Strange But True

Written clearly, the aim of the book “Strange but True” is to highlight some points.
There are many incidences that occurred in the hospitals which are of general interest to the general readers. The author is conscious that some points may be sensitive so he made it clear that the book is not meant to insult, degrade, defame or anything like this to anyone. The author believes that this world and this country (U.K.) have given him so much, which he wants to give back to the world/country for the benefit of other people.
As a Muslim, the author has questioned many beliefs common among Asian Muslims, which are frequently addressed in the mosques, written in so-called Islamic literature and believed by many Muslims.
In addition to his professional knowledge as a medical doctor, the author’s overall general knowledge and knowledge in sciences is of high standard. He was selected to be trained as a magistrate, went through two stages of interviews, but because of his heavy workload as a consultant in the NHS, could not complete his training.
His consultant colleagues from his last hospital, the manager of that hospital and the consultants from his previous jobs in NHS, where he worked as a junior doctor, speak very highly about him.
 

Sue Lynn

This is the story of the intertwined lives of two individuals and, for a very special time in their lives, a most remarkable cat called Sophie. Johnathon was the all-action man with an insatiable curiosity, travel lust and adventures in all areas of life. By some unwritten law it seemed he was constantly encountering threats to his very existence of one nature or another, or you might say he was rather accident prone! Whilst he became somewhat blasé about his “near death” encounters, other quite exceptional occurrences defied all explanation.
If Johnathon was the go-getting action man then Sue Lynn was quite the opposite. Shy, caring, and of a modest disposition she was quite fearful of the world in many ways. There was a total innocence about her. Quiet and unassuming with concerns over her identity Sue Lynn lived in a very different world in more ways than one.
Fate, it seemed, was always destined to bring them within close proximity, only to whisk them away again. That said, the juxtaposition between two such substantially different characters would always potentially be as conflicting as it might prove entertaining.
In time, as events unfold, Sue Lynn becomes all the more confident, and Johnathon will surely find himself overshadowed. In the midst of the most extraordinary revelations, and as fulfilling and exciting a life as Johnathon had experienced, nothing could come close to the extraordinary climax to Sue Lynn’s story in a million years.

Swinging Sexties

Most women, whether married or single, have at one time in their life had secret thoughts about dominance. Whether it’s behind the closed doors of bedroom antics or living out a fantasy of role play, they are happy with this level of excitement, I wasn’t. I found myself on a path of discovering a world of curiosity and intrigue. I, like many others, had pondered and wondered if I could actually live out and divulge in such sordid encounters. Constantly asking myself questions of judgement, I  found that I had balls of steel upon my chest experiencing every encounter with blindfolded confidence.

My story will lead you on a journey of discovery, dominance, excitement and most of all, self belief to knowing your ultimate life limits.

The A to Z of Alfie Zeller

Dip into The A to Z of Alfie Zeller to find: Petty Officer Sam Zeller, who swam the Channel long before Captain Webb, in a straight line, without body grease in search of escargots; Pierre, who invented Chicken Marengo and was promoted to corporal by Napoleon; Alicia Zeller, who ran the séances at which Arthur Conan Doyle saw fairies. Meet Trooper Zeller, who survived the Charge of the Light Brigade, or would have done, if he’d been there; Zeb Zeller, whose diaries made those of Sam Pepys read like the tedious account of bowel movements which they mostly are; Herman Zeller, who put Franz Kafka on to surrealism; the Zeller who was defenestrated in Prague and fell into a rose bush; and finally meet the Zeller who, although a staunch Royalist, fought in the Parliamentary ranks at Naseby.

It is all explained somewhere and Alfie does not spare the details. If short of a few, he admits to perhaps having made them up. What, he argues, is a slightly dubious fact, if it gets in the way of the truth?

The Bule Diaries

The Bule Diaries.

This is a brutally honest account of expectations of living in Jakarta—an over-populated, buzzing hub of brilliantness, and it’s just sitting there waiting for you to explore it!

In case you wondered, ‘bule’ is a term to describe a white person in Indonesia. At first, I thought it meant foreigner, but it doesn’t, because I called an Indian guy ‘bule’ once and he laughed at me and promptly corrected me, “Noooo, it’s just white people, like you!”

This book has two main purposes: to tell you about my experiences and exploration throughout Indonesia thus far and to inform you of how I do what I do, what to do and what items you should bring whether you’re travelling or working here. Enjoy!

The Force of Art - A Life For Painting

In the early 1960s, Van Den reached the pinnacle of his career and was regarded as South Vietnam’s premier artist. His path to success had been long and tortuous. He was born in 1919 in the French colonial time and left his humble village home in the Mekong Delta at an early age to attend a boarding school. Eking out a living as a physical education teacher, with a devouring passion for painting and confident about his talent, he ventured to go to Paris and show his works to the examination board of the city’s world-famous École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. He was admitted, at the age of 30, to pursue his only formal art studies. After his highly acclaimed debut exhibition in Paris in 1952, he returned to Saigon and struggled hard before gaining recognition for his novel aesthetic. His success came in the shadow of the Vietnam War, which started massively escalating, shattering his world.

The Gift of Biography

The Great Survivor: The Amazing Escapes of James VI of Scotland and I of England

The Great Survivor: The Amazing Escapes of James VI of Scotland and I of England was written largely because of the little known story of the Laird of Drumquhassle found in a family history published privately in 1875.

