Running From Her Past
by Diana Bain
Fiction
Book 60

Product Description
If you had to make a choice to stop a lover gone renegade or let him live, what would you do?

Samantha Waters has been running ahead of her fate her entire life. T. J. Loomis has been running from a life that never gave him comfort. Their lives run together in an attempt to stop a killer and keep him from becoming the next Cosa Nostra Crime Boss. Samantha is committed to stopping him. T. J. is committed to keeping her alive. In the fast paced journey they find out about each other and themselves.

Excerpt
She took her ever-present CAT Power cap off, laid it on the bench seat between them, and nodded. "Ready!"

Don had told him she had done delivery work, but that she was getting too old. Sam was meticulous when it came to cleaning the weapons of fingerprints. Theirs and anyone else's that handled the guns. She was meticulous to the point of making him wonder just what the ultimate destination was for the packages he delivered. Sam had told him once that the movement of the weapons was just a method of spreading the inventory of firearms across a wide spectrum within the Cosa Nostra. Some of the pieces, she noted, being liberated from gang members. Professional gunsmiths sanitized them. Then, and only then, were they moved.

Liberated? T.J. had considered that word and wondered just how one might go about liberating anything from a gang member. Over his dead body, he concluded, which had given him a new respect for the Cosa Nostra. T.J. wasn't quite sure how Don figured Sam was too old, but Don was the boss, so he took the explanation at face value. He turned on the headlights, shifted into reverse, backed into the service road that separated the long rows of mobile homes and started out toward the highway.

Living under her roof, his curiosity began to take hold after about six months. Once in awhile he would go to a 'Family' meeting to meet up with and talk to other members. Sometimes they would plot innocuous strategies usually involving getting members voted onto city councils or into county governments and so on. At those meetings, he would strike up conversations with older members that seemed to know Sam. None was too talkative about her.

The Blue Notebook: A Novel
by James Levine
Fiction
Book 59

Product Description
A haunting yet astonishingly hopeful story of a young Indian prostitute who uses writing and imagination to transcend her reality.

An unforgettable, deeply affecting tribute to the powers of imagination and the resilience of childhood, The Blue Notebook tells the story of Batuk, a precocious 15-year-old girl from rural India who was sold into sexual slavery by her father when she was nine. As she navigates the grim realities of the Common Street -- a street of prostitution in Mumbai where children are kept in cages as they wait for customers to pay for sex -- Batuk manages to put pen to paper, recording her private thoughts and stories in a diary. The novel is powerfully told in Batuk's voice, through the words she writes in her journal, where she finds hope and beauty in the bleakest circumstances.

Beautifully crafted and deeply human, The Blue Notebook explores how people, in the most difficult of situations, can use storytelling to make sense of and give meaning to their lives. All of the U.S. proceeds from this novel will be donated to the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children (www.icmec.org).

Secrets of Paradise
by Dr. Robert E. McGinnis
Fiction
Book 58

Product Description
A young man is called by his guiding spirit to return to the land of his parents to help his people with modernization and to establish order in the lives of several different groups living in a wide range of conditions. At first his past is unknown to him because he was deserted as a baby and raised by non-family members who were unaware of his origination. The main character, Harry Raven is guided by spiritual forces that are not always apparent, but seem to offer clues and help at the right time and place. Harry Raven leaves a wonderful job in a big city to become the leader of two different Indian tribes, one ancient and one modern. When his connection to the two tribes is revealed, he will bring the two together in a way that is beneficial to both.

Lords Corruption
by Kyle Mills
Fiction
Book 57

Product Description
When Josh Hagarty is recruited by the charitable organization NewAfrica to manage a farming project in an underdeveloped African country, he signs on, figuring that he can put his newly acquired graduate degree in engineering to good use. However, when Josh gets situated in Africa, he finds that NewAfrica may not be the philanthropic charity it purports itself to be.

As Josh delves deeper into his work, secrets begin to unravel, throwing him into a world of violence, turmoil, and political corruption. He soon learns that Gideon, the man responsible for heading the local organization, is not only a relative of the African country's president, but also a strong-arm thug with a tendency towards aggression and dishonesty. In his hunt for both truth and justice, Josh also discovers that his predecessor may have been murdered to cover up something he had discovered about the project, something that should have remained buried. And why has Gideon uprooted the very people that Josh thought he was supposed to be helping? Is NewAfrica merely a scam?

