Overview: The Infinite Pickle is a collection of 14 playful mathematical pickles. Each pickle is a whole family of puzzles - the baby bear ones have been play-tested in classrooms of seven and eight-year-olds - the big mama bear ones are difficult for the most experienced puzzlers.

Verdict: So, why would you be curious enough to invest your hard earned into purchasing this book? Well, maybe because you won’t get these puzzles in any other book, they’re uniquely flexible and fun and will get the kids in your classroom loving maths! Oh, and because they’re fun for you to try out too!

Within the pages of this thoroughly engrossing new puzzle book you find puzzles of all shapes and sizes, and more importantly, they will all help you think and connect with your inner intelligence.

For beginners and those of us that are advanced thinkers, the book and the puzzle container therein are very worthwhile to undertake, clever, delightful and aside from being a great gift for all math lovers, each pickle is a whole family of puzzles, in and unto themselves.

The baby bear ones have been play-tested in classrooms of seven and eight year olds, whereas the big mama bear ones are difficult or even the most experienced of puzzlers!

Most puzzles require general rules and unique hints, such as like in Sudoku, where only one number goes in each square, or today’s crossword puzzle has the hint 26 Across: Greek god of hunting, and so forth.

The book contains a table of puzzles, with such categories as Uncut Spaghetti, Jumping Frogs, The Greedy Pickle Monster, Glue, Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Worm, and both Bubbling Cauldrons and Banyan Tree, and you can take it from me that each and every puzzle is not only creative, but wholly innovative.

And I don’t use that word innovative lightly, as here you will experience puzzles that, perhaps, do not even have a solution, or they have one but it is hidden, or perhaps there are multiple solutions to the one puzzle!

Preparing children for algebra along with the concept of existence within analysis, many of the puzzles also involve - indirectly or directly - graph theory, an area of math that isn’t part of the K12 curriculum, but is nonetheless important to a growing, curious mind, I think you will agree.

In short, The Infinite Pickle: Math Puzzles for Everyone! by author Gordon Hamilton is a most wondrous exploration and discovery of patterns and solutions for everyone to enjoy, no matter what age you may be. Participation is the key throughout and with the problems being, at times, deep, it invites real mathematical inquiries to be made of them all.

About the Author - Gordon is a father of two teenagers - professionally he is best known for the board game Santorini and being the founder of MathPickle.com. He lives in Calgary, Canada.

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Overview: Fairy Herbs for Fairy Magic, the first book to cater exclusively to fairy-related herbalism, gathers in one volume more than 40 fairy-specific herbs, and details their uses in fairy magic.

Introducing its reader to fairies, their mercurial nature and relationship to people, this book gives insights into the roles and attributes of fairy witches and seers - from olden times to the present day - and also into the role of fairy familiars.

As a practical resource, Fairy Herbs for Fairy Magic is complete with ideas for rituals, charms, and spells.

Verdict: Much as the title suggests, Pagan Portals: Fairy Herbs for Fairy Magic by author Daniela Simina invites the reader into a rather unique exploration of the world of Fairy and their associated herbs.

But trust me when I say that there is much more to this book than just that, for the lore of countries associated with fairies, such as Romania, Ireland and even Norse sources are delved into here.

And with everything written and therein brought forth in a dedicated, very thoughtful, and at all times highly instructive way, this mix of scholarship and personal esoteric knowledge of spiritual truth comes beautifully forth, leading us gently by the hand into this world of enchanted enchantment.

For contained within these most assuredly impassioned pages are prose on just how plants and fairies work together, but herblore, in general, is fascinatingly revealed, allowing even the most causal of passerby to the subject to become gradually hooked to what is brought forth within this most captivating book on the subject.

Opening on an examination of the fairy faith, fairy magic, and fairy familiars, and how throughout the history of partnerships between humans and fairies, various kinds of herbal knowledge was offered by fairy familiars, it also details how exactly such knowledge was imparted and so forth.

Then we learn about what qualifies an herb as fairy herb, and as we progress, we get some guidance about harvesting and harnessing plant energy, followed by a collection of practical recipes and so much more.

About the Author - Daniela Simina is a practitioner of energy medicine, fairy witch, and author focusing fairy lore and traditions. She researches, writes, and teaches various classes on esoteric subjects related to energetic healing, yoga, and of course, fairies. She lives in Alpharetta, GA.

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Overview: Near-Death Experiences and Sacred Scripture: The Parallel Messaging examines striking similarities and parallels between messaging found in accounts of those who have written about their near-death experiences and in accounts contained in the sacred scriptures of the world’s great religions.

Verdict: Near Death Experiences and Sacred Scripture: The Parallel Messaging by author Douglas Hodgson brings forth symmetrical and mutually reinforcing messaging, showing that it is timeless in nature, and is arguably more relevant today than in any previous period in human history; as humanity continues to face existential threats to its survival.

In an era of rampant materialism and consumerism, armed conflict, environmental degradation, species extinction, global warming, as well as an obsessive preoccupation with self rather than others and a devaluation of the life’s sanctity, it is timely to spark a revived interest in, and knowledge of, God and the afterlife, and in seeking answers to life’s larger religious, spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical questions.

Ergo, this brand new book will provide assurance and solace to those who are terminally ill or fear the death of their physical body, for those who are suffering a difficult bereavement, and for those who feel lost and confused about the meaning and purpose of life and what lies ahead of them.

Having now read it twice through, back to back, I have to honestly say that although it wasn’t really on my must read’s of 2024 before it arrived for review, it is now, and quite simply put, a MUST HAVE book for all of us worried about where we, the world, and our existence is currently headed.

For many of us rarely consider, if only ever fleetingly, and seldom profoundly, a small amount of life’s larger questions. Such as Does God exist? What happens when I die? Is there an afterlife? Does Heaven exist and, if so, what is it like? What other spiritual realms and dimensions exist?, and so forth.

Having come across a veritable treasure trove of material associated with near-death experiences online, people’s testimonies therein, what they described in their written accounts, but went well beyond, mirrored what can be found in the sacred scriptures, and this struck a chord with Hodgson.

For these accounts all contained vivid descriptions of Heaven and the higher spiritual realms, what interconnectedness/oneness means, the nature and liberation of the soul-consciousness, the gift of Free Will and its purpose, the nature of soul agreements, the Universal Laws of Attraction, Reincarnation and Cause and Effect, and amongst others, the the nature of positive and negative energy.

And so here in the final installment of his spirituality trilogy, Hodgson examines the striking similarities and parallels in respect of the messaging to be found in the accounts of those who have written about their near death experience and that contained in the scriptural passages of the world’s mainstream religious and belief systems.

For it would seem that the eternal message has not changed; only humanity.

About the Author - Douglas Hodgson’s involvement with legal education and university administration has spanned over four decades in Canada, England, Australia and New Zealand. As a lawyer, teacher, researcher, author and human rights advocate, his interest in religious discrimination and religious fundamentalism issues motivated him to engage in the study of the scriptures of the world’s religions, ultimately inspiring him to write Transcendental Spirituality, Wisdom and Virtue: The Divine Virtues and Treasures of the Heart. He lives in Perth, Western Australia.

