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< Back Paula Welch Cloud Piercer A fight for survival on a treacherous mountain, by author Paula Welch When a small explosive device is found on a private jet from Sydney to Christchurch, the passengers, Henry and Gertrude, are diverted to a commercial airline, carrying 500 passengers. Joining them onboard the Airbus is a police officer named Victoria, dispatched by the Australian Federal Police to travel to Christchurch to interview one of the suspects believed to be responsible for planting the bomb. Also on the flight is Wolf, a hit man sent to finish the job he started on the private jet and kill Henry and Gertrude before they reach their destination. Just before the flight is due to land in Christchurch, news arrives of an earthquake nearby and the crew are advised to divert the flight to Auckland. Captain Benjamin turns the plane around but inadvertently flies straight through invisible gas vapours, choking the engines and causing them to shut down. The plane descends through the peaks of Mt Walter, Mt Green, and Mt Darwin and crash lands on a snowy mountain top. Many passengers are dead and seriously injured, but rescue attempts are impeded by ongoing seismic activity, and precarious conditions. As the survivors await the arrival of the mountain rescue teams, Captain Benjamin tries to maintain calm and order on the plane. The crew and passengers work together to move the dead and treat the wounded, but one passenger has other ideas. Wolf sees an opportunity to finish his job, and sets out to eliminate his targets. Cloud Piercer is a fast paced, drama and disaster fiction novel by author Paula Welch. The book brings together an aeroplane disaster, a mountain rescue, and earthquakes, avalanches, and volcanic activity; with several subplots, including a murder mystery; and a romance. Yet, this is a gripping disaster novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously. There is a fair bit of death and tragedy, but there are also wonderful uplifting and comedy moments. The characters - each with a unique backstory – are plentiful, diverse, and well developed. The character Pauline, an eccentric, fictional character (and a parody of the author), is a really nice addition. Overall a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable read. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A fast-paced, gripping, drama and disaster novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Purchase here

< Back Wittingly Yours You Are Enough, Just as You Are (Yes! It's True) You Are Enough by Wittingly Yours is a heartfelt and empowering book that gently reminds young readers of their self-worth and individuality. Through poetic verses and soothing imagery, the author crafts a message of self-acceptance, resilience, and the importance of embracing one's unique journey. The tone is compassionate and uplifting, making it a comforting read for anyone struggling with self-doubt or societal pressures. The book emphasizes that self-worth is not defined by external validation, material possessions, or social media likes. Instead, it encourages readers to treasure their inner qualities, scars, and experiences, as these are what make them truly unique. The recurring affirmation, "You are enough," acts as a mantra, urging readers to embrace their authentic selves and reject the urge to conform to societal molds. The poetic structure flows beautifully. The verses are simple yet profound, making them accessible to a wide audience. The imagery of nature, such as blooming flowers and growing trees, is used effectively to symbolize personal growth and the importance of patience in one's journey. The book also touches on themes of resilience, reminding readers that mistakes and setbacks are natural parts of life and essential for growth. You Are Enough by Wittingly Yours is a beautifully written picture book for younger readers. With its simplicity and heartfelt message, this book would make a valuable addition to anyone's collection of inspirational literature. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary : A beautifully written and heart-warming book that gently reminds young readers of their self-worth and individuality. Purchase here

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< Back A.N. Stewart The Shotgun Shack Kitties: Bill Bailey, Please Come Home A group of kitties embark on a musical adventure like no other. A group of kitties live in a beautiful little shotgun shack in Gentilly, New Orleans, with their human, Eartha. One day, when Eartha is at work, a cat named Bill Bailey is playing outside when a butterfly lands on his nose. Bill Bailey follows the butterfly down the street and greets his neighbors, but none of them can understand him. He meets a couple of elder cats, who tell him they have a secret way to make all humans understand cats. They explain that the secret is in the power and language of music. The elders offer to teach Bill Bailey, and all the other kitties, how to play music. The kitties meet at the old oak tree and choose their musical instruments. When Eartha returns home, she is surprised to find all the kitties are gone. Sad and worried, Eartha goes out to search for the kitties and sings a song to bring them home. As she sings, she hears music and finds the shotgun shack kitties moving through the neighborhood in the tradition of a brass band parade, playing “Bill Bailey, Please Come Home.” The Shotgun Shack Kitties: Bill Bailey, Please Come Home is a delightful picture book by author A.N. Stewart about the adventures of Bill Bailey and other kitties who live in a little shotgun shack in Gentilly, New Orleans. Based on a real cat named Bill Bailey and other cats who live with the author in a shotgun house in New Orleans, the book features the song "Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey" written by Hughie Cannon in 1902. This is a sweet and endearing picture book, which provides a great introduction to New Orleans and jazz music. With an adorable cast of feline characters, and set in glorious New Orleans, this book will enchant readers of all ages. The book will leave readers tapping their toes and humming along to the sweet sounds of jazz music. The colorful, vibrant illustrations by Virginia de Mahy bring the characters and the sights and sounds of New Orleans to life. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A charming tale of feline musicianship, set in the heart of New Orleans. Purchase here

