Step into September with our Month in Books series! Explore spectacular selections perfect for refreshing your fall reading list. Discover new favorites and celebrate the season with stories for every reader.
Secrets of the Home Wood: The Sacrifice by Julie Whitley
For Jonathon, the Home Wood that borders his grandfather’s farm has always been a source of mystery and dread. Strange half-heard rumours passed among aunts, uncles and cousins never quite add up.
More than twenty years ago, his father—when he was Jonathon’s age—was swallowed up by the Home Wood. He returned after a day, badly injured. That was when his grandfather forbade any family member from venturing back there.
So, one morning, when Jonathon sees his father cross again into the Home Wood, he knows something is very wrong. Deceiving his grandfather, Jonathon sets out after his father and makes his way, for the first time in his life, into the woods.
What he finds there is beyond even his wildest imagination.
End of the Lie by Diane Rodriguez Wallach
With her harrowing tale of espionage and near death experiences finally out in the open, Anastasia Phoenix thought things would be better. That she and her friends had outsmarted Department D, the criminal empire her parents helped create.
She thought wrong.
Former friends have turned to enemies, causing more innocent lives to get swept up into the dangerous world her parents created. Now it’s up to Anastasia to stop the damage before anyone else gets hurt—or worse. She embarks on a treacherous trail from Poland to Prague, and old rivals emerge at every turn. But when the final confrontation occurs, will she be too late to protect the ones she loves…or even herself?
Prophetic Mayan Queen: K’inuuw Mat of Palenque by Leonide Martin
She was born to serve the Goddess Ix Chel. But K’inuuw Mat is destined to continue the Palenque (Lakam Ha) dynasty by marriage to Tiwol, fourth son of famous ruler Pakal. Trained in prophetic arts, she uses scrying to foresee the face of the man with whom she will bear the dynastic heir—but it is not her husband’s image. She is shocked upon arriving at Palenque to recognize that face as her husband’s older brother, Kan Bahlam. They are immediately attracted, sharing deep interest in astronomy. Though she resists, the force of their attraction propels them into forbidden embraces. Kan Bahlam designs a plan to solve his inability to produce a son—if he can gain his brother’s cooperation.
Set in the splendor of Lakam Ha’s artistic and scientific zenith, royal family conflicts and ambitions play out in a tapestry of brilliant Mayan accomplishments in calendars, astronomy, architecture, arts, and secret language codes that will astound people centuries later. As K’inuuw Mat contends with explosive emotions, she must answer the Goddess’ mandate to preserve Mayan culture for future generations. Her passion with Kan Bahlam leads to a pale daughter and bold son. They will carry this out as their civilization begins the decline and eventual collapse her prophetic vision foresees.
One great cycle rolls into the next . . .
Contemporary Mexican archeologist Francesca and her partner Charlie, a British linguist, venture into Chiapas’ jungles. They travel to a remote Mayan village, seeking to unravel her grandmother’s secrets. The hostile village shaman holds the key, but refuses to share it with outsiders the. Only by re-claiming her own shamanic heritage can Francesca learn the truth of who she is.
Titch the Itch by BCE Fegan & Lenny Wen
Titch is an itch who just wants to be wanted.
When Titch discovers that no one in his family wants him, he sets off on a journey to find someone – anyone – who would be willing to live with an itch. With every step he grows less hopeful. That is, until he meets an old friend.
Elixir of Freedom by MR Neer
A JOURNEY OF AWAKENING THAT WILL STIR YOUR HEART AND SOUL
A LOVE STORY FOR NATURE AND LIFE ITSELF
A TALE THAT ECHOES THROUGH ALL TIMES AND PLACES
FINDING THE LIGHT THAT DEFEATS DARKNESS
When 21-year-old Ravi‘s twin brother Vik is captured by the Mine Master’s men and taken to work in the coal mines which are also polluting the air in his town, he seeks help from the old legends of Raam. There, he learns about the secret of the Heart of the Sun which is said to defeat all enemies. Ravi embarks on a journey to find this light. He travels deep into the forest, the dark mines, and his own heart. Guided by the lovely Verda of the Forest People, he discovers a spiritual elixir, made of sap and sunlight. It holds the key to freedom for his brother, his town, and his own life.
The Elixir of Freedom is a mythic tale that suggests a path to real freedom for all of us. The Elixir of Freedom is in the new category of Visionary Fiction. That means it offers inner wisdom in story form. The characters’ challenges lead them to experiences of higher consciousness, which mirror the reader’s own journey. It’s a story that reflects universal human values and suggests a vision of a better future for the reader and for the world.
Minotaur by Phillip W. Simpson
“Where shall I start?” asked Minotaur. Ovid made an expansive gesture with both hands. “Where else but the beginning of course.” Minotaur nodded his huge head. “Yes,” he said. “Yes,” his eyes already glazing over with the weight of thousand year old memories. And then he began. So begins the story of Asterion, later known as Minotaur, the supposed half bull creature of Greek legend. Recorded by the famous Roman poet, Ovid, Asterion tells of his boyhood in Crete under the cruel hand of his stepfather Minos, his adventures with his friend, Theseus, and his growing love for the beautiful Phaedra. And of course what really happened in the labyrinth. This is the true story of the Minotaur.
Ballad of Huck and Miguel by Tim DeRoche
***An American classic becomes a modern adventure ***
In this retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Tim DeRoche dares to imagine that Huck Finn is alive today. Chased by his vengeful and psychotic father, Pap, Huck escapes down the concrete gash that is the Los Angeles River. He travels with his friend Miguel, an illegal immigrant who has been falsely accused of murder. Riding the dangerous waters of a rainstorm, the two fugitives meet a strange cast of Angelenos both animal and human. And they learn the true value of love and loyalty. The Ballad of Huck and Miguel is not only a thrilling urban adventure. It’s also an inspired tribute to one of the most beloved novels ever written.
Earthbound by Mari Collier
Marooned in 19th century West, Llewellyn meets young frontier woman Anna. The two become friends and comrades, their fates forever intertwined.
They find themselves together in the prairies of 19th century Texas, the bordellos of Civil War-era New Orleans. From Prohibition in the 1920s, to the Great Depression, and the vastness of space.
But can they survive hardships through history, the enmity of their southern neighbors and the Civil War, to return to his home planet and exact his revenge?
River of Ink by Paul M M Cooper
In thirteenth-century Sri Lanka, Asanka, poet to the king, lives a life of luxury, enjoying courtly life. There’s a sweet, furtive love affair with a palace servant, a village girl he is teaching to write. But when Magha, a prince from the mainland, usurps the throne, Asanka’s role as court poet dramatically alters. Magha is a cruel and calculating king–and yet, a lover of poetry. He commissions Asanka to translate a holy Sanskrit epic into the Tamil language spoken by his recently acquired subjects. The poem will be an olive branch–a symbol of unity between the two cultures.
But in different languages, in different contexts, meaning can become slippery. First inadvertently, then deliberately and dangerously, Asanka’s version of the epic, centered on the killing of an unjust ruler, inspires and arouses the oppressed people of the land. Asanka must juggle the capricious demands of a king with the growing demands of his own political consciousness–and his heart–if he wishes to survive and imagine a future with the woman he loves.
