‘The Push’ is Ashley Audrain’s debut novel. Photo: amazon.
Ashley Audrain is a Canadian author who previously worked as the publicity director of Penguin Books Canada. She describes her debut novel, “The Push” as a “psychological drama told through the eyes of motherhood.” A January release, it is a tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family, and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for, and everything she feared. (amazon, 2021)
In “The Push,” Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. But in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter—she does not behave like most children do. Her husband, Fox, says she is imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well. Then their son Sam is born—and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she had always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth. Read an excerpt here.
Anna Godbersen is an American writer whose debut novel was the first installment of The New York Times’ bestselling Luxe series for young adults, which includes “The Luxe,” “Rumors,” “Envy,” and Splendor.” She also wrote the Bright Young Things series and “The Blonde,” her first book for grownups. “The Blonde” takes place at the height of the Cold War when Marilyn Monroe was the most infamous woman in the world and poses the question: what if she was also a secret Soviet spy? In 1947, a young, unknown Norma Jeane Baker meets a mysterious man in Los Angeles who transforms her into Marilyn Monroe, the star. Twelve years later he demands payback, and Marilyn is given her first assignment from the KGB: uncover something about John F. Kennedy that no one else knows.
“The Blonde” begins with a Prologue that chronicles Norma Jean’s early years beginning in 1926 when she was born and then jumps to New York in 1959. This fictional account, at the height of her career, has Marilyn Monroe coming across a man named Alexei Lazarev, a Russian, who reminds her that he helped make her famous and now wants her to repay him. He claims to know her real father, that he wants to meet her, and that he can make it happen. All she must do is get close to JFK. From there, the story speculates on what Marilyn and JFK’s relationship might have been like with the added intrigue of Russian spies and the Cold War. It is divided into five parts, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, and 1963. The Epilogue shows Marilyn as a guilt-ridden older woman visiting JFK’s gravesite. It is also the story of the Douglass Walls, the FBI agent who spied on Marilyn, told through his point of view.
The real story behind Marilyn Monroe and JFK may never be known but it is always fun to speculate, especially when spies, murder, and double agents are concerned. An easy read, the action flows through the pages and is mostly dialogue driven. The language is simple and down to earth, and at times even poetic: “The air coming off the high desert was over a hundred degrees, the kind of heat that melts the borders of a girl’s body.” It is an interesting insight into how far people are willing to go for power, wealth, status, and love. The line between fact and fiction are blurred and readers get a glimpse into Marilyn’s thoughts and what might have driven her to make the decisions she made. Part romance, part thriller, it is a fun novel that pulls the reader into the the lifestyle of that era. “The Blonde” is recommended for fans of Marilyn Monroe and Cold War era novels who appreciate fictional spins on real people.
“They forget that vulnerability can be itself, and it can also be a shield, and also a knife. Any old thing can be a weapon, so long as you know how to use it right.”
*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.
‘Intercepts’ is the new book by T.J. Payne. Photo: amazon
T.J. Payne is the author of “The Venue,” “Intercepts,” and “In My Father’s Basement.” He writes primarily in the horror and thriller genres. His writing style relies on a light touch, using lean, smooth prose to build and maintain the story’s intensity. Through this style, Payne weaves in deeper themes and questions about human nature, particularly the subtle line between Good and Evil. Traditional Hero and Villain archetypes are often flipped in Payne’s work. His characters may not always be likable, but their faults and sins are profoundly human. Humans are the only species on Earth with the capability to create both great beauty and unspeakable acts of cruelty. The exploration of that duality has always been central to Payne’s work. His new book “Intercepts” is another chilling novel that is a must-read for fans of horror and is featured on Cosmopolitan’s “31 Best Horror Books of All Time” list. (amazon, 2021)
In “Intercepts,” Joe works at a facility that performs human experimentation. His work just followed him home. The government wanted to unlock hidden abilities in the human mind. They put subjects in extreme sensory deprivation. All the test subjects went violently insane. But the research continued. Today it has been perfected. Almost perfected. Noe Joe’s teenage daughter is experiencing terrifying hallucinations. Either Joe’s daughter is having a mental breakdown or her mind has been intercepted by the patients at the her father’s facility.
