Other books that might interest you

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  In the Shadow of the Rising Sun...

  Olga Henderson

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  In February 1942, nine-year-old Olga Morris and her family were in Singapore when the city fell to the Japanese Imperial Army in the biggest defeat in history of the British Forces. Turned back at an evacuation ship’s gangway as the bombs fell, Olga and her parents and siblings were forced to take their chances and hide out until, captured by Japanese soldiers, they were sent on a forced march to the notorious Changi Prison. 
   
  There’s a certain stereotype of the British in Singapore in the ‘30s and early ‘40s, which Olga Morris – Henderson as she is now – definitely did not fit. Her family was not part of the privileged Raffles Hotel set, with their big houses and servants. Her father worked in construction. Olga and her siblings grew up in Johor Bahru, a diverse part of Malaya just across the causeway from Singapore, amongst children of all faiths and cultures. It was a very happy upbringing. 
   
  All that changed in 1942. Olga was playing with her guinea pigs when a British Army officer arrived to tell her parents that the family had just 30 minutes to pack and be ready for evacuation to Singapore. The Japanese were ten miles away. Olga’s mother grabbed the family photograph album and they ran… 
   
  Days later, Singapore fell. Three years of captivity followed. Three years of disease, malnutrition, deprivation and oppression in Changi and Sime Road. 
   
  Desperate for food, Olga and her friends bravely raided the vegetable plot; “dodging the searchlights” and sometimes endured severe punishments. She stood alongside the other women and children through the ordeal of Tenko in the blazing sun. Halfway through their captivity, Olga’s ten-year-old brother was put into the men’s camp, where he suffered terrible cruelty that scarred him for life. 
   
  February 2022 marked 80 years since the Fall of Singapore and Olga is now ready to tell the story of her years as a child prisoner of war. It’s a story of great fear and deprivation; of a childhood utterly lost to conflict. It’s also a story of class prejudice and unkindness that didn’t end when Olga was freed from the camp and returned to England as a refugee. 
   
  Yet moments of humour and camaraderie also live on in Olga’s memory. There were plays and imaginary tea parties and even a secret girl guide group that held clandestine meetings, where they worked on sewing a quilt.

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  The One About The Sheep And...

  Catherine Evans

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  The sheep that's a good listener. The woman and the ice cream salesman. The young man who falls in love with a washing machine. That age old tale.
  
  Funny, macabre, heart-breaking, eerie, disturbing, provocative...the 21 stories in this collection of originals are all winners of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival Short Story Competition Winners from its inception in 2016 to 2022. The stories are hugely varied in style and genre, and will appeal to any lover of fiction and the much-loved short story form. They have impressed the likes of Tessa Hadley, Nicholas Royle, Rachel Sieffert, Sarah Franklin, Martyn Waites, Isobel Dixon and Yasmin Kane.

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  Philosophical Stories - Stories...

  Alexander Kuprin, Ambrose...

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  We love reason, advancing through facts to reach a conclusion that explains exactly where we are at.   
   
  When literary masters create their stories on this theme we are left with some quite brilliant and riveting works that help us gain fascinating insight into both author, story and the world beyond. 
   
  1 - Philosophical Stories - An Introduction 
  2 - In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka 
  3 - Bartleby the Scrivener - Part 1 by Herman Melville 
  4 - Bartleby the Scrivener - Part 2 by Herman Melville 
  5 - The Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 
  6 - Parker Adderson, Philosopher by Ambrose Bierce 
  7 - Dickory Cronke, The Dumb Philosopher or Great Britain's Wonder by Daniel D 
  8 - Plato's Dream by Voltaire 
  9 - The Shades, A Phantasy by Vladimir Korolenko 
  10 - Gods in Exile by Heinrich Heine 
  11 - An Evening Guest by Alexander Kuprin 
  12 - Bellerophon To Anteia by Mary Butts 
  13 - Putois by Anatole France 
  14 - The Lightning Rod Man by Herman Melville 
  15 - Moxon's Master by Ambrose Bierce 
  16 - A Country Doctor by Franz Kafka

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  Coming Out & Coming Through

  Matt Smeltzer

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  Coming Out and Coming Through is Matt Smeltzer's autobiographical story of his life growing up gay in a conservative Christian household, becoming the youth leader at his church, coming out, and the subsequent actions taken by the church in the wake of this revelation. Facing adversity could never break his spirit. He chose to take his struggles and turn them into empowerment and positivity to prove that you do not have to choose between your sexuality and your religion. On his quest to prove that God loves you just the way you are, Matt takes you through his life so far in hopes of helping others to keep the faith and meets his biggest challenge yet along the way. Join him on this extraordinary journey that encompasses every emotion imaginable as you walk through the darkness with him to the other side of light, love, empowerment, and encouragement. 

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  KNOW ABOUT "LORD MAHAVIRA" - The...

  Saurabh Singh Chauhan

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  This is a small part of introduction of the book: Journey with us into the heart of ancient wisdom, where a radiant soul named "Lord Mahavira" graced the world as the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. In the vast tapestry of human history, Jainism stands as a timeless philosophy, offering guidance and insight into the path of enlightenment. 
  The early life of Lord Mahavira, also known as Vardhamana, was marked by wealth and privilege. He was born around the 6th century BCE in “Kundagrama”, a small town in present-day Bihar, India. Here are some key points about his early life: 
  Birth and Family: Lord Mahavira was born into the royal family of King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala. His birth name was Vardhamana, which means "one who grows" or "prosperous."

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  Like Sodium in Water - A memoir...

  Hayden Eastwood

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  Dad thinks lots of things are right-wing. He even thinks He-Man is right-wing. I ask Dad who we are and he says left-wing. Left is opposite to right. If right is bad, then we’re the opposite of that, which means we’re good. 
  It’s post-independence Zimbabwe and an atmosphere of nostalgia hangs over much of Harare’s remaining white community. Hayden Eastwood grows up in a family that sets itself apart, distinguishing themselves from Rhodie-Rhodies through their politics: left is good; right is bad. 
  Within the family’s free and easy approach to life, Hayden and his younger brother, Dan, make a pact to never grow up, to play hide and seek and build forts forever, and to never, ever be interested in girls. But as Hayden and Dan develop as teenagers, and the chemicals of adolescence begin to stir, their childhood pact starts to unravel. And with the arrival of Sarah in their lives, the two brothers find themselves embroiled in an unspoken love triangle. While Sarah and Hayden spend increasing amounts of time together, Dan is left alone to deal with feelings of rejection and the burden of hidden passion, and the demise of a youthful promise brings with it a wave of destruction. 
  Laced with humour, anger and sadness, Like Sodium in Water is an account of a family in crisis and an exploration of how we only abandon the lies we tell ourselves when we have no other option.

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