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In Search of Time. New book reveals a multi-dimensional perspective and analysis of time

In Search of Time, written by leading management consultant Jacob Dahl, reveals a multi-dimensional perspective and analysis of time, to give us a deeper understanding of its role and impact on our lives. 

By giving the reader a better understanding of time, the book offers ideas to manage and reduce unhealthy time practices in our society and in also our lives.

The word ‘time’ is the most used noun in the English language, followed by ‘year’ in third place and ‘day’ in fifth. This undoubtedly shows our obsession with time for a lot of very good and practical reasons, but also very unhealthy practices. 

Mastering time has been a crucial tool for the evolution of our modern civilization. However, it has also led to many bad habits, frustrations and inefficiencies both on a societal and individual level. We’re constantly driven by deadlines and goals for the future, rarely living consciously and mindfully in the present.

In Search Of Time presents time from ten different lenses ranging from physics, history, philosophy, anthropology to art, business and politics, biology and psychology. The author aims to bring us closer to nature and our experience of time by looking at it from different perspectives to improve our understanding of what time is and what it is not. He then encourages us to use that knowledge to improve how we organise ourselves around time and improve our lives.

Why did he write the book? “Humans have been puzzled by the concept of time for thousands of years, and a lot of books have been written about it. All time-related books, however, are looking at it through one narrow lens - be it physics, neuroscience, philosophy or something else. So far, no books have been dealing with time in a truly holistic way to honour the multifaceted nature of the topic - so I decided to write that book.”

Jacob Dahl is a Senior Partner Emeritus at McKinsey & Co, a board member and an investor. He has an MSc in Economics from Copenhagen University, and has worked as a management consultant for 26 years.

In Search of Time will be published on 24th November 2022, by LID Publishing.

www.lidpublishing.com

This book would make an excellent Christmas present for the person in your life who thinks about time.

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Nub TV - New Sky Show Pushing The Limits Of Paranormal TV

Here's some entertainment news for your information and entertainment. 

Series Two of Nub TV is coming to Sky TV Channel 186 (Ayozat) on Tuesdays at 9pm from 8th November!

The first series received rave reviews, plus a cult following and tens of thousands of viewers UK-wide for its bold, vital and honest approach to investigating the paranormal.

The I newspaper featured the series calling it: “a bizarre mix of music, conspiracies and the paranormal, pushing the boundaries of TV”

The Daily Star also called it “cult classic TV”

Besides featuring brilliant new music videos they interview their favourite UFO and paranormal experts about the weirdest subjects out there.

Guests include world leading UFO expert Nick Pope (former head of a British government UFO investigation project) plus actor John Altman (Eastenders’s Nick Cotton) talking about his own  ghostly experiences.

The show is presented by Mark Christopher Lee from indie band The Pocket Gods and Guy Thompson from electro pop band The Boy From Space.

More controversial moments in this series include a scene where Guy and Mark consider contacting the recently deceased Queen on a Ouija board!

Sizzle reel for the series: 

Highlights include:

Eastenders’s Nasty Nick (John Altman) talking about the night he stayed in a haunted hotel and woke up with his bed shaking furiously and an orb above floating above him opening up a portal to another dimension!

Ex UK MOD’s Nick Pope talks about the King Charles’s interest in UFO and the possibility of opening up the British X Files!

We also reveal the truth about TikTok time travellers, the English Bigfoot stalking Surrey’s Box Hill and chat with BAFTA award winning filmmaker David Rolfe who is convinced that the Turin Shroud is the real burial cloth of Jesus, and has issued a 1 million GBP challenge to be proved that it’s a fake!

Author Neil Nixon also chats about the UFO experiences both Elvis & John Lennon had.

We also chat with Matty Blake one of the stars of hit TV show The Curse Of Oak Island - the world’s longest treasure hunt who gives us the lowdown on the new series

Alongside that they'll have have music from Kick Pistol, Bycycle, The Pocket Gods, Determinated and John Altman!

Episode Guide:

Episode 1 - Haunted Houses - with guest actor John Altman

Episode 2 - First Contact - with guest UFO expert and ex MOD - Nick Pope

Episode 3 - The Turin Shroud Is Real -with guest BAFTA winning film-maker David Rolfe

Episode 4 - Weird Rock And Roll - with guest author Neil Nixon

Episode 5 - TikTok Time Travel - with guest Australian broadcaster - Plastic EP

Episode 6 - English Bigfoot - with guest Bigfoot researcher Andy McGrath

Episode 7 - The Curse Of Oak Island - with star of The Curse Of Oak Island Tv show - Matty Blake

Get more music from Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime members will enjoy an increase from 2 million on-demand to 100 million songs in shuffle mode, ad-free, and at no additional cost to their membership, either!

Prime members can also access the largest selection of ad-free top podcasts available, including those from Wondery, Crowd Network and The New York Times, and exclusive shows including Three Little Words, Built To Thrive and the MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories.

Amazon Music has expanded its offering for Prime members, bringing them a full catalogue of 100 million songs and the most top podcasts available ad-free,1 at no additional cost to their membership. With today’s news, Prime members can shuffle play any artist, album, or playlist, plus stream a selection of All-Access playlists on demand. Prime members can also access the largest catalogue of ad-free top podcasts, including the Amazon Exclusive shows Three Little Words, Built To Thrive and MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories. Prime members can get the Amazon Music app here to begin streaming.

“When Amazon Music first launched for Prime members, we offered an ad-free catalogue of 2 million songs, which was utterly unique for music streaming at that time,” said Steve Boom, VP of Amazon Music. 

“We continue to innovate on behalf of our customers, and to bring even more entertainment to Prime members, on top of the convenience and value they already enjoy. We can’t wait for members to experience not only a massively expanded catalogue of songs, but also the largest selection of ad-free top podcasts anywhere, at no additional cost to their membership.”

The most ad-free top podcasts, plus new exclusive shows

Starting now, Prime members can listen to the most top podcasts ad-free and on demand, including shows they already know and love from Crowd Network and The New York Times. Ad-free shows include the +44 Podcast, binge-worthy podcasts from Wondery including British Scandal, Who Killed Daphne, SmartLess, Morbid, My Favorite Murder and Even the Rich, and Amazon Exclusive shows including Three Little Words, Built To Thrive and the MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories.

www.amazon.co.uk

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Failed Redemption is a new novel from author R. A. Jordan's John England series of books.

At the beginning of the story we find John England living in the luxurious penthouse apartment at Peters  Tower, which was the 50 apartment tower block that had been constructed by his wife's family.  

He is living their with his new partner Fiona after the tragic death of John's wife and their children. John is in receipt of millions of Pounds in an inheritance. 

The Managing Director of Wall Holdings, Sandra Wall is under severe pressure to repay the bank at the time the financial crisis took place. So she had to borrow three million Pounds from Michael Fitzallen.

Moving on to current times John England has been subjected to several diverse attempts to recover the three million Pounds from a range of factions all involved with Fitzallen. However, Fitzallen is out of the loop as he is serving jail time the murder of Sandra.

