(NewsUSA) - Educators everywhere should scrap their current lesson plans and make the new book Be a Scribe! by 16-year-old Michael Hoffen and co-authors Dr. Christian Casey and Dr. Jen Thum part of every ancient history curriculum in every elementary school around the country. 

Whether for the classroom or frankly any room, Be a Scribe! might be the most unique, fascinating, entertaining, informative and educative book you’ll read this year. 

Young Hoffen, while in middle school, was introduced to the joys of translating ancient texts and never looked back. During the pandemic, he embarked on this ambitious project to bring ancient Egypt back to life. 

This book is an extraordinary translation of a papyrus dating from ancient Egypt’s Middle Kingdom era some 4,000 years ago. The text, known as The Instruction of Khety, tells the story of a teenager in ancient Egypt, Pepi, who wonders what career path he should choose -- an important matter still contemplated today by millions of teenagers 40 centuries later. 

The book already has been getting very high-profile coverage. National Gallery Victoria (Melbourne), in anticipation of their blockbuster exhibition Pharaoh!, has chosen the book to be represented in their bookstore. This exhibition will comprise of the largest loans the British Museum has ever undertaken. 

Also the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will carry the book in the main book store and in their Uris store next to their educational center. 

In the text, Pepi’s father, Khety, takes him on a long journey up the Nile to enroll him in a school far away from home, where Pepi will learn to read and write. Along the way, Khety explains 18 other terrible jobs Pepi could end up having to work at if he is not hired as a scribe. 

Khety’s marvelous descriptions of the many other jobs are blunt and humorous: the smith or sculptor with “fingers like crocodiles;” jewelers and carpenters with arms ruined; the barber exhausted “in order to fill his stomach, like a bee working to eat;” the trader, who is bitten by fleas and mosquitoes; the sandal maker, who has the taste of leather in his mouth all day; the gardener, who only rests when he dies; and the weaver, who gives bread to the doorkeeper “just to let him see daylight.” 

Sail up the Nile with an ancient Egyptian father and son and discover what daily life was like along the way. Experience the wonderful world of ancient Egypt with the help of countless artifacts and paintings in this beautifully oversized hardcover edition. Delight in 4,000-year-old humor and immerse yourself in the choices facing a teenage boy in Egypt.  

The book also provides some ancient words of wisdom from the father, everything from staying out of trouble, minding your manners, and following orders. It also provides a great introduction to hieroglyphs, which many associate with the pictures and paintings but actually represent the sounds of the Egyptian language. 

Hoffen is the youngest-ever recipient of the annual Emerson Prize, awarded by the Concord Review for outstanding promise in history. Be A Scribe! is Michael’s first book in a series intended for young readers.  

His co-authors on this project are two Egyptologists: Dr. Christian Casey,  who now works as a researcher at Freie Universität Berlin, and Dr. Jen Thum, a curator at the Harvard Art Museums.  

Prepare yourselves to go “on a journey through the hopes, fears, struggles and skills of the ancient people who lived in the shadows of the pyramids.” 

Learn more at www.beascribe.com and purchase the book at https://bit.ly/3wlclaP.

(NewsUSA) - Coded to Kill by Marschall Runge, M.D.

Is medicine’s greatest breakthrough also the world’s most efficient killing machine?

After a decade of development, Drexel Hospital’s cutting-edge Electronic Health Records system is about to become the national standard and revolutionize health care. Housing the real-time medical records of every American, the EHR system will enable doctors to access records with a keystroke and issue life-or-death medical orders with a finger swipe.

No one wants the EHR to succeed more than Hugh Torrence, a former NSA honcho who sees the system as a tool for unimaginable and unaccountable power. The only thing standing in his way is a loose-knit group of Drexel employees with conflicting agendas and questionable loyalties.

While they search for answers, the suspicious patient deaths keep mounting as the target on their back grows larger. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3TC7Dyz.

The Dream Collector: Book I “Sabrine and Sigmund Freud”  by R.w. Meek

The Dream Collector thrusts readers into the dynamic ambiance of late 19th-century Paris where science and art entwine. Against the backdrop of the emerging Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements, the story centers on Julie Forette, a self-educated woman from Marseilles. Her journey leads her to the notorious Salpêtrière, a sprawling hospital and asylum governed by the esteemed neurologist Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot.

