Penguin Beach

 

In Penguin Beach by Lawrence Prestidge we meet Clyde. Clyde is a penguin. And he absolutely being a penguin!

He is the main attraction at Penguin Beach, which is a centrepiece at London Zoo.

None of the visitors can resist the strutting, posing star of the penguin show, Clyde.

But then disaster strikes for Clyde! Because now, there's a new penguin on the block, Diego, who has come to London from Spain.

Diego leaps, jumps and back-flips and the visitors just love him. But why are the other penguins also impressed by Diego?

This is Clyde's Penguin Beach! He works hard to regain centre spot and to drive Diego out of the limelight and out of Penguin Beach for good!

However, Clyde realises that he has gone too far and he has inadvertently put Diego's life in danger. So it's up to Clyde and his penguin friends to find Diego and bring him back to safety. Or will a variety of gorillas, snakes and the bad guys thwart them?

It's another great book for children from Oxfordshire's Lawrence Prestidge, with fantastic illustrations from G. William.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.  

Self Enquiry

 

Self Enquiry A Testimony is the personal testimony of Michael  J. Vincent in which he explores a "profound, radical and powerful practice with a simple message."

Michael uses stories from his life to show how all of our experiences (from the trivial to the intense) can become a deep resource for us to draw from in our search for the truth of life.

He shows how the practice of self enquiry can dampen the anxieties, doubts and fears that impact upon our lives.

He shows his readers how we can  move forward to peacefulness, fulfilment and positive actions.

He points out that there is no doctrine, there's not a belief system, nor is it a crutch, a mask or a sticking plaster. 

He reveals that self enquiry is, instead a way to help you believe in yourself.

Michael J. Vincent is an author and an artist and a qualified Reiki therapist.

The book is published by Matador at £8.99. 

Poleaxed

In the novel Poleaxed Peter Tyrer, emeritus professor of community psychiatry at Imperial College, London, takes his readers back to 1967.

An ordinary English town is hit with an extremely unusual event, as people suddenly start to fall victim of a mysterious illness, poleaxed and many of the victims die.

What is causing the disease? Virus? Bacterium? Poison? None of the experts knew and leading medical experts had started to argue amongst themselves.

However, an anthropology student who has recovered from the disease and two junior doctor combine forces to learn what is causing the disease.

Eventually the three realise that the ailment really only has the most severe impact on those who are suffering from severe anxiety.

They believe they have found the cause and they believe they have found the sollution. But have they correctly identified the cause? And if they have, will their sollution work? Or are they too late?

It is a pacey, exciting read which is solidly based in realistic scientific knowledge.

And it was written before COVID-19 became known.

It is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

And the Sea Darkened

And the Sea Darkened is a debut thriller from new author Vicki Lloyd, who has an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes University.

The novel begins with a sound, or an absence of sound, that awakens farmer Magnus Bostock. He quickly dons his clothing, takes his shotgun and leaves the family farmhouse to discover what had disturbed his slumbers.

He finds something that no farmer would like to discover. But that's only the beginning of the problems for Magnus, his brother Nick and the rest of the islanders.

A young academic called Jasmine arrives on the island, she believes that if she can discover an ancient journal, that is hidden somewhere on the island, she will be able to uncover the cause of the killings. But can she? Is she putting herself in mortal danger?

Is there really a link with the past that has brought a curse down upon the family of the Bostocks?

Can Magnus and Nick, who are usually feuding with each other, discover the truth before it is far too late?

This is a thrilling read, created by someone who truly knows their craft.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

 

Baghlan Boy

Baghlan Boy is a novel from Michael Crowley.

When he is just eleven years old, a strike from a drone destroys Farood Abali's family home in Afghanistan's Baghlan Province.

It kills his father and leaves Farood and his older brother, alone as the sole survivors.

His brother takes the family's flock of sheep and sells them, using the money to pay a shadowy 'agent' to take Farood to the West. He hopes that, eventually, Farood would be able to return with wealth to free them from their poverty.

The journey that Farood takes is a harsh one, he endures pain and suffering as he traverses Pakistan, Iran and Turkey kept in the boots of cars, or forced to hide in cellars and in trailers.

But by the time he is 19, Farood is incarcerated in an English jail, imprisoned, or so he claims, for a crime which he is innocent of.

But could Farood escape from his imprisonment? And if he could, what would he do? What could he do?

This is a remarkable novel which is an intelligent look at how and why people become refugees in our modern world.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99. 

I'm Fine, Thanks

I'm Fine, Thanks is a fictionalised account of a very moving memoir from Chris Doveton.

It's the prime of their lives for Chris and Anne. They are enjoying life in general and are especially enjoying their loving, vibrant marriage. 

But then tragedy strikes them as Anne is diagnosed as suffering from a rare but fatal genetic disease. For a decade the couple bravely shoulder this burden alone, keeping it a secret.

Following Anne's death Chris becomes a victim of a crushing grief. 

He learns that if he is to cope with his wife's death, he must rid himself of his "stiff upper lip" attitude. 

He becomes able to express his loss by opening up to people and learning that it's OK to cry and that often, "I'm Fine, Thanks" isn't a suitable answer.

Chris embraces therapy that saves his life and he finds himself able to reactivate his religious faith and to find love, again.

It's a moving book and an important one.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Leicester Rocks

In Leicester Rocks by Mike Hatfield, we meet Leicester's Stan Booker. 

It's 2015 (that's the year, not the time)  and we meet Stan Booker. Stan's having one of those: "Where did it all go wrong moments?" in his life.

He's in his mid-fifties, he doesn't have a job, doesn't have a wife (well, not since the divorce at any rate) and he really thinks that his desire to achieve rock God status as a guitarist will not come to fruition.

But! Along comes his lifelong friend Phil and all bets are off. Or on, perhaps?

Because Phil and he are about to start their own business and Mike forms a rock band called Leicester Rocks.

He also becomes romantically involved with  twice-divorced Mandy.

He knows that there's about as much chance of the band hitting the big time as there is for his team Leicester City winning the Premier League. another of his pipe dreams.

But what if the star is ascending for both Leicester Rocks and Leicester City? Can both stay the distance? Or will love and loyalties be tested to or beyond destruction?

It's a lively feelgood romp of a story and is published by Matador at £9.99.