Books
Bedrolls, Bushes and Beaches: The Hippie Years : Ron White
For those who feel like they don’t ‘fit in’, Ron White’s memoir proves that salvation can sometimes be found right around the corner by following your own inner muse.
Ron’s was to escape the confines of an abusive family situation and a repressive local community by traveling and seeing the world.
Armed with what most would consider woefully inadequate resources and against daunting odds, Ron nevertheless always managed to get where he wanted to go and fulfill his dreams, battling his own inner demons and external foes, obstacles, and seemingly insurmountable challenges along the way.
A delightful autobiography, on par with the best of the genre. For those who want to know what the colorful 1960’s was like up close and personal, this is the book to read.
Samsara: Wolf Howling : Brian Van Brunt
A winding tale set in the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Wolf Howling is the first of five books in the series Samsara. There is a puzzle to discover; a path among the brick alleyways and uneven streets.
Gather around, you travelers and malcontents. Come and sit a spell here with the gamblers, musicians and thieves. Yes, yes … right here. They wait for you, your brothers and sisters; the ghosts of merchants, of voodoo priestesses and jazz prophets; of poets, seekers, and the Bacchanalian. They gather in the cellar; our fresh, ripe bones thrown into the Caveaux to mix with the dry chalk of our ancestors.
She is a siren, you see that, don’t you? This city. This New Orleans. Full of dichotomies and mysteries; brimming with character and characters. She offers a respite and reflection, a passion and a decadence. Her dowry is culture and sustenance; pleasure and rapacity.
Can you see him there? Coming from the mist. He waits for her. Waiting for the young woman with her dog. She will lean close and whisper to him and there will be dreams of white rabbits, silver lockets, marauding pirates and hungry sharks. It is about to start! Don’t you see? Wait for it now with me. Here it comes …
And it began again.
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Who Murdered Mary? : Pete Geissler
Based on real events perpetrated by real people, Who Murdered Mary? is a gripping tale of shortsighted decisions, heartless animal cruelty, and needless murder of an innocent circus elephant that was aided and abetted by mob rule and officials of a prosperous railroad.
The tale unfolded during three tumultuous days in September 1916 in the peaceful but ill-fated towns of Kingsport, Johnson City, and Erwin, Tennessee.
Who murdered Mary?
The owner and publicist of the circus for whom Mary toiled with uncanny, crowd-pleasing talent?
The fearful citizens of Erwin who became vigilantes and demanded her death?
The Mayors of Johnson City and Erwin who caved into a mob?
Officials of The Clinchfield Railroad? The Progressive Era?
Our contemporary attitudes toward animal cruelty?
Did all of them contribute to this grisly spectacle that refuses to go away?
The Catholic Jesus : Fr Thomas Plant
Knowing Christ Through the Church He Founded
“The Catholic Jesus is superb. Fr Tom clearly shows the relationship of Church and Scripture not simply as a chronological priority but as determining our interpretative method now. This is an excellent curriculum of the Christian faith.” – Fr Richard Peers SMMS, Liverpool Diocese Director of Education
“The Catholic Jesus is an excellent short study of the Christian tradition through the lens of the early Church. In this engaging work, Father Thomas Plant gives his readers the keys to understanding the fundamental mysteries of the Church. Unreservedly recommended” – Rev John Paraskevopoulos, Buddhist Hongwanji Mission to Australia
Mary gave birth to a boy, not a book. Jesus never wrote a word, because he was God’s Word. It is only through the Church which Jesus founded that God breathed the words of the Bible, and so it is only through the Church that we can really come to learn who Jesus is.
• Are you a new Christian seeking to understand the Church’s teachings about Jesus?
• Do your friends try to persuade you that Jesus was just a good man, misunderstood and elevated by the Church for the sake of its own power?
• Do you want to help “Bible-believing” Christians to understand the importance of the tradition of the Church which Jesus founded?
• Are you a church leader looking to run a Lent course or study group on the relationship of Jesus, the Church and the Bible?
• Looking for a gift to give to a newly baptized or confirmed Christian?
