In Dark Circumstances~A Story Of Women In War

A phenomenal novel of resilience and survival from bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris.
In the midst of World War II, an English musician, Norah Chambers, places her eight-year-old daughter Sally on a ship leaving Singapore, desperate to keep her safe from the Japanese army as they move down through the Pacific. Norah remains to care for her husband and elderly parents, knowing she may never see her child again.

Sister Nesta James, a Welsh Australian nurse, has enlisted to tend to Allied troops. But as Singapore falls to the Japanese she joins the terrified cargo of people, including the heartbroken Norah, crammed aboard the Vyner Brooke merchant ship. Only two days later, they are bombarded from the air off the coast of Indonesia, and in a matter of hours, the Vyner Brooke lies broken on the seabed.

After surviving a brutal 24 hours in the sea, Nesta and Norah reach the beaches of a remote island, only to be captured by the Japanese and held in one of their notorious POW camps. The camps are places of starvation and brutality, where disease runs rampant. Sisters in arms, Norah and Nesta fight side by side every day, helping whoever they can, and discovering in themselves and each other extraordinary reserves of courage, resourcefulness and determination.

Sisters under the Rising Sun is a story of women in war: a novel of sisterhood, bravery and friendship in the darkest of circumstances, from the multimillion-copy bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Cilka's Journey and Three Sisters.

Heather Morris is a native of New Zealand, now resident in Australia. For several years, while working in a large public hospital in Melbourne, she studied and wrote screenplays, one of which was optioned by an Academy Award-winning screenwriter in the US. In 2003, Heather was introduced to an elderly gentleman who ‘might just have a story worth telling’. The day she met Lale Sokolov changed both their lives. Their friendship grew and Lale embarked on a journey of self-scrutiny, entrusting the innermost details of his life during the Holocaust to her. Heather originally wrote Lale’s story as a screenplay – which ranked high in international competitions – before reshaping it into her debut novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

https://heathermorrisauthor.com/

Do You Love Thrillers? Read For Halloween!

On the day author Mari Montgomery receives the email, she has little left to live for.

The message—simple yet utterly life-changing—offers a glimmer of hope to her dismal existence. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and if she takes it, it could change everything.

Mari’s immediate sense of unease is eclipsed only by her curiosity—elicited from the supposed fan on the other end of the email. Unsatisfied despite doing her due diligence, and with no way to discern the legitimacy of the sender, Mari takes a leap of faith and replies.


What harm could come from one innocent message?

Soon, as she comes face to face with her ‘number one fan,’ it’s all too clear things are not what they first appeared. Now trapped by a villain far more sinister than she could’ve crafted herself, the fate awaiting her is inspired by the darkest depths of the monsters in her own novels.

In order to escape and survive, Mari must use the strength of the heroines she’s spent years writing about. But this villain has spent years inside her worlds, too.

How will she defeat an evil who has learned from the best?

KIERSTEN MODGLIN is an Amazon Top 10 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books have sold over a million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Kiersten is a member of International Thriller Writers, Novelists, Inc., and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She is a KDP Select All-Star and a recipient of ThrillerFix's Best Psychological Thriller Award, Suspense Magazine's Best Book of 2021 Award, a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Overall Book of 2021. Kiersten grew up in rural western Kentucky and later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her family. Kiersten's readers across the world lovingly refer to her as "KMod." A binge-watching expert, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her favorite people and evenings with her nose in a book.

kierstenmodglinauthor.com

facebook.com/kierstenmodglinauthor

instagram.com/kierstenmodglinauthor

A Court Martial Revealing A Shocking Truth

The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann’s recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O’Brian, his portrayal of the castaways’ desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann’s work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound.

On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as “the prize of all the oceans,” it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.

But then ... six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes – they were mutineers. The first group responded with countercharges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous senior officer and his henchmen. It became clear that while stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death—for whomever the court found guilty could hang.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.

