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2020 New Titles – August 14
My Dear Cousin by Anya Chen
‘What you did not tell him was that you now understood why you had those nightmares in the first place, for the face which had turned back to you in surprise was, in fact, the one you had daily seen reflected in mirrors from another lifetime.’
Disturbed by a string of nightmares, Abby is led to believe that she has recalled about her past life. She starts writing about it, remembering herself as a self-absorbed eight-year-old and her older cousin as a melancholy girl who, despite her striking red hair and good looks, seems almost invisible to the people around her. Lacking attention from her parents, she focuses all her energy on her older cousin, treating her with exceptional kindness and earning all her affections in return.
Meanwhile, Yu Qin/Eugenia, a discontented student in Singapore, reaches out to Abby over an internet forum and strikes up a friendship. Frustrated about her cancelled trip with her best friend, she is inspired to write about her family situation. She continues writing about her life and unknowingly betrays many similarities between herself and the older cousin in her new friend’s private writing. Wanting to escape from her family, she seeks to join Abby on her journey to search for her past in place of her cancelled vacation.
The book weaves together two different accounts, one focusing on the past and the other the present, both told through the characters’ heavily biased perspective. It was written with the intention of encouraging different interpretations depending on the readers’ perspective. There are several ways to interpret the story, to read it just as it is, to trust either one of the characters or neither, or to make things even more complicated—to see Yu Qin as an imaginary character dreamed up by Abby to help herself cope with regaining her memory of a deeply upsetting past.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/My-Dear-Cousin-Anya-Chen-ebook/dp/B085RK8NYY/
Anya’s Website: https://twitter.com/Anyachenanya
Plague by Julie Anderson
There are many ways to die. Plague is just one of them.
Work on a London tube line is halted by the discovery of an ancient plague pit and, within it, a very recent corpse. A day later another body is found, killed in the same way, also in a plague pit. This victim is linked to the Palace of Westminster, where rumours swirl around the Prime Minister and his rivals.
As the number of deaths climbs, the media stokes fear. Government assurances are disbelieved. Everyone feels threatened. This has to be resolved and fast.
The Westminster connection enables Detective Inspector Andrew Rowlands, working alone on a series of rapes and murders of vulnerable young people in central London, to finally persuade his superiors that there is a pattern. He is assigned to lead the case. Cassandra Fortune, a disgraced civil servant, is given the uncomfortable task of investigating the investigation, while joining forces with Rowlands to find the killers before Parliament rises for recess.
Together they navigate the arcane world of the Palace of Westminster as the body count grows. But someone is leaking important details about the case to the press and the media ratchets up the pressure. Misinformation and malice online feeds distrust and panic and the Black Death begins to stalk the streets of London once again.
Meanwhile the commercial and political world focuses on the launch of a huge government Thames-side building programme worth billions. Powerful forces, in Parliament and the City, are competing for its spoils. How, if at all, does this link with the killings? Drawn into the melee, Cassandra Fortune finds herself the object of the attentions of one of the major players, wealthy City broker, Lawrence Delahaye. The attraction is mutual. Fortune and Rowlands discover a shadowy underground network of influence and power as they race against the clock to prevent the death of more innocents and the destruction of the Mother of Parliaments itself. Cassandra will be forced to make a terrible decision as she faces ruin. Time is running out and it’s not clear what, or who, is going to survive.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plague-Julie-Anderson-ebook/dp/B0884ZHZRP/
Julie’s Website: https://julieandersonwriter.com/
Familiar by T.J. Blake
For as long as she can remember, Arabella has communicated with those who exist only in memory.
Being the centre of attention growing up was uncomfortable, and now, as a renowned psychic medium, it is becoming more of a struggle. Arabella’s ability and reputation always made it impossible to hold onto lasting relationships, but with those who no longer walk this earth, that’s not the case.
Arabella returns to where it all began fifteen-years before – on the very same stage. After an evening reconnecting loved ones and exposing untold stories, Arabella can’t help but wonder about the one unclaimed ‘friend’, and their cryptic message.
In an unexpected turn of events, Arabella finds herself the subject of morning headlines and at the centre of Detective Barnes’ investigation.
Can Arabella use her ability to prove her innocence and uncover the truth about the past?
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Familiar-T-J-Blake-ebook/dp/B086ZR2BF6/
T.J.’s Website: https://twitter.com/TJBlake93
Reformed by H.L. Burke
Once a villain, always a villain?