Amidst the chaos of over five thousand disabled, demented, and abandoned women, Julie forges a friendship with the young intern Sigmund Freud. Together, they explore the conscious-altering power of cocaine, hypnotism, and dream interpretation, embarking on an urgent quest to find a cure for the star hysteric, Sabrine Weiss, before Dr. Charcot resorts to radical measures.

As the narrative unfolds, Julie's entanglements extend beyond the asylum, intertwining with major artists like Cezanne, Gauguin, and Monet, making Belle Époque Paris come alive in an unforgettable way. Purchase at https://geni.us/bS4c.

Langston Mangston's Cool-Le-Made Adventure by Chandler G. Hayes

Join Langston-Mangston, his parents, and his imaginary best friend, the pink elephant Zonky, as they embark on fun family discussions about personal finance. Covering basic concepts that cultivate early awareness about how money affects our daily lives, Langston Mangston's Cool-Le-Made Adventure is a lively guide to success for young readers ages six to 12.

Encouraging parents to embrace their child's interest in family finances with mindfulness and care, children are empowered to develop and communicate new ideas, set goals, ask for help, overcome obstacles, and build confidence. The author, with two school-age children, motivates other children to be courageous when considering and planning new tasks and projects – a perfect book for entertainment, engagement and learning. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3TxhGVF.

At the Edge of the Ice by Carolyn Armstrong

The perfect book for middle-graders to celebrate Earth Day later this month, At The Edge Of The Ice is a heartfelt eco-adventure about the complexities of how habitats are affected by climate change and how small steps can make a big difference.

Sydney Cabella talks to animals, but they never talk back -- until one day, they do.

When an intuitive eleven-year-old Sydney, her brainiac twin sister Sierra, and her photojournalist parents explore the Arctic ecosystem near the North Pole, Sydney accidentally hits her head. When she wakes up, the impossible happens: she and the animals can talk to each other.

The first animal who speaks up, a ringed seal named Ringo , tells Sydney that loss of habitat and global warming have pushed this ecosystem to the brink of collapse. With just 72 hours, the twins must put their squabbles aside to decipher Ringo’s clues and help. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3VvHkvq.

(NewsUSA) - As Artificial Intelligence advances across the globe with inexorable speed, untold predictions of promise and peril amass. All in all, it’s a perfect time for Amazon bestselling author William Jefferson’s new book, 2102: Pretense, the Play, which catapults present-day technology angst into a stunning future-cast of tomorrow.

In today’s culture, dominated more and more by distant, discarnate, mediated connectivity, 2102: Pretense, the Play takes readers on a journey where wily artificial intelligence challenges the wisdom of the ages.

In this very literary work following Jefferson’s acclaimed Presence, the Play, the new book is set in Onglander, where crimes are tried on stage and the accused must act while donning masks. The better the act, the greater the prospect of acquittal; to refuse, to be real and transparent, brings swift condemnation.

2102: Pretense, the Play is equally terrifying and thrilling, but it’s also a heartwarming tale of unswerving determination, resilience, and hope. In an age of brimming technological advancement, 2102 pays homage to those locked out, cast aside, cowering and unseen.

Richly spirited, the heroine of the novel could possibly be Joan of Arc, mystically incarnate in 2102. Yet no one really knows for sure.

Alias or not, the riveting character goes by the name of Margin, and she travels into the future with Lesser Light, the moon also incarnate, and Shadow the same. Their mission is to seek out the marginalized, those who abide in the shadows and lesser light.

They set their sights on 2102, to see what’s happened to the future, now marginalized. The trio, though, needs an official record of what takes place in the future, so they choose a poet named Quillingsworth to be their scribe. Quillingsworth lives in Poet’s Lodge—a current-day setting that’s most enchanting. Quill and his blue-headed parrot, Loreto, join the trio, forming a quartet called the Eventide Ensemble.

William Jefferson is on the board of the Marshall McLuhan Initiative (MMI) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and is an active member and supporter of the Media Ecology Association, as well as the Institute of General Semantics. The author of several books, Jefferson is the creator of the mystical Isle of Estillyen, beyond of the Storied Sea, introduced in his debut novel, Messages from Estillyen (www.estillyen.com).

