Böcker av Pam Rhodes

The march towards the end of the year sees HOPE HALL once again buzzing with activity. The lead up to the Harvest Festival sees a cheeky dog causing a nuisance, and tensions rising between two old schoolmates. The drama only increases as Christmas approaches, and the panto rehearsals featuring the aptly-named "Can't Sing Singers" get into full swing. But the hustle and bustle of the drama in the community stems from deeper personal stories. Loneliness, loss, and hurt impact the lives of many of the local residents. But where there is community, there is friendship, companionship, love, and most of all, hope. This wonderful finale to the series (which includes the sound of wedding bells!) is full of friends and neighbours with stories that will have you giggling one minute, and dabbing your eyes the next. Christmas at Hope Hall is the final book in a delightful trilogy centred on a Victorian memorial hall, the like of which can be found at the heart of so many towns across England.

HOPE HALL thrums with activity under the summer sun. Sea Cadets march in the yard and happy chatter issues from English as a Foreign Language classes while the weekly Food Bank reaches out to those in need. Kath is determined to honour the origins of Hope Hall, which was founded in memory of those lost during the two world wars. It’s all hands on deck as the centenary celebrations continue, but Kath’s efforts set her on a collision course with Celia Ainsworth, a descendant of the family that donated the land. Added to this, a mysterious homeless man proves tricky for Sheelagh to identify, and a handsome stranger looks set to lead Kath a merry dance… SUMMER’S OUT AT HOPE HALL is a fun and deeply moving story that celebrates the power of hope.

There's never a dull moment at Hope Hall, as its rooms are filled throughout the day with gossipy grandmas, body-popping teenagers, temperamental dancing teachers, a choir without one decent singer to their name, knitters who natter, caterers who bake glorious cakes, slimmers nibbling chocolate, and a nursery group where it's the grown-ups who are near to tears! But it's all in a day's work for administrator, Kath, whose job it is to make sure Hope Hall offers something for everyone! Mind you, she can see that some key members of her team are struggling - like caretaker Trevor, who is nursing his beloved wife who has cancer, and Maggie, their wonderful cook, whose husband of twenty-five years has just left her for a woman half her age. As the team works to pull off their ambitious Hope Hall Centenary Easter Monday Fayre, Kath realizes reinforcements are needed. Brash, loud and inexperienced though she may be, Kath has a feeling that Shirley might be just the ticket! The Fayre is a triumph but when Kath's old flame comes back on the scene, she suddenly has some tough choices to make...Springtime at Hope Hall is the first book in a delightful new trilogy centred on a Victorian church hall, the like of which can be found at the heart of life in so many towns across England - full of friends and neighbours with stories that will have you giggling one minute, and dabbing your eyes the next.

"As I stand at my kitchen sink and look across at what we optimistically call our herb garden, to one side I see an old wooden sign on which are carved the words ''Arthur''s Garden''. Arthur doesn''t live here. My wonderful great-uncle died nearly thirty years ago having spent most of his long life in the Victorian terraced house in which his mother had brought up eleven children. The sign had stood in the garden there for decades, a gift to the man who''d always cherished that small patch of Kent, creating a riot of glorious colour which lit up the row of long, narrow strips that tumbled down to a line of back gates from which you could look across the lane to the local coal yard below." In Arthur''s Garden, Pam Rhodes collates a heart-warming collection of songs and poems, advice and tit bits about the glorious, very ordinary, English garden - told through the life of her Uncle Arthur. This is a gardening book, with a story.

Pam Rhodes is well known for her love of great hymns. Here she reflects on 40 of her favourites.

Pam Rhodes is a passionate advocate for our heritage of splendid hymns. Hymns, she explains, help us respond to God: they are 'prayers in our pockets'. With her warm personal touch she describes how these hymns came to be written, and considers the perceptions they contain. This book is a treasury of fascinating detail, but it is also a source of devotion: as you consider each hymn and the story behind it you will be drawn into worship. Each reflection concludes with a short prayer.

A heartwarming novel about the impact 'Songs of Praise' has on an idyllic village in rural Suffolk.

Three groups of people come together for a more-or-less godly cruise around the British Isles: to Lindisfarne, the Loch Ness Monster Museum, Iona and Mull, Dublin and the Scilly Isles. There are familiar faces from St Stephens, Dunbridge; some new folk from Neil's new parish in Derbyshire; and the slightly long-suffering crew, not least her skipper. A cruise is a great place to make new friends, with leisure for decent conversations. It can also be an awkward, confined space with those you would really rather avoid. Some of the party are facing tough decisions - not least of which, whether to say 'yes' - and some tensions just cannot be left on land. This book is a delight: full of compassion, humour, and Pam's acute observations.

The next hilarious episode in the life of young curate Neil Fisher in his challenging vocation and romantic life.

Neil Fisher's first trip to Dunbridge was not a success. Having inadvertently locked himself in St Stephen's Church for hours (and succumbing to the communion wine and wafers for dinner) it seemed miraculous they gave him the curate's job! On arrival in the small town of Dunbridge it quickly becomes clear that life is not going to be tranquil for the eligible new bachelor, as four formidable women are determined to make their presence felt. There is his mother, Iris, still questioning his choice of career; his rector, the no-nonsense Margaret, who is not one for taking prisoners; Claire, his new neighbour, whom he's already managed to offend. And then there is Wendy, the beautiful leading light of the church music group, who has her own plans for Neil' It can only end in trouble.

Neil returns from ordination inspired by his sense of ministry, but determined to distance himself from the two ladies in his life. This is not altogether well received, and a wide segment of the congregation of St Stephen's Dunbridge - including the music group - points Neil to the error of his ways. Meanwhile Neil's close friend Colin and his wife Jeannie are delighted by the birth of a daughter, but is all well with the baby? Neil's mother Iris continues to meddle, to his irritation. Churchwarden Peter has said a relieved farewell to his flighty wife Glenda - or has he? Dunbridge is not as peaceful as it seems :

A personal collection of the most inspiring Christmas carols, poems and readings