Must Read Releases - 30th August 2018
An Invitation to Meditation
(Children's Fiction)
Bentley is a lovable honeybee who does not participate in the frantic buzzing of other bees. Instead, he uses meditation to help calm himself and find inner peace. Soon the rest of the forest animals are joining along with Bentley as they sit, breathe, and “bee” still! Research has indicated that meditation can assist with improving concentration and focus, calming anxiety, and reducing impulsivity. A “Note to Parents and Caregivers” is included with information on how to teach children to practice meditation.
(Romance)
Sometimes love is waiting in the second act...
In her professional career, Ella Mancini plays matchmaker at Two Love Lane but, in her personal life, she takes the stage at the Dock Street Theatre. Now she has a chance at a new role in a Hollywood movie that happens to be filming in Charleston - one that features a big-name actress, Samantha Drake. Long ago, Ella passed up a major audition while awaiting a marriage proposal. Not only didn’t she get the role; she never got the ring, either. Instead, her boyfriend Hank went on to become a huge film star…leaving her, and all her dreams, behind.
But now Hank’s back in Charleston, cast as the male lead in the same movie Ella’s in. In spite of the dramatic tension off-screen, he and Ella try to stay cool onset. But when their old feelings start to heat up - at the same time leading-lady Samantha tries to play cupid - all bets are off. How can Hank convince Ella, after all this time, that she’s the one he really wants to be with in real life - and that some happy, rom-com endings really can come true?
In her professional career, Ella Mancini plays matchmaker at Two Love Lane but, in her personal life, she takes the stage at the Dock Street Theatre. Now she has a chance at a new role in a Hollywood movie that happens to be filming in Charleston - one that features a big-name actress, Samantha Drake. Long ago, Ella passed up a major audition while awaiting a marriage proposal. Not only didn’t she get the role; she never got the ring, either. Instead, her boyfriend Hank went on to become a huge film star…leaving her, and all her dreams, behind.
But now Hank’s back in Charleston, cast as the male lead in the same movie Ella’s in. In spite of the dramatic tension off-screen, he and Ella try to stay cool onset. But when their old feelings start to heat up - at the same time leading-lady Samantha tries to play cupid - all bets are off. How can Hank convince Ella, after all this time, that she’s the one he really wants to be with in real life - and that some happy, rom-com endings really can come true?
(General Fiction, Mystery & Thriller)
It is 1976 and Mikey, eight-years-old and street-wise beyond his years, is looking forward to a summer of freedom, roaming the creeks and the mud-flats of Canvey Island. But violent emotions are rumbling beneath the surface, about to destroy all that he thought he knew.
When Mikey’s neighbours, the Freemans, win a great deal of money, the old couple become the targets of a criminal act that leaves Peggy Freeman dead and her husband, Bert thirsting for revenge. Believing that young Mikey’s family is responsible, Bert devises a highly unusual but devastatingly effective form of reprisal. But where does the guilt really lie, and will there be punishment or redemption?
Told from Mikey’s viewpoint with light touches of humour, A Patient Man is a gripping crime novel peopled with believable characters who are drawn inexorably in to a story that explores the effects of greed, money and the human need for retribution.
When Mikey’s neighbours, the Freemans, win a great deal of money, the old couple become the targets of a criminal act that leaves Peggy Freeman dead and her husband, Bert thirsting for revenge. Believing that young Mikey’s family is responsible, Bert devises a highly unusual but devastatingly effective form of reprisal. But where does the guilt really lie, and will there be punishment or redemption?
Told from Mikey’s viewpoint with light touches of humour, A Patient Man is a gripping crime novel peopled with believable characters who are drawn inexorably in to a story that explores the effects of greed, money and the human need for retribution.
(Non Fiction, Self Help)
What do you get when you combine the insights of a professional life coach with the very human experience of being single, female and over 45? You get Minx Up Your Life! An inspirational call to action for single women over 45 to start embracing love, life and living for the moment. Carrie deals with the challenges and issues that single, older women face in a positive and realistic way. She also offers insightful and tangible solutions, while championing an exciting and tantalising alternative to settling down to a life of bingo and a houseful of cats!
The book openly discusses issues around sex, dating and relationships for women over 45. It also confronts our culture’s tired, old and stereotypical beliefs about ageing as a female in today’s society. Minx Up Your Life! introduces the idea of beliefs and core values and how they affect women’s everyday attitude and behaviour. To ‘Think Minx’ is to embrace a new mindset, which increases self-confidence and self-esteem. The Minx in this book, is unashamedly a playful and joyful single woman in mid-life, who is fulling her life’s full potential. Carrie’s rallying call is for her readers to “Come On, my fellow Minxes, let’s start living!” as she invites them to see mid-life as a potentially exciting and thrilling time, rich with possibilities and opportunities to stretch their wings and truly fly.
