Books for All Seasons

The Sultan's Court by R.A. Denny Peri struggles with life as a slave and a mother while her husband is compelled to journey with the pirates. She needs to cope with the varied challenges of a single parent. Peri’s worst nightmare is when her teenage daughter lands in the Sultan’s Court. The Sultan’s Court  is the second book of the Pirates & Puritans series. The story continues where the first book ends. The year is still in the 17th century. Peri, the lead character, gives birth to a baby girl in Mzoura. She names her child Mya. Thankfully, Peri’s master is kind enough to her. He allows her to take care of her child as she does her slave duties. Besides, the holy man is interested to know more about the future, from where Peri came. Peri’s husband, Daniel, is not aware that she’s with a child. He’s out at sea without knowing his wife is pregnant. Daniel joins Ayoub and his crew of pirates. It’s not that Daniel is interested in being a sea rover. Rather, he is compelled to do s...

Nobody Left Out: Jesus & the Way of Sorrows: A Messy broken Journey Through the Stations of the Cross by Michael Murray An insightful read for all Christians, non-believers, and those searching for their life's meaning. Jesus goes through the Way of Sorrows because He wants nobody left out. People from all walks of life regardless of beliefs or lack of it can learn something from this book. Nobody Left Out: Jesus & The Way of Sorrows  is a Christian non-fiction read. Its story is focused on the fourteen Stations of the Cross. For the non-Christian believers, Stations of the Cross is a traditional commemoration of Jesus’ suffering that led to His crucifixion and death. It’s practiced during Lent. Of the two versions of the Stations of the Cross, the author chooses to explain the Scriptural account instead of the Traditional one. Michael Murray calls  Nobody Left Out  the Way of Sorrows or the Via Dolorosa. It’s apparently because it centers on the last few hours of...

Jade by Tracey Chizoba Fletcher “God has blessed us with mineral resources to enrich us and make our lives better. But how have we utilized it?” This is the statement made by one of the characters in the book, Jade. Jade  is the story of a high school student who tries to find an important piece of his country’s history. Written by Tracey Chizoba Fletcher, the plot is set in one of the states in northern Nigeria. Gregory Agwu is excited to start the new school year. He’s now a senior secondary student. Together with his friends and classmates, he listens to the principal’s announcement, only to be dismayed at the news. The school head says that students in the Sciences, Commercial, and Arts classes are required to take History. Gregory and his friends think the class is unnecessary because they believe they already know everything about their country. Nevertheless, Gregory takes this class under Mr. Julius, albeit begrudgingly. Eventually, the subject gets Gregory’s interest. He wa...

Mool Mantra the Spiritual Path to God: Serving Humanity with Contentment and Compassion by Paul Kalra Mool Mantra the Spiritual Path to God is a nonfiction book that contains the teachings of Guru Nanak. It introduces a God that transcends all organized religions in the world. Mool Mantra the Spiritual Path to God  is a nonfiction book. It features the teachings of Guru Nanak, the first of the ten revered gurus of the Sikhs. The author, Paul Kalra, begins his work by introducing Guru Nanak's life journey and spiritual teaching. Apparently, he intends to prepare the reader for what the succeeding pages are all about. The Guru’s Spiritual Advice True enough, Kalra shares the guru’s knowledge about the all-encompassing God and the ways to attain Him. Guru Nanak teaches that for man to attain God, he needs to let go of what he calls the “five thieves”. These thieves include lust, wrath, greed, attachment, and ego. Of all these, however, Nanak expounds on ego. The guru advises that ther...

I Escaped Amazon River Pirates by Ellie Crowe and Scott Peters    A family of four tries to escape from the Amazon River pirates. But in a twist of fate, the children get separated from their parents. Nick and Madison are now on their own in an unfamiliar forest. They need to watch out for wild animals and pirates as they try to figure a way out. In November 2017, a family of four decided to take a year-long road trip. The kids skip school for this purpose. They start the journey by taking a ferry at Iquitos Port, Peru in South America. Not long into the voyage, pirates raid the ferry. Since they are the only American passengers, the head of the family decides that they abandon ship. Aiden believes that if the pirates find them, they would either be held captives for ransom or killed. Albeit reluctant at first, the mother and the two kids jump into the river using Nick’s surfboard. Nick and Madison ride the surfboard while their parents swim alongside them. In a twist of fate,...

Planet of the Head-Breakers by Zeb Haradon Centuries after the revolution, the head-breakers rose to rule the remnants of humanity. They subject the survivors to a forced lobotomy. Children don’t get the chance to escape from such a surgery because they are confined in a robot-controlled commune. Except for Jim.  This dystopian novel follows the life journey of a young boy who lives in a commune. Jim grows up in a controlled environment. He does not know anything about a realm on the other side of the fence he is in. Although he has a vague idea that something exists outside the commune based on his conversations with Helen, his best friend. Jim witnesses older children who become living dead after they are lobotomized. He and Helen decided that they didn’t want to undergo the surgery. And so, they plan to escape before their time comes. However, fear overwhelms Jim. Thus, the escape does not materialize before the next lobotomy time arrives. The dreadful moment eventually comes f...

The Alchemy Thief by R.A. Denny A group of Islamists takes an interest in an ancient book of alchemy that is currently on display at a museum. They believe the book holds the key that would lead them to power. The year 2019. While swimming in the ocean in Massachusetts, Peri found a hairpin-like object with a mysterious symbol on it. When she gets home after the swim, Peri hears the news on television about a bomb explosion in Morocco. The news says that a small ancient book in the museum is stolen. Peri recognizes the museum and the stand on which the stolen book was displayed. She and her best friend, Jen, visited the place a month before the incident. Meanwhile, in another part of the world, a ten-year-old boy and his mother enter a museum in Morocco. They pretend to be visitors, interested in the items on display. However, as the museum guard gets distracted by an explosion, the boy steals a book from its display stand. He successfully gets away with it and escapes from the scene. ...

Trial by Sorcery by Richard Fierce Sometimes a child idolizes a hero so much that he wants to be like the person he looks up to someday. And, that’s exactly what Eldwin does in Trial by Sorcery. He wants to be like a Dragon Guard like his father. However, having a mangled hand does not stop Eldwin from pursuing his dream. He wants to be a dragoon like his father was before his death. With his parents dead and their lands dying, Eldwin decides to leave his place to pursue his dream in the city. And so, the young boy travels downhill to the city of Autumnwick. He enlists as an apprentice in Citadel, a school that trains dragon riders. He arrives at the school wearing his father’s sword. Unlike other enrollees, Eldwin is not of royal blood. But, he’s a noble by deed through his father. On the day of the enrolment, he meets Maren, a fellow student. They become friends and they support one another throughout their journey as apprentices. The Training All students need to abide by the stric...