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  Horse Girl - A Journey Home

  Susanna Newsonen

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  A tale of love, life, and finding your way home... 
  At age nine, as Susanna sat on a horse for the first time, an unbreakable bond was forged. It set the stage for a lifelong odyssey for this determined girl and her devotion to her equine companions. 
  From lush Brazilian rainforests to serene Swedish farms, from thrilling British derby banks to the picturesque wine hills of France, this is a story that spans continents, careers, and crossroads. From driven Olympians to bold bullfighters, from kind horsemanship trainers to daring jumpers, each character who crossed her path shone a light on who she yearned to be. 
  But as she took the road less traveled, Susanna found herself fighting the constant pressure to fit the norm and perform. She battled the societal traps of who she was expected to be, but, in the end, through her bond with her horse, she found a way to break free. When she did, she found herself living her dream life, even before she knew what it entailed. 
  Horse Girl is an enchanting memoir of a woman and her unwavering connection to her horses. It’s a tale of love, life, and finding your way home.

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  Uncommon Measure - A Journey...

  Natalie Hodges

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  How does time shape consciousness and consciousness, time? Do we live in time, or does time live in us? And how does music, with its patterns of rhythm and harmony, inform our experience of time? Uncommon Measure explores these questions from the perspective of a young Korean American who dedicated herself to perfecting her art until performance anxiety forced her to give up the dream of becoming a concert solo violinist. Anchoring her story in illuminating research in neuroscience and quantum physics, Natalie Hodges traces her own passage through difficult family dynamics, prejudice, and enormous personal expectations to come to terms with the meaning of a life reimagined—one still shaped by classical music but moving toward the freedom of improvisation.

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  Bram Stoker: The True Story of...

  Liam Dale

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  “A dog began to howl somewhere in a farmhouse far down the road, a long, agonized wailing, as if from fear. The sound was taken up by another dog, and then another and another, till, borne on the wind which now sighed softly through the pass, a wild howling began, which seemed to come from all over the country, as far as the imagination could grasp it through the gloom of the night.” 
   
  With howling dogs, a shimmering moon and a chill wind through a darkened landscape, these words could only come from one novel; the great horror classic, Dracula, penned by the Irish born writer Bram Stoker. 
   
  The name Dracula strikes fear whenever it is mentioned, such is the power of this novel, about a monstrous vampire that feeds on human blood. The character of Count Dracula himself has become as legendary as the hideous Frankenstein’s monster in the history of horror, while the story of Dracula has been used time and again in films, dating back to the early 20th Century and the silent movies, right up to the present day and the post millennium Hollywood blockbuster. 
   
  But, what of the author of this gruesome novel of blood lust? Who created this tale of the living dead sucking every last drop of blood from their unsuspecting victims? In precisely the same way that Mary Shelley is little recognized for Frankenstein, the novel she created when she was a mere 18-years old, the author of Dracula, Bram Stoker is a similarly overlooked figure in the world of literature.

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  The Shakespeare Conundrum -...

  John Harpoon

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  The question of who wrote the works attributed to William Shakespeare has intrigued scholars, historians, and literary enthusiasts for centuries. Despite being one of the most celebrated figures in the world of literature, Shakespeare’s true identity remains a subject of mystery. The sheer volume of his works, their profound depth, and the complexity of their themes have led many to wonder whether the man from Stratford-upon-Avon was truly the author of the plays and sonnets that bear his name. This uncertainty has given rise to one of the most enduring and controversial debates in literary history: the Shakespeare authorship question. 
    
  The core of this mystery lies in the limited biographical information available about Shakespeare’s life. Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s early years remain largely undocumented, with no personal manuscripts or letters bearing his signature. The surviving records of his life mainly consist of legal documents, such as his marriage license, business transactions, and his will. While these historical artifacts confirm his existence and some of his professional endeavors, they provide little insight into his intellectual and literary development. For a figure of his stature, this absence of personal evidence is startling, leading some to question whether the “Stratford man” could have truly written the works attributed to him. 
    
  In the absence of definitive evidence, a number of alternative theories have emerged, suggesting that another writer, or group of writers, may have been responsible for Shakespeare’s remarkable body of work. These theories have ranged from the claim that the works were penned by an aristocrat such as Francis Bacon, to the suggestion that the true author was the playwright Christopher Marlowe, whose death in 1593 has been disputed by some.

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  Roy Orbison - King of Hearts

  Jeff Apter

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  Clad in black with dark shades, Roy Orbison had a mystique, style, and voice that were unmistakable and singularly different from his famous peers of the 1950s and '60s. Born in Vernon, Texas, Roy was the son of a guitar-playing oil worker. Already a music fan by age six, Roy went on to form a high school band. Honky-tonk gigs followed. Then a contract at Elvis Presley's label, Sun Records, where Roy found mentors and friends among the likes of Carl Perkins. Following a shift to Monument Records, he shared a bill with a group called the Beatles, who were huge fans of his.After experimenting with different styles, Roy edged closer to a sound all his own. He found it with smash hits, including "Only the Lonely," "Crying," and "Oh, Pretty Woman," songs heavy with pathos and remarkable vocals. It was gold. But what lay ahead was a professional downswing, and personal tragedy with the death of his wife and two sons. Twenty lean years followed. Yet Roy Orbison was far from over. Amid the rockabilly revival of the 1980s and the formation of the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, Roy's comeback was legendary. Asked how he'd like to be remembered, Roy said, "One day when they are mentioning people who had an impact, if they just mention me among the rest of the guys and gals, it would be great." He got his wish. Roy Orbison: King of Hearts seals it.

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  10 Years of Freedom - Biography

  Natascha Kampusch, Heike Gronemeier

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  In late October 2006, one of the most spectacular kidnapping cases of the younger past had come to end, when Natascha Kampusch freed herself after being held captive in a hidden cellar (near Vienna, Austria) for more than eight years. Media companies from all over the world came to cover her life story, which has taken quite some twists since then. The result: two autobiographies, a feature film, several documentaries and hundreds of interviews – all within a decade.
  
  "10 Years of Freedom" offers us an insight into the impact such a nightmarish captivity has on a young woman's life. It tells the story of a naive victim, that had to learn to cope with the real world after being locked away for her whole youth. The author spans a wide range of themes from her first days in freedom and the turbulent times after gaining it again to a never-ending trauma, which she will have to deal with for the rest of her life. Natascha declares that she wasn't prepared to be a public figure after all, but was suddenly confronted with a heavy and controversial media coverage (including speculations by reporters regarding Stockholm syndrome and roleplaying, along with being labelled "cellar girl" and "sex slave"). Also, wild conspiracy theories gained popularity, resulting in several trials and review boards (including police and FBI investigations). Despite everything, she found certain ways to reconnect with her family and even founded/initiated several charity projects (e.g. the creation of a children's ward in Sri Lanka or the support of PETA, an organisation for animal rights).
  
  
  
  "Your book is remarkable. 10 Years of Freedom, I urge everyone to read it." - Piers Morgan, ITV
  
  "It's a very powerful read." - Huw Edwards, BBC
  
  "Very brave." - Emma Barnett, BBC

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