Daily Archives: September 21, 2020

Beset: The Pursuit of Happiness in Times of Crisisby L. D. Bullen

“A memoir with a difference, I laughed and cried throughout this book…”
“One of the most honest books you’ll ever have the pleasure of reading…”

The father of an autistic boy embarks on an incredible journey following a slide into emotional and financial crisis.
As problems mount, internal chaos grows and his young son’s autism worsens, Lee realises that he is his own worst enemy and begins to unearth the true meaning to his life…
Set during the Global Financial Crisis, this stirring true story of a father overcoming his demons for the sake of his children will inspire anyone struggling through their own times of crisis.

Beset – A modern memoir about an enlightening journey of self discovery.

“99 percent of this story is true, one percent is outrageous liberty-taking. Although I may only be 99 percent telling the truth when I say that, I only really remember one percent of what happened.” – Lee Daniel Bullen

Rock Breaks Scissors: A Practical Guide to Outguessing and Outwitting Almost Everybodyby William Poundstone

A practical guide to outguessing everything, from multiple-choice tests to the office football pool to the stock market.

People are predictable even when they try not to be. William Poundstone demonstrates how to turn this fact to personal advantage in scores of everyday situations, from playing the lottery to buying a home. Rock Breaks Scissors is mind-reading for real life.

Will the next tennis serve go right or left? Will the market go up or down? Most people are poor at that kind of predicting. We are hard-wired to make bum bets on "trends" and "winning streaks" that are illusions. Yet ultimately we're all in the business of anticipating the actions of others. Poundstone reveals how to overcome the errors and improve the accuracy of your own outguessing. Rock Breaks Scissors is a hands-on guide to turning life's odds in your favor.

Inheritanceby Malinda Lo

Reese and David are not normal teens-not since they were adapted with alien DNA by the Imria, an extraterrestrial race that has been secretly visiting Earth for decades. Now everyone is trying to get to them: the government, the Imria, and a mysterious corporation that would do anything for the upper hand against the aliens.

Beyond the web of conspiracies, Reese can't reconcile her love for David with her feelings for her ex-girlfriend, Amber, an Imrian. But Reese's choice between two worlds will play a critical role in determining the future of humanity, the Imria's place in it, and the inheritance she and David will bring to the universe.

In this gripping sequel to Adaptation, Malinda Lo brings a thoughtful exploration of adolescence, sexuality, and "the other" to a science-fiction thriller that is impossible to put down.

The Burnin’by Estevan Medrano

On April 23, 1940, a fire broke out at a night club in the segregated town of Natchez, Mississippi. It remains one the deadliest building fires in U.S. history, resulting in the deaths of over two hundred men and women–all of them African American. THE BURNIN’ is a novel about the aftermath of the tragedy from the accounts of a coroner, a nurse, and an arson detective.
Herb Jones, a local black coroner, receives a call in the middle of the night from a fireman informing him that a terrible fire has occurred at a dance hall in the town’s “negro district.” Herb drives over to the charred night club where some victims are burned beyond recognition. In addition to the strenuous process of transporting and embalming the bodies, Mississippi segregation laws only permit black coroners to handle black corpses, limiting the help available to him. As the town reeks of death and the funeral firm faces bankruptcy because of its financial obligations to the dead, he attempts to identify the bodies of neighbors, friends, and even relatives.
Meanwhile, Eliza, Herb’s wife, is a nurse caring for the scores of burned and injured at the only black hospital in town. The conventional treatment for critical burns involves a meticulous skin removal process known as the “tannic acid-silver nitrate treatment.”
Julian Winters, a brilliant but smug arson detective, is sent from Jackson to determine the cause of the fire and help draft safety codes to prevent a reoccurrence of a similar disaster. When a few locals that escaped the blaze describe a drunken man threatening to burn the place down that night, he tries to determine if the fire was a terrible accident or a mass murder.

Tell Me Lies (Camden Point Mystery)by Gail Chianese

You’d think with a guardian who’s a ghost, she’d see everything coming. But nope, that’s not how it works.
That’s not how any of this works.

Private investigator Lexie Smith has a mostly perfect–okay, satisfying life. A successful, if not super lucrative business with her best friend. A wonderful, loving companion named Bear–sure, he’s a little furry and he drools, but nobody’s perfect. A house on the beach and a wisecracking supernatural “intern” named Vinnie, who knows everything there is to know about crime and her nonexistent love life. Things are good, even if the cases are somewhat tame, until a dangerous assignment forces her to turn to the last man she can trust: Rafe Barandas, local police detective and the man who broke her heart years before.

