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10 Books I’ve Read That Have Stayed With Me

By Books & Authors, ThinkingNo Comments

Here are 10 books I’ve read that have stayed with me:

10) Mum Can You Lend Me Twenty Quid? By Elizabeth Burton-Phillips

This is a book written by the mother of two twin drug addicts. Elizabeth Burton-Phillips takes us on an emotional journey, as she describes what drugs did to her family.

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9) The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett

Sabine looses her gay husband, but is about to find out hidden family secrets. This beautifully written novel is fantastic and the characters have stayed close to my heart.

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8) Born This Way by Paul Vitagliano

This book shares childhood stories and photos about growing up gay, mostly in the USA. What was great about this book, is how life affirming it is at making you feel less alone as a gay man.

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7) In His Secret Life by Mel Bossa

This is a wonderfully written gay love story set over decades, with if I remember correctly an eventual happy ending. It was so great to read of a gay couple where love triumphed.

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6) a million little pieces by James Frey

This book is another about drug and alcohol addiction and how Frey turned his life around. Well written.

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5) Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig

This is an upbeat book about mental health and gives you plenty of reasons to stay alive. A brilliant, easy read by Matt Haig.

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4) Misery by Stephen King

Misery sticks in my mind because of how creepy it is.

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3) A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowden

This is the true and uplifting story of a street cat named Bob that helped his human (Bowen) recover from drug addiction. A truly heart warming and easy to read book.

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2) The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind by Barbara K. Lipska

Imagine, if you will, starting to lose your mind. This is the story of a Neuroscientist who felt like she was losing her mind due to a brain tumor. This story stayed with me and is wonderfully well written.

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Diary-of-a-Young-Girl-by-Anne-Frank

1) Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

We all know the story of Anne Frank and her family. But reading her experiences in her own words really resonated with me.

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Write soon,

Antony

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Sunday 20 April 2025

Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy – BBC Documentary

By TV, Online Streaming & FilmsNo Comments
Image From & Copyright © BBC, 2023.

Caroline Aherne was the comedy genius responsible for The Mrs Merton Show and The Royale Family. Caroline was from Manchester, the North West of England.

Caroline had a tragic life including being born with a rare form of eye cancer, being a victim of domestic violence & abuse in her marriage, suffering with depression/possibly bipolar, alcohol dependency, bladder cancer and died of lung cancer at just 52 years old.

Despite all this tragedy and suffering, she had the wonderful gift of being naturally funny. It is for this talent and skill that she is remembered by friends in the BBC’s Caroline Ahern: Queen of Comedy documentary.

This excellent documentary is well worth a watch. It showed Caroline’s love of life with TV clips and interviews with friends, her humour and the impact she had on individuals lucky enough to know her.

So go check it out. Until next time,

Antony

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Wednesday 27 March 2024

Book Review: Survivor – Recovering from Alcoholism, Heartbreak and Trauma by Kieran Youens-Byrne

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments

Survivor: Recovering from Alcoholism, Heartbreak and Trauma is an exceptional and heart touching memoir by Kieran Youens-Bryne.

In Survivor, Kieran shares his journey through addiction to alcohol, his heartbreak at ending his marriage to a narcissist and his emotional traumas from his earlier years.

It is a wonderfully inspiring read and includes literature in its various forms including poems, essays, quotes and even a playlist. The title of his book sums him up completely: Kieran is a survivor.

Kieran covers every aspect of where his addiction to alcohol took him, from his very first taste of an alcoholic drink, through the dark depths of active addiction and withdrawal and out the other end and into active recovery. Along the way he shared what worked for him, what didn’t and all the things he learned along the way.

Survivor is an brilliantly honest account of where addiction/dependency, a narcissistic partner and past traumas can lead to a person. But it is uplifting at the same time.

The book is written in an easy to read and engaging style. It demonstrates Kieran’s unique writers voice and is a piece of creative work that he should be very proud of.

I am pleased to report that Kieran’ story also has a satisfying happy ending. Kieran gets sober, at the time of writing this review he has been sober for more than a year. In the year sober, Kieran has completely transformed his life.

Kieran has rebuilt his confidence and self-esteem destroyed by his narcissistic ex-partner. Kieran has rediscovered his formally oppressed identity and learned to love himself once again. Kieran has faced past traumas and began working on healing and letting go of these traumas.

Kieran has gone on to write, edit and publish a further book titled Recovered, that I can’t wait to read. He is healthy and happy. I can’t wait to see what this amazing man does next.

Review soon,

Antony

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Sunday 18 February 2024
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