Mary McGrigor reveals the story of how a lonely little boy, deprived of all natural affection, became the sagacious genius who steered the countries of his kingdom safely through European conflicts to years of prosperity hitherto unknown. James I and VI, even before his birth, became a prime target for assassins and somehow, miraculously, defied them all to become the 'wisest fool in Christendom', successfully playing off his enemies to achieve his aims. Despite his eccentricity and some of his uncouth ways, he emerges as a man of clear perspective, succeeding against all odds.

McGrigor chronicles the life and times of this remarkable, strange yet at times lovable king through a tumultuous era.

The Mystery of Operation Alphabet

For many years my knowledge of my grandfather, John Thomas Merrikin, was very limited.

All I knew of him was that he came from Amber Hill, Lincolnshire, and was for many years a police officer in Leicester. At the beginning of WW2, my grandfather was called up into the Naval Reserve first of all on HMS Devonshire, and then Stoker First Class on HMS Acasta.

8^th June 1940, grandad John Thomas Merrikin died in the Norwegian fjords after the Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau blew up HMS Acasta, and as they sank into the cruel freezing cold sea Nick Carter launched a torpedo at the Scharnhorst and damaged her quite badly.

It wasn’t until I joined the GLARAC (Glorious, Ardent, Acasta) Association in 2008 that I realised that HMS Ardent, and HMS Aircraft Carrier Glorious, were also bombed by the two German battleships – both the pride of Nazi Germany. The two British destroyers were accompanying HMS Glorious on convoy. I also became aware of a huge conspiracy as to why 1531 servicemen were killed, and only 43 servicemen survived without Admiralty intervention.

During the lockdown of 2020-2021, I decided to do some of my own research on the worst British naval catastrophe of WW2, and I began to write The Mystery Of Operation Alphabet to bring to life 8^th June 1940. I did this by putting photographs on as many names of the war dead and survivors as possible to bring them to life too. I also wrote down stories from books and articles of what happened to the war dead and survivors in their own words, and also of their loved ones, rather than writing using my own words, as I wanted the servicemen to have their own voice.

The Mystery of Operation Alphabet has endless photos of the different ships, lists of the war dead, and also I have written down as many explanations and conspiracy theories as possible as to why the three ships were blown up and 1531 men were killed. I did this by bringing to light the opinions and theories of Admiralty, naval historians, government officials, and members of the GLARAC Association so you can make up your own minds as to what happened.

One of my main aims is to bring to light the bravery of commanders Barker and Glasfurd of HMS Ardent, and HMS Acasta, plus Nick Carter, leading seaman of HMS Acasta, the man who shot the Scharnhorst, to hopefully get the government to give these men military honour and recognition for what they did on 8^th June 1940. Amazingly, even the commanders of the German battleships saluted the British ships HMS Glorious, HMS Ardent and especially HMS Acasta as they sunk in the Norwegian fjords to honour their bravery.

Last but not least, I would like to uncover why the government has kept the ships’ records under lock and key since 1940, and why they aren’t going to be made public until 2040/41.

So why not read this interesting and intriguing book to find out more?

Elaine Merrikin Trimlett Glover.

The Penzance Smash

This is a story about love and family. It captures a period in time, the post-war era, when people were beginning to put their lives together again after the horrors and shortages caused by the Second World War. Whole communities were springing up all over the United Kingdom in newly built housing estates and this story is focused on one family within such an estate. It also tells of a sport, homing pigeon racing, which was once so very popular amongst the working classes but has now almost disappeared.

Through this setting, the author evokes a very moving and visual tale of the hardships faced by one family and recounts how one man brought up two young boys, giving them the best life that he could. There were no manuals or self-help groups then, but this man quietly went about raising his boys and teaching them the values that he believed would be necessary for their futures. He taught them to be independent, to be respectful and to never give up matter what life threw at them. Most importantly, he showed them what real love is.

The Ten-Dollar Dream

The story of a dream – moving to another country and building a successful life – and how it came to fruition. 

Aksana Palevich moved abroad in her early twenties, carrying only a dream, some clothes and ten dollars in her pocket. However, this isn’t just a story of struggle, but of dream-like success built out of 48 lessons learnt along the way. The Ten-Dollar Dream is a guide for anyone who thinks their circumstances can prevent their ambition, no dream is too big.

From a book review by featheredquill.com:

The Ten-Dollar Dream is undoubtedly an uplifting story of the author’s perseverance and dedication in her pursuit of a happy and fulfilled life, with lessons sprinkled throughout the chapters. Coming from a world of communism in Belarus, where everyone is equal and told what to do, Aksana took a huge risk at a young age by moving to a country that was foreign both in language and in political ideologies. Readers will enjoy and be inspired by the author’s stories of her struggles and achievements while learning pertinent skills to achieve their own success.

Three Times Lucky in Love

Brigit, an Irish colleen, was orphaned at birth. This was a difficult and mysterious way to start life. But thanks to the kindness of her adoptive parents Brigit learnt that love conquers all. The family risked their lives sailing on the high seas to begin a new life in New Zealand. It was 1815. Life was hard for the settlers. Brigit learnt to become a teacher, wife, and mother. Life dealt her cruel blows. Brigit was widowed. Grief is married to joy as Brigit was brave. Walking on in life, Brigit was lucky. She was blessed with more children. The husbands in Brigit’s life adored her. They made her heart sing the secret of real happiness.