A priest and a doctor of Cambridge University, Fr Thomas Plant summarises the recent work of respected biblical scholars in a short and readable form, to help Christians understand and defend the authentic tradition of Jesus which the Church has faithfully guarded and proclaimed through the centuries.
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Data Governance: A Handy Book for Laymen : Saad Khan
Data for organizations is becoming more critical for decision making. The necessity of managing and controlling data and data-related processes has been more focused. This gives an opportunity for a more comprehensive approach and methodology to be developed and practised.
There are many standards on the domain of data governance including DAMA, DGI and more that have defined set of practices and standards to follow.
This book focuses on the domain of data governance generically, the methodology, approach and structure defined are designed to be customized for different organizational needs. A set of policies and processes are listed serving as a set of examples and other processes and policies can be added as required. The maturity matrix enables to measure the level readiness for a DG program in any organization. The methodology briefed in this book is a result of continuous effort and improvement from the experience of implementing these DG programs in several organizations. The methodology is purely iterative in nature as the DG Programs requires. The governance KPIs and measures represent a set of KPIs that can directly be used to measure the effectiveness of the initiated DG program.
The book will help an organization to eliminate silos based data development, helps the organization to consider data development at enterprise level, helps in maintaining cross-department common business vocabulary and helps reform the organization to an information-centric culture. The organization bodies and their responsibilities are also highlighted.
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The Unholy Books of Tristan Wrangler : Don Both
Mia Angel, 18 years old, chubby, avid eyeglasses wearer, from a poor background, nickname Turkey, is the personification of an unpopular teenager. As if this was not enough, ever since first grade she has been head-over-heels in love with the absolute womanizing, Tristan ‘Sexy’ Wrangler — naturally, without any reciprocation from the arrogant Macho.
One morning, thanks to an alcohol-induced faux pas, he finds himself waking up in bed with Turkey in his arms. This is absolutely devastating to his esteemed reputation.
Always on Saturdays: However, he notices that although Mia doesn’t conform to the perfect supermodel image, which is his usual type, she has other qualities and even the power to, quite unintentionally, rob him of his hormone-charged mind…
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Farewell Olympus : Jack Messenger
Farewell Olympus: a tale of love and rivalry, ambition and morality, Armageddon and the quest for the perfect croissant.
When a patron of the arts named Serge loans him a luxurious penthouse apartment in central Paris, Howard can’t believe his luck. Now he can live cheaply while he translates articles for shortlived websites and doomed art journals nobody reads. And he’ll have more time to devote to his inscrutable French girlfriend, Delphine, a trainee lawyer.
Then, disaster strikes, in the shape of Eugene, Howard’s half-brother and personal nemesis, who sows chaos and discord wherever he goes. Howard’s uneventful life is plunged into mystery and farce. People are suddenly not what they seemed, and danger lurks in every restaurant. Can Howard and Eugene overcome their mutual antagonism long enough to survive? Should Howard forgive Eugene for being better looking?
With great characters, powerful writing and an intriguing storyline, Farewell Olympus is described as ‘an intelligent pleasure’ by bestselling author Paul Hoffman, ‘hilarious’ by Paige Gilmar and ‘a delightful farce’ by Book Life. In ebook and paperback.
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Epiphany – THE GOLDING : Sonya Deanna Terry
History, mystery, contemporary romance and magic…
A whimsical tale about money and its unknown otherworldly origins.
It is midnight, and you are sleeping.
I am here at the table with a candle at my elbow, penning the most difficult letter I have ever had to write.
They are coming for me. Samuel Withers saw them in the village…
ENGLAND 1767
Edward Lillibridge writes a farewell letter to his son. The controversial author is facing trial for heresy after revealing, in a book, the true beginnings of money.
MODERN AUSTRALIA
…six months before the Global Financial Crisis rocks the economy. Lillibridge’s startling version of history, published under the guise of fiction, is out-of-print and largely overlooked.
Until it’s discovered by Rosetta: an idealist whose hope of starting a worldwide charity has been crushed by her sole-parent struggles. Lillibridge’s tale about a gold-obsessed kingdom (and the sprites they enslave: elfin clan dwellers whose currency of choice is kindness) ignites a memory Rosetta cannot explain.