But Fitzallen is only too aware that should he spend more than ten years in jail, he will have to forfeit the money. As a result he is more than willing to go to any lengths to recover what he still feels is his money.

John and Fiona are hiding out on a private yacht in the Mediterranean Sea. But now the Greek Secret Police have decided to become involved, adding more stress and tension to the situation.

Can John manage to find his way out of the constant cycle of threats and deaths? If so, how?

This is one hell of a wild ride of a read and is a fantastic addition to the John England Series of books.

It's published by Troubador at £9.99 and will make a fantastic Christmas present for the thriller novel lover in your life.

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Calibre Audio celebrates the contribution of its volunteers

Seven Calibre volunteers being presented with awards

"Calibre Audio is very passionate about being able to offer our free audiobooks to everyone who needs them and this would be impossible without our volunteers," said a spokesperson.

Calibre Audio, the nationwide charity that provides  free audiobooks for the print disabled, has marked the valuable contribution of its many volunteers with a thank you Garden Party at its offices near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire recently.

Almost100 volunteer audiobook narrators, checkers and library staff from Buckinghamshire and across the country joined together, with many receiving awards for long service ranging from five years to in excess of 25 years. 

As well as enjoying a  buffet lunch, the volunteers heard an inspiring speech from renowned children’s Author, Bali Rai, who spoke of his passion for working with children who are reluctant to read and the importance of making books accessible for all. 

Karen Napier MBE, the CEO of The Reading Agency then outlined how audiobooks are uniquely accessible and are crucial to ensuring everyone has the chance to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits that research shows are provided by reading.

The event also gave the charity the opportunity to recognise the particular contributions of some volunteers who were retiring, including Grace from Prestwood who was presented with a special lifetime award.

Grace is reluctantly hanging up her microphone at the age of 88 after volunteering as an audiobook narrator for 40 years. During this time, she recorded over 270 audiobooks which have been enjoyed by thousands of Calibre members with visual impairment, dyslexia and a range of other physical and neurological conditions.

Talking of her many years of volunteering, Grace said: “I've found my volunteering role to be hugely rewarding. All the staff at Calibre are always helpful, patient and a pleasure to deal with. 

"I've genuinely loved everything about being a volunteer narrator and would certainly encourage other people with good vocal skills to consider putting themselves forward. Bringing a book to life for someone who can’t do it for themselves really gives you a very special glow!”

Calibre Audio is a nationwide charity with a rapidly growing collection of over 14,000 audiobooks which are available totally free of charge to anyone who finds it difficult to read print. 

This could be because of a visual impairment, a physical or neurological condition, long COVID, or a learning difficulty like dyslexia. 

Calibre members can access the books via download or streaming or they can be posted to members’ homes on a USB stick.

Anthony Kemp, Calibre Audio's CEO said: “We 're thrilled to offer a massive thank you to our volunteers. 

"It's only through their skills and generosity that we’ve been able to continue to grow our collection of audiobooks so rapidly. We are passionate about being able to offer our free audiobooks to everyone who has need of them and this would be impossible without our volunteers.”

The charity is currently seeking out more volunteers to join its team. Ranging from narrators with voice skills, to those who love books and would like to run a book group for members and even people to help in the garden, as  there are a variety of different roles. 

Visit www.calibreaudio.org/support/volunteering to learn more.

(Picture of Seven Calibre volunteers being presented with awards by Karen Napier & Richard Balkwill, Calibre Chair of Trustees. Image courtesy of Calibre Audio) 

Best-selling author Matt Rogers reveals action thriller twist in new podcast

Matt Rogers

In a thrilling development, self-published author Matt Rogers is launching a new podcast that aims to probe a surprising plot twist in his own narrative.

At 24 years of age, Matt, a best-selling author, has forged an impressive and enviable burgeoning career: selling in excess of 1,000,000 copies of his 31 novels worldwide in just six years.

Matt’s ability to craft gripping action thrillers in rapid succession propelled him into the league of Australia’s top, best-selling authors. King and Slater, Jason King, Will Slater and Dante Jacoby are among the series for which Matt is best known by his loyal readers.

“I wanted to blur the lines of self-improvement and fiction,” explains Matt. “And to do that, I have started to embed life lessons within my action thriller novels.”

“Reading is more accessible than some think; it can be a pastime from which readers can be inspired and take away learning to apply in their own lives.”

“I believe fiction can teach us all lessons and I wanted to portray that in a book and then dive deeper into those lessons.”

Matt’s new podcast, Heroic Traits: A Best-Selling Author’s Guide, will explore themes of revelation and personal discovery via the lens of fictional storytelling.

Joined by host Billy Bentley, Matt discusses the confronting nature of the self-publishing industry, crafting an engaging protagonist, and how writers can learn from their critics to become successful authors.

During the first episode, Matt reveals how he blurred the lines between self-improvement and fiction in his new Dante Jacoby series. He speaks with Billy about his protagonist’s journey and how these lessons have connected with his own life and those of his readers.

Matt’s lifelong passion for writing turned from a hobby into a career when he released his first book at the age of 18.

“I wrote after school pretty much every day since primary school. So I had twelve years of writing experience before I produced my first self-published book. And I intend to write for as long as I live, even if there isn’t an audience!”

Matt draws inspiration for his books from the creative content he continuously and often subconsciously consumes.

“I voraciously read books, watch movies and TV shows which all get jumbled up in my head and allow me to come up with plots and characters on the fly,” he says.

The release date of Episode 1 is October 4th 2022

podcast@mattrogersbooks.com

mattrogersbooks.com

Martin Martin and the Death Express

Martin Martin and the Death Express is a new satirical action thriller by Sebastian Sullivan.

The book’s hero is Martin Martin, a mild-mannered youthful train manager who, after accidentally killing a passenger (as happens, sometimes!) finds himself involved in a Faustian pact with railway baron Silas March and his right-hand man, the murderous Mr Draconian. Draconian runs the Special Collections Unit, a paramilitary division of ultra-violent ex-ticket inspectors.

March became unaware that it is impossible for him to afford his franchise repayments to the government so formulated the idea to murder fare dodgers and other undesirable passengers, then stripping their funds via falsified wills and moving the money into a fake children’s charity.

Along the way, Martin blackmails a government minister, drowns a gangster in the toilet on a train and  narrowly evades death when a faded TV star tries to hurl him from a roof. 

Eventually Martin manages to trigger an international incident, thus making him a target for the world's espionage services.

The author, Sebastian Sullivan, is a train guard and has spent nearly two decades working in a variety of roles on Britain’s railways. 

Regular passengers on the Midland Mainline M1 corridor route between Sheffield and London St Pancras knew him affectionately as “Sebastian the train manager”, a reputation built on his witty onboard announcements warning passengers about “nefarious and downright shady behaviour” and advising them not to go to work but to go the pub instead. This has given him something of a cult following on social media. 