< Back Terry Kirk Pitfall Frank Cork had it all. As head trader at Chicago’s leading commodities brokerage firm, Frank made a fortune trading wheat futures. He lived the good life, with his beautiful wife Katrina and their two children. Frank witnesses a gangland shooting and fears for his life when he is noticed by the shooter. Shortly after, Frank’s entire fortune is wiped out when the price of wheat plummets during the 1929 stock market crash. Frank flees to Canada, to escape the mob and recover his losses, leaving behind Katrina and the children. While the firm tasks intern Lewis to find Frank, the police open an investigation into his disappearance. Frank has a plethora of enemies, and the police suspect foul play. Frank travels to the Canadian Prairies where he adopts an alias and takes refuge with a local family. He partners with a bootlegger and begins to smuggle Canadian whiskey to the United States, while secretly orchestrating a high-stakes wheat futures deal to recover his losses. Meanwhile, Katrina, struggles to keep their family afloat and forms a bond with Lewis, who continues to search tirelessly for Frank. Frank’s journey is fraught with challenges, including encounters with mobsters, a relentless investigator, and a rival from the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. Pitfall by Terry Kirk is a gripping historical fiction novel set in Chicago during the 1929 stock market crash. The story follows Frank Cork as his life unravels amidst financial ruin. The novel offers a fascinating insight into Chicago’s financial world, wheat trading, and the great stock market crash. The vivid descriptions of Chicago’s financial district and the wind-swept Canadian Prairies create a rich, atmospheric backdrop for the drama. The characters are well-developed, particularly Frank and Katrina, whose personal struggles feel authentic and relatable. The novel combines historical drama with personal introspection, making it a must-read for fans of character-driven stories and historical fiction. Star rating : 5 Stars Summary : A compelling and emotionally charged historical fiction novel, with memorable characters and a gripping plot inspired by real-life events. Purchase here

< Back Christina Ford In Search of Mr Darcy: Lessons Learnt In The Pursuit of Happily Ever After Real-life Bridget Jones meets Sex in the City In Search of Mr Darcy: Lessons Learnt in The Pursuit of Happily Ever After, is a memoir by businesswoman and blogger, Christina Ford, exploring love, sex, marriage, parenting and divorce. Divided into seven books, each book tells the story of a phase in her life, defined by her relationships with men. The names of her lovers are changed, i nspired by characters in Jane Austen novels. Growing up on a diet of romantic novels and Disney princess movies, Ford hoped one day to find enduring love and live ‘happily ever after.’ In the first book, Ford describes her relationship with her beloved father, the impact he had on her life and her relationships with men. In the ‘Book of Brandon,’ Ford discusses her first marriage and her early career in television production. The marriage lasted just over a year. After her divorce, Ford concentrates on her career and begins a relationship with Jackson, a handsome and charming client. But the relationship with Jackson ends when his alcoholism spirals out of control. In the ‘Book of John,’ Ford meets her future husband. The marriage is happy, and the couple have two daughters, but the transition to motherhood is not easy, and Ford experiences post-partum depression. When Ford discovers her husband has been unfaithful, the marriage ends in divorce. In the ‘Book of Edward,’ Ford discusses her relationship with a married man, becoming a stepmother to his daughter, and moving from Toronto to London to be with her man. As Ford builds a life for herself in a new country, she discovers Edward has cheated on her. In her fifties, Ford embarks on a new journey of independence and self-discovery. In Search of Mr Darcy is an intimate, moving, and funny memoir of one woman’s life, and her search for love and happiness. Spanning four decades of her life, Ford describes her tumultuous relationships with honesty and humor, recalling the good and the bad, the highs and the lows of her romantic escapades. From the euphoria of a new relationship to the crushing heartbreak of separation – this memoir covers it all, warts and all. With each relationship experience, Ford learns valuable lessons about herself. This is a fascinating memoir by an inspirational woman who has had an extraordinary life. A life well lived, full of love and lots of laughter. For any woman searching for ‘happily ever after’ - you might find you are searching in the wrong place! Star rating: 5 Stars Summary : An intimate, moving and funny memoir of one woman’s extraordinary life, and her search for love and happiness. Purchase here