‘Bloodline’ is Jess Lourey’s chilling new novel based real events. Photo: amazon
Jess Lourey is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of “Unspeakable Things,” “The Catalain Book of Secrets,” the Salem’s Cipher thrillers, and the Mira James mysteries, among many other works, including young adult, short stories, and nonfiction. An Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty Award nominee, Jess is a tenured professor of creative writing and sociology and a leader of writing retreats. She is also a recipient of The Loft’s Excellence in Teaching fellowship, a Psychology Today blogger, and a TEDx presenter. In her new novel “Bloodline,” a pregnant journalist moves back to her fiancé’s hometown but everything seems too perfect; it is enough to drive some women mad. (amazon, 2021)
“Bloodline” is a a tale inspired by real events and centers around Joan Harken, who is cautiously excited to follow her fiancé back to his Minnesota hometown. After spending a childhood on the move and chasing the screams and swirls of news-rich city life, she is eager to settle down. Lilydale’s motto, “Come Home Forever,” could not be more inviting. And yet, something is off in the picture-perfect village. The friendliness borders on intrusive. Joan cannot shake the feeling that every move she makes is being tracked. An archaic organization still seems to hold power over the town. So does the sinister secret of a little boy who vanished decades ago. And unless Joan is imagining things, a frighteningly familiar figure from her past is on watch in the shadows. Her fiancé tells her she is being paranoid. He might be right. Then again, she might have moved to the deadliest small town on earth.
‘Remote Control’ by Nnedi Okorafor will be released on January 19, 2021. Photo: amazon
Nnedi Okorafor is an author of fantasy and science fiction for both adults and younger readers and an associate professor of creative writing and literature at the University of Buffalo. Her children’s book “Long Juju Man” won the 2007-08 Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa, and her adult novel “Who Fears Death” was a Tiptree Honor Book. She is the winner of Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus and Lodestar Awards and her debut novel “Zahrah the Windseeker” won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. In her new novel “Remote Control,” an alien artifact turns a young girl into Death’s adopted daughter; it will be released on Tuesday January 19, 2021. (amazon, 2021)
“Remote Control” is a thrilling sci-fi tale of community and female empowerment. The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From here on, in she would be known as Sankofa―a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past. Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks alone, except for her fox companion, searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers. But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa now that Death is her constant companion?
Andy Weir’s ‘Project Hail Mary’ is one of Goodreads’ Most Anticipated Books of 2021. It will be released on May 4. Photo: amazon
The new year brings exciting new titles for readers of all genres. These are the highlights of Goodreads’ The Most Anticipated Books of 2021. The full list is available online.
Fiction: “The Paris Library” by Janet Skeslien Charles – release date: February 9 In Paris, 1939, young Odile Souchet is enjoying her dream job at the American Library in Paris. But when the Nazis roll in, things get real dark, real fast. Odile and her fellow librarians join the Resistance. Forty-some years later, a lonely teenager in Montana befriends her elderly neighbor, who has a story to tell
Mystery & Thriller:“Survive the Night” by Riley Sager – release date: July 6 The new thriller from pseudonymous superstar Riley Sager (Final Girls), “Survive the Night” is set in the early 1990s, back before smartphones could resolve plot points instantly. College student Charlie Jordan is sharing a ride back to Ohio with a guy who may or may not be a serial killer. Calling for help would require a pay phone. Running away would require a cruising speed less than 55 mph.
Fantasy and Science Fiction:“Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir – release date: May 4 Andy Weir, author of “The Martian,” returns to space with the story of a last-ditch, fat-chance effort to save Earth from an extinction-level event. Astronaut Ryland Grace is on his own, millions of miles from home, having just awoken from a long cryogenic sleep. Using a patchwork spaceship, two corpses, and his very fuzzy memory, he is going to have to improvise.
Nonfiction: “The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race” by Walter Isaacson – release date: Mary 9 Biochemist Jennifer Doudna and her collaborators pioneered the world-changing genetic engineering technology known as CRISPR, which opens an entirely new universe of medical miracles and serious ethical questions. Biographer Walter Isaacson, author of previous tomes on Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs, turns his gaze to the world of life science and 21st-century genetics.
Young Adult:“Rule of Wolves” by Leigh Bardugo – release date: March 30 From the celebrated author of Ninth House, winner of a 2019 Goodreads Choice Award, “Rule of Wolves” returns readers to the land of Fjerda, where a king, a general, and a spy must work together to forge a new future. Bonus trivia: Several of author Leigh Bardugo’s previous works have already been optioned for film and TV.
Romance:“Act Your Age, Eve Brown” by Talia Hibbert – release date: March 9 Fans of Talia Hibbert’s series The Brown Sisters will be happy to hear a new story is coming, this one dedicated to Eve—invariably described as the flightiest of the sisters. The good news: Eve has found a guy. The bad news: She just hit him with her car. The weird news: He is now her boss.