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Overview: Sometimes we encounter something extraordinary, something so different and unusual that we don’t know what to make of it. That is the case with Maya Mire: A Spiritual Journey into Cosmic Truth and the Dawning of a New World.

Is it true, or is it fiction? Clearly the author believes it all to be true. In this regard, Maya Mire is the story of Paul Nugent’s own spiritual quest to discover the universal journey we are all making--and have been since the beginning of time--embracing alien worlds, higher and lower dimensions of reality, and living galaxies.

Verdict: Maya Mire: A Spiritual Journey into Cosmic Truth and the Dawning of a New World by author Paul Nugent is a compelling story told by a close disciple of the Western master of yoga, George King, who founded The Aetherius Society in London, England, in 1955.

George King was a contactee for intelligences existing upon the higher dimensions of other planets within our solar system. In over 600 “cosmic transmissions,” they outlined this timeless odyssey that humanity--and all of Creation--is making with ever-expanding consciousness back to the ultimate Source from which we all sprang billions of years ago.

In what is a most compelling, engrossing and thoroughly impassioned new prose from author Paul Nugent, this 17 chapter book begins in Maldek, a long, long time ago (over 18 million years, to be nearer the factual point) and it marks the point when,m if nothing else, we shied away from the evolutionary path and fell into a very deep chasm of cosmic darkness.

Time, as we knew it, ended. The consequences were not good. Sleep, to all intents and purposes, was better than being awake, or so it seemed.

Having been noted in quite a few of my own personal conversations on the subject down the years, if you’re into conspiracy theories, you may well have heard of Maldek — a planet that supposedly existed in our solar system before it was destroyed by a cataclysmic event.

Indeed, according to these aforementioned conspiracy theorists, of which, for the record, I am not one of, Maldek was located between Mars and Jupiter and was home to an advanced civilization. But, as the story goes, Maldek was destroyed in a war with another planet, leaving behind only a belt of asteroids and debris known as the asteroid belt.

Now, of course, this theory is not new as it’s been around for decades, with many different variations. But what’s interesting is that it’s not just fringe theories for some experts in the field of planetary science have also weighed in on the possibility of a lost planet in our solar system.

So here in Maya Mire, Nugent describes his very own spiritual journey as well as expounding on the cosmic philosophy of The Aetherius Society - a worldwide spiritual organization dedicated to spreading and acting upon teachings of advanced extraterrestrial intelligences.

About the Author - Born in Cambridge, England, in 1958, Paul Nugent was brought up in the Church of England, culminating in regular worship and charitable work for the homeless at London’s famous St. Martin’s in the Fields church in Trafalgar Square.

Having completed a business degree in 1980, he later embarked on a four-year study of Eastern Philosophy at London’s School of Economic Science, as well as spending two periods at the New Age spiritual community of Findhorn in the north of Scotland. He has been a director of The Aetherius Society since 2001. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.

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Overview: In The Enigma of Consciousness, Dean Graves delves deep into the mysteries of creation, exploring its origins and the structure that govern it, examining the purpose of creation and the role that the human mind plays in shaping it.

Verdict: The Archetypical Mind, the blueprint that guides the Earthly experience, is examined in detail, revealing the intricate web of connections that tie all things together. This is called the Law of One, and it is the one irrefutable truth.

The Enigma of Consciousness explores the spiritual environments of human experience, from the physical realm to the highest levels of consciousness, and examines mankind’s purpose in the universe and the specific steps necessary to achieve the highest enlightenment.

Through a combination of philosophical inquiry and spiritual introspection, this book offers its reader a comprehensive understanding of creation and the human experience. It reveals the interconnectedness of all things and the power of the human mind to shape reality.

Within this quite astoundingly brilliant new book, we are told that the first Age of Enlightenment was a cultural and intellectual movement that emerged in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.

It was characterized by a focus on reason, empirical evidence, and a belief that individuals were capable of improving society through their efforts. One if the key characteristics of the Age of Enlightenment was the emphasis on rationality and scientific inquiry.

Enlightenment thinks sought to understand the natural world through observation and experimentation, and they believed that reason and evidence should guide all aspects of human life, including politics, religion and mortality.

The vestiges of the Age of Enlightenment prevail today but the hegemony resulting from this transformative age is indicative of a single elementary stepping stone in humanity’s consciousness evolution. It is now time, or past time, to humanity to take the next step and move beyond the Age of Enlightenment’s limitations.

Thus the Age of Consciousness provides essential information that can aid humanity with a fundamental understanding of itself, its purpose, and a guide to take the next step forward along the evolutionary path but it’s incumbent upon the reader to assume the responsibility and enact the necessary changes in themselves to effect a significant change in the population.

In closing, Enigma of Consciousness: A Spiritual Exploration of Humanity’s Relationship to Creation is a justifiably essential read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the nature of the universe and humanity’s place within it.

For it not only offers practical guidance for those seeking spiritual growth and enlightenment, as well as a roadmap for achieving a more profound connection with the universe and all that it encompasses, it extremely well written, educated in its prose, and is a comprehensively engaging read.

About the Author - Dean Graves is an experienced spiritual teacher, author, and podcaster with over 20 years of experience in meditation and mindfulness. He has conducted workshops and group sessions on self-healing and personal growth, produced an internationally successful spirituality podcast, and written three books on self-development.

He is a devoted student of a 6th Density creator-being entity, and his latest manuscript promises to be a ground-breaking exploration of the universe and human experience. He lives in Memphis, TN.

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Overview: Infinite Perception: The Power of Psychedelics for Global Transformation is an anthology of voices from the front line of the Psychedelic Renaissance, co-edited by journalist Ocean Malandra and neuroscientist and Harvard researcher Natalie Dyer, PhD.

Verdict: After being culturally dormant for decades, a new mainstream global psychedelic revolution is upon us. This pioneering anthology takes the reader on a renewed journey through the cultural, social, and personally transformative power of psychedelics.

Thus, here in Infinite Perception: The Role of Psychedelics in Global Transformation by authors Ocean Malandra and Natalie Dyer, PhD., we quickly discover unique perspectives from indigenous healers to scientists, anthropologists, artists, and activists.

From this multidimensional exploration, the reader will gain a comprehensive new understanding of psychedelics and their impact that’s not found in other books. Which kind of makes this new prose a rather stunning, quite brilliant new anthology of timeless wisdom for these changing times we all are constantly facing.

Humankind is now facing major existential threats. The emergence of global consciousness is absolutely required to solve these threats.

So what is Global Consciousness, I hear you ask? Well, “We are all connected” is a phrase that we all tend to hear a lot in movies, on our small screens, even see it in the written word and, perhaps even, have it said to us in our daily lives. It gets tossed around a lot, but what does it really mean? We are all connected. But how?

Well, biologically, human beings are all a part of the same species. That connects us. We all live similar experiences in our lifetimes, though by no means are our experiences identical. But what about metaphysically? Have you ever thought about the concept of there being something intangible that exists out there that connects us all together?

I’m talking about a global or collective consciousness, if you will. You probably already know that the Monroe Institute’s basic tenant is “you are more than your physical body.” What I’m talking about is slightly adjacent to that.

It’s a topic that has come up time and time again throughout history. Though first brought up by Emile Durkheim in 1893 as an idea of societal morality and understood behaviors, the idea evolved over the last hundred years to be thought of more as an intangible force of energy that connects all living beings together.

