Boudicca – Her Place in History and the Fortunes of Her Tribe

This book, through extensive research and analysis, endeavours to reveal what actually happened when in 60 AD Boudicca was elected to lead the united British tribes in their war against Roman rule. Despite the brutal punishment she had suffered at the hands of the Roman officials, Boudicca recovered to command a brilliantly effective military campaign against the pre-eminent super power of the ancient world.

This is the story of the momentous events that culminated in the great British uprising against the Roman occupiers and their army, and challenges the credibility of the traditional ‘histories’ of Boudicca. So, while it is about Boudicca, her life and achievements, it also seeks to follow the fate of her tribal people – the Iceni. In the aftermath of the war, many migrated through Ireland to the Scottish Highlands.

Regardless of a short lived ‘golden age’, the descendants of the Iceni have suffered a succession of ethnic cleansings over 2000 years through war, famine, migration, plague, forced emigration and invading armies. Today the remnants – represented by the McEachrans, Cochrans and the many variants of these names – are scattered throughout the world and have lost the identity of their origins.

Boxer, Bouncer and Now a Doctor

It all started in a small industrial town in the north of England. Walking into a boxing gym was the start of an amazing metamorphosis for the 14-year-old. At age 20, he had developed into a 16-stone boxer, powerlifter and ferocious street fighter, with a knock-out punch in both hands. This is the story of a young man who, lacking education, immigrated to Australia at just 18 years of age only to experience the twilight world of sleaze and violence in Perth’s underbelly, confronting and often overcoming the many challenges he encountered. Returning to England at 21, he mastered his craft as a bouncer and street fighter, attended two universities, obtained three degrees and was awarded a doctorate at the age of 39.

Brain's Got the Sh*ts Again

Has your brain ever had the sh*ts? Feeling down, feeling tired, the works?

Well so had mine, until a vastly uneventful Eurotrip that led me to intense joint pain, that led me to celiac disease diagnosis, that led me to initially eating cardboard-flavoured things, that led me to tastier options, that led me to the slimey miracle that is the human gut, and to the life-affirming railroad that is the gut-brain axis. Whether your brain is constipated or has full-blown diarrhoea (I promise this book is serious once you actually buy it), this dubious title promises to share fun-facts about gut-brain health, all through real and imagined short stories that will keep you interested. If you are having doubts about trusting a sass-mouthed writer with your gut-brain health, let me try to change your mind by saying all my facts are cited through respected academic research, I’m a Neuropsychology extern and a Neuroendocrinology gut-brain researcher and I’m currently pursuing a Psychology PhD (no one said I’d catch it though).

@daphnespyropoulos

Breaking Chains – ‘The Word’

Childhood abuse and trauma has consequences: black holes, where voids are born, mental ill health acquired and self-love diminished. The cause of these voids and the power to heal them lies solely in one force alone, or lack thereof, and this force is love.

Let’s journey together sharing knowledge, vulnerabilities, synchronicities and the word of God, of pure, unconditional Love, through a memoir incorporating science, nurture, toxicity, personality and the true depths of the void. We will analyse, psychologise and be present in our own individual stories, breaking chains that bind us in order to truly heal and be set free, turning black holes into shining stars.

Breast Cancer Smiles

On a cold day in February, 2018, Shazia goes from a tennis court in the morning to a hospital in the afternoon where she is diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. As her journey unfolds, humour becomes her crutch, writing becomes her tool and a powerful connection to her South Asian roots becomes her purpose.

This isn’t a tale of cancer and the devastation it undoubtedly brings. It’s the story of a life-altering journey enriched by time. Shazia tells a tale of re-birth swathed in love, humour and pain. She unveils the shame of breast cancer in her birth culture that is killing women before their time. In her birthplace, Pakistan, cancer is casually known as ‘the kiss of death’.

For Shazia, it is quite the opposite. This is life through a different lens and a questioning of the status quo. Her musings provoke debate and challenge existing beliefs, holding up a different mirror to society. These chronicles are written during 18 months of chemotherapy, sepsis, surgery and radiotherapy. They are written with hope and an intermittent smile.

Brett Polar

Brett Polar is an intoxicating rollercoaster ride that will leave you as much elated as devastated. It is engaging, empowering, educational and ultimately gives hope to people living with bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses.

Brett’s story involves a mental health sojourn that spans twenty years from 2000 to 2020. Prepare to ride alongside him as he goes through the bipolar motions of extreme highs, devastating lows and all the semi-stable moments in between.

His story is proof that if a diagnosis is accepted and the right support embraced, then an individual living with mental illness can not only survive but thrive!

Jump on in to find out more.

Bridge for Beginners

Bridge is a wonderful game. It is interesting, challenging and frustrating all at the same time. It keeps your brain active and alert and it gives you an opportunity to create new and lasting friendships with like-minded people.

“It is rare to find a bridge book that combines simplicity with comprehensive cover of all the basic rules of bridge, and yet this book does exactly that. George builds a solid foundation for the beginner by going through the bidding sequences step by step in a logical and orderly fashion and then presenting examples to show how those steps actually work. I can highly recommend this for those who want to learn the basics. It is also ideal for those who have played and now want to rekindle and update their skills. The book will also work nicely as a manual for teachers who teach beginners.”