With the help of Annika Gritdal, a beautiful Scandinavian aid worker, and journalist J.B. Flannary, Josh must fight to uncover the truth behind NewAfrica. In doing so, the trio must struggle to survive by evading those who are trying to prevent them from uncovering a dangerous secret -- a secret that might just get them killed.

About the Author
Kyle Mills is the New York Times bestselling author of nine books, including his award-winning The Second Horseman and Darkness Falls. Growing up in Oregon as a Bureau Kid, Kyle absorbed an enormous amount of information about the FBI, which he incorporates into his novels. He and his wife live in Wyoming and enjoy rock climbing.

Sunsets
by Michael B. Hamilton
Non-Fiction
Book 56

Product Description
Can Just Looking at a Photograph Reduce your stress?

Professional photographer Michael B. Hamilton takes his images to a level that no other photographer has gone. He has discovered in a clinical research trial that his tranquil sunset photographs are medicine for the mind and body.

Professional Photographer Michael B. Hamilton and C Town Publishing is proud to present a gorgeous book which features 48 sunsets taken in a variety of locations. According to the study done by Mr. Hamilton, by simply taking a few moments out of your busy day and looking at one of these photos, your blood pressure and anxiety levels will reduce.

Features of the book include:
A foreward written by Dr. Cara East, a Cardiology, Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism Doctor, and Director of the Clinical Cardiovascular Research Center at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas Imagine the possibilities! You can lower you stress anytime of the day or night by simply taking the time to look at these wonderful sunsets.
Explaination of the Clinical Research trial by Dr. Mary Wingo Ph.D. a clinical stress researcher

A "How to use this book" and 48 Stunning Sunsets by professional Photographer Michael B. Hamilton M. Ed.

Brothers Kept Apart: Examining the Christian and Islamic religious barriers that have divided Christians and Muslims for over 1,300 years
by Walter Phillips
Non-Fiction
Book 55

Book Description
Christians and Muslims have been kept apart for over 1,300 years, because they were taught that irreconcilable differences exist between their religious beliefs. This has resulted in mutual distrust, persecution, and even wars. I was motivated to read the Qur'an by the events of September 11th, 2001.

I wanted to know the teachings in the Qur'an that could convince Muslims to be willing to sacrifice their lives, in order to kill persons who did not appear to be associated with Islam or their conflict.

My Christian tradition was the source of some anxiety, since I had been taught that "the Koran" was full of evil, and could cause the reader to be led astray. Even the name "Koran" sounded and appeared ominous. After convincing myself that my only motive for reading the book was to investigate its contents, I commenced reading with some trepidation.

I was surprised to find that the Qur'an seemed so familiar, and after reading several different translations, I began to wonder whether Muslims who followed the Qur'an, were part of the community of believers, otherwise called the elect of God. This book is an examination of that thesis.

The claim is admittedly shocking for some Christians, and had I heard of such an assertion by anyone before I read the Qur'an, I would have dismissed the claim and would have decided not to devote any effort investigating any evidence that the claimant might have provided. It is for this reason that I shall present what I understand the Qur'an teaches at this point in this book, in the hope that the reader will want to accompany me on this investigative journey.

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Convergence: a tale of four women
by Christopher Turner
Fiction
Book 54

Product Description
Purity of thought and the scientific spirit collide head on with politics, personalities and raw ambition. Reminiscent of Rand's The Fountainhead and incorporating many of the ethical aspects of Sagan's Demon Haunted World and Contact, Convergence reveals to its readers what the world of biomedical science is really about.

Convergence combines career advice with commercial fiction in a novel about 4 young scientists striving for academic success. Each journey takes many twists and turns as these researchers make significant discoveries, under impossible conditions, while dealing with unscrupulous colleagues. To keep their careers alive, however, they are in the end forced to consider something that would normally be unthinkable. What directions each of them end up taking may not only define their character but ultimately determine their destiny.

