From time to time we all tend to wonder what sort of "story" our life might comprise: what it means, where it is going, and whether it hangs together as a whole. In The Stories We Are, William Lowell Randall explores the links between literature and life and speculates on the range of storytelling styles through which people compose their lives. In doing so, he draws on a variety of fields, including psychology, psychotherapy, theology, philosophy, feminist theory, and literary theory. Using categories like plot, character, point of view, and style, Randall plays with the possibility that we each make sense of the events of our lives to the extent that we weave them into our own unfolding novel, as simultaneously its author, narrator, main character, and reader. In the process, he offers us a unique perspective on features of our day-to-day world such as secrecy, self-deception, gossip, prejudice, intimacy, maturity, and the proverbial "art of living." First published in 1995, this second edition of The Stories We Are includes a new preface and afterword by the author that offer insight into his argument and evolution as a scholar, as well as an illuminating foreword by Ruthellen Josselson.

Why is it that the more advanced our society becomes, the unhappier we are? Seeking an answer from the only honest perspective, Tobias Jones and his wife opened up their family home and ten acre woodland to those going through crises in their lives, or suffering from depression, addiction and loneliness. They will encounter extraordinary people: from 'Roadkill Kev' to 'Mary Poppins'; build a chapel, raise pigs and encounter both violent antagonism and astounding generosity. At the same time, they will open themselves, their children and their ideals up to the most demanding of judgements and transformations. Five years on, they think they are on to something. To sit down to eat together, to work on the land, to have no tolerance for drugs but a lot of tolerance for change aEURO" it takes time and many mistakes, but they have found a way to help people. This is the story of how.

Cattle, property and wildlife adventures beat the drum in this African roller-coaster of adrenaline, danger and envy. From the first chant to the last lot, the stage is set for a fast-paced narrative full of action, power-plays and latent deception.

Puff Adders In The Panicum is an anthology of short, true vignettes describing Andrew Hutchinson's experiences as an auctioneer.

The narratives are mostly set in the Albany area, around Grahamstown, known as “Settler Country”, as this was where the British settled in the 1800s. The communities in this area comprise hard-working, unpretentious folk, which is reflected in the writer’s stories about his time as an auctioneer both in this area and elsewhere. His stories are unembellished and most interesting. As the narrator, Andrew Hutchinson, successfully gives the reader insight into the areas in which he worked and he aptly reflects the interesting characters and strange foibles of the people whom he met as an auctioneer.

His writing is humorous and exposes the appearance of “offerings of sweet success and the promise of prosperity” with the reality of “puff adders” ready to strike. Andrew’s understanding of the people with whom he did business and his “business partners” is evident in his writing. Should the reader not be of South African origin, the glossary of words and expressions included will clarify the references made.

The stories are enjoyable and easy to read, and provide an understanding and awareness of the challenges and triumphs faced by auctioneers, as well as an insight into the world of the people with whom he dealt.

'A beguiling exploration of how flexibility can contribute to creativity, purpose and happiness.' Justine Roberts, founder of Mumsnet 'Straight-talking self-help... Inspiring words, practical help and a fresh way of seeing things that we'll be forcing on just about everyone we know.' Stylist 'A no-nonsense guide to thinking and behaving more flexibly in order to have a happier, better, less frenetic life' Marie Claire As featured in Sunday Times Style, Stella, Stylist, Grazia, The Sun, Bustle, Marie Claire Reinventing the rules for a smarter, happier life. Flex is a creative, rebellious way to live. It's about looking at routines (like the nine to five) and social norms (like women bearing the brunt of the 'emotional load' at home) and bending and re-shaping them. Flex is looking within and understanding yourself, your body and the patterns of your relationships, and working out how to live, earn money and be happy in a way that is perfect for you and your unique talents. Flex is knowing that the world is changing fast. The jobs we were trained for in school won't exist in a decade. The career ladder has been replaced with the portfolio. If you feel stuck, tired, not at your best, bored... this book is for you. If you are burning with ideas but stuck in an environment that squashes them... this book is for you. If you are a rebel at heart... this book is for you. Flex is reinventing the rules for a smarter, happier future.

This unique book explores how the aesthetic and cultural movement ""Steampunk"" persuades audiences and wins new acolytes. Steampunk is an aesthetic style grounded in the Victorian era, in clothing and accoutrements modeled on a heightened and hyper-extended age of steam. In addition to its modeling of attire and other symbolic trappings, what is most distinctive is its adherents' use of a machined aesthetic based on steam engines and early electrical machinery - gears, pistons, shafts, wheels, induction motors, clockwork and so forth. Precursors to steampunk can be found in the works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. The imagery of the American West contributed to the aesthetic - revolvers, locomotives, and rifles of the late nineteenth century. Among young people, steampunk has found common aesthetic cause with Goth style. Examples from literature and popular culture include William Gibson's fiction, China Mieville's novels, the classic film Metropolis, and the BBC series Doctor Who. This volume recognizes that steampunk, a unique popular culture phenomenon, presents a prime opportunity for rhetorical criticism. Steampunk's art, style, and narratives convey complex social and political meanings. Chapters in Clockwork Rhetoric explore topics ranging from jewelry to Japanese anime to contemporary imperialism to fashion. Throughout, the book demonstrates how language influences consumers of steampunk to hold certain social and political attitudes and commitments.

Like the Green Revolution of the 1960s, a "Blue Revolution" has taken place in global aquaculture. Geared towards quenching the appetite of privileged consumers in the global North, it has come at a high price for the South: ecological devastation, displacement of rural subsistence farmers, and labour exploitation. The uncomfortable truth is that food security for affluent consumers depends on a foundation of social and ecological devastation in the producing countries.

In Confronting the Blue Revolution, Md Saidul Islam uses the shrimp farming industry in Bangladesh and across the global South to show the social and environmental impact of industrialized aquaculture. The book pushes us to reconsider our attitudes to consumption patterns in the developed world, neoliberal environmental governance, and the question of sustainability.

Academic and popular opinions agree that Canadian public life has become wholly secularized during the last hundred years. As this book acknowledges, religion has indeed lost most of its influence in education, politics and various interest groups. But this rigorously researched volume argues that religion was one of the early institutional bases of the public sphere, and although it has since become differentiated from the state, it should not be overlooked or underestimated by historians and sociologists of modern Canada. A compilation of scholarly case studies, it addresses the continuing influence of religion on modern, 'secular' institutions and thus on shaping communal identities.

Van Die's book brings together some of Canada's leading historians of religion - including an entry by distinguished US historian, Mark Noll. Religion and Public Life in Canada shows an awareness of the effects of issues such as gender, ethnicity, and regionalism, and considers the recent influence of previously 'outsider' religions such as Judaism and Sikhism. By challenging the assumption that religion has become a matter only of private concern, and by showing its historical and continued relevance to public life, the book takes the debate over secularization on to an entirely new plane of concern.