For over four decades Mike has been shooting and chasing the elusive Wild Goose; mainly the Pink-footed Goose. He certainly knows the meaning of the saying, 'A Wild Goose Chase and Goose Fever' as he has experienced it many times throughout his lifetime. Now in his mid-sixties he has probably seen and been involved in areas of shooting that will never be witnessed or ever re-lived again. But local reports show that now even after many, many years geese are still on a 20%% yearly increase. It must be the most sought after bird in the UK during the winter months. There are a number of short stories in this book about his 'adventures' as he calls them and the fun he shared with many others. Mike talks about what it's like to go Wildfowling and inland Goose Shooting. He tells of sitting for hours just waiting to see those magnificent birds as they leave the safety of the estuaries or lochs to fly inland to their feeding grounds.

“Cloud Cult’s grand, unkempt indie rock is at once jam band, emo, and avant-garde. Their songs, born out of personal tragedy, are otherworldly lessons in being human.” —Pitchfork During the past decade, Minnesota-grown band Cloud Cult has become one of the most inspirational indie bands, with a deeply devoted fan base and an approach to music and the environment that is hard not to admire. Beyond a musical biography, Chasing the Light tells the story of the heartbreaking yet affirming journey of lead singer and songwriter Craig Minowa and delves into the career of the band known by music lovers as the least cynical and most idealistic band in the country. Tracing Cloud Cult’s rise to critical acclaim, author Mark Allister details the band’s defining moments, beginning with the death of Craig and Connie Minowa’s two-year-old son and the hundreds of songs that grew out of the tragic loss. Allister describes the band’s unique philosophy and principles, including how Minowa created a zero carbon footprint for the band’s recording and touring, adopting DIY and green-sustainable practices well before the ideas became mainstream. Allister also presents a first-person account of a day in the life of a quintessential indie band and conveys the immense emotional impact of Cloud Cult’s albums and live shows. Described by a fan in the book as “the anthem for the soul searcher in us all,” Cloud Cult’s music and message are both stirring and sincere. Featuring rarely seen photos from Cloud Cult’s history and passionate testimonials by fans, Chasing the Light is a testament to the profound influence one band’s personal evolution can have on its followers and on indie rock aficionados in search of beauty, meaning, and redemption.

Reid JacksonI'm a simple guy. There are only two things I love: my family and playing professional football.I may not understand why people get married, but I'd go anywhere for my brother, even his friend Camille's wedding. Once I'm there, I realize our Bronx upbringing has left me unprepared for the world of old Southern money. Over twenty-four hours, I see scandal, threats, and lies. It's a life I don't relate to, a place I never want to belong. Even so, when the minister asks if anyone objects, I shock not only myself but also the beautiful bride when I stand up and say, "I do." I don't know her, she doesn't know me-but deep down, I knew I had to make that move.Camille WhitleyAs a political socialite in the South, nothing about my life is simple. For years I've known I'd one day be standing at the altar, about to marry a man I don't love. In Savannah, family expectations and appearances are everything, but none of it's real. I hate what I've become, and I dream of being free. So, when an opportunity suddenly presents itself in the form of a stranger with captivating green eyes, I find myself asking what's best for me: the plan or the unknown? I don't know him, he doesn't know me-but if I'm going to make a move, it's now or never.

These stories are elements of loud thinking triggered by the questions hurled at us by contemporary life. But, it doesn’t preach or recommend any ideology to you. Some of these stories may enthral you, some might lacerate you, some might tickle you and some might provoke you. Some might possibly provide you with new insights. Some could raise critical questions. Some might lead you to agree with the author’s position. Some may provoke you to oppose him. The aim is to spur you into thinking on your own. A reader’s mind is in no way inferior to a writer’s. Instead of looking at life as a mere story, or story as a mere extension of imagination, it projects a vision of life through these stories. It treaded a path of equilibrium—no pomposity of dismissively treating grass-root’s idiom; escaping the grip of pseudo-modernity complicating the written form of the language with the ostensible purpose of importing subtlety. Maalan V. Narayanan is an eminent award winning writer bilingual (Tamil and English) writer, bestowed with various coveted awards including Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship of Singapore and ‘Krititva Samagra Samman’ (award for wholesomeness in creativity) of Bharaiya Basha Parishad.He has served in Senates of various Universities and committees of National Book Trust and Sahitya Akademi Dr.K.S.Subramanian, a former Director of Asian Development Bank, is an eminent translator who has won many awards for his translations. He holds a Ph.D from the University of the Philippines. He has translated more than 30 Tamil literary works of different genre into English and his translations have beem published by many leading reputed publishers of India.

