Books
From Cocktail to Chemo : Mary Stolfa
From Cocktail to Chemo
The inspiring true story of a 27-year-old woman diagnosed with cancer. Her trials, triumphs and the birth of the Mary Stolfa Cancer Foundation.
On March 1, 2001, at 8:22pm, the telephone rang. At 27 years old, MARY STOLFA thought it was exciting or thrilling news, such as friends calling to book their next weekend in the Hamptons, plan a cruise to the islands, or even organize a trip to Vegas.
Were they going parasailing again or would they rent another house in Fire Island for the summer? Was her boyfriend calling to plan their next great date for dinner and cocktails in Manhattan? It wasn’t anything like that. CANCER WAS CALLING
Ink Princess : Baz Black
Ink Princess
‘A clever gripping mystery that pulls you in and doesn’t let you go’
‘A simple flap of a butterfly’s wings can change the course of your destiny forever.’
Megan Banks is now one of the most famous tattoo artists in the world. She is the star of hit TV show ‘Rebel Ink’, but her path to get here has been anything but easy.
Tonight she will finally tell her story. Live on the Michael Corbett Show, the world will hear of her journey that takes her from living rough on the streets to getting the opportunity of a lifetime.
This is a rags to riches tale like you have never heard before. But does fame come at a price? Amongst the millions tuned in tonight, there is one particular person watching…. they are always watching.
‘This uniquely written book instantly grabs your attention and holds it to the
end. This is a must read.’ L.J.Swartz Author
‘Megan Banks is a role model for the new generation, the twists and turns keep coming throughout but your overall emotional investment in her is the winning formula here, excellent’
‘This book is uniquely set in the world of the tattoo industry and gives a great insight from the artists point of view. The story itself is both intriguing and humorous but I also found it very educational. The characters are very well developed and each play a key role (whether you realize it at the time or not) Her story is actually heartbreaking and you are rooting for her all the way. To say much more about the plot could easily ruin it. This is a wolf in sheep’s clothing story and keeps you guessing until the end. Overall a refreshing and great read from a writer I am sure we will be hearing more from in the near future. Recommended’.
‘If you love tattoos then you will love this book,brilliant’
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The Parents’ Phrase Book : Whit Honea
The Parents’ Phrase Book: Hundreds of Easy, Useful Phrases, Scripts, and Techniques for Every Situation
If ever there was a time when words mattered, this is it. Conversations are harder by the minute, especially with children, and “The Parents’ Phrase Book” can help. “The Parents’ Phrase Book” is a guidebook to empathy, filled with suggestions, consequences and inspiration. Inside are the careful lessons curated from Honea’s own experience as a father, coach, and speaker—as well as a career covering parenting for several major publications—each presented in engaging prose with understanding, honesty and good humor. “The Parents’ Phrase Book” is a resource for our times.
“The Parents’ Phrase Book” takes common situations faced by parents and offers sage suggestions on how to best react and respond, providing options that work well and those that have been proven not to, explaining each in thoughtful, plain, and often humorous detail. Whether parents are seeking advice on fibs, “the talk,” religion, bullies, death, school, pop culture, racism, responsibility, sibling rivalry, the news, or countless other topics, they will find helpful discussion about it in “The Parents’ Phrase Book.”
Beyond the obvious, that being a fun and practical book about parenting and communication, “The Parents’ Phrase Book” is part self-help, the reconnecting with one’s own inner child, and also a love note to the wonders of childhood all around us. In fact, the applicable lessons covered in “The Parents’ Phrase Book” should not be contained to parents only, but any caregiver, educator or human being that ever talks to another. There is something for everyone.
“The Parents’ Phrase Book” can help smooth the edges off parenting; encourage empathy, strength and kindness; and bring the conversations that all of society needs to have to the forefront, where we can work together toward a better now and a brighter tomorrow. Also, dad jokes.
Wanted : L. S. Clucas
Wanted – How to Create a Relationship that Really Works
Authored by an accomplished couples counsellor, Wanted provides the blueprint on how to be your best self in relationship.
