Tears of Monterini


Book Description

Monterini, Italy. 1921. Yacobo Levi, an intellectual dreamer, works in the family bookshop. Angelo Ghione, a contadino, makes good wine by singing to the grapes. Lifetime best friends, their Jewish and Catholic families live side by side amidst a backdrop of village communal life, Etruscan tales and the growth of Benito Mussolini. Born on the same day, their children grow up and fall in love. When the 1938 racial laws are passed, the love between Bella and Rico thrives amidst and perhaps because of the fear and uncertainty. When Angelo discovers their liaison he suggests they marry but life is complicated and tensions simmer beneath the surface of love and friendship. When war is declared on the day of Bella's wedding to Michele a fellow Jew, the peaceful village they live in is torn apart, and the Levis find themselves displaced and fighting for their lives. Will life ever be the same again?The Tears of Monterini is a story of love and betrayal, loyalty and friendship. Inspired by true events, this beautifully written debut will appeal to readers interested in history, Italy, romance, family dynamics and conflict.




The Italian Bookshop Among the Vines


Book Description

'Brilliant... I absolutely loved this... the best book I have read in a long time. I couldn't put it down' Amazon Reviewer, 5* In a secluded Italian village, Jewish and Catholic families live side by side. As the storm clouds of war gather, everyone will have to make a heart-breaking choice to save the lives of those they love... Bella's Jewish family has run the local bookshop in her village for generations, sheltered by the olive groves and the purple vineyards surrounding it. On Bella's wedding day war is declared and Italy, like the rest of Europe, is plunged into deadly turmoil. Orphaned Jewish children from Nazi occupied territories arrive in the village seeking refuge and Bella knows she must do everything she can to keep them safe. Her neighbours also take up the fight and the children are welcomed with open arms. But when German soldiers arrive in the village, everyone is suddenly in terrible danger. Her father is forced to close the bookshop and go into hiding. Bella cannot bring herself to leave their home among the vines or abandon the children she has sworn to protect. She will fight for the home and the people she loves even if she must pay the ultimate price... An unforgettable story of the courage of ordinary people in the darkest days of war. Inspired by real events, perfect for fans of Kate Quinn and Pam Jenoff. This book was previously published as The Tears of Monterini. Readers love The Italian Bookshop Among the Vines: 'I haven't cried like that in a long time... I've read a lot of WW2 historical fiction and this is by far one of my absolute favourites' Reader review, 5 stars 'Wow...Makes every emotion so real and brings history to life' Reader review, 5 stars 'Stunning... Heart-breaking' Reader review, 5 stars




Public Relations


Book Description

Public relations as described in this volume is, among other things, society’s solution to problems of maladjustment that plague an overcomplex world. All of us, individuals or organizations, depend for survival and growth on adjustment to our publics. Publicist Edward L. Bernays offers here the kind of advice individuals and a variety of organizations sought from him on a professional basis during more than four decades. With such knowledge, every intelligent person can carry on his or her activities more effectively. This book provides know-why as well know-how. Bernays explains the underlying philosophy of public relations and the PR methods and practices to be applied in specific cases. He presents broad approaches and solutions as they were successfully carried out in his long professional career. Public relations is not publicity, press agentry, promotion, advertising, or a bag of tricks, but a continuing process of social integration. It is a field of adjusting private and public interest. Everyone engaged in any public activity, and every student of human behavior and society, will find in this book a challenge and opportunity to further both the public interest and their own interest.




A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible


Book Description

A moving novel of love and war by the author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo It is July 1974 and on a bright, sunny morning, the Turkish army has invaded the town of Kyrenia in Cyprus. For many people, this means an end to life as they know it. But for some, it is a chance to begin living again. Everyone has always talked about Koki. They never believed she was her father's daughter and her mother died too soon to quiet their wagging tongues. And when she became pregnant and there was no sign of a husband, her fate was sealed. So she lives outside the town and hides from her neighbours' eyes. But, held captive with the very women who have made her life so lonely, Koki is finally able to tell them the truth. To talk of the Turkish shoe-maker who came to the town and took her heart away with him when he left. And how she has longed for him all these years. Meanwhile, Adem Berker finds himself back in Kyrenia, his former home, now as a member of the invading force. Here he left everything he ever wanted and, by cover of darkness, risking his life, he is searching every house, every cafe, every old pathway, for just a glimpse of the only woman he has ever loved. For readers of The Island, The Book Thief and The Kite Runner.




