Category: Book news

Personal reflections on Banned Books Week 2021

Photo: Banned Books Week

Today marks the beginning of Banned Books Week, which this year takes place from Sunday September 26 through Saturday October 2, 2021. Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden rise in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores, and libraries. It highlights the value of free and open access to information and brings the book community in their shared support of the freedom to seek and express ideas, even those that are considered unorthodox or unpopular. (Banned Books Week, 2021)

The subject of book banning is near and dear to my heart. Ever since I was young, I did not read books, I devoured them. My earliest memory of reading is in elementary school when it was time to order from the Scholastic Book Club. I remember looking forward to getting that order form and ordering at least one book every time, sometimes even two or three. Books were my friends and constant companions at a time when my family traveled during the summer when we were migrant workers. Often too young to work in the fields, I passed the time reading any books I could find. Books opened whole worlds, real or imagined, on earth and in outer space. Since English is my second language, reading helped improve my vocabulary and comprehension skills. When I picked up a book, I was in my own little world and no topic was taboo. Because of this, I learned about the beauty of friendship and love but also about the harsh reality of classism, racism, and gender inequalities which in turn helped me come to terms with the duality of life.

As an adult, my thirst for knowledge remains unquenched. When I read for leisure, it is usually horror, suspense, detective novels, science fiction, and historical fiction. My favorite author of all time is Stephen King because I started reading his novels in elementary school. Oddly enough, his books never scared me or caused me to have nightmares. Perhaps I have become desensitized to horror; that is fine by me. By reading all types of books, I discovered new schools of thought and realized that some ideas are not always what I was taught to believe and it has released me from my shackles. Now that I write book reviews, my circle of books has increased more than ever and I am still learning about other subjects that I might not have encountered otherwise.

Whenever I hear about book bannings due to people in positions of power who want to dictate what others can and cannot read, I realize that it is based on fear. They fear what they cannot control as well as any beliefs that could challenge the status quo. In the past, fear has caused people to do unspeakable acts, including burning books that they consider controversial. Book burnings are still taking place in today’s modern times. Books had a major part in shaping the adult that I am today so I strongly support the free flow of information. Due to the advancement of technology, information is available everywhere, including the dark web. No amount of banning, censuring, or challenging will deter anyone.

“If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.” Zig Ziglar

“The Ghost of Windy Hill” by Clyde Robert Bulla is one of the earliest books I remember reading. It is a ghost story for children and I absolutely loved it. I had the book and would re-read it often. 

New book release: ‘Light Chaser’ by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell

‘Light Chaser’ is the new novel by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell. Photo: amazon

Peter F. Hamilton began writing in 1987, and sold his first short story to Fear magazine in 1988. He has written many bestselling novels, including the Greg Mandel series, the Night’s Dawn trilogy, the Commonwealth Saga and the Void trilogy, as well as several standalone novels including “Fallen Dragon” and “Great North Road.” Gareth L. Powell writes science fiction about extraordinary characters wrestling with the question of what it means to be human. He has won the BSFA Award twice, for Ack-Ack Macaque and Embers of War, and has also been a finalist for the Locus Award. In Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell’s new action-packed sci-fi adventure “Light Chaser,” a love powerful enough to transcend death can bring down an entire empire. (amazon, 2021)

“Light Chaser” – Amahle is a Light Chaser – one of a number of explorers, who travel the universe alone (except for their onboard AI), trading trinkets for life stories. But when she listens to the stories sent down through the ages she hears the same voice talking directly to her from different times and on different worlds. She comes to understand that something terrible is happening, and only she is in a position to do anything about it. And it will cost everything to put it right.

