Bücher veröffentlicht von Austin Macauley Publishers

Collectanea Cygna is a collection of 25 short stories, ranging from humour to pathos, from fantasy to science fiction and time travel, and from love stories to tragedy. Each story is complete in itself. Travel back to the Second World War or forward to a virtual reality environment. Empathise with the loss of loved ones or rejoice in the finding of one's true love. See inside the mind of a murderer or laugh at the antics of the newly retired. This book will take you on many journeys.

This book explores a fresh interpretation of everyday subjects through poetry. The author hopes it will help instil a way of seeing everyday events differently, or, at the very least, make you curious and help you form an opinion about them.

We are all convinced that we are right in our beliefs, whatever they may be. I am convinced that God is good, merciful, gracious and loving. That He hates religion in every form and cannot abide legalism. I am also convinced that many Christians are living lives of quiet desperation because they believe that their salvation depends on their performance. Saved by grace, they now have to do the rest themselves. This results in, at the very least, striving, and at the worst, nervous breakdown and disillusionment. I am convinced that because of His great love for His Bride and the price He paid to redeem her, God is making war on everything that isn't of Him; everything that doesn't proclaim that He is a giver first and foremost; that everything He asks of us, He first gives us... If you think otherwise, open the book, and see if you still have the same belief system when you have studied it.

Join Roger on his adventures as he is being blasted back into the past. He meets many famous people, is imprisoned, and gets into other scrapes. He is helped through his ordeals by taking modern technology (his mobile phone) with him. He also meets girls along the way, although it could be the same girl throughout the ages. His life is peppered with trips to the past and sometimes characters from the past end up in the present day, they become his friends. There are relationships, some tragedies but humans adapt. One chapter involves some of the author's family and is a true account more tragic than any fiction could be. The reader will have to decide which chapter is being referred to. Throughout the story there are fights, battles, mystery and the paranormal. Finally, there is a glimpse of the future of cars and driving, not all of which is to Roger's liking.

My name is Dougay Roberre. Approaching 40, I left Sydney, Australia, to live in Nice, France. I was raised in the land of sea, sand, sustenance, and sex. There I'd experienced a lot of the first three. On the Cote d'Azur I bought an attic apartment; saved a beautiful woman from dying on my doorstep; discovered who killed a beautiful blonde; and in an off-handed way brought about the tragic death of a Hollywood heart throb. All that lay in the past. I couldn't foresee I'd soon be stepping on the toes of a crime gang; I'd be fighting off thugs in a street in Milan; I'd be spending the night on a roadside garbage dump; and I'd become enthralled in a 40-year-old kidnapping. If I could have foreseen all that, I'd have stayed in bed.

In the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, there is a holy water font. It was made of a shell of the giant clam, Tridacna gigas. I often wondered where it came from because these clams are only found far away from Europe. I found it intriguing that the shell already arrived in France in the early sixteenth century as a gift from the Venetian Republic to King Francis I. Where did it come from? What story could such a shell tell? What thoughts did the sculptor, Jean-Baptiste Pigalle have when he carved the beautiful column upon which the shell rests? What is its religious significance? Only a few pearls from giant clams are believed to exist, and their origins are shrouded in mystery. Is there a pearl somewhere belonging to this clam? It will have to be the Pearl of Saint-Sulpice, alias the Pearl of Allah. The pearl took me on an unexpected adventure to the French Revolution and before, to a1964 scientific meeting where the descendants of the secret league of the Scarlet Pimpernel unites and onwards to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in1974 where I faced the prowess and strength of the guardians of Aphrodite in the Troodos Mountains. Join me if you dare.

Angel McFee loves to ride her bike in the early morning when the sun is just rising. It's quiet and the animals are just waking up to look for food. She shares this time with chipmunks, birds and squirrels, bringing them nuts and seeds and a small ball to play with after eating. Then, as the sun grows stronger bringing the day, she and the animals go on their way...until tomorrow morning. Angel brings treats to share with birds, squirrels and chipmunks.

So, I see you've picked up Hot Soapy Water, a bubble bath that's not for kids. It's okay, no need to look over your shoulder, I'm not there, I've never been there. Well, you've taken the first step. I suppose the question is, are you really going to do that old cliché and judge? "Hot Soapy Water, someone's fetish with bath time?" Nope. I haven't diluted the contents of this book with fragrant bath bombs, candles and Barry White playing in the background. It's mustard gas in the eyeballs, salt on an open wound. It's utter modern-day carnage. Stories within stories, short poems. War, death, destruction, a chef's journey, addiction, hedonism, mental health, trauma, the cold dark blanket of suicide, bravery, courage, bewilderment and some funny shit. It's a book you will not put down if you are brave enough to start. Why? Because I'm the voice in your head telling you this. My name is Auguste Knuckles, and you will ask yourself a question when the last page is turned: 'how am I alive? Am I alive or has an alien written this nuclear bomb narrative fired into a volcano?'

