Gareth St John Thomas – författare

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘the moment when my life changed forever’. Some of us can even pinpoint it in our own lives; the birth of a child, the acceptance letter to a degree programme, the decision to make a momentous change. The Turning Point is an anthology of personal accounts, showcasing the extraordinary and unexpected moments that have completely altered everyday lives.Each of the 40 stories in this book offers a rare glimpse into the turning point of the writer’s life. Hand-picked as the most extraordinary entries received in an international writing competition, they are eclectic, diverse and entirely immersive. From stray bullets in Los Angeles to falling in love in the Australian countryside, you will find much to enjoy and think about.This is the perfect book to read in snapshots, or to dive into and not resurface until you’ve read every fascinating account. Beautifully presented, it makes an ideal addition to your coffee table, or gift for a loved one. With sections on Love, Changes, Momentous Decisions, Tragedy, Vivid and Learning Moments, every reader is sure to find stories which relate and inspire.Pick up The Turning Point today and find out about the moment when love came along in a note under a windscreen wiper, when the death of a new friend inspired a teenager to live life to its fullest, and more, in this captivating insight into the human condition.

A truly innovative book for cat and kitten lovers — Oliver’s naughty and precocious perceptions of humans will delight, surprise and perhaps even shock you. Oliver Kitten was born in a firetruck and ends up living with a three-generation multicultural human family in a high-rise apartment. He keeps a diary of his own escapades and the things he hears and sees his family get up to. At once cute and funny, Oliver is a little naughty and sometimes downright wicked in his precocious observations of the things the humans in his house get up to.Oliver’s family includes a Scottish grandmother (whose knitting wool has adventures of its own), Clint, a sometime unpredictable two-year-old boy, the father Richard, his wife Nicole, and Lucy, their 13-year-old daughter. Lucy thinks she is Oliver Kitten’s owner and spends her life between the fridge and her bedroom, generally with Oliver in one hand and her phone in the other.Oliver is a diligent kitten and keeps a daily diary covering everything in his life including paper shredding, leaping, purring, meowing, kneading, scratching, grooming hiding, escaping, finding sleeping places and giving licks and kisses.Elegantly produced with black and white line drawings, Oliver Kitten’s Diary shows us a kitten evolving into a powerful and smart adult cat with lots of fun, affection, love and adventures.

Discover the inner workings of our relationship with cats in this gentle, informed and fun look at the reasons why we love our four-legged friends.Many of us know the joy (and amusement) of having a feline companion. But have you ever wondered why we can feel such an attachment to cats in particular? Pairing adorable images with the latest research, Cats & Us is an investigation into – and celebration of – cat-human relationships. With the rise of hybrid working and average lifespans increasing, cat owners are spending more and more time with their pets. This book explores how cats affect and improve a multitude of aspects of our lives, covering themes including affection, calming, exercise, friendship and play. It also captures the link between human wellbeing and our animal companions – a particularly wonderful aspect of life with cats.Cat lovers everywhere will adore this fresh and vibrant look at the bond we share with our feline companions. With fascinating insights from organisations such as the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, it brings brand new academic research together with playful quotes and images in a collection that will inform, intrigue and delight. Join the growing number of curious cat owners and dive into Cats and Us.

Discover the inner workings of our relationship with dogs in this gentle, informed and fun look at the reasons why we love our four-legged friends. Many of us know the joy, love and chaos of having a dog in your life.But have you ever wondered why we can feel such an attachment to dogs in particular? Pairing adorable images with the latest research, Dogs & Us is an investigation into – and celebration of – human-canine relationships.With the rise of hybrid working and average lifespans increasing, dog owners are spending more and more time with their pets. This book explores how dogs affect and improve a multitude of aspects of our lives, covering themes including affection, calming, exercise, friendship and play. It also captures the link between human wellbeing and our animal companions – a particularly wonderful aspect of life with dogs.Dog lovers everywhere will adore this fresh and vibrant look at the bond we share with our canine companions. With fascinating insights from organisations such as the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, it brings brand new academic research together with playful quotes and images in a collection that will inform, intrigue and delight. Join the growing number of dog owners who want to know more about our relationship with mans best friend, and dive into Dogs and Us.

Discover the inner workings of our relationship with dogs in this gentle, informed and fun look at the reasons why we love our four-legged friends.Many of us know the joy, love and chaos of having a dog in your life. But have you ever wondered why we can feel such an attachment to dogs in particular? Pairing adorable images with the latest research, Dogs & Us is an investigation into – and celebration of – human-canine relationships.With the rise of hybrid working and average lifespans increasing, dog owners are spending more and more time with their pets. This book explores how dogs affect and improve a multitude of aspects of our lives, covering themes including affection, calming, exercise, friendship and play. It also captures the link between human wellbeing and our animal companions – a particularly wonderful aspect of life with dogs.Dog lovers everywhere will adore this fresh and vibrant look at the bond we share with our canine companions. With fascinating insights from organisations such as the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, it brings brand new academic research together with playful quotes and images in a collection that will inform, intrigue and delight. Join the growing number of dog owners who want to know more about our relationship with ‘man’s best friend’, and dive into Dogs and Us.