New book release: ‘Followed Away’ by Andre Gonzalez

‘Followed Away’ is book three in the Exalls Attacks series. Photo: amazon

Andre Gonzalez is the international bestselling author of the Wealth of Time Series. He writes time-travel, thriller, and horror books after spending many years reading and studying the works of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. His goal is to keep readers up late and their hearts pumping a bit faster than normal when they crack open one of his books. Andre is the recipient of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2021 Independent Writer of the Year award. In his new novel, “Followed Away,” the third book in the Exalls Attacks series, life has spiraled out of control for Kyle Wells. Left with minimal means for survival, Kyle must band together with his squad as they sweep the country for any signs of life. (amazon, 2021)

“Followed Away” – Their mission is to save the world. But will they be able to save themselves? Upon returning to the outside world, they discover abyss. Hope and ambition quickly diminish as a disturbing reality settles in—they are all alone. Despite the prior catastrophic mission of cleansing the evil plaguing the land, the Crew find themselves once again facing their enemies for the soul of the future. Outnumbered and outsmarted, Kyle and his team must resort to desperate tactics if they want to survive.

“Followed Home” – Book One: At first, everyone thought it was a prank. Something malevolent is brewing in the Rocky Mountains. Kyle and his friends encounter the evil firsthand while on a hunting trip, oblivious to the danger that will soon follow them back to the city. As tragedy unfolds across the region, the four companions are plunged into a horrifying struggle for survival with an otherworldly threat and the forces that oppose it. With millions of lives suddenly at risk, Kyle finds his best chance at survival is buried within an old family secret.

“Followed East” – Book Two: The Exalls are back. And they are thirsty for revenge. Kyle Wells has spent the last four years piecing together his shattered life. After a meeting with the Pentagon, he agrees to fight the beings who have taken everything from him. Leaving behind the only life he has known, Kyle relocates across the country to embark on his new journey. Once in the nation’s capital, he learns an entire world has been kept classified for decades. More importantly, he discovers his grandmother’s true role in the organization known as The Crew. When random attacks begin sprouting around the country, a familiar disturbing pattern emerges. As the tragedies gradually inch closer toward the Pentagon, Kyle finds himself thrust into battle against his lethal enemies. With the ultimate showdown looming, he tumbles across a chilling revelation hidden in the depths of his father’s home. Will this discovery be the key to saving his life—and the country—as we know it?

New book release: ‘A Different Dawn’ by Isabella Maldonado

“A Different Dawn” by Isabella Maldonado is book two in the Nina Guerrera series. Photo: amazon

Award-winning author Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in the Fairfax County Police Department just outside DC, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During more than two decades on the force, her assignments included hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander. She uses her law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing, which includes the Detective Cruz series and the Nina Guerrera series. The latter consists of “The Cipher” and now “A Different Dawn.” In her new book “A Different Dawn,” book two in the Nina Guerrera series, for nearly thirty years a serial killer has been hiding in plain sight. So has the key to an FBI agent’s dark past. (amazon, 2021)

“A Different Dawn” – A family is murdered as they sleep. FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera and her new team are tasked with determining whether there is any link between this attack and another triple homicide from four years earlier and more than two thousand miles away. In the process, they will discover a serial killer so cunning that his grisly trail of death spanning nearly three decades has gone undetected. Each crime scene reminds Nina of the ghostly Latin folktale of La Llorona, which terrified her when she was an abandoned and vulnerable child. Now it is back to haunt her. Nina has known evil, but these macabre reenactments are as disturbing as they are baffling. Now she must uncover the meaning behind the rituals as the evidence leads her in an unexpected direction―far closer to home than anyone could have imagined. As the team narrows in on a suspect, the present collides with Nina’s past in a twist of fate that forces her to make the ultimate sacrifice.

New book release: ‘Plague of Flies: Revolt of the Spirits, 1846’ by Laurel Anne Hill

‘Plague of Flies: Revolt of the Spirits, 1846’ is Laurel Anne Hill’s new Young Adult novel. Photo: amazon

Laurel Anne Hill is an author and former underground storage tank operator. She grew up in San Francisco with more dreams of adventure than good sense or money. Her close brushes with death, love of family, respect for honor and belief in a higher power continue to influence her writing and her life. Laurel has written over thirty published short stories and two award-winning YA novels, including “The Engine Woman’s Light,” the gripping spirits-meet-steampunk, coming-of-age heroic journey of a young Latina in an alternate 19th century California. “The Engine Woman’s Light” has won a total of thirteen honors and awards, including a Kirkus Star. Sand Hill Review Press is set to release Laurel’s next Young Adult novel, “Plague of Flies: Revolt of the Spirits, 1846” on October 16, 2021. It tells the story of a young Mexican girl whose country is in turmoil. (Laurel Anne Hill, 2021)