“Riveting...Reads like a thriller, tackling a multilayered history—and imperialism—with gusto.” —Time

"A tour de force of narrative nonfiction.” —The Wall Street Journal

DAVID GRANN is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine. He is the author of the critically acclaimed books "The Wager," "The Lost City of Z," and "Killers of the Flower Moon," which was a finalist for the National Book Award. He is also the author of "The White Darkness" and the collection "The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession." His book "Killers of the Flower Moon" was recently adapted into a film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Robert De Niro. Several of his other stories, including "The Lost City of Z" and "Old Man and the Gun," have also been adapted into major motion pictures. His investigative reporting and storytelling have garnered several honors, including a George Polk Award and an Edgar Allan Poe Award.

https://www.davidgrann.com/about/

A Story Of How Benjamin Hall Survived

"An affecting, singular story...a bracing tale of life on the edge of death." —Kirkus Reviews

When veteran war reporter Benjamin Hall woke up in Kyiv on the morning of March 14, 2022, he had no idea that, within hours, Russian bombs would nearly end his life. As a journalist for Fox News, Hall had worked in dangerous war zones like Syria and Afghanistan, but with three young daughters at home, life on the edge was supposed to be a thing of the past. Yet when Russia viciously attacked Ukraine in February 2022, Hall quickly volunteered to go. A few weeks later, while on assignment, Hall and his crew were blown up in a Russian strike. With Hall himself gravely injured and stuck in Kyiv, it was unclear if he would make it out alive.

This is the story of how he survived—a story that continues to this day. For the first time, Hall shares his experience in full—from his ground-level view of the war to his dramatic rescue to his arduous, and ongoing, recovery. Going inside the events that have permanently transformed him, Hall recalls his time at the front lines of our world’s conflicts, exploring how his struggle to step away from war reporting led him back one perilous last time. Featuring nail-biting accounts from the many people across multiple countries who banded together to get him to safety, Hall offers a stunning look at complex teamwork and heartfelt perseverance that turned his life into a mission.

Through it all, Hall’s spirit has remained undaunted, buoyed by that remarkable corps of people from around the world whose collective determination ensured his survival. Evocative, harrowing, and deeply moving, Saved is a powerful memoir of family and friends, of life and healing, and of how to respond when you are tested in ways you never thought possible.

Benjamin Hall’s memoir includes a 16-page color photo insert.

Benjamin Hall is a British journalist who serves as a State Department correspondent for Fox News Channel and is based in Washington, D.C. He joined the network in July 2015. 

The Fonz...and Beyond~Henry Winkler

From Emmy-award winning actor, author, comedian, producer, and director Henry Winkler, a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole.

Henry Winkler, launched into prominence as “The Fonz” in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny, and widely-regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood (though he would be the first to tell you that it’s simply not the case, he’s really just grateful to be here), Henry shares in this achingly vulnerable memoir the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia, the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own, and the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you.

Since the glorious era of Happy Days fame, Henry has endeared himself to a new generation with roles in such adored shows as Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, and Barry, where he’s been revealed as an actor with immense depth and pathos, a departure from the period of his life when he was so distinctly typecast as The Fonz, he could hardly find work.

Filled with profound heart, charm, and self-deprecating humor, Being Henry is a memoir about so much more than a life in Hollywood and the curse of stardom. It is a meaningful testament to the power of sharing truth and kindness and of finding fulfillment within yourself.

@hwinkler4real

When Your Heart Strings Play The Right Song

Cecily Wang wanted to become a doctor to help people in the most fundamental ways possible, only to become disillusioned with the profession during medical school and residency. It wasn’t until she went on an international relief mission to Haiti in 2006 that she found herself practicing medicine as she had originally envisioned. She was able to help a sick person in great need, unencumbered by red tape and regulations. The patient’s health was all that mattered.

Cecily has continued to do international work for the last decade with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and other aid groups. She has served populations affected by earthquakes and cholera, famine and civil war, in Haiti and Myanmar, Samoa and Nigeria, South Sudan and Syria. In the process, Cecily has been stretched to her emotional limits, witnessed the worst and the best in human nature, and learned more about herself than she once could have imagined.

Cecily Wang is a trauma surgeon and intensive care physician in Hawaii. She was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and immigrated to the US with her family when she was eight years old. Dr. Wang has extensive medical training in general surgery and trauma critical care medicine. She has served both domestically and internationally as a member of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and several other aid groups. Cecily believes a positive impact can be made by a small group of caring individuals, and she loves getting her patients to laugh, even if it hurts their incisions a bit. In addition to medical relief work, she enjoys traveling and creating art. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilywangmd/

The Untold Story of John Glenn and Ted Williams

 An Incredible Story by Adam Lazarus:

The untold story of the unique fifty-year friendship between two American icons: John Glenn, the unassailable pioneer of space exploration and Ted Williams, indisputably the greatest hitter in baseball history.

