Recommendation
Book Spotlight: The Fairy Wren by Ashley Capes
From the moment a fairy wren drops his lost wedding ring at his feet, Paul realises there's more magic to the world than he thought... When Paul Fischer receives a strange phone call asking for help, from a woman who might be his estranged wife Rachel, he's drawn into a mysterious search that threatens not only his struggling bookstore, but long-buried dreams too. Unfortunately, the only help comes from a shady best friend, an Italian runaway and a strange blue fairy wren that seems to be trying to tell him something - yet the further he follows the clues it leaves the less sense the world seems to make. Is he on the verge of a magical, beautiful discovery or at the point of total disaster?
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Exile of Zanzibar by Daniel Maidman
Claire built a device to fold space and time. It had a flaw... When the smoke clears, she finds herself halfway across the world, thousands of years in the past, and no device in sight. In bronze-age Florence, war has lasted for generations. All Claire wants to do is get home, but she’ll need help from the locals. She wins an ally in Marcus Diophantus, a pickpocket turned soldier turned general, who hopes to turn into something more than just her champion. Together, they broker peace between Florence and its enemy. If Marcus is going to help Claire, he’ll have to survive. Peace has upset the balance of power in the capital city. The king stands increasingly alone against: the Constantines, a commercial enterprise as much as a clan, who aim to profit from peace as they have from war – the warrior nobles, descended from the founders of Florence and quick to turn against a weak throne – and Reburrus, the high priest of Florence, convinced Claire answers to hostile foreign gods. As the city comes to a boil, Claire and Marcus – and Marcus’s formidable army – will have to decide where their allegiance lies. Claire becomes a reluctant participant in a savage campaign. While Marcus leads the battles, she tries to gain control of the unimaginably powerful Ctesiphôn – a ghost tower in the heart of Florence, shrouded in magic and myth.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
A Look at How AI Can Transform Collaboration (For Better or Worse) A Review: CO-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick
If you've ever wondered whether AI could help you finally land that perfect group project grade, or perhaps, assist you in wrangling together the most efficient team at work, Ethan Mollick’s CO-Intelligence might just be your new favorite read. This fascinating deep dive into the evolving relationship between human collaboration and artificial intelligence (AI) is part visionary, part cautionary tale. It's insightful, witty, and – let’s be honest – sometimes a little terrifying.
By Future of Resilience about a year ago in BookClub
Cover Reveal: An Icelandic Adventure: One Family’s Mostly Successful Quest for Puffins, Pleasure and Perfect Pizza by S. Bavey
Join the Bavey family in the Land of Ice and Fire. Experience 24-hour daylight, waterfalls galore, a nail-biting super jeep trip up a mountain onto the largest glacier in Europe, a duck boat tour on an iceberg lagoon and many wildlife encounters. The outpouring of lava from the recent volcanic eruption threatens to stop them from reaching the famous Blue Lagoon. Will they make it? And will they see any puffins before it’s time for them to depart? ‘A guidebook that reads like a story – or a story that reads like a guidebook!' —Jackie Lambert, author of the Adventure Caravanning with Dogs series ‘Anyone wanting to go or just wanting to know about Iceland should read this book.’ —Susan Jackson ‘Some great ideas here for a family trip around Iceland.’ —Jules Brown, travel author of Don’t Eat the Puffin
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Top 10 Life-Changing Books You Should Read in Your Lifetime
Books have the ability to change lives. Whether through rousing stories, interesting thoughts, or the insight they grant, certain books lastingly affect perusers. On the off chance that you're searching for books that can move your point of view, motivate you to make a move, or assist you with understanding the world in a more profound manner, the following are 10 extraordinary books you ought to peruse in the course of your life.
