Ian Fleming's commandos

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Don Malarkey with Bob Welch

Sgt. Don Malarkey takes us not only into the battles fought from Normandy to Germany, but into the heart and mind of a soldier who beat the odds to become an elite paratrooper, and lost his best friend during the nightmarish engagement at Bastogne. Drafted in 1942, Malarkey became one of the one-in-six soldiers who earned their Eagle wings. He went to England in 1943 to provide cover on the ground for the largest amphibious military attack in history: Operation Overlord. In the darkness of D-day morning, Malarkey parachuted into France and within days was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroism in battle. He fought for twenty-three days in Normandy, nearly eighty in Holland, thirty-nine in Bastogne, and nearly thirty more in and near Haugenau, France, and the Ruhr pocket in Germany. This is his epic story of how an adventurous kid from Oregon became a leader of men.--From publisher description.

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James W. Taylor

"In this book, based on recently released files from the British Public Record Office, James Taylor covers the history of the 1st Royal Irish Rifles from 1914 to 1919. The battalion (comprised of men from all backgrounds, both north and south) arrived at the front in November 1914, and was involved in the famous Christmas truce of that year. For the next four years it fought almost continuously at places such as Neuve Chapelle, Fromelles, Somme, Pilkem Ridge, Langemarck and Passchendaele, suffering horrific casualties." "In addition to its narrative, the book gives biographical details on nearly 300 officers, including medical officers and chaplains (this information, unfortunately, generally is not available for the enlisted men). A series of appendices complete the picture. Apart from the awards and casualty lists, there are details of the 301 men who were court-martialled, including a transcript of the trial of the only member to be executed."--Jacket.

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Roy Jenkins

"In this evocation of twelve world cities which have either been intertwined with his life, or have otherwise aroused his particular interest, Roy Jenkins follows up Churchill with a book of a very different shape; short and semi-autobiographical, but also full of the wit, erudition and carefully chosen illustrations which made Churchill such a success. The cities are each described with a mixture of architectural interest, topographical insight and personal anecdote." "Jenkins has three British cities: Cardiff, which was the metropolis of his Monmouthshire childhood; Birmingham, which he represented in Parliament for twenty-seven years; and Glasgow, which he did not know well until he won a famous bye-election there in 1982, but which then aroused in him an enthusiasm far transcending politics." "There are four North European cities: Paris, of which his memories go back to 1931; Brussels, where he lived for four years as President of the European Commission; Bonn, not exactly a metropolis but the modest capital of the very successful West German polity for forty years; and Berlin, surveyed from its Wilhelmine splendour, through its 1945 degradation to its reunification and architectural resurgence in the 1990s. Then there are two essays on South European cities which both have a special and strong flavour - Naples and Barcelona." "From over a hundred visits to North America there emerge highly personal recollections of New York and a more objective view of the architectural sparkle of Chicago. Dublin, so near to home and yet so distant, concludes this delightful collection."--BOOK JACKET.

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Alison Maloney

Last year, the telly-watching public was gripped by "Downton Abbey"--The most successful British period drama in years and the number - one most-watched new drama programme of 2010. Captivated by the secrets, the scandal and the servant-master divide of an Edwardian household, viewers religiously watched in their millions. In "Life Below Stairs", bestselling author Alison Maloney responds to the public's desire to know more, going behind the scenes to reveal a detailed picture of what really went on 'downstairs', describing the true-life trials and tribulations of the servants in a gripping non-fiction account. Thoroughly researched and reliably informed, it also contains first-hand stories from the staff of the time. This charming and beautifully presented volume is a must-read for anyone interested in the lifestyle and conduct of a bygone era.