It was explored further by South African zoologist Lyall Watson with his colleague Lawrence Blair in the 1970s using Japanese macaque monkeys and later in human beings by Professor Daryl Bem. Many of these scientists were impressed enough with their findings to believe in a global consciousness.

In fact, in 1998, the Global Consciousness Project (GCP), an experiment to try and physically prove this metaphysical topic, came about to detect this unseen force (though trying to prove through physical means that something intangible is real is much harder than it sounds and has since been very controversial).

So, needless to say, if you’ve wondered about this topic before, you are not alone. In fact, you may be onto something. And so here in this new book, we learn that first,you must harmonize with the universe, and as we progress, then learn more about how psychedelics can foster emergence and therein positively contribute to individual, societal, and cultural transformations.

In conclusion, this volume includes contributions and interviews from prominent voices such as Dennis Mckenna of the Mckenna Academy, Rick Doblin of MAPS, Zoe Helene of Cosmic Sister, and Rick Strassman of the Spirit Molecule, as well as indigenous shamans from the Amazon rainforest to the Arctic Circle.

About the Authors:
Ocean Malandra is a widely published freelance environmental journalist and travel writer that divides his time between Northern California and South America. His work has appeared in over 30 different media outlets including Vice, Lonely Planet, USA Today, Mongabay, Earth Island Journal, High Times Magazine, Parabola Magazine and Paste Magazine, where he wrote the environmental column EarthRx. He is also the author of the Moon Travel Guide series to Colombia. He lives in Eureka, CA.

Dr. Natalie L. Dyer, PhD, is a Research Scientist with Connor Whole Health at University Hospitals, President of the Center for Reiki Research, and serves on the board of the Scientific and Medical Network. She has published many scientific papers and book chapters on postmaterialist science, psychedelics, and the therapeutic effects of integrative medicine practices, including yoga, acupuncture, mindfulness, and energy medicine, and is co-editor of the book Expanding Science: Visions of a Postmaterialist Paradigm. She lives on the east coast of Canada.

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Overview: Reconnect to your authentic expression. Learn to trust your wild and untamed nature. Find the courage to be fearlessly you. A howl from the deepest parts of the forest signals the wolf within, rising. Wolf is calling all those who are ready to reclaim their sovereign place as students of wild embodiment and self-empowerment.

Verdict: Wolf is an inspirational guide for deepening your spiritual connection to wolves, exploring practices and embodiment tools for personal empowerment. It offers solace to all those who, like wolves, have ever felt different, an outsider, made wrong, bad or ugly.

It invites you into the warm, cozy den of the wolf to learn that you are not alone in craving belonging and the rightness of self. With the wolves, you will bravely leave self-doubt behind and courageously reclaim your self-worth.

Simply put, this book is your reminder that you are worthy, you are powerful, and you are of value exactly as you are. Through an exploration of wolf wisdom, mythology, legend, gods and goddesses, this guide will lead you on the hunt for self-acceptance and self-actualization.

Through guided connection to Wolf Spirit and the Wolf Council, you will increase your self-confidence, learn to honor your unique self and celebrate all the ways in which you are and can be Wolf - untamed, courageous, and wildly free.

Journey with Grand Mother Wolf, the elemental wolves and the great Wolf God Fenrir to learn what it means to be part of the wolf pack and to finally trust your innate abilities and purpose. Wolf will support you in the most powerful reclamation and liberation of your authentic self.

As I think we are all aware of by now, both positive and negative things happen every day. It’s how you choose to approach those moments. Which wolf you decide to feed that matters.

Human nature hasn’t changed much since, well, Native American fables were created a long, long ago. We all have impulses and habits, some for the better and some for the worse. Our inner wolves, so to speak. What has changed is that in this modern information era we are uniquely barraged with information and imagery, much of it disturbing and upsetting, that over and over again feeds a particularly angry wolf.

So what can be done? For starters, we can decide to feed the healthier wolf in ourselves more often. For me, in part that means reading the Sports and Arts sections first most mornings, because later I’ll listen to National Public Radio in the car, and at the office read news on the Internet. There’s an expansive middle ground to explore between ‘well informed’ and ‘force feeding an angry wolf until it consumes everything around it.’

Another way of finding this less-charged space is through the practice of mindfulness. When we attend to feeding a healthier wolf for at least a period of time daily, we loosen the grip of negativity for a few minutes. Also to consider is the fact that doing altruistic things may improve our own state of mind.

Some people sustain a daily gratitude or compassion practice as a reminder to focus on positive experiences in life, and in the world around us. For our ongoing inner wrestling matches, setting aside these moments builds an advantage for the clear-sighted wolves in our lives.

What author Rachel S. Roberts does here within her new book Wolf: Untamed. Courageous. Empowered. An Inspirational Guide to Embodying Your Inner Wolf is bring forth a wholly impassioned mythological, archetypal, spiritual and cultural wisdom of the Wolf to empower those men and women who feel they have lost control of their essential natures.

For her, her inner she-wolf began to howl her teenage years, around the time she became a belly dancer teacher and started reclaiming the sovereignty of her womanhood. Here though she invites you to why wolf has called you, and what part of you is wanting or needing the wolf?

About the Author - Rachel is a writer, sacred dance teacher and women’s empowerment coach. Rachel’s passion is to facilitate the awakening and empowerment of women through movement, nature alchemy and embodied mythology. She is the founder of Wolf Woman Rising mystery school and holds a bachelor’s degree and Post Graduate Qualifications in History, Heritage and Religion. She lives in North Wales, UK.

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Overview: In this book, author Lynne Sedgmore integrates presence, climate activism, and the alleviation of climate anxiety in an innovative and unique synthesis and new term - Presence Activism.

Verdict: By offering a profound solution with new perspectives, Presence Activism is steeped in a presence that moves activism beyond metaphors of war, enemies, and destruction, as well as the illusion of separation, into the visceral knowing of presence and interconnection, thereby making presence an important part of the way forward for current and future activism.

The book also introduces new processes of the Presence Flower and the Anxiety Flower to solve the anxiety issues we face, and to develop and expand our own personal internal coping mechanisms, responses, and capacities.

The result of thousands of years of the systematization of a lack of presence in our culture, institutions and economics, the crises we now all find ourselves within is a dangerously real one, and one that both spirituality and humanity, as a whole, needs to take stock of right here, right now.

And so author Lynne Sedgmore has brought forth a defining prose of profound wisdom, compelling and passionately structured, practical knowledge to help navigate the challenges of overwhelm, despair and hopelessness through a deep sense of connection, direct awareness and compassion.

Climate peril affects people deeply. It can feel like a massive responsibility, a huge burden, yet it can also be a wonderful opportunity to rethink who we are and how we choose to live.

Chapter 4 of this quite wondrous book dives into the nature, symptoms and scope of climate anxiety. It introduces the Anxiety Flower, the counterpart of the Presence Flower, to illustrate different types of anxiety, and how they can be dissolved by presence.

Presence Activism itself, is intended for both anyone new to the practice and concept of presence as well as someone already familiar with presence. It is an invitation to live and act from within the sacredness and preciousness of life.p> To be an activist from the direct visceral knowing of presence, being deeply present to what is emerging, and discerning how a deeper wisdom is asking us to show up, engage and act.

