In 1661 Madrid, Ana's young niece Juliana suddenly vanishes. Ana searches the girl's room and finds a diary. After a futile search in Spain, she comes to Juliana's final entries, and, discovering the horrifying reason for the girl's flight, abandons her search.

In 1992 Missouri, in her deceased mother's home, Rachel finds a diary by a woman named Juliana. Rachel recognizes the names Ana and Juliana: her mother uttered them on her deathbed. As she learns the truth about Juliana's tragic family history, Rachel seeks to understand her connection to the writings - hoping that in finding those answers, she will heal the wounds caused by her mother's lifelong reticence. Purchase at https://amzn.to/2Rajwv8. 

"The Best Part of Us"
by Sally Cole-Misch

Beth cherished her childhood family summers on a pristine northern Canadian lake. Theirs was an unshakeable bond with nature, family, and friends. But that bond was torn apart, first as rights to their island were questioned and then by nature itself, and the family was forced to leave.

Fourteen years later, Beth has created a new life in urban Chicago. There, she's erected a barrier between the past and present, no matter how much it costs - until her grandfather asks her to return to the island to determine its fate. Will she choose to preserve whom she has become, or risk everything to discover if what was lost still remains? Purchase at https://amzn.to/2wTaSuh. 

"A Wife in Bangkok"
by Iris Mitlin Lav

Crystal's husband, Brian, is being sent to manage his company's Bangkok office and he expects her and their children to come along. She reluctantly acquiesces. She doesn't want to leave everything familiar in their small Oklahoma town; it's 1975, however, and Crystal, a woman with traditional values, feels she has to be a good wife.

Crystal finds beauty in Thailand, but also isolation and betrayal. Fighting intense loneliness and buffeted by a series of shocking events, she struggles to adapt to a different culture and battle a severe depression and, ultimately, decide whether her broken relationship with her husband is worth saving. Purchase at https://amzn.to/2XFh9mE. 

"A Place Called Zamora"
by LB Gschwandtner

Niko and El are trapped in a politically corrupt dystopian city where brutality rules. After winning a cynical race where only one rider can survive, Niko tosses aside his chance to join the city's corrupt inner circle by choosing lovely El as his prize - thus upsetting the ruling order and placing them both in danger.

With the Regime hunting them and the children of the city fomenting a guerrilla revolt, they attempt a daring escape to the possibly mythical utopia of Zamora. But as events unfold, the stirrings of love El once felt for Niko begin to morph into mistrust. If they reach Zamora, will Niko ever claim his secret birthright? And what will the future hold if he loses El? Purchase at https://amzn.to/2Aovg7z. 

NOTE: BookBites is a continuing series, bringing readers information and ideas for their next read. For more reading ideas, visit BookTrib.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

"Vanishing Girls"
by Lisa Regan 

When beautiful Isabelle Coleman goes missing, everyone in town joins the search. They find no trace of the town's darling, but detective Josie Quinn finds another girl they didn't even know was missing. Mute and unresponsive, it's clear this mysterious girl has been damaged beyond repair. All Josie can get from her is the name of a third girl and a flash of a neon tongue piercing that matches Isabelle's.

The race is on to find Isabelle alive, and Josie fears there may be other girls in terrible danger. Someone in this close-knit town is committing unspeakable crimes. Can Josie catch the killer before another victim loses his or her life? Purchase at https://amzn.to/318BuUk. 

"The Laureate: Mystery in Renaissance Italy"
by Ken Tentarelli 

Called "page-turning and suspenseful," Nico Argenti returns from the university with a law degree. He is eager to begin his career, but instead finds his city of Florence engulfed in turmoil. Power-hungry aristocrats are using the death of Cosimo de Medici as the perfect opportunity to seize control of the Republic.

The Florentine Chancellor recruits Nico to help defeat the conspirators before they can destabilize the government. Nico learns that the conspirators have hired an assassin to eliminate the opposition. He must thwart the plot before the assassin is turned against him. The intrigue is balanced by the warmth of Nico's friends and family. Purchase at https://amzn.to/2Q4XSYd. 

"Silver Wings, Iron Cross"
by Tom Young 

A tense, authentic, and emotionally powerful saga of two enemy combatants - an American pilot and German U-boat officer - united by fate in an epic fight for survival.

Near the end of WWII, when Karl's plane is shot down behind enemy lines, he's forced to make the hardest decision of his life: trusting the enemy. When Wilhelm's U-boat is attacked in an air raid, he abandons ship and finds an unlikely ally: the pilot who bombed him.

They must lie for the other, fight for the other, or die with the other. But their alliance won't be put to the test until they reach the end of the line. Purchase at https://amzn.to/2YcrV4K. 