Jefferson is no stranger to the literary world, with his latest work following Presence, the Play, a novel in which we, as readers, are treated to an allegorical tale woven across multiple levels: Christian theology, media critique, the hero’s journey, poetic reimagining of classic works, and sheer entertainment. All wrapped in an exploration of the concept of presence and its many manifestations, both divine and mundane. The meticulously crafted storyline evokes the imaginative prose of J.R.R. Tolkien, the spirited perception of C. S. Lewis, and the dramatic flair of Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Back in 1966, the cover of TIME magazine posed a most provocative question in asking, “Is God Dead?” Today, in light of the explosive use of AI, many might ask, “Is Wisdom Dead?” to which this author replies, “Not yet, but AI may be digging wisdom’s grave.”

Writes Jefferson in 2102: Pretense, the Play: “The present world is a theater, the conditions of men are roles: wealth and poverty, ruler and ruled. . . . When this day is cast aside, and that terrible night comes, or rather day, night indeed for sinners, but day for the righteous, when the play is ended, when the masks are removed . . . then the truly rich and the truly poor are revealed.”

Learn more at the author’s website, https://estillyen.com, and purchase the book at https://bit.ly/4avK1S7.

(NewsUSA) - Thirty years ago, the advent of the internet changed the world. For the first time in human history, the collected knowledge of all mankind was freely available to every man, woman, and child on the planet with the click of a few buttons.

Fifteen years ago, the world changed again with the widespread availability and adoption of smartphones that put the full power of the internet in the palm of our hands whenever we want and wherever we are.

As monumental as these advancements were, they were just the warmup for the change that’s coming next. In just a few years, we won’t think of “going on the internet” to look up information and find entertainment. Instead, we’ll already be in the internet, living, working, and playing in an endless virtual world that will turn everything we think we know about the internet on its head.

Welcome to the Metaverse.

In Once Upon Tomorrow, author and visionary tech CEO Shurick Agapitov dives deep into this new age of the internet by unpacking exactly what the Metaverse is and what it will become. It’s not about pixels and computer chips; it’s a total paradigm shift that will revolutionize how people interact, share stories, create and implement ideas, conduct business, and literally live their lives.

“Rather than just visiting a website,” Agapitov says, “you’ll be immersed in a platform of three-dimension gaming, shopping, events and socialization. You’ll be ‘visiting’ virtual destinations that take you directly to the source of your interests.”

The Metaverse will be the biggest change any of us have ever seen, and Agapitov is here to take readers by the hand and welcome them into this wild, wonderful new universe of opportunity, estimated at about $30 trillion before the end of the decade.

Agapitov, who grew up in Russian and whose own video gaming industry company Xsolla has been valued at $3 billion, envisions a future where every consumer-facing industry, from fashion to healthcare to entertainment, is transformed. If you’re an entrepreneur and you’re kicking yourself because you didn’t grab the opportunities that existed during the rise of e-commerce and the mobile internet, there’s good news for you too. The opportunities that exist today in the Metaverse are even greater.

The author delineates how:

• In the Metaverse, we will immerse ourselves in a growing global community that will change forever how we work, play, shop, and explore, and engage brands, and how we interact and literally live our lives.
• While large companies such as Nike, Adidas and Gucci are already creating their digital footprints across the Metaverse, as technology continues to become a commodity and its price declines, anyone can get into the game. Anyone has the chance to create his or her own mega brand.
• The opportunity to own “real estate” in the Metaverse is like buying land on a nearly empty beach today, developing it, and watching a massive community build around you.

Once Upon Tomorrow is available for purchase on Amazon and other popular retail outlets where books are sold. Learn more at www.onceupontomorrow.com.

(NewsUSA) - Baby X by Kira Peikoff

With a vivid imagining of the future, Gattaca meets Black Mirror in Kira Peikoff’s Baby X. In the near future, where advanced technology can create egg or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black-market site devoted to stealing DNA. He hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety.  

Working for Thorne, Ember’s focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who claims Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off.   

Brilliantly plotted and terrifyingly prescient, Baby X is an unpredictable and relentless speculative thriller perfect for fans of Blake Crouch and John Marrs. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3qoHg3y.

Dialogues with the Wise Woman by Richard Todd Devens

Scammed by an evil Las Vegas con artist, pianist George Sister descends into a deep depression; and even after three years, his pain, guilt, self-loathing, rage, and desire for revenge remain. Through an acquaintance, he contacts Mildred Markowitz, a psychologist and philosopher of genius.

This is more than a novel. It is a psychological and philosophical treatise that tackles many important issues: What is evil? Can good and bad be determined? Is revenge ever justified? What is the best way to deal with the current violent crime epidemic? Can all criminals be rehabilitated? What is self-esteem, and how does one acquire it? How can we determine the most ethical course of action? What is happiness?

