Yoga in the Gospels?

Yoga in the Gospels? is an interesting question and also the title of a new book from A. Nicholas Cowan.

There are many books that describe the practice of Yoga, how to do it guides, one might put it, but there are not very many books that examine the philosophical basis of Yoga ot the spiritual aspects of Yoga.

And books that look at the common ground between the teachings of Christianity and thje spiritual side of yoga are even more scare.

In Yoga in the Gospels? the author discusses parallels between ancient yogic texts and the Christian Gospels.

The book takes the reader through the main aspects of yoga, including yoga through worship, yoga practice through work, what the author describes as "Yoga through non-dualism, the unity of the Individual Spirit and the Infinite Spirit of God."

The author is able to support his central thesis with the use of sacred text from the Yogic tradition and the Christian tradition and it is a well-written and well researched book which will be of great benefit to everyone who wants to better understand Yoga and Christianity.

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

Monkeying Around at Sea

Monkeying Around at Sea is an amazing travelogue written by Angela Coe, which records her two-year voyage from Singapore all the way to Spain in a ferro cement boat (yes, they make boats out of cement) called Sandpiper.

Angela her husband Bob, Pixie (a monkey) and Bob-tail, Angela's cat, embarked on an amazing journey. They had no sailing experience at all, it must be acknowledged. Even though Bob was a master mariner.

Things were not fated to go particularly well from the very beginning. Pixie was lost overboard and the captain (her husband Bob) managed to require hospitalisation with a dislocated shoulder. However, Pixie was returned to the ship, a disaster that was averted, thankfully, as they had thought they'd lost her.

When the captain was fit enough to return they, eventually, set sail. And ran into a sand bank.

They aimed to sail all the way back to England, plans to sail round the Cape somehow became a rather dangerous quest to brave the Red Sea.

Life on the Sandpiper was never dull and often involved a little bit of peril. Although the fear of a potentially exploding pressure cooker proved to be groundless, ensuring the safety of the pets and human crew took up a good deal of time and tricky matters such as a leaking chemical toilet, how to dispose of waste whilst at sea and a variety of heath issues and the like really kept them on their toes.

The book is copiously illustrated with a number of gorgeous colour photographs from the journey and their ports of call, plus some line drawing maps, too.

The action described in the book took place between 1977 to 1980.

Did they ever make it to England? Purchase the book for £11.99 and find out!

The book is published by The Book Guild.

The Two Faces of Cancer

The Two Faces of Cancer is a very important self help book written bu Rebecca Brazier.

In it Rebecca chronicles her own experiences with cancer and thye emotional trauma that resulted.

She was first diagnosed with cancer when she was 37 and 30 weeks pregnant with her second daughter.

She wrote this book because she found that cancer was, for her, a lonely and isolating experience and so she was keen to do something to help other people who experiences similar emotions.
She took training as a counsellor and then proceeded to write the book The Two Faces of Cancer which combined her personal experiences with her expert training and professional knowledge. 

The book traces her own journey through all of the stages: Diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

It is a very well researched and exceptionally well written book. It is greatly enhanced by the fact that Rebecca does not write from theory only. She has gone through the trauma of cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery so when she writes something it is because it has happened to her and she feels the need to share it with all other cancer patients and their families and friends.

Every oncologist and every nurse in the oncology department should have a copy of this book as should every cancer patient and every family of a person who has cancer.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Profits from book sales will be donated to Mummy's Star. www.mummysstar.org, a charity dedicated to supporting pregnancy through cancer and beyond.

Exit Day

Exit Day is a novel by journalist and novelist David Laws.

There's a journalist by the name of Harry Topp who has had better days (he's somewhat out of favour, now) is surprised when a former lover appears on his doorstep. She brings Harry something that, on balance, he might rather ot have seen, to be honest.

What is it? a list of deep undercover spies in Britain. And who is topping the list? Only a cabinet minister!

