Search Results

< Back Linda Harkey Chatty the Hen Pheasant: Travels with the Pack Nassau finds an unusual and extremely talkative specimen hidden under the snow, by author Linda Harkey Cimaroc Lucky Nassau (or Nassau for short) is a Labrador Retriever, and a fearless hunter. One day, whilst out hunting pheasant with his owner the ‘Great One,’ there is a ferocious snowstorm. Nassau is separated from his owner, but undeterred he carries on the hunt alone. He sniffs out a pheasant under the snow and dives in head-first to retrieve the specimen. As Nassau pulls it out of the snow, he is presented with a rather strange – and extremely chatty - bird. Nassau carefully holds the bird between his teeth and begins his search for the ‘Great One.’ But the ‘Great One’ isn’t too pleased with Nassau’s discovery because he has inadvertently captured a hen pheasant, which is protected from hunting. The ‘Great One’ promptly releases the bird to the sky. This is an entertaining and educational story about a working dog, who performs an extremely important job for his human owner. Harkey shows the close bond between human and canine, and their relationship is beautifully captured in the illustrations by Mike Minick. Children will enjoy reading this story from the dog’s unique perspective, and will laugh at his frolics in the snow and his interactions with the very chatty bird. Whilst the bird is unharmed and released by the dogs’ owner, the pretext of this book is the hunting of pheasants to kill, which could upset or scare some young children (particularly in communities where children are not exposed to hunting). Parents reading this story might want to be prepared to answer questions about this type of activity and why it happens. The author might also want to consider adding some additional notes or resources, to support parents with those conversations. Star Rating: 5 Stars Summary ‘An entertaining and educational story about a working dog, who performs an extremely important job for his human owner. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ Purchase here

< Back Rachel Elwiss Joyce Lady of Lincoln Book blurb... A true story. A forgotten heroine. In a time when women were told to stay silent, could she become the saviour her people need? 12th-century England. Nicola de la Haye wants to do her duty. But though she’s taught a female cannot lead alone, the young noblewoman bristles at the marriage her father has arranged to secure her inheritance. And when an unexpected death leaves her unguided, the impetuous girl shuns the king’s blessing and weds a handsome-but-landless knight. Harshly fined by Henry II for her unsanctioned union, Nicola struggles to salvage her estates while dealing with devastating betrayals from her husband… and his choice to join rebels in a brewing civil war. Yet after averting a tragedy and gaining the castle garrison’s respect, she still must face the might of powerful men determined to crush her under their will. Can she survive love, threats, and violent ambition to prove she’s worthy of authority? In this carefully researched and vividly human series debut, Rachel Elwiss Joyce showcases the complex themes of honour, responsibility, and freedom in the story of a remarkable heroine who men tried to erase from history. And as readers dive into a world defined by violence and turmoil, they’ll be stunned by this courageous young woman’s journey toward greatness. Lady of Lincoln is the gritty first book in the Nicola de la Haye Series historical fiction saga. If you like richly textured female heroes, courtly drama, and fast-paced intrigue, then you’ll adore Rachel Elwiss Joyce’s gripping true-life tale. Purchase here

< Back William Meisel The Lost History of "Talking to Computers": And What It Teaches Us About AI Exuberance Book blurb... Speech recognition ”using human language to connect with computers” is an area of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that has caught people's imagination and challenged hundreds of companies to make it a reality. This work documents 27 years of efforts by companies and the individuals driving them to connect us to computers using human language and to make a financial success of the effort. In some years, over 300 companies believed they could profitably deliver speech recognition technology or its applications. They faced the hurdle of the cost of computing power being much higher than it is today and had to compromise in early years on their objectives, finding applications that both served a need but could be delivered at an affordable price. This history provides a perspective on how difficult technologies evolve more slowly than we remember, with much of that history and its lessons lost. The Lost History of "Talking to Computers" provides insights into today's exuberance over Artificial Intelligence. Purchase here

CONTACT US Submit Thanks for submitting!

