, hope. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It s rude, keenly observed and candidly down to earth' Liam Rudden, Scotsman 'There's a bittersweet poignancy to David F. Ross's debut novel, The Last Days of Disco' Edinburgh Evening News 'Full of comedy, pathos and great tunes' Hardeep Singh Kohli 'Dark, hilarious and heartbreaking' Muriel Gray 'If I saw that in a store I would buy it without even looking at what was inside' Irvine Welsh 'Like the vinyl that crackles off every page ... as warm and authentic as Roddy Doyle at his very best' Nick Quantrill 'A solid-gold hit of a book! The closest you'll ever get to being on Top of the Pops' Colin McCredie

Author: David F. Ross
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 1495627713
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
When a young Ayrshire band unexpectedly hits the big time with the smash hit record of 1984, everything looks rosy, despite their delusional young manager and a thwarted plot to kidnap Boy George. What could possibly go wrong? The riotously funny, heartwarming, and deeply poignant second book in the bestselling Disco Days Trilogy. ***Now adapted for the stage by Scotland's Borderline Theatre Co. and the Ayr Gaiety theatre*** 'This band would definitely bring on Stockholm Syndrome' Boy George 'An astonishing tour de force' John Niven 'A great white-knuckle read set in the world of hope, dreams and DIY pop' Stuart Cosgrove –––––––––––––––––––––––– The Rise and Fall of the Miraculous Vespas is the timeless story of the quest for pop immortality. When a young Ayrshire band miraculously hits the big time with the smash hit record of 1984, international stardom beckons. That's despite having a delusional teenage manager propelled by a dark, malign voice in his head... Can Max Mojo's band of talented social misfits repeat the success and pay back the mounting debts accrued from an increasingly agitated cartel of local gangsters? Or will they have to kidnap Boy George and hope for the best? Featuring much-loved characters from the international bestseller, The Last Days of Disco, this is an absurdly funny, riotously ambitious and deeply human story of small-town rivalries, music, confused adolescence and, above all, hope, from one of Scotland's finest new voices. –––––––––––––––––––––––– Praise for David F. Ross 'This is a book that might just make you cry like nobody's watching' Iain MacLeod, Sunday Mail 'Warm, funny and evocative' Chris Brookmyre 'Crucially Ross's novel succeeds in balancing light and dark, in that it can leap smoothly from brutal social realism to laugh-out-loud humour within a few sentences' Press & Journal 'More than just a nostalgic recreation of the author's youth, it's a compassionate, affecting story of a family in crisis at a time of upheaval and transformation, when disco wasn't the only thing whose days were numbered' Herald Scotland 'Ross creates beautifully rounded characters full of humanity and perhaps most of all, hope. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It s rude, keenly observed and candidly down to earth' Liam Rudden, Scotsman 'There's a bittersweet poignancy to David F. Ross's debut novel, The Last Days of Disco' Edinburgh Evening News 'Full of comedy, pathos and great tunes' Hardeep Singh Kohli 'Dark, hilarious and heartbreaking' Muriel Gray 'If I saw that in a store I would buy it without even looking at what was inside' Irvine Welsh 'Like the vinyl that crackles off every page ... as warm and authentic as Roddy Doyle at his very best' Nick Quantrill 'A solid-gold hit of a book! The closest you'll ever get to being on Top of the Pops' Colin McCredie

Author: David F. Ross
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 1914585410
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 375

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Book Description
A failed writer connects the murder of an American journalist, a drowned 80s musician and a Scottish politician' s resignation, in a heart-wrenching novel about ordinary people living in extraordinary times. Renowned photo-journalist Jude Montgomery arrives in Glasgow in 2014, in the wake of the failed Scottish independence referendum, and it' s clear that she' s searching for someone. Is it Anna Mason, who will go on to lead the country as First Minister? Jamie Hewitt, guitarist from eighties one-hit wonders The Hyptones? Or is it Rabbit &– Jude' s estranged foster sister, now a world-famous artist? Three apparently unconnected people, who share a devastating secret, whose lives were forever changed by one traumatic night in Phoenix, forty years earlier... Taking us back to a school shooting in her Texas hometown, and a 1980s road trip across the American West &– to San Francisco and on to New York &– Jude' s search ends in Glasgow, and a final, shocking event that only one person can fully explain...