And so this profoundly engaging new book is a compendium of different perspectives and experiences of presence, as well as a powerful conceptual and thoughtful analysis of the fields of presence, climate anxiety, and climate peril.

About the Author - Dr. Lynne Sedgmore CBE is an activist, executive coach, non-executive board member, priestess, interfaith minister, published author, poet and former chief executive. She Chairs the Glastonbury Town Deal investment of £25 million. She has been involved in environmental and feminist campaigns and numerous protests since the 1970s. She bridges mainstream organisations and spiritual communities. She coaches individuals and senior teams in charities and organisations that inspire her. She lives in Glastonbury, UK.

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Overview: What happens when a group of music business refugees decide to take a different route and play music for the love of it?

They form a band called the Continental Drifters, establish a dive-bar residency in Hollywood, and eventually are joined by more biz survivors who adapt their laissez faire approach to the art form that initially drew them into their professions - rock and roll.

From Los Angeles to New Orleans, White Noise & Lightning: The Continental Drifters Story covers the trials, tribulations, joy, love, heartbreak, and surprising revival of an unlikely super group comprised of members of The Cowsills, The Bangles, R.E.M., The Dream Syndicate, Hootie & the Blowfish, The dB’s, and more as they navigate the difficult world of band life while juggling ambition, ambivalence, romance, addiction, and family.

Verdict: Here in Sean Kelly’s authorized biography of the Continental Drifters, he tells the band’s story through extensive interviews with all ten of the musicians who were full-time members at various times, as well as a myriad of their colorful friends and cohorts.

Leaving no stone unturned in researching this rather extraordinary group of people and their quest for musical family - during a journey one member likened to a locomotive going down a hill - this captivating, wholly engrossing, and dutifully informed new prose is chock full of so much in-depth group/scene/times nuggets of wonderment, that if you were not a fan of them beforehand, you will most assuredly be one come the final page turned.

Coming complete as a delightful, all-encompassing bundle, with a double CD package entitled We’re All Drifters: A Tribute to the Continental Drifters, we not only learn how the Continental Drifters (as a project) came to be, but moreover, follow this ever-expanding ensemble of musical talent deep into their collective advancement; their multiple record deals, multiple romances (and subsequent break up’s), babies, line-up changes, reunions, addictions, hurricanes, deaths, and more!

Born in Los Angeles in the early 1990s via a residency of week after week jam sessions at a dive club called Raji’s — then relocating to New Orleans — the band’s trajectory lasted about a decade and ended when Hurricane Katrina demolished their homes and the band members scattered.

Key members included Vicki Peterson (Bangles), Susan Cowsill (The Cowsills), Peter Holsapple (The dBs, R.E.M.), and many more — including the only member who has been with them from the beginning, Mark Walton (Giant Sand, The Dream Syndicate).

However, there were also several singer/songwriters (Carlo Nuccio, Gary Eaton, Ray Ganucheau) who also came with an impressive pedigree that, shall we politely say, almost shone as brightly as their slightly more famous band mates.

That’s the magic that Kelly has captured here within this book, and moreover what comes across within the songs collected together on their aforementioned new double CD set.

I think that the best possible comparison that can be made is that the Continental Drifters had a similar vibe to the classic roots combo Delaney & Bonnie & Friends — more of a “collective’ than a band — in which there were several distinctly original lead singers, blistering sidemen instrumentalists, which all came together to bring forth an inspiring blend of both original and seminal cover songs with a southern fried blue-eyed soul approach that couldn’t be beat.

The book is rightly dedicated to founding member Carlo Nuccio, who died on August 24th, 2022, and is a compulsive read from start to finish. It should also be noted that there is another CD due out soon (September 13th, 2024 via Omnivore Recordings) entitled White Noise & Lightning: The Best Of Continental Drifters, which features a previously unissued 12-minute live version of “Who We Are, Where We Live.”

The reason I mention this here is that the packaging also contains liner notes from the author of this very same book being reviewed today, Sean Kelly, and has been produced by Peter Holsapple with Cheryl Pawelski.

In closing, I hope both this incredibly detailed book and the accompanying double CD help reintroduce the Continental Drifters back into the mainstream, but if not quite that absorbent, perhaps just allowing for more exploration into their obvious influence and magnitude upon, and therein within, the music scene at that time; and which can be enjoyed again here and now, of course.

About the Author - Sean Kelly is a musician, producer, and writer who spent nearly 20 years as the co-songwriter and singer of the band A Fragile Tomorrow. With his band, Sean toured internationally with the likes of Indigo Girls, Matthew Sweet, The Bangles, K’s Choice, and Toad the Wet Sprocket, and released seven albums.

He currently serves as co-founding editor of The Savannahian, a nonprofit digital news publication in Savannah, Georgia, and composes music for independent films. He lives in Savannah with his wife, Kennedy, and their two children.

www.continentaldrifters.com

Overview: Conquist: A Novel, by author Dirk Strasser, tells the story of how this time they invaded a new world that refused to be conquered!

Verdict: Capitán Cristóbal de Varga’s drive for glory and gold in 1538 Peru leads him and his army of conquistadors into a New World that refuses to be conquered. He is a man torn by life-long obsessions and knows this is his last campaign.

What he doesn’t know is that his Incan allies led by the princess Sarpay have their own furtive plans to make sure he never finds the golden city of Vilcabamba. He also doesn’t know that Héctor Valiente, the freed African slave he appointed as his lieutenant, has found a portal that will lead them all into a world that will challenge his deepest beliefs.

And what he can’t possibly know is that this world will trap him in a war between two eternal enemies, leading him to question everything he has devoted his life to - his command, his Incan princess, his honor, his God.

In the end, he faces the ultimate dilemma: how is it possible to battle your own obsessions . . . to conquer yourself?

In what is one of the most incredibly captured prose landscapes that I have seen captured in well over a decade or more, Dirk Strasser’s epic Conquist is a book for the ages, in my humble opinion.

One that finds our lead character unraveling a linked story of conquest, magic and redemption, the book not only paints this most glorious prose backdrop to a world set far apart from anything we have ever known, whilst at the same time instilling a beating heart within it that can only allow the reader to challenge their very own beliefs and worldly assumptions.

Stacked with deeply rounded out characters, this simply riveting, enchantingly magical odyssey not only acts as a heartily entertaining, and devilishly satisfying read, but this intriguing fantasy series has quickly become a must-read for all fans of this genre.

About the Author - Dirk Strasser’s fantasy trilogy The Books of Ascension (Zenith, Equinox and Eclipse) was published in German (Heyne Verlag) and English (Pan Macmillan), and his short stories have been translated into several European languages. ‘The Doppelgänger Effect’ appeared in the World Fantasy Award-winning anthology, Dreaming Down Under (Tor).

Dirk was born in Germany but has lived most of his life in Australia. He works in educational publishing, has trekked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, and studied Renaissance history.

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Overview: Fenella’s Fair Share: A Novel by author Chris Chalmers tells the story of Fenella Woodruff who shares with housemates half her age to stay young — then the arrival of handsome divorcee Martin changes everything.