After a decade in New York, Rafe has returned to his small hometown, burned out on big-city politics and crime. He’s looking forward to the quiet life, until he’s thrown together with Lexie (and, unknown to him, her phantom familiar) to solve what starts out as a simple B&E but quickly escalates. Leaving Lexie the first time was a huge mistake. Now that he’s got another chance, he’s determined not to blow it, so long as the job doesn’t get in the way.

As Lexie and Rafe get closer to solving one case, old hurts come back to haunt them and a new threat emerges. Can they put past lies and mistrust behind them long enough to thwart a cunning foe who seems to know every step they take and will stop at nothing, even murder? Or will one of them pay the ultimate price before they take their second shot at love?

“Gail Chianese explodes onto the paranormal romantic mystery scene with a slow-burn, second-chance romance that readers of the genre are sure to love!” — Elicia Hyder, bestselling author of The Soul Summoner series

The characters are fresh, the plot is complex, and the readers will definitely savor the piquantly sweet sex scenes. But it’s the side-splittingly hilarious banter between Lexie and her best friend and agency partner, Kat Jones, that is the frothy icing on this multi-layered whodunit.” –Josie Brown, author, The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook series

Secret Legacyby Carissa Andrews

When Autumn Blackwood shows up at Windhaven Academy, she hopes to find out what dormant powers she possesses in order to have been accepted to the elite supernatural school. Instead, an accident brings her face to face with a deadly legacy that could either save or doom them all…

☆☆~~ 50% of Royalties Donated to the American Cancer Society! ~~☆☆

Gates of Eden: The Druid Legacy (Books 1-3)by Theophilus Monroe

More than 1000 pages of druids, dragons, demigods, and danger fill this modern Arthurian epic boxed set.*

Legacies are forged through sacrifice.

Book 1: Druid’s Dance (newly revised/edited edition)

Elijah Wadsworth lost his parents and twin sister in what he thought was little more than a tragic accident. But five years later, when Elijah begins manifesting strange abilities–which he neither understands nor can control–he discovers his family has been at the center of a cosmic battle for centuries… and his family’s death was likely no accident at all. A mysterious “girl in black” with dark, magical abilities pursues him, hoping to lure him to her cause.  After coming into possession of a mystical stone, which transports Elijah into his deceased father’s ancient memories, Elijah and his closest friends must discover the source of his power together lest his newfound abilities drain his very soul, and open up our world to the blight of Samhuinn. When a girl he loves, however, is threatened he must make a choice to either save her by joining the sorceress, the “girl in black,”  or save the world. 

Book 2: Bard’s Tale

The Tree of Life–the source of Elijah’s power–is failing. Creatures from Samhuinn are breaking through the veil and terrorizing St. Louis. As the Tree weakens, Elijah’s abilities are failing. Will Elijah be able to stop the incursions before his powers fade completely?

Book 3: Ovate’s Call

Elijah’s Ovate–Tyler–is visited by a strange, but alluring, princess from Annwn. He’s immediately captivated by her–but Elijah fears the princess has ulterior motives. Is the princess who she claims to be, or is she another pawn in the Morrigan’s scheme? The cosmic struggle between Elijah, his Order, and the Morrigan and her legions comes to a head in the final installment of the Gates of Eden: the Druid Legacy Trilogy.

Readers of Theophilus Monroe’s Voodoo Academy from the Gates of Eden: The Voodoo Legacy will naturally adore the Druid Legacy. Combined with Celtic mythology and Arthurian lore, this druid urban fantasy is a compelling installment in the Gates of Eden world. With magical fantasy adventure romance, a snarky male hero, and a plethora of characters taken straight from Arthurain lore and the Celtic world of myth, this time travel epic fantasy will keep readers enthralled from start to finish.

Murder in the South of Franceby Susan Kiernan-Lewis

When her sister dies, Atlanta copywriter Maggie Newberry flies to the south of France to find the little niece that no one in the family even knew existed. Along the way, she finds handsome sexy Frenchman Laurent Dernier to help with the search. Meanwhile, her sister’s murderer sets his sights on the little girl—and Maggie.