“The book is a love letter to staying up late as a kid with my older siblings and watching things on TV I shouldn’t have,” says the author from his Nottingham home.

“It nods to the world of Ian Fleming and John Le Carre, but it also has a violent satirical element reminiscent of writers like Chuck Palahniuk and Irvine Welsh. However, it’s forged in the great tradition of English satirists like Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde and Tom Sharpe. 

The character of Martin Martin is that of a wide-eyed innocent surrounded by corruption and turpitude on all sides. I was inspired by the central characters in Ealing comedies like I’m Alright Jack and The Man in the White Suit as well as Evelyn Waugh’s Paul Pennyfeather. 

"To me there is something very English about the book. In addition, with the current cost of living crisis and currency crashes upon us, the book is very much about how we live now and our government’s paralysis to protect us from predatory capitalism.”

ISBN: 9781739661007

(paperback)

ISBN: 9781739661014

(E-PUB)

www.books2read.com/deathexpress

It's available on Amazon and via your local bookshops such as Waterstones and Foyles.

It looks to be an ideal Christmas gift for those who have a satirical sense of humour. 

Stepping Into My Shoes

Stepping Into My Shoes is an truly amazing autobiographical book by businesswoman, entrepreneur and business coach by Dr Catherine A Baudino.

I had heard of Catherine Baudino several years ago and how she had begun working for Robert Maxwell in 1987 after an appearance on what was a real life precursor of The Apprentice.

But when she arrived for her first day of employment with Maxwell she found that the job didn't, really, exist. Not only that she didn't have a desk or even a phone.

It was interesting to read this story in her own words and to learn that rather than running away, Catherine faced down Maxwell, scrounged up a desk a phone and an office and also created a role for herself within the Maxwell Corporation.

Catherine is honest about growing up in a dysfunctional French family in London. 

However, Catherine was able to learn from her parents, she learned how to be both rebellious and also at the same time to learn to conform.

She describes something that I, personally, know a good deal about, unfortunately,  which is Imposter Syndrome. 

Catherine points out that "Imposter Syndrome is a collection of feelings of inadequacy, despite evidence of success." 

You think you are a fraud, that eventually other people will find out what a failure you really are. 

Obviously, you'll not want to go for that promotion because, surely, if you obtain the promotion everyone will soon see that you cannot possibly succeed in it. So don't bother to apply for it.

Catherine points out various methods and tools that you can use to rid yourself of the ridiculous weight of the monster of Imposter Syndrome. 

Catherine is also a strong believer in network marketing. However, she points out that many networking methods are not too useful and might even be counterproductive. Anyone who reads this book will be able to spot where they might be going wrong with their networking efforts. I know I did! Catherine points out the link between connecting v networking.

Catherine also tells readers how they can say yes and no, how to set boundaries, the role of humour in business and business negotiations, which Catherine points out can be very important.

Catherine shares some very interesting lessons that she learned the hard way and shares with you, her readers.

Such as you always have a choice that you could make, and take the chance to change. How to never give up, beliefs that you have which might limit what you can do, why you should ask and how dispense with the fear of asking. 

How to learn how to ask for help, how to understand what non-verbal communications are and how to watch and listen.

She points out that people, women especially, need to dress for success, even at times when modern office dress codes are changing. (I am thinking of a managing director who wears a suit jacket with a pair of designer jeans!)   

You'll learn how to learn that being confidant is a good thing, but which should not be confused with arrogance.

What men and women can learn from each other, time management, but with a special Catherine twist on the concept of time management. 

She also gives detailed advise on how lone ladies can travel in safety, how to cope with poor heath and threats of mortality.

It's a stunning book and is of great benefit for women and men who are in business.

And what's the thing about Catherine and shoes? Read the book and learn all about that!

It is published by Baudino and Company at £21.99 in hardback.

The ISBN details are:-

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1399927612

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1399927611

It's available at a discount at Catherine's website https://drcatherinecoaching.com/book.

Diana Remembering the Princess

Diana Remembering the Princess is a book that is a must purchase publication for those who are fascinated by Princess Diana.

It's 25 years on from the tragic event that cost Diana her life and this book by Inspector Ken Wharfe MVO and Ros Coward with Linda Watson-Brown is a remarkable work.

Inspector Wharfe worked very closely with Diana, Princess of Wales because he was her personal protection officer who was personally responsible for the round-the-clock security both within the UK and also abroad for six years from 1978 until 1993.

His own memoir Diana; Closely Guarded Secret was a smash bestseller when it was first published and also subsequently when it was re-published in an updated and revised edition in 2016.

Ros Coward is a journalist and author of many popular books on a wide variety of topics. She was specially selected by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and the estate to write Diana: The Portrait, which was published in 2004 and consisted of a staggering 400+ interviews all with people who knew Diana well.

This book paints a picture of a woman who was dedicated to her charity work, who felt betrayed and let down by the entourage who surrounded her husband Prince Charles.

However, the book also reveals a somewhat capricious, stubborn and very wilful woman who would often do whatever she wanted and damn the consequences. Including deliberately goading and upsetting Prince William whilst he was in goal for his school football game. Even though Wharfe had advised against this when she had told him what she planned to do.

Her behaviour, he noted was becoming more and more erratic and a danger to herself. And he took the logical decision to cease working as her protection officer.

He points out that she took the decision to totally withdraw from having any official police security cover within weeks of that time. A flawed decision that many, including Wharfe, believe ultimately brought about her own death.

The Diana we see in this book is an interesting and intriguing person who was capable of great kindness, for example, in regards to her charity work, but who was also capable of acts of great cruelty, especially when that was totally uncalled for and when it really mattered on a personal and family context. What mother, for example, would deliberately try to tease and upset her own child in front of his fellow team members and schoolfriends whilst he was taking part in a football game?

The fact that Diana's name is linked to "The Diana Princess of Wales Anti-bullying Awards" yet she was seen, in public, actually bullying her own son and witnessed doing so by her police personal protection officer (who criticised her to her face for doing so) is something of a conundrum. But there were many conundrums about Diana.

If you want to learn more about Diana, Princess of Wales this book, published by Bonnier Books (www.bonnierbooks.co.uk) at £20 in hardback, this book is an ideal book for you. 

However, you might learn some things that you'd rather not know. But that's entirely up to you!

 

How to Live When You Could be Dead

How to Live When You Could be Dead is an amazing and very moving book by Deborah James.

You should, Deborah asserts, live your life as if you d not have a tomorrow. That you should live your life today, the way you want to live it.

Deborah points out in her book that she was alive when she should not have been. Should have been dead, in fact.

She refers to the film/movie Sliding Doors, pointing out that in another movie she missed the sliding door and "departed this wonderous life long ago."

When she was 35 years of age Deborah was stunned by a diagnosis of an incurable bowel cancer. She was given less than an 8% chance of making five years. 

Five years later she realised that her only logical option was to live "in the now" and to value each day of her life as it happened.

Deborah tells her story in this remarkable book, how she decided to blog about her experiences using the Instagram social media platform using the sobriquet of @bowelbabe.