Author: David Ross
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 191063316X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 365

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Book Description
The unforgettable finale to the international, bestselling Disco Days Trilogy ... Bobby, Joey and Max Mojo return in an attempt to reclaim the elusive stardom of their youth, reuniting a legendary band that didn't quite live up to expectations, with predictable results... 'A real new talent on the Scottish literary scene' Press & Journal 'By turn hilarious and heart-breaking, more than anything Ross creates beautifully rounded characters full of humanity and perhaps most of all, hope' Liam Rudden, Scotsman 'David Ross carved out an enduring place for himself among contemporary Scottish novelists' Alastair Mabb, Herald Scotland –––––––––––––––––––––––– The Disco Boys and The Band are back... In the early 80s, Bobby Cassidy and Joey Miller were inseparable; childhood friends and fledgling business associates. Now, both are depressed and lonely, and they haven't spoken to each other in more than ten years. A bizarre opportunity to honour the memory of someone close to both of them presents itself, if only they can forgive ... and forget. With the help of the deluded Max Mojo and the faithful Hamish May, can they pull off the impossible, and reunite the legendary Ayrshire band, The Miraculous Vespas, for a one-off Music Festival – The Big Bang – on a remote, uninhabited Scottish island? Absurdly funny, deeply moving and utterly human, The Man Who Loves Islands is an unforgettable finale to the Disco Days trilogy – a modern classic pumped full of music and middle-aged madness, written from the heart and pen of one of Scotland's finest new voices. –––––––––––––––––––––––– Praise for David F. Ross 'A warm, funny consideration of reconciliation between middle-aged friends and a celebration of music's healing powers. Suggest to fans of Nick Hornby' Library Journal 'Warm, funny and evocative. If you grew up in the eighties, you're going to love this' Chris Brookmyre 'Dark, hilarious, funny and heart-breaking all at the same time, a book that sums up the spirit of an era and a country in a way that will make you wince and laugh at the same time' Muriel Gray 'An astonishing tour de force' John Niven 'This is a book that might just make you cry like nobody's watching' Iain MacLeod, Sunday Mail 'Crucially Ross's novel succeeds in balancing light and dark, in that it can leap smoothly from brutal social realism to laugh-out-loud humour within a few sentences' Press & Journal 'Full of comedy, pathos and great tunes' Hardeep Singh Kohli 'If I saw that in a store I would buy it without even looking at what was inside' Irvine Welsh 'Like the vinyl that crackles off every page ... as warm and authentic as Roddy Doyle at his very best' Nick Quantrill 'A solid-gold hit of a book! The closest you'll ever get to being on Top of the Pops' Colin McCredie