It was 1953, the Korean War in full throttle, when two men—already experts in their fields—crossed the fabled 38th Parallel into Communist airspace aboard matching Panther jets. John Glenn was an ambitious operations officer with fifty-nine World War II combat missions under his belt. His wingman was Ted Williams, the two-time American League Triple Crown winner who, at the pinnacle of his career, was inexplicably recalled to active service in the United States Marine Corps. Together, the affable flier and the notoriously tempestuous left fielder soared into North Korea, creating a death-defying bond. Although, over the next half century, their contrasting lives were challenged by exhilarating highs and devastating lows, that bond would endure.

Through unpublished letters, unit diaries, declassified military records, manuscripts, and new and illuminating interviews, The Wingmen reveals an epic and intimate portrait of two heroes—larger-than-life and yet ineffably human, ordinary men who accomplished the extraordinary. At its heart, this was a conflicted friendship that found commonality in mutual respect—throughout the perils of war, sports dominance, scientific innovation, cutthroat national politics, the burden of celebrity, and the meaning of bravery. Now, author Adam Lazaraus sheds light on a largely forgotten chapter in these legends’ lives—as singular individuals, inspiring patriots, and eventually, however improbable, profoundly close friends.

Adam Lazarus is an author specializing in non-fiction books that feature great figures and characters.

Adam's fifth book, about the forged-in-war friendship between astronaut/senator John Glenn and baseball legend Ted Williams will be released in August 2023.

Adam's fourth book, about Joe Gibbs and the dynastic Washington Redskins of the 1980s and 1990s, came out in September 2015. Hail to the Redskins features more than 90 original interviews and over two dozen photographs. His third book, Best of Rivals, is about the famous quarterback controversy between Joe Montana and Steve Young. Super Bowl Monday, his second book, centers on Super Bowl XXV, one of the greatest games in NFL history, and its intersection with Operation Desert Storm. Chasing Greatness—his first book, about the unforgettable 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont—was mentioned in Sports Illustrated.

His work has appeared in ESPN the Magazine, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bleacher Report, Golf Magazine, and USA Today. Adam received a bachelor's degree in English from Kenyon College in 2004 and a master's degree in Professional Writing from Carnegie Mellon University in 2006, specializing in journalism.

https://www.adamlazarusbooks.com/

We Need To Know More About What Lies Ahead!

 

What the Bible Has to Say about Heaven from Pastor John MacArthur, Now in Paperback 

A number of recent New York Times bestsellers have readers thinking about the reality of heaven. Yet their pictures of life in heaven cover the range from comical to curious, from mystical to fictitious―with maybe some biblical truth thrown in. But if heaven is in our future, we really need to know more about what lies ahead―more about what’s real and what’s not. Now in paperback, pastor John MacArthur takes us through the pages of Scripture, exploring the wonders of heaven, angels, and eternal life.

Written by John MacArthur: 

Written by a pastor with decades of experience shepherding God’s people and teaching from his word

Examines the Truth about Heaven: 

Replaces cultural ideas with biblical truth

Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God’s Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969. John and his wife, Patricia, have four grown children and fourteen grandchildren.

John’s pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly 2,000 English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, audiotapes, and CDs by John MacArthur.

John is president of The Master's College and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical. Best-selling titles include The Gospel According to Jesus, Truth War, The Murder of Jesus, Twelve Ordinary Men, Twelve Extraordinary Women, and The MacArthur Study Bible, a 1998 ECPA Gold Medallion recipient. https://www.gty.org/

Do You Feel Disconnected? Maybe You Need To Slow Down!

 

If you have been feeling disconnected from God or if you have a desire to go deeper in your walk with the Lord, then this study is for you. God’s pace is much slower than this world’s pace. We must slow down to catch up with God. We must create calm moments in our day because it’s in the unhurried moments that we can clearly see and hear the voice of God.

This Bible Study is going to help you slow down. It is going to force you to pause every day and enter into the presence of our Almighty God through thanksgiving, prayer and the reading of God’s Word.

We are going to take a close look at the names of Jesus and experience him as the Bread of Life, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Lamb of God, Light of the World, Living Water, Messiah, Redeemer, Savior, Shepherd, Son of God, the Way, the Truth and the Life and so much more!

But we must stop and rest. Because we do not rest, we miss hearing God’s voice. Psalm 23 comes to mind. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

Are you experiencing the green pastures, the quiet waters, and the restoration of your soul that Psalm 23 speaks of, from resting with your Shepherd?

If Jesus needed alone time with God, then certainly we do. Give yourself permission not to have your to-do list all checked off in order for you to rest and get alone with God.

