BookBites: Meet Characters and Journeys You Won't Soon Forget

(NewsUSA)

"Grounds for Murder"
by Tara Lush

When Lana Lewis' best -- and most difficult -- employee abruptly quits and joins the competition days before the Sunshine State Barista Championship, her café's chances of winning are creamed. Lana's normally calm demeanor heats to a boil when she runs into the arrogant java slinger. But when he's found dead the next morning behind Lana's café, she becomes the prime suspect.

With her stoned, hippie dad, a Shih Tzu named Stanley, and a new barista sporting a punk rock aesthetic at her side, Lana's prepared to catch the real killer. As scandal hangs over her beachside café, can Lana clear her name and win the championship -- or will she come to a bitter end? Purchase at https://amzn.to/32D1mqS.

"Franklin Rock"
by Mark Klein

Sometimes heroes come when we least expect them.

Just when we need him most, Franklin Rock has arrived. While in college, a series of unexplained visions and events reveal a future he could never have imagined. In one extraordinary moment, Franklin learns that his life is to be an adventure unlike any other. Professor Charles Niemeyer, a Gandalf-like mentor, guides Franklin along his journey to complete his mission: to fix the world.

Like a modern-day Siddhartha who meets Forrest Gump, Franklin encounters one fascinating character after another. Along the way, he visits with some of the greatest minds of history -- Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., Carl Jung -- who assist him in his quest. Purchase at https://amzn.to/3oSomvt.

"Snowflake"
by Arthur Jeon

A scholarship student at a private high school decides he must kill the president as an act of environmental protection.

Ben Wallace didn't set out to become an environmental activist. But he becomes outraged by the president's climate-change lies, attacks on climate science, and destruction of the natural world. He decides there is only one solution-a desperate but necessary act of environmental activism and social justice to protect his generation -- Ben must kill POTUS.

The events in this historical fiction tighten into a gripping suspense thriller racing to a shocking conclusion -- equal parts climate thriller, think piece, and spiritual journey. Purchase at https://amzn.to/3m8DyTH.

"Life Is a Ride"
by Chris Joseph

In 2016, 59-year-old Chris Joseph learned he had third-stage pancreatic cancer. In the midst of panic and fear, Joseph followed the doctor's orders and underwent chemotherapy -- a choice that was almost a fatal mistake.

Months of chemotherapy poisoned his body and nearly destroyed his spirit. With no immediate plan, Joseph fired his oncologist and embarked on an alternative path of recovery, including both natural and Western medicine immunotherapy -- one which opened his eyes and healed him, both physically and spiritually.

Life is a Ride documents Joseph's journey from terror and doubt to independence, redemption, love and hope. Joseph's spirit, determination and courage will inspire anyone who's struggled with illness or any other seemingly hopeless situation. Purchase at https://amzn.to/31sCa6y.

NOTE: BookBites is a continuing series bringing readers information and ideas for their next read. For more reading ideas, visit BookTrib.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.