Other books that might interest you

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  Drink Smoke Snort Stroke

  Willy de Wit, David Downs

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  A wild and raw tale of Willy’s life – from his early career in stand-up comedy, to his successful and seminal TV show, to his work on the radio – but then beyond, to a world of alcoholism, chronic drug addiction, long standing bouts of depression and a major stroke suffered for good measure. But apart from those minor occurrences, it’s a pretty run of the mill read… if you’re illiterate.By the popular star of ‘Funny Business’ and Radio Hauraki Morning Pirates (and let’s not forget the Harvey Chicken ads…)

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  The Artist and the Beautiful -...

  Nathaniel Hawthorne

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  Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on 4th July 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, a town synonymous with the earlier Salem Witch Trials. It was instrumental in Hawthorne’s later use of American Gothic and dark romanticism in his writing. 
   
  He was a mere four years old when his father died and his mother took him and his two sisters to live with her family and then on to their own home in Raymond, Maine. The young Hawthorne had a passion for fiction and poetry and voraciously read the works of Ann Radcliffe, Henry Fielding and Lord Byron.  
   
  He was sent to college at his maternal uncle’s insistence. During these years he met and befriended Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and future U S president Franklin Pierce. These friendships were lifelong and to have a crucial impact on his writings and career.  
   
  At college Hawthorne had made attempts at writing short stories and essays but without opportunities to publish. It was only in 1828 that he finally published his novel ‘Franshawe’ to little success and so he began work as editor for the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge.  
   
  Hawthorne’s short stories were first published in magazines but in 1837 were collected and published as ‘Twice-Told Tales’. A steady literary career still did not come his way and so he worked in a good position at Salem’s port and married the love of his life Sophia Peabody. They moved to live in ‘The Old Manse’ at Concord, Massachusetts.   
   
  Finally. in 1850 came spectacular literary and commercial success with ‘The Scarlet Letter’ followed by ‘The House of the Seven Gables’ the following year.  
   
  In 1852, Hawthorne published a biography of presidential candidate Franklin Pierce. After Pierce’s victory he was appointed consul in Liverpool, a position that offered prestige, money and fame. At the end of this appointment he returned several times to Europe before settling in Massachusetts and resuming writing and publication. 
   
  During the early 1860’s his health declined and on 19th May 1864 during a trip to Plymouth, New Hampshire. He was 59 and was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts.  
   
  In his short story ‘The Artist of the Beautiful’ Hawthorne creates a work, now considered early science fiction, that weaves an unrequited life-long love with the creation of a beautiful miniature object that is both breath-taking and heart-breaking.

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  50 Principles to Thrive in Life...

  Jock McKissic

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  What If Everything You’ve Been Told About Success is a Lie? 
  Most people go through life surviving, not thriving—stuck in routines, weighed down by fear, and wondering why they can’t break through to the life they dream about. But here’s the truth: winning isn’t about luck, talent, or circumstances. It’s about principles. 
  In 50 Principles to Thrive in Life, former professional athlete, actor, and motivational powerhouse Jock McKissic shares the battle-tested blueprint that transformed his life—from a small-town dreamer in Opelika, Alabama, to starring on hit TV shows and inspiring thousands worldwide. This book isn’t just motivation; it’s a guide to achieve success, confidence, and unshakable mindset—no matter where you’re starting from. 
  Unlock the Mindset That Champions Are Made Of 
  Inside these pages, you’ll discover: 
  ✅ Why comfort is your greatest enemy—and how to master discomfort to fuel your success. 
  ✅ The Coffee Bean Principle—are you letting adversity weaken you, harden you, or transform you? 
  ✅ How to control the controllables—stop stressing over what you can’t change and win the battles that matter. 
  ✅ The 50% Rule—why most people never reach their full potential (and how to make sure you do). 
  It’s time to stop letting life happen to you. Take control, master your mindset, and start thriving every single day. 
  Listen to 50 Principles to Thrive in Life: From Half-Full to Overflowing now and start winning today.

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  Unravelled - A Family Lost and...

  Fanny Mills

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  In Unravelled the author unpicks the threads of her comically nuclear family with its deep silences to find what lay hidden, never to be spoken of.
  Beneath the carefully woven fabric of her family life, she finds clash of cultures – on one side Jews fleeing the pogroms of Eastern Europe, and on the other the highest levels of the British aristocracy, from the Earl of Erroll of White Mischief fame to the Twenties socialite Mimi Wimborne. The writer and thinker John Berger mysteriously links both worlds. She finds two grandmothers whose bids to find freedom and fulfilment ended in utter disaster. Her parents, shiny young communists of the 1950s airbrushed both women out of history. But what happens when you deny the past? How do you negotiate your sense of identity?

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  The Big Silence - A Daughter's...

  Karen Dawn

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  Quiet your mind, and the silence will help you hear your inner voice—the one that says, “Stay strong enough to forgive, to heal, and to have hope.” 
  In her stirring, vulnerable new memoir, Karena Dawn reveals what it was like to grow up with a mother suffering from severe mental health issues, and how, during her teenage years, she desperately tried to escape her own inner demons. Addicted to pain-numbing drugs and crippled by severe depression, Karena learned how to use grief as a teacher, releasing herself from guilt and shame and finding the inner strength to go from abandonment to forgiveness, from hopelessness to healing.  
  Karena’s bold and brave memoir shows us how staying silent about mental illness only reinforces the stigma. At the heart of her story is the eternal struggle we all share—how to move past the pain and suffering of our personal battles to experience life’s joys. Through the healing power of nature, meditation, and fitness, Karena was able to forge a path to self-discovery and find peace.  
  Ultimately, The Big Silence reveals how a journey of self-love can lead to a renewed sense of identity and a life filled with hope and optimism. 
  PLEASE NOTE: The audiobook edition is read by Karena Dawn and features additional anecdotes and conversations that are exclusive to The Big Silence audiobook: 
  - Karena sits down with therapist Vasavi Kumar for “Therapy Sessions” after each part in the book, where she answers questions and decompresses about topics in the book.  
  - Includes original poetry read by Rachel Sahaidachny.

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  A Respectable Woman - From their...

  Kate Chopin

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  Katherine O'Flaherty was born on the 8th February 1850 in St Louis, Missouri to parents of French and Irish descent. 
  At age 5, she was sent to the Sacred Heart Academy and, apart from a 2 year period at home when her father died, remained there until graduating in 1868.  Whilst there she began writing and became an avid reader of almost anything that crossed her path.   
  Kate married Oscar Chopin in 1870 and the couple moved to New Orleans, and later to the rural setting of Cloutierville, Louisiana to raise their 6 children.  
  In 1882 her husband died leaving her in a deep trench of debt.  Despite her best efforts to turn the businesses around they were sold, and she moved the family back to St Louis and the financial help of her mother.  Sadly, her mother died within the year.  Kate, now struggling with depression, pushed herself to write and gained a local reputation as a writer of short stories that captured the local color and vibrancy of her surroundings. 
  By the early 1890’s her short stories were published nationally.  With this widespread audience also came negative reviews, controversy, and cries of immorality as themes such as interracial relationships, the rights of women and other burning issues of the day were written about. 
  Despite the criticism, which unnerved her, she continued to write though in the main her works, around 100 short stories and two novels, were not attributed with any literary worth. 
  Kate Chopin died from a brain haemorrhage in St Louis Missouri on the 22nd of August 1904.  She was 54. 
  For much of the 20th Century her work was forgotten and out of print.  It was only in early 1970’s, with the rise of feminism and the call for a more just society that she was given the status her works had long described and shone a literary light at.  She is now safely revered as one of America’s great authors.

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