This Is This Country

Listen up chumps, basically the Vicar asked us to edit the parish newsletter this month, we weren't gonna do it at first cos the vicar said 'I want you to channel your energy into doing something creative', which he knows brings back Kurtan's PTSD cos our old woodwork teacher Mr Perkins used to say it to him all the time, and when Kurtan actually DID channel his energy into something creative he managed to sand down some MDF to make a back scratcher and Darren Lacey pointed at it and laughed and called it an 'abomination to woodwork', which made Kurtan throw a chair across the room in rage and one of the chair legs hit Rob Robinson and left a dent in his forehead. So we decided to write this newsletter cos people need to the know the REAL s*** that goes down in our village, it ain't just fetes and duck races you know - it's proper f***** up. All the best, Kerry and Kurtan p.s. Kurtan wants to make it clear that although this newsletter is in book format it does not make him any of the following: Book worm Book bummer Boffin Nerd alert The lion, the witch and the book worm p.p.s If you don't buy this newsletter that's fine, but we are getting a percent of the profits to donate to the Kerry Mucklowe eating fund, so if you don't buy it I'll basically starve. Which is fine if your conscience can deal with that utter headf***. p.p.p.s If you were offended by any of the contents in this newsletter please post your complaints to PO BOX GET STUFFED.

In an Ireland far removed from the familiar images of travel brochures, a bright teenager is heading for trouble: son of a single mother who has given up, rarely at school, taking drugs, and hovering on the fringes of the city's criminal underworld. When he falls for Pat The Baker's sister his life changes irrevocably, not least because when she gets pregnant, Pat breaks his legs. But as he tries to make a new start and adjust to being a lover and father, he realises he cannot evade vengeance forever. THIS IS THE COUNTRY is a hard-hitting, tense and deeply moving novel that sets power and corruption against the fragile defences of love, friendship and family. As gritty as it is tender, as funny as it is dark, it tells a riveting tale of survival against the odds.

A celebration of five decades of country music magic with all the stars and legendary entertainers who brought the beloved Academy of Country Music Awards to life, pubbing in anticipation of the 50th anniversary show. From the first informal awards ceremony at the Hollywood Palladium in 1966 to today’s star-studded show on CBS, generations of country’s biggest superstars have graced the Academy of Country Music Awards stage. Now, for the first time ever, the ACM is opening its archive to reveal candid, never-before-seen photographs and memorabilia capturing some of the greatest moments in the history of country music. Rich with backstage and performance photographs, compelling behind-the-scenes stories, and firsthand accounts from country legends and contemporary artists, This Is Country: A Backstage Pass to the Academy of Country Music Awards offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the history, trends, and evolutions of the genre. With contributions by Reba McEntire, Loretta Lynn, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Alabama’s Randy Owen, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Marty Stuart, and many more, this book is a trove of history and celebrity, and a must-have for fans of country music.

ÊH. E. MarshallÕs dedication to the preservation of American history is evident in the details of this text, which features over a hundred different stories divided into seven headings. Despite it being nearly a century old, ÒThis Country of OursÓ is just as readable as it was when originally published. ÊIt presents the facts about history and the lives of the men and women that are often lost in history books in this present day. There are Christian morals and Biblical truths discussed in the lives.

Music echoes on every page of this superb portrait of South America's most diverse country, by the author of El Beisbol and Music in Every Room. This remarkable book is both a vivid look at a vast land, where the cult of pleasure lives side by side with grinding poverty, and the first in-depth study of the music and musicians of the most musical country on Earth.

In the early 1960s, novelist and journalist John A. Williams was commissioned by Holiday magazine to test the winds of racial change across the USA. Williams set out on a cross-country tour in a shiny new car (a station wagon) and with, as the cover states, "a fistful of credit cards". This book is a searingly honest account of both the good and the bad he encountered.

A captivating tale of discovery and renewal

A manifesto that outlines the progressive vision, recent history and worldview—by the founder of The Young Turks and co-founder of Justice Democrats. The media can't stop talking about the gridlock in Washington, as if a handful of stubborn Republicans are the only thing standing between us and a fully-functional democracy. The reality is that our government was taken over by big business and their allies in both political parties. The getaway driver in this heist was corporate media. The good news is that the American people are very progressive. And soon progressives will take over Washington as well! And when they do, the great majority of Americans will love it. In Justice Is Coming, The Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur presents two ideas that counter everything we hear from pundits and politicians on a daily basis: one, progressives are correct on all issues, and two, America is actually a very progressive country. Millions of us know that we are a part of something larger, a movement that is already transforming Washington. This compulsively readable manifesto seeks to apply the momentum we have already built to a concrete progressive agenda that activists, voters, and citizens can all rally around. It looks beyond Trump to the larger historical forces that have given us this unique political moment, and explains why we should fight, how we should fight, and how we will win. Sharp-witted, persuasive, and inspiring, calling out toxic Republicans, politely-ineffectual Democrats, and mealy-mouthed media mavens in equal measure, Justice is Coming will give heart to Democrats and progressives who seek to change our politics and society for the better.