"Love"
by Casey Rislov 

Love is Casey Rislov's sixth children's book. The award-winning author was inspired to create a board book for babies and toddlers as a way to give them words and pictures to understand the feeling of love.

Love is inspired by the much-loved and well-known passage from the Bible (1 Corinthians 13:4-8): "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." Purchase at https://amzn.to/31aoVYF.

NOTE: BookBites is a continuing series bringing readers information and ideas for their next read. For more reading ideas, visit BookTrib.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

"What's Not Said"
by Valerie Taylor 

Kirkus calls "What's Not Said" "snappy and contemporary…reads like a fun, romantic comedy despite the heavy subject matter." When Kassie discovers her emotionally abusive husband has chronic kidney disease, her plans to divorce him and move in with a younger man collapse - until she pokes around and realizes his illness is the least of his deceits.

But Kassie is no angel. As she struggles to justify her own indiscretions, their lives collide into a tangled web of sex, lies and DNA. Kassie commits to helping her husband find an organ donor. In the process, she uncovers a life-changing secret, forcing her to decide whose life to save. Purchase at https://amzn.to/2BO096C. 

"Hate's Recompense" 
by Joseph H. Gibson 

President Kahn faces a stiff re-election and moves to usurp the democratic process by executing cyber and bioterrorism attacks on his own country to stay in power. Kahn fabricates a lethal bio attack by Iran, which he plans to execute with the help of an Artificial Intelligence Agent called Athena.

Resistance leaders learn of Kahn's plans - and millions of lives are at stake. They organize an uprising. But as they lose the battle, their only hope is to free the creators of Athena from Kahn's captivity and allow them to reprogram their brainchild to end Kahn's deadly politics. But is the country ready to relinquish control to a machine? Purchase at https://amzn.to/2XhayiK. 

"Rootlines"
by Rikki West 

Rikki and her sister, Linda, had fallen out with one another. They are not speaking when Linda emails that she has lethal abdominal tumors, that her only hope is a total bone marrow replacement. Linda claims Rikki is too old to donate, and explains there's only a slight chance she is a good match - but Rikki refuses to accept that.

Linda's email ignites a wild aspiration in Rikki: She will become the perfect donor, with the most vigorous cells possible. She rises with intent to heal herself, her sister, and their rootlines, the patterns formed in their family of origin that have quietly shaped their lives. The sisters beat the lymphoma - and heal the intertwined roots of their family pain. Purchase at https://amzn.to/2zZgWCu. 

"Kill Chain"
by Dominic Martell 

Years ago, Pascual Rose put his life as a terrorist behind him. He sold out his colleagues for a new identity and low profile in Barcelona. All was quiet until he received a midnight text: Come join us on the terrace.

The stakes are high: if he fails, it will cost him his family; if he succeeds, $1 million will buy a lot more than translation piecework will. But the money-laundering scheme involves a nexus of diverted revenues, shell companies and cryptocurrencies peopled by shadowy benefactors, Russian mobsters, German intelligence agents, and a mysterious woman with a chilling warning: Get out before it's too late. Purchase at https://amzn.to/3ia7P33. 

NOTE: BookBites is a continuing series bringing readers information and ideas for their next read. For more reading ideas, visit BookTrib.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

(NewsUSA) - In periods of change, we often find comfort in simple pleasures. A great burger is one of them.

Yet, some of those simple pleasures have been compromised by the dramatic changes caused by COVID-19, including the disruption of the animal meat industry. Meat plants are closing, causing meat to be harder to find and its prices to rise. Some grocers are limiting the amount of meat shoppers can buy to curb pantry loading.

I know these issues will be resolved as the pandemic subsides. The animal meat industry will recover, and supply chains will be restored. But right now, you may be asking: What do I do without meat?

Now is the time to try plant-based protein. Made from simple ingredients you know, Lightlife plant-based meat is as nutritious as it is delicious. And you can find the products in your grocer's meat case.

To be clear, I'm not against the animal meat industry. I believe we're all trying to solve the same complex challenge: how to feed Americans during this pandemic. But I do believe no diet should be entirely dependent on animal meat. That's why Lightlife is committed to delivering plant-based protein throughout the country to ensure as many people as possible have access to the food they need.

At Lightlife, we're not asking you to give up animal meat. If you want to eat meat, eat meat. But we believe you should also eat plants: whole plants and plant-based protein. That's why we strive to bring more high-protein options to your table. Fortunately, the trend toward eating more plant-based protein began well before COVID-19, driven by a desire for more balance and variety in our diets, as evidenced by the fact that 44 percent of Americans now describe themselves as flexitarian.