Verdict: It was fear of missing out on life and succumbing to cats that drove 49-year-old Fenella Woodruff into a house share with young, free singletons. Juggling her job at a gallery with the demands of an invalid mum, the arrival of a handsome new housemate near her age throws Fen into a spin.

For Martin, who radiates a certain woodland charm, she is keen to act as sounding board over a bottle of wine while his divorce plays out.

As the younger housemates embark on carnal adventures of their own, things look hopeful, until Fen is dragooned into accompanying her parent on a Norwegian fjord cruise. Onboard ship, her focus switches to Mother, who voices strong opinions on her daughter’s life while refusing to let infirmity dictate her own, and to an enigmatic gentleman they meet in Bergen.

Normal service resumes when Fen returns home, ready to turn things up a notch with Martin. But a horrid surprise awaits, for some more than others, and yet, and the handsome divorcee is front and center.

This novel is chock full of delightfully memorable characters, moreover they be female, but regardless, they are three dimensional and at all times we can close our eyes and picture them right there on the page.

Author Chris Chalmers’ lead comedic firecracker has no real issues in her life, pretty much has all her angles covered mothering (or, as she herself calls it, cat-herding) all her half-her-age female housemates, and yet in the blink of an eye, well, their safe little haven has suddenly been infiltrated by divorcee Martin.

And yet she, perhaps even they, only have themselves to blame, as they already had in place the unwritten constitution of No. 4, The Ridge, that the presence of all housemates was required to vet potential new residents!

And yet, here we are. A cock in the henhouse, as they say.

Freeflowing with a warm, charmingly playful, and easy to read prose throughout each and every chapter, Fenella’s Fair Share is highly recommended for an afternoon or two’s lazying around the house. Whether it be on the bed or the sofa, the sunshine beaming down atop you as Spring gives way to Summer, or Summer gives way to Fall, it is the most perfect novel to pick up and read at any of those times.

About the Author - Chris Chalmers writes contemporary fiction when he’s not freelancing in the world of advertising. As well as visiting 45 countries and swimming with iguanas, he’s been the understudy on Mastermind and kept a diary for 40+ years without ever missing a night. He lives in London, UK.

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Overview: What geopolitical events are worthy of media attention? In an ideal world, the answer to this question would be based on the merit of the event. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Media attention throughout the Western world too often reflects and reinforces Western government’s geopolitical orientations.

Building on Edward Herman, Noam Chomsky, and other scholars who have examined biased media coverage, Worthy and Unworthy presents case studies depicting how media coverage of events in foreign countries differs depending on whether a country is a geopolitical enemy or an ally of the United States.

Verdict: In what is a quite compulsive and intriguing read, and from start to finish, even for the innocent bystander, this book presents case studies comparing coverage in the New York Times of comparable geopolitical events that have occurred in geopolitical allies of the United States and non-allied countries.

As the systematic analysis of both the amount of coverage these events received and the nature of the coverage shows, the Times’ coverage creates worthy and unworthy events with hyperfocus being given to geopolitical events in non-allied countries and less focus given to the events in friendly countries.

While the book focuses on the New York Times, an analysis of coverage from other media outlets shows that the Times is not alone in this tendency. Our view of geopolitical events is shaped by the media we consume.

As we all know, multiple geopolitical crises have unfolded in Europe and European countries in the last decade: a migration crisis, the Ukrainian crisis, Brexit, and a crisis of representative democracies, among others. The European Union is struggling to cope with these crises. Indeed, the term “crisis” abounds in public use by journalists, scientists, and politicians to the point “crisis” can appear to be the new normal.

So, and for example, what kind of geopolitical crisis can be observed over the period 2018–2023? Are these crises reported at the same time and with the same intensity in the media of different countries? Are they associated with the same types of events located in the same countries? Finally, to what extent can we assume the existence of a common agenda of crisis reported by media outlets from Western European countries?

Within the confines of this mighty wondrous new prose written by author Devan Hawkins, we quickly learn that the building of a framework to analyze the production of geopolitical crises by the media - from a critical perspective, and to examine how a geopolitical topic becomes a crisis from the perspectives of European newspapers - has been one long in the making and that, as things still stand, discovering whether a country is a geopolitical enemy or an ally of the United States via its reporting is still something that has to be increasingly investigated.

In closing, if you’re concerned about the Western media’s coverage of geopolitical events and whether it encourages some of the worst and most harmful aspects of US foreign policy, understanding the biases in media coverage is essential. With an increased understanding of these biases, we can help reduce them.

About the Author - Devan Hawkins has been a freelance writer for the past ten years, writing about a wide variety of subjects including foreign policy, inequality, and health. His writings have appeared in a number of outlets including The Guardian, Islamic Monthly, and CounterPunch.

This work has given him a wide experience reviewing and analyzing developments with respect to foreign policy. Professionally, he is an Assistant Professor of Public Health with a Doctor of Science Degree in epidemiology. He lives in Pepperell, MA.

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Overview: In Offbeat Philosophers, Lawrence Harvey offers the reader a collection of ten philosophical portraits - each provides refreshing and provocative insights into thinkers who dared to play a different tune.

Often laboring at the margins of mainstream thought, the thinkers herein tender novel and often disquieting perspectives that serve to challenge our examined norms.

Each portrait is followed by questions to ponder, deliberate and ultimately stimulate the reader to think otherwise.

Verdict: In what is a truly endearing new prose from author Dr. Lawrence Harvey, the ten philosophical portraits showcased within these 73 pages include: Max Stirner, J.W. Dunne, Donna Haraway, T.E. Hulme, Nicolas Malebranche, Paul Rée, Clive Bell, Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia, and both Emmanuel Levinas and Jalal al-Din Rumi.

When we teach, we learn, are words words often attributed to the Roman philosopher and statesman, Seneca the Younger and there is, perhaps an obvious sense in which this statement is true - for one must, one imagines, both know and refine one’s understanding when playing the pedagogue.

And yet it has been suggested by the author that there is a more subtle sense in which Seneca’s words rings true. To his mind, teaching is always in some sense a dialogue; a space within which the absolutism of the teacher gives way to an open and creative dialogue.

In the words of the ethicist, Emmanuel Levinas, that which is said gives way to an interchange of saying. To the hard-pressed lecturer or student attempting to go over a prescribed syllabus, such ideals might sound somewhat indulgent.

Still, in his experience, it is often within the context of such discussions, often enacted on the margins of that prescribed, that truly innovative and reciprocal learning takes place.

Stand out chapters for me include Chapter Three (Donna Haraway, The Rise of the Cyborgs), for all these decades later it still makes for extraordinary reading. It anticipates many of the concerns of our own time, from the link between technology and militarized surveillance to the rise of precarious labor, which Haraway called the homework economy.

And certainly, in the popular imagination of science fiction, the cyborg figure has not gone away, even if most popular narratives are less then enabling. Thus, to my mind, and given all that has gone after this was written, it might well be more apt to think through the ironic political myth that Haraway constructed; for points of pure resonance are abounding.

The other being Chapter Six (Paul Rée, The Myth of Free Will). Well-written, intelligently presented, extremely clear in presentation, and able to present the promised content both amiably and yet at all times intelligently, the German philosopher captures the questing curiosity of earlier humanity, then conveys the astonishing feeling of sudden acceleration as science filled the slack sails, revealing at last who and what we really are.