The reading group Rosetta begins with friends—and blogs about—inspires other Lillibridge book clubs across the globe. Her own Sydney group meets fortnightly at a vintage bungalow, the rental home she secured to escape a gruesome intruder.
In a wealthier part of Sydney, finance executive Matthew (polished, successful, admired) has been questioning his slave-to-the-dollar existence and his marriage to a tantrum-throwing shopaholic. And now he’s questioning his sanity after finding he’s been followed by an elf.
And then Matthew learns the elf is portrayed in a book. He won’t be sharing that discovery anytime soon. Or so he thinks…
Rosetta’s intruder still lurks in the shadows, but who could the stranger be? A prowler from the suburb Rosetta and her teenaged daughter fled…or a traveller from the past, determined to suppress an ancient memory that will change the world forever?
“A book we want to stay in for as long as possible.”
–Writer’s Digest
“Sophisticated and thought-provoking…an urban fairy tale for grown-ups.”
–Avid Ashley
***GOLD MEDAL Winner
Global Ebook Awards, USA 2016
***SILVER MEDAL Winner
Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest, USA 2017
***GOLD AWARD Winner
Literary Titan Book Awards, USA 2017
***RED RIBBON Winner
The Wishing Shelf Awards, UK 2015
***B.R.A.G. MEDALLION Honoree
Book Readers’ Appreciation Group, USA 2018
***BEST BOOK WE’VE READ ALL YEAR Finalist
Read Freely UK 2018
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Shattered Moon : Renata Lanzoni
Based on a true story, the book explores the heights of an unexpected romance, the lows of despair and the terrors of violent abuse. The purpose of the book is to show you are not going crazy, you are not alone and that there is hope on the other side of pain.
An Oxford graduate, lawyer, dependable mother, Maddy has been living a secluded life since her teenage son run away from home three years ago. Her grief for his loss and her sense of guilt have been plaguing her ever since. When her daughter leaves for university and her estranged husband announces he is moving abroad, she finds herself without purpose.
At 42 she decides she now needs to start living again and accept her friend’s offer to go away on holiday to Sri Lanka. On the exotic island, she encounters an enticing young man who showers her with unexpected attentions. She is swept off her feet by the intensity of his feelings and the effect he has on her. The connection with him is so deep, so sudden and so powerful that she decides to leave her empty life behind and embark on an exciting new adventure.
But the mysterious young man, damaged by a past of suffering and loss, is not what she dreamed him to be. She finds herself more and more tangled in his web and unable to find a way out. Feeling responsible for his every mood and fiercely protective of him, she fails to recognize the first signs of abuse and only realizes what is really happening to her after months of emotional and physical violence. But the shame and disbelieve isolate her from everyone and she finds herself lonely, utterly sad and fighting against her feelings. The unprecedented roller-coaster of emotions traps her in a toxic and violent relationship. Her life is in danger. Can she save herself?
A story of unconditional love, powerful emotions, strong friendships, deep despair and utter terror, hope and resilience. A true story told in the hope to help others find the strength to save themselves and maybe to even to recognize early signs of toxic relationships and avoid all the pain and damage they cause.
The proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Amici di Casa Mihiri, a registered charity which is doing a fantastic and thankless job helping and housing women and young girls affected by domestic violence and abuse in Sri Lanka, giving them safety, security, love and hope.
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Random Acts of Violence : Stephen Ball
While in Toronto shooting his comeback action vehicle, former A-list actor Robert Franklin’s life is turned upside down by tragedy. Reeling from his loss, the line between fiction and reality blurs…and then breaks.
Now Robert Franklin is a new man with a new purpose – to make everyone pay, just like his character does in his new movie.
Homicide detectives Parker and Palmer are working a new case — a series of robberies and murders, punctuated with an explosive finale.
The press label the killer “Mr. Kaboom” and the city waits in thrall for the next victim to be chosen…seemingly at random…
A crazed killer. A hidden agenda. A city in fear.
The result is anything but random…
Office Drone by Stephen Ball is also on Whizbuzz Books.
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