< Back Melissa Fors Shackelford Harnessing Purpose: A Marketer's Guide to Inspiring Connection Harnessing Purpose: A Marketer’s Guide to Inspiring Connection is a marketing and leadership guidebook by Melissa Fors Shackelford, a seasoned marketing executive and advisor with over two decades of experience. Shackelford explains that marketing is not just about selling products but about aligning a brand’s values and mission with its strategies to foster trust, loyalty, and societal impact. She highlights the importance of discovering a brand’s purpose, which serves as a guiding force for decision-making and customer engagement. Through real-world examples, Shackelford illustrates how purpose-driven brands build loyalty, enhance reputation, and achieve sustainable growth. Leadership is presented as the cornerstone of purpose, with leaders inspiring teams, making ethical decisions, and fostering authenticity. Shackelford provides actionable strategies for crafting purpose-driven campaigns, such as storytelling, social media engagement, and community-focused initiatives. She emphasizes the importance of measuring the impact of purpose through metrics like brand sentiment and customer loyalty. The book advocates for marketing as a meaningful profession and urges leaders to embrace purpose as a compass for creating lasting connections and driving positive change in their organizations and communities. Harnessing Purpose: A Marketer’s Guide to Inspiring Connection is a comprehensive and engaging guidebook, for marketing professionals, business leaders and entrepreneurs. Shackelford masterfully combines real-world insights, actionable strategies, and inspiring stories to show how purpose-driven marketing can transform businesses and foster authentic connections. With its focus on inclusivity, resilience, and ethical leadership, this book is a powerful resource for anyone looking to align their work with their values and create lasting change. A must-read for both new and experienced marketers and business leaders seeking to foster meaningful connections and lead with authenticity and purpose. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary : A practical and insightful guidebook that empowers marketers and leaders to build authentic connections, drive societal impact, and achieve sustainable growth. Purchase here

< Back Tony Jeton Selimi A Path to Excellence A self-help book by author, entrepreneur, coach and motivational speaker, Tony Jeton Selimi. Selimi shares his formulae of success to help readers feel more confident, empowered, and accomplished while working on their aspirations, goals, and dreams. The book is based on Selimi’s personal, professional, business, and client breakthrough experiences and thirty years of research, lessons, study, and transformations. Based on decades of teachings, Selimi developed an easy-to-follow method, a simple eight-step process, and scientifically proven principles to guide people onto the path of excellence in their chosen areas of life. The principles are - Principle 1 : To break free from ambiguity, clarify what you want, why you want it, and when you want it. Principle 2 : Awakening your astronomical vision requires committing to something bigger than yourself. Principle 3: To build your resilience, it is wise to immediately confront any issues that arise and respond mindfully and objectively. Principle 4: Making mistakes is human; correcting them awakens your excellence. Principle 5: For better, more efficient, and more effective results, seek expert advice . Principle 6: To grow on the inside and expand on the outside, collaborate. Principle 7: To unleash the power of gratitude, graciously give and accept compliments. Principle 8: Continuously celebrating small wins can change your physiology, strengthen your psychology, and maximize your potential. Alongside each principle, Selimi offers a number of tips and tricks, practical advice, and exercises to help readers practice these principles. Selimi encourages readers to practice these eight key principles daily and willingly, to see positive changes in personal, professional, and business life. A Path to Excellence by Tony Jeton Selimi is an enlightening and transformative self-help book, which aims to help readers achieve their own goals and success in life. With an easy to follow, eight step method, this book offers practical solutions to help readers make positive changes in their personal, professional, or business life. This is an authentic and credible book as Selimi shares his own journey and the significant challenges he experienced throughout his life. Selimi’s journey is inspiring, his teachings are simple yet profound. The book will appeal to any reader interested in personal development. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: An enlightening and transformative self-help book, which will help readers gain a deeper understanding of themselves through a simple eight step process. Purchase here

< Back Angela White Nuclear Ashes Book blurb... Adrian will soon discover if the choices he’s made have cost him a son. Even Angela can’t be sure. Neither can any of the others like her. The power of the descendants is growing, and so is Safe Haven's awareness of having magic in their midst. Angela is no longer the only seer in Adrian’s camp of survivors…if she ever was. Now on the way to Arkansas, these battered refugees will face a more dangerous threat than the slavers. Furious at the latest bloodshed between lawless groups of humanity, Mother Nature has declared her own war, repeatedly unleashing her fury against everyone. The apocalypse has never been more lethal as the aftermath continues to take its toll on what remains of the great human herd. Purchase here