A radical philosopher in his own right, Rée was a hard-nosed empiricist who rejected appeals to metaphysics, religion and the notion of freewill. Via an appeal to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, he also repudiated a priori moral principles, going so far as to proclaim that we should abandon the notion of moral responsibility not merely in theory, but in practice as well. As he put it, ... someone who has recognized the nonfreedom of the will no longer holds anyone responsible.

About the Author - Dr. Lawrence Harvey is a lecturer in Liberal Arts at the University of Winchester and teaches Philosophy at Peter Symonds College, Winchester. He is also the founder of the online platform, The Vectis College of Liberal Arts. He lives in Cowes, UK.

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Overview: Women have traditionally been written out of history. But throughout ancient myths, stories, and legends there is a power in rediscovering the experiences of the many fallen women who have been hidden from the annals of the past.

Portrayed to us as enigmatic Goddesses, devout saints, scandalous sinners, and infamous biblical whores, their story lines of inequity were scorned or, in many instances, disregarded altogether to gather the dust of antiquity.

They are the hidden gems of the ancient world, and it is time to awaken their voices. For within every account of a fallen woman, whether Divine or human, there is another very fascinating side to their story.

Verdict: In what is a veritable deep dive into the understanding of how misogyny has been long been woven into the very fabric of our society, this intellectually, and educational written new prose from author Lady Haight-Ashton clearly showcases the archetype of the fallen woman and, moreover, how an indignant shame was brought to bear to subjugate the power to create life.

Broken up into five chapters, albeit the final one is simply an Ode to the Fallen Women of Mythology, such women detailed within include: Eve and Her Sister Lilith, Empress Wu, Mary Magdalene, Queen Kubaba, Catherine the Great, Cleopatra, Zafetta, Elizabeth Siddell, Jezebel, Delilah, Salome, Mary of Egypt, and amongst a whole host of others, both Louise de La Valliere and Vesta and the Vestal Virgins of Rome.

In short, what Lady Haight-Ashton has done here with her new prose Pagan Portals - The Fallen Women of Mythology: Goddesses, Saints and Sinners, is dutifully spotlight women/goddesses whose stories have been scuttled into the shadows for far too long now.

About the Author - Lady Haight-Ashton is a known author, teacher, Sacred Dancer, Priestess of Lilith, Selket, Hecate and Isis, FOI, ATC. Lady is a professional psychic and trance medium, tarot reader, licensed clergy counselor, member of the Maine Pagan Clergy Association, The Temple of Nine Wells, the Crossroads Lyceum, and the Sacred Dance Guild. She lives in Maine, USA.

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Overview: Sulis is one of the very ancient English goddesses. From evidence found we know that she was worshiped at the hot springs in Bath, in the UK, going back to at least the Mesolithic period.

What we know about her can only be gleaned from the archaeological finds at the Roman Baths in Bath and a few mentions in ancient Roman documents.

This, this new book from renowned Pagan author Rachel Patterson Pagan Portals - Sulis, delves into the mysteries of Sulis, the ancient English Solar Goddess of these very same hot spring waters.

Verdict: For those unaware, and to tell her story from the start, Sulis, the great British Celtic healer Goddess, was originally a solar and fertility deity. Sulis’ shrine was located at Bath, England, where her power was strongest. Some scholars say she was a “Solar” divinity; her name is a derivative of the Celtic word “Sul” for “sun” and “eye,” and Suilead, meaning wisdom. She is also a Goddess of healing waters.

Perpetual fires burned at her shrines, which were natural mineral hot springs. The Romans called her “Minerva Medica” (healing). Statues show Minerva Medica as matronly, with a hat made out of a bear’s head, and her foot resting on an owl. She was also referred to as “Sulis Minerva” by the Romans. Minerva was a virgin warrior dedicated to women’s rights and freedom. The owl was her sacred bird, and healing and medicine were her themes.

Sulis is associated with the Roman goddesses Coventina and Nemetona, who were also worshippd at Bath. She has a connection to Brigit, who was associated with holy wells of healing water in Ireland. Sulis, like Brigit, was served by priestesses who kept her eternal flame burning. At Aquae Sulis as well as on the continent, she appears in multiple forms, the three-part Celtic Goddess “Suleviae.”

Symbols on her shrine are antlers, which symbolize the sun’s rays, and eyes, which signify the sun. The Roman God Mars Loucetius (light) also was invoked at Sulis’ shrine. The Sun is associated with hot springs, connecting hot water with healing.

Drawing upon personal experience, author Patterson (whose own journey with Sulis began back in 2009, when she and her husband took a visit to Bath) provides a dutiful introduction here into the ancient English goddess; one which is not only is highly informative, educational and very entertaining, but also allows the reader to discover and create their very own relationship with her too.

About the Author - Rachel Patterson has penned more than twenty five books on the rituals and practices of magic and paganism. She is High Priestess of the Kitchen Witch Coven, and an Elder of the Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchcraft. A Hedge/Kitchen Witch with an added dash of folk magic, Rachel writes regularly for Pagan magazines and blogs and gives talks at Pagan events. She lives in Portsmouth, UK.

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Overview: Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) is, by far, the most celebrated military theorist, whose prestige has reached new heights. However, this book argues that his reputation has been largely inflated because of the notorious difficulties of understanding his major book, On War (1832).

Thus, The Clausewitz Myth argues that the strategist’s work is largely exaggerated, and misplaced, based on common challenges that readers have experienced while trying to understand his work.

Verdict: Simply put, Carl von Clausewitz (born June 1, 1780, Burg, near Magdeburg, Prussia [Germany] — died Nov. 16, 1831, Breslau, Silesia [now Wroc³aw, Pol.]) was a Prussian general and military thinker, whose work Vom Kriege (1832; On War) has become one of the most respected classics on military strategy.

But telling you more about the man from the off, to allow for a great picture to form, Clausewitz enlisted in the Prussian army in 1792, and in 1793–95 he took part (and was commissioned) in the campaigns of the First Coalition against Revolutionary France. In 1801 he gained admission into the Institute for Young Officers in Berlin, an event that proved to be a turning point in his life.

During his three years at the institute, Clausewitz became the closest protégé of Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst, the institute’s head. The broad curriculum, coupled with Clausewitz’s extensive reading, expanded his horizons dramatically. His basic ideas regarding war and its theory were shaped at that time.

After finishing first in his class, Clausewitz was on the road leading to the center of the political and military events during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, the reform of the Prussian army that followed Prussia’s defeat, and the restoration of European monarchies following the defeat of Napoleon.

In 1804 Clausewitz was appointed adjutant to Prince August Ferdinand of Prussia. In this capacity, he took part in the Battle of Jena-Auerstädt (1806). In the wake of Prussia’s catastrophic defeat by Napoleon, he and the prince fell into French captivity. With the Prussian army demolished and the prince captured, Prussia was forced to give up half of its territory in the concluding peace treaty.

After their release at the end of 1807, Clausewitz joined the group of young and middle-rank officers around Scharnhorst, who struggled to reform the Prussian army. The reformers believed that Prussia’s only hope of survival in the age of mass enlistment, as introduced by Revolutionary France, was in adopting similar institutions.

