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  Between Then And Now

  Patrick Anderson McQuoid

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  Patrick was born in Dublin, Ireland. As an infant he spent time in multiple Mother and Baby homes and was illegally moved to Northern Ireland where he was adopted. Patrick was one of the founding activists in getting the Mother and Baby home commission of enquiry founded by the Irish Government. Follow his self-narrated story as he tells of his life growing up in Northern Ireland and then moving to England at an early age where he became a self thought artist and poet.

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  This Side of Alcohol - Random...

  Peggi Cooney

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  "Peggi, you are done, and you will be okay."These are the words I heard in my heart as I fell to my knees in my bedroom on July 12, 2019, committed to declaring for the last time "This is the first day of my alcohol-free life."One day prior, a drinking incident following a family reunion was the final straw for my husband and daughter. My husband walked away from the mess that was our marriage due to my drinking. This was followed in rapid sequence by my daughter warning me that I wouldn't be able to have the kind of relationship I wanted with her family - and especially with my grandchildren - if I didn't do something about my drinking.This Side of Alcohol is borne out of the cathartic journaling I did during the first two years following my break-up with alcohol. It tells the story of what I did to get and stay sober, allowing me to transform my shame, guilt, and anger into self-compassion, self-discovery, and forgiveness - of myself and others. From self-loathing isolation to a joyous community of support and rediscovered intimacy with my family. From living my life engulfed in cognitive dissonance (teaching about the connection between trauma and addiction while I was drinking every evening) to the pride I feel today in being present and authentic in every aspect of my work and life.This Side of Alcohol is my story of living my sobriety out loud, telling the truth, and being at peace.

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  Vsevelod Garshin - A Short Story...

  Vsevelod Garshin

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  Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin was born on 14th February 1855 in what is now Dnipro in the Ukraine, but then part of the Russian Empire. 
   
  After attending secondary school he studied at the Saint Petersburg Mining Institute.  
   
  Wars between and on behalf of Empires were a regular feature of the decades then.  Garshin volunteered to serve in the Russian army at the beginning of the Russo-Turkish War in 1877.  
   
  He began as a private in the Balkans campaign and was wounded in action.  By the end of the war, in 1878, he had been promoted to officer rank.  
   
  By now Garshin, having previously published some articles and reviews in newspapers, wished to devote himself to a literary career.  The decision made he resigned his army commission. 
   
  His time as a soldier provided rich experiences for his early stories. His first ‘Four Days’ was related as the interior monologue of a wounded soldier left for dead on the battlefield for four days, face to face with the corpse of a Turkish soldier he had killed, gained him early admiration as an author of note.  
   
  He wrote perhaps only 20 stories, but their influence was immense, although in these more modern times he is barely remembered and lives in the more prolific shadows of others.  His characters are superbly worked into stories that come alive in the intensity and reality of his prose.   
   
  Garshin’s most well-known story is ‘The Red Flower’, also known as ‘Scarlet Blossom’ and is easily amongst the first rank of stories dealing with mental health issues. 
    
  Despite early literary success, he himself experienced periodical bouts of mental illness.   
   
  In one such bout Garshin attempted to commit suicide by throwing himself down the stone stairs leading into his apartment building.  Although not immediately fatal, Vsevolod Garshin died as a result of his injuries in a St Petersburg hospital on 5th April 1888.  He was 33. 
  1 - Vesvelod Garshin - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction 
  2 - A Red Flower by Vsevolod Garshin 
  3 - A Very Short Romance by Vsevolod Garshin 
  4 - Officer and Soldier-Servant by Vsevolod Garshin 
  5 - The Signal by Vsevolod Garshin 
  6 - Coward by Vsevolod Garshin

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  Spellbound - My Life as a...

  Phil Hanley

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  This program is read by the author, comedian and severe dyslexic Phil Hanley, who reveals his unlikely path to success in a story that is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.When Phil Hanley was in first grade, he realized something that would forever set him apart from his peers: he couldn’t read. His teachers were ill-equipped to assist him, and he slipped through the school’s cracks, year by year falling further and further behind his friends. Finally, he was diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disability that would shape the rest of his life.Unable to pursue college or a traditional job, Phil was thrust into a life defined by unconventional twists, including a stint as a runway model in Europe. Eventually, he found himself on a stage with a microphone, a spotlight, and five minutes of jokes. Unlike so many previous pursuits, stand-up felt right to Phil, and he soon discovered that the more he worked at it, the more he got out of it—a realization that, he compellingly argues, saved his life. Spellbound is a story of humor and also of struggle and heartbreak, of constantly living in a world that sees things differently than you do, and of triumph over adversity.Hanley tells us that dyslexia can be a huge challenge, but it doesn’t spell certain condemnation (and neither can he). Just the opposite: dyslexia has been more than a blessing in his life—it’s been his North Star.A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

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  The Murderer - Bulgakov expertly...

