Sorting Out Billy

Billy is a lad. He's a laugh, he's loud, he behaves badly and Sarah is besotted with him. But after another 'accident' involving Billy's temper, Sarah's face and a night in the A&E, Sarah's friends Martha and Flower decide that it's time to take action. What should they do? Reason with him? Send him to anger management classes? Hire a hit man? Martha and Flower have problems of their own: Martha is seven months pregnant by one of three possible blokes (she did this mainly to wind up her sanctimonious vicar father); and hippie Flower's career as a stand-up comic is more sit-down after some nasty encounters with south London's finest hecklers. Will Martha survive single-motherhood on a council estate in need of a peace-keeping force? Will Flower find the perfect put-down? And will they sort out Billy before he gets to them first...? Jo Brand tells it like it is in her darkly comic and sharply observed debut novel.

This is the story of Billy Ranhalt, who is struggling with one of the most difficult challenges one can face. He is in defense at a trial within himself as well as in society that came about in the prime of his life. He is being tried for an injury or as some would say illness that can be found in every society throughtout the world. He is guilty before his trial. His offence is almost invisible to himself as well as many others that may suffer from his offence. His injuries are almost invisible to those surrounding him, yet he sees them himself but does not want to see them. Billy Ranhalt tries to overlook the impossible but must face trial. The injury Billy suffered is one that has become more prominent to our society in the past few years with the growing number of war veterans. The character Billy Ranhalt; is a person most people have seen or may see some day within their job, their friends or among family and very well themselves. The intent of this story is to open the eyes and minds of people incurring awareness and respect to those suffering as Billy did from an incurable but not, untreatable suffering. The only cure Billy finds is not what he really wanted, which is carried out by those unwilling or failing to see his injury. The setting takes place in modern day United States, among a typical American family. It has a strong emphasis on a Gulf War veteran, yet similarites found throughout the world in various surrounding. The ending is not a good ending for Billy, his family or friends. However, an ending that foresight and forethought could have been prevented.

Eleven-year-old Billy Barnes lives with his parents and elder sister, Julia. He is usually a happy boy and spends most of his time with one of his best friends, Ali Patel. However, Billy has a problem. A big problem! He was stopped by some older boys as he was on his way home from school. One of them demanded protection money from Billy and made it quite clear that it was pay up, or suffer the consequences! Just how are Billy and Ali going to solve this problem, without involving Billy’s parents? If he does that, he runs a considerable risk of becoming a laughingstock in his class. He can almost hear some of the other boys shouting, “Billy Barnes has to ask his mum and dad for help, just like in reception class!” The solution is as clever as it is simple and is the start of a number of exciting adventures for Billy and Ali.

By turns heartbreaking and hilarious, this intimate biography of the British comic is “a triumph of the will, an Angela’s Ashes with punch lines” (Publishers Weekly). One of the UK’s most beloved stand-up comedians, Billy Connolly is recognized around the world for his HBO comedy specials and roles in movies like The Boondock Saints and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. An inspiration to generations of British comedians, including such stars as Eddie Izzard, Billy is known simply as “The Big Yin” in his native Scotland. But his road to success was anything but easy. Abandoned by his mother in a Glasgow tenement, abused by his father and the cruel aunt who became his caretaker, he would seem to have little chance of survival let alone meteoric success. Billy, the revelatory, poignant, and wildly entertaining biography is written by the woman who knows him best—his wife. Pamela Stephenson, a clinical psychologist, takes us through the heartbreaking and hilarious life of this comic legend, providing an intimate window into what made him the man he is today.

Billy Sanders is an eight-year-old boy who lives in fear of the bullies that torment his uncertain childhood. When a Bogloid is entrusted with the task of helping Billy learn how to confront and manage his troubles, he soon senses things will never be the same again, and hes right! The magical land of Caymar and all its beings are under threat from the evil Sentos. Billy and the Bogloids must unite in their quest to save all that is ebbing away from them as the ruthless, cunning creatures begin to take control. Each loving character portrays individually unique personalities and traits. These attributes would usually strengthen a teams efforts, but are their powers still strong enough to overcome the bad and return everything to goodness, or have the Sentos already taken command?

An engaging collection of letters from a young Canadian officer, native to Toronto. His letters begin in late 1915 on the journey across the Atlantic to the European battlefield. He is filled with worldly-wonder and naiveté as he encounters figures as diverse as Colonels to French peasants, and recounts the daily trials and tribulations of the soldiers life in Belgium with wit; for example, he describes his batman as “a soldier paid by you to be absent when you want him.” Particularly interesting is the tone of the narrative in which he attempts to educate his mother of life in the army, and in tone, cheerful beyond modern cyncism. Collected and posthumously published by his mother, they make for a gripping and atmospheric read. Author — Anon “Billy” Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in Toronto, McClelland, Goodchild and Stewart, 1916. Original Page Count – 175 pages.

A “superb” look at one of the Great War’s most storied combat pilots and his legendary solo missions, with never-before-published photos (Barrett Tillman). William Avery Bishop is recognized as the British Empire’s highest-scoring WWI ace, credited with seventy-two combat victories. Overall, he ranked behind only Manfred von Richthofen and René Fonck. This remarkable man’s story—his personal courage, daring, and superior marksmanship—has been detailed in books and articles, but here author Peter Kilduff investigates the untold story, bringing new light to missions and kills that have been previously steeped in controversy through evenhanded, thorough research and forensic evidence. As so many of Bishop’s victories were achieved during solo combat, the author examines and scrutinizes German, British, and Canadian archival sources, Bishop’s private correspondence, and accounts by friends and foes. Such an approach provides as complete an account as possible, in a valuable work featuring many previously unpublished photographs. “Kilduff is not the first to conduct such an inquiry into Bishop’s claim of 72 victories, but his book is by far the best researched . . . expertly laid out, with photos of the aircraft mentioned by Bishop, particularly the German types. Kilduff has done a marvelous and subtle job of showing how a real hero became larger than life.” —Aviation History