Fitba (football, soccer) is truly the world's game. It evokes the deepest emotions in the millions who play and watch it in almost every corner and culture around our globe. So where does this passion come from? Some of it is certainly inherent in genes, especially in respect of playing ability. However millions who have never played at any serious level are amongst the most fanatical of all. Like most addictions it is something formed by steady consumption over a prolonged period. Alcohol, nicotine and cocaine have much more obvious routes to our bloodstream but I firmly believe that soccer can get there too. It can ultimately provide such an overwhelming sensation of joy that the brain craves repetition of that euphoria, even if it may have to wait thirty years or more between very brief highs. Here's a true life story which provides a detailed insight into the environment and twists of fate which contrive to addict one Scottish boy and sustain that addiction even when he moves to America. They have soccer in America? Oh yeah, more than you can imagine.

Is it better to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth or a hunger in your belly? Is life in the city better than life in the country? Is life in the new world really better than life in old Europe? Is private education better than public? Is a university degree compulsory to success in life?. What exactly is a better life? Affluence does not guarantee happiness and poverty does not guarantee misery and regardless of inherent socio-economic standing a kind or cruel bounce at the right or wrong moment can be life-changing. Strong parental love and guidance ultimately trump actual money but the latter does make further education more readily available and that generally opens up more opportunities in the modern world. My wife and I had no post-secondary education and loved our upbringing yet we strived very hard to make sure our children did have university degrees and a shot at that better life. I hope the joyful if sometimes embarrassing memoirs of a Scottish working class boy, combined with a good deal of social history and the many quirks of the common language which my native and adopted countries allegedly share, can amuse and inform.

A spooky footballing tale! Tom is bored on the family holiday by the seaside - until he meets Leo, a mysterious barefoot boy who invites Tom to take part in a six-a-side soccer tournament on the beach. The rest of the team are dead weird too. Even stranger, not one of them has a shadow in the sun!

The Legend of the Mary Celeste is a 4500-word poem about this ill-starred ship and the horrible events that caused her to be discoveredadrift and abandoned near the Azores in November 1872. The anthology of poems is in seven sections: A Medley of Sonnets on various subjects; Poems of West Virginia, Seafarers of the 20th Century, includes a voyage aboard the RMS Queen Mary; Whaâs like us? Humorous views and flashbacks of an exile Scot; Ballades and Villanelles, modern versions of 14th-century poems, and finally Recollections, works that reflect life, human nature, Mother Nature, humour, sadness, grief, war, and current events.

Who is the mysterious player turning up to practise with the Bradgate School football squad? Flying down the wing, ghosting past defenders, the red-headed newcomer seems to have the magic touch that can win games. But why can't the team's shooting star play away from home? A gripping tale of soccer and the supernatural from football maestro, Rob Childs

'WHAT A WAY TO END THE SEASON!' The football season may be drawing to a close, but Luke Crawford - skipper, player-manager and coach of the Swillsby Swifts Sunday League team - is still full of running . . . when he's not tripping up over his own feet! He's also still full of ideas and dreams. Luke's new sweeper system for the Swifts relies on the unpredictable talents of his Italian cousin Ricki, but will it be too late to save them from relegation? Luke would dearly love to win a medal in the school Cup Final too, if only he's given the chance to get on the pitch. One thing's for certain. With soccer-mad Luke on the loose, there are bound to be plenty of shocks in store for everyone before the final whistle blows . . .