“Plague of Flies: Revolt of the Spirits, 1846” – This Young Adult historical fantasy tells the story of a 16-year-old Mexican girl, Catalina, and her fight for her country after American invaders declare war on Mexico. Circumstances compel Catalina to protect all those she holds dear when American invaders, called the Bear Flaggers, declare that Mexican California belongs to the United States. Faced with the imprisonment and murders of her friends, Catalina relies on guidance from people and places more powerful than herself. Catalina risks her reputation, future with the man she loves, and, ultimately, her soul to prevent the calamity she fears. Experience mid-19th century Mexican Alta California with Catalina and the spirits she encounters along the way.

Laurel says about her newest book, “My Mexican great-grandmother, as a teen in US California during the 1860s, recruited Mexican ex-patriots to return to their country of birth and rid Mexico of French soldiers. Her dedication, and that of my great-great-grandmother and many others, helped restore the Mexican Republic. How could this bit of family history not inspire me to create a character such as Catalina? A brave young woman in the 1840s who learns to believe the unbelievable and accomplish what only she is meant to do?”

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Texas Book Festival announces 2021 author lineup

Announcing the 2021 Texas Book Festival lineup. Photo: Texas Book Festival, used with permission.

The Texas Book Festival is excited to announce the lineup for its annual festival featuring nationally renowned authors, including Chandler Baker, Oscar Cásares, Sandra Cisneros, Ann Cleeves, Tamron Hall, Nathan Harris, Louis Menand, Sam Quinones, and more. (Texas Book Festival, 2021)

The 2021 hybrid festival will take place October 23 through 31 and the lineup features nearly two hundred authors, illustrators, poets, journalists, artists, chefs, and thought leaders across a diverse array of genres and topics. The festival will also highlight previously announced authors Rumaan Alam, Mary Gaitskill, R. J. Palacio, Raj Patel, Amor Towles, Colson Whitehead, and more.

Virtual
October 23-24
• Children’s programming
• Texas Teen Book Festival: Young Adult Authors and panels
October 25-31
• Adult fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and cooking

In-person
October 30
• Read Me A Story children’s picture book authors at Symphony Square
• Lit Crawl at Symphony Square
October 31
• Adult programming at Austin Central Library

Texas Teen Book Festival
Angeline Boulley, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, and Neal Shusterman will headline the 2021 Texas Teen Book Festival, taking place online on October 23 and 24. The TTBF lineup also includes David Bowles, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Candace Buford, Hafsah Faizal, Jennifer Mathieu, Lilliam Rivera, Tracy Wolff, and more.

Children’s Programming
Children’s authors and illustrators in the full lineup include Gloria Amescua, Kathi Appelt, Adrianna Cuevas, K.A. Holt, Oliver Jeffers, Varian Johnson, Jon Scieszka and Steven Weinberg, Nicholas Solis, and Don Tate.

Texas Authors
Texas authors featured at this year’s festival include Jeff Abbott, Kate Biberdorf, H. W. Brands, Ellen Riojas Clark, May Cobb, Carrie Fountain, Cassy Joy Garcia, Dolores Huerta, Priya Huq, Elizabeth McCracken, Bill Minutaglio, Juan Miró, Tomás Q. Morín, Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey, Divya Srinivasan, S. Kirk Walsh, Lawrence Wright, and many more.

All Festival titles will be available in the official BookPeople Texas Book Festival online bookstore. Select titles will be available in person at Symphony Square and the Austin Central Library. BookPeople is the official bookseller for the Texas Book Festival. BookPeople donates a portion of every book sold through the online Festival store and the Festival back to the Texas Book Festival.