However, such a modernization of society, state, and army was widely resisted among the aristocratic elite, which feared an erosion of its status. During these years, Clausewitz married Countess Marie von Bruhl, with whom he formed a very close but childless union. Clausewitz was ill at ease in society and more in his element among a small circle of fellow military reformers.

In the war ministry that was formed, headed by Scharnhorst, Clausewitz served as his mentor’s assistant and was then simultaneously appointed a major in the general staff, instructor at the new Officers’ Academy, and military tutor to the Prussian crown prince. Like his friends in the reform circle, he looked for any opportunity to wage a national war of liberation against France, and he was repeatedly frustrated by the king’s hesitation to act against the much superior French power.

In 1812, when Prussia was forced to join Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, Clausewitz, like some of his comrades, resigned his commission and joined the Russian service. He served in various staff posts, and during the catastrophic French retreat he was instrumental in generating the chain of events that ultimately drove Prussia to change sides.

Clausewitz also took part in the final campaigns that brought down Napoleon in 1813–15. During the Waterloo campaign, he served as chief of staff to one of the four Prussian army corps.

Of course, there is much more on this man, but I will now refrain from detailing it all, moreover to allow you to now dive head first into this brilliantly-sculpted new prose from author Azar Gat, The Clausewitz Myth: Or the Emperor’s New Clothes.

For what he brings forth here is a book that not only celebrates Carl von Clausewitz - the Absolute, and the Real One - and his role in history as being the most celebrated military theorist there has been, but also delves into the phenomenon as it is about his ideas.

It goes on to argue that many of his interpreters, struggling to make sense of his work, have not admitted - to themselves, no less than to their readers - that they did not quite figure it out.

Hence, the emperor’s new clothes tag. Indeed, the problems of understanding have magnified Clausewitz’s reputation, as they have widely been interpreted as a sign of his profundity.

Read more about all this, and about Carl von Clausewitz himself today in this marvelously constructed, dutifully informative, and highly education new book from profound Azat Gat.

About the Author - Azar Gat is Ezer Weitzman Professor of National Security in the School of Political Science, Government, and International Affairs at Tel Aviv University, which he twice chaired. Born in Israel (1959), he took his BA from Haifa University (1978), MA from Tel Aviv University (1983), and DPhil from the University of Oxford (1986).

His War in Human Civilization (Oxford UP, 2006) was named one of the best books of the year by the Times Literary Supplement (TLS). In 2019 Professor Gat was awarded the EMET Prize in the fields of Political Science and Strategy. He lives in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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Overview: This book will introduce you to yourself in a new way. It will transform how you think about yourself and help you recognize your own self-limiting beliefs about who you are and can be. It is the author’s story but it is also all of our story.

Verdict: The book moves through time from right after World War II, when the author was born, through the fifties, sixties and seventies as she grows up, eventually becoming a Jungian psychologist in the eighties. You have a front-row seat as you travel through the decades right up to the present witnessing Plunket’s sometimes harrowing, but always wondrous experiences with the invisible world.

Astral travel, angel visits, travel to the life between life realm, encounters with ghosts, conversations with the dead, including Jung, out of body experiences, possession by a dark being, dream realities, and visits to other dimensions, are some of the things she will share with you in A Jungain Understanding of Transcendent Experiences.

A Jungian Understanding of Transcendent Experiences, by renowned author Susan Plunket, is a simply fascinating journey into the realms of the paranormal; all whist being guided by the Jungian theory.

To bring everyone up to speed, a little, the cooperation of conscious reasoning with the data of the unconscious is called the transcendent function. This function progressively unites the opposites. Psychotherapy makes use of it to heal neurotic dissociation’s, but this function had already served as the basis of Hermetic philosophy for seventeen centuries.

It is both a process and a method at the same time. The production of unconscious compensations is a spontaneous process; the conscious realization is a method. The function is called ‘transcendent’ because it facilitates the transition from one psychic condition to another by means of the mutual confrontation of opposites.

The transcendent function does not proceed without aim and purpose, but leads to the revelation of the essential man. It is in the first place a purely natural process, which may in some cases pursue its course without the knowledge or assistance of the individual, and can sometimes forcibly accomplish itself in the face of opposition. The meaning and purpose of the process is the realization, in all its aspects, of the personality originally hidden away in the embryonic germ-plasm; the production and unfolding of the original, potential wholeness.

For years, I myself - when I had first encountered Jung’s references to the “transcendent function” - always wondered what he meant, or, more precisely, how it showed up in life. Knowing Jung was an empiricist, I was sure he got his idea about this from his experience. But what was this experience, and how did this phenomenon manifest in life?

Subsequent research over the years has all but recently answered my questions. But that was before this beauty of a book was brought out, of course.

Lovingly packed with some of her very own, and very personal paranormal experiences with Jungian theory, Plunket deeply explores the much deeper mysteries of human consciousness, bringing forth a prose that is one of the most intriguing explorative on the subject that I have personally had the pleasure to read.

Inclusive of events, factors and historical ruminations that touch upon astral travel, angel visits, ghostly encounters, conversations with the dead, out-of-body experiences, possessions, dream realities, visits to other dimensions and oh-so much more, the author dutifully addresses life’s big questions: Who are we? Why are we born? Where do we come from? Where are we going? and so forth.

About the Author - This book is part of a series of books by different authors sharing their perspectives on the paranormal. Gavin Davies conceived the idea and invited the rest of us. The title all the books begins with Paranormal Perspectives: -- and then the author’s subtitle. That should make it possible to find all of them on Amazon. I hope you enjoy the whole series. The first bunch will be released October 30, 2024. [Susan Plunket]

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Overview: WHAT MATTERS? For family wellbeing, from author Dr. Rosemary Roberts, is about companionable life at home with babies and small children, using belonging and behavior together for resilient wellbeing and mental health.

Verdict: In truth, WHAT MATTERS? For Family Wellbeing: Babies, Young Children, and their Companions’ Mental Health and Happiness is a small book about a big subject: the long-term health and happiness of babies, young children, and their companions at home. Based on research evidence, it raises questions about what matters for all concerned.

Not only parents but also grandparents, other family members, friends, and neighbors may be child carers at home these days. WHAT MATTERS? describes a financially manageable and practical approach, with babies and young children center stage.

It explains the link between belonging and behavior, illuminates how children learn, and suggests many companionable activities with babies and children, involving minimal expenditure.

There is also a focus on adults’ wellbeing, especially for mothers during the first year, while looking ahead at the common ground between toddlers and teenagers.

In what is a highly informative, yet dutifully concise new prose from Roberts, she provides ample knowledge, important facts, and dedicated, heartfelt assurances to parents within its pages, and all without overwhelming them. Each chapter provides important questions and answers, and yet always focuses in on what really matters re: the overall wellbeing of babies, children, their carers and, of course, their families.

In closing, WHAT MATTERS? can make life easier for everyone, contributing to families’ long-term mental health and happiness. Thus I highly recommend that everyone even the slightest bit interested in this subject matter buy this book today!