‘The Retirement Mirage’ by Nancy Hite will be out February 16, 2021. Photo: amazon
Nancy Hite is a certified financial planner, trustee, and author. She is also founder of The Strategic Wealth Advisor ® LLC, located in Boca Raton, Florida. She offers financial advice and workable options to help her clients prepare for and enjoy the current and future chapters of their lives by focusing on their personal goals. In her upcoming book, “The Retirement Mirage: Time to Think Differently,” which will be released on February 16, 2021, she reveals what experts do not tell people about their financial planning. It is available for pre-order on Amazon. (Black Château, 2021)
“The Retirement Mirage: Time to Think Differently” combines Nancy’s years of financial experience with real-life examples to help readers assess their financial situation and give them the tools to plan for the realities of their financial future. Because people are living longer, technology is advancing quickly, and the world is changing due to climate change, COVID-19, and other factors, ideas about retirement savings are becoming antiquated. The book is an optimistic and practical look at the future and how people can prepare.
Driven by her fiduciary duty towards her clients and a desire to help others, Nancy Hite gives actionable advice in her book. She explores education and how children should have a strong financial foundation. She delves into unsteady markets and how they can impact investments. Plus, readers will discover why her mott: Spend it now, spend it later, or spend it never® makes sense today more than ever.
“So many people are still buying into the retirement mirage, the idea that once they stop working, they will have a perfect life. I’m here to show them that the world is changing, and they need to shatter those old ideas in order to adapt. There is so much hope and opportunity if we are willing to think differently, and that’s what people will find in my book.” – Nancy Hite
‘City of Angels’ is the new novel by Kenneth Bromberg. Photo: amazon
Kenneth Bromberg has an MBA from UCLA and worked as a certified public accountant. During retirement, he started his writing career in earnest, utilizing the knowledge gained from his life experiences, a passion for history, and an ear for narrative. Born in Queen of Angels Hospital in downtown Los Angeles, he has had a lifelong fascination with the city’s corrupt and colorful history. This fascination is woven into his first book, “American Dreams,” a multi-generational saga about three immigrants from Europe who flee to New York City before arriving to the glitz and glamour of a very different corner of Los Angeles: Hollywood, as well as his second novel, “City of Angels,” a noir tale set in the back alleys of 1920s Los Angeles. (amazon, 2021)
“City of Angels” is set in 1924 and Sam Lacy, a tough-as-nails homicide detective, follows his own code of conduct within the racist and corrupt Los Angeles Police Department. Sam’s beautiful ex-girlfriend has been murdered and a sadistic predator is assaulting young Chinese women. Are the crimes connected and can Sam stop the killers before powerful forces stop him? Sometimes, a good detective cannot let the law get in his way. Sam navigates L.A.’s seedy underbelly with the help from an unlikely trio: Sam’s partner, Lonnie, a handsome detective whose cavalier attitude conceals a troubled past outside of the law; Sam’s friend, Edward Bixby, a brilliant man whose crucial forensic work is performed off the books since the LAPD would never hire a Black man for a murder investigation; and Susan, Sam’s sister and moral compass, a war widow and mother who pursues leads of her own. The story takes place in the movie capital of the world, a city that attracts wide-eyed innocents and cold-hearted killers – a City of Angels.
‘Primal Calling’ is Barry Eisenberg’s debut novel about a young man searching for his father. Photo: google
Barry Eisenberg is an associate professor of health care management in the School for Graduate Studies at the State University of New York Empire State College, a health care management consultant, and a former hospital administrator. During the years he has spent in health care, he has met a wide variety of people who have inspired him and helped him to understand how caring and courageous some can be. Most of his writing has been fiction, with a focus on the future of health care and higher education. “Primal Calling” is his first novel and centers around Jack, a twenty-year old whose search for his father becomes an all-consuming mission.
“Primal Calling” begins as Jack is finishing another day of college. As he drives out of the parking lot, a mysterious car follows him out and the man and woman force him into their car. When Jack questions their motive they tell him that they are taking him to meet his father. From there, the action goes back in time to Jack’s life with his mother Linda. He discovers the truth about his father one day when he is home sick from school and, because he is feeling better but bored, he is rummaging through the attic and finds his birth certificate. Curiosity gets the better of him and he uncovers his father’s name. This goes against what his mother always told him, that his father was an anonymous donor because she claims she was artificially inseminated. Rather than tell his mother and risk her stopping him from digging deeper, he continues on his own. All his probing triggers an FBI alert and it turns out his father, whose real name is Stewart Jacobson, works for the government and has different identities to protect his work and life. Jack persists in his search even though he runs into one obstacle after another. In the end, he gets to know his father and Linda reconnects with Stewart since he never knew he has a son. To protect Stewart, his employer fakes his death and he is given a new identity, but Jack and Linda remain a part of his life.