As a result she became a widely read and popular columnist, the author of F*** You, Cancer and a much listened to podcast broadcaster and presenter, which included the chart-topper You, Me and the Big C. 

This year Deborah was awarded a Damehood in recognition of her amazing fundraising for cancer charities and also for her tireless campaigning for bowel cancer awareness.

The book is a record of how all this was from Deborah's own point of view. The high points, the low points, moments of hope, bleaker moments and how she and her family coped and thrived amidst the diagnosis of untreatable bowel cancer and the many people and new friends she met on her journey.

Deborah died on 28 June 2022.

The book is published by Vermilion, which is an imprint of Ebury Publishing at £14.99 in hardback. 

Ebury has pledged to pay £3.00 from the sale of the book in the UK to the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK.

This book belongs with every nurse, GP or specialist who interacts with people with cancer and their family members. It should be required reading for them. And for people with cancer and their family members, too.

I would like to issue a special request. Please share this blog post review with all your friends and your followers on social media accounts. Thank you. 

Jerusalem by moonlight

Jerusalem by moonlight is a novel from Roger Butters.

He takes an alternative look of the first ever Easter, from the perspective of the four Gospel writers.

It's the year 30AD and in Judea, the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate is worried. He is finding controlling the restless and potentially rebellious populous of the area he is charged with governing.

It's a terribly volatile location, freedom fighters (or terrorists as the Romans viewed them) are attempting to expel the Romans from Judea. 

Knife-wielding murderers are roaming the city during moonlit nights slaughtering those they view, rightly or wrongly, fellow citizens who are traitors or sympathetic in some way to the occupying Roman forces.

It's soon to be the feast of Passover. A time when feelings of Jewish nationhood and religious feelings are expected to be at their highest for years.

There's one man who could be a force for good or bad. The religious leader from Nazareth, Joshua bar-Josef. 

As a man who is preaching love, the forgiveness of sin and the soon-to-be overthrow of all temporal powers, what is it that the Jewish religious leaders find so problematic about him?

This is an interesting and well-written examination of that first Easter.

It's published by Troubador at £10.99.

The Judas Case

In The Judas Case, a novel set in ancient Nazareth, author Nicholas Graham ably recreates 1st Century AD Jerusalem.

After almost two years of hard work and planning a secret agent infiltrates the close entourage of a holy man from Galilee.

Yehuda of Kerioth was one of the most able spies that the harsh Temple Guard had ever created.

The Temple Guard wanted to know exactly what the intentions of Yeshua of Nazareth were. Did he really intend for his followers to take over and install him as King?

The spy pulled off the greatest task of his entire career. But he disappeared and two days later his corpse was discovered.

Was it suicide or was it murder? The Temple Guard needed to discover the truth about what had happened to their man, so they call back into service the retired spymaster Solomon Eliades who had a personal stake in this investigation, as he had recruited and trained the spy.

However, his investigation is fraught with problems from his own past within the Temple Guard and then another issue arises which impinges on the investigation. A very important corpse has gone missing.

It's a remarkably well-written novel which raises some interesting issues from those distant times.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

Coming Home to You

Coming Home to You is a book by Caroline Britton and illustrated by Alex Jones.

It's basically a guide for you, to help you nudge yourself, gently, back you your own self.

Feel disconnected from yourself? Unsure of where you should be, where you should be going?

If so, this book is for you.

It will help you to become truly honest with yourself, how to get back to yourself, how to learn to heal yourself, to grow, how to reflect on yourself, how not to allow other people to take you for granted, but, more importantly, how not to take yourself for granted. Are you taking yourself for granted? The chances are, you almost certainly are taking yourself for granted. And Caroline will show you not only how you are doing this, but also how to stop taking yourself for granted.

Are you demotivated, feeling lonely, exhausted, detached awash in a sea of negativity? Caroline can appreciate this and will be able to help you get beyond these problems and many more.

The book is published by The Unbound Press at £14.99.

https://www.theunboundpress.com/books.

Second Chances Don't Grow on Trees

Second Chances Don't Grow on Trees is an interesting book by Patrick J. McLaughlin.

It's a true story that is unusual and fun-filled and very well written.

It's even more interesting as the story is all 100% true!

It relates the story of how a former teacher, one Patrick "Paddy" McLaughlin, became responsible for looking after a disparate group of people all who are troubled in one way and another, all social misfits and troubled folks who are from a tougher-than-tough working-class slum area.

He works with them and for them to find redemption and rehabilitation, proving that they were worth much more than they thought they could ever be worth. And showing what a remarkable individual he is.

His job was to get them all, by a miracle, back into gainful employment and back into productive, settled lives.

However, as Paddy cheerfully points out he had some demons in his own life which he successfully battled against.

Paddy realised that the one common factor was that they had all been failed pretty badly by the education system.

He struck on the idea of launching his own specially created homemade small college, dubbed The People's College.

The curriculum of this remarkable college also includes a strong commitment to creative writing and also on cosmology, which has helped boost their sense of self-worth.

One of the key points was that Paddy was able to establish not what his students didn't know, but what they did know. Something that had never been done before.

It's an amazing book. Which raised an interesting question in my mind. Why aren't their more People's Colleges in the country?

If you work in education, especially people with who have previously been failed by the education system, then you must buy this book.

It's published by Troubador at £9.99.

Missing Presumed Missing

Missing Presumed Missing is a new novel from the pen of Paul Harris which is an adventure story aimed at children aged 9 to 11 years.

Michael, the protagonist of this novel is twelve-years-old. He's a somewhat anxious young man, he has a difficult relationship with his mom and dad and is suffering from bullying at school.

What does Michael find to worry about? Anything and everything, unfortunately!

One day he takes the fatal decision to take a short cut through the nearby Spinney Wood. Michael suddenly finds himself in a weird, parallel world which has some deep, dark secrets. For example, what had happened to all the children who had gone missing.

The biggest, most nasty bully at the school is called Jonty. He has gone missing. But Michael know where Jonty is. 

Michael has befriended Melanie and Ben and he decides to make the return to Spinney Wood, where he hopes he will be able to rescue Jonty and uncovering the truth of Spinney Wood.

Will the three friends rescue Jonty and return to safety with him? Will they even be able to make it home in safety?

What are the secrets of Spinney Wood? Will they be revealed at long last?

It's an exciting story which will be well-received by children aged 9 to 11, That is if their parents and older siblings will allow them to get the chance to read it!

The book is published by Troubador at £7.99.

Circle Dance

The protagonist in Circle Dance is Miranda. 

The novel is set in the London of the 1970s and Miranda is looking for something in her life. She wants romantic love and some purpose.

New Age activities are the buzzword of the times and such activities are becoming more and more popular and she throws herself with great gusto into a range of self-development workshops.

Into Miranda's life comes a healer and clairvoyant Cassie who predicts that Miranda will have a happy future.

Eventually Miranda joins a creative writing class which is run by Jocasta, who is, unfortunately, both manipulative and promiscuous.