  Mikhail Bulgakov

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  Mikhail Bulgakov was born on 15th May 1891 in Kiev, in the Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire, into a Russian family.  He was one of seven children. 
   
  In 1901, Bulgakov attended the First Kiev Gymnasium, and developed a keen interest in Russian and European literature, theatre and opera.  After the death of his father in 1907, his mother assumed responsibility for his education.  After graduating Bulgakov entered the Medical Faculty of Kiev University and then took up a post as physician at the Kiev Military Hospital. 
   
  At the outbreak of the First World War, he volunteered as a doctor and was sent directly to the front, where he was badly injured at least twice.  To suppress chronic pain, especially in the abdomen, he injected morphine.  It took years to wean himself off. 
   
  He now took up medical posts in various towns and in 1919, he was mobilised by the Ukrainian People's Army and assigned to the Northern Caucasus.  There, he became seriously ill with typhus and barely survived.  
   
  After this illness, Bulgakov abandoned his medicine to pursue writing.  He moved to Vladikavkaz and had two plays staged there with great success.  He wrote too for various newspapers and other outlets, but his critics were many.  And growing. 
   
  When a Moscow's theatre director severely criticised Bulgakov, Stalin personally protected him, saying that a writer of Bulgakov's quality was above ‘party words’ like ‘left’ and ‘right’.   Indeed, it is said that Stalin watched ‘The Days of the Turbins’ at least 15 times. 
   
  It was not to last and by March 1929, Bulgakov's career was ruined when Government censorship stopped publication of any of his work and plays. 
   
  In despair, Bulgakov wrote a personal letter to Stalin.  He requested permission to emigrate.  He received a phone call from the Soviet leader, who asked the writer whether he really desired to leave. He replied that a Russian writer cannot live outside of his homeland.  Stalin thus gave him permission to continue working. In May 1930, he re-joined the theater, as stage director's assistant.  
   
  During the last stressful decade of his life, and in poor health, Bulgakov continued to work on ‘The Master and Margarita’, wrote plays, critical works, stories, and continued translations and dramatisations of novels.  Many of them were not published, others were derided by critics.  
   
  On 10th March 1940, Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov died from nephrosclerosis.  He was 48. 
   
  ‘The Master and Margarita’ was not published in any form until the mid-1960’s 
   
  Here Bulgakov relates a story as told by a doctor describing the terrible things that humanity is capable of doing in times of war.

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  Graft: How to Smash Life

  Tom Skinner

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  GET OUT THERE, GIVE IT 110% AND ABSOLUTELY SMASH IT! 
  Tom Skinner is a grafter. Born and bred in Romford, he’s spent a lifetime on market stalls and has always had an eye for opportunity. He’s sold everything from laughing monkeys to luxury mattresses! Like a magician, Tom can make something out of nothing, although he’s seen it all disappear just as quickly, too. 
  Graft is a window into the world of a professional wheeler-dealer who knows exactly what it takes to stay afloat and keep your chin up when the going gets tough. 
  Inside, Tom shares his story and the hilarious escapades he’s found himself involved in while trying to make a quick buck. He also reveals how you, too, can make your own luck using the simple mantras he abides by and how to bounce back off the ropes when it feels like you’re down and out. 
  From fuelling yourself with a big breakfast (preferably down Dino’s Cafe) to the importance of making mistakes, Tom offers an entertaining, motivational read for anyone who wants to do bigger and better things … or just wants a good laugh. 
  This is how to smash life the Skinner way. BOSH! 
  Tom Skinner's GRAFT is a compelling autobiography that chronicles his journey of entrepreneurship and personal growth. His memoirs offer a unique blend of entertainment and self-help, providing valuable insights into the world of business and economics. 
  For fans of Peter Crouch (How to Be an Ex-Footballer), Ronnie O'Sullivan (Running), Walter Isaacson (Invent and Wander), Amir Khan (The Doctor Will See You Now), and Matthew Mcconaughey (Greenlights). 
  HarperCollins 2023

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