It is hard to pin down what genre of book “Primal Calling” is because it has touches of everything: a coming-of-age story because in the process of finding his father, Jack finds himself; a love story because of the budding romance between Jack and Cathy, the young lady who is helping him in his search; and an international spy thriller when Stewart’s job is the focus, including a suicide bomber plot twist. In all cases, it is an intriguing debut novel by Barry Eisenberg that has potential for becoming a series. The character development is extensive, so they become familiar and relatable without an obvious villain standing out. In an interesting plot development, before Abdel, Rafiq’s son, who is Stewart’s ally, blows himself up along with others, the reader gets to know the victims. Their description begins with “He never looked at the faces of the people near him.” This is important because it reinforces the fact that actions have consequences, affecting other people who have their own lives and that they are not just objects: “The cafeteria became a cathedral to blood, smoke, death, and chaos. Body parts were strewn about in a catastrophic human mauling.” The language level begins as intermediate: “There was no shortage of pursuits to which his interest could be applied, and, in the meantime, he vowed to savor this indoctrination into the next stage of his life” but becomes easier halfway through, which helps the pacing of the story. It also has its poetic moments: “Trees were frosted with ice, its weight tugging at the branches, creating a vastness of luminescent archways.” A one-of-a-kind novel, “Primal Calling” is recommended for fans of mysteries that are wrapped up in family drama with a touch of international spy intrigue.
*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.
‘Being Boss’ by Kathleen Shannon and Emily Thompson. Photo: amazon
Kathleen Shannon and Emily Thompson are self-proclaimed “business besties” and hosts of the top-ranked podcast Being Boss, where they talk shop and share their combined expertise with other creative entrepreneurs. In 2009, Emily Thompson founded Indie Shopography, a design and strategy studio for online entrepreneurs. She has worked to help makers, coaches, and designers develop an online business model, strategize, and launch websites, and grow their online business. Kathleen Shannon is the founder of Braid Creative and Consulting, a boutique branding agency and consultancy she co-owns with her sister. Together they have helped thousands of creative entrepreneurs authentically brand and position themselves as creative experts. Kathleen also does creative coaching and is regularly invited to speak on personal branding at design conferences and retreats. Their book “Being Boss: Take Control of Your Work & Live Life On Your Own Terms” is an interactive self-help guide for creative entrepreneurs where they share their best tools and tactics on “being boss” in both business and life.
“Being Boss” begins with the Introduction where the authors describe that their goal in writing this book is to help readers reach their business goals of being an entrepreneur: “We’re here to share our own experience, advice, stories, tactics, and to-dos that will help you make money doing what you love while being who you are 100 percent of the time in work and life.” They do this by sharing stories and tips along with quotes, excerpts and Q&As from experts in the business field. There are exercises, worksheets to fill out such as “Your Dream Day,” “A Tea Ritual,” and “Monthly Income Goals” all meant to help readers and aspiring bosses “dig deep, dream big, and take action.” It is divided into six chapters: Chapter 1: What It Means To Be Boss, Chapter 2: Boss Mindset, Chapter 3: Establishing Boss Boundaries, Chapter 4: Habits and Routines, Chapter 5: Do the Work, and Chapter 6: Live Your Life.
The subject of business and entrepreneurship can be tedious, but in this case, the authors make it easy to understand and follow without using complicated terms. It is a business book for the average person who wishes to get a better sense of what it takes to be a successful business owner. Even for non-entrepreneurs, it has tips and advice on how to be more productive, especially Chapter 4: Habits and Routines. These include taking care of yourself, listening to your body, and being kind to yourself with the overall idea that it is important to have a proper work/life balance. Highlight is Chapter 5: Do the Work that covers personal branding, a simple business plan, finding your voice, and the importance of being consistent in your business. It is not a book on how to launch your own business, instead, it shows readers how to get in the “boss” mindset to be able to create success, deal with failures, and “take responsibility for creating the life you want to live.” Far from being an intimidating business book, it has inspirational quotes, personal stories, and advice and tips anyone can use. “Being Boss” is an excellent reference guide and is recommended for readers who appreciate advice on how to create a more meaningful work/life experience.
“The core of the boss mindset is your values and your intentions. When your values and intentions are aligned, your work and life will feel efficient, effective, and meaningful.”
*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.
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