Optimistic and idealistic superhero Prism is determined to redeem her father’s legacy by rebooting his supervillain rehabilitation program. To do so, she sets her sights on Fade, the relapsed supervillain who was the reason the government canceled the original program in the first place. However, when she petitions for Fade to be released into her custody, she finds out things might not be as simple as she thought.
Convicted of an unforgivable crime, Fade received a choice: surrender to trial and possible execution or endure a memory erasure so he could start fresh. Now with no recollection of his time before incarceration, Fade doubts he has the ability to be anything but the villain the public believes him to be.
A series of attacks by a mysterious power-swapping villain points back to Fade’s past and the crime that cost him his freedom and memory. With her father’s legacy and her own reputation on the line, even Prism has to wonder: can a villain truly be reformed?
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085X8N8FL/
H.L.’s Website: https://www.hlburkeauthor.com/
Undying Embrace by K.L. Bone
Death, Christabel thought bitterly. An inescapable fate that, for her,would remain forever elusive.
Life was perfect before he came. The vampire who shattered the world she knew. Handsome, intelligent, and charming, a single taste of Dracula’s touch overrode Christabel’s cautious sensibilities and left her breathless, craving a life beyond traditional expectations. A destiny of knowledge, which could only be found in the creature’s eternal embrace.
Fueled by unquenchable passion, and a desperate belief that the brilliant Christabel might break the curse condemning him to darkness, the vampire prince will do anything to claim her.
As her traitorous heart opens, will Christabel resist the vampire’s dark desires, or become his immortal bride?Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B085S4DXF4
K.L.’s Website: https://klbone.com/
The Watermark by Peyton Landry
Their friend’s wedding is everything Otto Ryerson and Darrius Beck had hoped for, but the day holds a great deal more excitement for Otto because the sexy, spiky-blond wedding photographer hired for the day has captivated him from the first click of the shutter.
But Ty Lansing’s darkroom holds more than just negatives, and although it’s Ty’s camera that’s brought the men together, it’s Ty’s history with it that will bring Otto to his knees in a way he never expected. And it has Otto trying to hold on to the man he loves while that man fights him every step of the way.
The last time Karrie Hayes saw Darrius, he was a mildly handsome teen, just growing into his body. Now, he is a stunningly virile man of thirty-four, every inch of him screaming that his adolescence has passed, as has his innocence.
The last Darrius laid eyes on his friend’s baby sister, she was an awkward child. Now, Karrie is a curvy, bubbly, twenty-four-year old blonde with a fierce mind of her own and an amazing presence.
But Karrie’s brother, Spencer, has a problem, and it has nothing to do with Darrius ebony skin; it’s his eclectic sex life that has the two men brawling since Darrius has always preferred his women petite and blonde, and his men muscular and tall. And Karrie is not the only person Darrius wants in his bed this time.
Although… with a snap of the shutter… Darrius isn’t the only man interested in Karrie’s picture.
With the continuation of the Blurred Lines Series, The Watermark will have you paying attention to not only the pictures, but the video.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B088HHJ8J1
Peyton’s Website: https://www.peytonlandry.ca/
Creative Writer's Master Kit by Zack Bozic
This book is a pragmatic induction to the trade and art of creative writing. You will learn not only how to successfully transform your great ideas into stories, but also how to properly edit your writing material and turn it into a complete work.
Additionally, you will be provided with an important element so many other books on writing are missing – with the very blueprint of creative writing that will make the whole writing process substantially easier for you.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0878ZQ1GW
Zack’s Website: https://twitter.com/ZackBozic
How to Live the Good Life in France by Lorraine Turnbull
Fed up with the rat race? Dreaming of a simpler life? A better life? A GOOD LIFE?
Since the 1990’s hundreds of thousands of people left it all behind and moved to France.
Are you dreaming about moving to France to live a simpler, rural life; perhaps on a smallholding or simply in the countryside? Then THIS is the book for YOU.