Each week, I will provide for you a practical challenge of something I do in my home that makes it more of a haven. I hope you will take the challenges. They do make a difference!

Courtney Joseph Fallick is a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Evangelism and Discipleship. She loves God’s Word!

After over a decade of leading women’s Bible studies, mentorships and workshops in her local church, she decided to move her ministry on-line at WomenLivingWell.org where she has over 2 million views of her videos on YouTube.

Courtney’s passion and sincerity has made her a leader in the Christian blogging community. She is the Founder of GoodMorningGirls.org and she has been featured on the nationally syndicated television program, The Rachael Ray Show, and has spoken at many national conferences including Relevant, Allume, Proverbs 31 Ministries – She Speaks, The Nines, Axis, Mom Heart and Hearts at Home. Courtney is also the author of a Wall Street Journal Best Seller. https://www.facebook.com/womenlivingwell

Want To Meet An Old Friend?

Here’s the promise of this book in 28 words…You’re going to learn how to ask God questions.

You’re going to get answers.

And then you’re going to use those answers to recode your life for success.


GOD TALKS is a simple process that will show you how to instantly break through any obstacle and create abundance in your life. By the time you are done, you’ll feel more energetic, more vibrant, and more alive. Your relationships will be better, stronger, and more meaningful. You will be more focused and fearless.

And you’re going to reconnect with an old Friend. You may have met him before.

His name is God.

950 miles an hour. Now that’s fast. But it’s not nearly as fast as Ed Rush flew in his combat career as a decorated F-18 pilot, which included over 50 combat missions and 2 tours to Iraq. While in the Marines, Ed served as the one of the country’s leading instructors on aerial dog fighting and recently worked as a key player in the development of the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Ed is a sought after speaker, bringing his dynamic gifts to the stage in engaging ways that make his clients look great. Ed also serves as the “secret weapon” that over 300 companies have brought in “through the back door” to help them increase profit & decrease waste, consulting them with honesty and effectiveness.

After 2 combat tours to Iraq, Ed left full-time active duty to speak, write, and share a message that will change the world. He has achieved all of this despite possessing a below average intelligence (case in point: Ed failed Kindergarten).

Ed’s books and expertise have been featured on CBS, FOX, ABC, and NBC. To follow or with Ed, head over to: www.EdRush.com.

Are You Hungry?

Encouragement to Treasure the Bible and Grow in Your Desire for God’s Life-Giving Word

In our never-satisfied world, our souls hunger for more, and it’s tempting to reach for the wrong “food” to satisfy our needs. Thankfully, Jesus is the bread of life who offers us himself through the life-giving and sustainable feast of Scripture (John 6:35). But how often do we sit at Christ’s table, truly hungry for his word?

Help for the Hungry Soul offers 8 encouragements to spur an appetite for God’s word. Through searching questions, practical ideas, and moving testimonies, author Kristen Wetherell will help readers to reflect on their journey with their Bible and uncover how it is possible to treasure God’s word. 

For those feeling discouraged or guilty about a waning desire for Scripture, Wetherell will spark excitement in their spiritual life―ultimately encouraging them to put God and his word at the center of it all.

Encourages Readers to Love God’s Word: 

Teaches why readers should treasure the Bible to spark enthusiasm for reading Scripture

Interactive Elements: 

This practical book provides reflection questions, habit trackers, and scriptural interaction to spur appetite for the word

Contains Anecdotal Stories: 

Each chapter ends with an individual’s unique testimony related to their personal journey with the Bible

"Writing is a God-given means to teach truth from the Bible and to apply the wonderful gospel to all areas of life. The greatest Story ever told is the one about Jesus Christ."

Kristen's desire is to help women love Christ, learn the Bible, and live the gospel. And not only women, but any person who wants to know more about how the gospel applies to every corner of life. Her years of walking through chronic pain and Lyme disease especially inform her writing, as seen in her first book, "Hope When It Hurts: Biblical Reflections to Help You Grasp God's Purpose in Your Suffering" (The Good Book Company, April 2017).

Kristen and her husband, Brad, live in Chicagoland with their daughter and are members at The Orchard Itasca. In addition to teaching at her church, Kristen speaks at conferences and retreats, and regularly writes for The Gospel Coalition, Unlocking the Bible, Revive Our Hearts, and Desiring God.

Read more from Kristen at her website, kristenwetherell.com.

What Is Your Dream? Will It Lead You To Your Destiny?