The book openly discusses issues around sex, dating and relationships for women over 45. It also confronts our culture’s tired, old and stereotypical beliefs about ageing as a female in today’s society. Minx Up Your Life! introduces the idea of beliefs and core values and how they affect women’s everyday attitude and behaviour. To ‘Think Minx’ is to embrace a new mindset, which increases self-confidence and self-esteem. The Minx in this book, is unashamedly a playful and joyful single woman in mid-life, who is fulling her life’s full potential. Carrie’s rallying call is for her readers to “Come On, my fellow Minxes, let’s start living!” as she invites them to see mid-life as a potentially exciting and thrilling time, rich with possibilities and opportunities to stretch their wings and truly fly.
The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams
A Sci-Fi Thrill Ride from Start to Finish
(Sci Fi & Fantasy)
In an effort to save the universe, she just might destroy it. THE STARS NOW UNCLAIMED is the incredible debut by a brilliant new voice in science fiction, perfect for everyone who loves READY PLAYER ONE, STAR WARS, MASS EFFECT or just a really huge battle...
AN IMPOSSIBLE MISSION
A century ago, a mysterious pulse of energy spread across the universe. Meant to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity, it instead destroyed technology indiscriminately, leaving some worlds untouched and throwing others into total chaos.
AN UNSTOPPABLE ENEMY
The Justified, a mysterious group of super-soldiers, have spent a hundred years trying to find a way to restore order to the universe. Their greatest asset is the feared mercenary Kamali, who travels from planet to planet searching for gifted young people and bringing them to the secret world she calls home. Kamali hopes that those she rescues will be able to find a way to reverse the damage the pulse wreaked, and ensure that it never returns.
THE END OF THE UNIVERSE
But Kamali isn’t the only person looking for answers to unimaginable questions. And when her mission to rescue a grumpy teenaged girl named Esa goes off the rails, Kamali suddenly finds herself smack in the centre of an intergalactic war… that she started.
AND THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING
A Sci-Fi Thrill Ride from Start to Finish
(Sci Fi & Fantasy)
AN IMPOSSIBLE MISSION
A century ago, a mysterious pulse of energy spread across the universe. Meant to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity, it instead destroyed technology indiscriminately, leaving some worlds untouched and throwing others into total chaos.
AN UNSTOPPABLE ENEMY
The Justified, a mysterious group of super-soldiers, have spent a hundred years trying to find a way to restore order to the universe. Their greatest asset is the feared mercenary Kamali, who travels from planet to planet searching for gifted young people and bringing them to the secret world she calls home. Kamali hopes that those she rescues will be able to find a way to reverse the damage the pulse wreaked, and ensure that it never returns.
THE END OF THE UNIVERSE
But Kamali isn’t the only person looking for answers to unimaginable questions. And when her mission to rescue a grumpy teenaged girl named Esa goes off the rails, Kamali suddenly finds herself smack in the centre of an intergalactic war… that she started.
AND THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING
(Fiction)
Veteran women's fiction writer Lauren Baratz-Logsted presents the moving story of a family disrupted by fame, perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Nancy Thayer.
Ever wonder what it must be like to be the younger sibling of someone so popular, princes and presidents are excited to meet him? Mona knows. Or thinks she does. Mona is married to Jack, younger brother to Denny Springer, lead singer for The Greatest Rock-and-Roll Band in the World. Jack happens to sing too, of course, not that anyone in the world notices very much. After Denny attends the family Easter dinner in London for the first time in decades, Mona invites Denny to join her and her family for the summer at a rental house in coastal Connecticut. She tells Denny it'll be a chance for him to finally bond with Jack, from whom Denny has been estranged for twenty years. Denny initially laughs at the idea…but then shows up on their doorstep.
As the summer progresses, though, questions arise: Did Denny really have a change of heart and a sudden commitment to family? Or is he hiding something? More importantly, why did Mona invite him in the first place? Most importantly of all, how well do we ever really know anybody?