This practical and up-to-date book will lead you through the many questions you may have including:
* How Brexit will affect you
* Owning animals or setting up a smallholding in France
* Finding & securing the right property
* Starting a rural business
Benefit from Lorraine Turnbull’s own experience and read the case studies from real people who have moved to live the Good Life in various areas of France. It’s a big step to a brave new world and this timely book aims to help you in your journey to your Good Life in France. Lorraine is an award-winning smallholder and former cider maker who relocated to rural France in 2017.Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B086DT7ZS3/
Lorraine’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/LorraineAuthor
Cries to Kill the Corpse Flower by Ronald J. Murphy
Cries to Kill the Corpse Flower is a stomach slit by knives and guts spilled on the pavement. It is the organized chaos of a man on the brink of running, a man gasping for air in those split seconds his head breaks through the surface—a man who’s realized you can’t outrun yourself—told in the narrative arc of a Crow Crowned King and a Corpse Flower Queen in their castle in the suburbs.
Ronald J. Murray’s debut dark poetry collection is a hard look in the mirror through forty poems that examine of one of the most terrifying monsters that could ever exist: the darkness that can bloom inside any one of us, and which can wreak havoc in every shadow-laden corner of our lives. It’s something sinister that can feed on our insides and reign from an unseen throne. Our ears are filled with its insidious, manipulative whispers that it’s those around us stealing our joy, our love, our lives. Our vision is clouded by its tendrils, taking root in our brains. It tells us to take that final plunge into a sea of lost identity. It uses our hands as extensions to enact its will, giving us a false sense of sovereignty.
Will you relinquish your crown?
Buy the Book: https://journalstone.com/bookstore/cries-to-kill-the-corpse-flower/
Ronald’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonaldJMurray
Enchanted Knight by Keith W. Willis
Revenge… Dark magic… Murder…
Looks like this time the bad guys really mean business.A storm is coming, borne on the wings of prophecy, and Morgan and Marissa stand squarely in the path of the tempest.
They should be preparing to celebrate a joyous wedding. Instead, Marissa struggles to master her newfound powers, while Morgan becomes enmeshed in an unwelcome alliance to repay a debt of honor.
As multiple cryptic prophecies unfold, the indomitable pair find themselves facing power-hungry wizards, treasure-hunting pirates, a wrangle of dragons, and an enigmatic woman driven by forbidden magic and revenge.
When Morgan vanishes under suspicious circumstances and Marissa’s power unexpectedly falters, the lines between enemies and allies swirl and blur like deadly Thundermist. With threats closing in from all quarters, Marissa’s only hope to save her enchanted knight lies in taming the wild magic she never wanted.
Buy the Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086XHJRF1
Keith’s Website: https://www.keithwillisauthor.com/
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More 2020 Books!
2020 Kidlit Book Releases
I had a minor family emergency yesterday for my 4 year old. He’s fine. Just needs to be on antibiotics for a week. I didn’t get a chance to put these up yesterday, so here they are late today. I’m going to continue to post these on Tuesdays until I get through my list!
Little Monster Trucks by Doug CenkoBuy the Book: https://bookshop.org/books/little-monster-trucks-go/9781936669837
Doug’s Website: www.dugduggoose.com
The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer by Marcie Wessels and illustrated by Beatriz CastroBuy the Book: https://www.sterlingpublishing.com/9781454932598/
Marcie’s Website: http://marciewessels.com/
Beatriz’s Website: https://beatrizcastroilustracion.com/
No Party Poopers by Gretchen McLellan and illustrated by Lucy SempleBuy the Book: https://bookshop.org/books/no-party-poopers/9781499809886
Gretchen’s Website: http://gretchenmclellan.com/
Lucy’s Website: https://www.lucysemple.co.uk/
I've Got A Tail! by Julie Murphy and illustrated by Hannah TolsonBuy the Book: https://www.amicuspublishing.us/books/amicus-ink/ive-got-tail-terrific-tails-animal-world
Julie’s Website: https://juliemurphybooks.com/
Hannah’s Website: https://www.hannahtolson.com/
Benny's True Colors by Norene Palson illustrated by Anne PasschierBuy the Book: https://bookshop.org/books/benny-s-true-colors/9781250207715
Norene’s Website: http://www.norenepaulson.com/
Anne’s Website: http://www.annepasschier.com/
WHAT A PRICKLY PEAR by Tina Mowrey, Illustrated by Sarah WilliamsBuy The Book: https://www.clearforkpublishing.com/store/p154/What_a_Prickly_Pear.html
Tina’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/tmowtx
I could not find Sarah’s website. If you know Sarah, please send me a link to her website!