In this companion study guide to Dream to Destiny, pastor and bestselling author Robert Morris shares how to navigate the journey from your dreams to your destiny. In Dream to Destiny, Pastor Robert uses the biblical story of Joseph to explain how God took Joseph through ten character-building tests to prepare him for his extraordinary future--tests you also need to pass to reach your destiny.

With thought-provoking questions, practical application, and biblical hope, the Dream to Destiny Study Guide will motivate you to persevere through waiting and uncertainty, identify your gifts, and discover the purpose behind your dreams.

Designed for group or individual use, this study guide will help you successfully navigate the ten character-building tests so you can fulfill your God-given destiny.

No matter where you are in life, you have a meaningful and bright future ahead--beyond what you could ever imagine! Why settle for a dream when you can have the destiny?

Robert Morris is the senior pastor of Gateway Church, a multicampus church based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Since it began in 2000, the church has grown to more than 100,000 active attendees. His television program airs in over 190 countries, and his radio program, Worship & the Word with Pastor Robert, airs in more than 6,800 cities. He serves as chancellor of The King’s University and is the bestselling author of numerous books, including The Blessed Life, Frequency, Beyond Blessed, and Take the Day Off. Robert and his wife, Debbie, have been married forty-three years and are blessed with one married daughter, two married sons, and nine grandchildren.

https://pastorrobert.com/

Can You Deal With A Woman Who Knows Her Own Mind?

 

Violet Hamilton is a woman who knows her own mind. Which, in Victorian Hastings, can make things a little complicated...

At 28, Violet's father is beginning to worry she will never find a husband. But every suitor he presents, Violet finds a new and inventive means of rebuffing.

Because Violet does not want to marry. She wants to work, and make her own way in the world. But more than anything, she wants to find her mother Lily, who disappeared from Hastings Pier 10 years earlier.

Finding the missing is no job for a lady, but when Violet hires a seaside detective to help, she sets off a chain of events that will put more than just her reputation at risk.

Can Violet solve the mystery of Lily Hamilton's vanishing before it's too late?

Reviews:

'Glorious... it's funny from the start.' – The Daily Mail

'Delightfully quirky, joyful and original... it will help you bounce exuberantly into spring' – Adele Parks

'If you loved Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, you'll love to snuggle up with this novel!' – Chat

The most joyful book you will read this year!

Hannah Dolby's first job was in the circus and she is keen to keep life as interesting. She trained as a journalist in Hastings and has worked in PR for many years, promoting museums, galleries, palaces, gardens and even Dolly the sheep. She completed the Curtis Brown selective three-month novel writing course, and she won runner-up in the Comedy Women in Print Awards for this novel with the prize of a place on an MA in Comedy Writing at the University of Falmouth. She currently lives in London.You can follow Hannah on Twitter @LadyDolby

Can You Save Others? Break Down Prejudice and Apathy?

Now a Wall Street Journal Bestseller

It was the right thing to do. And someone had to do it.

Aziz was more than an interpreter for Force Recon Marine Chad Robichaux during Chad's eight deployments to Afghanistan. He was a teammate, brother, and friend. More than once, Aziz saved Chad's life. And then he needed Chad to save his.

When President Joe Biden announced in April 2021 that the United States would be making a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan, Robichaux knew he had to get Aziz and his family out before Taliban forces took over the country. As the rescue team began to go to work, they became aware of thousands more--US citizens, Afghan allies, women, and children--facing persecution.

This gripping account of two war heroes and friends puts human hearts and names alongside the headlines of one of the most harrowing moments in our history, giving you a closer look at:The resilience of Afghanistan and its people
The twenty-year war that took place under four presidents
A mission accomplished and the work that’s still to be done

Saving Aziz is more than a story of war and rescue: it's about breaking down prejudice and apathy--and why risking it all is worth it when it comes to loving one another.

Praise for Saving Aziz:

"Saving Aziz is the story of two warriors...brought together by war and a brotherhood forged through years of battling...for the cause of freedom and captures the heroic efforts of those who took action to not only rescue Aziz and his family in the US withdrawal but thousands of others."--Tim Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author, US Army Special Forces, Sniper

Chad is a former Force Recon Marine and DoD Contractor with eight deployments to Afghanistan as part of a Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Task Force. After overcoming his personal battles with PTSd and nearly becoming a veteran suicide statistic, Chad founded the Mighty Oaks Foundation, a leading non-profit, serving the active duty and military veteran communities with highly successful faith-based combat trauma and resiliency programs. Having spoken to over 250,000 active-duty troops and led life-saving programs for over 4,000 active military and veterans at four Mighty Oaks Ranches around the Nation, Chad has become a go-to resource and is considered a subject matter expert on faith-based solutions to PTSd, having advised the former Presidential Administration, Congress, the VA, the DoD, and was appointed to serve as the Chairman of a White House Veterans Coalition.

