All you need to know about books at www.booksmonthly.co.uk                                                     Issue 4 July 2008

ANDREW STEELE: THE GALAXY BOYS ~ On Earth, unaware of life outside, dumped by their outrageous aunt in an orphanage in Brooklyn, the four Roar brothers have lost hope they will ever see their parents again. But then they receive a mysterious message telling them to get home fast. Before they know what has befallen them, the boys are catapulted into a galactic reality before unimagined, a reality that threatens to send the galaxy s many inhabited worlds spiralling into chaos. Racing from the east coast to the west, with the help of their father s friend and his two robots, plus two tenacious girls, the Roar brothers then leave Earth behind completely and enter a fast paced galactic game of hopscotch. Bouncing from one far flung world to the next, they race across the heavens, the guardians of a mysterious white sphere a fantastic repository of all galactic knowledge. The evil Boargen and their leader Admiral Slatter give chase, prepared to stop at nothing to possess the brilliant orb and to rule the galaxy. Amongst all the chaos, the Roar brothers hope to find their parents. But then their new friend Katia and her robot Keb are captured, and so is the sphere, making all seem hopelessly lost. In a final desperate dash of rescue and discovery, the Roar brothers flee for their lives, right out from underneath Admiral Slatter s nose, back to Earth s solar system, the relentless Boargen following close behind. There, the boys must continue the fight for their lives, a fearful struggle between good and evil, the freedom of the galaxy hanging in the balance. Battling to exhaustion, with the help of the two Earth girls, the Roar brothers make a dramatic final escape, sending the Boargen scattering in defeat for now. In the end, safely back in the Brooklyn orphanage, the boys make one more discovery: that the sphere has had more to do with their adventure than not.

DAVID SNOWDON: THE MIND OF A GENIUS ~ When top British Scientist, Malcolm Prince, completed his latest project, there were a lot of interested parties. The MI4, the CIA and the Denmark Intelligence were all very interested. The word had spread that Prince had been working on a very important project, and had invented a formula that could change the world. But what was that project about? Nobody really knew, but that was the question that everyone seemed to be asking. The action moves from London to Copenhagen, Hong Kong and Australia. And events intensify, accelerate and explode into an electrifying climax, as the various parties painstakingly try to outclass each other in order to procure the secret information. Espionage is the name of the game.

BRIAN FOX: WAKE UP AND SMELL THE REALITY ~ Every choice you have made in your life has led you to where you are at present. Many don't even know that they are making these choices neither do they realise that the simplest choice they make today, knowingly or unknowingly will affect the rest of their lives. "Wake Up and Smell the Reality" is about looking at where you are, what you are doing, where you are going, and then doing something constructive about it - 'if it is to be, then it's up to me' should become one of your mottos. Reality is what is going on around you, every moment of every day. Most people don't take any notice of it; they move through each day on auto-pilot engaged in some form of activity, however being busy with an activity does not mean you are actually making progress - 'Don't confuse activity with progress!' Written by a real person, who lives in the same real world as everyone else, this is an easy to read book that could quite literally change your life. A lot of it may seem like common sense, but in the words of Brian Fox; 'Common sense is really not all that common; in fact it can be quite rare.'

MERLIN FRASER: INNER SPACE ~ How well do you know your best friend? How would you react if he was suddenly arrested for murder? At 45 years of age with a broken, childless marriage behind him, Detective Inspector Nick Burton is just coasting through life. That is until the day his boss, Chief Superintendent Dan Davies, is arrested and charged with murder. In denial Nick's attempts to get at the truth are further hampered when Dan dies while in custody. Question is: did he commit suicide to avoid prosecution and imprisonment? Or was he murdered to prevent a scandal?

DAVID SNOWDON: TOO YOUNG TO DIE ~ When June Patterson was brutally murdered on Streatham Common, the whole nation was sickened by the gruesome, cold-blooded killing. And everyone reckoned that it would only be a matter of time before the vicious killer was caught and brought to justice. But four years later, the police were no nearer to catching the killer than they were on day one. Somewhere out there, a killer was still on the loose, having himself a good laugh at the system that couldn?t bring him to justice. Multi-billionaire, Ronald Patterson, June?s father had an instinct that somebody, somewhere knew who he was. And he was determined to find the killer by all means. And when he hired Private Investigator, Mike Heaton, Heaton wasn?t very optimistic. If the police couldn?t solve the case in four years, he realized that his chances of finding the killer now, were not very good. But when Heaton started his own investigation, he suddenly realized that he?d opened a can of worms. And he found himself chasing a lead all the way to Jamaica, then all the way to Miami. The action has begun.