In fact, Lightlife sales were up significantly in the first quarter of 2020. And longer term, the plant-based meat category is expected to grow exponentially, with the Good Food Institute predicting a threefold increase in the number of American households regularly purchasing plant-based protein1.

The reality is it takes a little more work these days to make a good burger, even the ones we make with simple ingredients. I want you to know that we're committed to your dinner table. And your lunch table. And if you want a burger for breakfast, your breakfast table, too.

I am so proud of our production teams working around the clock to ensure our products are available at your local grocer. To ensure their health and safety, we have taken additional steps including social distancing wherever possible, daily temperature checks and health screenings, face coverings, increased sanitation efforts, and staggered breaks and start times to reduce the potential for congestion. This is in addition to the sanitation procedures our team is already accustomed to, and the variety of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) we routinely wear.

This is all part of our dedication to getting high-quality, plant-based protein to your tables. Because whether your burger is made from ground beef or plant-based ingredients, a good burger is something we can all agree on. And I believe that together, we will celebrate that simple pleasure once again.

1 The Food Industry Association and IRI. (2020) Understanding the plant-based food consumer.

But Retirement in the United States can be expensive, and even savvy seniors who have budgeted for this phase of their lives may feel squeezed in areas such as housing and health care. COVID-19 has made things even harder for many.

Many older Americans who have worked hard all their lives are unaware that they qualify for a range of public and private benefits to help pay for food, medicine, utilities, and many more essentials that ensure a safe and stable retirement. Every year, $30 billion in benefits go unclaimed because eligible older adults don't know the programs exist or how to apply.

These programs are not scams, and they are not loans. They are legitimate public and private funds designed to help older adults boost their budgets.

The National Council on Aging (NCOA), the nation's oldest and most trusted nonprofit working on behalf of seniors, offers the latest information on benefits programs on its free and confidential website, BenefitsCheckUp.org.

The site includes a simple search tool to help retirees and their caregivers safely and securely identify programs that may help meet their financial needs. There are benefits that help pay for medication and other health care costs (including home care and nursing home care), as well as food, housing, and utilities.

For those living on a fixed income, an extra $200-$300 a month can make a significant difference in their standard of living and quality of life.

Approximately half of all Medicare beneficiaries live on incomes below $26,200 a year. For those who qualify, Medicare's special programs can save them thousands of dollars annually on their premiums, medications, deductibles, and co-pays.

BenefitsCheckUp.org also includes information on employment and volunteer programs, programs for veterans, property tax relief, travel and recreation discounts, and support for families and caregivers.

To raise awareness about these valuable benefits, NCOA is introducing an educational campaign called Boost Your Budget Week: Find Your Benefits to Age Well. Planned for July, the week is a great time for older adults to learn about opportunities to boost their budget with benefits.

Interested older adults can visit ncoa.org/Boost to start their free BenefitsCheckUp. Or they can connect with one of NCOA's local community organizations across the country for in-person assistance. Partners can be found on ncoa.org/Map.

In 2019, families in the United States spent approximately $700 per child on school supplies for the school year, according to the National Retail Federation. The combination of backpacks, clothes, notebooks, and lunchboxes adds up, and many schools also ask parents to contribute as much as $100 per family to help cover the costs of classroom materials. Many military families find themselves hard-pressed to purchase school supplies on top of other child-care costs and household needs.

Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit organization that has been supporting strong, stable military families since 2002, has taken on the challenge of getting military kids classroom-ready through its annual Back-to-School Brigade program, established in 2008.

This year, Hunt Heroes Foundation (HHF), a nonprofit organization founded by Hunt Military Communities (HMC), the nation's largest military housing owner, has announced its support of Operation Homefront and its Back-to-School Brigade. HHF will be delivering 1,850 backpacks filled with school supplies to HMC communities in the continental United States in advance of the 2020 school year.

"Operation Homefront is proud that Hunt Military Communities is helping bring our Back-to-School Brigade program to military families in their communities," says Robin Miller, senior director of Operation Homefront.

"With their support, we are able to distribute backpacks filled with school supplies to those who have given so much on behalf of all Americans and ensure that their children have the tools for a successful start to the school year," Ms. Miller emphasizes.

The event aims to ease some of the financial burdens of back-to-school costs for military families, and the backpacks are tailored to all ages and grade levels.

"We are honored to partner with Operation Homefront on an initiative that will support military families during this uniquely challenging back-to-school season," says John Ehle, president of Hunt Military Communities.

"It is our goal to make the process as seamless as possible for parents, and make sure that their children are prepared to start the new school year, whether virtually or in-person."

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's Back-to-School Brigade will be adjusted to adhere to federal, state, and local COVID-19 guidelines with features such as a drive-through format.

For more information or to support these organizations, visit OperationHomefront.org and huntmilitarycommunities.com.