Red Arrows in Camera

Red Arrows in Camera by Keith Wilson
Published by Haynes, Price £25.00
This wonderful photographic record covers many aspects of the county’s famous Red Arrows. At work and off duty, it is not only the pilots and their Hawk aircraft that are the focus of the book, but also the ground crew (the ‘Blues’) and support staff who keep the team flying from behind the scenes. Photographer and writer Keith Wilson has supplemented this colourful and inspiring collection of more than 300 images with a narrative that offers a unique insight into the roles of individual team members, and the ways in which their rigorous standards are achieved. Many of the pictures within the book were taken especially for the publication and readers will find dramatic air-to-air photographs of the Reds from the lens of EJ van Koningsveld. The publisher has announced that 50p from the sale of this book will be donated to the RAF Benevolent Fund in memory of Red Arrows pilots Flt Lt Jon Egging and Flt Lt Sean Cunningham, both of whom died in accidents in 2011.

KIDDIWALKS IN LINCOLNSHIRE BY CATHERINE W SMITH
PUBLISHED BY COUNTRYSIDE BOOKS, PRICE £7.95
With the seemingly endless rain putting the mockers on summer this year, the first glimpse of sunshine is sure to have all of us, young and old, venturing out to enjoy the fresh air. For families with children, there are plenty of fantastic suggestions for walks in our delightful Lincolnshire countryside in this book. All of the walks are aimed at little ones, and so all are between one and a half and three and a half miles long – but keeping the trek shorter might not be a bad idea everyone, should the heavens decide to open again. There are helpful maps, directions, a guide to the wildlife along each route, as well as details on where to stop for refreshments along the way.

WASHED IN, WASHED OUT, WASHED AWAY BY PETER AND GEMMA LEAK
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHORS, PRICE £12.50
Between 1975 and 2001, Peter Leake was an Auxiliary Coastguard in Lincolnshire. This book not only covers many of Leake’s own memories of his fourteen years’ voluntary service with this invaluable emergency service, starting from his first bad weather watch, but also the history of seven coastguard stations situated between Skidbrooke and Anderby Creek. A true labour of love, Leake and his wife Gemma have compiled countless logbook entries, newspaper reports, personal reminiscences and anecdotes that show just how vibrant and violent the coast can be, and to ensure that a rich and important part of the county’s heritage will not be lost for good. One cannot help but admire the dedication that the volunteers have given over the years, in such a demanding and often harrowing environment, ready at all times to attend to an accident, mystery, tragedy or false alarm and to expect the unexpected. Here readers will find stories of shipwrecks, deaths, whales washed up on the shore and will appreciate the efforts, organisation and collaboration that see that every incident can be dealt with. There are plenty of interesting archival photographs too. www.washedinwashedoutwashedaway.co.uk

AN EVENING WITH JOHNNERS (CENTENARY EDITION) BY BRIAN JOHNSON
PUBLISHED BY QUILLER, PRICE £16.99
The thwack of leather upon willow, shouts of ‘howzat’ – quintessential sounds of an English summer and no one captured images of the game of cricket better than commentator, Brian Johnson. A natural broadcaster, Johnson commentated on some of the major events in recent history as well as being ‘the voice of cricket’. In 1993, at the age of 80, Johnson embarked on a nationwide theatre tour with his one-man show recalling his life and career. Edited by Stamford based Barry Johnston, An Evening With Johnners contains all the material from the original recording as well as additional stories from his second and final tour. Every page is filled with hilarious memories, comical stories and anecdotes, all told in his inimitable style. www.barnproductions.co.uk

BOOK NEWS
The results of this year’s Lincolnshire Young People’s Book Award have been announced. The awards are designed to encourage children and young people to read and use their local libraries, where the books are available. The winner in the 9–11 year old category was Linda Chapman with ‘Loving Spirit’ and in the 12–14 year old category the award went to Tim Collins for ‘Diary of a Wimpy Vampire’.

On Saturday 4th August Waterstones Lincoln will host Kerry Drewery with her new teens title ‘A Brighter Fear’ between 12 noon and 2pm. This is the story of Lina, a teenage girl in Baghdad in 2003 when bombs begin to fall on the city. While on Thursday 23rd August at 7pm Karen Maitland will give an evening talk to launch her new book, The Falcons of Ice & Fire. For information, tel. 01522 540011.

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