Chad is also the President and Co-Founder of Save Our Allies, a non-profit that’s mission is focused on the evacuation and recovery of Americans, our allies and vulnerable people trapped in Afghanistan. Save Our Allies began as a personal quest for Chad, as he set out to rescue his long-time friend and Afghanistan interpreter, but the mission quickly evolved because of Chad’s compassion for people and his servant heart. Since its inception, Save Our Allies has safely evacuated over 17,000 people that were trapped in Afghanistan.

Chad is a bestselling author and has written seven books related to veteran care and overcoming life’s challenges, donating over 150,000 copies to the troops during his resiliency speaking tours. He is regularly featured on national media, and has been a contributor to Fox News, Newsmax and The Blaze. Chad’s story was notably shared in a short film by I Am Second and the documentary, Never Fight Alone. Currently, a life-story motion picture movie is being produced based on Chad’s #1 best-selling book, An Unfair Advantage - Victory in the Midst of Battle.

In addition to Chad’s military service, he has served our nation as a Special Agent with the US Federal Air Marshal Service and the US State Department as a Surveillance Detection Senior Program Manager. Chad is a Medal of Valor recipient for his bravery beyond the call of duty in law enforcement. Chad has earned an MBA from New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) and is a board-certified pastoral counselor with a focus on PTSd. Chad is married to his wife Kathy of 26 years, and they have a daughter and two sons. Hunter and Hayden are both 3rd generation Marines in the Robichaux family and share Chad’s passion as lifelong martial artists. Chad is also a 4th degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under the legendary Master Carlson Gracie Jr and is a former Professional Mixed Martial Arts Champion having competed at the highest levels of the sport.


www.MightyOaksPrograms.org

www.ChadRobichaux.com

Instagram: @ChadRobo_Official

Facebook: @Chad Robichaux

Twitter: @ChadRobo

How Hard Can It Be To Pretend?

A couple who broke up months ago pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up five months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?

Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Happy Place, Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation, and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @EmilyHenryWrites.

What Are The Six Generations Living In The United States?

A groundbreaking, revelatory portrait of the six generations that currently live in the United States and how they connect, conflict, and compete with one another—from the acclaimed author of Generation Me and iGen.

The United States is currently home to six generations of people:

-the Silents, born 1925–1945
-Baby Boomers, born 1946–1964
-Gen X, born 1965–1979
-Millennials, born 1980–1994
-Gen Z, born 1995–2012
-and the still-to-be-named cohorts born after 2012.

They have had vastly different life experiences and thus, one assumes, they must have vastly diverging beliefs and behaviors. But what are those differences, what causes them, and how deep do they actually run?

Professor of psychology and “reigning expert on generational change” (Lisa Wade, PhD, author of American Hookup), Jean Twenge does a deep dive into a treasure trove of long-running, government-funded surveys and databases to answer these questions. Are we truly defined by major historical events, such as the Great Depression for the Silents and September 11 for Millennials? Or, as Twenge argues, is it the rapid evolution of technology that differentiates the generations?

With her clear-eyed and insightful voice, Twenge explores what the Silents and Boomers want out of the rest of their lives; how Gen X-ers are facing middle age; the ideals of Millennials as parents and in the workplace; and how Gen Z has been changed by COVID, among other fascinating topics.

Surprising, engaging, and informative, Generations will forever change the way you view your parents, peers, coworkers, and children, no matter which generation you call your own.

Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D., is a widely published professor of psychology at San Diego State University. Her research has appeared in Time, USA Today, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, and she has been featured on Today, Good Morning America, and CBS This Morning. She holds degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan. Dr. Twenge lives with her husband and three daughters in San Diego, California.

What Is Possible When You Choose To Love Someone?

William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him—so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos.

But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?

An exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, Little Women, Hello Beautiful is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.