< Back Lisa Towles Switch Private investigator, Marissa ‘ Mari’ Ellwyn, is recovering at home following a near fatal hit and run car accident. Mari believes it was no accident, but an attempted hit on her life to stop her from investigating a string of bank robberies. As her business partner, Derek Abernathy, attempts to find the prime suspect, James Traeger, Mari is woken in the middle of the night by an intruder. The intruder is a Chief Forensic Pathologist named Dr Linus Hagen, who discloses suspicious activity at the local morgue. A John Doe was brought into the morgue and then mysteriously disappeared after the autopsy, along with the County Medical Examiner, Dr. Camille Bota. Mari and Derek take on the case and examine the autopsy reports and photographs of the John Doe. They discover peculiar marks on the body and suspect foul play. They soon identify the John Doe as a local man named Val Sharma, the Marketing Director of a technology company called AEI. As Mari and Derek look further into the company, they find AEI’s parent company (Praxis) is building a quantum computer called ‘Switch’. This new tech could destabilize the crypto market and threaten the U.S. economy. As Mari delves deeper into the case, another AEI executive goes missing. Mari discovers a disturbing connection between Praxis, a notorious crime boss, and her own estranged father. Switch is a gripping, fast-paced, techno-crime thriller by author Lisa Towles, and the third instalment in the E&A Investigations Series. The novel follows private investigator Marissa Ellwyn as she navigates a complex web of corporate corruption and espionage, murder, and personal betrayal. The story intertwines Mari's investigation with her personal struggles, including her relationship with her estranged father and her traumatic past. Told through the first-person perspective, Towles’ masterfully weaves a complex techno-crime thriller with a powerful, personal narrative. Overall, Switch is a clever, complex, and captivating thriller, with an intriguing and multi-layered storyline. A stellar third instalment of this gripping series. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary : A suspenseful and absorbing techno-crime thriller, filled with mysteries and twists. Purchase here

< Back Governor Nathan Deal Veto, the Governor's Cat Veto, an ordinary cat, with an extraordinary story. Veto is a cat, but not just any cat! He is the Governor’s cat. Veto was born on a farm and enjoyed playing with all the farmyard animals. One day, Veto and his big brother, Bill, were sent to live at the Governor and First Lady’s mansion, to help protect the mansion’s garden from the chipmunks and birds that were eating the fruits and berries. As Veto and Bill settled into their new home, they explored the grounds and liked to chase away the chipmunks, squirrels, and birds. They make friends with the troopers and a man who worked at the mansion, named Dan. But one day, it is time for the Governor and First Lady to move on, and Veto and Bill move to a new home in the country. The brothers are scared and sad to leave their friends, especially Dan. Veto and Bill have a good life in the country, and meet lots of new friends. But as time passes, Veto soon has to navigate life in the country without his big brother and best friend. He makes new friends, and the Governor and the First Lady become his very special companions. Veto, the Governor's Cat by author, Governor Nathan Deal, is a sweet, charming and heartfelt tale of the Governors cat, Veto. Written from Veto’s perspective, the book follows his journey from his birth on a farm, through to his time living at the Governor’s mansion, through to his later years in the countryside. As Veto moves to different homes, he learns important life lessons, including how to be brave in new situations, how to make new friends, and even how to deal with death. The story captures Veto’s emotions, the confusion of moving home and the sadness of his loss, while also offering moments of warmth and joy as he makes new friends and learns new things. His experiences are similar to human experiences and young children will relate to his journey. The watercolour style illustrations by Cheryl Riner Hodge are beautiful and capture Veto’s life and emotions perfectly. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary : A warm, tender and beautifully illustrated book that gently guides children through big life events. Purchase here

The Bear and the Rose < Back E.K. Larson-Burnett The Bear and the Rose An outstanding debut, from author E.K. Larson-Burnett Springtide is approaching in Hazelfeur, and the village is on high alert as the bears wake from their winter hibernation. Ever year the bears have grown bolder, and in recent years have started to breach the village. Rhoswen, an orphan and female bear-slayer, has sworn to protect the village from the bear goddess, Artio, who terrorises the village with her army of bears. When a bear enters the village and kills a young boy, Rhoswen travels through the forest to find and slay Artio. While Rhoswen searches for Artio’s lair, she finds a beautiful young woman, named Diomath, trapped in Artio’s nest. Diomath appears to have been attacked by a bear, and has an injury to her leg. Rhoswen is enchanted by the young woman, and goes back to Hazelfeur to get her some help from the village healer. Rhoswen soon discovers that Diomath is the daughter of Artio, but Diomath explains she has no love for her mother who inflicted her with a terrible curse. Can Rhoswen stop the bear attacks once and for all? And can she trust the daughter of the evil bear goddess? The Bear and the Rose is a beautifully written fantasy novel for young adult readers, by debut author E.K. Larson-Burnett. The novel is pure, wonderful escapism, as the author takes the reader on a fantasy journey into the mesmerising world of Hazelfeur. I was totally immersed in this story and transported into Hazelfeur and Artio’s lair for a period of time. The book comprises short, concise chapters, and has many twists and turns that kept me riveted throughout. This book could be easily devoured in a single sitting. With beautiful, lyrical prose, fully developed characters, and a rich fantasy world, this is an outstanding debut novel. I cannot wait to read more from this talented author. The book will appeal to readers who enjoy fantasy, fairy tales, folklore and Celtic mythology. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A beautifully written fantasy novel for young adult readers. The novel is pure, wonderful escapism, and highly recommended. Purchase here