Is our fate predetermined or can we carve our own path in life? Fariba, the protagonist of this captivating novel, lives a carefree life, blissfully unaware of the changes happening around her and the impact of her own actions on the world. But when a small event alters the course of her life, Fariba is forced to confront the idea that perhaps our destinies are not set in stone. As she navigates the unpredictable twists and turns of fate, she begins to question the very nature of existence and the role of free will in shaping our lives.

Nine months after she was conceived as a way to contribute to population growth, just like every other Soviet kid, Kommunalka Child was harvested from a cabbage patch. She was brought up in a bilingual family in a communal apartment in Riga. As she was searching for a place in the world, the Soviet way of life slowly collapsed in the face of Western luxuries. Kommunalka Child takes its time-travellers onboard and triggers the reader's personal memories and senses of smell, taste and touch. The cinematic storytelling in these funny, touching, embarrassing and absurd illustrated micro-memoirs reveals what life was like in the last decade of the Soviet Union, all through the eyes of a Latvian child.

If you think surgery is only about the drama of an operating theatre, then you should read this book. A delightful collection of anecdotal stories that will take the reader on a journey from boyhood aspiration through surgical training and on to consultant surgical practice that spanned the millennium. All is laid bare as the author describes his joy, anger, frustration, and sadness of life in the clinical environment and beyond. It embraces a period of transition when clinicians were transformed from self-regulating professionals into paid employees controlled by political diktats from Brussels and Westminster. It is an entertaining account of a period of momentous change and advances in the world of surgical healthcare. A penetratingly candid page turner that will make you laugh, cry and huff with indignation.

Why are some people, organisations, and institutions racist and discriminatory? And why do they continue to repeat their racist acts over and over? It is because ignorance has been promoted to a level where it is used as a justifiable mindset to perpetrate shameful and ignominious behaviour. This book is written for everyone to use to inspire others or be inspired to stop racism.

"Then the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever'-therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life." From Genesis 3. We were shut out of the garden of Eden; lost the right to the tree of life; were cursed to painful toil (men); were cursed to painful childbearing (women); and became innately disobedient to the God who created us. The problem is serious, but the solution is wonderful. It centres on the person Jesus Christ, who will as the Bible describes redeem us from our fallen state and restore our right to the tree of life - and to eternal life. This book unpacks what the Old and New Testaments say about God's day of salvation.

Do you want us to live better than we do now? Do you want to help make a better future for generations to come? If your answer is yes to both questions, this book is for you. What can we do to live more convivially and sustainably? You'll find here questions, anecdotes, references to films, radio, internet media, literature, and research from a range of academic disciplines and areas of activity. This is about how we lead our daily lives at play, study, and work. It is about learning, resilience, trust, equality, decision-making, cooperation, and leadership.

An extra present was delivered to William on his ninth birthday. A box was found on his doorstep and when William opened it he saw a watch and a note: "This watch has magic powers that only you can use. If the watch face lights up in blue then press it and you will be transported to anywhere that your help is needed". William discovered that by pressing the watch when it lit up he became invisible and could fly to places where his help was needed. William enjoys many adventures as a superhero while wearing the watch.

Dave is sad as he is the only dragon in his class who cannot fly, but he and his classmates learn that Dave has a different talent. Something that makes him just as special. Read on to find out what happens in this beautifully illustrated children's book!

Sometimes when hard things happen, and we feel hurt, we find ourselves holding on to that hurt and then throwing it at other people. My family thinks of this hurt as tennis balls that attach themselves to us during our day. Then, in the evening, and with the people we love the most, we often get rid of these tennis balls by throwing them at our family. Obviously, we don't want to do this. We don't want to hurt our families. It's just that it sometimes feels like we can't carry these tennis balls (our hurt) anymore. There is another way. When we can recognise that we are hurt (or carrying too many tennis balls), we can talk about how we feel and think of other ways to remove these tennis balls without hurting others.

This is a new kind of poem: a cross between a haiku and a limerick. Think too hard about each one and you may wish you hadn't. Pass merrily over them and you might have a good laugh or feel slightly sick. Some are specific to today's interesting times. Others delve into eternal unpleasantness. Or seek to answer the unanswerable. Menacing, fun, obscure or chilling - read them in any order. It's your choice. Try your hand at writing one and you might find it difficult without a lifetime addiction to doggerel verse.