Two Dogs on a Trike by Gabi Snyder illustrated by Robin RosenthalBuy the Book: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/two-dogs-on-a-trike_9781419738913/
Gabi’s Website: https://gabisnyder.com/
Robin’s Website: https://www.robinrosenthal.com/
LLoyd Find His Whalesong Skylaar AmannBuy The Book https://www.skylaaramann.com/shop
Skylaar’s Website: https://www.skylaaramann.com/
Hello, New House by Jane SmithBuy the Book: https://www.albertwhitman.com/book/hello-new-house/
Jane Smith: https://www.superjane.com/
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Rainbow Connection Robin Stevenson — Plus a Winner!
While writing this intro for Robin Stevenson I can’t help but hear the song, “Rainbow Connection” in my head. It’s not just because I’m listening to the song while I’m writing. Robin just gives me all the warm feeling I get when I hear the song.
I wish that I had Robin’s books when I was a kid. I also wish that my parents and the world would have been supportive in me reading such books. It’s wonderful knowing that not alone in this world. I love that feeling and I know that Robin’s books will help our and future generations feel this way as well!
Robin’s Website: https://robinstevenson.com/
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Photo of Robin Stevenson Hello! Hope you are all doing okay and finding support and ways to cope during this strange pandemic spring. Despite having lots of time due to cancelled tours, launches and events, I’ve been finding writing rather difficult lately…so I was glad to get an email from Dani asking me if I would share something about why I love writing about LGBTQ+ characters and themes in my books.
Pride The Celebration and the Struggle - Cover Over the last few years, I seem to have become known for writing LGBTQ+ books. My first non-fiction book, PRIDE: CELEBRATING DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY (https://robinstevenson.com/books/pride-celebrating-diversity-and-community/), came out in 2016 and was a Stonewall Honor book. Many of my novels include LGBTQ+ characters and several, including INFERNO (https://robinstevenson.com/books/inferno/) and UNDER THREAT (https://robinstevenson.com/books/under-threat-2/), have been selected for the ALA Rainbow List. My board book PRIDE COLORS (https://robinstevenson.com/books/pride-colors/) is currently a Lambda Literary Award finalist, my picture book GHOST’S JOURNEY: A REFUGEE STORY (https://robinstevenson.com/books/ghosts-journey-a-refugee-story/) tells the story of two gay men and their cat, and this spring I launched a second, expanded edition of my original Pride book: It is called PRIDE: THE CELEBRATION AND THE STRUGGLE (https://robinstevenson.com/books/pride-the-celebration-and-the-struggle/).
(I was also going to launch my latest– and very queer– YA novel, WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE (https://robinstevenson.com/books/when-you-get-the-chance/) , co-written with Tom Ryan, but due to the pandemic it will now be delayed until spring 2021).
So…why LGBTQ+ books? Well, when I wrote my first novel fifteen years ago, I drew heavily on my own experiences and memories of being a queer teen. Of course, that was a long time ago—I was in high school in the 1980s. It wasn’t a great time for queer teens: we didn’t talk about LGBTQ+ identities, we didn’t have books about LGBTQ+ characters, and many of us didn’t even have the language that might have made it so much easier to talk about these subjects, to understand our own identities, and to find community.
So my first novel, OUT OF ORDER (https://robinstevenson.com/books/out-of-order/), came from that place and those memories. It is about a bisexual teen, Sophie, who is just beginning to figure out who she is and how she wants to be in the world. After it was published in 2007, I began hearing from readers who related so strongly to Sophie—and I began realizing how important this kind of representation was. The following year, my novel BIG GUY (https://robinstevenson.com/books/big-guy/) came out. It was about a gay teen boy, and again I received emails from readers to whom this novel really mattered. One young gay man told me that he read it over and over– and that it helped him to understand and accept himself.
Cover of When You Get the Chance And of course, it isn’t just important for LGBTQIA+ kids and teens to see LGBTQ+ characters in books: I think all children, parents and teachers need these books. For young people who don’t know a lot about LGBTQ+ people, books can help them learn, have empathy, and hopefully care more about issues of human rights. Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are still common, and they hurt people—and I think books can be an important part of working to change that.
Although I started out writing for teens, I have begun writing LGBTQ+ books for much younger kids as well. Things are getting better but when I visit schools and talk to students, I still meet many who are afraid that if they come out as gay, or bi, or lesbian, or trans, that their parents won’t support them, or will be angry or disappointed. So I think kids need to hear from the people that love them that it is okay for them to be themselves and to love who they love. Our teens and our older kids need to hear that, of course—but there is no age that is too young to begin giving your kids that message. So I wrote my board book, PRIDE COLORS (https://robinstevenson.com/books/pride-colors/), for the very youngest kids–babies and toddlers. I hope it gives parents an easy way to tell their children that it is okay for them to be who they are, love who they love, and that they will always be accepted and adored.