Read Sample Chapter of this eBook

Vengeance Settles the Score
by Diana Bain
Fiction
Book 53

Book Description
Five years ago, two young women went missing. One of them, battered and terrified, made it out alive. Her best friend was not so lucky. The detectives assigned to the case never caught the killer, and the case went cold. The only survivor didn't talk, but she knows he's still out there, waiting and watching.

On the anniversary of the fifth year, another innocent student is found brutally raped, tortured, and murdered. Over the past five years, the killer has perfected his technique. He has come back with a vengeance.

This case will be a tough one. The only hope is for the killer to screw up and leave behind some forensic tidbit. Nevertheless, this killer is a careful planner. And there is never any evidence left behind. The investigation intensifies as the race against time begins. The real question is, can the killer be caught before he settles the score?

Diana Bain grew up in a military family. She attended Old Dominion University, earning an MBA. A self-described shy introvert, she prefers to stay home with her books and computer. She has penned numerous short stories, essays, and poems. Her first published piece was a poem entitled, "Warm Gentle Man."

Freeing Tibet: 50 Years of Struggle, Resilience, and Hope
by John B. Roberts II & Elizabeth A. Roberts
Non-Fiction
Book 52

Product Description
"A treasure trove of information about Tibet's ordeal....[an] informative take on an important aspect of Asian political history." --Kirkus Reviews

"Former Reagan strategist Roberts and journalist Elizabeth Roberts draw on unprecedented access to the Dalai Lama's circle and U.S. government insiders to recount Tibet's resistance movement and its unlikely allies ... this book offers a clear overview of the key issues and conveys why Tibet's situation is more urgent that ever." -- Publishers Weekly

Still I Rise
by Roland Laird with Taneshia Nash Laird
Non-Fiction
Book 51

Book Description
Still I Rise is a critically acclaimed work with an impressive scope: the entire history of Black America, told in an accessible graphic-novel form. Updated from its original version -- which ended with the Million Man March -- it now extends from the early days of colonial slavery right through to Barack Obama's groundbreaking presidential campaign. Compared by many to Art Spiegelman's Maus, Still I Rise is a breathtaking achievement that celebrates the collective African-American memory, imagination, and spirit.

From the Inside Flap
"As a contribution to illustrated history from a black point of view," writes National Book Award-winning author Charles Johnson in the foreword of this book, "Still I Rise is a unique achievement, one that will be valued--like Art Spiegelman's Maus: A Survivor's Tale and Larry Gonick's A Cartoon History of the Universe--by students, educators, collectors, and general readers for a long time to come." Newly available in an updated edition, the compelling and irreverent graphic history that recounts the entire scope of the African-American experience, now concludes with Barack Obama's groundbreaking 2008 presidential candidacy.

Still I Rise traces the epic struggles and victories of African-Americans in the face of racist obstacles and unfathomable hardships over the course of four decades. It follows the rise of slavery; the Nat Turner Rebellion; the military contributions of African Americans; the influence of the Memphis Free Speech newspaper written by crusader Ida B. Wells; the Great Depression of 1929; the birth of modern integration; Freedom Summer; the emergence of a new philosophy called Black Power; the Million Man March; and the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. Cultural milestones can also be found in these pages: from the Harlem Renaissance and the publication of Invisible Man to heritage festivals and contemporary artists who illuminate the complexity of African-American life. Heroic notables and visionaries are introduced: Frederick Douglass; Sojourner Truth; Madame C. J. Walker; Malcolm X; Martin Luther King Jr.; and many more. Lesser known luminaries are also featured, including Carter G. Woodson, who became the father of Black Studies in 1915 by starting the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, who started a one-woman campaign in 2000 demanding restitution from modern companies that played a direct role in enslaving African Americans.

The insightful text is sometimes acerbic, other times perceptively humorous, and always powerfully honest. Authors Roland Laird and Taneshia Nash Laird have supplemented their first-rate scholarship with a healthy dose of attitude. And illustrator Elihu "Adofo" Bey's artwork is both energetic and uncompromising.

Taking its title from a Maya Angelou poem, Still I Rise is a moving and inspirational account of the rich history of African Americans.