By Zahra Syedabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Dame on the Dock by Louise Gorday
In 1922, private investigator Tatum “Shoe” Shoemaker—fresh off a sensational case and a Pulitzer Prize nomination—finds himself working in a bad section of Washington, D.C., and drowning in debt. So when a well-heeled solicitor offers a substantial retainer to solve the brutal murder of a wealthy industrialist’s daughter, he jumps at the chance. Against the advice of his girlfriend-cum-wise-cracking assistant, Shoe decides to risk potential retribution from elected officials and return to Nevis, Maryland—the bayside town that ran him out six months earlier for exposing corruption in government. But his hope of solving his new case is immediately imperiled when he learns archrival Rudy Becker has been retained on the same case. Clues pile up without connection as neither investigator fully trusts the other, and each withholds information vital to solving the case. Soon, both investigators find themselves prime suspects in the murder, and they must either learn to work together with complete trust, or one of them will certainly go down for the murder.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Bridesmaid's Brother by Olivia Lockhart
For Penny Archer, dating after forty has proved to be less ‘silver foxes and romantic dinners’, and more ‘last chance bargain bin’. She’s met every liar and cheater in the dating pool, and after one heartbreak too many, she is officially sworn off men. A strong, single mum, she doesn’t need a partner, and besides, the family planner is crammed with work commitments, school meetings, puppy classes, chores for her ageing parents and, of course, her beloved book club. Although a cuddle now and then wouldn’t go amiss… Penny jumps at the chance to let her hair down at a friend’s wedding, blissfully unaware that she’s about to crash into a stranger’s life in the most mortifying manner. Can something that begins in disaster ever end in happiness, or is it all too good to be true? Will Penny ever turn the pages of her own book towards that happy ever after? One wedding… One bouquet toss… The chance to change her story…
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Sushi and Sea Lions by Rachel Corsini
When a career-ending injury and a messy breakup send prima ballerina Daniela Verdi back to Queens, New York, she fills her days with countless distractions: meaningless sex, pinot grigio, and video games. It takes a chance meeting with her brother's best friend, Vincent LaBate, for her to remember who she was before the stage lights and distractions of the Upper West Side. She's convinced that Vincent could never love a girl like her: broken, insecure, and stumbling her way through life. What Daniela didn’t count on is that Vincent is as scarred as she is after divorcing his cheating wife and going through an equally messy child custody fight. Soon enough, old vulnerabilities rear their ugly heads, opening a crack in Daniela’s perfectly imperfect romance. As Daniela and Vincent's relationship develops, will Daniela learn to accept that a dream life isn't all it's cracked up to be?
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Sunset by Arshad Ahsanuddin
An unlikely savior emerges to prevent the advent of mass destruction and genocide descending on the world… By Day Los Angeles, 2040. When the terrorist known as Medusa threatens to kill millions with a stolen nuclear bomb, Nick Jameson makes a fateful decision. He reveals himself on global television as a Daywalker - a vampire with a soul. To save Los Angeles, Nick exposes not only his own gifts but three separate cultures based on millennia-old magic. By Night The three metahuman races exist in careful balance, working to maintain a fragile peace. Nick and his fellow Daywalkers successfully master their natural bloodlust. The Sentinels, armed with both magic and steel, repress their warlike instincts. And even some Nightwalkers, normally their natural enemies, have deserted the Court of Shadows to join the triple alliance. Nick Jameson is deeply involved with two such Nightwalkers - handsome Lorcan and powerful Rory. Both men love Nick. But neither can protect the new Ambassador to Humanity from the events he has set in motion. By the Sword Jeremy Harkness was lured into Medusa's service under false pretenses. A loner with no one and nothing to cling to, he was willing to die for his cause. But the night Medusa tried to obliterate Los Angeles, Jeremy met Nick Jameson, triggering the onset of his own psychic gifts. For Jeremy is the third race of metahuman, a Sentinel, born to kill the Nightwalkers with no quarter asked or offered. And neither Medusa nor the Court of Shadows will settle for peace when they can make war. Betrayal and treachery lurk around every corner on the road to coexistence, and at every turn, Nick must question who to trust among his metahuman allies, friends, and lovers—before their civilization is plunged into the depths of darkness and bloodshed. With millennia-old magic, emerging romance, and ever-shifting allegiances, this inventive series unveils a scintillating, homoerotic world of Nightwalkers, Daywalkers, Sentinels, and Humans, who battle for world dominance in the not-too-distant future.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Stone & Sky by Z.S. Diamanti
Come fly away on griffin-back! Fly off to the world of Finlestia in this epic fantasy story for readers looking for adventure, magic, and just plain fun; a tale where friendships must overcome insurmountable odds and remind readers to never lose hope. From across the sea, a shadow rises. A lone survivor may be the kingdom’s only hope against annihilation. Orin is a sworn protector. As a stalwart member of the Griffin Guard, he’s proud to protect the kingdom against a dreaded nation of orcs. But when the fires of war burn bright from the north, his entire squadron falls to deadly wyvern riders, leaving the devastated Orin bloody and alone. With his squad dead, Orin has his mind set on saving others from the same fate. Teaming up with a local huntsman’s family, Orin and his new friends must push themselves past their limits to face mysterious dangers and ancient magics. Shocked to discover the orcs’ secret weapon, the lone guardian’s last chance to save his home could require the ultimate sacrifice.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