Cover of Pride Colors 
Cover of Ghost's Journey: A Refugee Story My picture book, GHOST’S JOURNEY: A REFUGEE STORY (https://robinstevenson.com/books/ghosts-journey-a-refugee-story/) , is for slightly older kids. It tells the story of two gay men, Rainer and Eka, who fled Indonesia and came to Canada as refugees—along with their cat, Ghost. It is based on a true story and the illustrations are created from Rainer’s photographs. I wrote it to raise awareness of the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people around the world, and my hope is that it can be used in classrooms as a gentle introduction to human rights issues. All my royalties from this book go to support LGBTQ+ refugees—I am hoping it will raise funds as well as awareness!
Writing about LGBTQ+ history and rights has strengthened my own connections to the queer community. It has led to so many conversations with queer young people, peers and elders; taught me more about my community’s past and its ongoing struggles; made me part of a wonderfully supportive group of queer writers; and connected me with other LGBTQ+ people around the world. And of course, all of that makes it even more likely that my future books will include LGBTQ+ characters…because my writing reflects the world I live in.
I am curious about the stories and books that will come out of this current period in our lives. How will the pandemic and all we are experiencing filter into our writing? For myself, I am returning to a long neglected and half written mystery novel this week and am hoping that the words will start to flow again…wish me luck! For those of you that are also finding writing challenging this spring, I hope you will be gentle with yourselves and do what you need to do to cope. The words will come eventually. They always do.———–
Follow Robin:
Website: https://robinstevenson.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/robin_stevenson
Books: https://robinstevenson.com/books/
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WINNER:
The winner of the $25 gift card is Tonnye Williams Fletcher!
a Rafflecopter giveaway -
Queen of Physics
Queen of Physics
If you are looking for a fun non-fiction book as a Christmas gift look no further than “Queen of Physics”. Even if you think you want a fiction book this is the book for you! Queen of Physics is a realistic story that’s magical in it’s telling of the life of Wu Chien Shiung. The beautiful illustrations will have you going back and revisiting the lovely pages of this book. It’s written by Teresa Robeson and illustrated by Rebecca Huang.
Teresa Robeson is a friend that I’ve been talking to on social media for a while. She has written a ton of stories for magazines. She’s also likes sewing, crafting and baking. I love her posts on things she has baked, and seeing the wonderful food her husband has made. I’m so happy that she has a book that I can share with everyone! She also has a second book coming out soon called “Two Bicycles in Bejing”. You can pick up that book here: https://www.teresarobeson.com/two-bicycles-in-beijing.html
Story
“Queen of Physics: How Wu Chein Shiung Helped Unlock The Secrets of the Atom” starts with Wu Chien Shiung’s childhood. As a child she left her family to study far away from home. Chien Shiung loved all kinds of science, but physics is the one science she adored the most. This book helps us see the journey Chien Shiung went through to become a great scientist. Teresa shows Chien Shiung’s struggles throughout her life and succeeds though the odds are stacked against her.
What I love the most about this book is that it features a strong female that did a lot for the world while she was here. She had a huge impact the scientific world. She also was a large social influence and organized protests and strikes to help her country. Chien Shiung’s journey is wonderful for all children and shows them what they can achieve despite their gender or obstacles in life.
Art
The colors in this book are absolutely lovely. Rebecca Huang did a fantastic job. She uses mixed media to create her pictures. I wasn’t able to find any more information on how she created these illustrations. The textured paper made the story feel more like it was a page out of history. The character expressions were wonderful. I love Rebbeca’s use of white space throughout the book. The white space (or negative space) wasn’t always white, but the pages that were white were particularly striking.
Get The Book
Pick up Queen of Physics here: https://www.teresarobeson.com/queen-of-physics.html
Teresa Robeson’s Website: https://www.teresarobeson.com/
More about Queen of Physics: https://www.patriciamnewman.com/litlinks-connecting-nuclear-physics-to-language-arts-really/
Illustrator Rebecca Huang: http://www.rebeccamhuang.com/
Remember to ask your library to pick up a copy of this book. Also leave a good review for this book on Goodreads and Amazon!