— Marty Bergen

Broken Roads Lead Me Here

Broken Roads Lead Me Here tells the true-life story of a boy born into unimaginable abuse in Glasgow in the sixties. By the age of eight, Colin had been abandoned by his mother and continued to be sexually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually traumatised by the man she left him with. Blunted by severe trauma, Colin went through one unimaginable nightmare after another, each more traumatising and soul shattering than the last, with no one to tell and no way to understand why. He wondered as he drifted through life, what was to really become of him? Or his half-sisters? All the while, deep down, sensing that one day it could be his last.

At fifteen, he was thrown out of school, and at sixteen he was sent to prison. Colin survived rejection, abandonment, homelessness, gang wars, addiction, mental illness, overdoses, suicide attempts, and abusive adult relationships. But it always seemed as if he was living on borrowed time…

Even as he started writing his memoir, Colin had suffered a stroke, and near his recovery’s conclusion was then diagnosed with what was initially suspected as pancreatic cancer. While Colin’s diagnosis was eventually re-assessed as not immediately life threatening, it did leave him with a series of conditions which would continue to limit the quality of his day-to-day life. His illnesses and his experience of this instead of instilling a sense of profound hopelessness surprisingly led him to a profound sense of inner peace, clarity, and re-awakened purpose through his renewed faith in the real presence, love, forgiveness, and grace of God. His is a miraculous story of faith and redemption.

Colin Mackell is a husband, father, and grandfather. In his professional life as Psychotherapist, he has helped people who struggle to overcome drug and alcohol addiction, and helps them find new meaning, and explore new life paths. He is also the founder of Chrysalis Supported Association & Group CEO of Chrysalis Group Services, providing homes and support to some of life’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged people.

Bronze Statue on Blue: Heaven Awaits You

* Compelling, scientific evidence for the existence of heaven and hell to which we are ultimately consigned

* Effortless, step-by-step guide for a more abundant life, here on earth, and eternal life in heaven

* You don’t have to be ‘gold’ to get to the top

* Absolutely unmissable

In this beautifully written, persuasive book, Harry Aslan deals with the central, compelling, controversial questions that have occupied ordinary men and women as well as theologians throughout the centuries: Does God exist? Are heaven and hell real? Is Christianity the only path to salvation? The whole spectrum of human relationships. The compatibility of religion and science. Starting with the most palatable truths, Harry Aslan progresses to the highest pinnacles of faith, arguing the issues from both sides. A number of tongue-in-cheek, real-life anecdotes provide some light relief. This is no mere ‘armchair’ work, but a meticulously researched, fully comprehensive treatise that leaves no stones unturned.
An absolute must for any reader, irrespective of his or her faith or creed.

Budapest: A History of Grandeur and Catastrophe

Budapest today is a palimpsest of its history and partially crystallized present. Its earlier history is best seen on the Castle Hill of Buda, the seat of Hungarian royal power since the beginning in the 13th Century. This peaked in the glory years of King Matthias' reign in the second half of the 15th Century, when Buda was one of the largest and wealthiest cities of Europe. The Ottoman conquest that followed a generation later was a catastrophe whose effect would last two centuries. However when the new Castle Hill of Buda arose, it became a version of Baroque central Europe, controlled by Imperial Vienna. Pest, on the opposite banks of the Danube, is a symbol of the grandeur of the late 19th Century metropolis. Elaborate, historicist buildings and monuments first inhabited by the members of the rising bourgeoisie that had achieved prosperity in the booming Budapest around the year 1900. This era still largely defines the visual appearance of the central city. Nearly half a century later Fascism, and then forty years of Communism, again produced economic dislocation and social tumult in the lives of the people. This is best shown through descriptions of the fate of individual families in Budapest. Since 1990 the metropolis and its people have gone through a frenzied transition for which there was no template: authoritarian socialist economy to volatile capitalism and democracy. The story of the key players and groups in this transition make this tumultuous process particularly vivid. Today Budapest is a city whose role in Europe is still being crystallized. However, inventive entrepreneurs and creative artists are making the city a more and more vibrant home for its citizens and a favoured destination for a rapidly increasing flow of visitors.

Bugnificent!

Mini-Beasts are amazing; we need them to survive,

without their important roles, the world would not thrive.

They pollinate, provide food, they also decompose,

controlling pests, engineering soil, with oh so many pros.

They can be found under logs, rocks and bark,

some are diurnal and some come out after dark.

We must protect these creatures, not just the pretty ones,

all mini-beasts are needed, so treat them like your chums.

Please look after our bugs; I know I sound direct,

but all creatures have a job to do, so treat them with respect!

Building Resilient Futures

Whether a community struggling to keep its members buoyant, a business trying to stay solvent, or a nation fighting to protect its citizens, adversity and crisis impact us all. The resilient are able to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and not only bounce back but also bounce forward.

This book looks at what resilience means at times of crises as well as the in-between periods. It examines the various types of resilience, such as emotional, organisational and societal, and offers valuable insights on how to manage the consequences of upheaval and trauma.

The author brings together contributors to deliver a real mix of theory, case-study evidence and anecdote in a way that is both approachable and thought provoking. It is a timely and necessary addition to a crucial topic. Very simply, professionals, practitioners, students, government ministers, and business leaders should read this now. It might be a safer, better world if people read the book and acted on it.