Simply Modern Life

Simply Modern Life is a new collection of satirical poems from retired educationalist, novelist and blogger Claire Baldry.

This collection of poetry is a look at modern life. From the very subject of poetry itself, to the very loud use of mobile phones on public transport, the good old days, where they so good, after all?

The problem of school bullying, mobility through our ages, the problems of the AGM (very, very relateable for anyone who has ever suffered through an AGM).

School inspections, the Internet, including a warning about Internet trolls.

The poems are illustrated by Amber Gee.

The book is published by Matador at £5.50.

The Sorceress and the Postgraduate

The Sorceress and the Postgraduate is a new novel from Clive Heritage-Tilley that combines historical fact with fantasy and magic.

In 1497 Albrecht Durer produces his famed Four Witches engraving. However, in truth there were five women, not four, all of whom were sorceresses. They had all been condemned to death, but it was decided that the youngest of the five, an English girl called Constance, should not die and the other sorceresses cast a spell upon her to suspend her in time.

Many centuries later an Oxford University student decides that he is going to steal an interesting object from the Pitt Rivers Museum, with the aim of furthering his studies.

However, what happens next plunges him into an amazing world where everything he thinks he knows is probably wrong and he discovers that magic is something that is very, very real.

He finds out that his search for historical facts are replaced by a need to search for secrets that have been locked away for many centuries.

Can he and his new assistant survive and thrive in this stunning new world? Read this book to learn more!

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Poetic Justice The Dawning

Poetic Justice The Dawning is a debut thriller novel from Fran Raya.

Randal Forbes is a very special man with a very special power. He has a towering genius and he has a stunningly powerful telepathic ability.

But he is not like a fictional superhero. Because he is not governed by some superhero creed for good. Forbes uses his unique powers to destroy those he considers to be his enemies without any feelings of guilt or concern.

This is the first novel in a new series that follows his life from birth until his late teens.

He uses his psychic abilities to control his unaware family, coercing him to become his loyal followers.

He employs his powers to ensure that he gets what he wants. If he considers that someone is standing against him or getting in his way he will remove them or maim them.

Who would be able to dare stand against him? Someone with similar levels of psychic powers? But is there anyone in the whole world who could challenge him?

This book is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Border Monkeys

Border Monkeys is a novel about a post-apocalyptic world written by Tharun Chelley.

It follows the life of Layton, a person born into a future world where civilisation has totally broken down, and modern society has all but vanished.

In Leicester a group of motorcycle outlaws, the Border Monkeys are reportedly running riot, doing whatever they want, taking whatever they desire.

Layton is an outsider who is trapped in the middle of this maelstrom. Who should he side with? Or should he stand against?

He is fully aware that he needs friends who he can trust and who he can rely on, but who should he side with? Who an he really trust with his life?

Will he make the right choices? Make the right decisions? And even if he does, can he make a difference?

This is an interesting take on the dystopian novel format ans is published by The Book Guild at £8.00.

Doctored

Doctored is shocking a sadly very truthful account of the abuse suffered by a survivor of the abuse

by a medical professional.

It is written by the survivor, Polly A. Magena. It tells a heartrending story of the emotional neglect, verbal attacks and neglect and rejection from her adoptive mother.

Polly then suffered domestic abuse and eventually serial rape form her once valued and trusted medical doctor.

Vulnerable and traumatised, Polly was then subjected to utterly ruthless exploitation.

She was rejected and betrayed by both her family and friends. However, the doctor was acquitted by the legal system.

Polly then became what she described as a one-woman campaign to try to get exposure for the truth of what had happened to her, including medical malpractice and medical misconduct.

This is a traumatic book and shows how the indomitable spirit cannot be snuffed out. THe author has written it in order to help fellow survivors.

It is published bu Matador at £10.99. 

The Distant Hills

In The Distant Hills it is 1689 and England and France are about to be plunged into war.

Philip Devalle is upset at this prospect, as he is half English and half French.

Philip, known for his efforts to ensure that King William III became the King of England, during the Glorious Revolution, is safe and secure. At least for the moment. But all his scheming and plotting have garnered him a variety of enemies.

King Louis, King of France, sends an invitation to Philip to meet with him. This intrigues Philip, who previously worked for King Louis in the past, he decides to take the risk of travelling to meet with the King in Versailles.

After all, the meeting might prove to be to his advantage. After all, what on earth could possibly go wrong? Because he has no enemies in France.

Unfortunately this proves to wrong and his very life is endangered in France.  He must seek to discover who wishes him dead and seek revenge against them.

But who wants him dead? Might it even be King Louis himself?

Whoever it is, Philip must seek them out. And kill them, before they can kill him.

The book is published by Matador at £9.99.

Aberystwyth Boy

Aberystwyth Boy is a collection of short stories from Gwynn Davis which are set in rural West Wales.

Gwynn Davis is a native Welsh speaker the magical tone of the Welsh language shines through all of these stories.

The stories are set during the 1950s and 1960s and look at the world through the eyes of Gareth who is a teenage boy, who, as teenage boys tend to do, sees everything around him, but sometimes does not fully comprehend all that he sees.

There's the story of a new game called Aberystwyth, a story featuring the local airport (probably with the shortest airport runway in the world) a local airport that might or might not exist, you'll have to read the book to learn the truth about that one!

There's stories of love won and lost, of relatives deemed untrustworthy by other adults, the death of a beloved relative, a visit of a prince and many other interesting pieces of the life of a teenage boy living in rural West Wales.

It's a first rate collection of stories and deserves to be widely read by people from Wales, people who have holidayed in Wales, people who only heard of Wales in passing or who have never heard of Wales before.

It is published by Matador Books at a remarkably reasonable £7.95.