Destiny Chosen by Life tells the story of a young man embarking on a journey of self-discovery and overcoming personal struggles. The story follows his fight to understand and accept his identity while grappling with an incredible secret that ultimately transforms his life upside-down. Along the way, he develops an incredibly strong character, even as he faces the grief of losing someone dear. Amidst the sorrow, he finds surprising and unexpected support from someone who has been close to ...

They say the deepest encounters don't happen through the body… but through the soul. One hides behind silence. The other beneath a suit of armour. Distance separates them — and, paradoxically, brings them closer. Between typed-out messages, old wounds, and gestures that never touch, an unlikely bond is born… capable of reopening everything they thought was lost. What if it were possible to love without seeing? What if someone, on the other side of the internet, could understand us better t...

Every man is being shaped by some kind of wisdom. The key question is–what type of wisdom is guiding us? Scripture doesn't suggest every form of wisdom produces a better, more flourishing life. In fact, it warns us of the opposite condition–we ought to be mightily aware of the possibility that we may be digesting and guided by worldly wisdom, which eventually leads to our own downfall, devastation, and death–yet it will feel so satisfying going down.The Man You're Meant...

THE ART OF LOVE AND LOSS Paris, 1908. In Montmartre, painters are creating works that will change the way we see life. Some do it better than others; some fall victim to the pursuit of love as well as art. But it's a time to live deeply and take risks with whatever you care about the most. Painting Paris tells the story of the intertwined lives of an artist, a would-be artist and a collector. The artist, Berthe, is destined by her mixed race to be always on the brink of exclusion, but she ...

The Southern Illinois Miners was an independent professional baseball team that attracted talent from all over the world, competing in a state-of-the-art stadium that was often full to bursting, hosting millions of visitors over the organization's existence.At the helm of the endeavor were owners Jayne and John Simmons and manager Mike Pinto. From 2007 through 2021, their vision and commitment to excellence produced results no one thought possible.When people experience an ...

Reveal the Problem. Align the Team. Win with Precision.Every stalled deal, every lost negotiation, every prospect who went silent — the answer wasn't in your pitch. It was in the question you never asked.The best revenue producers in the world know something their competitors don't: what your buyer tells you first is rarely what's actually driving their decision. The real problem lives one level deeper — more urgent, more costly, and more invisible than anything that surfac...

Experience London in 1970 as a journalist captures a community's ups and downs over the course of a year in this slice-of-life saga.Ophelia Street, 1970. A street like any other, a community that lives and breathes together as people struggle with their commitments and pursue their dreams. It is a world we recognise, a world where class and gender divide, where set roles are acknowledged. But what happens when individuals step outside those roles?An observer ...

Businesswriting can be particularly difficult to get right and far too many peopleresort to deathly-dull jargon and nonsense buzz words to try to get their pointacross. In 26 Ways of Looking at a Blackberry, John Simmons proposes that inorder to create business communication that is truly engaging, writing needs tobe more expressive and adventurous. 'Business-speak' undermines thecommunication objectives of brands as they try to move beyon...

AN EVIL HYMNHe seduces with a happy tune: The Piper. Some think he's a myth, the imaginary child-slaver and terror of runaways.But he's real. Hard-bitten young journalist Lucas Jameson swears to it by blood stains on his floor and screams that hang tough in his brain.And lethal. As Phyllis Lantern discovers to her peril. The 14-year-old towhead is on the run against a deadline to die.Sharp language with not a word wasted, Cried the Piper inserts you into the...

This book asks an important question:If you were born in rural England in 1837 and died in 1901 and never travelled more than thirty miles in any direction would you have seen a hippopotamus before you died?The answer is, surprisingly, yes.In fact, the roads of England were thronged with all manner of creatures. There were even exotic butterfly farms. Kangaroos hopped around the lawns of stately homes, tigers prowled the backstreets of the East End, a tapir terroris...

This title was first published in 2002. "Moderatus" was an Elizabethan romance, probably the first published work of the 16th-century Welsh gentleman Robert Parry; it was produced in 1595 by the bookseller, publisher, and printer Richard Jones. In this volume John Simons offers in modern typography an edition of this now-scarce text, with explanatory notes and an extensive introduction that places the work in its historical context. He also presents what biographical information is known a...

This comprehensive history of museums begins with the origins of collecting in prehistory and traces the evolution of museums from grave goods to treasure troves, from the Alexandrian Temple of the Muses to the Renaissance cabinets of curiosities, and onto the diverse array of modern institutions worldwide. The development of museums as public institutions is explored in the context of world history with a special emphasis on the significance of objects and collecting. The book examines ho...