A no-holds-barred search for truth that encourages readers to utilize their own rational judgment, perfect read for intelligent skeptics everywhere. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3Ikyzwl.

Murder in the Tea Leaves by Laura Childs

In this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series, when tea maven Theodosia Browning reads the tea leaves on the set of the movie, things go from spooky to worse. Lights are dimmed, the camera rolls, and red-hot sparks fly as the film’s director is murdered in a tricky electrical accident.

 Or was it an accident? Nobody admits to seeing a thing. And when Theodosia’s friend becomes the prime suspect, Theodosia begins her own shadow investigation. But who among this Hollywood cast and crew had murder on their mind?

 Between hosting a Breakfast at Tiffany’s Tea, a Poetry Tea, and trying to launch her own chocolate line, Theodosia hunts down clues in the seemingly haunted Brittlebank Manor. And just when she’s ready to pounce, a Charleston Film Board member is also murdered, throwing everything into disarray. Includes delicious recipes and tea time tips! Purchase at https://bit.ly/48wsoAy.

The Disgrace of Sant’ Ambrogio by Michael Turturici

August 1944 – Florence, Italy. "Everybody out," a German lieutenant yells as the citizens in the river district are forced out of their homes. "They're going to blow our bridges," an old man shouts. That night, as the bridges are destroyed, smoke and flame light the air as a revered Renaissance painting is stolen by the known Gestapo collaborator, Father Danilo Lombardi.

September 1978 - Vatican City. A young American priest from Boston is summoned to the Vatican on a fateful journey. The disgrace of Sant' Ambrogio sends Father John Conley on a pilgrimage, from the catacombs of the Vatican to the summits of the Alps, the Monastery of Saint Benedict, and through the gates of East Berlin. Confronted by a blizzard, angry secret police, and unrequited love, he must remain faithful on his mission to redeem the Church of Sant' Ambrogio. Purchase at https://bit.ly/47Byi3j.

(NewsUSA) - Plowman by Charles Bruckerhoff

At twelve, Stella Young and Hana Sanada, enrolled in the Stanton Academy for Humanity, discover the wartime journals of their great-grandfathers, who served in WWII, and a wartime journal of Stella's grandfather, who served in Vietnam. Now, many years after the wars, the girls begin turning the journals into a book-length manuscript.

Their thoughts about the book's themes change abruptly. Stella's father was an infantry captain, serving in Afghanistan. One evening, army officers arrived at her home to inform Olivia, her mother, and Stella that their beloved husband and father had been killed.

The girls research the deeply troubling "wrong wars" that the American government has entered. Now adults, Stella and Hana size up what had gone so wrong with American government, its military, and society and embark on a mission to restore law and order, honor, morality, and integrity to the country. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3uJfErH.

Wolf’s Head Bay - Journey of the Courageous Eleven by Jeffery Allen Boyd

The global criminal Network . . .
 The growing government scandal . . .
 The ensuing White House cover-up . . . 

A chance encounter on a camping trip to the Northern Michigan wilderness by a group of teenagers becomes a deadly and suspenseful race for survival when they are plunged into the terrifying world of human trafficking and discover the courageous hero that lies within each one of them.

In a bold rescue attempt, the fearful group of teens is held captive at an underground missile silo by the Colonel, a dangerous man intent on controlling the world's human trafficking Network. About to be taken out of the country and sold as slaves into the global Network, only the boy who lured one of them can help—and he has his own price! Purchase Book 1 at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/wolfs-head-bay .

Talk to My Brain! by Dr. Parul Cedilnik

In this fascinating work, a clinical psychologist, through stories, is bringing Cognitive Behavior Therapy to children. The core concept in this book is to accept the feelings, breath deep, and change the thoughts -- to feel better and deal with the problems effectively. The book has six stories, lots of illustrations, a small discussion guide and can be used by psychologists, counselors, social workers and parents.

Dr. Parul Cedilnik, Ph.D. is a clinical and child psychologist who has studied and trained chiefly in India. She has worked in India, the United States and Germany with both children and adults. This book is based on her experience of the last 25 years, while working with people from more than 35 countries. Purchase at https://bit.ly/4bNJmg8.

All I Ever Wanted To Be Was an Ad Man by Anthony Eglin

From a childhood dodging bombs in wartime London and drawing pictures under the family's dining table during air raids, Anthony had a dream – to become an ad man. Thus started a remarkable, 50-year, transatlantic odyssey.