Born Survivors


Book Description

The Nazis murdered their husbands but concentration camp prisoners Priska, Rachel, and Anka would not let evil take their unborn children too—a remarkable true story that will appeal to readers of The Lost and The Nazi Officer’s Wife, Born Survivors celebrates three mothers who defied death to give their children life. Eastern Europe, 1944: Three women believe they are pregnant, but are torn from their husbands before they can be certain. Rachel is sent to Auschwitz, unaware that her husband has been shot. Priska and her husband travel there together, but are immediately separated. Also at Auschwitz, Anka hopes in vain to be reunited with her husband. With the rest of their families gassed, these young wives are determined to hold on to all they have left—their lives, and those of their unborn babies. Having concealed their condition from infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, they are forced to work and almost starved to death, living in daily fear of their pregnancies being detected by the SS. In April 1945, as the Allies close in, Priska gives birth. She and her baby, along with Anka, Rachel, and the remaining inmates, are sent to Mauthausen concentration camp on a hellish seventeen-day train journey. Rachel gives birth on the train, and Anka at the camp gates. All believe they will die, but then a miracle occurs. The gas chamber runs out of Zyklon-B, and as the Allied troops near, the SS flee. Against all odds, the three mothers and their newborns survive their treacherous journey to freedom. On the seventieth anniversary of Mauthausen’s liberation from the Nazis by American soldiers, renowned biographer Wendy Holden recounts this extraordinary story of three children united by their mothers’ unbelievable—yet ultimately successful—fight for survival.




The Silly Thing


Book Description

The Silly Thing is an account of a woman's acceptance of and struggle with living and dying with a grade 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer of the brain. It is told from the perspective of her daughter, Esther Ramsay-Jones, a psychotherapist and academic. The book discusses the fears that people might have about dying and specifically about brain cancer: for the author's mother, the tumour affected her speech and, as an English teacher, whose life had so intimately been tied up with language the fear of language loss was at times unbearable. From a psychotherapeutic point of view, the book will explore what it means to be given a terminal diagnosis and what kinds of psychological responses the 'patient' and family members might have. It will touch on notions of family systems theory, and the roles people might then take up as reaction to the news. The author also looks at 'difficult conversations' in palliative care - what might help/what might hinder - and the value of listening skills, capacity for attunement and containment, in staff teams and in the medical profession at large. Though the main focus in this book is her mother's experience, vignettes from the lived experienc




The Christmas Bookshop


Book Description

The instant New York Times bestseller! “Sublime…Colgan infuses her latest book with humor, wit, suspense and a perfectly cast love triangle.”--USA Today "The Christmas Bookshop is literary hot chocolate with a bourbon shot: hot, sweet but with a surprising emotional kick."--The Times (UK) Perfect for the holidays! A brand-new heartwarming Christmas novel from the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop on the Corner and Christmas at the Island Hotel. Laid off from her department store job, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. The prospect of spending Christmas with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered yuppie life does not appeal. Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want her prickly sister Carmen there either. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, a mother desperate to see her daughters get along, and a client who needs help revitalizing his shabby old bookshop. So Carmen moves in and takes the job. Thrown rather suddenly into the inner workings of Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the picturesque streets of historic Edinburgh, Carmen is intrigued despite herself. The store is dusty and disorganized but undeniably charming. Can she breathe some new life into it in time for Christmas shopping? What will happen when a famous and charismatic author takes a sudden interest in the bookshop—and Carmen? And will the Christmas spirit be enough to help heal her fractured family?