"A thought-provoking blend of gentle understanding, tender loving care, and very good advice.""This book doesn?t just tell you that you're on your way to a brighter day; it holds your hand and takes you there."Books this special don't come along very often. In a voice that is both understanding and inspirational, Pagels helps readers find their way through the hard times that arise -- in the lives of us all -- and that stand in the way of our happiness. They may be due to any number of things: difficulties in dealing with changes, loss, or uncertainty, troubled relationships, financial worries, dependency problems, illness, or emotional setbacks. All can add to our anxieties and diminish the serenity and sunshine in our lives.CHASING AWAY THE CLOUDS is for anyone who would appreciate a little help and reassurance with their problems. The healing process is very different for various situations and for different people. It's a critical time; a time when good advice is like a loving balm; calming any fears, steadying the course, encouraging day-to-day patience, and providing a much-needed blend of wisdom, care, and optimism.This book is the perfect traveling companion for anyone who needs a little encouragement to keep their hopes shining through... and their journey going in the right direction.

The Bishop and Other Stories (1919) is a collection of short stories by Russian writer Anton Chekhov. The title story of the collection, originally published in 1902, finds the author at his most introspective. Written while Chekhov was dealing with the long term effects of tuberculosis, a period in which he began to accept the inevitability of his own death, “The Bishop” is a meditative story that follows a dedicated man who, in the face of oblivion, wants nothing more than to go about his work to the best of his ability. “The Bishop” is the story of a man named Pyotr. Set during Easter Week, it begins while Pyotr is passing out palms at a service on the night before Palm Sunday. As he begins to feel faint, he sees his mother—whose presence he did not expect—and begins to cry. Over the next several days, Pyotr goes about his duties, caring for the sick and dying, officiating at the local cathedral, and meeting with his colleagues, all while growing sicker and increasingly irritable. As he succumbs to typhoid fever, his mother and his faith are all he has left in a world that will soon forget him. “The Letter” is a similarly religious, earlier story in which a conversation between two priests, Father Orlov and Father Anastasi, is interrupted by the deacon. As the three discuss what is to be done with the deacon’s wayward son, the difference between morality and mercy is illuminated for all to see. The Bishop and Other Stories is a collection of seven short works of fiction by Russian literary icon Anton Chekhov. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Anton Chekhov’s The Bishop and Other Stories is a classic of Russian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Shimmer Chinodya, winner of the 1989 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Africa region) is one of Zimbabwe's foremost fiction writers. This collection of short stories reveals his development as a writer of passionate questioning integrity. The first stories, 'Hoffman Street' and 'The Man who Hanged Himself' capture the bewildered innocence of a child's view of the adult world, where behaviour is often puzzling and contradictory; stories such as 'Going to See Mr B.V.' provide the transition between the world of the adult and that of the child where the latter is required to act for himself in a situation where illusions founder on a narrow reality. 'Among the Dead' and 'Brothers and Sisters' look wryly at the self-conscious, self-centred, desperately serious world of young adulthood while 'Playing your Cards', 'The Waterfall', 'Strays' and 'Bramson' introduce characters for whom ambition, disillusion, and disappointment jostle for attention in a world where differences of class, culture, race and morality come to the fore. Finally, in 'Can we Talk' we conclude with an abrasive, lucid, sinewy voice which explores the nature of estrangement. The charge is desolation. Can we Talk and Other Stories speaks of the unspoken and unsaid. The child who watches but does not understand, the young man who observes but cannot participate, the man who stands outside not sure where his desires and ambitions lead, the older man, estranged by his own choices. 'Can we Talk' is not a question but a statement that insists on being heard, and demands a reassessment of our dreams.

The Old Child & Other Stories introduces in English one of Germany’s most original and brilliant young authors, Jenny Erpenbeck. Written in spare, highly concentrated language, "a sustained feat of verbal economy" (Die Zeit), the one novella and four stories in The Old Child go beyond the limits of the expected, the real. Dark, serious, often mystical, these marvelous fictions about women’s lives provide glimpses into the minds of outcasts and eccentrics, at the same time bearing out Dostoevsky’s comment that hope can be found so long as a man can see even a tiny view of the sky.

Shimmer Chinodya, winner of the 1989 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Africa region) is one of Zimbabwe's foremost fiction writers. This collection of short stories reveals his development as a writer of passionate questioning integrity. The first stories, 'Hoffman Street' and 'The Man who Hanged Himself' capture the bewildered innocence of a child's view of the adult world, where behaviour is often puzzling and contradictory; stories such as 'Going to See Mr B.V.' provide the transition between the world of the adult and that of the child where the latter is required to act for himself in a situation where illusions founder on a narrow reality. 'Among the Dead' and 'Brothers and Sisters' look wryly at the self-conscious, self-centred, desperately serious world of young adulthood while 'Playing your Cards', 'The Waterfall', 'Strays' and 'Bramson' introduce characters for whom ambition, disillusion, and disappointment jostle for attention in a world where differences of class, culture, race and morality come to the fore. Finally, in 'Can we Talk' we conclude with an abrasive, lucid, sinewy voice which explores the nature of estrangement. The charge is desolation. Can we Talk and Other Stories speaks of the unspoken and unsaid. The child who watches but does not understand, the young man who observes but cannot participate, the man who stands outside not sure where his desires and ambitions lead, the older man, estranged by his own choices. 'Can we Talk' is not a question but a statement that insists on being heard, and demands a reassessment of our dreams.