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An extraordinary, tough-as-nails adventure novel, Desperation Island by Keith A. Hamilton is a gritty take on the pirate genre with a contemporary twist – a 21st Century Pirates of the Caribbean, as the subtitle accurately describes. After Ronald Johnson discovers he is a descendant of Francis Drake, he decides to become a pirate and take to the open sea. Renaming himself Ronald Drake, he gathers together a band of comrades, fulfilling his fantasies and his hard-edged ambitions in a series of dangerous adventures, taking cargo from smaller boats before getting on the radar of both law enforcement and the […]

The Dougherty Code: Secrets of Financial Planning in Spain Revealed by Peter Dougherty is a clearly organized and amusingly written guide about starting a financial planning business in Spain, which will be of great use to anyone in that specialized niche but also, remarkably, of genuine interest to the general reader interested in Spanish or European financial history. An American émigré in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, Peter Dougherty provides a fascinating account of how he came to live and work in a foreign country, what he has learned in his years navigating the complex and bureaucratic Spanish system, and […]

Aimed at helping women regain self-confidence and trust in their future, Owning Your Destiny: A Woman’s Guide to Harnessing the Power Within by Duncan McLauren is an effective self-help book with a uniquely precise focus. Drawing from her personal experience and research, McLauren covers meditation, breathing, visualization, and other techniques she used to communicate more clearly with herself since going through a divorce, making the information more down-to-earth and actionable than other guides of its kind, while still emphasizing the value of finding one’s place in the spiritual universe. Told with a gentle, at-times humorous tone, McLauren is a soothing […]

Both a heartbreaking book about the impact of grief, and an uplifting novel about strong, unremitting, and unconditional love, The Day Before Tomorrow: An Idea Whose Time Has Come by Monique Britten is a multifaceted and affecting read. Telling the story of a series of women who battle illness, such as Juliette, trauma, such as her daughter Kate, or unfaithful, criminal husbands, such as Linda, each character is riveting and thoroughly well-crafted. Thanks to Britten’s deeply moving and beautifully crafted prose, this richly emotional book manages to talk about death, grief, and hope across generations without ever being maudlin or […]