A Bipolar Life Well-Lived

It never dawned on me that I was getting ill, but what was happening to me was very real. Living in a world of make-believe, I was convinced my imaginary visions were genuine. I had delusions of grandeur, thinking I was all-powerful and the centre of everything. But I was not a monster; I was a lost soul. My story involves a struggle with mania and depression in the context of my life in England and France. How, despite my handicap, I held down a job abroad for 8 years and how, after 8 years of marriage to a Frenchman, I supported my daughter as a single parent. My memoir gives insight into living with mental illness. It is an autobiography concerned with memories of childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

The Governor General Cleaned My Shoes

“Even before I was born, I was trying to do things my own way. I made life difficult for my mother, Jess, who was confined to bed for the last trimester of her pregnancy. I had disappointed my father, Geoff, by insisting that I be born a day earlier than his birthday, and I had mercifully waylaid their plans to call me Elizabeth.”

So begins my story that has me watching rockets going up at the Woomera Rocket Range, beating the boys at marbles (and winning the prized milky white marble with coloured orange waves), nearly being run over in a toilet, swimming with a snake on my way to inspect a very dead horse, setting tongues wagging in Canberra in a Commonwealth car and eliminating plastic bananas from Australia’s entire eastern seaboard. And yes, the Governor General did clean my shoes.

God and Our Dirty Socks

God and Our Dirty Socks is a captivating exploration of everyday life, encompassing both the humorous and the poignant. From marriage and family dynamics to grief, loss, and the challenges of IVF treatment, this book delves into a wide array of topics, reflecting the intricate tapestry of human experience.Each of the 41 chapters offers unique insights, concluding with a thoughtful reflection and a prayer. Readers may turn to this book during times of stress or uncertainty, seeking solace and guidance. Whether seeking calm, reflection, or simply a moment of respite, God and Our Dirty Socks offers a comforting presence on the bedside table, inviting readers to explore its pages and discover a sense of clarity, hope, and inspiration. May this book bring peace of mind, serenity of spirit, and a renewed appetite for life.

Maxamillion the Great

Drawing on countless real-life stories from his embattled life, Maxamillion the Great is a captivating and moving autobiography told in the only way it could be, through the eyes of his beloved owner, author Barbara Goodier.

Taking the reader through the lows of his joyless puppyhood into the highs of his new found family, it persuades us to revisit the idea that miracles really do exist and sometimes even more than once.

Creative in its narration and affecting in its story, it will move you to re-evaluate what is important in your own life, will make you cry when you least expect it and lay bare the unbreakable bond between a dog and his mum.

Surviving the Asylum

In this raw and poignant memoir, Michael recounts his harrowing journey through the psychiatric system and his struggle to find purpose after losing custody of his beloved autistic grandson.

After a suicide attempt lands him in a geriatric psychiatric ward for the third time in recent years, Michael finds himself cut off from the outside world and the grandson he raised for three decades. Facing abuse and isolation, he contemplates ending it all.

But a lifeline appears in the form of his vocal coach and support worker, who encourage him to channel his pain into art. As Michael discovers new passions in singing, painting, and poetry, he forges an unexpected friendship with a fellow patient that reignites his will to live.

This powerful story of resilience and reinvention shows how creativity and human connection can offer hope even in the darkest of times. Michael’s journey reminds us that it’s never too late to find a new voice and a reason to keep singing.

My Truth Might Not Be Yours

‘Anoscetia’ – The anxiety of not knowing ‘the real you’ (John Koenig). McCabe never really knew her ‘real Anna’, going in search of this when she decided to go on the journey enclosed within these covers. A tale so common, yet so unfortunately rarely shared, McCabe details her life to share with those who might walk in similar (or not) shoes to her. McCabe’s poignant yet unfussy account of abuse at the hands of her guardians deals with this ‘taboo’ subject in ways that will open the eyes of those who have never experienced it yet, allow those who have, to find their own voice.What will McCabe reveal? The taboo must be broken.

