Must Read Releases 5th October 2018

Here's a selection of the books I've added to my To Be Read pile this week:



Beyond the Green by Sharlee Glenn
(Children's Fiction)

In this semi-autographical coming-of-age story set in 1979, Britta has just found out that her foster sister, Dori, is going back to live with her birth mother on the Uintah-Ouray Indian Reservation in Utah. But Britta isn't going to give up her little sister easily.
Eleven-year-old Britta's big Mormon family took in little Dori - a member of the Ute tribe - as a baby. Now, four years later, Dori's birth mother, Irene, is ready to take Dori back. Blunt and feisty, Britta is filled with anger. How can Irene claim Dori when she's been gone all this time? Britta will stop at nothing to keep her sister, even if it means running away or failing to see beyond her prejudices.

The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry
(Historical Fiction / Mystery & Thriller)

Edinburgh, 1847. City of Medicine, Money, Murder. Young women are being discovered dead across the Old Town, all having suffered similarly gruesome ends. In the New Town, medical student Will Raven is about to start his apprenticeship with the brilliant and renowned Dr Simpson. Simpson’s patients range from the richest to the poorest of this divided city. His house is like no other, full of visiting luminaries and daring experiments in the new medical frontier of anaesthesia. It is here that Raven meets housemaid Sarah Fisher, who recognises trouble when she sees it and takes an immediate dislike to him. She has all of his intelligence but none of his privileges, in particular his medical education. With each having their own motive to look deeper into these deaths, Raven and Sarah find themselves propelled headlong into the darkest shadows of Edinburgh’s underworld, where they will have to overcome their differences if they are to make it out alive.

On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
(Teen & YA)

Two timelines. Second chances. One love.
A ragtag crew travels to the deepest reaches of space, rebuilding beautiful, broken structures to piece the past together.
Two girls meet in boarding school and fall deeply in love - only to learn the pain of loss.
With interwoven timelines and stunning art, award-winning graphic novelist Tillie Walden creates an inventive world, breath-taking romance, and an epic quest for love.

Time's Children by D B Jackson
Book 1 of the Islevale Series
(Sci-Fi & Fantasy)

A time traveller trapped in a violent past must protect the orphaned child of a murdered sovereign and find a way home, in this astonishing epic fantasy novel.
Fifteen year-old Tobias Doljan, a Walker trained to travel through time, is called to serve at the court of Daerjen. The sovereign, Mearlan IV, wants him to Walk back fourteen years, to prevent a devastating war which will destroy all of Islevale. Even though the journey will double Tobias' age, he agrees. But he arrives to discover Mearlan has already been assassinated, and his court destroyed. The only survivor is the infant princess, Sofya. Still a boy inside his newly adult body, Tobias must find a way to protect the princess from assassins, and build himself a future... in the past.

Create Your Dream Life Now by Darren Marc & Joan Coleman
A Workbook & Guide for Manifesting Your Destiny
(Health, Mind & Body / Self-Help)

Most people wait for that "perfect" moment to begin living for their dreams - a financial windfall, retirement, or perhaps a move to a new city - but sadly, that perfect time often never comes. Create Your Dream Life Now is a practical, but visually delightful illustrated workbook that encourages people to start living dream-filled lives now.
By incorporating powerful workbook exercises, guided meditations, and nine key wisdom tools, the book teaches readers how to dramatically transform the landscape of their lives in just twenty minutes a day. The deeply transformational content of Create Your Dream Life Now is offered in a simple, fun, and inspirational way that makes an ideal gift book.
Create Your Dream Life Now represents a midpoint between a visual poem and a detailed yet reader-friendly functional guide and workbook to spiritual practice. It stands out from other manifestation books by marbling practical exercises, interactive meditations, and spiritual reflection into the subject matter. The work of acclaimed artist Joan Coleman fills the pages of this four-colour book, which includes sections on: Who You Are; Desire; Create Your Dream Life Now Meditations; Gratitude for the Now; Gratitude for the Future; Affirmative Prayer; Creative Visualization; Mindfulness Meditation; The 9 Keys to Creating Your Dream Life; Action; Synchronicity; Alignment; Faith; Wisdom; Prayer; Love & Service; Gratitude; Healing; Dream Week Living; and Dream Week Journal Pages.

