Must Reads 28th January 2018
Morning all, here are some new releases for your perusal - I want to read them all!!!!
(Children's Fiction,Mystery & Thriller)
Twelve-year-old Megan thought she knew everything there was to know about her mother’s death, but she was wrong. Confronted by a web of deceit and lies from her family and ignored by her schoolmates, she befriends her new neighbour, Ryan. But Ryan is hiding a dangerous secret in the nearby woods. He has found some blood on the snow next to an old watchtower and Megan is drawn into a situation that she would rather avoid.
When the two friends are saved from danger by an intriguing woman called Irene, Megan begins to realise Irene has information that could shed light on the mysterious events surrounding her mother’s death. Meanwhile, Megan’s father sinks deeper into depression and forbids her from reaching out to Irene again.
As the mystery deepens, a failed burglary and the discovery of an intruder in Ryan’s garden reveal the truth about the past. A final unexpected twist brings some comfort and happiness to Megan’s tragic life as the book reaches a hopeful conclusion.
Taking readers on an emotional and gripping journey, Red Snow deals with serious contemporary issues including depression and post-traumatic stress as Megan battles against her father’s illness to unravel the truth about her mother’s death. Comparable to Suzanne LaFleur’s Love Aubrey and David Yelland’s The Truth About Leo, Larraine’s debut book will appeal to readers aged 9-11 years who enjoy mysteries, as well as to charities and organisations raising awareness about mental health.
(Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction)
A poignant and unforgettable debut novel by L.M. Valiram
A millionaire, a widow and a monk. A plane crash. Three destinies linked for eternity in a tale narrated by Time.
Meet Radha.
She was left in a dumpster on the side streets of Mumbai to die as she was born; premature and undernourished.
Meet Mira.
At sixteen she is to marry a man she has never met before. On her wedding day, she carries a knife.
And Gaurav.
People say love is more important than money. But what happens when having one means you can’t have the other?
Scattered across India, these three are intertwined in unlikely ways: the flower shop owned by Mira’s husband employs Radha’s boyfriend, Mira and Gaurav become partners in business and most importantly, an ill-fated trip to Delhi links them all in death and life. Set in the sensuous worlds of Bombay and Delhi, Valiram’s dazzling novel explores the deep meanings of love, family, and time.
A small town, it's veterans and the community they built together
(Non-fiction, History)
A
small town struggling, like many communities, with the question of how to
remain vital and vibrant in the 21st century, took on another problem
altogether: that of the difficult homecoming of Iraq, Afghanistan and other war
veterans. Melanie Kline knows a little boy who tenses when his family goes to
the airport. He’s sure his father is headed for another deployment in
Afghanistan. The child’s father is dearer to him and his world a little less
safe, since his country went to war on terror. No one in Kline’s own family has
been caught up in the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, but she has come to see
that it affects her entire community. And she has rallied her small town to
respond. Kline founded the Welcome Home Montrose project to offer mental health
support, job and housing advice and other aid for returning warriors who are
burdened by memories of war and uncertain of what their homecoming will mean.
What she did not count on was how much the men and women who had served their
country still had to give. Home of the Brave is about community and military
service, and the possibilities born of creativity and commitment.
Seven Years in Cyprus
(Biography & Memoir, Travel)
Will appeal to all who have wished to head for a sun-drenched island life in the Mediterranean.
Includes the fascinating history and politics of the divided Island of Cyprus.
A real life modern day experience similar to the popular Durrells TV program.
With retirement fast approaching Bryan Hill was searching for at least one more big adventure. In late 2004 he, and his wife Irene, sold their home in Devon and moved to Northern Cyprus. They thought it would be life changing experience. And so it proved, with an abundant share of mind-numbing, frustrating, downright hilarious and sometimes scary brushes with the law, the military and, above all, the bureaucracy of this small island stuck in the middle of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Also included are some of the legends and folk law of the country which are equally fascinating and sometimes more believable than the reality of life there. To give a better understanding of the absurdities of life there, Bryan has sketched a brief history of Cyprus and the political events that have overtaken the island, particularly in the last 100 years. This is done with a tongue-in-cheek approach but this is not intended to trivialise the pain that many Cypriots suffer from the division of the island and its people.
Bryan kept a journal in the form of a blog to keep in touch with friends and family while living in Cyprus. This proved extremely popular and he has used it as the basis for this memoir. As he says:
‘Looking back, if we knew then what we know now, I don’t suppose we would have had the courage to do it... but we are so glad that we did. We had the time of our lives!’
(Non-Fiction, Romance)
Sam Opeche didn’t know his mum until he turned 19. His parents were divorced when he was just six. Something always told him that growing up wouldn’t have been so difficult if his parents had stayed together. He found that there’s his dad’s side of the story, his mum’s side of the story, and then there’s the truth.
