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Bluest Dream of Mine
Bluest Dream of Mine: A Journey Beyond Boundaries by Alex Liu is a profound exploration of identity, purpose, and the human condition, stretching across the vast landscapes of finance, science, and the intricate tapestry of personal history. Beginning his career in the high-stakes world of finance at Citadel, Liu embarks on an unconventional path that leads him to the realms of medicine and chemistry, seeking a foundation in the tangible truths of the physical sciences. This narrative is more than a career memoir; it delves deep into Liu’s philosophical musings, his struggles with mental health, and his quest for understanding within a world framed by the monumental events of World War II.
Liu’s narrative weaves together the personal and the historical, presenting a tapestry that spans continents and epochs. Through his eyes, we explore the complexities of the Chinese human condition, the enduring legacy of World War II, and the existential battles fought on the fields of mental health and identity. This book is a testament to the power of change, the importance of grounding in reality, and the unending search for meaning amidst the chaos of existence.
Dedicated to Rhiannon, Bluest Dream of Mine is not just a reflection on a life lived across the spectra of finance, science, and medicine; it is an invitation to the reader to ponder the larger questions of who we are, where we are headed, and how history, both personal and collective, shapes our journey through life. Alex Liu’s narrative is a bold statement on the resilience of the human spirit, a dream blue in its depth and scope, compelling and richly layered, offering insights that resonate with anyone who has ever sought to understand their place in the vastness of history and the intricacies of the human heart.
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Cyclone Season
Shelley is accustomed to rebuilding after tropical cyclones ravage Northern Queensland. But rebuilding her life after her husband leaves and her career crumbles has proven more difficult. Her daughter barely speaks to her, and her sensible granddaughter has abruptly joined a band.
Like many women in their 50s, Shelley faces tough questions:
How much should she intervene in others’ lives?
Can she form her own social circle after decades as part of a couple?
With her history, can she trust any man? Especially one who is meddling, irritating, and addicted to internet dating?
Most of all, how does she pick up the pieces after the inevitable storms life brings?
Shelley is finding out what it takes to start over and weather life’s personal cyclones.
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Homeless Companions
Harmony Harringdon is a teenager with her whole life ahead of her. She is beautiful, sweet, and talented. Harmony and her best friend Jake Butler are inseparable. As the pair grow from children to teenagers, their friendship becomes love. They weren’t to know what fate has planned for them. It would all become too much for Harmony, despite having Jake there to support her.
Fleeing the shame and devastation she believes she has caused, Harmony leaves all she knows behind her. Bearing witness to the cruel realities of life, this time fate is kind and brings Harmony a Carnival.
With newfound purpose, Harmony’s talent and tenacity propels her on an unexpected journey. However, all Harmony longs for more than anything is for something or someone to save her.
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The Top Valley Enigma
In The Top Valley Enigma, a tale unfolds of a wealthy American conservationist whose solitary and zealous nature leads him to Australia. Motivated by the discovery of ancient human remains and the threat of a new coal mine, his journey takes a turn when he meets a businesswoman from the United States in Melbourne. Their shared interests spark an unexpected partnership, and together they embark on a captivating adventure.
Their journey is marked by serene yachting days and a mesmerizing visit to the Great Barrier Reef, experiences that deepen their bond and become pivotal in their lives. The duo aligns with local conservationists and discovers a cattle farm that is crucial to their quest, revealing significant archaeological finds of early human life.
Meanwhile, the shadows of a complex past, including a major share trading deal, lurk behind the American conservationist. As their mission to thwart the coal mine gains momentum, they become entwined in a web of past endeavors in conservation. This ignites a wave of revenge from individuals with long memories, profoundly impacted by his previous actions. The Top Valley Enigma masterfully weaves a story of archaeological discovery, environmental activism, and the intricate play of human connections and past deeds.
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Transcending Me
This breathlessly compulsive novel, by turns savage and tender, funny and wise, horrifying and uplifting, tells the story of Aloisio, born male in Latin America, who is convinced from an early age that she is a woman in a man’s body. Moving to the United States to work in the theatre, the butterfly emerges; she finds love and her place in the world, but also depravity and danger, as the book’s narrator, Aloisio—Holly to her friends—navigates the ups and downs of her life with style, wit, perceptive intelligence and blazing honesty.Taking inspiration from the impact of transgenderism on the women’s movement, Elba Barnes has created a wonderfully rich, fully alive protagonist and surrounded her with a supporting cast of vividly realised characters.