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New book release: ‘Never Saw Me Coming’ by Vera Kurian

‘Never Saw Me Coming’ is Vera Kurian’s much anticipated debut novel. Photo: amazon

Vera Kurian is a writer and scientist. Her short fiction has been published in magazines such as Glimmer Train, Day One, and The Pinch. She has lived in DC for most of her adult life and has a PhD in social psychology. “Never Saw Me Coming,” her debut novel, is a Most Anticipated Novel of Fall 2021 by Newsweek, Goodreads, PopSugar, Crime Reads, SheReads, Crime by the Book, The Nerd Daily, and more. It centers around the conundrum: You should never trust a psychopath. But what if you had no choice? (amazon, 2021)

“Never Saw Me Coming” – It would be easy to underestimate Chloe Sevre. She is a first-year honor student, a legging-wearing hot girl next door, who also happens to be a psychopath. She spends her time on yogalates, frat parties and plotting to kill Will Bachman, a childhood friend who grievously wronged her. Chloe is one of seven students at her DC-based college who are part of an unusual clinical study of psychopaths—students like herself who lack empathy and cannot comprehend emotions like fear or guilt. The study, led by a renowned psychologist, requires them to wear smart watches that track their moods and movements. When one of the students in the study is found murdered in the psychology building, a dangerous game of cat and mouse begins, and Chloe goes from hunter to prey. As she races to identify the killer and put her own plan for revenge into action, she will be forced to decide if she can trust any of her fellow psychopaths—and everybody knows you should never trust a psychopath.

Biannual The BookFest returns in October

The BookFest’s fall 2021 event will feature conversations, panel discussions, live interactive events, and more. Photo: The BookFest, used with permission.

The BookFest is the leader in virtual literary events and produces vital conversations on the world’s stage for those who love to read and those who love to write. It launched May 2020 at a time when lockdown forced many live events to be cancelled. Free to attend, the biannual event takes place in the spring and fall and streams panel discussions, conversations, and live interactive sessions. As an award-winner, The BookFest has recognitions from the Webby Awards with a nomination in 2021, a gold award from the Muse Creative Awards in 2020, and a silver award from the w3 Awards in 2020. The BookFest features an array of literary speakers, experts, and authors, which has included: Mitch Albom; Kevin J. Anderson; Mark Coker; Robert G. Diforio; Cheryl Willis Hudson; Wade Hudson; Sarah Kendzior; Jonathan Maberry; Lisa Morton; James Rollins; Connie Schultz; Michael Shermer; Danny Trejo and many others. The BookFest is presented by Books That Make You and produced by Black Château Enterprises. (The BookFest, 2021)

The BookFest® returns for its fourth biannual virtual event with the Fall 2021 edition. As the leader in online book festivals, it will be held on Saturday October 23 and Sunday 24. Free to attend, the programming will engage with those who love to read on Saturday and then lean over to those who love to write on Sunday. Attendees can look forward to four conversations, several panel discussions, and live interactive events. The BookFest is presented by Bookstagrammers, a platform dedicated to book influencers, and by Books That Make You, a bookish brand for bibliophiles. It is produced by Black Château Enterprises.

The BookFest Conversations are intimate discussions with writers and literary leaders. These talks cover the topics of our times as well as provide insights and inspiration to bibliophiles everywhere.

The BookFest Fall 2021 Conversations include:

Lisa Morton – six-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, Morton’s work has been translated into nearly a dozen languages. She has appeared in numerous documentaries and podcasts. Lisa Morton is also the immediate past president of the Horror Writers Association.

Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein – assistant professor of physics, a core faculty member in women’s studies at the University of New Hampshire, and author of “The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred.”

Mark K. Shriver – New York Times bestselling author, president of Save the Children Action Network in Washington, D.C. and former Maryland state legislator. Shriver’s latest children’s book is titled “10 Hidden Heroes: A Counting Book with a Message.”

Helene Wecker – New York Times bestselling author. Her first novel “The Golem and the Jinni” was awarded the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature, the VCU Cabell Award for First Novel, and the Harold U. Ribalow Prize, and was nominated for a Nebula Award and a World Fantasy Award. The Hidden Palace is the recently released follow-up novel.

