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Showing posts from May, 2017

Book Spotlight: Pnaramakhia by Flavio Verna Santonocito

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Two knights track down a dangerous monster lurking beneath Pnarakon, the City of Masks. As they prepare themselves to spring their ambush on the beast, little they know that they are about to be dragged in the middle of an insidious conspiracy which threatens to shake the entirety of the Structure.  In a claustrophobic world where food and space are precious commodities and sunlight is only a distant memory, a Warrior, a Scion, and a Scholar will struggle through the echoes of fear and desperation resonating in the rusted-out corridors of an endless labyrinth. Pulled into a vortex of political machinations, war, and madness, these lost souls will attempt to find a way out of the dreaded maze of steel and paranoid delusions upon which the Structure is built, as their sanity is constantly tested by vile betrayals, twisted sorcery, and eldritch horrors of forgotten times... What's the story about? If you like dark steampunk settings, you'll find plenty of that here. If you l

Book Spotlight: The Age of Water by Sean Craft

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Handsome, clever, if not yet rich, Philip Clarke finds himself drawn by the cool beauty of Mei Li, lawyer and colleague, yet at the same time is unable to relinquish his weekly visit to the near-by shanty-town and the waiting arms of the fishing village woman who offers exquisite and unexpected pleasure. His simple ambition is to continue to enjoy the heady gratifications of both, without undue self-reflection. But paradise comes at a cost. And, just as the stories of love and the fulfillment of desire he tells himself become complicated, the tranquility of his island home is, he slowly understands, anything but immune to the world beyond its borders. The book set in present day Asia, but its reach is much wider than that. The double context of the book is the newly assertive China on the global stage, and the environmental catastrophe that is engulfing the region. The story is premised on a deal to sell bottled water to China from Australia; the central character is a member of th

Book Spotlight: Bullied (The Academy Series) by J.D. Jacobs

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At The Academy for Girls, there is one girl who holds the key to social acceptance in her hands. Katrina. When sixteen-year-old Ricey Kennedy arrives at The Academy, she is instantly branded a non-Academy Girl. Nobody dares to make an enemy of Katrina, and so the class either join in her mission to destroy, or stay silent. Day after day, the verbal abuse crushes Ricey’s self esteem until she can’t take it anymore; the honey-coated barbs, the loneliness, the constant feeling that she is worthless. But then Ricey starts babysitting for Jessica Fox’s children. Jessica soon becomes a friend and mentor figure to Ricey. At the same time Ricey meets the charming Tom Wilson at Peter’s Plums fruit store. Tom is fascinated by the shy, smart Ricey who is completely clueless around boys, forever blushing, and has no idea how adorable she is. He is determined to show her how to have some fun. Ricey and Tom’s relationship slowly blossoms (with several hitches—induced by the jealous Katrina—along t

Book Spotlight: A Beautiful Life by Alexander Payne

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Alex is a poetic young Londoner believing in true love, writing romantic letters and enjoying long late night philosophical discussions with friends on the meaning of life or the existence of God. Anna, the girl living in Lebanon whom he grew to be very fond of through a long-distance correspondence, appears to be something else. She embodies everything that he conjured up in a perfect woman, while she sometimes remains surprisingly cold and volatile in her e-mail responses. Is she truly the woman who he could love forever or is there more to her personality than just a sweet and gentle heart? Discovering the truth about Anna leads Alex on the road to self-discovery shrouded by an intensely personal struggle and painful emotions that bring about the most joyful and darkest moments in Alex’s soul. This book serves as a rational voice to any reader trying to make sense of his or her own emotional circumstances. A Beautiful Life is a tale told through the eyes of a young man who may not