Holly's magical snowman is missing! Her mother has thrown the snowman out because he lost his right eye! What can she do? She loves her snowman; she believes he has magical powers and will not give up finding him. What nobody knows is that Holly has a unique characteristic. She has a strong imagination. She enters a fantastical dream - like world which might help her towards her goal of finding the snowman and his missing right eye. Will she get help from some angel figures and encounter spiritual development in life, a transformation in character from the self to helping others? Will she get help from a little red car who couldn't care less about the speed limit? One of the many New York rubbish dumps may tells us what happened to Holly's Snowman But how will she know where to start looking and will she find him in time? The clock is ticking!

Come join Gummy the Goldfish and his silly friends as they embark on underwater adventures that take them from the safety of their bowl to the vastness of the lake (and sometimes back again). Along the way, you'll meet Quiver and Dobbin, encounter a shark, and even go to school with Gummy. With his ability to talk and his love of aquatic friends, Gummy will take you on a journey filled with excitement and surprises. Don't miss out on all the fun - join Gummy and his friends on their adventures today!

Every story has a beginning, but what happens if you don't remember that beginning? What if you realise that the few memories you have, are only of violence and neglect? Anxiety rises, fear of abandonment is constant on your mind, fear of being unloved is eating you up, and the world you envisioned to be a fairy tale is destroyed. So, you comfort yourself by letting your mind wander, and you wait for someone to save you even after the abuse, despite knowing full well that it's unhealthy. Knowing that those daydreams you have of dying are unhealthy. You survived the physical abuse and the neglect by escaping reality and continually dreaming of fairy tales, but you became too engrossed in those dreams. Those dreams resulted in you creating an alternative world in your mind in which you craved to stay in - like an addict, forgetting entirely that there existed a world outside of those dreams. This is a collection of poetry about mental illness and the impact of child abuse in adulthood.

By 2022 an increasing number of Britons were asking themselves "what has gone wrong?" Great Britain - a nation with an imperial history, a nation of profound innovators, a nation steeped in tradition and pride. The more complex the picture, the more difficult it is to see clearly exactly what the problems are. Solutions are rarely blindingly obvious and yet the seeds of the problems may well be staring us in the eye. Either in the conference room, at the dinner table, or in the mirror. Here we accompany a typical British family from 1955 to 2022. Their dialogues reveal historical parallels and interesting insights into perceived "Britishness" over this period. Their lives and their beliefs, their travels and experiences, their attitudes, and expectations, expose them for what they are: an average family of the time. For they, and others like them, were weaving the thread into the British flag. The respective comments take us down the path leading to the social and political situation of 2022. The mirror held before us shows that what Abraham Lincoln once said remains true today: "you've got to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was." Every single person has the possibility to change what they see in their own mirror, and in society's mirror. All that is necessary is to acknowledge that needs must.

Until the brutal murder of a local store owner, Tinderbox was a quiet town. The police sergeant needs help to solve the crime and a detective inspector is sent from Melbourne to oversee the investigation. But it is his children who run the Tinder Detective Agency from their cubby house and who expose the awful truth behind the murder.

Before the birth of China, Baekje's ancestors began the Yellow River civilization, the Indus civilization, the Mesopotamian Sumer civilization, and the Aztec and Mayan civilizations in Central America. East Asian cultures and civilizations have spread to every continent of the world. The Chinese people were absorbed into the Korean. A mixture of Korean and Chinese people appeared in Asia for the first time in the time of the Zhou Dynasty.

The story begins with Destiny sitting alone in her prison cell, feeling completely detached. In a solemn reflective state, she mulls over her past actions, bad decisions, and life experiences. Her parents had migrated from Africa to France before she was born, marking the start of a life of movement, spending her childhood living between Africa and France with her family. Despite a visual impairment, Destiny was successful academically. Popular within her community, sociable and creative, she dreamt of becoming a famous singer or actress, but drug and alcohol abuse began to darken her life. This was the beginning of trouble, misadventure, and challenging relationships. Realising that France was no longer the place for her, Destiny finds herself on the move once more, looking to improve her life. An intriguing opportunity arrives when Destiny is offered a dream holiday to an idyllic tropical island. Accepting this offer was a decision that she would forever regret. This personal, moving, and emotional journey ends with an event that was foreshadowed at the start of the book, the arrest of Destiny and her friend at an international airport.

Prokofiev Sergei was a Russian musician born in Sosnovka in 1891. He died in Moscow in 1953. He wrote many symphony compositions, characterised by a simple style and by a vigorous rhythmic energy. Among his compositions, we recall the fairy tale ''Peter and the wolf''. It is a beautiful fairy tale told through musical instruments. The presentations of work are covered in a strict dialogue between a grandfather and his young nephew. Our imagination is captured by the main characters: Peter, the cat, the bird, the duck, the wolf, the hunters, the grandfather and from the musical instruments: the strings, the clarinet, the flute, the oboe, the horn, the timpani and the bassoon that personify and alternate the speech of these characters.