The Spiritual Scientist


Book Description

The Spiritual Scientist bridges the gap between science and spirituality to give the reader an understanding of how energy works and how one can balance and restore their energies to have a tranquil and peaceful life. The book covers the scientific concepts of energy and the human body and relates these concepts to their spiritual aspects. The scientific concepts will be written in an accurate and a simple fashion, so the reader will be able to understand these concepts without having a high degree of scientific knowledge. The book will discuss the scientific concept first then relate these to the spiritual aspect. The first chapter is an introduction to what energy is in basic terms with equations and diagrams so the reader can fully understand that every living thing has its own unique energy. Chapter 2 will describe energetic aura in detail as this is very important for the reader to fully understand, as the book will focus on spiritual practices that can be used to balance and restore energetic aura, including the chakra system. Chapter 3 will describe the basic anatomy of the human body and will describe the basic fundamental structures such as a cell and DNA, as well as organs and bodily systems including the endocrine system. Chapter 4 will focus on the 13 chakras in the body. The 13 chakras are represented in the spiritual scientist’s logo. This chapter will help the reader understand the different chakras in the body and identify when there is a problem or if chakra is inactive, overactive or imbalanced. Chapters 5-7 will describe specific spiritual practices including crystal healing and aromatherapy that can be incorporated to ground, balance and restore ones' chakras. Chapter 8 will describe the basic function and structure of the brain and how mindfulness techniques including meditations can be used to restore peace and tranquility in ones' everyday life. The final chapter will be a guided step-by step protocol combining all the knowledge learnt throughout the book to create their own meditation kits to balance specific auras. Throughout the book, there will be guided meditations and activities, so the reader will find it easier to understand the importance of these spiritual practices and incorporate them into everyday life.




The Mango Girl: A Woman's Journey of Perseverance and Survival


Book Description

Growing up being abused by her father, deemed unworthy of the love of her mother, ashamed of your upbringing, living in an environment that few survive, and no where to turn but within, The Mango Girl was determined her life wasn't going to end the way it began. From a very young age, Dr. Ava Eagle Brown learned the life lessons of perseverance and survival. In "The Mango Girl" is the courageous story of growing up in one of the poorest areas of Jamaica. Ava's determination and courage gave rise to her belief that she was destined for more than her community could offer. The expected and ingrained recreational activities of sex, raising babies and going to the farm were not enough for this young girl. She taught herself fortitude, enough to forge a very different path than the one expected of her. Ava's story starts in an area of high deprivation, even by rural Jamaica's standards, where the need to find food often won over school attendance. Her journey through her adolescent years was dominated by the dark shadows of incest, homelessness, violence and sexual abuse. Ava's life took an entirely different path when the event of being held and raped at gunpoint in front of her 3-year-old daughter finally pushed her to flee her home country to save her sanity. She describes it as being ejected from her OWN DNA. Resilience and love for her native country allowed Ava to see all her harsh and disappointing experiences as mere stepping stones to becoming a strong and self-reliant woman; a woman who is capable of helping our society to break the cycle of poverty and its effects. This book was written and Ava now lives a life of purpose and passion to impact lives, awaken individuals young and old, and cause shifts that create change for women and girls to live a more empowered life.




A Fickle Wind


Book Description

A rags to riches story, chronicled initially through the eyes of a child born into war-torn Britain who refused to accept that the lackluster life she knew would be all she could possibly expect. The escape route was via Canada, where the impossible seemed possible and her hopes were nourished and thrived. These were the transitional years, so different from the England into which she had been born, and preparing her for what was to come-a life well lived, in the miracle called America. A page-turning journey with strong characters strewn with joy, sorrow, laughter and tears; a first novel that is compelling to the last sentence. Inspirational: when you don't know where to turn and difficult challenges are blown in by a fickle wind, hold on for dear life and you will weather the storm. You will awaken one morning to an azure, cloudless sky, and a zephyr will gently stir the leaves and open your heart to a new beginning.