Grandpas make a lot of strange noises. There’s ‘schluuupglubshlurrrpglub’, ‘creak pop’, ‘hooonkkkkkkksnnoooortttttt’, and of course ‘eeeaswoscrreech!’ But what on earth do they all mean? Join Grandpa on his daily adventures to learn why he makes all of his mysterious noises.From thanking Grandma for a cup of tea to saying hello, Grandpa has his own unique way of expressing himself. Children will love finding out what each creak and pop means, and will be able to understand their own grandparents even better! Of course, the noises coming out of Grandpa’s bottom will also provide hours of entertainment.In Grandpa’s Noises, a range of sounds and words coming from body and mouth are explained through a warm, funny and colourful ‘day in the life’ story. Children look at life with open, honest eyes but sometimes it takes a bit of thinking and code-breaking to work out what’s really going on. Vibrant illustrations and lively lettering combine to provide a ‘Grandpa dictionary’ so that readers, along with Grandpa’s cat and particularly in-the-know grandchild, can discover just what his various exclamations mean. Afterall, once you know that ‘eeeawoscreech!’ is actually the sound of a misbehaving hearing aid, Grandpa becomes a lot less scary and even more lovable!

Cats Work Like This is for cat lovers who know that even after ten thousand years of living with cats, no one really has a clue what their cat is thinking. In this insider’s guide to the habits of these puzzling animals, the authors offer insights from two generations of watching their cats work. They share the sometimes hilarious and often astonishing observations on cats that have accumulated over ages, and offer some useful insights into how to understand your own cat.Though there are many famous felines, it is the day to day cat which provides the most enduring interest. Though each one’s behaviour and mannerisms are unique, we can find enough practices in common to guide you to becoming an expert in how cats work.Chapters include Habits, with an insight into how cats train you to have the right ones; and The Scientific Cat, with observations and empirical learning following the classic scientific method, as cats don’t listen well enough to be subjects in any other kind of experimentation.Learn how cats practice their values and explore what your cats know about you. Find out what cats do while you sleep, what a cat’s eyes can tell you and what there is to understand about political and ‘eco’ cats. With a focus on attention, emotion, cute affection, manipulation, cunning and cussedness, Cats Work Like This gives a rare insight into the workings of a cat’s elusive mind.

A truly innovative book for cat and kitten lovers - Oliver's naughty and precocious perceptions of humans will delight, surprise and perhaps even shock you.Oliver Kitten was born in a firetruck and ends up living with a three-generation multicultural human family in a four-bedroom house. He keeps a diary of his own escapades and the things he hears and sees his family get up to. At once cute and funny, Oliver is a little naughty and sometimes downright wicked in his precocious observations of the things the humans in his house get up to.Oliver s family includes a Scottish grandmother (whose knitting wool has adventures of its own), Clint, a sometimes unpredictable two-year-old boy, the father Richard, his wife Nicole, and Lucy, their 13-year-old daughter. Lucy thinks she is Oliver Kitten s owner and spends her life between the fridge and her bedroom, generally with Oliver in one hand and her phone in the other.Oliver is a diligent kitten and keeps a daily diary covering everything in his life including paper shredding, leaping, purring, meowing, kneading, scratching, grooming, hiding, escaping, finding sleeping places and giving licks and kisses.Elegantly produced with black and white line drawings, Oliver Kitten s Diary shows us a kitten evolving into a powerful and smart adult cat with lots of fun, affection, love and adventures.

Children love laughing about body noises. In Grandpa's Noises, a range of sounds and words coming from body and mouth are explained in a warm and funny intergenerational romp. Children look at life with open, honest eyes but sometimes it takes a bit of thinking and code-breaking to work out what's really going on. Fortunately, for this particular grandchild, while Grandpa's noises might be a mystery to many, he knows just what they mean! For example, "Eyenolessgofurawark" is obviously Grandpa-speak for "I know, let’s go for a walk". "Aaaahhh" means the cup of tea is just perfect, and "Pissphusshawertt" is that sinking sound Grandpa makes when he needs a rest in his chair. And once you know that "Eeeawoscreech!" is actually the sound of a misbehaving hearing aid, Grandpa becomes a lot less scary and even more lovable. Of course some sounds - like the "Fffffffft" that sometimes escapes Grandpa’s bottom, and Dad's - need no explanation!