While the labyrinthine arc of his extraordinary memoir is about resolve, tenacity and ambition, his ascendence in the exacting world of advertising is packed with unforgettable characters, case histories and hilarious anecdotes, along with a recurring thread of irrepressible optimism, deft insights and dry wit.

And somehow, he also found the time to become a famous rock-band manager, filmmaker, bike racer, antiques collector/dealer, New Orleans Jazz clarinetist, accomplished gardener, bakery owner, and an award-winning author of six mystery books. Anthony's heart-warming memoir is a captivating portrait of a life well lived. Purchase at https://bit.ly/42OpYM0.

(NewsUSA) - The Destination Birth by Alex Bisset 

Everybody has their own unique birth story. For Alex and Lauren, theirs would begin a grand adventure that would present its own twist of fate thousands of miles from home. 
 
The Destination Birth is more than just a heartwarming and inspiring story; it's a rollercoaster ride of emotions that will leave readers reaching for the tissues one moment and belly laughing the next. But through it all, readers will be reminded of the incredible resilience of the human spirit, the power of family, and the unbreakable bond between a parent and child. 
 
So buckle up as a young couple navigates the trials and tribulations of childbirth, love, and family. This story will leave readers moved, inspired, and reminded of the extraordinary strength we can find when faced with adversity. Ten percent of all proceeds will be donated to the Bozeman-Deaconness Hospital NICU. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3T1yCnq. 

Forgetting Me by Katherine Tirado-Ryen 

When Anne Strafford wakes from a coma in a New York City hospital, she has no memory of who she is, how she got there, or why the handsome movie star, Jack Post, sleeps by her bedside. She certainly doesn’t remember getting cosmetic surgery, or the accident that scarred her once-beautiful face. 

While piecing together her past, Anne makes distressing discoveries. Her husband has filed for divorce. Her twin sister won’t speak to her. Everyone she's ever loved has shattered in her wake. Yet how can Anne fix a forgotten life? 

Follow this intimate journey of self-discovery that asks some of life’s toughest questions. What truly defines us? And are we more than the sum of our experiences? With bravery and determination, one woman will confront the echoes of her past in order to embrace an unforgettable future. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3NcTR1J. 

Eastern Star Rising by LuciaBelia 

Follow author LuciaBelia’s journey of healing from past trauma and mastering the Left-Hand Path. She accomplishes this feat through hard work and 18-hour days of focus, determination and working with Magick as an extension of herself, relentlessly using her 30 years of experience with Right Hand Path and energy healing. The path to ascension includes self-initiation, self-deification, and shadow work.  

The book shares LuciaBelia’s experience with the Demonic Gatekeepers, Satan, and those in her life who provided support as she became a fully empathetic and balanced person. Her journey was amazingly empowering. It taught her an entire system of healing that she incorporated into life coaching clients, where she has seen amazing results. Eastern Star Rising gives readers the tools to look deep within, do the work, and come out the other side, whole. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3T4iWjf. 

Sex, Trucks, and Rock ‘n Roll by Ben Mason 

A riveting, raw memoir on the life of an arrogant and decadent rocker who eventually finds redemption and peace amid chaos. Drawing on his experiences in the music industry and his love for Eastern and Western faiths, Ben embarks on a transformative journey that leads him to self-discovery and enlightenment. 

Ben shares the secrets of his evolution from being a self-centered rockstar to a successful entrepreneur and loving father, learning to embrace his true self and let go of the trappings of fame and fortune. 

With transparency and vulnerability, Ben invites readers to embark on their own journey of self-transformation. By sharing intimate thoughts and feelings, he offers clues and inspiration encouraging readers to overcome their own struggles and find inner peace, kindness, and prosperity. Purchase at https://bit.ly/49fhNdo.

(NewsUSA) - What Eyes Can’t See by Paulette Stout 

“A gripping, moving story… of love, justice, redemption.” 
Midwest Book Review 

Barbara navigates the NYC corporate world as a confident Black lawyer, balancing sky-high career goals with heavy family expectations. After a broken engagement leaves her reeling, Barbara lands at an island paradise and gets swept away by Sebastian. The hazel-eyed Adonis with a mysterious past makes Barbara feel seen for the first time in her life.  

Yes, he’s white and she’s Black. She’s rich and he grew up on food stamps, but none of that matters. Until they return home and Sebastian gets the job meant for her. 