Aimed at both men and women at any stage of a relationship, Wanted is a practical, insightful guide to keep in your bedside drawer, to pick up whenever you want some answers. Perhaps you’re derailed by your partner’s uncharacteristic behaviour or concerned that your relationship is becoming stale. Maybe you feel short of a communication skill or two or you fear you’re losing your partner’s love. Whatever your reason, when it comes to relationships, this guide will maintain its relevance.
True to its title, Wanted details the importance of feeling wanted and demonstrating our want for one another in a relationship. It challenges you to consider whether you would want you and if your answer is “no’ or half-hearted, Wanted proffers the changes that are necessary to acquire a healthy self-esteem. A healthy relationship with yourself is a continuous theme throughout the book, nudging you towards self-awareness and competency in a partnership.
Through the often sad and sometimes funny real-life narratives of the author’s relationships and those of her clients, you’re sure to find meaningful connections to your own journey. If, like many people, you struggle with challenges such as mistrust, ongoing conflict, poor communication and weak boundaries, you’ll find the tools herein to turn your relationship around.
You’ll learn how to master what the author calls ‘allies’ – of which there are 14; trust, respect, listening, reciprocity, tenderness, resilience, freedom, delight, energy, disruption, responsibility, friendship, belief and passion. You’ll also recognise the “opponents” that disable relationships and come to know the toxic power that comes with being passive aggressive.
Real in substance, Wanted navigates delicate subjects including how to recognise when a relationship is over, reflection points to find closure and guidance on how to break-up with compassion and grace.
The author tackles the sometimes awkward subject of sex and intimacy in a way that promotes open sharing, vulnerable disclosure and enticing discovery with thought-provoking exercises and questionnaires adding to the impact of key chapters.
Finally, Wanted offers a unique understanding of love and argues that love should be our endgame rather than the elusive experience we often seek at the outset of a relationship.
“I found myself tucking away interesting nuggets of insight and advice to use in areas where my own relationship might be lacking. If you don’t find yourself nodding along to the author’s discernment of how relationships can break down, smile at her recognition of some of your partner’s behaviour patterns, or wince at an example or two of your own, then you’ve attained that rare thing – the perfect relationship.”
Paul Richardson, Bloomberg News
“Inspiring, actionable advice to “participate as your best self” in relationships.” Kirkus Indie
The Sibold Effect : John David Miller
The Sibold Effect: Beyond Science, History, Ghosts, and the Appalachian Supernatural
An unsuspecting descendant of early American pioneers uncovers an unearthly connection to three of his ancestral grandfathers on the side of an Appalachian mountain and finds himself locked in a supernatural thriller where the past meets the present and where Cherokee folklore and a lost civilization turns into reality.
“It all comes together to make a surprising ending that literally made me gasp out loud.” (5 stars) Jenna Brewster–Goodreads; Barnes & Noble; Indie Book Reviewers
Winner Reader’s Favorite 2016 International Book Awards
Winner 2016 Hollywood Book Festival
Winner 2016 Beach Book Festival
Winner 2016 San Francisco Book Festival
Winner 2016 New York Book Festival
Winner 2016 Paris Book Festival
February The Fifth : Derek Haines
February The Fifth – The First Glothic Tale
A young fool becomes king and quickly discovers he has some very nasty enemies. Particularly the ones who are shooting at him.
In a remarkable turn of events, a young man with a lot definitely not going for him, somehow manages to come to terms with a startling reality. He has to grow up.
Being handicapped by not only having rather nasty acne and an odd eye impediment, he also has to suffer the fact that his name is February. Or at best, Feb to his very limited number of friends.
While not at all wishing to rush into this startling new reality, circumstances and a few elbow nudges from his very protective elder sister ensure that his ‘not at all wishing’ turns out to be a complete waste of time.
Thrust totally and altogether unwillingly into a position of authority by early afternoon, February finds himself with a new appendage tacked on to the end his name.
The Fifth. The new and very authoritative part of his name.
Of course, as is the case in all such rapid and thrusting types of promotion to positions of power, there will be those who are not happy about it. In February’s case however, he finds that in fact these those amount to just about everyone apart from his three sisters.
Undaunted by this reality, Feb accepts his new responsibility and by early evening sets about getting himself into a real tangle.
His only true achievement being that he discovers that quite a few of these those who weren’t so happy, are in fact really very upset about the whole Fifth appendage deal.
