Brick Lane by Monica Ali

A captivating read from a debut novelist, Brick Lane brings the immigrant milieu of East London to vibrant life. With great poignancy, Ali illuminates a foreign world; her well-developed characters pull readers along on a deeply psychological, almost spiritual journey. Through the eyes of two Bangladeshi sisters—the plain Nazneen and the prettier Hasina—we see the divergent paths of the contemporary descendants of an ancient culture. Hasina elopes to a "love marriage," and young Nazneen, in an arranged marriage, is pledged to a much older man living in London.

Ali's skillful narrative focuses on Nazneen's stifling life with her ineffectual husband, who keeps her imprisoned in a city housing project filled with immigrants in varying degrees of assimilation. But Ali reveals a bittersweet tension between the "two kinds of love" Nazneen and her sister experience—that which begins full and overflowing, only to slowly dissipate, and another which emerges like a surprise, growing unexpectedly over years of faithful commitment. Both of these loves have their own pitfalls: Hasina's passionate romance crumbles into domestic violence, and Nazneen's marriage never quite reaches a state of wedded bliss.

Though comparisons have drawn between Ali and Zadie Smith, a better comparison might be made between this talented newcomer and the work of Amy Tan, who so deftly portrays the immigrant experience with empathy and joy.

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CyberKnight and the Hand Puppet Commandos: Origin Story by Robert J. Gold

CyberKnight and the Hand Puppet Commandos is the " Origin Story " in a series of novels that reveal the epic adventures of Dr. Daryl Daxler (known as "Dax"). From childhood puppeteer to achieving her status as a “Triple Doc” (Ph.D.'s in Astrophysics, Electronic and Parapsychology) and SETI Scientist where she makes a discovery of historic importance, Dax is thrust into the quest of a lifetime. Her development of her life-long dream to build her synthetic telepathy invention, known as the ReAmplifier, ends with results that are not what she expected. When the device links her into the “ Great Mind Wave ” and downloads the “ World Protector Kit ” (WPK) into her mind, it is only the beginning of a journey that will transform her life from purely scientific pursuits to being Earth's “ CyberKnight ”, the reluctant – at first, leader of a powerful group of miniature super heroes, the Hand Puppet Commandos - the likes of which the planet has never seen before. The...

The Ishtar Cup | Murray Lee Eiland Jr.

Bart Northcote vigorously defies stereotypes. He is a Los Angeles private detective who also writes books that are loosely disguised as fiction. He has a keen sense of making money from every job, and has a voracious appetite for art. Here he is involved in tracking down the whereabouts of a fabulous antiquity, called the Ishtar Cup, which has been smuggled out of Iraq after the Gulf War. The problem is that his client, who refuses to giver her real name, wants Bart to follow one of her co-conspirators to make sure they know that they are being watched. Bart suspects he is being played, but he has no idea why. www.amazon.com/Ishtar-Cup-Bart-Northcote/dp/1517362288

The Power Vested in Me - Unique ‘Four-Book’ Trilogy

Step into the shoes of the Stardust--and take off into a complex, dangerous, and magical world--where danger lurks around every corner and adventure reigns supreme. In this unique ‘four-book’ trilogy, The Power Vested in Me follows the journey, struggles, and challenges faced by five gifted teenagers who are tasked with finding and collecting unusual objects with unknown powers. Under the guidance of their charming yet mysterious benefactor, Starkey, the teens will travel to incredible and fascinating new worlds, encounter malevolent forces, and experience the wonders of a strange and mystical land. From everyday problems of teens like exams, homework, and family drama, to the otherworldly realm of the Land of Nod, life for these unique teens will never be the same. But who are the Stardust, really? Why have they been created? And do they have what it takes to overcome the many evils of the universe?

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