< Back Tracey Lear Eli’s Story What Makes Me, ME! Author Tracey Lear introduces Eli, a little boy with a big story. This is Eli’s story. Eli is a little boy with autism who gathers all of his friends together to tell them all about him. He reads his story aloud and explains what autism is, how he is very bright but sees the world differently from other children, and how some things challenge him. He describes his world, through his eyes. His feelings and emotions. The things he likes and things he finds difficult. Eli is proud of who he is and encourages his friends to embrace their differences. The book is based on the real-life story of Eli, whose mum wrote a poem about him and shared it on social media. Following a positive reaction, the poem was later made into this lovely picture book to share far and wide. Designed to raise awareness of autism, the book certainly achieves that. It is an insightful book, written from the perspective of the child. Eli’s story will provide inspiration to others and encourage them to share their own stories. The book will help to increase understanding of autism and encourage empathy and compassion. Beautifully written in rhyme by Eli’s mum Tracey Lear, with adorable illustrations from Matea Anic, the book will appeal to children and adults alike. This book is a great resource for parents, carers, and children to open up conversations about autism, equality, diversity, and inclusion. We look forward to hearing more from Eli and his mum, Tracey Lear. Star Rating: 5 Stars Summary ‘An insightful and inspirational book, written from the perspective of a child with autism. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ Purchase here

< Back Tina Neely Bacon's Very Important Christmas Job! Bacon Bits (Bacon for short) wants to help his family get ready for Christmas. Everyone has a job to make Santa’s work easier, and Bacon would like his own job too. He attempts to help his forever daddy build special toys for children, but he ends up making a big mess. He tries to help his forever mom spread the joy of Christmas by singing Christmas carols, but poor Bacon does not have the best singing voice. He even tries to help mawmaw by sealing Christmas card envelopes with his nose, but he makes all the cards go soggy. But just when Bacon has given up all hope of helping Santa, Santa recognizes Bacon’s unique talent and finds the perfect job for a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. Tina Neely’s Bacon’s Very Important Christmas Job! is a delightful and heartwarming children’s book that captures the magic of Christmas through the eyes of Bacon Bit, a lovable Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. The story follows Bacon’s journey as he tries to help Santa in numerous ways, but nothing seems to go according to plan. Every time things go wrong, his family tells him he is loved. A wonderful way to remind young readers that everyone is loved and has something special to contribute. This is a funny and charming story for young readers, with valuable lessons about love, acceptance, belonging, and finding one’s special role in the world. The book’s vibrant and quirky illustrations complement the story perfectly. The inclusion of over five hundred hidden hearts adds an interactive element, making it a fun and engaging read for children. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary : A festive, heartwarming tale that will leave readers smiling and inspired. Pig-tastic! Purchase here

< Back Lisa Towles Salt Island Private Investigators, Ellwyn and Abernathy, face their most complex case and the biggest challenge of their lives, by author Lisa Towles. Marissa (Mari) Ellwyn and Derek Abernathy are partners and Private Investigators, at E&A Investigations, a private detective agency in Santa Monica, California. As Derek takes on a new case to investigate the accidental deaths of two workers following an explosion at a farm in the Central Valley; Mari takes on a case for her college friend, investigating the blackmail of a CEO in a multi-million-dollar IPO deal. Meanwhile, Mari is concerned about her father, Richard Ellwyn, a former CIA agent. Apart from a few cryptic postcards, she hasn’t seen or heard from him in two years. She decides to investigate her own case and secretly travels to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, to try and find him. Tortola was one of her father’s favourite hiding places when Mari was a young girl, and she hopes to find clues about his disappearance. But on the ferry journey over to Tortola, a dead body is found floating in the ocean, and Mari is interrogated by the Coast Guard. Arriving in Tortola, Mari finds a possible connection to her father, but has to rush back to California when she learns that her mother has had a stroke. As Mari and Derek further their investigations, they find a connection between their cases and a dangerous underworld of illegal drug manufacturing and toxic waste dumping, and a potential lead to her missing father. Mari and Derek must work together to solve their most complex case and the biggest challenge of their lives. Salt Island is a crime thriller, by author Lisa Towles, and the second book in the E&A Investigations series. This book is an intricate, immersive, and riveting thriller, with plenty of surprising twists and turns. The characters are believable and well developed, and Mari in particular is a memorable, tough-as-nails, female detective. The plot is intricate, fast paced, and full of mystery and suspense. The novel moves seamlessly between California and the Caribbean, and parallel storylines. A gripping page-turner, not to be missed. This book will appeal to readers of crime and detective fiction, espionage, and political thrillers. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A compelling, character driven, crime, thriller, with a tough-as-nails female protagonist. Purchase here