Miranda finds herself  drawn into a love affair with Julian. Julian is a very talented poet, but he is very highly sensitive. 

Unfortunately when Miranda needs him most, Julian shatters her by an act of gross betrayal.

Thus begins a strange three person dance between Miranda, Jocasta and Julian. 

Why are two highly intelligent women drawn so inexorably into the orbit of such a troublesome and self-centred man?

How will this impact on the destiny of Miranda? Will her friend's predictions for Miranda's life come to fruition, or not?

With the assistance of the paranormal and Cassie, Miranda's future life takes shape.

The book is published by Troubador at £9.99.

Bertrand & Wally Tackle The Clove Hitch Virus

Bertrand & Wally Tackle The Clove Hitch Virus is a new story from the inventive pen of Eric Carroll.

It tells the story of a dreadful pandemic that threatens the very existence of the insect kingdom.

The deaths of many millions of insects are reported and Bertrand, who is a beetle, and his friend Wally, who is a woodland wasp meet up with famed earwig scientist, Professor Clapperstein after an exciting journey through Lower Tinklewigglebottom Wood, at the professor's important research establishment.

The professor has made a remarkable discovery at a human landfill site, a discovery that will take them all on a wild journey through both time and space.

They meet up with aliens and medieval knights, but can they find out about the Clove Hitch Virus and discover a cure for it?

It's aimed at younger readers but older readers will also enjoy this book as it is a really fine quirky delight of a read.

It's colourfully illustrated by Bryan P. Ceney.

It's published by The Bookguild at £9.99.

Juliette – A mother's story of hope in the face of adversity

“Juliette is the heart-moving story of a little girl whose short life transcends the time she came to stay.”

A Christian who lost a child to perinatal death has authored a book to help others facing their own tough situation find the courage and hope to embrace life beyond their present hardships.

In Juliette, Aude Lombard recounts her deeply moving story from the moment she and her husband Baptiste received the prognosis that their little girl wouldn't live past birth, not only by sharing its profound painfulness but also the frequent moments of light.

With courage and frankness, she relates the long eight months during whicj Juliette grew inside her and beyond, describing the journey as one “full of joy, peace and revelation” that often felt like gifts from heaven.

Aude says: “To reduce our story to that of parents who lost a baby with Trisomy 13 would mean missing out on the many learnings that came with our journey. I have never felt so close to God as I did through this challenge, right to the end. We learned that life has meaning and a purpose no matter how short.”

The book addresses a range of topics likes finding peace in the face of pain, bonding with your unborn child, when prayer ‘seems’ to go unanswered and rebuilding faith and trust. As such, Juliette will appeal to anyone facing a personal difficulty as well as those who enjoy books about the miraculous resilience of the human spirit.

The book doesn't shy away from the reality of Christian suffering. In its pages, Aude attempts to find “a balance between encouragement through faith and staying anchored in what’s real”.

It was only after her loss and during the grieving process that she turned to that age-old question people often ask when faced with similar tragic experiences: “Where is God in this?”

Aude says: “I wasn’t able to imagine how God would be able to use this. I couldn’t see past my hurt. With time, new perspectives opened, and with them peace and transformation came … gradually, I found the road to confidence.

The central message of Juliette is that God always delivers the right resources to face life’s adversities. We may not always know what we need, but God will provide the “boosts” that help. The book also reminds readers that is it healthy and natural to embrace their emotions by “leaving room to share what [they] are feeling, along with [their] fears and questions”.

Aude says: “This second part of the journey is just as rich in its teaching and is worth being valued. Sometimes, we can run after an instantaneous change, when there’s actually a maturing in the process of living out the challenge we are facing.”

In the book, Aude describes the changes she saw in her character, emotions and perspective. She learned that God is in the present, not in the past or future, and that this is where we will locate the resources of strength, joy, peace and love.

Whether readers are seeking inspiration or encouragement, in Juliette they will discover a heart-moving story full of hope in the face of adversity — because while sadness passes, joy remains.

Juliette – A mother's story of hope in the face of adversity

Aude Lombard

Published Summer 2022

Paperback: £13.99

ISBN: 978-1-3999-1735-3

Kindle: £6.99

Pages: 126

Reginald Belcik and the Mystery of the Diamonds

In Reginald Belcik and the Mystery of the Diamonds we read how Reginald Belcik becomes entangled in the mysterious death of a woman. 

Reginald digs for answers into the young woman's death, but this is complicated by the fact that he is rapidly falling in love with her mother.

Reginald is a widower and a retired engineer who lives a solitary life in a nice apartment complex. All is perfectly normal until he receives a totally unexpected visit from the president of the apartment complex's  residents association when he is suddenly asked to take over the position as the manager of the apartment complex. The vacancy had occurred because, unfortunately, the young lady who previously held the position had been murdered.

Reginald accepted the position as manager, takes possession of the keys. 

It was then that the situation becomes even more complicated, when Reginald discovers a shoebox filled with diamonds.

Reginald decides that he needs to investigate what had happened to the previous manager, but his investigations become complicated by the fact that he is falling in love with her mother.

But there is another murder, this time of a police detective and what involvement does a robot have in all of the mayhem?

It's a thriller novel from The Book Guild and is priced at £9.99.

Mus-Iggle

In the latest book for children by John Benneyworth, Mus-Iggle, we read about music, about learning to sing, to play and also to write music.

When Mus-Iggle was a tot, his dad, who is a jazz musician, wanted Mus-Iggle to learn to play music.

 But unfortunately he could not learn to play music. Of course this made Mus-Iggle very sad.

Mus-Iggle's mother was also a musician, in fact, she is an opera singer. She wanted Mus-Iggle to sing for her, but he could not sing for her. This also made Mus-Iggle even more sad!

However with the arrival of a new music teacher at his school. His new music teacher showed hm how he could "talk" with crochets and quavers and pretty quickly they were able to chat together in harmony. 

Mus-Iggle loved the fun this generated and very soon Mus-Iggle was writing songs and music.

In fact, Mus-Iggle eventually became a successful musical composer. 

The story is well-told and the illustrations bright and colourful.

It's published by Troubador's Children's books at £7.99. 

Learn about all the other Iggles at www.igglebooks.com.

Love in a Time of Pestilence

Love in a Time of Pestilence Is the fifth collection of poems from author and poet Heather Goddin.

It touches on a wide range of subjects, from being trapped at home during lockdown, how the phone became our dearest friend, how we kept in touch with friends and family some of them many, many miles away. How hugs became virtual simulations of the real thing.

Heather writes of flowers and of a caged bird, trapped whilst yearning to be free, of pleasures both small and large, taken when and how we could during the lockdown.

Heather muses on a humanist funeral, and ponders on hair cuts that just couldn't happen due to the lockdown. The village, she realises, will soon know who is or isn't a natural blonde! I hadn't actually thought of that!

Heather touches on many other matters, including rituals of ancient days and of dreams both futile or otherwise, of wishes wished and promises promised.