REVIEWS: (A few reviews)


"This is a warm blanket of a book, one that reminds you of the enveloping power of literature and leaves you very grateful to have encountered it.”—Vogue

“Little Women fans will be endeared by Hello Beautiful's homage to the March siblings, in the form of the four Padavano sisters. Any lover of a sweeping family saga will be moved by the Padavanos’ unraveling.”—Harper’s Bazaar

“Napolitano’s novel will make you think deeply about sisterhood and what we choose to share with those we love.”—Town & Country

Ann Napolitano's new novel, Hello Beautiful, will be published on March 14th, 2023 by Dial Press in the US and on July 13th by Viking Penguin in the UK. Her novel, Dear Edward, was an instant New York Times bestseller, a Read with Jenna selection, and is now an Apple TV+ series starring Connie Britton. She is the author of the novels A Good Hard Look and Within Arm’s Reach. She was the Associate Editor of One Story literary magazine for seven years, and received an MFA from New York University. She has taught fiction writing for Brooklyn College's MFA program, New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies and for Gotham Writers' Workshop.

Dear Edward was published by Dial Press in the United States, and by Viking Penguin in the United Kingdom. It was chosen as one of the best novels of 2020 by The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Amazon, Real Simple, Fast Company, Parade, Woman's World and more. The novel currently has twenty-six international publishers. For more information about Ann or her books, please visit www.annnapolitano.com.

Why Do We Crave More Food, Stuff, Information, and Influence?

Are we hardwired to crave more? From food and stuff to information and influence, why can’t we ever get enough?

Michael Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis and one of the world’s leading experts on behavior change, shows that the problem isn’t you. The problem is your scarcity mindset, left over from our ancient ancestors. They had to constantly seek and consume to survive because vital survival tools like food, material goods, information, and power were scarce and hard to find. But with our modern ability to easily fulfill our ancient desire for more, our hardwired “scarcity brain” is now backfiring. And new technology and institutions—from dating and entertainment apps to our food and economic systems—are exploiting our scarcitybrain. They’re bombarding us with subversive “scarcitycues,” subtle triggers that lead us into low-reward cravings that hurt us in the long run. Scarcity cues can be direct and all-encompassing, like a sagging economy. Or they can be subtle and slight, like our neighbor buying a shiny new car.

Easter traveled the world to consult with remarkable innovators and leading scientists who are finding surprising solutions for our scarcity brain. He discovered simple tactics that can move us towards an abundance mindset, cement healthy habits, and allow us to live our lives to the fullest and appreciate what we have, including how to:

• Detect hidden scarcity cues to stop cravings before they start, from a brilliant slot machine designer in a Las Vegas casino laboratory
• Turn alone time into the ultimate happiness hack, from artisanal coffee-making Benedictine monks
• Reignite your exploration gene for a more exciting and fulfilling life, from an astronaut onboard the International Space Station
• Reframe how we think about and fix addiction and bad habits, from Iraq’s chief psychiatrist
• Recognize when you have enough, from a woman who left a million-dollar career path to adventure the world

Our world is overloaded with everything we’re built to crave. The fix for scarcity brain isn’t to blindly aim for less. It’s to understand why we crave more in the first place, shake our worst habits, and use what we already have better. Then we can experience life in a new way—a more satisfying way.

Michael Easter is the author of The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain. He's also a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He writes the 2% Newsletter, a popular newsletter on all aspects of health and wellness. He lives in Las Vegas on the edge of the desert with his wife and their two dogs. Learn more about him and sign up for the 2% newsletter at eastermichael.com.

A Man of Two Faces

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

The highly original, blistering, and unconventional memoir by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sympathizer, which has now sold over one million copies worldwide

With insight, humor, formal invention, and lyricism, in A Man of Two Faces Viet Thanh Nguyen rewinds the film of his own life. He expands the genre of personal memoir by acknowledging larger stories of refugeehood, colonization, and ideas about Vietnam and America, writing with his trademark sardonic wit and incisive analysis, as well as a deep emotional openness about his life as a father and a son.

At the age of four, Nguyen and his family are forced to flee his hometown of Ban Mê Thuột and come to the USA as refugees. After being removed from his brother and parents and homed with a family on his own, Nguyen is later allowed to resettle into his own family in suburban San José. But there is violence hidden behind the sunny façade of what he calls AMERICATM. One Christmas Eve, when Nguyen is nine, while watching cartoons at home, he learns that his parents have been shot while working at their grocery store, the SàiGòn Mới, a place where he sometimes helps price tins of fruit with a sticker gun. Years later, as a teenager, the blood-stirring drama of the films of the Vietnam War such as Apocalypse Now throw Nguyen into an existential crisis: how can he be both American and Vietnamese, both the killer and the person being killed? When he learns about an adopted sister who has stayed back in Vietnam, and ultimately visits her, he grows to understand just how much his parents have left behind. And as his parents age, he worries increasingly about their comfort and care, and realizes that some of their older wounds are reopening.