Ever wonder what it must be like to be the younger sibling of someone so popular, princes and presidents are excited to meet him? Mona knows. Or thinks she does. Mona is married to Jack, younger brother to Denny Springer, lead singer for The Greatest Rock-and-Roll Band in the World. Jack happens to sing too, of course, not that anyone in the world notices very much. After Denny attends the family Easter dinner in London for the first time in decades, Mona invites Denny to join her and her family for the summer at a rental house in coastal Connecticut. She tells Denny it'll be a chance for him to finally bond with Jack, from whom Denny has been estranged for twenty years. Denny initially laughs at the idea…but then shows up on their doorstep.
As the summer progresses, though, questions arise: Did Denny really have a change of heart and a sudden commitment to family? Or is he hiding something? More importantly, why did Mona invite him in the first place? Most importantly of all, how well do we ever really know anybody?
(Sci Fi & Fantasy, Teen & YA)
If 14-year-old Cassandra Reed makes it through her first day at Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies without anyone discovering her secret, maybe, just maybe, she’ll let herself believe that she really does belong at Miss Castwell’s.
Except Cassandra Reed’s real name is Sarah Brown and up until now, she lived her whole life in the Warren, serving a magical family, the Winters, as all non-magical “Snipes” are bound by magical Guardian law to do. That is, until one day, Sarah accidentally levitates Mrs. Winter’s favourite vase in the parlour...
But Snipes aren’t supposed to have magical powers…and the existence of a magical Snipe threatens the world order dictated during the Guardians’ Restoration years ago. If she wants to keep her family safe and protect her own skin, Sarah must figure out how to fit into posh Guardian society, master her newfound magical powers and discover the truth about how an ordinary girl can become magical.
Except Cassandra Reed’s real name is Sarah Brown and up until now, she lived her whole life in the Warren, serving a magical family, the Winters, as all non-magical “Snipes” are bound by magical Guardian law to do. That is, until one day, Sarah accidentally levitates Mrs. Winter’s favourite vase in the parlour...
But Snipes aren’t supposed to have magical powers…and the existence of a magical Snipe threatens the world order dictated during the Guardians’ Restoration years ago. If she wants to keep her family safe and protect her own skin, Sarah must figure out how to fit into posh Guardian society, master her newfound magical powers and discover the truth about how an ordinary girl can become magical.
Union & Disunion
(History)
A landmark account that reveals the long history behind the current Catalan and Scottish independence movements
A distinguished historian of Spain and Europe provides an enlightening account of the development of nationalist and separatist movements in contemporary Catalonia and Scotland. This first sustained comparative study uncovers the similarities and the contrasts between the Scottish and Catalan experiences across a five-hundred-year period, beginning with the royal marriages that brought about union with their more powerful neighbours, England and Castile respectively, and following the story through the centuries from the end of the Middle Ages until today’s dramatic events.
J. H. Elliott examines the political, economic, social, cultural, and emotional factors that divide Scots and Catalans from the larger nations to which their fortunes were joined. He offers new insights into the highly topical subject of the character and development of European nationalism, the nature of separatism, and the sense of grievance underlying the secessionist aspirations that led to the Scottish referendum of 2014, the illegal Catalan referendum of October 2017, and the resulting proclamation of an independent Catalan republic.
A distinguished historian of Spain and Europe provides an enlightening account of the development of nationalist and separatist movements in contemporary Catalonia and Scotland. This first sustained comparative study uncovers the similarities and the contrasts between the Scottish and Catalan experiences across a five-hundred-year period, beginning with the royal marriages that brought about union with their more powerful neighbours, England and Castile respectively, and following the story through the centuries from the end of the Middle Ages until today’s dramatic events.
J. H. Elliott examines the political, economic, social, cultural, and emotional factors that divide Scots and Catalans from the larger nations to which their fortunes were joined. He offers new insights into the highly topical subject of the character and development of European nationalism, the nature of separatism, and the sense of grievance underlying the secessionist aspirations that led to the Scottish referendum of 2014, the illegal Catalan referendum of October 2017, and the resulting proclamation of an independent Catalan republic.
Escondido Magic Series
(Romance, Teen & YA)
After the death of his cousin and his father’s subsequent death in Afghanistan, former star athlete and gifted student, Josh Weston and his mother move to a desolate ranch in the Arizona desert. Josh blames himself for his father’s death and for the shooting of his best friend. Besides giving up on everything he used be great at, he is relentlessly bullied at his new school.
Unable to see any way out of his problems, he tries to end it all one moonlit night. Two of the mystical ranch’s ghosts stop him and pull him into dangerous tests of courage and intellect. Josh must learn to draw on his strengths and confront the haunted past that threatens his life and possible future with the beautiful and daring girl next door.
