Following hot on the heels of last year's Top 10 bestseller, Ripley's Believe It or Not! 2017 offers a completely new compendium of strange but true facts and amazing stories; from the polar bear robot and the edible human skull, to the woman who still suffers from sea-sickness three years after her last boat trip, and the Swiss daredevil who soars over famous landmarks in his custom-made jet pack.
Nujeen Mustafa has cerebral palsy. This did not stop her travelling, with her sister, 3500 miles from Syria to Germany in a wheelchair. Denied access to an education in Syria because of her disability, she educated herself through the television – to speak English; to learn history, drama, science; to dream of meeting the Queen and becoming an astronaut. Escaping her war-torn country, this then sixteen-year-old suffered the hardships and dangers of the migrant route to reach safety in Europe where she hopes for a better future.
It is said that for more than half the world's population, the first car they ever saw was a Land Rover Defender. It mirrors many of our national traits, stiff upper-lipped and slightly eccentric. The car has remained relatively unchanged for nearly seven decades and has spawned an industry that includes dozens of publications, car shows, clubs, associations and even model car collectors who dedicate their lives to the Land Rover.
Chris Grayston needs little introduction, with over 25 years’ experience in the music industry as an; events director, music promoter, music manager, record label owner, distributer, song writer, producer, publisher and recording studio owner, he can now add author to his resume!
Emma Claire Sweeney tells us the inspiration behind her new book, The Owl Song at Dawn...
He has always been good at tracking down things that are hidden, like cockroaches in his mother’s kitchen cupboard, or tunnels in Gaza.
‘Back in the real world and its uncertain future, it’s hard to think about what has happened – I am alive. I survived cancer. I was saved from certain death. Here I am, thinking about it all when I should be dead and gone and not thinking about anything. That fifteen months walking in the Valley of the Shadow of Death is now fading like a dream . . . All I could do was stand there and dig it, the colours and the dragons. If only Irene could be with me by my side’
Olly Murs is one of the UK’s most successful and talented artists. Since 2009 he has sold 10 million records worldwide, had four number one singles and three number one albums.