Author: David F. Ross
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 1913193519
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
A promising young football player returns home to his tiny village, his dreams in tatters and a dark secret haunting his conscience, in a beautiful, unforgettable novel about hope and redemption, when everything seems lost... 'A brilliant, bittersweet story that captures the rawness of strained relationships, set against the struggles of a failing lower-league football team. Ross's best novel yet' Stuart Cosgrove –––––––––––––––––––––––– Danny Garvey was a sixteen-year old footballing prodigy. Professional clubs clamoured to sign him, and a glittering future beckoned. And yet, his early promise remained unfulfilled, and Danny is back home in the tiny village of Barshaw to manage the struggling junior team he once played for. What's more, he's hiding a secret about a tragic night, thirteen years earlier, that changed the course of several lives. There's only one Danny Garvey, they once chanted ... and that's the problem. A story of irrational hopes and fevered dreams – of unstoppable passion and unflinching commitment in the face of defeat – There's Only One Danny Garvey is, above all, an unforgettable tale about finding hope and redemption in the most unexpected of places. –––––––––––––––––––––––– Praise for David F. Ross 'A real new talent on the Scottish literary scene' Press & Journal 'By turn hilarious and heart-breaking, more than anything Ross creates beautifully rounded characters full of humanity and perhaps most of all, hope' Liam Rudden, Scotsman 'David Ross carved out an enduring place for himself among contemporary Scottish novelists' Alastair Mabb, Herald Scotland 'A warm, funny consideration of reconciliation between middle-aged friends and a celebration of music's healing powers. Suggest to fans of Nick Hornby' Library Journal 'Warm, funny and evocative. If you grew up in the eighties, you're going to love this' Chris Brookmyre 'Dark, hilarious, funny and heart-breaking all at the same time, a book that sums up the spirit of an era and a country in a way that will make you wince and laugh at the same time' Muriel Gray 'An astonishing tour de force' John Niven 'This is a book that might just make you cry like nobody's watching' Iain MacLeod, Sunday Mail 'Crucially Ross's novel succeeds in balancing light and dark, in that it can leap smoothly from brutal social realism to laugh-out-loud humour within a few sentences' Press & Journal 'Full of comedy, pathos and great tunes' Hardeep Singh Kohli

Author: David Ross
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 1910633011
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
Bobby and Joey's new mobile disco business seems like the answer to everything, until they lock horns with the local gangster ... First in the critically acclaimed, hilarious and heartbreaking Disco Days Trilogy, by one of Scotland's finest writers. ***Longlisted for the Authors' Club First Novel Award*** 'This is a book that might just make you cry like nobody's watching' Iain MacLeod, Sunday Mail 'Ross creates beautifully rounded characters full of humanity and perhaps most of all, hope. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It s rude, keenly observed and candidly down to earth' Liam Rudden, Scotsman 'Warm, funny and evocative' Chris Brookmyre –––––––––––––––––––––––– Early in the decade that taste forgot, Fat Franny Duncan is on top of the world. He is the undoubted King of the Ayrshire Mobile Disco scene, controlling and ruling the competition with an iron fist. But the future is uncertain. A new partnership is coming and is threatening to destroy the big man's empire... Bobby Cassidy and Joey Miller have been best mates since primary school. Joey is an idealist; Bobby just wants to get laid and avoid following his brother Gary to the Falklands. A partnership in their new mobile disco venture seems like the answer to everything. The Last Days of Disco is about family, music, small-time gangsters ... and the fear of being sent to the Falklands by the biggest gangster of them all. Witty, energetic and entirely authentic, it's also heartbreakingly honest, weaving together tragedy and comedy with an uncanny and unsettling elegance. A simply stunning debut. –––––––––––––––––––––––– 'Crucially Ross's novel succeeds in balancing light and dark, in that it can leap smoothly from brutal social realism to laugh-out-loud humour within a few sentences' Press & Journal 'More than just a nostalgic recreation of the author's youth, it's a compassionate, affecting story of a family in crisis at a time of upheaval and transformation, when disco wasn't the only thing whose days were numbered' Herald Scotland 'There's a bittersweet poignancy to David F. Ross's debut novel, The Last Days of Disco' Edinburgh Evening News 'Full of comedy, pathos and great tunes' Hardeep Singh Kohli 'Dark, hilarious and heartbreaking' Muriel Gray 'Captures the time, the spirit ... I loved it' John Niven 'If I saw that in a store I would buy it without even looking at what was inside' Irvine Welsh 'Like the vinyl that crackles off every page, The Last Days of Disco is as warm and authentic as Roddy Doyle at his very best' Nick Quantrill