JANE MANN: THE CAUSE ~ A book about love and passion, dedication and suffering, "The Cause" is a story of a young woman who gets involved in an Animal Rights group. Though unsure about it at the beginning, Kate Wilson enters the movement and starts playing a pivotal role in it. Beneath the struggle, there's a love story between the protagonist and the leader of the activists, Mark, who suddenly feels something is changing after so many years of hard fighting and the continuous necessity of being on the move and hidden.
The activists fight against a world that seems to be tuned to a different wave length from theirs, accusing them of being criminals and not acknowledging the reality of the situation. The book is a truthful journey through what being an animal activist really means, considering the positive and negative aspects.
The cruelty inflicted on animals in labs is described clearly in order to make the reader aware of what vivisection really means. Although the story line and the characters are fictitious, the details on the animals are based on fact and therefore true to life. The book aims to bring attention to the vivisection issue and cruelties to animals. This is done in a very readable style, with effective description and a fast moving plot which keeps the reader hooked.
A book written with feeling and great care, Jane Mann has been able to depict what goes on in a world so far hidden and not understood by those who are not involved in it.

BEN ALDISS: SELL THE PIG AND BUY ME OUT ~ A cast of sturdy characters' existentialist of the working classes' -senior ordinary seaman O'Rourke 'Western Ocean man and would be hard knock'; the murderous Captain Jake; Busti the elderly Egyptian galley boy; drunken Chief Mate Cartrite; Dingbat the ancient alcoholic Welsh engineer; Hesta the Padre's wife, and Clarrie the ancient and classically camp chief steward re seen through the eyes of first trip apprentice James Howard and his dotty inspiration Prudence back in Britain as James picks up the ethics of his nautical trade.

PETER FERGUS: SILVER BUBBLES ~ Mike Morgan's commercial diving business is going downhill fast; his wife has left him and now all he owns is at risk. It is time to throw caution to the wind and fill a lifetime's dream, which is to escape to sea and salvage the riches from lost and forgotten shipwrecks. Along with two good friends Billy Wells a tough ex mineworker once prize-fighter and Phil Roper a carefree ex-Royal Navy clearance diver, they purchase a decommissioned trawler and embark on a risk filled underwater adventure uncovering lost and hidden treasures. The strong camaraderie between the team is a force that carries them through tough and perilous encounters. Living life to the full in every way, they are determined to succeed. Silver Bubbles is a salty and saucy armchair adventure.

Ben, the protagonist of the novel, is a young boy who is on holiday with his family in the same place they have been going for ages. But that year was special: he was about to meet the person who would change his life forever. Not a prophet, not a religious man, not a preacher, but just an ordinary man with a vision. He tells Ben about his philosophy in life, his principles and above all his recipe for the T.J. cake, an incredible cake, made up with around 30 ingredients, that has the magical power to make people feel better. He opens up Bens conception of reality towards a new dimension. His teachings are a mixture of Native Americans ideas and personal acquaintance plus some catholic foundations. Ben is just a fictional character, though author Sam Webb tells that many of the experiences lived by him really happened in his own life. But together with this fictional and partly autobiographical side of the story, theres also a strong presence of personal growth and self-improvement theories: that is the originality and the geniality of this book. It offers teachings that the reader receives without even realising it. Descriptions and characters are created by Webb in order to make them sound as proper fictional invention. But not only: some episodes told in the novel are not fictional. Webbs theory is based on 10 cornerstone principles of balanced success which through the book will help Ben to accomplish the life he wants. This is the core of Webbs ideas and what he deeply wants to transfer to his readers and it is based on a proper research brought forth by Webb and the National Forum for Balanced success, an information sharing platform where people help out one another to gain more awareness about life and existence. Sam Webb has been able not only to spread out his theory about how to be successful and happy in life but also to create very credible fictional characters, such as Trader Jack who is the enlightenment-man, a down-to-earth person who has found for himself how to be happy. Life...its a piece of cake represents a new genre, a mixture of different styles and a revolutionary idea.

CHRISTINE JONES: MARIARD, THE GIFTNG ~ Born of their seeds, Kingdom will rise against kingdom, one will hold great mysteries, one will turn the tide and one will not be bound. War is fought, not only on the field but also within the mind. Nothing is what it seems take nothing for granted. The Mariard volumes have been found, revealing the gifted are fighting for you; do you have the right to become an entity? Be challenged go with them as the gifted tap into the unfolding universal truths. Nothing is what it seems take nothing for granted.

CANDY ADDERLEY: IF SHE HAD ONLY SAID SORRY ~ Where do you draw the line? Torn apart by the guilt of inducing her mother's death, all Sam wanted was a place to belong and her sister to love her, even though her attempts at reconciliation only ended up on deaf ears and tightly clenched fists, glossed over by her painful need to justify her own existence. But when is it right to fight back? When her sister starts plotting murder, or tries to steal her boyfriend? On an island eighty miles long in the south Bahamas seas, there are some things more important than the scenery.

DAVID PROCTER: FORGOTTEN SOULS ~ "He's got more problems than a dogs got fleas" DS Jim Carter could have accepted that sort of comment before. But not now, now he needed to focus, to unravel the truth. A truth so buried that maybe it would never be found. Shunned by his colleagues, his only companion is a young officer. Together they must overcome their individual demons, the prejudices aimed at them. Together they must discover the truth. A multi facetted story with numerous twists and turns. Forgotten Souls deals with scandal, intrigue and criminal intent. As well as touching on the problems that beset Carter and his fellow officers. A subtle mix of thrills, drama and humour, leads the reader into various seemingly unconnected scenarios. Finally with perserverance Carter is able to lay some of his problems to rest. Set in Kent and using numerous locations, the story takes the reader on a fast paced ride through the myriad of storylines until finally culminating in a thrilling climax.

