Nonfiction
The Beijing Book Fair
An exciting message from Bristol novelist Nery McMahon. I am so very happy to announce that my new semi autobiographical, true-crime novel 'The Immigrant Veronicas Story' has recently been featured at the Beijing Book Fair in China between 18th and 22nd June 2025. It was an absolute pleasure to see it on display amongst some of the most recognisable authors in the world and so very humbling to be selected for such a prestigious book event. A very big thank you to the organisers and to everyone involved for showcasing my novel to the book audience of the world.
By Author_Nery McMahonabout a year ago in BookClub
The Florala Bayou Cryptid
In the Summer of 2009, I was living in Southern Alabama on the Alabama/Florida border, very close to Eglin Air Force Base. My (former) fiancé and I decided to go to the movies in Dothan, which was about an hour's drive from where we lived. In order to get to the theater, we had to take some back roads and highways, and on the way back from the movies later that night, we were nearing the outskirts of our town.
By Sai Marie Johnsonabout a year ago in BookClub
NYC Leadership Strategist Stacie Selise Launches Groundbreaking 4S Framework Series to Redefine Executive Excellence
NEW YORK CITY, NY— With 77% of organizations reporting a leadership gap and only 10% of individuals considered natural leaders, one strategist is stepping up with a bold solution. This month, leadership strategist and former telecom executive Stacie Selise officially launched her debut book series, The 4S Framework by Stacie Selise Leadership Playbook and Leadership Workbook, offering a timely and actionable roadmap for professionals ready to lead with confidence and intention.
By Nikki Gaskins Campbellabout a year ago in BookClub
The letter that changed everything
Tania was 28, and from the outside, everything looked perfect. She worked as a customer relationship officer at a prestigious bank in Lahore. Her hair was always tied neatly, her heels clicked with authority, and her phone buzzed constantly with updates, approvals, and balance sheets. Her family was proud. Society approved. She was “settled.” But Tania knew she wasn’t happy. Her days felt like they were stitched from the same gray fabric—wake up, work, eat, sleep, repeat. She had started living for weekends, and even those disappeared in hours of mindless scrolling, shopping, and sleeping. Something inside her felt… dead. One rainy evening, while she was rearranging her old wooden cupboard in the storeroom, she stumbled upon a small blue box. It was dusty and taped shut. She almost threw it away but stopped at the last second. Her childhood initials were scribbled in pink on the top: “T.K.” She sat on the cold floor and opened it. Inside were dried pens, a faded diary, and a few origami stars. Beneath them all, she found an envelope addressed to: > "To Future Me — Please Read This When You’re Big. From: Your Little Self 💜" She laughed, but her hands trembled as she opened it. A letter in clumsy, oversized handwriting greeted her. --- > Dear Tania, I hope you are big and pretty and still writing stories. I hope you didn’t forget how we wanted to be a famous author. I hope you still believe in magic and love and happy endings. Please don’t be too busy to dream. If you are reading this, remember — you promised never to stop writing. Love, 12-Year-Old You 🌸 --- Tania stared at the letter until the words blurred with tears. It hit her like thunder — she had completely forgotten. She once wrote every night. She created stories about fairy queens, astronauts, broken hearts, and brave girls. Writing had been her escape, her passion, her everything. But somewhere between career goals and social expectations, she had buried her dream without even saying goodbye. That night, she dusted off her old laptop. The keyboard was sticky, the screen flickered, but she didn’t care. She opened a blank Word document and typed: > "Once upon a time, a little girl forgot her dream..." Words flowed like rain from a broken sky. She wrote until 2 a.m., smiling and crying at once. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt real. From then on, she made a promise to herself. One story every Sunday. No excuses. At first, she posted them on a quiet blog named “Letters to Myself”. No one read it. She had zero likes, zero comments. But she didn’t care. For the first time in years, she felt alive. Three months later, one of her stories—a raw piece about depression, love, and self-rediscovery—was shared on a mental health forum. It went viral. Tania was flooded with messages: “Thank you for putting this into words.” “I felt this in my soul.” “Please keep writing.” Suddenly, her blog had thousands of followers. A literary agent contacted her, asking if she had ever considered writing a book. With trembling hands, she said yes. Her debut novel, “The Forgotten Girl”, was published within the year. It was semi-autobiographical—a story of a woman rediscovering herself through the voice of her 12-year-old self. It became a bestseller. But more than the fame, it was the letters that mattered most. Girls from India, Pakistan, Egypt, Canada, and even Kenya sent her emails. Many said the same thing: “I used to dream too. Maybe it’s not too late.” Tania quit her bank job on her 30th birthday. Not because she was running away, but because she was finally running toward something that made her heart beat faster. She traveled. She gave workshops to schoolgirls on creative writing and self-belief. She started a mentorship program for women who wanted to write but didn’t know how. Two years later, while packing for a book tour in Turkey, she slipped that old letter back into her suitcase. It had yellowed with time but still smelled faintly of ink and dreams. She smiled as she reread it. And whispered softly to the air, “Thank you, little me. You saved us.”