By bedtime, he thinks he is in trouble.
Before lunchtime the next day, he is sure.
Reviews:
“February the fifth is like a song from Paul McCartney or a gag from Monty Python, it starts in one direction and leaves you in a totally different place, then you excepted. Love it!”
“Derek has a great sense of comic timing in this book and captures character extremely well. The twists and turns of the plot kept me reading right up to the last page. “
“In his hilarious novel ‘February The Fifth’ Derek Haines takes up where Douglas Adams left off by creating a totally dysfunctional society inhabited by people like Snurd Humped, Purt Stringly, Lefroy Overload and many more equally preposterous characters. Derek has created a very funny and extremely easy read.”
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The Sons Of Cleito : Derek Haines
The Sons Of Cleito
When being abducted once … is not enough…
“This book represents the meaning of a “Mystery” .Well written with a great plot, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
“The plot is completely unpredictable, every time you think you have finally got it figured out it throws another curve ball your way.”
Langley Garret’s Sunday morning starts very badly after waking with a hangover and a depressed feeling of worthlessness, along with a foreboding sensation in his gut. With his wife working away yet again, and the realisation that their marriage is probably very close to an end, and that his life is slowly ebbing away, he ponders his misfortune.
As he decides to start accepting that his life just couldn’t get any worse, over his breakfast of coffee, cold pizza and orange juice, it does, when his miserable, quiet and lonely Sunday morning is interrupted by some very nasty people who have orders to abduct him.
Within hours of being questioned, captured, drugged and restrained, he finds himself dumped onto a small remote island, with no idea at all why he was taken bodily from his apartment on a tranquil Sunday morning, or why he is sitting alone on a rock, with only his suitcase and a pleasant view of sunrise across the water for company.
As with all mysteries, it takes some time for Langley to learn a little about why he was abducted, but before he has time to start digesting that limited knowledge, his second abduction a few days later has him totally confused, and all at sea.
Find out more about Langley Garret’s abduction and mysterious misfortunes, Greek mythology, gods and deities, secrets, and some more very nasty people, in The Sons of Cleito, and the sequel, The Few.
The Sons of Cleito, and the sequel, The Few are available in one book in, Eyes That Could Kill.
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Dante in Love : Anthony Valerio
Dante in Love – Immortal Story of Unrequited Love
Dante in Love is a modern re-telling of the immortal love story of Dante and Beatrice.
The power and beauty of their original story of unrequited love shines through with new insights and accessible prose. A Love Story for the Ages.
“The mixing of the two voices, the translator and the explicator, works wonderfully. A winner, very good stuff, really.”
Giuseppe Mazzotta, Sterling Professor in the Humanities for Italian, Yale University.
“I just kept on reading it right through even though I had read the original many times. Anthony Valerio’s version really makes it new.–Rebecca West, William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Service Professor Emerita, University of Chicago.
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Sofi’s Bridge : Christine Lindsay
Sofi’s Bridge
Seattle Debutant Sofi Andersson will do everything in her power to protect her sister who is suffering from shock over their father’s death.
Charles, the family busy-body, threatens to lock Trina in a sanatorium—a whitewashed term for an insane asylum—so Sofi will rescue her little sister, even if it means running away to the Cascade Mountains with only the new gardener Neil Macpherson to protect them.
But in a cabin high in the Cascades, Sofi begins to recognize that the handsome immigrant from Ireland harbors secrets of his own. Can she trust this man whose gentle manner brings such peace to her traumatized sister and such tumult to her own emotions?
And can Neil, the gardener, continue to hide from Sofi that he is really Dr. Neil Galloway, a man wanted for murder by the British police? Only an act of faith and love will bridge the distance that separates lies from truth and safety.
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An Enlightening Quiche : Eva Pasco
An Enlightening Quiche
Two headstrong women in their forties coming from different moral directions clash within the confines of northern Rhode Island’s French-Canadian mill town of Beauchemins.
Their narratives relate how an heirloom quiche recipe and baking rivalry redress misconceptions, misdeeds, and maliciousness—all of which wreak havoc by altering the lives of those caught in the crossfires of a tragedy.
Geographic entities, historic references, and regional culture augment the plot twists and turns inherent in the novel.
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