About the Author - Dr. Rosemary Roberts is an early years consultant and writer. She holds a post-graduate diploma from the Tavistock Clinic UK in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies, and a PhD ‘Companionable learning: the development of resilient wellbeing from birth to three’. She has worked in nursery, primary and higher education and the voluntary sector, and has published two books. She lives in York, UK.

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Overview: Treasures Of Egypt: The Spear & The Scythe. the new novel from author Amr Saleh, tells the story of two unlikely heroes and one grand heist. In the shadows of ancient Egyptian gods and mortals, will they find common ground or risk losing everything?

Verdict: What would one do for love? What would one do for Egypt? Desperation drives Nefiri Minu, apprentice to the Grand Vizier, to save her little brother by seeking Khafset, a young thief from the persecuted people of Hyksos. But his price to help heal her sick brother is to steal a divine spear from Ra’s temple.

However, by touching the spear, Nefiri unwittingly unleashes Set, the shackled God of Destruction, and starts a chain of events that threatens to plunge Egypt into chaos. To avert disaster, they are forced to navigate the realm of the gods and the dead, and face off against mythological creatures in a dangerous adventure Khafset insists on calling “The Grand Heist.”

Can this unlikely pair learn to trust each other? Will that trust turn their forced partnership into something more? On an adventure packed with secrets, hidden agendas, not to mention Gods and monsters, will Nefiri and Khafset succeed in their mission to save Egypt or will the very prejudices that have shaped their world threaten to tear them apart?

In what is one of the best novels of this genre, within this setting, that I have had the pleasure to read in the past two decades or so, Treasures of Egypt: The Spear & the Scythe from author Amr Saleh is also, and by far, probably one of the most competently written, dutiful to its culture, and informatively historical prose that has been put on paper; I would humbly suggest.

I mean, if you love all-things Ancient Egypt, mystical and magical, and Egyptian mythology toboot, well, this is the new, must-have novel for you, my friends. The research undertaken for this book is highly extensive, and shows throughout each and every chapter, we go deeper and deeper into the characters and the whole arc of mythology.

Chock full of adventure, drama, even some romance, and a solid amount of mesmerizing mystery, there have been oh-so many books written about the Greek gods and goddesses, so it is rather refreshing to have this tale brought forth of Egyptian ones.

Buy this novel today and willingly submerse yourself into the world of Nef[iri] and Khaf[set], get introduced to gods such as Ra, Isis and Set, whilst at all times allowing the bigger, slowly revealing message from Pharoah Hatshepsut of understanding and judgement to not only present itself, but to be welcomed within you also, come the final page.

About the Author - Amr Saleh is an Egyptian-German author based in the vibrant city of Munich, Germany. He was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, a city teeming with tales of ancient wonders. He has always had a passion for storytelling, and this passion is fueled by his hobbies, which include writing, diving into captivating stories in all their forms, traveling, and learning about geography and history.

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Overview: There are many alternative worlds within the mind, and Eva has no idea which one she’s in. Still, borders have never troubled her before, and she has to find Roy to make good her mistakes of the past.

This is an adventure story, one of deep and unbroken human love. Time and place shift with mystifying turns until, at last, Eva realizes the shocking truth of what has really happened. There is only one way to put everything right.

But it’s incredibly dangerous and she will be risking their very souls. Then, just as the worlds of the mind come together, the heart insists on having its say.

Verdict: Laced with deeply enduring spirituality, this brand new novel from Nigel Pearce The Unbroken is, for me, one of those reads where you don’t even realize it, but suddenly three hours later you have read half of it non-stop.

It truly is that gripping, that seductively alluring of a prose that reading it all in just three days isn’t anything that should be knocked, as it just means you can re-read it soon thereafter and, perhaps, discover character nuances that you might well have missed the first time around.

For this well-written, impassioned, mysteriously-hued tale - and one that explores the human subconscious along with both our perceived knowledge of reality and the actual, more expansive (at times, cloaked one) - brings forth an ever-expanded plane of spiritual worlds and eternal love for the characters to traverse.

In conclusion, The Unbroken is a novel that grips you from the very off with its uniquely intriguing structure and whilst it details these wondrous cultures and traditions within its sublime narrative, it’s vein of spirituality never too far away, it not also allows for a great mystery to reveal itself, but also pulses with both religious and moral teachings.

About the Author - Following many paranormal experiences in his youth, especially of precognitive dreams and synchronicities, Nigel Peace embarked on a lifelong study of human consciousness. With academic degrees in Science and Philosophy, he explored religion, science and New Age beliefs with an open mind yet always with a scientist’s natural skepticism.

With careers in tourism, social welfare and, especially, teaching Mathematics in school, he was grounded in everyday life and all the challenges that people face. He lives in London, UK.

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Overview: Ego shaves the vibrancy-edges off of life, dulling life’s inherent wonder, dampening one’s love of humanity while concurrently dimming the beauty of the world. Self reinstates life’s vibrant-glory as Self-consciousness re-recognizes its love for its own creation, and in doing so, falls deeper and deeper back in love with itSelf, ever-more enhancing the vibrancy of the mystery of life.

Knowing the difference between who you are and what you have mistaken yourself to be eliminates the ever-fluctuating, life-fragmenting ego, leaving only a permanent aware-presence that re-illuminates the vibrant-wholeness of life that has always been - all to re-establish the eternal wondrous-awe that has not been witnessed since childhood.

Verdict: Love Outpouring is a gracious invitation from yourSelf to yourSelf to expose the ever-present happiness that is already inherent within You, so that you may experience-directly again the perplexing-awe of life.

You have written yourSelf this book for the purpose of giving yourSelf the permission to fall back in love with yourSelf and allow yourSelf to unavoidably shine your love-light upon the world as brightly as possible … the greatest gift you or anyone can share with humanity.

Using multiple dimensions of human exploration, such as science and psychology, a dutifully sculpted spirit for oneSelf is at all times prevalent within the confines of this new prose Love Outpouring: Experiencing Ever-Present Happiness by Illuminating and Eliminating the Difference between Who You Are and What You Have Mistaken Yourself to Be from author Scott Flynn.

As he expertly summarizes, we all long to be happy, and since we have experienced happiness at some time in our lives, we know that it exists. But happiness’s intermittent and fleeting characteristics draw us to the conclusion that ever-present happiness is non-existent; moreover completely unattainable.

That said, Love Outpouring shows us that through our own direct-experience and inherent-Knowing, that this is a misunderstanding and that ever-present happiness is always available. For it is our true nature. It is who we are.

Containing inspirational quotes, dutifully-crafted answers to questions posed, along with practical exercises designed to direct the reader beyond understanding to a direct experience of nondual Reality, Flynn lovingly introduces us to a new dimension of nonduality (a way of living life, whereby, in each moment, you feel your interconnectedness with everyone and everything around you and where it is not just a philosophy or an experience, but a way of being in the world).

About the Author - Experiencing inherent-truth directly, Scott clearly realized that not only can ever-present happiness be experienced in this lifetime, but it is the preeminent attribute of all 8 billion of us. Scott utilizes the perennial philosophy of Nonduality to point you back to yourSelf, so for you to experience directly the ever-present peace, happiness and love of yourSelf.

Scott holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering and is a Founder and former Chief Executive Officer and Chief Impact Officer of two Certified Benefit-Corporations (B-Corps). He lives in Boise, ID.

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