By Shehzad khanabout a year ago in BookClub
The Girl, the Tiger, and the Elemental Bond. Content Warning.
In the heart of a forest untouched by time, where the trees whispered ancient secrets and rivers sang forgotten lullabies, lived a girl named Elara. She was no ordinary girl. Born during a celestial storm, her eyes shimmered like the stars, and the wind often played with her hair as if it knew her soul. Villagers believed she was chosen by the Elements — the powers of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air — to bring balance to the world one day. But Elara had no idea of her destiny. She only knew one thing — she felt different. One dusky evening, while wandering deeper into the woods than ever before, she heard a growl. Not one of fear, but power. Emerging from the shadows was a magnificent tiger — his fur glowing faintly like molten gold, eyes like burning sapphire. They stared at each other. Time paused. Instead of running, Elara stepped forward. The tiger didn’t attack — instead, he bowed his head, as if recognizing her. That night, under the silver moon, Elara dreamed of a time long ago — four guardians who kept the world in balance: a girl, a tiger, a mountain, and a storm. The vision ended with a prophecy: “When the Elements cry, the Bond shall rise.” When she awoke, the tiger was beside her, watching protectively. From that moment on, Elara and the tiger — whom she named Kael — became one soul. They ran through the forests, swam across rivers, climbed high cliffs, and slept beneath stars. The world was awakening, and so was the power within her. One evening, as thunder cracked the skies and the earth trembled, dark shadows descended upon the forest — the Elemental Spirits had gone rogue. The balance had been broken by greed and destruction from the world beyond the forest. Elara knew her time had come. With Kael roaring beside her, she called upon the winds — and they listened. She touched the ground — and it pulsed. Her voice whispered to the fire — and flames danced around her hands. The river bent to her path. In a blaze of power and light, Elara stood with Kael at the edge of the cliff, the elemental signs glowing in the air around her. She was no longer a girl. She was the Guardian. And as the storm cleared, and balance returned, legends whispered of the girl and the tiger who walked with the Elements… and still do, whenever the forest breathes.
By Qasim khanabout a year ago in BookClub
Power of I AM
Note: For the TL;DR please go the final paragraph. “The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today,” (2016) by Joel Osteen is a self-help book which presents Positive Thinking as a Christian principle. Positive Thinking is the idea that our words or thoughts manifest into reality. For Osteen, these thoughts are “I am” statements which “will bring either success or failure,” (1) because “whatever you follow the “I am” with, you’re…giving it permission to be in your life.” (2). Osteen presents this idea as a Christian principle by using Bible passages, and writes that when your “I Am”s align with ‘who God says you are’ you “invite the goodness of God,” (7). Despite this affirmation of belief, a closer examination of Osteen’s message reveals disconnects from core Christian teachings.
By Judah LoVatoabout a year ago in BookClub
True Crime Book Club: "Bringing Down the House" by Ben Mezrich. Content Warning.
Synopsis: Real life all too rarely offers stories that are quite as satisfying as fiction. Bringing Down the House is one of the exceptions- a real-life action thriller oozing with money, sex and some extremely dodgy dealing... Cheating in casinos is illegal; card-counting - making a record of what cards have so far been dealt to enable the player to make some prediction of what cards remain in the deck - is not. But casinos understandably dislike the practice and make every effort to keep card-counters out of their premises. Bringing Down the House tells the true story of the most successful financial scam ever, in which teams of brilliant young mathematicians and physicists won millions of dollars from the casinos and blackjack tables of Las Vegas, in the process getting drawn into the high life of drugs, sex and spending big. Bringing Down the House is an insight into a closed, excessive and utterly corrupt world of gambling in Las Vegas.
By Kristen Barenthalerabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Review: Exploring the Impact of Conservation: "Half-Earth" by Edward O. Wilson : . AI-Generated.
Let's dive into a thought-provoking read that's making waves lately - "Half-Earth" by the esteemed Edward O. Wilson. Wilson's passion for biodiversity and ecological balance shines brightly throughout his work, cementing his status as a prominent figure in the world of conservation.
By Hatch and Hearthabout a year ago in BookClub
"The History of Books & Libraries" by Kristen Barenthaler
Grab a copy here! Review on Goodreads here! This was my final essay for my Master's degree in Library and Information Sciences. It's factual, but short. And probably only really interesting to those of us who are nerdy enough to want to learn about books and libraries in our free time.
By Kristen Barenthalerabout a year ago in BookClub