< Back Andrew Daniels Tomorrow's Rain Book blurb... Prepare to be whisked away on an adventure written by the majestic writer Andrew Daniels. His poetry is a monument to what a writer can create with their quill dipped in the sacred black ink of a poet's black heart. His drawings and illustrations bring his poetry to life with a flurry of colors and unique vision. Nothing is impossible if an artist has the imagination to build bridges and skyscrapers with only their words, and Andrew Daniels proves it in Tomorrow's Rain. However, will you find the answers to your questions in the trenches of his poetry? Grab your umbrella as Andrew Daniels takes you on an adventure to the state of Washington to find out. Good luck... Purchase here

< Back Julia Coldicott Just Being Fred A funny and charming picture book about diversity and inclusion, from author Julia Coldicott Frederick looks like a frog. He is green and slimy, has big bug-like eyes and can jump high in the sky. But more than anything in the world Frederick would like to be a duck. He feels like a duck on the inside, so why can’t he be a duck? Frederick’s frog friends disagree. They laugh at him and repeatedly tell him that he is a frog, and a frog he shall stay. Until one day, poor little Frederick, lonely and upset, talks to his mum and dad, and explains that he thinks he is a duck. His parents accept his desire to be a duck with open arms. “If you feel like a duck in your body, dear Fred, then a duck you shall be. It’s your life!” They both said. Brave Frederick returns to his friends beaming with confidence and tells them he will live as a duck just as he feels. Beautifully written by Coldicott, with sumptuous rhyme and repetition that younger will love. I imagine this book will be a bedtime favourite, as young children will love to shout aloud to ‘You’re a frog!’ ‘No, I’m not,’ ‘Yes, you are,’ which is repeated throughout the book. The illustrations by Lily Baron are adorable and funny. Young children will giggle at Frederick in some silly situations, and his many attempts to swim and fly like a duck. This is a sweet and charming picture book with an important message about equality, diversity, and inclusion. It will help children to understand the importance of self-acceptance, and of accepting others just the way they are. Star Rating: 5 Stars Summary ‘A sweet and charming picture book, with an important message about equality, diversity, and inclusion. We loved it. Everyone needs to be more like Fred! A SILVER WINNER and highly recommended.’ Purchase here

< Back Timothy D. White The Original Human Beings: Sometimes, in the Darkest Moments, We Can See the Brightest Lights! Book blurb... The world treated her as collateral damage. She answered with music—a premonition of rediscovering humanity. In a world growing numb to cruelty, The Original Human Beings tells the inspirational story of a girl named Never—a Honduran orphan who escapes living in a Central American city dump and journeys north with a cello on her back. She's fighting simply to stay alive. She alone could protect her hilarious little brother, Homero. She searched for a hero—but found a dreamy Nez Perce young man, the most athletic person she had ever seen, who helped her realize the hero was staring back at her in the mirror. It is a romance as scandalous as it is soulful, with no promise of happily ever after—only truth. She found refuge in Loco Lucy, the garbage dump's foul-mouthed, delightfully deranged, vampire-dressing matriarch. She was hunted by General Alejandro Mendoza—El Caudillo—a ruthless crime lord who misbelieved he was her father and would burn down the world to control her. And she was stalked by Alonzo Gomez, a seven-foot hitman with a French accent, a loaded pistol, and a soul darker than midnight—until she made him believe in something more dangerous. It is a high-concept saga infused with magical realism. It echoes with the mythic power of Le Morte d'Arthur—as timeless a tale as we may see in our generation. This is how we remember what truly matters. This is how we broken walk out of the monster. Purchase here

