New releases that belong on your must-read list this winter

Confession: I like spring, love summer and think fall is okay, but I really hate winter: The long dark nights and the cold, coupled with the realization that the next beach holiday or BBQ party is months away? So frustrating!  However, the good news is: No matter what the season, there are always books! And there’s really nothing better than curling up with a good book beneath a warm blanket and just enjoy diving into fictional worlds. The real world can wait for a while, right?

Here are five books that are a must-read this winter!

THE INSTITUTE, by Stephen King – 10 September 2019

While IT Chapter 2, the sequel to the 2017 movie IT, currently sweeps across cinemas all over the world, the master of horror has a new book out – and it is once again about a couple of kids confronting evil. This is not for the faint of heart or for anyone valuing a  good night’s sleep! However, if you love a good dramatic thriller full of suspense and horrors, this novel is a must-have! Terrifying and gut-wrenching, so be prepared!

Synopsis

“In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t check out.”

In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.”

THE GUARDIANS, by John Grisham – 15 October 2019

Attention all you lovers of a gripping legal thriller. John Grisham’s new book THE GUARDIAN is considered by some to be his greatest work yet. Whether or not you find this to be true, one thing is for certain: John definitely is a master of storytelling and the plot of his latest release will keep you captivated.

Synopsis

In the small north Florida town of Seabrook, a young lawyer named Keith Russo was shot dead at his desk as he worked late one night. The killer left no clues behind. There were no witnesses, no real suspects, no one with a motive. The police soon settled on Quincy Miller, a young black man who was once a client of Russo’s.

Quincy was framed, convicted, and sent to prison for life. For twenty-two years he languished in prison with no lawyer, no advocate on the outside. Then he wrote a letter to Guardian Ministries, a small innocence group founded by a lawyer/minister named Cullen Post.

Guardian handles only a few innocence cases at a time, and Post is its only investigator. He travels the South fighting wrongful convictions and taking cases no one else will touch. With Quincy Miller, though, he gets far more than he bargained for. Powerful, ruthless people murdered Keith Russo, and they do not want Quincy exonerated.

They killed one lawyer twenty-two years ago, and they will kill another one without a second thought.”

 

AROUND THE WORLD IN SIXTY SECONDS: The Nas Daily Journal – 1,000 Days. 64 Countries. 1 beautiful planet, by Nuseir Yassin – November 5, 2019

Quitting your job and traveling the world instead of working from 9 to 5, 24/7, seems like a dream to most people.  Nuseir Yassin did just that and turned his dream into reality. He is a travel video blogger famous for creating one-minute travel videos for his facebook page Nas Daily. This book captures his exciting and moving journey. He lets us see the world through his eyes and the experiences he shares are amazing. Naturally, no travel book would be complete without photographs – and Nas’ are stunning and have the power to change your perspective on the world.

Synopsis

60 seconds. That’s how long it takes to dispel stereotypes in Mexico. Throw a house party for strangers in Israel. Change perspectives in Nebraska. Make friends in Japan. And connect millions of people all over the world. In 2016, Nuseir Yassin quit his job to travel for 1,000 consecutive days. But instead of the usual tourist traps, Nas set out to meet real people, see the places they call home, and discover what unites all of us living on this beautiful planet—from villages in Africa and slums in India, to the high-rises of Singapore and the deserts of Australia. […] AROUND THE WORLD IN 60 SECONDS is Nas’ surprising, moving, and totally unpredictable 1,000-day world tour in book form. At times a striking portrait of the most uncharted places in the world, at others a touching exploration of the human heart, this collection of life-affirming stories and breathtaking photographs changes how we think about humanity and invites us all on a journey to see the world, and each other, anew.”

THE TESTAMENTS, by Margaret Atwood – 10 September 2019

The long-awaited sequel to THE HANDMAID’S TALE (originally published in 1985) will hopefully be able to answer all your burning questions. The story is told by three female characters: Aunt Lydia, a key character in the prequel, Agnes, a young woman who lives in Gilead and Daisy, a young woman in Canada shocked by Gilead’s abuse of human rights. This should make one interesting read! For those of you curious to see the novel adapted for TV: It has recently been announced that The Handmaid’s Tale TV series sequel “The Testaments” is already in the works.

Synopsis

When the van door slammed on Offred’s future at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her—freedom, prison or death. With The Testaments, the wait is over.  Margaret Atwood’s sequel picks up the story more than fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.”

ARCHANGEL’S WAR, by Nalini Singh – 24 September 2019

Can you believe it has been 10 years since Nalini published ANGEL’S BLOOD and started off her intriguing Guild Hunter Series? It has been a pleasure following Elena’s epic journey from mortal vampire hunter to immortal archangel’s consort. Along the way, we’ve met lots of fascinating characters and enjoyed delving deeper into the beautiful, but quite deadly world that Nalini crafted. With ARCHANGEL’S WAR, Elena once again has to face new challenges and keep her world from further descending into chaos. Of course, we also hope for some sizzling hot Raphael/Elena action – and knowing Nalini, she probably won’t disappoint!

Synopsis

Wings of silver. Wings of blue. Mortal heart. Broken dreams. Shatter, Shatter. Shatter. A sundering. A grave. I see the end. I see. . . .

The world is in chaos as the power surge of the Cascade rises to a devastating crescendo. In furiously resisting its attempts to turn Elena into a vessel for Raphael’s power, Elena and her archangel are irrevocably changed. . .far beyond the prophecy of a cursed Ancient.

At the same time, violent and eerie events around the world threaten to wipe out entire populations. And in the Archangel Lijuan’s former territory, an unnatural fog weaves through the land, leaving only a bone-chilling silence in its wake. Soon it becomes clear that even the archangels are not immune to this deadly evil. This time, even the combined power of the Cadre may not be enough. . . .

This war could end them all.

Enjoy reading!

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