I like writing poetry. I only wish that I had the facility for writing poetry that Heather Goddin posses!

It's published by Troubador at £8.99.

Igor and the Twisted Tales of Castlemaine

Igor and the Twisted Tales of Castlemaine. You probably know about Igor. Igor was the assistant to Victor Frankenstein's dedicated but troubled assistant who worked with Frankenstein in his laboratory. 

But who was Igor? Where did he come from? What were his origins? And what happened to Igor when he managed to screw up enough courage to leave his abusive master and Frankenstein's Castle?

So pleased you asked Igor wound up in the village of Castlemaine. If you thought Frankenstein's Castle was weird, then wait until you see what happens in Castlemaine! 

The village is set deep within the Carpathian Mountains and appears to be subject to a curse. Or several.

There are ghostly happenings a-plenty and almost all the inhabitants seem to be perverted on one way or another.

Igor meets up with Esmerelda, the stunningly beautiful daughter of the homicidal local innkeeper. Esmerelda is also prone to the occasional outbursts of violence. Only natural, given the circumstances.

Esmerelda and Igor soon find themselves with a more than plentiful amount of trouble and fun. Maybe fun. 

They find themselves tangling with mediums, monsters, maniacs and murderers (that's the Ms covered!) a nun (oh dear! That nun!) and things spiritual and also demonic. Oh, yeah and some Zombies, of course.

Readers follow the duo as they stumble and stride through a variety of amazing adventures together.

It's written by long-term friends and horror movie fanatics Ian J. Walls and Richard L. Markworth.

If you ever thought "That's odd! Whatever did happen to Igor after all the fun and frolics with that Count?" buy this book (from Troubador, £9.99) and you'll learn more than you ever thought possible.

The method of reducing funeral costs is particularly enlightening. Or something.

The Madness of the Faithful

The Madness of the Faithful is a new novel from R H Williams.

All over the world a mysterious incident renders everyone to lose their consciousness for a brief moment in time.

But when everyone returns to awareness every aspect of whatever faith they had previously adhered to was stripped from them.

Those who had previously believed in God were left feeling bereft and numbed.

The cause of the event was unknown, but some people believe that the only possible cause of this cataclysmic event must have been a single, powerful outside agency.

However, some people are resentful of those who still seem to have some religious symbols in their life and wish harm on them, including violence.

We are introduced to Paul who is a middle-aged widower who is a recovering alcoholic. He had leaned very heavily on his religious beliefs to help him deal with the tragic loss of his wife.

However, after the incident that cost everyone their faith Paul begins to see his wife again and she leads him to a coastal village in Wales that holds particular significance to him and his wife, as it's a place that held great significance for them based on a visit during their honeymoon.

Paul becomes an important part of village life and together Paul and the other inhabitants work together to help each other deal with their altered world.

However, those who support the External Force are a danger and Paul needs to help protect what his now his new family from them before it is too late?

It's a beautifully moving book that explores many important themes and raises some important questions. Including what would we do under such circumstances?

It's published by Troubador at £10.99.

New Brighton

New Brighton is a new science fiction novel from the pen of Helen Trevorrow.

It's evening and Robyn Lockhart, resident of Brighton, which is a coastal city in East Sussex and some 47 miles south of London, is meeting up with her boyfriend Vincent. They are getting ready for a night on the town, but a storm is threatening. 

Robyn works as a waitress, she lives with her mother and her sister, Alice. In fact, Robyn often looks after her sister.

Whilst they are in the nightclub the storm breaks with a ferocity not seen in living memory. 

During the storm a large and rusting ship is washed up onto the beach. Early the next day the ship has already been removed from the beach and taken to a dock area where it is guarded. But why? Why would the authorities be interested in restricting access to an old, rusting hulk of a ship?

With the connivance of a friend of Vincent they manage to access the ship and Robyn finds something that seems, on the fact of it, to be utterly impossible. Almost magical, in fact. She pockets it before they have to flee the ship.

However, afterwards Robyn learns that her mother has had to travel to the hospital in London with Alice because Alice's illness has struck again.

Vincent decides to travel with Robyn to London. They learn that the trains to London are all cancelled due to the storm. No problem! They'd get the coach. but the coaches are all cancelled, too. 

On the spur of the moment Vincent decides that he would steal a motor scooter for them and they would ride to London. When they discover that the road to London has also been cancelled, that it ceases to exist not many miles out of Brighton they realise that all they know and remember about their lives including remembered trips to London probably never really happened.

The land between Brighton and where London should be is filled with row after row of polytunnels in which plants are growing.

If there is no London where have her sister and her mother gone? And why does Robyn keep meeting people who she thinks she should know, but doesn't?

After Vincent is savaged and seriously wounded by a polar bear which Robyn is able to kill, with Vincent's shotgun, she finds herself in hospital and meets her sister.

Suddenly Robyn is back in reality. Or is she? She has split up from Vincent (apparently) and Robyn begins to realise that things are just not right. And what's wrong with feeding the penguins of Brighton with the odd muffin or two? 

She keeps on being able to look back into the past and begins to learn that things just don't look right and that she and her new (old?) friends must work together to combat a dreadful, evil enterprise. And what is the role of her mother in this? And what did happen to her father? 

But now Robyn has to fight for her new cause, for Vincent, her sister and the baby girl that Robyn is now carrying.

The book is published at £8.99 in paperback and £14.99 by Red Dog Press https://www.reddogpress.co.uk.

You can buy it direct from Red Dog Press, Amazon and other retailers.

This is the best science fiction novel I have read in many years. I think British Science Fiction has an important new voice in Helen Trevorrow.

How good is it? I would wake up in the middle of the night and instead of going back to sleep I thought "I'll just turn the light on and read a couple more chapters."

Survivors of Origin

In the new novel from Paul Swaffield, Survivors of Origin, we meet Fred and Mary Quicklock. Times for Fred and Mary are, alongside many of their contemporaries, suffering from hard times in 17th century England.

However, their dire situation shows some signs of improvement when the son of Edward Buckingham, a wealthy ship owner, is brought into their lives.

Meanwhile the evil slave trade is making the participants of that dreadful enterprise very wealthy indeed. And others are eager to muscle their way into this vile but lucrative industry.

For some reason their son Ezra is drawn to a life on the seas. 

Due to a bad decision he swiftly finds himself in a world of greed, danger and violence. However, he also found companionship and love.

Captain Isaac Dunsmoore is in command of a brand new and sleek ship called the Rebecca-Ann. It's first voyage was a trans-Atlantic voyage from England to Belem, a port in Brazil, on the Amazon Delta mouth.

Rothwell Spurt is a ruthless pirate who is fleeing from the British Admiralty. He wants the Rebecca-Ann, as does the corrupt rulers of Belem, Garcia Paz. It looks possible that the maiden voyage of the Rebecca-Ann could be its last.

But Captain Dunsmoore has a new recruit to his crew, Ezra Quicklock and he and the first mate Horace Clunk, Taylor Potts seek out the help of the indigenous peoples of the area, the Tupi tribe and the enslaved Africans. 