The BookFest Fall 2021 Keynote Speaker is Lori H. Schwartz. Also known as “The Tech Cat,” Schwartz will speak about the convergence of technology and storytelling to kick off The BookFest Adventure. Poet Debbie Monteggia also joins the opening of the event with a poetry reading. Panel discussions, Live Author Chats and new interactive pitching sessions include an array of authors and experts. The full program will continue to grow and will be announced prior to the event.

“We’re proud to present the fourth BookFest. With continuing uncertainty about social distancing and the need for connection among booklovers, I am proud of how The BookFest Adventure is positioned to bring the reading and writing communities together.” – Desireé Duffy, The BookFest founder

Fan-favorites, the Big Bundle of Books Giveaway presented by Books That Make You, the free Virtual Gift Bag for all attendees, and the Live Author Chats, which will be hosted by Scott Ryan and Anastasia Washington, also return. People are encouraged to register for email updates on the website to stay informed, and to join The BookFest Adventure Facebook Group.

Attendees can browse “Virtual Booths,” which are pages for BookFest sponsors, like a physical booth one might find at a festival. There is also a “Books Page” highlighting books from participants. The BookFest organizers encourage attendees to browse books and support the authors and partners who help bring this free-to-attend event to attendees around the globe.

Other supporters of The BookFest in 2021 include:

Authors, Large and Small; Authors Porch; Black Château Enterprises; Book Publicists of Southern California; Books That Make You; Boss Girl Raye; C. S. Lewis Publicity; D.E.B. Method; Get Published Radio; Little Lion; Horror Writers Association; Independent Writers of Southern California; Just Us Books; MyStar95.com; Napox Photography; OwlCrate; RISE Brewing Company; Say it Loud Readers & Writers; Smashwords; The Skeptics Society; TVGuestpert Publishing; WannaBe Press; the Women’s National Book Association in Los Angeles; Veritkal Life Magazine and the Writers and Publishers Network (WPN).

The event’s hub will be the The BookFest website where visitors can find the live streams on the day of the event. It will stream through the Books That Make You Channel on YouTube and Facebook Page. Event hashtags include #TheBookFest and #TheBookFestFall2021 and social media for Black Château and Books That Make You will help spread the word.

 

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New book release: ‘The Butterfly House’ by Katrine Engberg

‘The Butterfly House’ is Katrine Enngberg’s new novel and the sequel to “The Tenant.’ Photo: amazon

A former dancer and choreographer with a background in television and theater, Katrine Engberg launched a groundbreaking career as a novelist with the publication of her fiction debut, “The Tenant.” She is now one of the most widely read and beloved crime authors in Denmark, and her work has been sold in over twenty-five countries. Her new book “The Butterfly House” is the sequel to “The Tennant,” and has detectives Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner race to solve a series of sordid murders linked to some of the most vulnerable patients in a Danish hospital. Read an excerpt here. (amazon,2021)

“The Butterfly House” – Hospitals are supposed to be places of healing. But in the coronary care unit at one of Copenhagen’s leading medical centers, a nurse fills a syringe with an overdose of heart medication and stealthily enters the room of an older male patient. Six days earlier, a paperboy on his route in central Copenhagen stumbles upon a macabre find: the naked body of a dead woman, lying in a fountain with arms marked with small incisions. Cause of death? Exsanguination—the draining of all the blood in her body. Clearly, this is no ordinary murder. Copenhagen investigator Jeppe Kørner, recovering from a painful divorce and in the throes of a new relationship, takes on the case. His partner, Anette Werner, now on maternity leave after an unexpected pregnancy, is restless at home with a demanding newborn and an equally demanding husband. While Jeppe pounds the streets looking for answers, Anette decides to do a little freelance sleuthing. But operating on her own exposes her to dangers she cannot even begin to fathom. As the investigation ventures into dark corners, it uncovers the ambition and greed that festers beneath the surface of caregiving institutions—all the more shocking for their depravity—and what Jeppe and Anette discover will turn their blood as cold as ice.