Unable to see any way out of his problems, he tries to end it all one moonlit night. Two of the mystical ranch’s ghosts stop him and pull him into dangerous tests of courage and intellect. Josh must learn to draw on his strengths and confront the haunted past that threatens his life and possible future with the beautiful and daring girl next door.
(General Fiction)
The locals call it the Death House, but Carol and Marco designed the New Life House as a home for kids to live, safely removed from the stigmas and judgments of the outside world.
Seventeen-year-old Tyler arrives on the doorstep, hoping that he’s finally found a safe place to die. His arrival causes the other kids to question the futures they’ve been promised, and Carol and Marco must convince them there is life after diagnosis.
Even through struggles with addictions and questions of sexuality, the residents could come to believe in the possibility of living.
Seventeen-year-old Tyler arrives on the doorstep, hoping that he’s finally found a safe place to die. His arrival causes the other kids to question the futures they’ve been promised, and Carol and Marco must convince them there is life after diagnosis.
Even through struggles with addictions and questions of sexuality, the residents could come to believe in the possibility of living.
(Children's Fiction, Parenting & Families)
Aimed at 9-13 year olds, Hardknocks, Hiccups and Headstands is a family based mystery with a difference. In her first novel, Ali draws on her childhood experience to create an exciting, engaging and emotional journey of two sisters standing up to life's hard knocks with humour, mischief and determination. If you like books that deal openly with real life problems and test all your emotions, then Hardknocks, Hiccups and Headstands will not disappoint. In the book, it is easy for the reader to identify with sisters Libby and Janet as they take matters into their own hands to prove to Dad that their childminder is not everything she claims to be. Far from being perfect themselves, the girls have a few tricks, many of which end up going wrong and landing them in even more trouble with Dad who is desperately trying to keep his important job whilst looking after his daughters. You will be gripped until the end when an exciting and chaotic series of mistaken identities, false arrests and confused paramedics eventually provide some vital clues. Hardknocks, Hiccups and Headstands may make you cry, will hopefully make you laugh and could teach you a thing or two about headstands.
Perfect Practice When Things are Imperfect
(Non Fiction, Self Help)
Practice can bring you fulfilment beyond your chosen field. But have you ever gotten stuck while learning something, to the point that you no longer enjoy it?
In How to get good, author Paul How guides you on what to expect once you commit to learning, with all its ups and downs, so that you could optimise the experience.
The first section of the book examines the mindset necessary to acquire a skill, emphasising processes rather than results. Next, How delves into techniques for better memorisation of your subject matter.
The final section on ‘Action’ discusses how to best apply what you learn in order to lessen anxiety and maximise enjoyment.
Although coming from the perspective of a musician, How’s philosophy encompasses all education. Learning, he says, is not something you stop once you become an adult; rather, it is key to continuously finding meaning in life.
In How to get good, author Paul How guides you on what to expect once you commit to learning, with all its ups and downs, so that you could optimise the experience.
The first section of the book examines the mindset necessary to acquire a skill, emphasising processes rather than results. Next, How delves into techniques for better memorisation of your subject matter.
The final section on ‘Action’ discusses how to best apply what you learn in order to lessen anxiety and maximise enjoyment.
Although coming from the perspective of a musician, How’s philosophy encompasses all education. Learning, he says, is not something you stop once you become an adult; rather, it is key to continuously finding meaning in life.
(Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Teen & Ya)
There is a magical land just beyond our imaginations called Jirvania; where stories grow. Muse faeries harvest these 'pearls' and bring them to our world.
In the heart of Jirvania, stands The Great Library, home of every book ever written, and a portal to other times and places where one can step into stories and experience them first hand. A kind wizard, Karel, has been Guardian of The Great Library for over a thousand years.
When young Jack Lemoine finds an opal dragon egg in Mystic, Connecticut, he soon discovers the real world is not what he thought.
Dragons, unicorns, and faeries do exist. Unfortunately, so do witches, ogres, and other monsters, and they want Jack dead, yesterday.
A prophecy is written in the stars that he will one day save Jirvania, but evil forces find a way to disrupt time itself, and Jirvania is annihilated before Jack comes of age.
Imagination ceases to exist. Libraries crumble, art disappears, and theme parks vanish. Music dies. Our lives become empty and meaningless.
Imprisoned on Muse Mountain, Jirvania's lone survivor, Karel, receives a visitor from the stars above, urging him to change the story.