Can the crew and their allies defeat Spurt and Paz and save the Rebecca-Ann from the clutches of Spurt and Paz? 

And can they restore peace, harmony and order in the port of Belem?

This is a swashbuckling novel which deserves a place on the bookshelf of every fan of this type of salty seagoing novel.

It's published by The  Bookguild at £8.99.

Burning Secret

Burning Secret is an exciting novel by R J Lloyd that is based on the extraordinary true life story of one of his ancestors.

R J Lloyd was working hard to trace his family tree. he had managed to trace it back to the 16th century. But he was unable to find any trace of his great-great-grandfather Enoch Thomas Price. It seemed that he had vanished without trace.

So, what had happed to him? After many years of false starts and dead ends a cousin called him with some exciting news. His cousin had found evidence of what had happened to Enoch Thomas Price all those years ago. 

A Californian called Susan Sperry had recently taken her retirement and finally had the time to search through a box of documents that her mother had given her three decades previously.

Susan Sperry found references to her great grandfather, Harry Mason, a wealthy hotelier from Florida who had died in 1919. What possible link could there be between poverty-stricken Enoch Thomas Price and wealthy hotelier Harry Mason? It transpired that they were the same person!

The story that writer R J Lloyd uncovered was one of poverty, violence, betrayal and triumph. And he has used his skills as an author to fill in the blanks.

It's 1844 and Enoch Price was born into grinding poverty. However, Price was an ambitious young man and he travelled to London to seek his fortune as a bareknuckle fighter. However, bareknuckle fighting was a murky world operating at the edges and often beyond of lawful society and soon Price finds himself in the clutches of an unscrupulous illegal moneylender well-known for his use of violence. 

He is, by now, a married man with three daughters and he is facing ruin and imprisonment. He decides to flee England for Jacksonville, Florida. The decision to abandon his wife and three little girls reportedly haunted him for the rest of his life.

By the time he arrived in Florida, Enoch Price is no more, replaced by Harry Mason.

By a series of adventurers in his new country, Harry Mason plays a vital role in the development of the growing city of Jacksonville, all through a variety of schemes and risk-filled enterprises. 

However, he is wracked with guilt over the callous way he abandoned his wife and three daughters and he makes contact with his wife, pleading with her to join him in Florida. However, she feels she cannot trust him and declines his offer.

Mason weds again, though bigamously, and he fights to keep his true identity a secret. However, his public life is one of significance and success and he achieves political prominence, becoming a member of the Florida State House of Representatives in 1903.

His business enterprises he boosts via a range of practices, not all of them honest and there is talk of him becoming the Governor of Florida. However, what good is it if a man gains success in his business life if his personal life is filled with bitter self-recrimination? 

He planned to return home to England and face the music but the intervention of the Great War and the subsequent virulent Spanish Flu put paid to his plans.

It's a well-written, poignant story of how one decision can change the outcomes of the lives of many.

It's published by Troubador at £10.99.

From Wolf to Supermutt

From Wolf to Supermutt and everything in Between is a book by canine behaviourist Erika K Goshi.

Erika adopted a dog called Mila and, perhaps naively, believed that because Mila was a mature dog and not a puppy that she wouldn't really have to do very much with regards to training Milla. Oh, how wrong she was!

She quickly learned that Mila had a passion for chewing expensive Persian rugs. And decided to annex the living room for use as her personal canine toilet area.

When someone asked her to do anything, sit, come, stay, etc, Mila wouldn't comply. Instead she would greet each command by hurling herself onto her back in a submissive pose and decline all requests to even consider moving.

Loud noises, such as thunderstorms and firework displays would send her into a total panic and she would run around manically. 

And even the merest sight of another dog caused a very extreme reaction.

Erika had to learn about canine behaviour in order to try to work out how she could help her rescue dog. In fact she got s deeply interested in the field of canine behaviour that she eventually qualified as a canine behaviourist herself.

In her comprehensive and information packed book readers will learn about how to deal with pee and poo, how to deal with smelly dogs, the chewing of carpets, house soiling, how to cope with demodex mites and your canine companion.

There's canine obedience, training and the like. Play and even the unwillingness to play, how to choose the right breed for you, the right types of food to buy, special diets that might be required, healthcare for canines and so much more are crammed into this 482 page book.

It's an excellent book and is well worth buying, especially if you or someone you know has a rescue dog. It is published by Matador at £13.99.

However, a puzzling omission is that there are no illustrations at all, no line drawings or photographs. 

Jubilee Book Sale

Books are for sale from 70p in a special Jubilee Sale.

To celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee, online book retailer www.Books2Door.com is having a ‘regally brilliant’ sale with books from as little as 70p.

With books for all ages, this specially hand-picked collection features non-fiction and fictional books including titles about Her Majesty.

Book customers can also get your hands on some bargain books from only 70p across a wide range of interests and topics.

The Jubilee Bank Holiday Sale runs online at www.books2door.com from Monday 2nd June at 6.00am through to Sunday 5th June at 11.59pm.

The Calloway Sisters

The Calloway Sisters is a vibrant new work from published novelist and history buff K. A. Lalani.

Set during the affluent post-Edwardian period in the Australian city of Melbourne, the Calloway sisters are enjoying everything that life can offer them.

However, all is not as it seems an the past secrets, errors and indiscretions of the family member of their parents' generation have a harmful impact on their otherwise blissful lives.

But the world they know is soon to be damaged by the advent of a devastating war in Europe that soon sucks in countries of the far-flung British Empire as Britain itself becomes drawn into a conflict between nations on Continental Europe and further afield.

Agnes and Sarah become volunteer nurses and find themselves facing challenges that they and other medical staff were totally unprepared for.

Back at home in Melbourne those who remained find themselves compelled to face up to problems and sins of their own.

The story begins in 1913, the year before the Great War commenced and it grabs the reader by the hand and drags them quickly into a story of gossip, of blighted love and of deliberate, calculated humiliation.

But then the Great War came and with it destruction and death.

K. A. Lalani brings to life the period of the post-Edwardian era and the dreadful conflict that saw much sacrifice and bravery from many who were involved, but especially the Anzac troops and the nurses who accompanied them, the Anzac Girls.  

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99. 

The Little Pen

In her latest book published author Wendy Williams brings her readers a new hero. In The Little Pen Wendy introduces us to a little pen.

He has had enough of residing at the bottom of a handbag. He wants to get out of the handbag and to see something of the world. 

But he is more than a little bit nervous. A bit too afraid to go on an adventure. But eventually the opportunity to escape his humdrum life arrives. And he bravely grasps hold of it.

What will happen next for the little pen? Will this be the beginning of a new, exciting life for him? 

What happens to him? Will he see the world? What will he write?

The story is very well written and sharply and colourfully illustrated by Elena Kochetova.

As a writer myself I guessed that Wendy's book might be based on a pen of her own and Wendy confirms that this is the case, it's based on her favourite pen which has travelled the world with her.