Harry is shocked to the core when he finds the name of a friend s also on the list of deep cover spies. Soon poor Harry finds himself caught up between rival sets of spies.

But to add even more excitement (if any was required) is the fact that he's facing up to a conspiracy by a group of dedicated fanatics, who are controlled by the Wolf, who is, apparently, intent on corrupting the European Union from within it.

Harry's working hard for his scoop, but he doesn't realise there's something nasty rather closer to home.

And all this against the backdrop of the country heading toward Brexit! And an assassin is stalking the Prime Minister!.

But who was really in control. And just what the Hell was going on? Who could Harry trust?

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Mr Blue Sky

Mr Blue Sky is a disturbing yet very readable horror novel from published author John Darke.

Rebecca is single and in her mid thirties. She is in the employ of her uncle, working in a chemical storage warehouse.

The dreadful, terrifying nightmares have recommenced. She cannot cease to dream of Him.Who is Him? He was an ape-like creature who had saved her life when she was a child, when she went into the woods by herself. In secret they become best friends. But who or what was he>

Disaster strikes her family when Rebecca's father takes the decision to tack Him down in the woods. He dies on the hunt. Although someone is blamed for the murder, but Rebecca believes that He was really responsible for her father's slaying.

After years of therapy and counselling, Rebecca still believes that He was the one responsible for the murder.

In order to stop herself from going mad, Rebecca must find out the truth one way or another. Firstly, she needs to establish if He is a real, living creature.

Her quest for the truth takes a shocking turn and she decides to return home to finally confront the situation and to discover he truth of the situation once and for all.

But what if what she discovers is more terrifying and dreadful than her worse nightmare? How could she cope?

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

The Big House

In her novel The Big House retired Times journalist Larche Davies asks a very important question. If you believe that you life is at risk, who, if anyone, can you really trust?

It's a sequel to her previous novel The Father's House, published by Matador in 2015.

Lucy is 15 years of age. She and her teenage friends are waiting, very much on edge, as they are to give evidence in criminal trials against members of a fanatical religious sect that worships the Magnifico and are known for disposing of people it regards as detractors by poisoning them with a deadly injection.

It's know their lives are at risk from the sect. So they are moved out of London in an attempt to make sure they are protected and kept safe.

They are sent to Wales, where the Magnifico is not known to have any followers, in a foster home in the Principality. Whilst their foster mother seems to be a kindly, nice woman, they can't bring themselves to trust her. They feel unable to trust anyone but themselves.

They have little experience of life outside the stifling confines of the sect, so they have to rely on their own abilities to keep themselves going.

They children are very careful not to let anyone know too much that might help the Magnifico.

However, the agents of Magnifico are already plotting and scheming against the friends.

But who will succeed? The children or Magnifico?

It's a sharply written thriller of a novel and is published on 28th July by Matador at £10.99.

Penitence

Penitence is the story of a tragic young woman and mother called Emma. It is written bu Jude Williams.

Her past holds a deep secret that she is finding it hard to cope with.

Emma's daughter was conceived at a party where Emma was drunk. The man who impregnated her had no idea that he was a father to Sophie, Emma's daughter.

Eventually, Emma meets up with a man called Gabriel when she was enjoying herself at a nightclub.

They seem to click and Emma very quickly falls in love with Gabriel. And as a result she and Sophie soon move into Gabriel's home and live with him.

However, the relationship begins to falter and then the horrible, unthinkable happens and Sophie dies unexpectedly.

After a time Emma becomes enamoured with a supermarket manager, a divorcee called Ian. She is in love with him, to an extent, but Ian has really fallen for Emma in a big way. Perhaps more than her?

Emma wants to take up a place as a mature student at Bristol University. So Ian moves to Bristol with her. Previously Emma had had to give up her university place when she had fallen pregnant with Sophie.

In Bristol Ian uncovers Emma's secret. But there's something about her secret that might involve him.

It's a moving exploration of the secrets that can lie beneath the surface of the lives of apparently ordinary people.
It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.