Author: Steen Eiler Rasmussen
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262680028
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
A classic examination of superb design through the centuries. Widely regarded as a classic in the field, Experiencing Architecture explores the history and promise of good design. Generously illustrated with historical examples of designing excellence—ranging from teacups, riding boots, and golf balls to the villas of Palladio and the fish-feeding pavilion of Beijing's Winter Palace—Rasmussen's accessible guide invites us to appreciate architecture not only as a profession, but as an art that shapes everyday experience. In the past, Rasmussen argues, architecture was not just an individual pursuit, but a community undertaking. Dwellings were built with a natural feeling for place, materials and use, resulting in “a remarkably suitable comeliness.” While we cannot return to a former age, Rasmussen notes, we can still design spaces that are beautiful and useful by seeking to understand architecture as an art form that must be experienced. An understanding of good design comes not only from one's professional experience of architecture as an abstract, individual pursuit, but also from one's shared, everyday experience of architecture in real time—its particular use of light, color, shape, scale, texture, rhythm and sound. Experiencing Architecture reminds us of what good architectural design has accomplished over time, what it can accomplish still, and why it is worth pursuing. Wide-ranging and approachable, it is for anyone who has ever wondered “what instrument the architect plays on.”

Author: Robin Sharma
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 1443456632
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
Legendary leadership and elite performance expert Robin Sharma introduced The 5am Club concept over twenty years ago, based on a revolutionary morning routine that has helped his clients maximize their productivity, activate their best health and bulletproof their serenity in this age of overwhelming complexity. Now, in this life-changing book, handcrafted by the author over a rigorous four-year period, you will discover the early-rising habit that has helped so many accomplish epic results while upgrading their happiness, helpfulness and feelings of aliveness. Through an enchanting—and often amusing—story about two struggling strangers who meet an eccentric tycoon who becomes their secret mentor, The 5am Club will walk you through: How great geniuses, business titans and the world’s wisest people start their mornings to produce astonishing achievements A little-known formula you can use instantly to wake up early feeling inspired, focused and flooded with a fiery drive to get the most out of each day A step-by-step method to protect the quietest hours of daybreak so you have time for exercise, self-renewal and personal growth A neuroscience-based practice proven to help make it easy to rise while most people are sleeping, giving you precious time for yourself to think, express your creativity and begin the day peacefully instead of being rushed “Insider-only” tactics to defend your gifts, talents and dreams against digital distraction and trivial diversions so you enjoy fortune, influence and a magnificent impact on the world Part manifesto for mastery, part playbook for genius-grade productivity and part companion for a life lived beautifully, The 5am Club is a work that will transform your life. Forever.

Author: Lynda La Plante
Publisher: Zaffre
ISBN: 9781838770327
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The first book in a brand new thriller series from Lynda La Plante. A burnt-out cottage, a fortune buried in the ashes - and a body that could solve a decades-old crime.

Author: Sunil Gangopadhyay
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 9353578701
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 213

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Book Description
After a secret mission in Afghanistan ends in a terrible accident, Raja Roychowdhury, fondly known as Kakababu, resigns as the director of the Archaeological Survey of India and goes home to his second-hand books. But the desire to hunt down old, unsolved mysteries of the world refuses to leave him alone. Despite living with an amputated leg, Kakababu insists on taking biannual holidays to remote, little-known areas - and refuses to tell anyone what he does there. Now that he's old enough, Shontu, Kakababu's nephew, has finally been allowed to accompany Kakababu on these mysterious trips. And he cannot wait for the thrilling adventures to begin!In 'The Emperor's Lost Head', Kakababu takes Shontu to Kashmir to find a hidden sulphur mine. Except that that's a lie, and Shontu has no idea how to get his uncle to admit the truth.'The King of the Emerald Isles' finds uncle and nephew in an uncharted island in the Indian Ocean. Stubbornly secretive as always, Kakababu refuses to tell Shontu what has brought him to the dangerous island. Is he ready for the answers he might find?