Aroundtown Magazine May June 2023 edition

FAMILY
Rotherham
reads:
New books for
summer 2023
There’s something
about summertime
that makes getting
stuck into a new book
even more enjoyable.
Luckily for us, there are two
new non-fiction books being
released this summer, both with a
Rotherham connection.
Whether you’re looking for a
book to take on your travels or
something to read while you relax
for an hour in the back garden,
these new releases might be right
up your street.
Path to Success
by Ray Matthews
The best thing about memoirs
is they allow you to walk in
someone else’s shoes for a while.
But there won’t be many willing
or able enough to step into Ray
Matthew’s shoes.
What other person do you know
who could run 75 marathons in 75
days, let alone at 75 years of age?
To add a bit more pressure, he
also combined the running element
52 aroundtownmagazine.co.uk
with the small challenge of raising
£75,000 for Newman School to
create a fully accessible playground
and path within the school grounds.
But he’s a born fighter, a
grafter, and one of life’s genuine
good guys.
Path to Success is the third book
written by Rotherham legend, Ray.
In it he details how his childhood
helped him develop the mindset
to take on these super-human
challenges in later life. The chapters
flit between preparing for and
undertaking the marathons and the
time he spent as an amateur boxer
as a young lad.
You’ll laugh at his escapades
at the Steelworks, feel like you’re
in the ring with him at his many
boxing bouts, and be cheering him
on to reach the finish line of his
gargantuan birthday challenge.
Will he be able to fulfil his
promise to the kids at Newman
School? And did he ever slow down
after he’d stopped running?
The book also includes guest
contributions from people who
were involved in Ray’s 75-marathon
challenge, as well as photographs
illustrating his achievements.
Book price: £10.99
Release date: 28th May
Published by The Book Guild
Available to buy at Rotherham
Visitor Centre, 26 High Street
S60 1PP
Or buy online at all major
retailers including Amazon
and Waterstones.
As part of the book
launch, Ray will be
giving talks at four
Rotherham Libraries.
Riverside Library
Main Street S60 1AE
Wednesday 31st May from 12pm
Wath Library
Montgomery Square S63 7RZ
Monday 5th June from 3.30pm
Wickersley Library
Bawtry Road S66 1YY
Tuesday 6th June from 6pm
Mowbray Gardens Library
East Dene S65 2UH
Thursday 8th June from 1pm
Contact the relevant library to book
your free place. Donations welcome
in aid of Newman School.
Rotherham:
A Potted History
by James Barker
If you’re a lover of history, this new
release by James Barker will be one
to add to your collection.
Rotherham: A Potted History
gives a historical portrait of the
transformation that Rotherham
has undergone through the ages.
James, a librarian and post-graduate
support officer at Sheffield University,
has spent years researching his
local town.
His latest book covers a vast
timeline, from the Roman times
through to the landscape of the
town today.
Much of the book looks at the
town’s industrial heritage. In the
Middle Ages, traditional crafts such
as coppicing, charcoal burning,
milling and tanning were practised
by the community. At the turn of the
Industrial Revolution, coal mining,
iron production and glass making
expanded enormously.
The book also includes over
100 photographs to illustrate some
of the town’s most iconic and
well-loved buildings.
Book price: £15.99
Release date: 15th May
Published by Amberley Publishing
Available to buy at local
bookshops and retailers,
as well as online via
www.amberley-books.com