Strandpublishuk

09/04/2026

I have read many books in my life, but I don't remember most of the information I gained from them. So, what's the benefit of reading so many books?

One day, a student asked his professor the same question. The professor remained silent and didn't answer that day. A few days later, the student and professor met by a river. The professor showed the student a pot with holes and said, "Let's go get water from the river with this pot." The pot broke on the ground. The student felt confused, thinking it was a useless task, as it was impossible to carry water with a pot full of holes.

However, he couldn't disobey his professor's advice, so he picked up the broken pot and ran towards the river. He filled the pot with water and brought it back, but he couldn't go far. A few steps later, the water leaked out of the holes and fell to the ground. He tried several times but failed and felt frustrated.

Afterward, he returned to his professor and said, "I failed. I couldn't bring water in this pot. It's impossible for me; please forgive me." The professor smiled sweetly and said, "You didn't fail. Look at the pot; it's clean now. It looks like a new pot. Whenever the water leaks out of the holes, the dirt inside the pot is washed away. The same thing happens to you. When you read a book, your mind is like the pot with holes, and the information in the book is like the water. When you read a book, you don't remember everything. But is it necessary to remember all the content? No, because reading books gives you ideas, knowledge, feelings, emotions, and truths that cleanse your mind.

Whenever you read a book, you undergo a spiritual transformation, and you are reborn as a new person. This is the main purpose of reading books."

{PS}

14/02/2026

“It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while…” Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

There’s no denying the power of Angela’s Ashes, it’s a memoir that shook Ireland, forced us to look in the mirror, and sparked fierce debates. Frank McCourt’s raw recollections of Limerick in the 30s and 40s exposed poverty, desperation, and the crushing weight of shame that many felt but rarely spoke of. To many, it was a liberating admission that life for some was unbearably hard; to others, it was an unjust betrayal of a town they loved. 

Some of the controversy came from those who felt McCourt had exaggerated, or at least misremembered, parts of his story. Many Limerick locals voiced anger, believing their city was portrayed in too bleak, too one-sided a light. Critics, including Gerard Hannan and even Richard Harris, alleged that the depiction of certain characters, institutions like the Church or Saint Vincent de Paul, or specific events were unfair. 

Then there’s the personal dimension, McCourt’s own mother reportedly stood up during a show of his storytelling and said, “It didn’t happen that way,” calling into question parts of the narrative that hurt her name. People close to Frank and those whose memories differed found parts of the book difficult to accept. Some called it ‘misery literature’ or felt the shame of poverty had been worn on display for the world to judge. 

Yet despite every protest, complaint, and tear, the book struck a chord — deeply so. For many, it opened up conversations about class, religion, shame, and history. It gave voice to those who had been ignored. It reminded us that behind the pride and traditions, there were lives lived in shadow, people who survived. Whether loved or loathed, Angela’s Ashes has become an imprint of what parts of Ireland were, what people suffered, and what some of us should perhaps never forget.

07/02/2026

SATAN’S ARENA by Christopher Chance special edition features the dream ‘The Night I Kissed The Devil’. Description and reviews of the book are here 👉 https://strandpublishing.co.uk/product/satans-arena/

This nightmare takes you to unimaginable places and sees unimaginable things that actually happened to me in Satan's Arena - a Spanish prison.Christopher Chance

07/02/2026

10/12/2025

The moment you fully comprehend that there’s no scientific evidence for the existence of any virus. That illnesses misattributed to non-existent viruses are not contagious. You realise, with a rush of true horror, what the vaccine industry is about. It’s THE ruse which permits deeply unpleasant ...