Profound in its emotions and brilliant in its thinking about cultural power, A Man of Two Faces explores the necessity of both forgetting and of memory, the promises America so readily makes and breaks, and the exceptional life story of one of the most original and important writers working today.

Author:

Viet Thanh Nguyen was born in Vietnam and raised in America. He is the author of The Committed, which continues the story of The Sympathizer, awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, alongside seven other prizes. He is also the author of the short story collection The Refugees; the nonfiction book Nothing Ever Dies, a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award; the children's book Chicken of the Sea, with his son Ellison and with Thi Bui and Hien Bui-Stafford; and is the editor of an anthology of refugee writing, The Displaced. He is a University Professor and the Aerol Arnold Professor of English and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California and a recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur foundations. He lives in Los Angeles.

Can One Man Change the Course of the Future?

 

The bizarre and captivating story of the most important person you've never heard of.

The world we live in today, where everything is tracked by corporations and governments, originates with one manic, elusive, utterly unique man—as prone to bullying as he was to fits of surpassing generosity and surprising genius. His name was Hank Asher, and his life was a strange and spectacular show that changed the course of the future.

In The Hank Show, critically acclaimed author and journalist McKenzie Funk relates Asher's stranger-than-fiction story—he careened from drug-running pilot to alleged CIA asset, only to be reborn as the pioneering computer programmer known as the father of data fusion. He was the multimillionaire whose creations now power a new reality where your every move is tracked by police departments, intelligence agencies, political parties, and financial firms alike. But his success was not without setbacks. He truly lived nine lives, on top of the world one minute, only to be forced out of the companies he founded and blamed for data breaches resulting in major lawsuits and market chaos.

In the vein of the blockbuster movie Catch Me if You Can, this spellbinding work of narrative nonfiction propels you forward on a forty year journey of intrigue and innovation, from Colombia to the White House and from Silicon Valley to the 2016 Trump campaign, focusing a lens on the dark side of American business and its impact on the everyday fabric of our modern lives.

McKenzie Funk is an award-winning magazine writer and a founding member of the global journalism cooperative Deca. His stories appear in Harper's, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Outside, and The New York Times. Website: www.mckenziefunk.com

What Memories Are In Your Heart?

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, a Christianity Today fiction book award winner, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been featured in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about.



As a woman of mixed heritage--her father's family is Hispanic and her mother's roots go back to Germany--she has always celebrated diversity and feels it's important to see the world through the eyes of one another. Learning from the past and changing the future is why she writes historical fiction.

Michelle loves hearing from readers! Connect with her at www.MichelleShocklee.com

Forever within the memories of my heart.

Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

For fans of historical and Southern fiction comes a poignant story of love and sacrifice set in the heart of Appalachia, from award-winning author Michelle Shocklee.

A Haunting Masterpiece-Let Us Descend

From Jesmyn Ward—the two-time National Book Award winner, youngest winner of the Library of Congress Prize for Fiction, and MacArthur Fellow—comes a haunting masterpiece, sure to be an instant classic, about an enslaved girl in the years before the Civil War.

From one of the most singularly brilliant and beloved writers of her generation, this miracle of a novel inscribes Black American grief and joy into the very land—the rich but unforgiving forests, swamps, and rivers of the American South. Let Us Descend is Jesmyn Ward’s most magnificent novel yet, a masterwork for the ages.

Let Us Descend is a reimagining of American slavery, as beautifully rendered as it is heart-wrenching. Searching, harrowing, replete with transcendent love, the novel is a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans and into the fearsome heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation.

Description:
Annis, sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, is the reader’s guide through this hellscape. As she struggles through the miles-long march, Annis turns inward, seeking comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother. Throughout, she opens herself to a world beyond this world, one teeming with spirits: of earth and water, of myth and history; spirits who nurture and give, and those who manipulate and take. While Ward leads readers through the descent, this, her fourth novel, is ultimately a story of rebirth and reclamation.

Jesmyn Ward received her MFA from the University of Michigan and has received the MacArthur Genius Grant, a Stegner Fellowship, a John and Renee Grisham Writers Residency, and the Strauss Living Prize. She is the winner of two National Book Awards for Fiction for Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017) and Salvage the Bones (2011). She is also the author of the novel Where the Line Bleeds and the memoir Men We Reaped, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and won the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize and the Media for a Just Society Award. She is currently an associate professor of creative writing at Tulane University and lives in Mississippi.