Suspecting racial discrimination, Barbara challenges her boss in court. That decision puts the lovers on opposite sides of a battle they long to fight together. As their love and convictions are put to the test, one question remains: how much are they willing to risk to find justice? https://books2read.com/what-eyes-cant-see 

Searching for Zen: A Tale of Divine Destiny by Albert T. Franklin 

The story begins on Earth, but an Earth with a past steeped in fantasy and science fiction. From humble beginnings, a boy is given a divine destiny, a chance to make his mark on human civilization, but he must embark upon a life-changing journey. He struggles to understand, losing himself in doubt and loneliness as he confronts the dark side of humanity. 

Coming of age, Zen builds a family from a motley collection of strangers and discovers love. His newfound friends help him understand his reason for fighting. His trials amplify as his power increases, and he sparks the ire of those in the spirit realm, who doubt any human can wield such power successfully. As Zen struggles to fulfill his purpose, he learns that love, friendship, and divine destiny come with a heavy price. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3Ri7EGO. 

Tricking Power into Performing Acts of Love by Shepherd Siegel 

People and cultures draw on a mix of archetypes, the attributes of personality that make them who they are—Warrior, Caretaker, Magician, Fool, Hero, Sage—and Trickster. This book is about how grownups who have retained the ability to be playful as they were when a child view the world. Such grownups will consciously or unconsciously engage with the Trickster, and this book is about what could happen if society made more of that animating force. 

Today, an infantilized infatuation with the Warrior archetype tears society apart. The best response comes out of a more peaceful and playful approach. In a time of great political frustration and culture wars, readers respond well to Tricking Power into Performing Acts of Love, which proposes the pursuit of fun and the refusal to take power seriously as a timeless and potent political strategy. Purchase at https://shepherdsiegel.com/books/. 

Messed Up Like You by Rick Culleton 

Rick Culleton is hardly the kind of person you’d expect to fly an airplane. He is fearful of heights and lacks a good sense of orientation. None of this, however, has prevented him from earning a pilot’s license. Nor have anxiety and ADHD and people labeling him a lost cause stopped him from becoming highly successful as an entrepreneur. 

The author struggled in school because of learning difficulties. He showed no athletic talent, did a brief stint in prison, and spiraled into debt hustling used cars. But with encouragement from a friend, he turned his life around and built an Inc. 5000 company selling discount electronics. 

Messed Up Like You is a compelling narrative. Weaving together harrowing anecdotes from flight school and from the author’s business ventures, it will propel readers toward becoming their best selves and prompt them to take action. Purchase at https://amzn.to/414aN0d.

(NewsUSA) -

Survival at Stake by Poorva Joshipura

With science recognizing animal consciousness, intelligence, emotion and morality, we must be aware of our own moral responsibilities toward other beings. But there's another reason to consider animals' well-being -- because it is intertwined with our own.

Leading animal rights activist Poorva Joshipura argues that, evolutionarily, humans are more like other animals than we care to believe. She examines how hunting wildlife leads to pandemics and epidemics, which, in turn, harm us; how the production of meat destroys forests and causes climate change, which, in turn, destroys us; how blood sports hurt both humans and animals; how leather production damages the environment and human health; how animal experimentation is often a threat to public health; how cruelty to animals leads to violent crimes; and so on. It’s time to take the necessary steps towards the betterment of all the planet's inhabitants. Purchase at peta.org/survival.

The Idea People by Mike Lubow

It is 1987: the "greed is good" era. When anxious ad agency whiz Ben Franklin Green accidentally falls through a wall during a boardroom presentation, he hops a plane and flies west instead of returning to work. During a nostalgic sojourn in the eucalyptus and marijuana-scented playland of LA’s sexy Laurel Canyon, he plans to develop a book with his former mentor about the sham that is the advertising business.

But his plans are short-lived when his mentor's outdoorsy daughter is kidnapped while working in the Rocky Mountain wilds. Ben, with the creativity of a Madison Avenue idea man, becomes an unlikely detective as he is drawn into the case.

Ben's interest in nature, loyalty to his friends, and an uncanny ability to see what others miss allow him to become a rare bird who finds a new life in the Wild West. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3S6d6fl

Moons by R.E. Mason

This is a tale of two worlds at cross-purposes, orbiting around a once-habitable planet. Two men, strangers to each other, are commissioned to find and bring their chosen heir back to claim her right to ascendency in time to stop a despot from taking control of both Moons.

