Patricia Scanlan was born in Dublin, where she still lives. She is a No 1 bestselling author and has sold millions of books worldwide. Her books are translated in many languages. Patricia is the series editor and a contributing author to the award winning Open Door Literacy series.
****************************************************************************
Late Learner – Ciara Geraghty – Harper Collins
Better late than never …
Ronda McCann lives a quiet, careful life. She cycles back and forth to her job at the local care home and plays chess with a robot in the evenings. At forty-four years old, she is perfectly okay with that.
But Ronda has a secret.
In her daydreams she’s fearless – brave, bold and impossible to ignore.
So when her comfortable little world suddenly starts to crumble, Ronda has a choice to make.
Keep playing it safe on the sidelines? Or finally step into being the person she’s always imagined herself to be?
*********************************************************************
The Names – Florence Knapp – Phoenix
It is 1987, and in the aftermath of a great storm, Cora sets out with her nine-year-old daughter to register the birth of her son. Her husband intends for her to follow a long-standing family tradition and call the baby after him. But when faced with the decision, Cora hesitates. Going against his wishes is a risk that will have consequences, but is it right for her child to inherit his name from generations of domineering men? The choice she makes in this moment will shape the course of their lives.
Seven years later, her son is Bear, a name chosen by his sister, and one that will prove as cataclysmic as the storm from which it emerged. Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, believing it will enable him to become his own person. Or he is Gordon, named after his father and raised in his cruel image - but is there still a chance to break the mould?
Powerfully moving and full of hope, this is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark. It is the story of one family, and love's endless capacity to endure, no matter what fate has in store.
**************************************************************
Two Kinds of Stranger – Steve Cavanagh – Headline
Elly Parker had everything.
Perfect husband. Perfect apartment. Perfect friends and the perfect job. As an internet celebrity - famed for her random acts of kindness - everyone knew it.
So when a betrayal causes her to lose it all, millions of people are watching.
But even at her lowest, Elly will always help someone in need.
Which makes her the perfect target for a sadistic game.
Because as she soon learns, you can never trust a stranger - and a seemingly random encounter plunges her into a nightmare worse than she ever imagined.
The only person she can turn to is conman turned trial lawyer Eddie Flynn, who must take on a case where nothing is what it seems. With the most cruelly ingenious mind manipulating events from the shadows, everyone is in danger - including Eddie and his family.
**********************************************************************************
It should Have Been You – Andrea Mara – Bantam
Have you ever sent a message to the wrong person?
Susan sends her sister a gossipy message about their neighbour. But she accidentally posts it on the neighbourhood WhatsApp group instead.
It’s an innocent mistake that could happen to anyone, but rumours quickly spread and the backlash spirals. Soon that one wrong message leads to murder.
A local woman is found dead, but when Susan listens to the news report, she realises that the victim had the same address as her but in a different part of town. The killer may have got the wrong victim – they may be coming for her next.
**************************************************************************
Still Me: A neuroscientist's guide to caring for someone with dementia – Dr Sabina Brennan – Green Tree
Dementia is devastating. Almost a million people are currently living with the disease in the UK alone and this is set to triple by 2050. With family members often providing care, navigating treatment can be overwhelming. But there is life after diagnosis.
Still Me reframes the job of caring for someone with dementia as a partnership. Both you and your loved one deserve respect, support and the latest research to help you on your journey.
Top neuroscientist and bestselling author Dr Sabina Brennan combines her professional knowledge with her personal experience of caring for her mother with dementia. With a human-rights approach that validates everyone's experience and dignity, she offers:
- A self-care plan for care partners to cope with demands and optimise the caregiving experience.
Practical advice on how to manage challenging symptoms, stimulate cognitive function and encourage a brain-healthy lifestyle.
Evidence-based therapies to improve both you and your relative's quality of life.
Dementia can steal many things, but it doesn't have to take away the simple pleasures of life. Shifting the focus from the disease to the person, Still Me reminds you that your relative is still there and that you, as a care partner, are just as important.
*******************************************************************************
The essential toolkit to navigating dementia, supporting loved ones and caring for yourself.
Irish Fairy Forts Portals to the Past – Jo Kerrigan and Richard Mills – O’Brien Press
Far more than just a faint echo of the past, Ireland’s fairy forts are still vibrantly alive.
The traditions connected to them are so powerful that, even today, people rarely interfere with Irish fairy forts or fairy trees. They aren’t built on; roads curve around them; farmers don’t plough over them
The most numerous ancient remains in Ireland today, numbering up to 50,000 or more, these enigmatic mounds and grassy banks seem to call out to us from an earlier time. So, what are they, who built them and what were they for? And how have so many survived for so long?
With evocative photographs by Richard Mills, master folklorist Jo Kerrigan explores the origins of these mysterious circular structures: the stories and legends, the history and archaeology, the living traditions and practices connected to them. And reminds us of the dangers of disturbing the ancient spirits dwelling beneath.
************************************************************************
Lottie Brooks vs The Ultra Mean Girls – Katie Kirby – Puffin
Today we brainstormed strategies to #GETAMBERBACK. Our top ideas are:
Send her flowers
Hypnotise her
Kidnap her
Tell everyone she smells like lasagne
Emotionally blackmail her by making a BFF photo montage
Just when Lottie thought life might be going back to normal, everything goes wrong again! Amber’s hanging out with the Ultra Mean Girl Gang at school and is completely ignoring the Queens of Eight Green. Mum’s gone back to work and expects Lottie to ‘help around the house more’, Bella keeps biting everyone and Pot Noodle will not stop sniffing every dog’s bum. DISASTER!
Now Lottie has to come up with a foolproof plan to get Amber back before her friendship group is destroyed forever. What could go wrong?
Sites linking to this page have chosen to adopt this Privacy Policy as their own. This means: they agree to abide by the principles laid out below.
In common with other websites, log files are stored on the web server saving details such as the visitor's IP address, browser type, referring page and time of visit.
Cookies may be used to remember visitor preferences when interacting with the website. Where registration is required, the visitor's email and a username will be stored on the server.
The information is used to enhance the visitor's experience when using the website to display personalised content and possibly advertising.
Email addresses will not be sold, rented or leased to 3rd parties. Email may be sent to inform you of news of our services or offers by us or our affiliates.
If you have subscribed to one of our services, you may unsubscribe by following the instructions which were included in the email that you received.
You can block cookies via your browser settings but this may prevent you from accessing certain features of the website.
Cookies are small digital signature files that are stored by your web browser that allow your preferences to be recorded when visiting the website. Cookies are used by most websites to record visitor preferences. Also they may be used to track your return visits to the website.
Like all sites, we use 3rd party tools to help us run the website. They are used not to track you but to track info like the visitors numbers on the site over a given period, to allow you to interact with the social-media widget and to allow us to login into this web based CMS (Content Management System).