JOHN VON KESMARK: KYTOS, THE DARK BEYOND ~ The year is 2070 and Britain in a totalitarian state. Its human population are ruled by the brutal Rathings. Half-rat, half-human the Rathings are just one of the breeds of creature let loose on the world
as a result of The Kytos Project - a genetic engineering programme almost 50 years earlier. The novel launches the reader in a strange, unsettling, yet oddly familiar world. Bloodcurdling and thought-provoking by turns, this is a strange, gripping science fiction adventure story for sci-fi and horror fans of all ages.

TINA MONBERG: HANDBOOK OF HUMAN CONFLICT TECHNOLOGY ~ "Organisations that develop a clear and understandable conflict strategy are much better positioned to avoid destructive conflicts. Many businesses look at conflicts as a negative, something that should be avoided in every possible way. But in an organisation, which welcomes change, conflicts can and should be regarded as positive and necessary. Good conflicts generate thoughts and ideas and create innovation. Instead of being afraid of conflicts, organisations need clear guidelines for dealing with them, and ensure that they will not develop into something negative. Many firms act too slowly and fail to see the warning signs about the escalation of a conflict. Organisations which develop a clear and understandable strategy are much better positioned for avoiding these destructive conflicts, which easily can go out of control and turn into lawsuits, discrimination, low morale, increased stress, and loss of productivity, much of it a result of un happiness at work. This book opens the reader's eyes to a new way of thinking about conflicts. It offers practical ways of how to develop a conflict concept, and shows how to involve the entire organisation in working with conflicts.Numerous case studies demonstrate how companies have experienced the strength of working positively with conflicts. " From the book: "Having a conflict strategy is like having fire regulations. Nobody thinks they are necessary until there is an incident, and then it will be too late to do anything constructive about it. Although no company or organisation would neglect the adoption of fire regulations, many regard having a conflict strategy as a sign of weakness instead of a sensible precaution in preventing conflicts from escalating. In the eyes of some companies, having a conflict strategy would mean admitting that the number of conflicts they experienced or anticipated was exceptional, and no company wants that kind of image." "The book contains plenty of inspiration for working with the conflict phenomenon and to make your own conflict strategy for your own business. Great reading material and an incredible work of inspiration." Bent Engelbrecht, Dagbladet Borsen "Tina Monberg has written and excellent book about conflict resolution. This book should be required reading for any CEO!"Jens Graff, Erhvervsbladet "The book gives new ways, so that conflicts can be turned around and used for the positive. It shows practical methods of how to build a conflict concept and shows how to involve all of the organisation in working with conflicts." Jyllands Posten

CYNDI GAYLE: THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF ONLINE DATING ~ This book was written in a tongue in cheek style, to bring a sense of openness and passion with a wild sense or humour. Most of the way through the book I was either laughing or crying but I was never expressionless. I dug deep in me to bring out a hidden truth without creating offence to others, and to help create openness, coupled with fun and passion. When I decided to write this book I wanted expressions and truth to blend, there is so much fear of the truth in the world that we live in. I use to be restricted in my thoughts and actions, mainly because I didn't want to offend anyone. In this book I have taken away the restrictions to allow natural thoughts to come through, as well as bring a blend of humour and tears. This book was written outside of the box so to exposed hidden thoughts and actions. It's funny and entertaining but also with a dash of truth.

DYAN GARRIS: MONEY AND MONIFESTING ~ Go far beyond "The Secret" and learn what really works. You think positive thoughts. You apply the law of attraction. You visualilze. You clear pathways to abundance. And you manifest NOTHING. Now you want to find out exactly what to do about it. You want wealth. You want prosperity. You want transformation. You want the turth. Here you will discover the real secrets to manifesting. Finally. What you learn will change your life forever. Not just another manual about applying the law of attraction and the power of positive thinking. Ms. Garris teaches what stands in our way of manifesting, how to unblock the energy flow of money, and how to actually transform energy to get what you desire. "It is not enough to think positively, repeat affirmations, and attract positive energy. We must implement and integrate this learning into our lives. This is the real secret of manifesting money. It is the real secret to manifesting anything. " -Dyan Garris, author, musician, and clairvoyant. Parts of the book are fictionalized for illustrive purposes and so there is a story here as well. The book itself is an exercise in integration. It engages both your left brain and right brain. When you're done reading it you've automatically taken the first steps toward manifesting. --Dyan Garris

Books Monthly (formerly Gateway Monthly) is published by Paul Edmund Norman on the first day of each month. You can contact me via e-mail at: editor@booksmonthly.co.uk. If you'd like to get a story published in Books Monthly just e-mail it to me and I'll consider it - no payment though, I'm afraid!