< Back Paula Dail Fearless One woman’s selfless and fearless pursuit of greater equality, justice, and reproductive rights for women, by author Paula Dáil. Maggie Corrigan was born in 1932 to young Irish immigrants, and brought up in a rough, South Side neighbourhood of Chicago. Her mother, Maureen, died during childbirth when Maggie was just nine years old, leaving her to bring up her younger siblings as the oldest female in the household. Her father, Paddy, worked in the stock yards, and spent much of his spare time in drinking establishments. At the age of seventeen Maggie contemplates her future. She could marry and have children like her mother, or she could work for a pittance as a domestic, but Maggie wants more from life and wants to improve the lives of poor catholic women. She decides to enter a convent with the hope of changing the catholic church and making it more equitable for women. Maggie joins the Order of the Pax Christi Sisters of Charity and Justice (SCJ) motherhouse in Saint Xavier, Indiana, where she is assessed by her superiors for her commitment and suitability for religious life. Maggie is admitted into the novitiate, and six years after entering the Order, she becomes a fully professed member of the SCJ religious community. Maggie dedicates the rest of her life to improving the lives of women, by helping them gain the self-confidence and freedom to control their own futures and their reproductive lives. In 2017, at the age of 86, Maggie contacts Professor Gillian Spencer, a sociologist, poverty researcher and women’s rights advocate, and invites her to write the story of her life. Gillian turns down the offer at first, but is eventually persuaded by Maggie to tell her story. Gillian travels to Chicago and immerses herself into the life of Maggie, following her journey back to her birthplace, through the church, to her work leading the women’s reproductive rights movement, and as a patient advocate in an Illinois abortion clinic. Fearless, by author Paula Dáil, is a moving and inspirational story about one woman’s selfless and fearless pursuit of greater equality, justice, and reproductive rights for women. Maggie dedicated her entire life to God, and to helping poor catholic women, while overcoming her own childhood trauma, and risking her profession and reputation. This is an insightful, captivating and sometimes harrowing novel, with believable characters and authentic narrative. The book highlights the patriarchal control and authoritarianism that still exists in society and the Catholic Church today. It is a great way of engaging those who might find feminist literature inaccessible, in women’s rights issues. Whilst this novel is a work of fiction, it is inspired by the collective stories of real women. The many women that inspired this story are a true inspiration to women and girls everywhere. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A moving and inspirational story that highlights the patriarchal control and authoritarianism that still exists in society and the Catholic Church today. Purchase here

< Back Mark Roeder What We Do Next Really Matters Author Mark Roeder discusses the global economic, political, environmental, societal and technological challenges that are shaping our world. The recent Covid19 pandemic has been a giant wake up call for humanity, but the reality is that the earth was already in a poor state of affairs, and our civilisation in a precarious state. How we respond to these challenges in the next few years will have significant implications for the human race and the planet. The choices we make at this critical point in our history and development, really matter. Roeder argues, if we fail to act now, we are likely to face the same fate as the Mayans, Anasazi, Akkadians, Harappa, Romans and other lesser-known civilisations that ignored the warning signs around them. Roeder questions our fundamental belief systems and explains why a fundamental change in mindset is required to solve the world’s problems. He argues that the pursuit of ‘growth at all costs’ mindset is threatening our very existence. He argues that we need to learn from the pandemic and harness the shock of Covid19, to make fundamental changes in the way we live our lives now, in order to save humanity. The book comprises three parts. Part one (Reflection) explains why humans are often reluctant to face up to difficult truths. Part two (Challenges) takes a critical look at the big challenges our world faces. Part three (Awakening) explores what it will take to put our world on a more sustainable path. Roeder proposes the development of ‘a social contract’, with a set of eight fundamental principles, which together, form the foundation of civil life. What We Do Next Really Matters by author Mark Roeder is an exceptional book about the global challenges that are shaping our world. What I particularly liked about this book, is that the author proposes a number of radical solutions. He recognises it is a difficult task, and suggests it may need to get worse before it gets better, but ‘ Once the ferocious winds die down, we may awaken to a different social landscape than the version we know now. Hopefully, one that is underpinned by a truly sustainable ethos that ensures our survival as a species.’ This is a well-written, thought-provoking book, which will appeal to anyone interested in the future of earth and the human race. It is a timely reminder that each and every one of us must play a part, and collectively we can make a difference. Everyone should read this book. We cannot ignore the warning signs. We have no choice. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: An exceptional, well-written, and thought-provoking book that everyone should read. It was a privilege to read and review this book. Purchase here