 Moons, an action-packed sci-fi adventure novel, is written by a happily retired, blind octogenarian living in the Bay Area in Northern California. As a lad, he was curious for what he might find on the other side of the hill, and throughout his life, he sought to find it. He felt he belonged somewhere else, and that someday they would come for him. He created that world, that adventure, those people and friends, where he can go from time to time. This first excursion, Moons, takes him to that other world. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3TrYEAE.

The Unexpected Benefits of Being Run Over by Naseem Rochette

Breaking doesn’t mean you’re broken.

In a pedestrian crosswalk on a quiet street, Naseem is hit and then run over three times. She hears her fate in her husband’s screams. Is he watching the mother of his children die?

Miraculously, she survives, yet she is no longer the person she was. Her “cracks”—the changes to her body and mind—initially feel impossible to accept. In learning to embrace this new, unrecognizable self, Naseem decides to celebrate the day she almost lost her life as the day she discovered her true strength—her Unbreakable Day.

In this unique memoir, equal parts heart wrenching and inspiring, Naseem lays bare the reality of personal trauma—and how we each have the power to reimagine our lives and find beauty in being both broken and unbreakable. Named Book of the Year in the Best Indie Book Award. Purchase at https://amzn.to/49nCzZh.

(NewsUSA) - Dying for a Second Chance by Jenn Chapman

Someone has been killing and dumping women on the Shoalwater Bay Reservation in Washington State. In Dying For a Second Chance, a psychological thriller with a supernatural twist, Sergeant Rod Kills On Top investigates a car crash which leads him to details that may help solve the murders.  As he works with Jessica, a survivor of the crash, he begins to suspect that her husband may be the killer.

Jessica keeps her true identity, and what she knows, a secret because if she tells the truth she is likely to die — again! This tight and taut detective story, embedded in an indigenous setting, invites the reader to reflect on the “spirit world” that co-exists within the terrestrial world, where the “hereafter” and the “here-and-now” intersect. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3rflb7x.

Life After Love by Lorraine Cover

Kate Covington wants two things -- to finally get on with her life three years after the passing of her husband, and to experience the passion she hopes to instill in her writing that will fulfill her desire to be an author of steamy short stories.

Setting sail on a cruise hoping to do just that, she crosses paths with cocky, sexy, and much younger Luca Bell’Angelo, licking his wounds after yet another failed relationship.

When her fear of letting go sends her into retreat mode, they come to a platonic agreement to help each other. Luca’s expertise will help Kate spice up her writing, and Kate’s take on life will help Luca uncover why the love he longs for has been so elusive.  But once their relationship moves past the platonic stage, their lives are changed in ways neither expected. Purchase at https://bit.ly/46Ft9Ha.

Madame Pommery by Rebecca Rosenberg

 A story of a woman's indomitable spirit in the face of insurmountable odds. Set in Champagne, France in 1860, Madame Pommery is a 40-year-old widow and etiquette teacher whose husband has died. Now she must find a way to support her family. With no experience, she decides to make champagne, but no champagne makers will teach her their craft.

Undeterred, she begins to secretly excavate champagne caves under the Reims city dump and faces numerous obstacles. From the Franco-Prussian war that conscripts her son and crew to the Prussian General Frederick Franz occupying her home, she perseveres. She even must choose between her champagne dreams and a marriage proposal from a Scottish Baron. Inspired by a true story, Madame Pommery is a heroic tale of a woman's strength and determination to create a champagne legacy. Purchase at https://bit.ly/43BIMg2.

A Reaction to Messianic Missionaries by Cheryl Simani

A fresh, exciting perspective on the missionary/counter-missionary controversy. Appalled by the nefarious tactics of Christian missionaries disguised as Jews, Rabbanit Simani pens a personal letter to those misled by their wiles. She addresses the “Jews for Jesus” organization head-on and dives deep into the characters and sources for Jewish and Christian Messianic claims.

The book addresses the development of the “Messianic Jewish” movement and the “Isaiah 53 Campaign” – an aggressive effort targeting Jews with misinformation to convert them to their disguised form of Christianity. It also outlines the conflicting historical paths of Judaism and Christianity.  This is a dynamic perspective of the origins of Early Christianity, a must-read for anyone interested in who was or will be the Messiah. A perfect gift for the “truth-seekers” among family and friends, and that special rabbi. Purchase at https://bit.ly/45OLZue.