To Slaughter a Camel by Raymond Hutson follows 33-year-old widow Erika Harder as she tries to cope with losing her husband who had pulled her out of a dark place. His death has shaken her to the very core and left her afraid to get close to anyone out of a fear of facing losing them as well. A murder at the hospital she works at further shakes her core, and before she can recover, she is offered a position with the CIA. Her skill as a multi-lingual nurse practitioner led to the CIA to hire her as an onsite nurse at Station 31 in Madrid.
Serpendis Endium, Master Merchant, is an older man with a remarkable talent for using words to his advantage. After becoming the sole survivor of a journey, he has no choice but to hire a guide to make it home safely. His young companion, Piecora, is a survival expert with a deep connection to nature. At first, Serpendis sees her as little more than a wildling and fails to appreciate her skills. However, an unexpected event transports them to an unfamiliar world filled with magic and mystery. If they wish to return to their world, they must join forces.
A Journey to the Dark Galaxy follows Sam Sanderson, a thirteen year old girl, and her friends on an unlikely adventure. From hanging out at the mall to being sent to a military base, life for these teens is anything but boring and predictable. The base houses scientists and coders familiar with other galaxies and space travel, but chaos erupts when it comes under attack. The teens learn of Duskara, an Ai robot who changed her own coding, and her Malborg army, which is destroying everything in its path.
When Peg the Pig wants to start the carousel ride at the zoo, animals of all different species want to join in on the fun. There are pigs, horses, monkeys, penguins, otters, billy goats, lions, tiger, and even giraffes that want to take a fun ride together. Everyone is invited, so come join along for a fun ride with Peg the Pig as the conductor!
It’s the first day of kindergarten and both Mateo and Penny are really nervous. Mateo tells his mom that he feels like he has butterflies in his stomach. He further explains he feels excited, scared, and sad. Another child, Penny, tells her dad that she’s excited and worried because she thinks no one will like her. She further explains to him that she’s curious and nervous. Both parents reassure their child that it’s okay to be feeling all these mixed emotions on the first day of kindergarten.
Under Brambles by Margaretta James is a collection of short stories that all seem to end in an overall realization of inner trauma that is healed through amazing imagery built within the vocabulary of each story. Whether you are reliving memories from a very young age, religious turmoil within oneself, or trying to see through the eyes of the characters, you come to a very real and almost emotional epiphany that has a sense of calm and validation that everything will be okay.
Birdwatcher 2 by Ann Greyson is a paranormal horror book that is a sequel to the first Birdwatcher novel. This book starts up a few months after the funeral for Abigail Wincoff that occurred in the first book. Joey Marks is a serial killer who has so far eluded justice and has been living it up dreaming of his past kills while plotting out his next kill for his 32nd birthday. Little does he know though that the police and Detective Philip Silverwood are closing in on the true identity of Ryan Messer.
When Orbit decides to go visit some of his young friends in the park, they are so excited to see him again. They love the stories Orbit tells them and the lessons he helps them learn. This visit he wants to talk to the children about empathy. He explains that empathy is a superpower that you have and you should use with all the people you meet. You should be empathetic to others as you hope they would be to you.
When I was reading When To Fire, it felt as if I was sitting around a campfire listening to an old Western legend. It follows the story of Matthew Frimm or "The Pistol Kid." He is a young sharpshooter with a rough past and a reputation that is growing faster than he can keep up with. He's constantly out on the Western frontier trying to chase the long lost memories of his parents, but life keeps getting in the way when a bank robbery goes wrong and his best friend Chaske is killed.
It is summer vacation and Maddy, Grace, and Mia are together trying to figure out what short trips they can take to have fun over break. Mia suggests they visit the Parkland Zoo for a day trip. The following Saturday, Maddy’s parents take the three girls for a day of fun at the zoo. When they arrive there, something doesn’t look right. The parking lot is empty, and there aren’t any animals to be found. They see a zookeeper and head over to speak with him.