It's aimed at children between the ages of three to five and their parents and grandparents, too.

It's published by Matador at £6.99.

Still Standing, the Flip Side of Denial, Depressional and forgiveness

Still Standing the Flip Side of Denial, Depressional and forgiveness is an autobiographical book by Mwangala Lethbridge. Zambian Mwangala had it all. She was an architect, a mother and had political aspirations.  

But a cruel and severe motorcycle accident put paid to all that in a blink of an eye. Family members gathered around her hospital bed in Lusaka and prayed to God to deliver her and sent out heartfelt pleas on social media channels being friends and other people she knew to donate blood in a desperate appeal to help her survive the night.

However, within five years Mwangala had earned an MBA from Manchester University, successfully completed the Virgin Money London Marathon and had instituted a programme to offer educational empowerment of girls in her home area of Zambia, through the auspices of the Mwangala Mwenda Foundation.

In her book Mwangala tells her story which commences with a tragic accident but then reaches a heart-warming conclusion which shows how, with the help and assistance of family members, friends and on some occasions, total strangers and medical professionals, specialists and the Lord, that a person can succeed against all odds.

It's an extremely well-written and very powerful book that will uplift and inspire the reader. Mwangala takes her reader from the depths of despair to the heights of accomplishment and self-realisation. 

It's published by Troubador in hardback at £12.99.

The Snake That Bites Its Tail

In The Snake That Bites Its Tail Robin Farnham is a retired magazine publisher who awakes in hospital after his suicide attempt fails. However, upon awakening he is made aware that he is a murder suspect.

Jane Foster is sixteen and after many years of sexual abuse at the hands of her adoptive father she launches a vicious attack on him after which she flees to London and freedom from his abusive behaviour.

Over the next fifty years readers meet up with Robin and Jane's lives are intertwined, but it isn't until the Millennium year, 2000, that they actually meet up.

During their lives at several points they are both treated by Dr Peter Lakmaker, who was their psychiatrist.

Robin has led a stressful life and he has been involved in three murders and wants to know why this has happened to him.

As for Jane, well into her adult life she is still traumatised by her adoptive father's terrible sexual abuse and yearns for a loving, close family relationship.

However, her search is confused by an ouroboros bracelet that depicts a snake eating its own tail, which Robin wears and which seems to have strange, prophetic powers.

However, a highly poisonous Indian snake called a Krait makes an appearance and it seeks vengeance. But why? And who against?

It's an interesting and somewhat enigmatic novel.

It's published by Troubador at £10.99 and is written by Bob Farrand. 

The Fatal Oath

The Fatal Oath is the third standalone novel in the Oath thriller series. It explores issues relating to prejudice and inequality within education.

The story is set in the year 1957 in a very elite public school, Blackleigh, in Yorkshire. However, all is not well at the school. It's a hotbed of emotional problems and seething, hidden antagonisms and hatreds.

The teachers were not in charge, the people who were really in charge were the prefects, who ruled the school with an iron fist within an iron glove. Meting out violence to any junior pupils who they took against.

Jonathan Simon is 16, in his third year. He is conscious that his Jewishness is held against him and he is mocked and derided for the birthmark on his face.

The unofficial "official" rules of the school forbids snitching. The staff have no power, including, perhaps especially, the new temporary headmaster, Mr Wood, who is ineffectual and very, very weak.

So who does wield the power at Blackleigh? The senior pupils who are the prefects and who are not backward in coming forward with violence against any pupil they deem to deserve it for any reason or no reason.

Into this educational maelstrom comes Bobby Stuart who is an American transfer student. He has his own anxieties about being accepted so it's perhaps not unnatural that they gravitate toward each other and become friends.

However, trouble comes in the form of three very vicious and ruthless House Seniors, Gabriel, Hausman and Murray. They have gathered around them a coterie of sycophantic, dedicated followers.

But the Seniors are not without problems within their own ranks. Rivalries, internal differences and when one of them gets a gun things start to get very, very complicated and very, very dangerous indeed.

An exceptionally well-written book crafted by a master storyteller it brings to life a time when public schools were capable of being quite nasty places indeed.

It's published by the Bookguild at £8.99.

The Gift of Time

In The Gift of Time author Julie Walker explores the world of the COVID pandemic.

During the pandemic lockdowns and restrictions, like many people, Julie Walker suffered severe anxiety, both in her own right and also for the other people who were forced to stay at home with her.

However, unlike most people traumatised by the lockdowns and restrictions, Julie Walker is a novelist and she decided to mine her recent negative experiences for golden nuggets for a novel.

She has written a novel about six strangers who all experienced life during the time of COVID in six different, individual, ways and all who experienced  very divergent results.

Readers will learn about Elisabeth. Elisabeth has autism. She has never found that her autism held her back in her life. Except, of course, when something disturbs the equilibrium of her day-to-day life.

Alejandra has altered and changed, but she is not aware of this. There's something about her husband that she has ignored throughout their married life. The unpleasant fact that she must now come to terms with is that her husband is actually a narcissist. But now she has acknowledged this, it's not something she can ignore. Once seen, she can't unsee it.

Mary Ann lives an isolated sort of a life. Almost as if she in in a cage of some sort. She lives this lifestyle as a combination of both circumstances and, to an extent, choice. with the new way of living foisted upon her, what will she do now? Is it time for her to reassess her life?

Giuseppe yearns to be able to flee to his homeland. But he can't do this. For he has his own mother to think about and there are his own health issues to take into consideration. But are these real concerns or a shield against him having to make a decision?

Clayton is fully aware that he is coming close to the end of his life and he is painfully aware that he must take the last opportunity to fix things in his family that he believes need fixing whilst he has enough time left. But does he?

As for Annchi the wide world beyond was something she was unaware of, pretty much. But she'd learn about it and more besides.

They all were craving the gift of time to learn, to grow, to repair, to regroup. But the gift of time came with a price. For their "gift" of time came about as a result of the COVID lockdown.

How could they cope? How could they deal with the lockdown? Ignore it and hope for the best? Learn how to cope with COVID and their lives beyond?

It's a very captivating novel and Julie uses her skills as a storyteller to create some characters that you will love and some that you will not particularly like!

It is published by Matador at £10.99.

Roll Over Rhymes

Roll Over Rhymes is a new book that is ideal for children and their parents and other older family members to read together and share the fantastic, vibrant and colourful illustrations.

It's co-authored by Suzanne Sasse and June Laurie.

It's a rhyming book aimed at children and it is intended to help them learn about acceptance and empowerment.

It is a collection of ten newly created fairytales that are told in rhyme. The stories include new takes on some familiar characters, unexpected plot twists, humour and the stories are given fresh, new modern day settings.

But each story still includes some lovely magic!

There are genies, Cinders, Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots, a queen, a boy called Pete, Witches, a Wolf who learns a very important lesson and a Princess who has different ideas about how her life should progress.

It is published by Troubador at £7.00.