Since then, a lot of his time has been spent on trying to search for the truth. Could his parent’s divorce have been prevented or was it inevitable? Could there have been something different in the mix that may have helped them weather the storms, or could it be that they were just not made for each other?
It wasn’t until years later, as he faced up to his own personal challenges in marriage, that it dawned on him what the solution could have been. ‘Don’t Get Married Until You Are Single’, but if you are married already, seek singleness and self-love and your marriage will blossom to new dimensions of fulfilment.
Since then, a lot of his time has been spent on trying to search for the truth. Could his parent’s divorce have been prevented or was it inevitable? Could there have been something different in the mix that may have helped them weather the storms, or could it be that they were just not made for each other?
It wasn’t until years later, as he faced up to his own personal challenges in marriage, that it dawned on him what the solution could have been. ‘Don’t Get Married Until You Are Single’, but if you are married already, seek singleness and self-love and your marriage will blossom to new dimensions of fulfilment.
(General Fiction, Mystery & Thriller)
Years ago, in the town of Saxon Falls, young Kelsey Willard disappeared and was presumed dead. The tragedy left her family with a fractured life—a mother out to numb the pain, a father losing a battle with his own private demons, and a sister desperate for closure. But now another teenage girl has gone missing. It’s ripping open old wounds for the Willards, dragging them back into a painful past, and leaving them unprepared for where it will take them next.
Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent Mark Foster has stumbled on uncanny parallels in the lives of the two missing girls that could unlock clues to a serial killer’s identity. That means breaking down the walls of the Willards’ long-guarded secrets and getting to a truth that is darker than he bargained for. Now, to rescue one missing girl, he must first solve the riddles that disappeared with another: Kelsey Willard herself. Dead or alive, she is his last hope.
A Memoir of Appalachia
(Biography/Memoir)
Just as the Great Recession was easing in some parts of the country, Jennifer McGaha experienced an economic crisis of epic proportions. Her home was in foreclosure; she had $4.57 in the bank; and worst of all, she had recently discovered that she and her accountant husband owed four years of back taxes to the state of North Carolina and the IRS. And then things got really bad…
Flat Broke with Two Goats takes readers on a wild adventure from a Cape Cod-style home in the country to a hundred-year-old, mice-infested, snake-ridden cabin in a North Carolina holler. With self-effacing humour and unflinching honesty, Jennifer chronicles the joys and difficulties of living close to nature, and in the process she comes to discover the true meaning of home.
Flat Broke with Two Goats takes readers on a wild adventure from a Cape Cod-style home in the country to a hundred-year-old, mice-infested, snake-ridden cabin in a North Carolina holler. With self-effacing humour and unflinching honesty, Jennifer chronicles the joys and difficulties of living close to nature, and in the process she comes to discover the true meaning of home.
Finding Faith in the Face of Fear
(Christian, Self-Help)
Use your faith to face your fears and break through to success!
What if you...
...weren’t afraid of other people’s opinions?
...weren’t afraid of failing?
...weren’t afraid of the cost?
...weren’t afraid of other people’s opinions?
...weren’t afraid of failing?
...weren’t afraid of the cost?
You are equipped to accomplish many things, if you push through what you fear, you can accomplish great things....and that could change everything!
What if you could do anything? Do not let fear keep you from your destiny!
(General Fiction, Mystery, Thriller)
When family man and war veteran Russell loses his job as a quarry worker, his life suddenly seems more like a waking nightmare than a chance to finally live the American dream. Facing bills, a new baby, and a bone-dry bank account, he’s got nothing left to lose. Russell comes to the rescue of a naked stranger dancing in the rain, and what was supposed to be a straightforward good deed turns into a spiral of danger. When Russell finds an enticing stash of money in the woman’s house, he knows the cash could be his only hope. Taking just a handful will save his family’s future.
His “victimless crime” seems to be anything but risky—until the criminals he robbed come looking for their dirty money. Russell’s ready to surrender it, but then his daughter gets sick…and he must choose between saving her or giving the devils their due. Someone’s going to pay. The question is, how much?
(General Fiction, Women's Fiction)
After the death of her art dealer father, forty-year-old Gaby Greenwood’s unmoored grief drives her to Paris alone, leaving her American husband behind. Where better for an existential crisis than the city so many artists have loved?
Walking through the streets, she sees a man with white hair and a worn corduroy jacket—a dead ringer for her late father. A ghost? Or has mourning driven her mad? Then she receives a letter from a woman she never knew existed—her father’s lover of three decades. The mysterious Françoise has been entrusted with her father’s last gift to Gaby, a valuable seventeenth-century still life. The woman is also the bearer of so many of her father’s secrets.
But when Gaby takes a French lover, she starts to question everything she ever knew about her father and her own double life: America or Paris, husband or lover, old life or a new, reimagined one?
Thanks so much for checking out this list. I can't wait to read these books, so watch out for my full reviews.
Check out all my reading lists here.
Happy Reading!
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