Meanwhile, back in Mystic, Jack and his friend, Mia are thrown into a fantastical adventure when Julu, the opal dragon hatches to protect them, taking them back in time to fix what once went wrong. The children soon learn that family, friendship, and love are the threads that bind us together, no matter who or what we are and hope is found in the most unexpected places.
Now Jack must help change the story before it's too late, but Guardian Karel harbours a terrible secret that may destroy our imaginations forever.
The Confessions of Jonathan Flite by Matthew J Beier
Book 1 in the Jonathan Flite Series
(Mystery & Thriller, Teens & YA)
Jonathan Flite claims to have memories he can’t explain. Seven layers of them, to be exact, all belonging to a group of teenagers who disappeared from a place called Idle County in 2010 - ten years before his birth. Seventeen years of anxiety, violent outbursts, and refusal to admit he is lying have landed him at Crescent Rehabilitation Centre, a seaside juvenile centre for rich kids, and nobody has ever dared to believe his memories might be real.
Until now. On a blustery November day just three months after a nuclear terrorist attack in Geneva, Switzerland, ex-CIA psychiatrist Thomas Lumen arrives at Crescent to interview Jonathan for a book about Idle County. Fuelled by his personal connection to the disappearances three decades earlier, he asks Jonathan to share what he knows - anything and everything.
By reigniting this thirty-year-old mystery, however, Jonathan inadvertently becomes a target of the very same religious terrorists who attacked Geneva, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the secrets of Idle County under wraps. Jonathan must then make a choice: to continue telling his story, or risk the safety of everyone he loves.
In the heart of Jirvania, stands The Great Library, home of every book ever written, and a portal to other times and places where one can step into stories and experience them first hand. A kind wizard, Karel, has been Guardian of The Great Library for over a thousand years.
When young Jack Lemoine finds an opal dragon egg in Mystic, Connecticut, he soon discovers the real world is not what he thought.
Dragons, unicorns, and faeries do exist. Unfortunately, so do witches, ogres, and other monsters, and they want Jack dead, yesterday.
A prophecy is written in the stars that he will one day save Jirvania, but evil forces find a way to disrupt time itself, and Jirvania is annihilated before Jack comes of age.
Imagination ceases to exist. Libraries crumble, art disappears, and theme parks vanish. Music dies. Our lives become empty and meaningless.
Imprisoned on Muse Mountain, Jirvania's lone survivor, Karel, receives a visitor from the stars above, urging him to change the story.
Meanwhile, back in Mystic, Jack and his friend, Mia are thrown into a fantastical adventure when Julu, the opal dragon hatches to protect them, taking them back in time to fix what once went wrong. The children soon learn that family, friendship, and love are the threads that bind us together, no matter who or what we are and hope is found in the most unexpected places.
Now Jack must help change the story before it's too late, but Guardian Karel harbours a terrible secret that may destroy our imaginations forever.
The Confessions of Jonathan Flite by Matthew J Beier
Book 1 in the Jonathan Flite Series
(Mystery & Thriller, Teens & YA)
Until now. On a blustery November day just three months after a nuclear terrorist attack in Geneva, Switzerland, ex-CIA psychiatrist Thomas Lumen arrives at Crescent to interview Jonathan for a book about Idle County. Fuelled by his personal connection to the disappearances three decades earlier, he asks Jonathan to share what he knows - anything and everything.
By reigniting this thirty-year-old mystery, however, Jonathan inadvertently becomes a target of the very same religious terrorists who attacked Geneva, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the secrets of Idle County under wraps. Jonathan must then make a choice: to continue telling his story, or risk the safety of everyone he loves.
(General Fiction)
When Michael, a schizophrenic, is kicked out of a halfway house for sexually acting out, his estranged, older brother, Chris, is forced to take him. They go to Florida for the summer in a senior mobile-home park. Well-intentioned, but misguided, Chris tries to cure his brother. For a time Michael charms the old folks with his Michael Jackson style dancing. Then pandemonium sets in. Sometimes funny, sometimes wrenching, the brothers try to resolve the past that brought them to where they are. Does sibling rivalry or brotherly love win?
If you liked Rain Man, Silver Lining Playbook, and Manchester by the Sea, you'll love Summer with Michael.
If you liked Rain Man, Silver Lining Playbook, and Manchester by the Sea, you'll love Summer with Michael.
I can't wait to read and review these books so watch this space!
If you liked this post have a look at my complete list of Reading Lists or my complete list of What I Learned full review posts.
Happy Reading!
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