Book review: ‘Threads of Yoga’ by Pamela Seelig

‘Threads of Yoga’ by Pamela Seelig will be released on Tuesday, September 28, 2021. Photo: amazon

Pamela Seelig is a yoga teacher based in New Jersey. She began her yoga and meditation journey in 1991 when an illness interrupted her Wall Street career. Along with helping her recovery, the impact of her meditation led to a lifelong pursuit of perceiving and sharing yogic wisdom through practice, teaching, and writing. She completed her teacher training in 2006 at Integral Yoga Institute in New York. Along with Hatha yoga, Pamela also studies Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and is a certified Raja Yoga instructor. Her new book “Threads of Yoga: Themes, Reflections, and Meditations to Weave into Your Practice” is a guide for students and teachers inspired by the Yoga Sutras. It will be released on Tuesday, September 28, 2021.

“Threads of Yoga” begins with an Introduction that explains how to use this book, the meaning behind the movement, going beyond the postures, and how the author began her journey into yoga and meditation. “The primary aim of yoga is to quiet the mind” because once the mind quiets down, the body experiences a heightened state of being. This is more than just a how-to book on yoga poses; it does not come with illustrations or pictures. It explains yoga’s deeper spiritual teachings to help people deepen and enliven their yoga practice. Each chapter introduces a foundational yogi theme followed by ways to put the chapter’s theme into practice in daily life with rituals, meditation, physical practices, and savasana (relaxation) as well as appropriate quotes to contemplate on that chapter’s theme. For those who practice yoga, they get a more in-depth look at yoga than they would in a normal class. For yoga teachers, this book will help them bring yoga wisdoms to their students without sounding preachy. The author makes it a point to reassure that the yoga concepts are not based on a religion, so anyone can benefit from them because the sole purpose of yoga is to quiet the mind. “Threads of Yoga” is divided into three parts: Part One: Themes and Practices Inspired by the Yoga Sutras, Part Two: The Yamas and the Niyamas, and Part Three: The Chakra System. There is a Resources and Recommended Reading section at the end that lists titles for further reading if readers are interested in learning more about the subjects the author has written about.

Yoga has become more mainstream in the past few years but it has also become commercialized. It is easy to just go through the various yoga poses and gain the benefits, but there is much more to yoga than just physical exercises. Yoga practitioners keep coming back because of the sense of peace that they feel at the end of every session. In “Threads of Yoga,” Pamela Seeling shares her own journey of discovering yoga’s more spiritual assets when after a successful career in Wall Street, she developed Bell’s Palsy and had to alter her way of life. She delved further into yoga and meditation to help her body heal. After becoming a yoga instructor, she eventually opened her own studio and wholeheartedly believes in the benefits of yoga and as someone who has benefitted from it, it gives her writing an authentic voice. She does not use complicated terms so the language is easy to understand and since the ‘Parts’ are clearly divided by topic it is easy to come back and re-read whichever sections need re-visiting. Some of the highlights include Chapter 10: Meditation which focuses on meditation: “It is said that anyone can do yoga poses, but only the strong can meditate” and Chapter 8: Silence where the focus is on how beneficial silence can be in the pursuit of peace and mind. “If we slow down, get quiet, and open our hearts, beautiful states of awareness are already there.” The background on yoga’s spiritual teachings is interesting, so even if readers do not practice yoga, this alone is worth reading up on. “Threads of Yoga” is an exceptionally useful guide and is ideal for yoga teachers and practitioners who want to connect with the spiritual wisdom of yoga and deepen their yoga experience. It is recommended for readers who yearn for a closer connection with yoga or are just interested in yoga’s more spiritual teachings.

“Many people today don’t necessarily embrace silence. We are generally more comfortable talking, managing, teaching, humming, or just about anything else. Silence implies emptiness, and that can be uncomfortable or even distressing. Yoga develops our ability to quiet the mind.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Rating: 4 out of 5.
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