L.M. Montogomery by Isabel Sanchez Vegara & Anuska Allepuz
Little People, Big Dreams
(Biography & Memoir / Children's Non-Fiction)

New in the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the incredible life of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the famous writer, in this true story of her life.
With stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful women of the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. These books make the lives of these role models accessible for children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world!

Girl Squads by Sam Maggs
20 Female Friendships That Changed History
(Biography & Memoir / Non-Fiction)

A fun and feisty tour of famous girl BFFs from history who stuck together and changed the world.
A modern girl is nothing without her squad of besties. But don't let all the hashtags fool you: the #girlsquad goes back a long, long time. In this hilarious and heartfelt book, geek girl Sam Maggs takes you on a tour of some of history's most famous female BFFs, including:
• Anne Bonny and Mary Read, the infamous lady pirates who sailed the seven seas and plundered with the best of the men
• Jeanne Manon Roland and Sophie Grandchamp, Parisian socialites who landed front-row seats (from prison) to the French Revolution
• Sharon and Shirley Firth, the First Nations twin sisters who would go on to become Olympic skiers and break barriers in the sport
• The Edinburgh Seven, the band of pals who fought to become the first women admitted to medical school in the United Kingdom
• The Zohra Orchestra, the ensemble from Afghanistan who defied laws, danger, and threats to become the nation's first all-female musical group
and many more! Spanning art, science, politics, activism, and even sports, these girl squads show just how essential female friendship has been throughout history and throughout the world. Sam Maggs brings her signature wit and warmth as she pays tribute to the enduring power of the girl squad. Fun, feisty, and delightful to read - with empowering illustrations by artist Jenn Woodall - it's the perfect gift for your BFF.

Red Key Revolution by Jordan Kemper
Redefining Success for a Life of Significance
(Non-Fiction / Self-Help)

For anyone who has ever stood at a crossroads or been at a pivotal moment in their lives, remember - you can always start over.
​• Have you ever achieved success at something and found it not as fulfilling as you hoped it would be? You're not alone.
• What if our version or definition of success won't bring us the sense of fulfilment we think it will?
• How do you define significance and how do we become significant?
In Red Key Revolution, Jordan Kemper challenges you to re-evaluate what it is you're after and why. During his pursuit of success, he found that significance is ultimately what our hearts desire. He unravels his story, including a decision he made as a teenage boy on behalf of a woman he would not meet for almost 20 years - his wife. That decision changed his perspective forever and ultimately led to the fruition of this revolution.
We make decisions every day that will affect the people we meet tomorrow. Through a series of questions and action steps, Red Key Revolution will help you gain clarity on how to deliberately and intentionally pursue significance and success. Sacrifices are necessary for anything worthwhile, and when you sacrifice for what matters most, it's guaranteed to be worth it. Kemper's book redefines success in a way that leaves a legacy - the kind of success that will matter long after you're gone.

Tiny Pieces by Stephanie Henry
(Romance)

We all carry tiny pieces of those who built us.
And those who wrecked us.
For Aria Clarke, Cole Porter is all her tiny pieces.
When Cole shows up in Aria’s hometown a decade after being gone, her whole world changes. She thought she had moved on, but the past has a way of taking hold of her again and dragging her back into the depths of first love and first heartbreak.
After everything she believed to be true turns out to be a lie, she’ll have to decide if the hurt she endured in the past is too much of a risk to try again, or if just maybe first love deserves a second chance after all.