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Threeways
Tim has lived in Threeways Mental Hospital for thirty odd years. And, as he will tell you, these are odd years.Threeways Mental Hospital, 1975. Tim Cavendish has spent most of his life within the nicotine-stained walls of the institution. With friends Mike and Sid, he endures the never-ending boredom and grinds out his days. It has been a long time since he thought about the possibility of leaving, until well-meaning nurse Ron comes along.Now, faced with the prospect of leaving his girlfriend, Millie, and abandoning his friends to the sadistic man in the hospital workshop, Tim has a decision to make, and something has to give...
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The Smallest Show on Earth
From the 60s through to the present day Patrick Church has worked in the cinema from Peterborough through to Bury St Edmunds. In The Smallest Show on Earth he takes us through that experience in an autobiography that draws the reader into the trials and joys of a being a projectionist screening blockbusters like ‘Jaws' and a curious period of Indian films where half the time is spent splicing the films back together.The role of projectionist was always a low paid, but with the advent of TV and bingo and other demands on people's time it also became a precarious one as the decades rolled by. Sometimes Patrick had to plead his case as cinemas changed hands from ABC, to Odeon and bingo conglomerates, just to keep his job going and the buildings in operation. The fact that he succeeded is testament to his love for cinema and this passion shines through in this engaging book.
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The Pleasure Cats of Nova Playa
The Pleasure Cats of Nova Playa is a story of sex, drugs, alcohol, violence and techno music. Set in the fictional sun soaked Mediterranean resort of Playa Nova where underground, under town, cats mirror the excesses of the sunseekers above. Into this bustling, vibrant underground city arrives the beautiful Napoleona, a charming and cunning cat with a past, but with her eyes fixed squarely on the future, and in particular the coming winter. In the summer the cats feast and party, but the cold desolate winter threatens to thin them out. She encounters new dangers, especially Count Luciano, the second in command to King Louie, gangsters with pretensions of nobility. The pursuit of power and pleasure seems to have no bounds in this subterranean city. How far will Napoleona go to ensure the party never ends?
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The Painting
Using a shoreline for the book’s landscape, The Painting is about re-emergence from a crisis of confidence. It uses the metaphor of a young water-skiing artist painting his life with his beliefs, inspired by a muse. All ages will enjoy identifying with the insight into peer connections and society, reflecting on the wrecked confidence that is pieced back together in reinventing ourselves. Younger readers will appreciate the colourful symbols littered throughout the story for the simple pleasure of reading unpredictable sentences assembled to meet needs not satisfied by daily conversation. This is entertainment sympathetic to the journey of self-healing. Every word has been carefully chosen for its sound, shape (and colour!) which can be interpreted in ways that are as individual as those reading it.
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The Foreseen
Jodie has finally managed to move on from her violent husband, Jack, and is forming new relationships and establishing her own business. With CJ, her son, she has a new home"”the whereabouts of which are unknown to Jack"”and the prospect of a normal life.Jack, however, feels differently. He is the victim and he wants Jodie back to play the part of the dutiful wife with her life centred around his needs and desires. He is prepared to go to any length to find her and get her back under his control.But not only is he frustrated by Barry, who was involved in getting Jodie away, he is also up against forces beyond his understanding. CJ's best friends, Thomas and Kelly"”killed in a hit and run incident"”are still not at peace. They establish contact with CJ and a medium, Mable, and are instrumental in trying to thwart Jack.
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The Final Fence: Sophomores In The Saddle
Fair Questions for a Feature Story Is a disability something that is subjective or is it objective? Is a diagnosis opinion or fact? The Final Fence: Sophomores in the Saddle authored by Marc O'Brien takes a creative and honest look into a life filled with support due to well meaning individuals that think before they speak. When Eddie Patrick meets up with Danielle Lynne on a college campus, a love of horses triggers a classroom discussion. When their professor - a large chestnut pony named The Great Satan - starts the lecture, the relationship skills make the grade, with the ribbon only being a decorative award. Using a backdrop of the elegant and classy world of the hunter jumper horse shows during the second Ronald Reagan presidential administration, the setting for this novel is a perfect way for the future generations to learn about respect.
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Starting To Shrink
Douglas Barker is a young doctor who starts work as a psychiatrist in Scotland in the 1980s. The job is fascinating, but he soon falls out with his grandiose consultant, Dr Burlington. A patient accuses Douglas of having sex with her, and backed by Dr Burlington, this complaint goes to the General Medical Council. He is called to a hearing in London, where his career hangs in the balance.
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