A Pebble In The Throat captures life from the lens of a little girl, teenage loner, and grown-up student leaving the safety of home – a witness, sitting on the edge of two cultures, describing what it means to be striving for acceptance in one whilst attempting to fulfil expectations in the other. It will capture the essence of life as a Pakistani in Glasgow and bring vividly to life the one character who shaped her childhood – her mother – who gave her the confidence to seize life and find her voice. A Pebble In The Throat is two stories told in unison. Aasmah Mir growing up in Glasgow – the place of her birth – and the upbringing of her mother in Pakistan a generation before. It is an emotional and thought-provoking narrative on what it is like to live in two very different cultures whilst all the time aware of racism, prejudice and stereotyping of gender from the 1960s onwards. Try not to clear your throat as this can make your globus sensation worse. You can try sipping water, instead. Losing weight From a vivacious child to a teenage loner, Aasmah candidly shares the highs and lows of growing up between two cultures - trying to fit in at school and retreating to the safe haven of a home inhabited by her precious but distant little brother and Helen, her family's Glaswegian guardian angel. Intricately woven into this coming-of-age story is that of Aasmah's mother, as we follow her own life as a young girl in 1950s Pakistan to 1960s Scotland and beyond. If you're coming to Coles by car, why not take advantage of the 2 hours free parking at Sainsbury's Pioneer Square - just follow the signs for Pioneer Square as you drive into Bicester and park in the multi-storey car park above the supermarket. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. You don't need to shop in Sainsbury's to get the free parking! Where to Find Us

A Pebble In The Throat : Growing Up Between Two Continents A Pebble In The Throat : Growing Up Between Two Continents

Avocado Anxiety: and Other Stories About Where Your Food Comes From by Louise Gray (Bloomsbury Wildlife) A fascinating and emotive narrative capturing the journey many second-generation Britons have travelled from the familial bonds of their parents’ countries to establishing a life and identity for themselves in the United Kingdom.

Advance Praise

Globus is a symptom that can make you feel like you have a lump in your throat. It is also called ‘globus sensation’. Scotland’s Lascar Heritage by Isobel McDonald, Malini Chakrabarty, Emily Malcolm, David Featherstone, Emily Munro, Hasaam Latif, Derek Law, Kulsum Shabbir, Sarwar Hassan, Tareq Abdullah, Aqsa Arif, Aaron Jaffer (Glasgow Museums Publishing) The narration is split between mother and daughter, each speaking in first person, and although there is clearly only one authorial voice, Mir captures authenticity in both perspectives. Aasmah and her mother are different personalities but both are spirited and engaging, offering different sides of the immigrant experience across the generational divide.

A Pebble In The Throat by Aasmah Mir | Hachette UK

Scotland’s National Book Awards, co-ordinated by the Saltire Society, recognise work across six literary categories, comprising fiction, non-fiction, research, history, poetry and first book. This year’s shortlists include books on everything from climate change and friendship to King James VI. Moving between her and her mother's life, it reveals parts of the Pakistani immigrant experience that are rarely seen on our bookshelves. Aasmah's raw, and honest account of her family life will blow you away! -- Saima Mir The Scottish Research Book of the Year Award is run in partnership with the National Library of Scotland, with each nomination in this category representing a significant body of research that offers insight or adds a "new dimension" to its subject. This year’s shortlist covers, architecture, wartime tales and politics. Moreover, Scotland’s history and heritage are celebrated in partnership with The Scottish Historical Review Trust through the History Book Award, which sees six titles shortlisted this year. The winners of all six prizes, as well as the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year, The Lifetime Achievement Award, The Ross Roy Medal and three industry awards, will be announced at a ceremony in Glasgow on 7th December 2023. They will each receive an award by artist Simon Baker of Evergreen Studios. Bamgbose BO, Ruprecht A, Hellstein J, Timmons S, Qian F. The prevalence of tonsilloliths and other soft tissue calcifications in patients attending Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Clinic of the University of Iowa. ISRN Dent. 2014;2014:839635. doi:10.1155/2014/839635Hashemian F, Jafari Moez H, Seif Rabiei MA, Jahanshahi J. Comparing the Efficacy of Temperature-Controlled Radiofrequency Tonsil Ablation versus CO2-Laser Cryptolysis in the Treatment of Halitosis. Iran J Otorhinolaryngol. 2018 May;30(98):159-166. Hive Store Ltd 2020. (hive.co.uk) is registered in England. Company number: 07300106. VAT number: 444950437.