Shadow King by Susan K Hamilton
A Dark Fantasy Tale
(Sci-Fi & Fantasy)

Ambition. Betrayal. Revenge.
Centuries ago, the Faerie Realm was decimated by a vile and corrupt spell. To survive, the different faerie races - led by the Fae - escaped to the Human Realm where they’ve lived ever since.
As the Fae Patriarch of Boston’s criminal underworld, Aohdan Collins enjoys his playboy lifestyle while he works from the shadows to expand his growing empire, until one night when he shares a shot of whiskey with the lovely Seireadan Moore…
A Fae Seer, Seireadan is haunted by a vision of the Fae responsible for destroying Faerie and murdering her family. Common sense tells her to stay away from Aohdan, but his magnetism and charm are irresistible.
As their passionate affair intensifies, Seireadan is pulled into the centre of the underworld. And while her heart is bound to Aohdan, she cannot let go of her lifelong quest to hunt down the Fae who haunts her visions… especially when she realises Aohdan might be the key to helping her find him.
But is revenge worth betraying the one she loves?

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
(Romance)

The heart may hide, but it never forgets.
Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new paediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.
But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos - the first and only love of her life - the careful bubble she's constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy's entire world - growing from her gangly teen friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother . . . only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.
Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more - spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco reading books, sharing favourite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy's decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.
The first women's fiction novel from New York Times and No. 1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Dating You, Hating You).

Egyptian Enigma by L J M Owen
Dr Pimms, Intermillennial Sleuth
(Mystery & Thriller)

Dr Elizabeth Pimms, enthusiastic archaeologist and reluctant librarian, is back in Egypt at the Cairo museum. Decoding cryptic symbols in the corner of an ancient papyrus leads her to a tomb of mummies whose identities must be uncovered. What is the connection between the mummies and Twosret, female Pharaoh and last ruler of Egypt’s 19th dynasty? How did their bodies end up scattered across the globe? And is the investigation related to the attacks on Elizabeth’s family and friends? Between grave robbers, cannibals, sexist historians, and jealous Pharaohs, can Dr Pimms solve her latest mystery?

The Book of Ceremony by Sandra Ingerman
Shamanic Wisdom for Invoking the Sacred in Everyday Life
(Religion & Spirituality)

Ceremony is a central part of human life and spiritual practice, yet in today’s world, many of our ceremonies have become rote or superficial. That’s why shamanic teacher Sandra Ingerman has created The Book of Ceremony - to help us recover the sense of deeper meaning and sacred connection that makes ceremony a powerful tool for transformation and healing. “Ceremonies have always been used to create transformation,” writes Ingerman. “Performing ceremonies creates a bridge between the material world we live in and the world of the unseen, the divine, the power of the universe.”
In this practical guidebook, Ingerman shares essential instruction for ceremonies that combine the power of your intention, the support of family and community, and the aid of the spirit world. Join her for this invaluable guide for adapting traditional wisdom to create ceremonies for modern practitioners - including rites of adulthood, sacred marriages, the “Prayer Tree” ceremony for blessing communities, and many more.

Elizabeth Warren by Antonia Felix
Her Fight. Her Work. Her Life.
(Biography & Memoir)

Elizabeth Warren's rise as one of America's most powerful women is a stirring lesson in persistence.
From her fierce support of the middle class to her unapologetic response to political bullies, Warren is known as a passionate yet plain-speaking champion of equity and fairness. In the wake of one fellow senator's effort to silence her in 2016, three words became a rallying cry across the country:
Nevertheless, she persisted...
In this breakthrough biography, bestselling author Antonia Felix carries readers from Warren's hardscrabble roots in Norman, Oklahoma, to her career as one of the nation's most distinguished legal scholars and experts on the economics of working Americans. Felix reveals how Warren brought her expertise to Washington to become an icon of progressive politics in a deeply divided nation, and weaves together never-before-told stories from those who have journeyed with Warren from Oklahoma to the halls of power.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Where Does my Self-Love Fall? by Nina Norstrom
A Success Guide to Replace Toxicity with Love
(Health, Mind & Body)

"When you don't love yourself, how can you expect another to love you?" Author Nina Norstrom admits It's a simple question with a very complicated answer. Self-love should come naturally, but for many of us it doesn't. Whether it stems from childhood abuses or toxic relationships along the journey of life, self-love can often be one of our greatest challenges.
In Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Where Does My Self-Love Fall? Author Nina Norstrom helps us probe into our thoughts and emotions to uncover our self-concepts and gives us tools to reshape them, and in the process learn to fall in love with ourselves, which is the first step in living a fulfilling, happy life.

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!