Chocolate Crackle Saturdays

The eighties were a totally rad time when denim was acceptable on both top and bottom. Hair gel wasn’t for neatness, but gravity defying style. Neon pink and blue were coupled together like vanilla ice cream and Ice Magic. The beige station wagon was the only vehicle for road trips and dingy motels were well rated. Eight-bit video games were new and thrilling, while movies were big and brave. McDonald's was part of the weekly diet and Pizza Hut reigned supreme. We loved it all, especially on Saturdays when chocolate crackles fuelled every Nintendo session and BMX adventure.Join JP Pelosi as he fires up the DeLorean to whiz us back to the nexus of contemporary pop culture - the 1980s. Madonna, Pac-Man, Knight Rider, Chicken McNuggets, the video store and the Sony Walkman. It's all here, brought back to life in this nostalgic memoir about childhood joys, family life and the thrill of a perfect Saturday afternoon riding skateboards and trading football cards.So, slip on your shutter shades, gang, pull up a Garfield-themed beanbag and let's relive the greatest decade ever!

Don't Worry, He Doesn't Bite

The vets on TV are always depicted as perfect clinicians, with sunshine and rainbows bursting out from their individual patients. But what media companies fail to show you are the more ‘uncommon’ cases, like a dog eating some used condoms, for example. This book aims to rectify this perception, specifically taking the reader on a journey through what life is like graduating as a veterinary surgeon. You will read about some pretty stupid cases my colleagues and I have experienced, all of which are true, though I must admit, I do have a habit of not letting the truth get in the way of a good story. So, sit back, relax, and take a break from this mundane existence we call life, as I show you the world through the eyes of a newly graduated veterinary surgeon.

Every Day a Thread

At just 17, Bismillah made an audacious choice to marry a young Englishman, defying her traditional Muslim family and father’s guidance. Yearning to pursue studies, she embarked on an extraordinary journey spanning turbulent historic events. From surviving World War II Japanese occupation in Malaya to overcoming 1960’s British racial discrimination in Birmingham, Bismillah weathered profound challenges that shaped her unlikely destiny.With poignant insight, she reveals the outsized influence families wield upon access to education and life chances. Through grit and grace, Bismillah surmounted societal barriers to become an education inspector in England, later hoping to contribute to Malaysia’s education initiatives, Bismillah returned to Malaysia to face unexpected challenges.

Mountain People

“You have to love the mountains to live here.” Nevertheless, at seventeen Salva left, returning many years later with Àngels to the family farm. Now it’s a holiday centre.“I was sleeping in the tent. The bear was eating a sheep fifty metres away,” says Mustà, a shepherd who moved to the Pyrenees from Morocco.“Born here… without doctors, without anything.” Josep has never left his mountain village. Once a secretary in Barcelona, his wife María is now the farmer in the family.Five in-depth life stories from the fifteen in Mountain People. Stories of hope in the face of adversity, reflecting our common humanity. Stories that, like the surrounding mountains, will ignite your imagination.

Reality Sucks

Douglas, living a humdrum life in Spokane, Washington, yearning to escape working as an accountant, borderline suicidal, leaves his life behind to pursue his dream of working in entertainment. Hollywood, full of sin, seduces Douglas, distracting him in many ways. The men in the town are quite intoxicating and he exposes some pretty explicit parts of his life while making the transition to Hollywood. Douglas finds his way to cope living with the craziness of Hollywood, but finds himself overcorrecting his life as it was in Spokane.

Me

Ron Pearson was born in Bramley, Leeds on August 12, 1924. He began writing this book on August 12, 2021, his 97th birthday. After a childhood beset by illness, he left school at 14, and took a job packing parcels in a multiple tailoring factory, not for him. He moved on to packing parcels general muggins at an advertising agency at 50 pence a week, which he loved. His career in advertising was interrupted by a four-and-a-half-year spell in the army on ‘Special Operations’. Returning to civvy street, his career culminated in being appointed Managing Director and then Chairman of one of Yorkshire’s most respected advertising agencies. He was a local actor for almost 50 years including the renowned Bradford Alhambra and Playhouse.There are some sad moments outnumbered by many hilarious ones. Ron’s beloved wife, Pat, died in 2017 after 66 years of happy marriage.The list of ‘celebrities’ he has met is impressive, including Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, Hollywood’s Marlene Dietrich, George Raft, Sir Ralph Richardson, George Best, Jackie Charlton, Harry Worth, Alan Bennett etc.